Removed anomalies in aircraft import process: Ajit Singh

Says the aircraft acquisition committee is functioning and there was no stay order against it

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has said newly-constituted aircraft acquisition committee is functioning and there was no stay order against it. "The committee  is in existence and it met on November 27," Singh said on Thursday.

He was reacting to media report which said the PMO had written to the Civil Aviation Ministry to put in abeyance the committee following complaints that it will lead to licence raj and delay acquisition process. Singh, however, confirmed that PMO did send such a letter to his ministry.

"I am not chairing the committee. We have decided to streamline the acquisition process fixing timelines for the approval process and in process removed certain anomalies. I am not taking away anybody's powers," he said.

According to Singh, the aircraft acquisition committee was first constituted by an executive order in 1994. In 2003, it was made an empowered committee. Two years later, it was given recommendatory powers in respect to acquisition of new airlines and in 2011 the power to sanction aircraft import of scheduled airlines was given to the civil aviation minister.

"It is committee formed by the ministry. It is not a statutory body. Even earlier it had recommendatory powers in certain respects," he said.

In its press release last month Civil Aviation Ministry had said the committee will consider, examine and make recommendations on all proposals for providing air transport services and for permitting import or acquisition of aircraft for various purposes.  Along with this, the procedure for consideration and approval of applications has also been streamlined significantly with timelines stipulated for various stages of processing. The new addition to the committee was HS Khosla, former director general of civil aviation.