Rise in applications for launching commercial air operations: Government

NEW DELHI: There has been a discernible rise in the number of applications for launching of commercial air operations in the past one year, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

As many as six proposals were received in 2013 as against only two last year, Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal said in reply to a question.

The proposals received this year included Air Asia (India) Pvt Ltd, which has been granted the initial no objection certificate by the Ministry to start domestic scheduled passenger air transport services.

The other companies which applied in 2013 are AirOne Aviation Services Pvt Ltd, Zexus Air Services Pvt Ltd, Freedom Aviation Pvt Ltd, Air Carnival Pvt Ltd and Turbo Megha Airways Private Limited, the Minister said, adding that Deccan Charters Pvt Ltd and Zav Airways Pvt Ltd had applied in 2012.

In response to a question on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport and Tourism on airports privatisation, Venugopal said the report had been "received recently and (recommendations) are being examined."

The committee, headed by CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, had rapped the Ministry for privatising six AAI-developed airports, including Kolkata and Chennai. It had opposed the move and charged the government with doing "a great disservice" by "using public property for private profits".

Venugopal said the government has decided to bring operation, management and development of 20 airports at Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Guwahati, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Imphal, Bhubaneshwar, Coimbatore, Trichy, Varanasi, Indore, Amritsar, Udaipur, Gaya, Raipur, Bhopal, Agartala, Mangalore and Vadodara in public-private-partnership mode in a phased manner.

After inviting applications from the prospective parties, he said requests for qualification have been issued so far for six airports of Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Jaipur and Lucknow.