5-yr minimum experience needed to fly abroad

The Civil Aviation Ministry has decided to keep a minimum of five years domestic flying experience as a benchmark for private carriers in it...

The Civil Aviation Ministry has decided to keep a minimum of five years domestic flying experience as a benchmark for private carriers in its Cabinet proposal allowing them to fly abroad. By this rule, only Jet Airways and Air Sahara will make the cut as of now.

It’s learnt that this in line with the qualification criteria observed before allowing these carriers to fly to SAARC countries. The view taken then was that an airline must have a healthy performance record and operational stability for at least five years.

Further, sources said, the proposal will seek to put a timeframe to the bar on private airlines to fly to Gulf countries. While the note that will be moved to the Cabinet soon will open up all international routes for private carriers, the Gulf sector will be set aside only for Air India and Indian Airlines.

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However, the idea is to put this on review within three years. While it is not clear whether the stipulated timeframe would be three years, sources said, some timeframe will be spelled out to ensure that the privelege is not extended endlessly.

The exclusion of the Gulf sector is a temporary affair aimed at ensuring that the opening up does not have an adverse impact on Air India’s finances and, to some extent, even that of Indian Airlines. But once the Maharaja strengthens its fleet and revamps its Gulf operations by launching Air India Express, its proposed low cost international carrier, the Government can reconsider opening up the Gulf sector too.

It’s learnt that the Civil Aviation Ministry has already received favourable comments from other related ministries on its proposal that has been under circulation. While the note is more or less the same as that floated by the NDA government, the ministry is yet to finalise its view on how to phase out commercial agreements.

The government has as it is not added the commercial agreement clause in any of the air bilaterals it has entered into since last December. This agreement allowed Air India to obtain some benefits or royalty from foreign carriers utilising its share of the air bilaterals.

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The Ministry has been keeping the private carriers in mind while negotiating new air bilateral agreements. The number of air bilaterals with UK were increased from 19 to 38 even though AI had not exhausted the earlier entitlement. Similarly, it has ensured that there is multiple designation of airlines in air bilaterals with all ASEAN and SAARC countries. Pakistan is the only country to have refused designation of more than one airline from India.

Talks are slated with United States next month for further liberalisation of routes and destinations. India is also expected to take up with France the issue of designating multiple airlines early next year which will be around the time when similar negotiations begin with China.