Over 4,000 people will lose their jobs as 80 of the 120 non-scheduled operator permit (NSOPs) holders or air charter operators will have to close down if the proposed amendment by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to allow only those with a minimum fleet of three aircraft, is enacted.

NSOPs are operators who own aircraft or helicopters but are not allowed to operate them according to a fixed schedule like the scheduled airlines like Jet Airways, Air India or IndiGo all of whom are allowed to publish time tables giving out the exact timings of their operations. The DGCA has proposed revisions to the minimum requirements for granting permits to operate Non-Scheduled Air Transport Services so that only those NSOP permit holders who have a fleet of minimum three aeroplanes or helicopters are given such permits.

The amendment proposes that to facilitate the start of operations, operators will be permitted to operate with one aeroplane/helicopter and will be given one year from the date of securing the operator’s permit to have a fleet of three aeroplane/helicopters. The amendment proposes that during the one-year period, the operator will be permitted to operate non-scheduled services if it meets all airworthiness and operational requirements for such operations. Asking the DGCA to reconsider its move, the Business Aircraft Operators’ Association has, in a letter pointed out, that the proposed amendment will severely retard the growth of regional and remote connectivity, a key proposal of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. “A majority of the NSOP operators fly only one aircraft and are looking to deploy these on such routes,” the letter pointed out. It adds that increasing the fleet strength from one to three aircraft requires financial commitments which are beyond the reach of most NSOPs. “There is very little business sense to invest in more aircraft at a time when demand in aviation has been sluggish over the past many years,” the letter said.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW