New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh will soon hold consultations with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) about allowing domestic airlines to operate international services without restrictions in fleet size and operational experience.
Talking to Business Standard, Singh said, “There is no logic in not allowing Indian airlines to fly international without having five years of operational experience and 20 aircraft (5/20 rule) when foreign airlines can fly in with even a single aircraft in their fleet. The regulation needs to be amended and we are planning to move a Cabinet note soon.” The move will benefit Wadias-promoted GoAir and new entrants AirAsia India and Tata Singapore Airlines Limited (Tata-SIA), which have evinced interest in commencing international operations out of India.
“If a corporate house buys a business jet today, he can fly out of the country without any restrictions. The DGCA examines whether safety requirements are in place and issues permits. I see no reason why the same cannot be done for scheduled carriers. I will talk with the DGCA what kind of checks need to be in place and look at revising the criteria,” added Singh.
His suggestion has already been endorsed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who said in Washington last week that if the civil aviation ministry moves a Cabinet note to amend the rules, he would support it.
Read news in full 15/10/13 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard
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