Experts, industry divided over first aviation policy

While India’s first-ever civil aviation policy, which was announced recently by the government, has brought a smile to the faces of passengers, it has drawn mixed reaction from aircraft operators and civil aviation experts. According to aviation experts, the policy is silent on important issues like formation of an independent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), privatisation of Air India, market-listing of AAI and separating Air Navigation Services (ANS) from the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

An official of Business Aircraft Operators Association said the implementation of regional connectivity is not clear in the policy. He also said the government needs to make a schedule for commuter airlines. “If a charter operator operates daily in the regular sector it will lose its tag,” said the official. Referring to the process of providing connectivity to small airports, he said initially airlines would not take an interest as the load factor in the aircraft would remain low in the first stage, as chances are that in the early stage there may not be many passengers.

Referring to the capping of airfares at Rs 2,500 for an hour-long flight (and the possibility of flying becoming less expensive) an official connected with All India Cabin Crew association called it an “illusion,” observing that there are very few domestic destinations that an aircraft can reach in less than an hour.

He said airlines can increase the flying time span to one hour from 50 minutes also on these routes to get the fare they expect and can point to air traffic in cases of longer flying times.

The official also said safety-related rules, which are important, could not be found in the policy. “The policy doesn’t meet the requirements,” the official said.

Meanwhile, CEO of Aviation Business & Services Pvt. Ltd, Ujjawal Thengadi, welcomed the policy. “There was no such policy before and it’s the first, so it should be welcomed,” he said.

Mr Thengadi said that as a passenger, he found the policy good but as an operator, he believes the authorities need to think more on it. “They had a plan of bringing in infrastructure at 82 places, which includes the extension of runway, but nothing has been done yet,” he said.