'Flexible airspace will bring down airline costs'

New Delhi: A rigid and condensed airspace for civilian aircrafts coupled with increasing aviation fuel prices are contributing to the losses of the Indian aviation industry, airline operators said Friday.
"We can save at least 15 percent of the operational costs of our airline if air routes are straightened and civil aircraft are provided more air space. This would save a lot of fuel," Sanjay Bahadur, vice-president of Kingfisher Airlines, told reporters here.
He said the airline industry is reeling under severe losses. "The government should soon introduce flexible use of airspace to optimise the use of Indian airspace to meet the needs of both military and civil aviation for the country," said A. Shivanandan, Jet Airways spokesperson.
Senior officials of the airline industry spoke here at a press conference organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).
The Ajay Prasad Committee set up to formulate a master plan for next generation air navigation services recommended that flexible use of airspace be accepted to optimise the use of Indian airspace so as to meet the needs of both military and civil aviation for the country.
27/06/08 IANS/Economic Times

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jun 2008