For harried passengers flying peak hours from metros, no respite from delayed flights and landings is in sight.
The civil aviation ministry would 'shortly' come out with a comprehensive policy framework for sharing of unused bilateral air-traffic rights between the public sector and private carriers, for operating to these international destinations.
Fierce competition among airline firms has long limited price increases despite crippling operating costs
This announcement comes a day after the DGCA asked IndiGo to take 'appropriate action' after it found alleged violation of safety and social distancing protocols by mediapersons in the airline's Chandigarh-Mumbai flight that had actor Kangana Ranaut as a passenger.
The EoI and the share purchase agreement would be issued in January itself for the bidders. While Air India's net loss in 2018-19 was around Rs 8,556 crore, its current total debt is around Rs 80,000 crore.
The airport operations are likely to be disrupted as the employees have threatened to start an indefinite 'non-cooperation movement' from march 12 after the government today rejected their demands for continuing operations of Bangalore and Hyderabad airports. The existing airports in both the metros are to be closed down once the new greenfield airports launch their operations.
The government on Friday decided to extend 'open sky' policy to all foreign airlines, including those from the Persian Gulf for three months in the peak winter season, subject to commercial arrangements with the national flag carriers.
Thackeray also said it was wrong to impose the lockdown suddenly and now it cannot be lifted all at once.
New airline Akasa Air on Thursday took delivery of the first 737 Max aircraft from Boeing in Seattle, USA, a statement said.
Fliers may have to shell out more with the government mulling to impose a two per cent cess on air tickets
'If the airlines are not given a clear deadline to change the altimeters by the DGCA, why should they do it voluntarily?' 'It means that the aircraft will be grounded for a while and lose money.'
The plan, vetted by the finance and civil aviation ministries, is likely to include proposals relating to the nature of financial assistance it wants from the government, including equity infusion and soft loan.
This demand is over and above the Rs 1,200 crore.
Govt says domestic carriers' financial health a concern.
To meet the exigencies on highways, the civil aviation ministry has suggested to the surface transport ministry to earmark space for helipads every 100 kilometres on major national highways.
B C Khanduri, who was elevated to Cabinet rank in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who was given independent charge of the civil aviation ministry, were among those who joined work on Monday.
This means a passenger flying between Delhi and Mumbai will now know that the minimum fare in the route will be Rs 95 (as being charged by SpiceJet) and can go up to a maximum of Rs 22,800 (as being levied by GoAir), plus around Rs 3,000 as components like passenger fees.
Scheduled international passenger flights have remained suspended since March 23, 2020 in the wake of the pandemic and they will now restart from Sunday.
Thirteen years and several hurdles later, the plan has finally got a new "estimated time of departure".
On Monday, the five independent directors of the company -- Anand Mahindra of Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry's secretary general Amit Mitra, Ambuja Realty chairman Harsh Neotia and former air chief Fali H Major -- met Prime Minister's principal secretary T K A Nair and reportedly expressed their anguish over the appointments being made by the company.
The government is likely to consider infusion of Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion) as equity in the cash-strapped Air India on Wednesday, but wants the airline to take "extraordinary" measures to achieve a financial turnaround.
Government has postponed by a month a decision to privatise four of the countrys biggest airports pending more inter-ministry consultations, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Friday.
Jet Airways' plans to raise $400 million through a share sale to foreign institutions may get delayed as the government on Thursday deferred a decision on the proposal of the private air carrier.
Domestic passengers using the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi will be able to use the new Terminal-3 only from October 28, a few weeks after the Commonwealth Games are over. The Games will conclude on October 14.
The prevalent practice is that airlines have to pay between Rs 4,000 and Rs 4,500 per filled seat as departure tax.
The directive from the civil aviation ministry came after the airlines together failed to utilise over 13 per cent of the slots allocated to them last year, official sources said. The domestic carriers have already filed their summer schedules which shows a marginal increase in the number of flights each week -- from 11,048 last year to 11,116 this year.
Troubled carrier SpiceJet has paid employees' salaries for November and cleared dues of fuel companies as well.
Cabinet approval for greenfield airports within the 150 km radius of an existing airport is being done away with, according to the new greenfield airports policy, which has recently been sent for Cabinet consideration by the civil aviation ministry. This would have serious implications for airports in large metro cities including Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai, where a second airport will eventually be a reality.
Even as the labour ministry gave an in-principle approval to the civil aviation ministry's proposal to classify pilots as executives instead of workmen, the pilots' unions said they would respond strongly to the move.
The civil aviation ministry and the directorate general of civil aviation plan to award the low-cost carriers some key morning and evening peak-time slots (a fixed time for departure or arrival of a particular flight) lying unused with the full-service carriers at metro airports like Delhi and Mumbai. DGCA officials and airline officials confirm that airlines like Jet and Kingfisher are not using around 10 per cent of their slots during the peak periods.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances