Airlines allowed to fly more passengers

Ashwini Phadnis

NEW DELHI, Dec. 12

THE Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is to be liberal in granting permission to international airlines to change the equipment that they are operating at present, in an effort to ensure that international air passenger are not denied seats during the forthcoming festival season.

Confirming the development DGCA officials said the offer will be valid till January 31 next so that the expected Christmas and New Year rush is cleared. The offer means that the international airlines operating services to and from India would now be able to operate bigger aircraft thereby offering more seats with minimum red tape problems, sources said.

"An airline which is operating a 200-seater aircraft at present can now bring in a 300-seater or bigger aircraft if it feels that there is enough passenger traffic demand. The DGCA has taken the decision as the Government is keen to ensure that there is little or no offloading of international air passengers during the festival season," sources told Business Line.

The move is expected to come as a boon to the major international carriers. When contacted at least two of them, having daily services from India to the West, reported passenger loads in the high 80 per cent right till the end of the year.

However, there is also scepticism in the market that the Government move has come too late to help the major international carriers. "The move would be beneficial to some of the smaller operators who have limited operations. But the major players in the global aviation market would have already committed their larger aircraft to other markets and may find it difficult to withdraw them," sources said.

The Government has in the past few years also allowed international airlines to change the equipment that they normally operate in order to ease problems to the travelling public during the peak season.