News Analysis India

Tag: Civil Aviation Ministry

  • Govt eases rules; allows Indian carriers to wet lease wide-body planes for up to 1 yr 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The civil aviation ministry has allowed Indian airlines to take wide-body planes on wet lease for up to one year as it pursues efforts to make the country a key international hub for air traffic.

    A senior ministry official on Sunday said the rules have been relaxed and airlines that seek to operate wide-body planes will be permitted to operate such aircraft on wet lease for up to one year.

    Till now, wet leasing of wide-body planes was allowed only for up to six months.

    The country’s largest airline IndiGo on Sunday said it approached the ministry and has received a communication conveying the ministry’s approval to allow Indian carriers to wet/damp lease aircraft for a period of six months extendable by another six months.

    Such relaxation shall be available to all Indian carriers on their specific request and the ministry will consider the same based on international destinations that the airline intends to operate, it said in a statement.

    “We have plans for inducting B777 aircraft on wet/damp lease basis during the current winter schedule,” the airline said, adding that it is currently working on finalising the contract for the wet/damp lease.

    Last month, aviation regulator DGCA permitted IndiGo to wet lease wide-body Boeing planes from Turkish Airlines for up to six months.

    Under the wet lease arrangement, planes are leased along with operating crew and engineers.

    The ministry official said Indian airlines that seek to operate planes on wet lease to the United States and Europe will be given permission to continue with that arrangement for up to one year.

    The ministry official said the idea of allowing wet leasing of planes for a longer period will help Indian carriers to operate more wide-body aircraft.

    Air India, which was acquired by Tata group in January this year, is being stabilised and will take more time before they acquire more wide-body planes, the official added.

    For now, Air India is dry leasing planes as it expands operations.

    With more wide-body aircraft being operated by Indian carriers, they will be able to ferry more passengers and ultimately that will help the country become a key international hub for air traffic in the coming years, the official said.

    Generally, wet leasing of planes is allowed for short periods to tackle supply constraints and ensure that airfares do not surge significantly.

    NEW DELHI: The civil aviation ministry has allowed Indian airlines to take wide-body planes on wet lease for up to one year as it pursues efforts to make the country a key international hub for air traffic.

    A senior ministry official on Sunday said the rules have been relaxed and airlines that seek to operate wide-body planes will be permitted to operate such aircraft on wet lease for up to one year.

    Till now, wet leasing of wide-body planes was allowed only for up to six months.

    The country’s largest airline IndiGo on Sunday said it approached the ministry and has received a communication conveying the ministry’s approval to allow Indian carriers to wet/damp lease aircraft for a period of six months extendable by another six months.

    Such relaxation shall be available to all Indian carriers on their specific request and the ministry will consider the same based on international destinations that the airline intends to operate, it said in a statement.

    “We have plans for inducting B777 aircraft on wet/damp lease basis during the current winter schedule,” the airline said, adding that it is currently working on finalising the contract for the wet/damp lease.

    Last month, aviation regulator DGCA permitted IndiGo to wet lease wide-body Boeing planes from Turkish Airlines for up to six months.

    Under the wet lease arrangement, planes are leased along with operating crew and engineers.

    The ministry official said Indian airlines that seek to operate planes on wet lease to the United States and Europe will be given permission to continue with that arrangement for up to one year.

    The ministry official said the idea of allowing wet leasing of planes for a longer period will help Indian carriers to operate more wide-body aircraft.

    Air India, which was acquired by Tata group in January this year, is being stabilised and will take more time before they acquire more wide-body planes, the official added.

    For now, Air India is dry leasing planes as it expands operations.

    With more wide-body aircraft being operated by Indian carriers, they will be able to ferry more passengers and ultimately that will help the country become a key international hub for air traffic in the coming years, the official said.

    Generally, wet leasing of planes is allowed for short periods to tackle supply constraints and ensure that airfares do not surge significantly.

  • Government says masks no more compulsory during air travel 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday said the use of masks is not compulsory during air travel but passengers should preferably use them amid the declining number of coronavirus cases.

    Till now, the use of masks or face covers while travelling on flights was mandatory.

    In a communication to the scheduled airlines, the ministry said the latest decision has been taken in line with the government’s policy of a graded approach to COVID-19 management response.

    In view of the threat posed by COVID-19, all passengers should preferably use mask/face covers. Any specific reference to fine/penal action need not be announced as part of the inflight announcements: Ministry of Civil Aviation pic.twitter.com/V4yrH5x77Z
    — ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2022
    “The in-flight announcements henceforth may only mention that in view of the threat posed by COVID-19, all passengers should preferably use mask/face covers,” the communication said.

    It also said that any specific reference to fine/penal action need not be announced as part of the in-flight announcements.

    The total number of active coronavirus cases in the country accounted was only 0.02 per cent of the total infections and the recovery rate increased to 98.79 per cent, according to the latest official data.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,28,580 and the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.

    NEW DELHI: The Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday said the use of masks is not compulsory during air travel but passengers should preferably use them amid the declining number of coronavirus cases.

    Till now, the use of masks or face covers while travelling on flights was mandatory.

    In a communication to the scheduled airlines, the ministry said the latest decision has been taken in line with the government’s policy of a graded approach to COVID-19 management response.

    In view of the threat posed by COVID-19, all passengers should preferably use mask/face covers. Any specific reference to fine/penal action need not be announced as part of the inflight announcements: Ministry of Civil Aviation pic.twitter.com/V4yrH5x77Z
    — ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2022
    “The in-flight announcements henceforth may only mention that in view of the threat posed by COVID-19, all passengers should preferably use mask/face covers,” the communication said.

    It also said that any specific reference to fine/penal action need not be announced as part of the in-flight announcements.

    The total number of active coronavirus cases in the country accounted was only 0.02 per cent of the total infections and the recovery rate increased to 98.79 per cent, according to the latest official data.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,28,580 and the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.

  • Give health details in self-declaration form: Centre brings new rules for international travellers

    By Express News Service

    BENGALURU: The Union Health Ministry has issued fresh guidelines for international passengers to be in force from January 22. As per the guidelines, all international air travellers should submit in self-declaration form factual details of their health before travel on the Air Suvidha portal, including the last 14 days’ travel history.

    Uploading a negative RT-PCR report not older than 72 hours of their travel is mandatory. Air travellers are also directed to give an undertaking on the portal or to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, before their journey. Those who need test on arrival, should preferably pre-book it on the Air Suvidha portal.

    Passengers arriving from high-risk countries should submit their samples on arrival and await the report at the airport before taking any connecting flights. Those who test negative must follow a strict seven-day home quarantine and undertake RT-PCR test on the eighth day.

    Information regarding their health condition must be uploaded on the Air Suvidha portal along with the test report of the eighth day. For the next seven days, they must monitor their health and if found positive, their samples must be sent for genome sequencing.

    The guidelines also stated that two percent of the total flight passengers should undergo post-arrival testing randomly on arrival at the airport. The passengers of each flight shall be identified by the airlines concerned and the same quarantine rules as those arriving from high-risk countries will apply. International air travellers arriving from sea and land ports will also have to follow the same procedure for testing and quarantine.

  • ‘Covid caseload reduced’: Aviation Ministry allows airlines to serve meals on all domestic flights

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Civil Aviation Ministry on Tuesday said it has allowed airlines to serve meals on all domestic flights.

    The carriers had not been allowed to serve meals in flights, which have duration of less than two hours, since April 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The airlines, operating flights on domestic sectors may provide meal services on board, without restriction on duration of the flight,” the ministry’s order said on Tuesday.

    ALSO READ | Cumulative Covid vaccine doses given in India cross 113.61 crore: Health ministry

    The ministry has also permitted resumption of magazine and reading materials for passengers on domestic flights, the order noted.

    The decision to resume meals and magazines has been taken as “Covid caseload” has reduced due to “proper implementation of appropriate Covid behaviour protocol”, it mentioned.

    When the scheduled domestic flight services were resumed on May 25 last year after the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, the ministry had allowed the airlines to serve in-flight meals under certain conditions.

  • Sudha Chandran episode: Government issues draft guidelines during air travel for disabled

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Civil Aviation Ministry on Tuesday issued draft guidelines for aviation sector stakeholders such as airlines and airports to ensure disabled people can travel at ease.

    Actor and dancer Sudha Chandran had last week, in a video posted on social media, narrated her ordeal of how she was made to remove her prosthetic limb every time during a security check at any airport.

    According to the draft guidelines, airport operators must make special arrangements to facilitate screening of persons with special needs so that the process is carried out efficiently “keeping the dignity and privacy of the passenger in mind”.

    During the screening of prosthetics, the airport security — which is handled by the CISF at most of the airports — might use X-ray, explosive trace detection devices or visual checks according to their requirement, it mentioned.

    The passenger — who has a prosthetic limb — will first pass through the door frame metal detector and should then be taken to a private screening point and made to sit comfortably, it noted.

    This passenger will then receive additional screening including a pat-down, the draft guidelines said.

    “A prosthetic appliance which does not have any foam padding cover under which any weapon or explosive can be concealed and in which the steel rod of the appliance is clearly visible may be screened by visual inspection and ETD checks only, without removing it.”

    However, in rare cases, where there is sufficient justification including profiling of the passenger, X-ray screening may be resorted to, it stated, adding the justification for subjecting a prosthetic limb to X-ray screening shall be recorded by the screener in a register Prosthetic appliances that are covered in foam padding and in which the steel rod is not visible must undergo X-ray screening, it mentioned.

    The draft guidelines also said that passengers who have external devices including insulin pumps, hearing aids, cochlear implants, spinal stimulators, bone growth stimulators and ostomies will not have to disconnect them for X-ray screening.

    Under most circumstances, a passenger can conduct a self-pat-down of these devices followed by ETD screening of his or her hands, it added.

    Disabled passengers should inform the airline about their complete requirement 48 hours before the scheduled departure so that the carrier can make necessary arrangements, it mentioned.

    If a passenger wants to check-in their wheelchair at the airport, the airline must ensure that the wheelchair is duly taxed and sent to the baggage make-up area with a service partner to avoid any damage, it noted.

    Passengers should check with the airline on the specific requirements of bringing service animals on flights.

    A low floor coach or a ramp should be used for comfortable boarding or debarring of wheelchair users, the draft guidelines mentioned.

    “Airlines should ensure that a disability awareness training is conducted for new hires and ensure periodic refreshers are conducted for all staff to reiterate policies and standard operating procedures on customer assistance with different types of disabilities,” it mentioned.

    The Civil Aviation Ministry has given three weeks for people to send their comments and suggestions on the draft “Accessibility Standards and Guidelines for Civil Aviation”, after which final guidelines will be issued.

  • ‘In letter and spirit’: Civil Aviation Ministry asks airlines to continue following protocol for MPs

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Civil Aviation Ministry has asked airlines and airports in the country to continue following the protocol that gives certain privileges to members of Parliament (MPs) during air travel.

    The development comes after some issues of negligence regarding the protocol came to the notice of the ministry.

    The ministry said the instructions to follow protocol are being circulated again and all aviation stakeholders should comply with the same “in letter and spirit”.

    “Instructions have been issued from time to time for extending protocol to MPs at airports. However, some issues of negligence regarding extending the protocol to honourable MPs at airports have come to the notice of the ministry,” the ministry stated in a letter dated September 21, 2021.

    Under the protocol, MPs must get access to reserved lounge facilities at all domestic and international airports across the country and they should be served tea or coffee or water free of cost.

    “The Airport Authority of India and other airport operators should facilitate parking of vehicles of MPs in the VIP car parking area on the basis of a pass issued to MPs for Parliament House car park,” the protocol guidelines, which were issued in 2007, mentioned.

    Former civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri had informed Lok Sabha on November 21, 2019, that this protocol should be followed by all domestic private airports and airlines.

    Under the protocol, the airlines should have a duty manager or a senior staff member to facilitate MPs for completion of check-in formalities when they report at the airport.

    Seats of their choice should be allotted to them subject to availability and efforts should be made to reserve front row seats for them in the flight, the guidelines stated.

    All airports must designate a protocol officer who has to ensure that all facilities or courtesies are extended to the MPs, it mentioned.

    According to the protocol, proper training should be given to all CISF personnel so that identity cards or boarding cards with identification stickers or slips of MPs are honoured, and MPs are extended due courtesy and priority during security checks.

  • Indian drone industry will have a turnover of up to Rs 15,000 crore by 2026: Jyotiraditya Scindia

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Indian drone industry will have a total turnover of up to Rs 15,000 crore by 2026 as the government has given a major boost to the sector with the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme announced on Wednesday and liberalised rules implemented last month, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday.

    The Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday approved a PLI scheme for drones and drone components with an allocation of Rs 120 crore spread over three financial years. The PLI scheme comes as a follow-through of the liberalised Drone Rules, 2021, released by the Centre on August 25.

    In the press briefing, Scindia said on Thursday, “With Drone Policy (Rules) and Drone PLI scheme, we have an aim that drone manufacturing companies in India should reach a turnover of Rs 900 crore in the coming three years.”

    Currently, Indian drone manufacturing companies have a turnover of approximately Rs 80 crore, he mentioned. He said the three parts of the entire value chain in the drone sector are hardware (drone manufacturer), software and service delivery.

    “If you combine turnover of all three parts of the drone sector, it is our estimate that by 2026, it will stand at USD 1.8 billion. This means that this industry will have a turnover of approximately Rs 12,000-Rs 15,000 crore by then,” he stated.

    Under the PLI scheme, the incentive for a manufacturer of drones and drone components will be 20 per cent of the value addition made by the company during the next three years. The value addition should be calculated as the annual sales revenue from drones and drone components (net of GST) minus the purchase cost (net of GST) of drone and drone components, it stated.

  • Aviation Ministry grants ICMR conditional permission to use drones for COVID vaccine delivery

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  The Civil Aviation Ministry said on Monday it has granted conditional permission to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to use drones in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Manipur and Nagaland to deliver vaccines beyond the visual line of sight.

    The ICMR has been permitted to use drones up to a height of 3,000 metre to deliver vaccines, the ministry’s statement added.

    Two days back, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had launched first of its kind ‘Medicines from the Sky’ project at Vikarabad in Telangana under which drugs and vaccines will be delivered using drones.

    The ministry’s statement mentioned that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai has also received the conditional permission to use drones for research, development and testing purposes in its own premises.

    The statement said that both the organisations — the IIT and the ICMR — have been granted conditional exemption from Drone Rules, 2021. “This exemption shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the said airspace clearance and shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of approval of the said airspace clearance or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” the statement noted.

    On August 25, the ministry had notified Drone Rules, 202, that liberalised the regulatory regime over drones. The Drone Rules, 2021, have been notified to “usher in an era of super-normal growth while balancing safety and security considerations in drone operations”, the ministry’s statement said.

  • Aviation Ministry grants permission to use drones to 10 organisations

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Civil Aviation Ministry on Monday gave conditional permission to 10 organisations, including Mahindra and Mahindra, Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and Bayer Crop Science, to use drones for various purposes.

    In a statement, the ministry said the Karnataka government is one of the 10 organisations and it has got the permission to conduct “drone based aerial survey for creating urban property ownership records in Bengaluru”.

    Mahindra and Mahindra has got permission to conduct “drone-based agricultural trials” and use drones for precision spraying on paddy and hot pepper crop in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, it mentioned.

    Two organisations — Gujarat-based Blue Ray Aviation and Telangana-based Asia Pacific Flight Training Academy — have been permitted to conduct “remote pilot training using drones”, the ministry’s statement noted.

    Bayer Crop Science has got the permission to conduct “drone-based agricultural research activities” and use drones for agricultural spraying, it mentioned.

    The National Health Mission in Mumbai has also got the permission to conduct experimental BVLOS (beyond visual line-of-sight) drone flights to deliver essential healthcare items in tribal areas of Jawhar in Palghar district of Maharashtra.

    Gangtok Smart City Development has got the permission for drone-based aerial survey for its smart city project, the ministry’s statement mentioned.

    It said SAIL has got the permission to use drones to conduct “perimeter surveillance” of its steel plant in Burnpur, West Bengal.

    Chennai-based Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited has got the permission to conduct “drone-based aerial spraying” to assess crop health and prevent crop disease.

    The ministry said Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology to conduct atmospheric research at five different locations in the country.

    The ministry said it has granted conditional exemption to the aforementioned 10 organisations from the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021, and it is ‘valid for a period of one year from the date of approval or until further orders’.

  • Air travel becomes costlier, caps raised on domestic airfares by 9.83-12.82 per cent

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Domestic air travel is set to become costlier as the Civil Aviation Ministry has raised the lower as well as upper caps on fares by 9.83 to 12.82 percent, according to an official order.

    India had imposed lower and upper limits on airfares based on flight duration when services were resumed on May 25, 2020, after a two-month lockdown due to coronavirus.

    The lower caps were imposed to help the airlines that have been struggling financially due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions.

    The upper caps were imposed so that passengers are not charged huge amounts when the demand for seats is high.

    In an order dated August 12, 2021, the ministry increased the lower limit for flights under 40 minutes of duration from Rs 2,600 to Rs 2,900 — an increase of 11.53 percent.

    The upper cap for flights under 40 minutes of duration was increased by 12.82 percent to Rs 8,800.

    Similarly, flights with duration between 40-60 minutes have a lower limit of Rs 3,700 instead of Rs 3,300 now, the order said.

    The upper cap on these flights was increased by 12.24 percent to Rs 11,000 on Thursday.

    The flights with duration between 60-90 minutes have a lower limit of Rs 4,500 — an increase of 12.5 percent.

    The upper cap on these flights was increased by 12.82 percent to Rs 13,200 on Thursday.

    Now, domestic flights of duration between 90-120, 120-150, 150-180 and 180-210 minutes have lower caps of Rs Rs 5,300, Rs 6,700, Rs 8,300 and Rs 9,800, respectively, as per the ministry’s order.

    Till date, domestic flights of duration between 90-120, 120-150, 150-180 and 180-210 minutes had the lower limits of Rs 4,700, Rs 6,100, Rs 7,400 and Rs 8,700, respectively.

    The lower cap on flights between 120-150 minutes duration was increased by 9.83 percent to Rs 6,700, as per the new order.

    On Thursday, the upper caps on domestic flights of duration between 90-120, 120-150, 150-180 and 180-210 minutes were increased by 12.3 percent, 12.42 percent, 12.74 percent and 12.39 percent, respectively, as per the order.

    The caps mentioned by the government in its order does not include the passenger security fee, user development fee for the airports and the GST.

    These charges are added on top when the ticket is being booked by the passenger.

    The ministry’s order on Thursday stated that the government has taken this decision of increasing the lower limits as well as the upper limits keeping in mind the “prevailing situation of COVID-19” in the country.