Recent reports suggest that the GOI proposes to privatise Air Traffic Control (ATC) services. Separating Air Navigation Services (ANS) — of which ATC is a component —from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and creating a separate corporation under the Government has been debated since 2007, enabling the corporation to use its Air Navigation Charges income to modernise Air Navigation Systems and meet growing aviation demand.
Eventually, in 2015, the proposal was withdrawn, with a decision to separately account for the ANS components of AAI’s revenue and to have a full-time Member (ANS) on the AAI Board. Thus, ANS remains a function of AAI, a Government body, at all airports. Now, the government seems to be pondering the idea of privatisation rather than corporatising ANS under Government control. Against this background, let us examine the issues of interest to an inquisitive common air passenger.
Article 28 of the Chicago Convention mandates the provision of airports and AirNavigation Services within the territory of each contracting state in accordance with the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). However, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) does not mandate that the ownership and management of ANS must remain solely under the state. Thus, the ownership and management of ANS may be delegated to a statutory autonomous body, a corporate body, or even the private sector.
10/05/2026 B V Surya Bhagavanulu/Hans India
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
0 Post a Comment:
Post a Comment