Page 5 - Civil Aviation Ministry

Budget 2025: Civil aviation gets Rs 2,400 cr, UDAN funds cut to Rs 540 cr

The budgetary allocation for the civil aviation ministry has been cut by nearly 10 per cent to Rs 2,400.31 crore for the next financial year, with the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN set to get a lower amount of Rs 540 crore. The allocation in the Union Budget 2025-26, presented by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on Saturday, is less compared to Rs 2,658.68 crore in the revised 2024-25 Budget. Out of the total allocation for the next fiscal starting from April 1, 2025, UDAN will get Rs 540 crore, which is 32 per cent lower compared to Rs 800 crore in the year-ago period. Interestingly, Sitharaman has announced that UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme will be modified to connect 120 new destinations. As per the budget papers, the allocation for the DGCA and BCAS have increased marginally to Rs 330 crore and Rs 95 crore, respectively, for 2025-26. For the Customs Cost Recovery (CCR) charges to Airport Authority of India (AAI) and AAI Cargo Logistics and

No level playing field in allocation of bilateral rights: Akasa Air to govt

Bilateral rights, negotiated between two countries, determine the number of flights allowed between them. Each government then allocates its share to its airlines

Section of Akasa Air pilots seeks probe into airline's hiring practices

A section of Akasa Air has written to the civil aviation ministry seeking a probe into the airline's hiring practices, alleging rostering issues and other lapses. Among others, these pilots have claimed that some operating crew do not report to work on time and claimed that there are issues with reporting of On Time Performance. On Thursday, the section of the pilots sent an e-mail to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, Civil Aviation Secretary, and Director General of Civil Aviation, flagging various issues at the airline. There was no immediate comment from Akasa Air. In the e-mail, the pilots have sought an investigation into the airline's hiring practices, claiming that hiring was being done at the whims and fancies of a chosen few. It also alleged that the carrier does not have a stable roster. Recently, the section of pilots had raised concerns about alleged training and safety issues at the airline even though the airline had rejected them as baseless and untrue. In

Regional air connectivity will remain govt's priority: Civil aviation secy

Regional air connectivity will continue to be a priority for the government and air passenger traffic is projected to touch 40 crore by 2029, Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam said on Monday. Speaking at a conference in the national capital, he also said the ecosystem is being developed for operations of seaplanes. Emphasising that there is "huge potential" for growth of the country's aviation sector, he said that 10 years ago, passenger traffic was at 11 crore and the count has doubled to 22 crore. By 2029, the number is expected to touch 40 crore, he said and added that there is aspiration among people for air travel. The Regional Air Connectivity (RCS) scheme or UDAN aims to enhance regional air connectivity from unserved and underserved airports as well as make air travel more affordable. Vualnam said RCS will remain a priority for the government and efforts are also on to push operations of helicopters and seaplanes. Under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), which was .

Govt tackles fog delays: Staffed airport counters, better communication

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has implemented new measures to tackle fog season challenges for travellers

Is Digi Yatra data shared with I-T dept to catch tax evaders? Govt says no

Digi Yatra data stored on airport systems is automatically purged within 24 hours of a flight's departure, says aviation ministry

Fog plan: DIAL completes airfield construction, sets up German hangar

DIAL has taken a slew of steps to reduce flight disruptions during foggy winter season

Akasa Air pilots flag training and safety practices, airline denies charges

The section of Akasa Air pilots wrote to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and highlighted alleged unfair practices, harassment and safety concerns.

Six airports leased out through competitive, transparent process: Naidu

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Thursday said six airports were leased out to the Adani group through a thorough, competitive and transparent process. State-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) has leased out six airports -- Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram -- to the Adani group. While mentioning about the leasing out of these airports, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy said in the Lok Sabha that Niti Aayog and the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) were of the view that two airports should not be given to the same entity. Naidu, however, said there was no fact in the member's statement. These are wild allegations and an empowered group of secretaries, headed by Niti Aayog CEO, where DEA secretary was also a member, was constituted, he said. A thorough process was followed for the leasing out of the airports, he said, adding when they (Niti Aayog CEO, DEA secretary) were members of the group, where does the point arise tha

IndiGo working with aviation ministry to extend lease of Boeing 777 planes

IndiGo is working with the civil aviation ministry to explore the possibility of extending the wet lease of wide-body Boeing 777 planes from Turkish Airlines, as the existing lease period is ending this week. Currently, IndiGo is operating two wet-leased Boeing 777 planes for flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul. These are also the only two wide-body aircraft that are in the fleet of the airline, which is India's largest carrier with a domestic market share of over 62 per cent. These aircraft were wet-leased to cater to the rising demand for international travel from India. IndiGo started operating its first wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft on the Delhi-Istanbul route from February 1, 2023, and began operating the Boeing 777 plane on the Mumbai-Istanbul route from May 17, 2023. Sources in the know said the airline has not received an extension for continuing with the wet lease of the aircraft. When contacted, an IndiGo spokesperson on Monday told PTI that the airline is "working

IndiGo working with govt to extend wet lease of Boeing 777 planes

IndiGo is working with the civil aviation ministry to explore the possibility of extending the wet lease of wide-body Boeing 777 planes from Turkish Airlines as the existing lease period is ending this week. Currently, IndiGo is operating two wet-leased Boeing 777 planes for flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul. These are also the only two wide-body aircraft that are in the fleet of the airline, which is India's largest carrier with a domestic market share of over 62 per cent. These aircraft were wet-leased to cater to the rising demand for international travel from India. IndiGo started operating its first wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft on the Delhi- Istanbul route from February 1, 2023, and began operating the Boeing 777 plane on the Mumbai-Istanbul route from May 17, 2023. Sources in the know said the airline has not received an extension for continuing with the wet lease of the aircraft. When contacted, an IndiGo spokesperson on Monday told PTI that the airline is "working

Centre issues new guidelines to handle bomb threats on flights; details

The revised guidelines from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security outline several new indicators for assessing bomb threats

Civil Aviation Minister Naidu vows action amid surge in hoax bomb threats

On Friday, over 20 flights of various airlines reportedly received bomb threats, according to Civil Aviation ministry

Aviation minister Naidu urges Airbus to make commercial aircraft in India

Minister inaugurated prominent aerospace company's new headquarters in Delhi

Govt aims to develop 50 more airports in 5 years: Civil aviation minister

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Thursday said the government aims to set up 50 more airports in the next five years and pitched for further developing the country's airport ecosystem that will also help in boosting job creation. In the last 10 years, the number of airports has doubled to 157. Naidu said that 50 more airports are expected to be developed in the next five years and 200 more in the next 20 years. The minister was speaking after inaugurating the Airbus India and South Asia Headquarters - Training Centre in the national capital. He also stressed the need to further develop the airport ecosystem that will help boost job creation and commercial activities. Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam said the air passenger traffic in the country is expected to double in the next five years from 220 million, which was achieved last year.

Bomb hoax calls to be made cognizable offence: Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu

A cognisable offence is one in which the police can arrest without a warrant and begin an investigation without court approval, typically involving serious crimes like murder or theft

Govt to extend air connectivity scheme UDAN scheme for 10 more years: Naidu

The government will extend the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN for 10 more years, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Monday. UDAN has led to the birth and growth of regional airlines, generation of jobs and contribution to tourism, the minister said at a function in the national capital to mark eight years of the scheme. As many as 601 routes and 71 airports have been operationalised under the regional air connectivity scheme. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) is aimed at enhancing regional air connectivity and making flying more affordable. It was introduced on October 21, 2016 for 10 years. The minister said the scheme will be extended for another 10 years. Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam said the ministry is looking at the financial viability aspects and streamlining of the procedures under the scheme. "A total of 86 aerodromes -- comprising 71 airports, 13 heliports, and 2 water aerodromes -- have been operationalised, facilitating the travel of ov

601 routes, 71 airports operationalised under UDAN: Civil aviation ministry

The civil aviation ministry on Sunday said as many as 601 routes and 71 airports have been operationalised under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN, which was introduced eight years ago. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) is aimed at enhancing regional air connectivity and making flying more affordable. In a release, the ministry said 601 routes, including helicopter routes, have been operationalised, and that around 28 per cent of these routes serve the remotest locations. "A total of 86 aerodromes -- comprising 71 airports, 13 heliports, and 2 water aerodromes -- have been operationalised, facilitating the travel of over 1.44 crore passengers across more than 2.8 lakh flights," it added. Meanwhile, the number of operational airports in the country has doubled from 74 in 2014 to 157 in 2024 and the aim is to increase the count to 350-400 by 2047. The UDAN scheme was introduced on October 21, 2016.

Centre plans strict norms to prevent hoax bomb threats to airlines

The civil aviation ministry plans to put in place strict norms to prevent incidents of hoax bomb threats to airlines, including placing the perpetrators on the no-fly list, a senior official said on Thursday. In four days, more than 20 flights of various Indian airlines received bomb threats, including international flights, and some of them were diverted. Most of the threats have turned out to be hoaxes. Against this backdrop, the ministry is looking at amending existing rules, including those related to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), in order to ensure stringent punishments are in place for the culprits, the official in the know said. Placing individuals making hoax bomb threats in the airlines' no-fly list is one of the proposals being looked at, the official said. The official also said legal opinions are being gathered with respect to making the changes in the rules. The provisions being followed in foreign countries to deal with hoax bomb threats are also bein

Accused behind threat messages being identified: Civil aviation secretary

The issue of multiple hoax threat messages to various airlines, which have disrupted many Indian flights, came up before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday as the civil aviation secretary told parliamentarians that accused are being identified and action taken. Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam suggested in the meeting of the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, which is headed by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, that investigators have gathered some information and are taking action. They are working on a few other cases of such hoax messages, he added. He, however, cited the sensitivity of information due to the ongoing probe into the matter to decline to share more details, sources said. They said Jha raised the issue of the number of hoax threat calls that airlines have received in the past couple of days, leading to diversion of flights, including one bound for Chicago. At least 10 flights have been disrupted due to bomb threat messages, mostly on social me