Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's dream to make Indian airports an international aviation hub may have to wait.
The Nationalist Congress Party on Monday named Chhagan Bhujbal as the next deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.Earlier, a meeting of the NCP legislature party had authorised party president Sharad Pawar to name the new leader.Pawar's nephew and state Water Resources Minister Ajit Pawar and former deputy CM R R Patil were the other aspirants for the post.
A draft note on equity infusion in Air India, prepared by the civil aviation ministry, is being sent to Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal on Wednesday said that he would have no option but to follow 'the law of the land' if an action had to be taken against the agitating pilots, while appealing to them to resolve the matter amicably and return to work. Meanwhile, Goyal met Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in the wake of the agitation by the airline pilots.
Halving the productivity-linked incentive will make its salary levels unattractive and put a heavier burden on junior staffers.
Favouring the centre-state cooperation model adopted by northeastern states to develop aviation infrastructure in the region, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Thursday asked state governments to tie up with public sector carriers to provide fo
Civil aviation authorities have asked all private airlines to withdraw the congestion surcharge of Rs 150 imposed per passenger, Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
"Aircraft movements, passenger and freight traffic registered negative growth rate of -00.10, -06.80 and -01.00 per cent during 2008-09," civil aviation minister Praful Patel said in a written reply to a query in Lok Sabha. The minister also said that the foreign airlines had increased their operations by 85 per cent in the last five years in the country.
India is on the verge of entering 'big league' in the world aviation scene with the launch of satellite-based navigation system, GAGAN, next year, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Tuesday.
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.
Marking a vertical split in the Nationalist Congress Party, its senior leader Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government as deputy chief minister on Sunday.
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.
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.
Air India is considering a proposal to extend its low fare services to some domestic routes to compete with private carriers.
The government is understood to have approached industrialist Ratan Tata to head an advisory board of the ailing Air India.
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 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.
The government on Tuesday said the new Bangalore airport would be made operational by the last week of May, while keeping alive the option of allowing small aircraft to use the existing HAL airport. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said extensive discussions were held with BIAL, the operators of the new airport. The High Court had earlier advised the government to explore the possibility of allowing the existing airport run by HAL to function.
The government would infuse additional equity of Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12 billion) into Air India over the next few months and review its performance to decide on the future course, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said.
Various airlines in India have engaged nearly 1,000 foreign pilots. However, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has advised all scheduled, non-scheduled and general aviation operators to submit their plan to phase out foreign pilots and replace them by trained Indian pilots. As per the plan, all the foreign pilots are likely to be repatriated in about 5 years time. Government has taken steps to reduce the gap between demand and supply of skilled India pilots.
Families of each of those killed in the Mangalore plane crash will get up to Rs 76 lakh as compensation.
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 NCP's flag was handed over by Praful Patel to K Muraleedharan, DIC-K president, signifying the merger.
A group of Air India unions on Friday asked Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to fix the accountability on those who are "sabotaging" the airlines merger process
The budgetary provision for all aviation infrastructure has generally been reduced, apparently with the view that most of the airport modernisation programmes, barring those in Kolkata and Chennai, were being carried out through public-private partnership.
The Global Indian Award is given to a person who has had an impact on and contributed in some way to the growth of the Indian and global economy.
Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel, who announced after day-long consultations among all concerned parties that the four-day old crisis has been resolved, sidestepped questions on whether it involved some changes in the ministry.
Patil, Patel, Bhujbal, Awhad and their colleague Dilip Walse Patil in one voice said they will not accept Pawar's decision. A few party functionaries even tendered their resignations on the spot to put pressure on the 82-year-old politician, while some workers suggested that a working president be appointed.
No one from Pravin's family was present at the wedding.
Government plans a new look for the Indira Gandhi International Airport before the Commonwealth Games in 2010, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
In a statement criticising the levy, the IATA said on Thursday that the ADF came at a time when the industry was badly in need of a stimulus package to boost demand.
The Nationalist Congress Party said on Thursday it will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat with the Congress and talks on seat sharing has already started and it is expected to be finalised in next couple of days.
Mamata should travel to China to see how the Chinese railway system is expanding, says T N Ninan.
The minister said as the aviation industry has been growing at 18 per cent CAGR, the country needs up to 3,000 aircraft in 10 years.
International flights from the Srinagar airport would operate from February 14, when it would be formally inaugurated as an international airport. The first international flight will take off for the port city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, according to a statement issued by the Union Water Resources Minister, Saif-ud-Din Soz.
Unrest is again brewing among airport employees with the unions threatening another bout of workers action if urgent steps were not taken to meet their 'long-pending' demands.
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.
India and Sri Lanka consider an open sky policy within the framework of the air traffic agreement of the SAARC nations.
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.
Overlooking opposition from the Left parties and airport employees, the government on Tuesday signed two agreements to set up joint venture companies between Airports Authority of India and the GMR and GVK groups.
