Flight norms may be relaxed

New Delhi: With domestic airlines lobbying hard to fly overseas to avail the benefit of cheaper aviation fuel and to keep spiralling operating costs under control, norms might soon be relaxed in a bid to help the financially bleeding aviation sector.
A senior civil aviation ministry official said the condition that carriers must have completed five years of domestic flying before they start operating overseas flights will soon be reduced to two or three years.
Domestic airlines hope to benefit from the fact that aviation fuel costs about 35 per cent less for international carriers as compared to domestic carriers.
“... So when we will start operating overseas, we will have access to cheaper ATF which would bring our operational costs down and help in bringing down the losses,” said a senior executive of Kingfisher Airlines.
Citing an example, the executive said if the airline is operating flights to the USA, it might use the hub in Dubai to tank the fuel at cheaper rates and thus bring down operational costs.
30/06/08 Ranjeet S Jamwal/The Statesman

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Categories: Foreign Jul 2008, Indian Aviation- In General Jul 2008