India reviewing policy to let domestic carriers fly abroad

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel today said that the Ministry is reviewing the existing aviation policy to allow domestic carriers, with less than five years of operation, fly abroad.

Mumbai, June 16 : Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel today said that the Ministry is reviewing the existing aviation policy to allow domestic carriers, with less than five years of operation, fly abroad.

Stringent aviation laws do not allow newly set up domestic carriers to fly international, until they complete five years of operation.

Patel said the issue was pending with a Group of Ministers (GoM).

He said: "The whole policy is under review with a Group of Ministers. The Ministry has proposed some relaxation in the five-year ban for flying international should be reviewed".

"The reasons are that there are international airlines coming into India, they have much larger capacity and Indian carriers are not meeting that kind of reciprocal capacity. So a review is necessary," he added.

Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines is waiting to complete the five-year stipulation to fly out.

The Centre had recently refused permission to Kerala to launch an airliner to Gulf countries, without first operating on domestic routes for five years. Kerala has a sizeable expatriates working in the Gulf.

ANI