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Tag: Jyotiraditya Scindia

  • ‘Evaluating process’, says Aviation minister Scindia on normalising international flight operations

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said the government is evaluating the process for normalising international operations and asserted that it wants to return to normalcy while keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic situation in certain parts of the world.

    In a possible indication that overseas flight operations are unlikely to be fully normal in the near term, the minister said that people should not let down their guard.

    “I am all for regaining our space in the civil aviation arena in the world and making a hub in India and for more wide body aircraft. We will get there but bear with me and trust me, I am on your side. We will work together but in a safe environment,” he said.

    Scheduled international passenger flights to and from India remain suspended since March last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

    India has air bubble arrangements with more than 25 countries for operating international flights.

    Under an air bubble arrangement between two countries, international passenger flights can be operated by their respective carriers into each other’s territories subject to certain conditions.

    “We are evaluating the process,” the minister said while responding to a query on when international flight operations are likely to normalise.

    Speaking at a summit organised by industry body CII, Scindia also said that his aim is to make India an aviation hub.

    “Let me commit to you that we are evaluating that process. We want to return but keeping in mind what is happening in the world….today what is happening in Russia, parts of Europe, they are going through a fourth wave with vaccine. Let us not erase our short term memories so soon,” the minister said.

    Further, Scindia noted that a process is being followed and there has to be a dialogue with other ministries before reaching a decision on overseas flight operations.

    Domestic flights have been allowed to operate with full capacity in October.

    At the ‘Global Economic Policy Summit 2021 Rebuilding Economies’ organised by CII, Scindia also asserted that the civil aviation ministry wants to be a constructive collaborator and not a restrictive regulator.

    Regarding high ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) prices, Scindia said seven states have slashed their VAT (Value Added Tax) on the fuel and he was expecting more states to follow suit. With the current tax structure on ATF, “you cannot have a robust civil aviation sector. I am very clear on that,” he added.

    At another event in the evening, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said revenue from VAT is not much for states but “what you gain by bringing it down will be tremendous.

  • Won’t have airlines to board if fare limits are not increased, says Aviation Minister Scindia

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: There won’t be any airline in India to board if limits on domestic airfares are not increased as oil prices have jumped from USD 22 each barrel to USD 85 in the last eight months, Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday.

    At the ‘Times Now Summit 2021′, he said aviation turbine fuel (ATF) is about 40 per cent of an airline’s cost structure in the country.

    Domestic air travel became costlier on August 12 this year when the Aviation Ministry raised the lower and upper caps on domestic fares by 9.83 to 12.82 per cent.

    The ministry had increased the lower limit for flights under 40-minute duration from Rs 2,600 to Rs 2,900 — an increase of 11.53 per cent.

    The upper cap for flights under 40-minute duration was increased by 12.82 per cent to Rs 8,800. On Thursday, Scindia said, “Look at what has happened to ATF prices.

    Oil prices over the last eight months increased from USD 22 per barrel to USD 84. So, the airline’s cost structure has gone up by four times.”

    “Add to that the excise duty of 11 per cent and VAT charged by the state governments in the range of 1 per cent to 30 per cent. How is an airline going to survive unless it (ATF) becomes economical?” he posed. The reason for the Aviation Ministry raising the fare bands is that airlines must be given some cushion when there is a 400 per cent jump in the prices of raw materials.

    “If you are not able to give a 12.5 per cent hike on the revenue side then you and I won’t have an airline to board,” he added.

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

    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.

    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 a ticket is booked.

    The August 12 order also mentioned that the limit on airfares will remain in place for 30 days at any given time.

    On September 18, the ministry modified the August 12 order, reducing the roll-over period from 30 days to 15 days.

    Scindia said the Aviation Ministry is trying to reduce ATF prices by asking the state governments to reduce their VAT charges.

    “In the last four months, I have written to 25 chief ministers to make them understand how this VAT is holding back the states’ connectivity.

    “Over the last 40 days, Jammu and Kashmir, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have lowered their VAT on ATF from the range of 25 to 28 per cent to the range of 1 to 2 per cent. I salute the leadership of these states,” he said.

    Due to this, there has been much greater connectivity to these states in the last one-and-half months, Scindia added.

  • Aviation Minister Scindia virtually flags off Alliance Air flight connecting three northeastern cities

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday virtually flagged of an Alliance Air flight that connects Kolkata with northeastern cities, including Guwahati, Aizawl and Shillong, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Monday.

    The Alliance Air flight will traverse on Kolkata-Guwahati-Aizwal-Shillong route four days a week, the ministry’s statement noted.

    Alliance Air will be operating this flight using its ATR-72 aircraft, it mentioned.

    Scindia stated that most of the ATR-72 aircraft of Alliance Air are deployed on the northeastern routes.

    “Today, we are further establishing seamless connectivity across entire northeast India by connecting four cities with one flight,” he stated.

  • New dawn for Air India: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on airline’s sale to Tata Group

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Air India’s sale to the Tata Group marks a new dawn for the airline, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday as he hoped that the carrier would continue to bring people closer through successful operations.

    Earlier in the day, the government announced that Talace Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, has beaten a consortium led by SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh by offering Rs 18,000 crore to win the bid to acquire debt-laden Air India.

    “Air India’s return to the Tata group marks a new dawn for the airline! My best wishes to the new management, and congratulations to DIPAM Secretary and the Civil Aviation Ministry for successfully concluding the difficult task of paving a new runway for the airline to take off!” Scindia wrote on Twitter.

    ​ALSO READ | Will take considerable effort to rebuild Air India: Ratan Tata

    “I hope the airline will continue to deliver on its mission of bringing people closer through its successful operations,” he added.

    The Tata Group’s bid of Rs 18,000 crore comprises taking over of Rs 15,300 crore of debt and paying the rest in cash, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said at a press briefing on Friday.

    DIPAM is the government department responsible for privatisation.

    ALSO READ | Tata Sons wins the bid for acquiring national carrier Air India

    Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh also congratulated the Tata Group for winning the Air India bid.

    “Under new management, I sincerely hope that the Maharaja will continue to be an enduring Indian brand which stands for excellent quality.

    “Credit to the teams at the Civil Aviation Ministry and the DIPAM Secretary for their tireless efforts,” he wrote on Twitter.

    The Ajay Singh-led consortium’s bid stood at Rs 15,100 crore, comprising taking over debt of Rs 12,835 crore and paying the remaining amount of Rs 2,265 crore in cash.

  • Need to boost long-haul international flights of Indian carriers, says Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Centre has to look to put in place certain systems to boost long-haul international flights of Indian carriers to places such as Europe and South America, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday.

    “We have to aim to make India a robust aviation hub where we can fly more passengers from India to the world and vice versa,” he said during an event organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

    Scindia said connectivity to Europe, North America, Canada, Mexico, South America and parts of Central Asia has to be boosted using the hub-and-spoke model.

    “Therefore, the creation of a hub in India is extremely important. Increasing long-haul flights means we have to get more wide-bodied aircraft,” he noted.

    Increasing long-haul flights will be a challenge in the days to come but aviation hubs have to come back on our agenda as a country, a ministry and an industry, the minister mentioned.

    Scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    However, special flights have been operating since July last year under bilateral “air bubble” arrangements between India and approximately 28 countries.

    On the one side, the country has to concentrate on the domestic travel side, while on the other, it also has to think about the international travel side, Scindia said.

    “And we have to look at putting in place systems that allow connectivity on long-haul travel to places like Europe where we have just one or two (Indian) airlines catering to these destinations,” he added.

  • Efforts being taken to start international flight services from Srinagar: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: International flight operations are likely to resume at the Srinagar airport as efforts are on to start services between here and Sharjah, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Saturday.

    He also said that the terminal at the Srinagar airport will be expanded from 25,000 square metre to 63,000 square metre.

    “The first international flight connection from Srinagar to Sharjah (in the United Arad Emirates) will be started soon. Efforts are on so that international travellers come directly to Srinagar. This will be a historic decision, not just for Jammu and Kashmir, but the whole country,” Scindia told reporters here.

    There will be an investment of Rs 1,500 crore at the Srinagar airport, while Rs 600 crore will be spent on the Jammu airport.

    “The Jammu airport will have a new 25,000 square metre terminal, adding to the existing one,” the Union minister said.

    The runway at the Jammu airport has been extended to 8,000 feet and there will be no load penalty on flights at the airport from October 1, he said.

    The minister said a new cargo terminal at the Srinagar airport, constructed at a cost of Rs 15 crore, will be made functional on October 1.

    On the issue of landing operations at the airport here, he said the civil aviation ministry and the Jammu and Kashmir administration will hold discussions with the defence ministry for the installation of CAT-II ILS system for overcoming flight cancellations due to bad weather.

    Scindia also held a review meeting at the airport and then held an-hour-long discussion with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for strengthening the aviation infrastructure in the Union Territory.

    The minister said he has requested Sinha to consider reducing the VAT on aviation turbine fuel to one per cent which will help in attracting more airlines to Jammu and Kashmir.

    “It will be a boost for the tourism and development of Jammu and Kashmir as more flights will translate into more connectivity and more tourists, ” he said.

    Scindia said the lieutenant governor has also assured to transfer 122 acres of land needed for expansion of the Jammu airport to the Airport Authority of India by October 10.

    “On the same day, feasibility and design studies will be started,” he said.

    Scindia and Sinha also discussed ways of using helicopter services for promoting tourism in Jammu and Kashmir as it being done in states like Uttarakhand.

    On surging air ticket prices during the winter season, Scindia said he will have the alleged cartelisation investigated.

    “We will stop it if there is any cartelisation. Also, the best way to check this kind of practice is increasing the connectivity. We are taking steps in that direction,” he added.

  • New airport terminal at Leh likely to become operational by Dec 2022: Aviation minister Scindia

    By PTI

    LEH: The new airport terminal in Leh is likely to become operational by December next year, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday.

    This was conveyed by Scindia to Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur during a virtual meeting with him to discuss the progress of ongoing and new civil aviation projects for better air connectivity in the region.

    “The new airport terminal at Leh may become operational by December 2022,” the aviation minister said.

    He also agreed to the construction of a civil enclosure at Thoise airport, considered the air lifeline to the world’s highest and coldest battlefield, by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) once land is made available.

    Scindia noted that a team will shortly visit Ladakh to technically evaluate locations for additional airstrips in Leh.

    He agreed to look at the possibility of operationalising commercial flights with smaller jet planes to Kargil as an interim solution.

    The minister requested the Lieutenant Governor to consider lowering VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to encourage more flights to operate to Ladakh, stressing that it will become a booster for Ladakh’s tourism.

    The L-G requested the minister for intervention in regulating winter airfares, support in operationalisation of air ambulances and exploring the possibility of night flights to Leh.

  • 100-day plan: Four new airports in the pipeline, says Union Civil Aviation Minister

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday unveiled a 100-day plan comprising policy measures and development of airports along with heliports. Under the plan, new airports will come up in four cities.

    Scindia said 50 new routes will be launched under regional connectivity scheme in 100 days. The minister also announced a policy for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) activities to attract more investment. The 100-day plan has been prepared after combined consultations focusing on 16 areas including infrastructure development, policy and reforms.

    Of the 50 new routes, the minister said 30 will be operational by October-end. They will be operated by Alliance Air (6), IndiGo (4), Big Charter Private Limited (8), SpiceJet (4) and StarAir (8). Besides, the ministry will also operationalise five airports. The minister said foundation stones of four new airports will be laid in Agartala, Kushinagar, Jewar in Greater Noida and a second terminal building at Dehradun. “First would be Kushinagar (UP). It’ll have the capacity for landing of Airbus 321 and Boeing 737 flights. Kushinagar will become the focal point of the Buddhist circuit,” he added.

    The government is also planning to update the AirSewa app, where passengers can seek redressal of grievances. AirSewa 3.0 is scheduled to go live by September 30. On new policies, Scindia said the aim is to make India a “global MRO hub”. The purpose of the policy that includes leasing of land through open tenders and abolishing royalty charged by airport authorities is to attract investment.

    UDAN targets

    Five airports: Keshod (Gujarat), Deoghar (Jharkhand), Gondia (Maharashtra), Sindhudurg (Maharashtra), Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh)

    Six heliports: Sanjoli (near Shimla), Sase (near Manali), Mandi, Baddi (both Himachal), Haldwani, Almora (both Uttarakhand)

    Operationalisation of 50 routes. 30 by October 2021

  • Kozhikode plane crash probe report to be made public in next few days, says Jyotiraditya Scindia

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said the probe report on the plane crash at Kozhikode airport last year will be made public in the next couple of days.

    On August 7, 2020, a Boeing 737 plane coming from Dubai had overshot the runway at Kozhikode airport in Kerala and later broke into pieces.

    There were 190 people onboard the ill-fated aircraft and at least 20 people, including the two pilots, were killed and several others were injured.

    Addressing a press meet here, Scindia said the probe report has been submitted to the civil aviation ministry.

    The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) probed the accident.

    “All I can tell you at this point of time is that in the next couple of days, that report is going to be released in the public domain. Whatever steps that have been advocated on the basis of that report, those steps will be and has to be executed.”

    “…..within the ministry, we will be also putting together a group of people that will be tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the steps that have been recommended in the report are put in place at the airport,” the minister said.

    Last month, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh told the Lok Sabha that final compensation offers have been made to all the next of kin of the deceased passengers, but none of the “next of kin has sent their acceptance as of date”.

    “Final compensation offers have been made to all the 165 injured passengers, out of which 73 passengers accepted the offer and have been paid a total amount of Rs 60.35 crore as the final settlement as of date,” he had said.

  • Working at fast pace to restore air traffic to pre-COVID-19 levels: Jyotiraditya Scindia

    By PTI

    INDORE: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday said the Centre was working at a fast pace to bring air traffic to pre-COVID-19 levels by restoring domestic and international flights and enhancing the number of services in each state.

    He was speaking to reporters at the Ahilyabai Holkar Airport here en route to Ujjain to take part in the ‘shahi savari’ ritual of Lord Mahakal.

    Queried on the MP government’s decision to teach MBBS students about RSS founder KB Hedgewar and other prominent leaders in the foundation course, Scindia said, “You can ask me about my department (civil aviation), I will answer your queries. But I will not reply on any issue about which I am not having full knowledge.”

    Speaking abut the aviation sector, which has taken a big hit due to the pandemic, he said the Centre was working at a fast pace to bring air traffic to pre-COVID-19 levels by restoring domestic and international flights.

    Earlier, on Sunday, MP Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang announced that MBBS students in the state will be lectured about RSS founder Hedgewar, Bhartiya Jana Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyaya, Swami Vivekanand and B R Ambedkar as part of the first-year foundation course to instill social and medical ethics.