Talks between senior officials of civil aviation ministry and the Indian Pilots Guild began in Mumbai on Saturday shortly after noon to resolve the issue of operating in SARS-affected regions by the unions.
Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh on Monday took charge of the civil aviation ministry, saying it was a 'sensitive' portfolio.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Ajit Singh was sworn in as the 33rd member of the Union Cabinet, and 77th in the Union council of ministers on Sunday morning. Singh is widely expected to be allotted the civil aviation portfolio. This is the fourth time Singh has been inducted into the Union Cabinet.
Ahead of the passage of the Finance Bill in Parliament, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh is understood to have shot off a letter to the Finance Ministry protesting the proposal on the grounds that the move would not only hit passengers but spell more trouble for the airlines which were already reeling under severe financial stress.
The decision came a day after the resignation of Telugu Desam Party's Ashok Gajapathi Raju was accepted by President Ram Nath Kovind
The civil aviation ministry is considering three proposals to set up privately-owned, or merchant, airports in Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), Durgapur (West Bengal) and Jhhajjar (Haryana).
A fire broke out on Tuesday in the first floor of the Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan in New Delhi, which houses office of the Union civil aviation ministry, but no one was injured and no files or records were damaged.
The ICMR has been permitted to use drones up to a height of 3,000 metre to deliver vaccines, the ministry's statement added.
Civil Aviation ministry has cancelled approval to the controversial private airport project at Aranmula in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.
The pilot-in-command of an Air India Phuket-Delhi flight that experienced a sudden 300-foot altitude drop last week has tested positive for a psychoactive substance, identified by sources as marijuana, in a confirmatory test. This development comes as Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu met with Air India executives to discuss the serious incident, which left 24 people injured.
An Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi experienced a sudden loss of altitude, leading to injuries and prompting a psychoactive substance screening for the pilot-in-command, with confirmatory test results now awaited.
In the wake of repeated faults in planes carrying Haj pilgrims from Srinagar, the Union home ministry on Monday summoned civil aviation officials following a strong protest by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The civil aviation ministry is holding talks with the finance ministry on rationaliation of sales tax on aviation turbine fuel and airport taxes.
=The investigation is examining the circumstances surrounding the aircraft's sudden altitude variation and the actions of the flight crew.
Along with the order, the ministry had sent a list of 24 names of former secretaries, who would be entitled to these facilities.
The civil aviation ministry has sought continuation of the exemption on withholding tax on aircraft leased from foreign companies in the next budget for another year, saying it would benefit several airlines in the country.
Air India services remained crippled for the ninth day today even as the striking pilots and Civil Aviation Ministry were set to resume talks to end the deadlock.
The Airports Authority of India has received a request for a waiver from contractual restrictions that prevent airport concessionaires and their group entities from holding equity in scheduled airlines, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol confirmed in the Rajya Sabha. This comes amid reports of the Adani group's interest in the airline business, despite their denial.
An accidental firing incident occurred at Varanasi's Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport when a passenger's licensed pistol discharged during security screening, injuring a female security personnel and another individual. Both injured parties have been hospitalised, and legal action is being initiated.
The Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the proposal to hike foreign direct investment limit in civil aviation sector from 40 to 49 per cent, official sources said.
To enable Indian banks and financial institutions to develop an aircraft-leasing ecosystem at GIFT City, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has sought support from the Ministry of Finance. It has also raised concern over slow progress in developing aircraft leasing in India.
An Air India A320 flight from Phuket to Delhi experienced a sudden 300-foot altitude drop due to multiple technical glitches, including triple hydraulic failures and autopilot disconnection, injuring 17 people. An investigation by AAIB, with assistance from French agency BEA and Airbus, is underway, while the pilot-in-command is undergoing confirmatory psychoactive substance testing.
The pilots testing positive have been removed from duty, with their samples sent for confirmatory testing.
The civil aviation ministry is likely to get an allocation of Rs 3,046.93 cror
Civil Aviation Ministry approved grants new rights to Indian carriers to fly to several new destinations across the globe.
The move is aimed at checking further labour trouble and garnering support for the process of implementing the post-merger integration of Air India employees, as resentment is expected over salaries and career progression issues.
'Government shouldn't be in the business of running airlines, instead it should develop the ecosystem of civil aviation.'
The ministry is considering as many as 15 options to replace the controversial rule.
Indian carriers have cancelled over 10,000 flights since the onset of the West Asia conflict, as escalating tensions and airspace restrictions disrupted international operations, a senior government official said.
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Such direct import was formally allowed in February 2012 but the aviation companies lack the infrastructure to do so.
The prevalent practice is that airlines have to pay between Rs 4,000 and Rs 4,500 per filled seat as departure tax.
The civil aviation ministry is open to the idea of raising the foreign direct investment level from the present 40 per cent to 49 per cent, even as there are indications that a decision on the issue could be taken in the Union Budget.
The EC is learnt to have invoked the 'party in power' clause of the poll code in the case as it could be averred that party in power' is using government transporter for election publicity.
The preliminary report on the plane crash that killed NCP leader Ajit Pawar is expected to be released by February 28, according to Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol. The incident has sparked speculation and calls for investigation into potential irregularities.
All colleagues, who came in contact with the employee, have been asked to go into self isolation as a precaution, the ministry said.
IndiGo has the lowest pilots-to-aircraft ratio among domestic airlines in India, according to data presented in Parliament. SpiceJet and Akasa Air have the highest ratios. Air India Express employs the most expat pilots.
Govt to introduce new aviation policy on May 15.
Though NOC was issued by the Ministry last week, this was the first formal statement by the AirAsia CEO on microblogging site Twitter.
The government has suspended its directive requiring airlines to offer at least 60% of seats on flights without additional charges, following industry concerns about the impact on fares and pricing structures.
