Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Kingfisher and other airlines have told the government that they would curtail services frequency and air routes to cut losses after oil companies raised the prices of aviation fuel.
A group of ministers will soon meet in New Delhi to decide on allowing foreign entities to pick up stakes in the airline sector in India, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said on Wednesday.
The government is looking to sell 10-20 per cent of its holding in national carriers Air-India and Indian Airlines in their initial public offer, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Monday.
Air India has six Dreamliners and has ordered 21 more.
NACIL had submitted a proposal in October 2008 for equity infusion of Rs 1,231 crore (Rs 12.31 billion) and provision of soft loan of Rs 2,750 crore (Rs 27.5 billion), with an interest of approximately 5 per cent payable over 15 years.
The charges for these would be a fixed amount and announced well in advance by the airlines 'which shall not vary with the base fare for a particular flight'.
The four recommendations came from Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs,Vayalar Ravi, member of US Congress Joseph Crowley and Dalis Adler, staff associate, sub-committee on the Middle East and South Asia under the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Janata Dal-United president Sharad Yadav has demanded that a case under 302 of Indian Penal Code (punishment for murder) should be filed against Vijay Mallya in connection with the suicide case of the wife of a Kingfisher Airlines employee.
"As Civil Aviation minister, I apologise to all those affected (by these incidents)," Ashok Gajapathi Raju told a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday evening, in an attempt to end the controversy.
'I would like the fleet acquisition to materialise at the earliest. It is a high priority item.'
The empowered group of ministers will take up tomorrow the modernisation plans of Delhi and Mumbai airports even as the government has cautioned low cost carriers on the present fare structure introduced by some of them.
The Supreme Court has admitted for hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging a major scam during the tenure of Praful Patel as the Civil Aviation Minister in the UPA-I government.
Air India also estimates that its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) would increase.
Cites technical reasons; crew told to apologies to passengers and provide feedback forms for those seeking a refund for pre-booked meals
Three international flights of Air India were cancelled from here and Mumbai as the agitation by a section of pilots entered the second day on Wednesday.
The government on Monday decided to immediately dispatch search and rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force, medical teams and relief material to earthquake-hit Turkey following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's instructions to offer all possible assistance to the country.
Union minister and Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh and two Nationalist Congress Party candidates were elected on Monday to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. NCP leaders Govindrao Adik and Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil were elected to the Upper House of parliament against the seats vacated by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Supriya Sule after their election to Lok Sabha.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi said Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines along with Paramount Airways did not settle dues on a regular fortnightly basis.
In a coalition era, the smallest of parties gets almost blackmail power and that power is in direct proportion to the weakness of the senior coalition partner. Which is why, for instance, even in an era of coalitions, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a lot more powerful than Manmohan Singh is.
Terming as "unfortunate" the loss of lives in the Malaysian Airlines tragedy, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Friday said there was no Indian on board the aircraft.
A five-member committee, headed by IIM-Ahmedabad's Prof Ravindra H Dholakia, was set up by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh after a review meeting of the ailing national carrier's functioning.
Strengthening the portfolios of the home minister and the finance minister is a message that should not be missed, points out A K Bhattacharya.
Taking a serious view of the strike by a section of Air India employees, the government on Wednesday asked the management to take 'strong' and 'decisive' action against them as they have indulged in an 'irresponsible' behaviour causing inconvenience to travellers.
In the wake of recent hike in airline fares owing to rise in aviation turbine fuel prices, the Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Thursday met Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and sought reduction in excise duty on the fuel in the Budget.
The Union Cabinet on Thursday referred the proposal for allowing People of Indian Origin to invest in domestic airlines on par with NRIs to a Group of Ministers.
More flights will be added from India to Saudi Arabia this year.
Ruling out the possibility of union ministers Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel resigning in the wake of the IPL controversy, the Nationalist Congress Party on Thursday dismissed reports about the involvement of any of its leaders or their relatives in any financial wrongdoings in the cricket league. Party spokesman D P Tripathi saw nothing wrong in Civil Aviation Minister Patel's 'personal office' forwarding projections of new franchisee valuations to Tharoor.
Dressed in colourful attire, members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday got their group photograph clicked in the old Parliament building, hours before legislative proceedings shift to the new Parliament House.
Virtually ruling out closure of debt-laden Kingfisher Airlines (KFA), Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Thursday said promoter Vijay Mallya will have to take call on shutting down the business.
'If an airline is willing to get the funding, it will fly in unviable routes.'
Modernisation and expansion of the Kolkata and Chennai airports are being carried.
Rubbishing the allegation that his ministry went out of its way to facilitate the Jet-Etihad deal, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said he was open to "any inquiry" into the decision to increase air traffic rights to Abu Dhabi.
Engineers, pilots stay away from work. Minister warns of closure if safety in doubt.
Government has already set aside a provision of Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12 billion) in the Budget for infusing equity in Air India in this financial year.
The farm bills passed by Parliament mark the watershed in the liberation of India's farming community from the shackles of exploitative practices that slow-pedaled their progress, the former civil servants said.
The global airlines body International Air Transport Association also said that such taxes would compromise the industry's ability to maintain margins. Ravi said he would also appeal to all state governments to reduce sales tax on aviation turbine fuel.
Bharatiya Janata Party's National Democratic Alliance partners have got five cabinet ministerial berths in the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as against none in the outgoing government, given the party's dependence on allies for a majority in the Lok Sabha.
Chaudhuri Charan Singh was both a politically ambitious man and a man with dear policy proposals. An extract from Paul R Brass's fascinating, new, biography.
The Central Vigilance Commission will inquire into the alleged bungling in construction of a new terminal at Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh airport.
The Day in Politics: Featuring Dr Singh, Messrs Kejriwal and Sisodia and Mamatadi.
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