"There is every reason for Air India to respond quickly. The management, the employees, all will have to come out with a proper restructuring plan," he told reporters outside Parliament House. Patel said government support cannot be taken for granted. "It cannot be open-ended. However, the government is committed...We want a strong national carrier," he said.
India's infrastructure sector alone can absorb more than $150 billion of foreign direct investment over the next five years.
The Inter-Ministerial Group for modernising Delhi and Mumbai airports would shortlist the preferred bidders for the airport revamp joint ventures within the next few days, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Wednesday.
Jet, Kingfisher rebuff Praful Patel, budget carriers reduce fares. As of now, though, the two private airlines remain steadfast in their refusal to cut fares even as Patel's pleas acquire a hint of aggression.
Cabinet refers policy on aviation to GoM.
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.
'I would like the fleet acquisition to materialise at the earliest. It is a high priority item.'
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.
The move came after civil aviation minister Praful Patel warned it was time to act against any move towards cartelisation. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation shot off letters to all scheduled domestic carriers asking for information regarding the recent hike and transparency in airfare advertising, saying it should be furnished by Saturday.
The Centre was still undecided whether the modernisation of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata should be done by Airports Authority of India or through joint venture, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.
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.
Private airport developers in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, say landing and parking fees account for a significant proportion of revenues, so offering these services free would be unviable.
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.
The controversy over the non-inclusion of the three service chiefs in the list of VIPs exempt from security checks at the airports has been resolved with their inclusion in the exemption category by the government.
The minister said airlines must reciprocate the government's gesture to help the aviation industry, which has been been going through rough weather this year. State-run oil companies on Monday slashed jet fuel prices by over 11 per cent. ATF in Delhi was cut by Rs 4,208.37 to Rs 32,691.28 per kilolitre.
The government has rejected Videocon's bid for modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.
A first officer (junior and senior) can earn in the range of Rs 1.2 lakh to 1.8 lakh per month. The commander commands anywhere between Rs 2.5 to Rs 4 lakh a month.
Rising number of airlines has meant soaring demand for pilots. A look at this high-flying option.
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.
Notwithstanding Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's announcement on FDI cap of 49 per cent for Mumbai and Delhi airport privatisation, the government it seems is planning to "rethink" the subject.
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.
They were being investigated by the inspector of accidents, appointed by the DGCA.
The Delhi International Airport Limited's (DIAL) ongoing tussle with the Airports Authority of India/Ministry of Civil Aviation (AAI/MoCA) isn't likely to get resolved in a hurry, though things appeared settled when, a few weeks ago, Aviation Minister Praful Patel said at a press conference that the government would go by the Attorney General's (AG) opinion on the dispute.
The plan for 2010-14 envisages revenue enhancement and expenditure reduction over different phases, airline sources said.
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 Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the purchase of 68 aircraft by the country's flagship carrier Air India, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Thursday.
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has directed promoters of the Mumbai International Airport Limited to keep in mind local sensibilities while undertaking the upgrade and modernisation of Mumbai airport. The ministry denied allegations that the government had given permission for the change of the name of the airport and location of the Shivaji statue.
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.
Bengal Aerotropolis Projects, a special purpose vehicle, which is developing India's first airport city, or aerotropolis, in the Asansol-Durgapur region, today entered into a technical services arrangement with Singapore-based Changi Airports International.
Air India will introduce new flights and also increase frequency of flights on various sectors from March 28, when summer schedule comes into effect.
The high tax regime makes aircraft service above 50 per cent more expensive than international rates and might spell trouble for over a dozen MRO projects -- several of them involving foreign direct investment that have been announced so far.
'We have the majority. We will survive even when we go ahead with the deal,' Praful Patel told rediff.com 'We have 234 (Lok Sabha) MPs in the UPA, add 39 members of the Samajwadi Party and the Independents who have declared support to us,' a Congress leader added. 'We believe it touches the mark of 272.'
Reliance-ASA on Monday emerged as the highest financial bidder for the Delhi airport modernisation project, offering 46 per cent of revenue share to government for the work.
The Karnataka government plans to develop new airports at Gulbarga and Hassan.
Tenders for the proposed Navi Mumbai airport are likely to be floated in the next six month and the project is 'very much on track', Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Monday.
The government had earlier warned that the management was free to take any action against them.
