Fleet reduced, Paramount licence comes under review

New Delhi: India’s aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has started reviewing the national airline licence of Coimbatore-based Paramount Airways Pvt. Ltd, which has fallen short of the fleet strength required to keep the licence.
The regulator has started what is called a requirement review of Paramount, said a DGCA official who didn’t want to be named. “There is a requirement deficiency for a national airline status. We have asked them to explain it in a couple of days,” the official said.
Rules mandate that a national license holder have a fleet of at least five aircraft. Three of the airline’s fleet of five Embraers have been pulled from service over payment disputes with GE Commercial Aviation Services Llc and one because of engineering issues. Paramount also has a payment dispute with ECC Leasing Co. Ltd from which it had taken two planes on lease.
A single aircraft makes travel difficult for passengers, said another DGCA official who too did not want to be named. Airlines typically keep one aircraft as a backup in case of an emergency or engineering-related issues.
“Either they have to do bring the (new) aircraft or close the shop. The requirement is very clear,” this official said.
08/04/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Paramount Airways Apr 2010