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Pilots' grouping ALPA India on Friday said AAIB has declined the request to include its representative in the team probing the Air India plane crash in June that killed 260 people, citing government norms. Representatives of the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) India on Friday held a meeting with Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Director General GVG Yugandhar in the national capital. The discussion mainly revolved around having subject experts in aircraft accident investigations. After the meeting, ALPA India President Sam Thomas said there was not much discussion on the Air India plane crash due to the ongoing investigation. "AAIB expressed its inability to include pilots from ALPA as subject matter experts in the team probing the Air India plane crash, citing government norms," he told PTI. In one of the worst aircraft accidents in India, a total of 260 people, including 241 passengers, died after Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI 171 to London
The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) on Monday wrote a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, urging a reduction in Value Added Tax (VAT)on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to prevent a shift of air passengers to Noida's Jewar Airport. CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal said the high VAT on ATF in Delhi is making flight operations costlier, which could lead airlines to prefer Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh. He said, "While Delhi levies a 25 per cent VAT on ATF, Uttar Pradesh reduced its tax from 21 per cent to just 1 per cent in December 2024." CTI General Secretary Gurmeet Arora emphasised that the lower tax in UP will significantly reduce operational costs for airlines, potentially leading to lower airfares at Jewar Airport compared to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. He said this price gap could result in a shift of air travellers to the new airport. The CTI added that if VAT on ATF in Delhi is reduced, airlines will face pressure to lower ticket prices, benefiting ...