This article was first published 19 years ago

DLF to take off with a non-scheduled airline

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May 25, 2006 10:24 IST

The company, according to civil aviation ministry sources, has got the permission to import aircraft, with the government's aircraft import committee giving its no-objection certificate last week.

With this, the real estate major will be able to kick-start its airline operations.

Government sources also said the company has indicated its willingness to import jets and other passenger aircraft to operate services between multiple cities.

As a non-scheduled airline, DLF will be able to operate services between any cities in the country, without sticking to a timetable.

The only difference between a scheduled and a non-scheduled airline is that the scheduled airline operates between airports governed by the route dispersal guidelines and a pre-approved time-table. The equity norms and other regulatory requirements are the same for both the categories.

As per industry estimates, in the Indian domestic aviation market worth about Rs 20, 000 crore (Rs 200 billion) a year, the non-schedule operators have a share of about 10 per cent.

The venture by DLF Universal will be the second attempt by any company in the country to tap this market in an organised way. The first was Jagson Airlines, which started operations in 1992.

DLF Universal is the second non-scheduled operator approved by the government in the recent past. Swan Airways was allowed to start a non-scheduled operation by the government recently.

In addition, the aircraft import committee has also about four existing airlines to import about 100 aircraft.

In the process, the government has also given permission to the start-up low cost carrier InterGlobe to import 2 Airbus A 320s, the first tranche of the 100 aircraft order it placed with the European aircraft maker Airbus.

Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines has walked away with the permission to import 80 aircraft -- 29 Airbus A 320s, 4 Airbus A 321s, 56 ATRs -- to straighten the carrier's fleet.
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