Relaxing the norms for aircraft imports, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Saturday said that carriers would now be required to get the initial approval only from sectoral regulator DGCA. The move would make the approval process easier for the domestic carriers, most of which are looking to expand their fleet. Currently, scheduled as well as regional scheduled operators are required to seek the Ministry’s approval for import and acquisition of aircraft. The ministry has decided to delegate the power to grant “initial NOC (No Objection Certificate)/In-principle approval for import or acquisition of aircraft to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),” an official release said on Saturday.
The delegation of power is being done in order to simplify procedures as compliance of various Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) are regulated by the DGCA, it added. To implement the changes with regard to approval framework for aircraft import, the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and RBI have also amended their existing notification and master circular, respectively. While the DGFT made the amendments on October 9, RBI effected the changes on November 26. “DGCA has now been requested to make necessary amendment in the related CAR/Rules in accordance with it,” the release said.
The easing of approval requirements also comes at a time when the ministry is working on a new aviation policy that seeks to provide various incentives for the sector. Earlier this week, RBI said banks can allow advance remittances for aircraft imports once the company has approval from DGCA.
Previously, advance remittance was allowed by banks only when the importing entity had requisite approvals from Civil Aviation Ministry, DGCA and other agencies. “... banks may, while allowing advance remittance without bank guarantee or an unconditional, irrevocable standby letter of credit up to $50 million, ensure that only the requisite approval of DGCA for import of aircrafts/helicopters,” have been obtained by the company, the RBI had said.
Meanwhile, DRDO D-G (Aeronautical Systems) K Tamilmani on Saturday stressed the need to establish aerospace facilities that will place India on the global arena.
“Although we are engineering many technologies for bigger platforms, we need to establish aerospace facilities that will place India on the global arena.” he said. Tamilmani was speaking at a national seminar on Indigenous Technology Base for Growth of Aerospace Ecosystem, organised by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd as part of its 75-year celebrations here.
AI plans direct Washington flight
Air India is considering starting a direct flight to Washington as well as serving new cities in the US soon after it launches its services to San Francisco next month. The national carrier already operates non-stop flights to three US cities — New York, Newark and Chicago. “I have been informed by Air India that it is considering a direct flight to Washington,” Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said.
He was speaking here at a function organised by Air India prior to the launch of its direct flight to San Francisco from December 2. According to a senior official at Air India, apart from direct services to Washington, the carrier would be looking at the feasibility of connecting more number of cities in the US from various places in India. The official said the launch flight, both to and from San Francisco in California, has already been sold out and the demand was “tremendous”.
Air India used to serve Washington via New York, but the service was discontinued a few years ago. The carrier also had flights to Los Angeles in California, which was discontinued before the merger of Indian Airlines with Air India in 2011. The non-stop Delhi-San Francisco flight, starting services from December 2, will be one of the longest with duration of close to 17 hours. Air India will operate B77-200LR plane to San Francisco — the Silicon Valley hub.
“This new flight will be a boon for the Indian diaspora in the US West Coast, making travel easy and convenient for students,” the carrier said in a release. The flight to San Francisco will leave Delhi on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday while the return service will be on Thursday, Saturday and Monday. With a three-cabin configuration, the flight will have eight seats in first class, 35 in business and 195 in economy. Passengers from IT hubs of Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad and Pune will have seamless connection to the flight from Delhi, Air India said.