Meanwhile, the civil aviation ministry has announced the appointment of a task force, lead arrangers and consultants for the development of 35 non-metro airports in a phased manner at a cost of Rs 5,500 crore.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said that the country may need about 5,000 pilots in the next five years. The sector has started relying on expat pilots, whose current strength stands at 944. The civil aviation industry in the country is facing a shortage of type rated pilots. Patel said to bridge the gap between demand and domestic supply of pilots, govt has decided to establish a flying training institute at Gondia, Maharashtra.
The negotiations will be held in Mumbai on Tueday at the International Civil Aviation Negotiations Conference which will be inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil.
Ahead of the finalisation of the new civil aviation policy, Centre on Thursday said there was no proposal for allowing foreign airlines to pick up stake in domestic airlines.
The directorate general of civil aviation has shot off a letter to all airlines seeking details of the sudden and steep fare hikes announced on Wednesday. The move came close on the heels of civil aviation minister Praful Patel's remark that the ministry was against cartelisation, widely believed to be behind the latest fare hikes.
It took 13 years to get environmental clearance for the greenfield international airport at Navi Mumbai.
The understanding was reached on Monday.
The rapid growth of airlines and air passengers would necessitate an additional 2000-3000 commercial pilots in the country during the next 5-10 years, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. \n
Civil aviation minister Praful Patel has directed Bangalore International Airport Limited, the Siemens-led private consortium developing the new greenfield airport, to increase its capacity to handle passengers.
Amid reports that Jet Airways was to get clearance for flying to the United States soon, the government on Monday said that "procedures" were being followed before the issue was resolved.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in New Delhi to decide the fate of the airport which has been embroiled in 'green' wrangle.
The committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Commissioner of Security (Civil Aviation) to prepare aviation security manual on handling aircraft hijack situation.
To overcome hurdles in land acquisition for airport projects, the government is planning to allow private players to build airports on their own land.
GAGAN or the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation to be launched by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel would not only help the civil aviation sector but also help in marine navigation, search and rescue operations, rail and road transport, survey and mapping as well as precision farming.
The government on Wednesday asked promoters of the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) to keep in mind local sensibilities during its modernisation amid claims of change of name of the airport.The Civil Aviation Ministry has strongly refuted allegations that the present name of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is being altered and the location of the statue of the warrior king is being replaced.
Taking note of the incident, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel ordered a probe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and appealed to VIPs not to pressurise pilots to operate flights.
The civil aviation ministry is planning to set up an International Convention Centre at Mumbai Airport to cater to the needs of business community for holding international exhibitions and conferences.
After having allowed private Indian airlines to fly to SAARC countries, the Union Cabinet is likely to take a decision to permit them to launch operations to other international destinations in a month's time, civil aviation minister Praful Patel sai
The letter was sent as an early warning of what was then widely being perceived as a plunder of national resources.
A senior civil aviation ministry official said this was one of the key issues discussed during Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday to ask for a relief on ATF. Top airline executives like Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal and Kingfisher Airlines Chairman Vijay Mallya also met the PM to highlight the issue.
The civil aviation ministry has received several complaints on the ongoing bidding process for modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports and it has forwarded them to appropriate authorities for examination.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation is planning to start flights connecting about 120 cities in the country from the current 81 cities, said Praful Patel, Union Minister for Civil Aviation.
A day after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security filed an FIR against Continental Airlines for frisking former President A P J Abdul Kalam, the government on Wednesday said it knew about the incident and had issued a show cause notice to the airline on July 9."The BCAS, after getting the information in time, first conducted an inquiry and then issued the show cause notice on July 9. On Tuesday, they filed an FIR also Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.
Leading private airline Jet Airways has put on its board a director whose security clearance is still awaited, contrary to stipulated norms of Director General of Civil Aviation.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has recommended an equity infusion of Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) in Air India in the next financial year after the beleaguered national carrier gets Rs 1,200 crore soon.
DGCA Deputy Director P K Chattopadhyay will head the probe. He has been appointed the Inspector of the Inquiry, official sources said.
Sending a strong signal to domestic airlines over abrupt hike in airfares by some of them during periods of high demand, the Union civil aviation ministry on Thursday warned them of action if they continued with such 'predatory pricing'.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation has given clearance for building a second airport in Mumbai, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Tuesday.
The civil aviation ministry is hopeful of further reduction in the price of aviation turbine fuel this year.
The civil aviation ministry on Saturday said it was holding discussions with the Maharashtra government on launching an intra-state airline to operate services on feeder routes.
Magic Air, a start-up airline slated to be launched from November by a Person of Indian Origin, Neera Radia , has already run into turbulent weather, with the government on Thursday saying it cannot permit PIOs to operate an airline.
It turned out to be a starry affair as some of India's top current and former cricketers attended former union civil aviation minister Praful Patel's daughter Poorna's sangeet ceremony in Mumbai on Thursday.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation is looking at granting permission to domestic airlines wanting to go international on a "case-by-case" basis.
