Objections were being raised by senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh, Communist Party of India's Gurudas Dasgupta, Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress) and Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy over the deal, each of whom had shot off separate letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The home ministry has given security clearance to Air India CEO-designate Campbell Wilson, paving the way for him to take charge of the airline, according to a senior official. The appointment of Wilson as the chief executive officer and managing director of Air India was announced by Tata Sons on May 12. Tata Sons took over the loss-making carrier on January 27.
India already allows 100 per cent ownership of greenfield pharma businesses.
India's aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday lifted the ban on Boeing 737 Max planes' commercial flight operations after almost two-and-half years. On March 13, 2019, all Boeing 737 Max planes were grounded in India by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max plane on March 10 near Addis Ababa which had left 157 people, including four Indians, dead. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has been modifying the 737 Max plane since March 2019 so that various countries' regulators, including the DGCA, permit its passenger flight operations again.
The full-service airline has faced multiple challenges in its run.
Helicopters are anticipated to be more in demand compared to fixed-wing aircraft as choppers will help in providing accessibility to rural and remote areas in a shorter time.
'The regional market has been brought to life. This is a big development in India's aviation sector,' says Civil Aviation Minister Jayant Sinha.
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 airline has launched a series of discount offers since January this year.
The watchdog has also asked the airlines to ensure various requirements are complied with by engineering and maintenance personnel with respect to 737 MAX planes.
In a circular issued on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said it was "suspending travel to and from the following countries: (India, Brazil and Argentina) including any person who has been in any of the mentioned countries above in the last 14 days prior to their arrival to the Kingdom".
The facility will be available for domestic as well as foreign carriers flying in Indian skies.
The apex court asked the government to get back by March 9 about the policy.
Indian airlines currently are required to have a minimum fleet of five aircraft and five years of operational experience for starting international services.
The government is ready to support Air India, but wants the airline to improve its performance.
The decision came following the intervention of Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi who met Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy to sort out the issue.
In their new venture, Tata SIA Airlines Ltd, Tata Sons would hold 51 per cent stake and Singapore Airlines 49 per cent.
Overseas airlines can operate unlimited number of flights into and out of India.
Any passenger from these countries found symptomatic or testing positive for coronavirus would be quarantined, Mandaviya said.
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 Directorate General of Civil Aviation has refused to validate the licenses of about 25 foreign pilots operating in India, owing to their failure in English proficiency.
The capability of drones to evade radar, wreak devastation at strategic installations and transport weapons to terrorists has been a continuous concern for the country's security establishment, and in a maiden incident, these unmanned vehicles were used to strike an Indian Air Force base in Jammu on Sunday, officials said.
The government on Wednesday issued new guidelines for international arrivals amid the spread of mutant variants of coronavirus in many countries.
"We have appointed SBI Caps. Soon, we would be getting feedback on what would be the short-, medium- and long-term restructuring required for Air India," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said while speaking at an event on India Aviation 2010 international exhibition in New Delhi on Wednesday.
With the reality of coalition politics staring the BJP in its face, this was inevitable, points out Ramesh Menon.
Over 30 passengers have suffered ear and nose-bleed after the crew on Jet Airways flight 9W 697 reportedly forgot to select a switch that helps maintain cabin air pressure
None of the 55 passengers or five crew members was injured, they said, adding the DGCA has started an investigation.
Fliers may have to shell out more with the government mulling to impose a two per cent cess on air tickets
India's domestic aviation market has clocked a growth rate of 22 per cent in the last one year.
Rather than minimising competition, the airlines competed head-on in several routes and tried at one time to grab the market share at the price of profitability. The study, sponsored by Observer Research Foundation, asks government to ensure a level playing field by providing various tax reductions and concessions.
Both Jet Airways and Go First have met with a similar fate of landing up in insolvency, albeit for different reasons. Whether Go First will be able to avoid the sharp erosion in value like in the case of Jet, experts say, will depend on how quickly it is able to restart operations and retain its slots at airports. Go First, owned by the Wadia group, filed for voluntary corporate insolvency resolution on May 2 due to inadequate capacity utilisation that led to a cash crunch.
In a relief for people travelling long distances, the Indian Railways is set to resume serving cooked meals on trains, a service which was discontinued in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
These measures follow the Germanwings crash last month.
The revised guidelines for international arrivals will be effective from November 22, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare.
Improving the infrastructure, including night landing facility at the airports is undertaken by the Airports Authority of India depending upon factors like commercial viability, traffic demand, operational requirements, demand from airlines and technical feasibility
The consortium of UAE-based businessman Murari Lal Jalan and London's Kalrock Capital -- which has won the bid to revive Jet Airways -- on Monday said it expects to start operating the airline by the summer of 2021.
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said appropriate action would be taken in case anything is 'found wanting'.
commercial airlines and air navigation service providers have to carry out random drug tests on at least 10 per cent of their flight crew and air traffic controllers every year.
The directives will apply to both passenger and cargo planes, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement on Wednesday.
Small aircraft operators want better infra at regional airports.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances