The Union Cabinet on Tuesday gave its approval for private participation in the construction of international airport in Bangalore.
Jet has pulled out flights from Northeast states and also cancelled its Srinagar flight, leading to reduction in capacity.
In India, domestic airlines have not secured any relief from the government and are reporting 50-55 per cent loads as domestic air travel resumed on May 25 after two-month suspension.
Civilian Aviation Minister Praful Patel did not ask for an apology when he met United States Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in Montreal for being questioned by immigration authorities at the Chicago airport. "He (Patel) didn't ask for an apology, but we did talk about what is needed in both countries to make sure that air travel remains safe," Napolitano said.
The first thing that needs to be addressed is Air India's cost structure. If it were a private airline, Air India could apply for bankruptcy, but as a national airline that option is not on the table, says Vinay Bhaskara.
Virtually ruling out any bail-out, the government on Saturday asked private airlines to withdraw their call for suspending flights on August 18 and warned them of "appropriate action" if flight schedules are disrupted.
Limits imposed on domestic airfares will be removed from August 31, after a span of approximately 27 months, the Union aviation ministry said on Wednesday. "The decision to remove air fare caps has been taken after careful analysis of daily demand and prices of air turbine fuel (ATF). "Stabilisation has set in and we are certain that the sector is poised for growth in domestic traffic in the near future," Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Twitter.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram has supported Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh's suggestion on doing away with a rule that bars Indian carriers from flying abroad unless they complete five years of service and own a 20-aircraft fleet.
"The strategic divestment transaction of Air India successfully concluded today with transfer of 100 per cent shares of Air India to M/s Talace Pvt Ltd along with management control," DIPAM secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said in a tweet. A new board, led by the strategic partner, takes charge of Air India, he added.
Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Monday described Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as a "qualified" candidate for the post of President but said his views on others were equally positive.
The Union Cabinet is likely to take up the airline industry's concerns over high taxes on jet fuel and airport charges at its next meeting and a Group of Ministers (GoM) may be set up to focus on ATF pricing.
Three months after the Modi government withdrew SPG cover to Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, they are all set to lose another special status provided to them.
The number of forms to be filled to operate drones in the country have been reduced to six in draft 'Drone Rules, 2021' in comparison to 25 forms mentioned in the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021, it said.
A govt official says there is consensus among the airlines and the ministry that fixing an upper limit in airfares will not be a constructive idea
The full-service airline has faced multiple challenges in its run.
At present, the booming airline industry is facing a shortage of approximately 1,000 qualified pilots, Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Tuesday. Patel said the government has taken various steps, including increasing the retirement age of pilots to 65 years and setting up of a training institute in Maharashtra, to reduce the demand-supply gap.
The aviation regulator is investigating the incidents and both planes, with Pratt and Whitney engines, will fly only when cleared by it, the officials said.
The report, released a little over a year after the deadly crash of the Air India Express plane, said the "probable cause of the accident was the non adherence to SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) by the PF (Pilot Flying)".
Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh also expressed doubts whether the carrier, facing a partial lockout, will be able to fly from Friday.
Six senior Airports Authority of India officials have been suspended after a preliminary CBI probe found them allegedly favouring a private firm while awarding ground handling service contracts at some airports.
Aviation industry experts expect the ATF prices to fall by 16 per cent in November, compared with the current month. This, they say, translates into bridging of nearly half the gap between the airlines' operational costs and total revenues.
It can be a game changer experience for all the long haul travellers for whom flying long hours is a nauseating experience.
Sixty-five incidents of two aircraft coming into close proximity were reported in last three years and some of them occurred when air traffic was being handled by trainee controllers, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Civil aviation minister Praful Patel, has said that the government has plans to touch 100 operational airports by 2008 and was working to create at least 500 small and big airports across the country. Highlighting the oil sector, Patel said that the sector needs introspection. "Unless we work on our oil sector, we are not going to be a stable economic power in the long run," the ministry added.
The practice of charging for ancillary services on domestic flights is likely to grow as competition soars.
The government indicated on Saturday that an early decision was likely on the proposals of fleet acquisition by Air-India and Indian Airlines as well as of privatisating the four metro airports.
Subhash Tomar, the Delhi Police constable who on Tuesday morning succumbed to injuries sustained during the violence at India Gate on Sunday, was cremated in New Delhi with police honours.
'It is an illegal strike. They have defied the high court.'
The civil aviation ministry had last week suspended all flights between the European country and India from December 23 to December 31 as a mutated variant of the coronavirus was detected there.
Turning down Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's plea for a fare cut, full service carrier Kingfisher Airlines on Monday said that at present there was no case for reducing air fare.Other airlines like SpiceJet and IndiGo also said that after the recent round of cuts in fuel surcharge, customers should not expect further benefits in the short term, though there would be some advance purchase packages in January.
Flying out of Delhi would become cheaper from Tuesday, with the development fee (DF) charged by the operator of IGI airport here being reduced by Rs 100for domestic and Rs 700 per international passenger.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's dream to make Indian airports an international aviation hub may have to wait.
New Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has indicated that the new government could review the free passage scheme offered by cash-starved Air India to its 24,000 employees.
Air India Express has sacked an employee and ordered penal action against three others after a probe found them guilty of discrimination and favouritism against Delhi-based cabin crew during the last six months.
The airline has suspended its international operations till Monday.
"The Indian government approached asking us to open the airspace. We conveyed our concerns that first India must withdraw its fighter planes placed forward," Nusrat told the committee.
Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Monday inaugurated the country's second international airport built by China that will help connect Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha and a major tourist and pilgrimage destination, to Buddhist circuits in South Asia as well as to the rest of the world.
Ajit Singh writes a letter to Akhilesh Yadav asking him to send experts to Muthura for the airport.
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