Former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, under whose watch the Civil Aviation Ministry had framed the 5/20 rule, has strongly defended the regulation that insists that Indian airline companies must operate within the country for five years and have a fleet of at least 20 aircraft before they fly on the more lucrative international routes.

It was in 2004, when the Congress (I)-led UPA was in power at the Centre, that the 5/20 rule was framed. Patel, belonging to the Nationalist Congress Party, was then the Civil Aviation Minister.

Patel told BusinessLine that the Manmohan Singh Government brought in the rule as it felt that there should be some “reasonable restrictions” to ensure that domestic air connectivity did not suffer while private airlines were allowed to fly abroad.

When the rule was framed, the Government-owned Air-India was the only carrier flying on international routes. Indian Airlines, also Government-owned but principally a domestic airline then, operated to select international destinations.

Patel’s assertion is bound to fuel the on-going debate on the continuation of the rule, with AirAsia India and Vistara, two airlines in which Tata Sons has a majority stake, on one side and the other domestic private airlines — Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo and Go Air — on the other.

Recently, former Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata had tweeted his objection to the continuation of the rule and criticised the older airlines for lobbying for protection and preferential treatment. AirAsia of Malaysia has a large stake in AirAsia India while Singapore Airlines is a partner in Vistara.

Explaining the reasons why the rule was first thought of and implemented, Patel said that the feeling was that 20 aircraft was a reasonable fleet size for private airlines before they were given permission to operate on international routes. “Besides, we were clear that the airlines will have to fulfil their route dispersal guideline obligations and serve the country before they are allowed to fly the Indian flag abroad.”

“India is not a Singapore, Sharjah or Dubai that you take off and you are in international skies. Despite the route dispersal guidelines being in place for decades there are several towns and cities that do not have air connectivity or are under serviced,” a former Ministry of Civil Aviation official said justifying the then decision.

Senior officials working in the Ministry added that at that time Indian Airlines, which was primarily a domestic carrier and which had also been allowed to operate some international flights, was following the route dispersal guidelines so it made sense to ask Jet and Sahara to also follow the same.

Rubbishing claims that the decision had been taken to suit vested interests, the former Minister said that both Jet Airways and Air Sahara had a track record of having served the country for over five years under the existing route dispersal guidelines and each had a fleet of more than 20 aircraft.

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