The Hindu Business Line : Piloting a civil aviation revolution

A combination of bureaucratic vision and political support could have been responsible for the Government's change in attitude towards the civil aviation sector.

IN THE slog-overs of its five-year innings, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government has done more for the civil aviation sector than any other government in the past: From setting up the Naresh Chandra Committee and accepting its report which has laid out the flight-path for making air travel more affordable to the Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, slashing by half the excise duty on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 16 per cent to 8 per cent and doing away with the 15 per cent of Inland Air Travel Tax (IATT).

Besides, late last year the Air India (AI) board finally zeroed in on the type of aircraft the airline should have and also decided to launch more flights to international destinations. It was also during this period that the monopoly of Air India and Indian Airlines to fly abroad was broken with the Union Cabinet deciding in January to allow private sector scheduled domestic airlines to operate to the six members of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation. In effect what the decision meant was that the two main private sector airlines Jet Airways and Air Sahara can fly to Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

But it was not only the big players whose interests were looked after. To promote the use of small aircraft and further increase air connectivity, the Government decided to do away with landing charges for helicopters and gave concessions to small aircraft.

The period also saw work finally beginning on the private sector greenfield airport in Bangalore this after the Government finally clearly spelt out what a private sector airport is in the Airports Authority of India (Amendment) Bill which was passed by Parliament. After some initial hiccups the process for modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai with private sector participation also got under way.

The Government also tried its best to make air travel more comfortable without sacrificing on safety. Passengers are now allowed to use mobile phones while the aircraft is on the ground with some restrictions being still in place on cellphone use in the aircraft. Besides, the antiquated law prohibiting photography at airports was finally done away with.

But while a lot of changes were brought about in the sector, the two state- owned airlines Air India and Indian Airlines continued to face problems. The 43-Airbus aircraft fleet acquisition plan of IA, cleared by its board in March 2002, was stopped in its track at the last minute.

The all-important Public Investment Board (PIB) meeting to give the nod being was called off days before it was scheduled. But despite this glitch, the period has been one in which a lot of action has taken place in the sector in the recent past. So, what has been primarily responsible for this change of attitude in the Government towards the civil aviation sector. Sources maintain that it was a combination of bureaucratic vision and political support to push through changes, which could be one of the reasons for the sector seeing so many changes.

"In a modern economy required are modern airports, easy worldwide connectivity at the shortest possible time, and reasonable air fares. This is what the Government has tried to achieve," the Secretary, Civil Aviation, Mr K. Roy Paul, said. Similarly, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, has also emphasised that the Government looks at civil aviation as an important activity which can bring about all around prosperity and help India take its place in the comity of Nations.

The Government has set the stage for civil aviation sectors take-off, it now remains to be seen whether it will be smooth or the air pockets will make the flight bumpy.