Pvt airlines skip ‘special’ route's

New Delhi: Over two years have passed, but the civil aviation ministry has failed to nail private airlines for not adhering to ‘route dispersal guidelines’. These airline operators are not willing to fly on “uneconomical” routes such as the north-eastern region, Jammu & Kashmir, island territories and other interior regions which are not easily accessible by road or rail.
Most private airlines have been lobbying hard and have demanded that the route dispersal guidelines be either amended or scrapped. There are over 22 airports besides few other smaller airports where only the national carrier, Indian and its subsidiaries fly. Private airlines have been flying on only those routes which are commercially vibrant.
Officials of the national carriers feel private airlines should also display some social commitment.
Senior officials in the Airports Authority of India (AAI) feel the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is largely responsible for giving too much concessions to private airliners.
No decision has been taken yet on the proposal to impose a surcharge to fund the minimum subsidy to be given to successful bidders to operate in the N-E, island territories and J&K.
14/05/07 Sanjay Singh/The Statesman

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Categories: General Aviation May 2007