AirAsia and Tata-SIA might have faced delays in getting flying permits, but the process may soon get much faster and simpler for all new applicants. As part of its plan to cut the approval process to three months from the current six months, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked the civil aviation ministry to remove the ?public notice? clause from the rules.
This clause, which comes under Schedule XI (grant of permission to operate schedule air transport services) of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, mandates the regulator to seek any possible objections from the public through an official communication. The DGCA needs to give a 30-day period after the issue of the public notice, before granting an Air Operators Permit (AOP) to the applicant.
A DGCA source told FE that the rule is archaic and was put many years ago to protect Air India from competition. Today, it creates unnecessary delays in the approval process, he said.
?We want to promote competition, which is good for both the passengers and the industry. That means attracting new investment in the airline industry and making our system more efficient and fair. We have sent a request to the ministry for doing away with this clause and expect them to make the changes soon,? a senior DGCA official said.
Tata-SIA, a joint venture between Singapore Airlines (49%) and Tata Sons, had received a no objection certificate from the civil aviation ministry on April 2, after which it applied to the DGCA for the grant of the AOP. On May 6, the DGCA had issued a public notice seeking ?objections and suggestions? to the application of Tata-SIA Airlines for grant of AOP. ?The documents submitted by the applicant are being processed in this office ? A notice is hereby given to the public and all the persons likely to be affected by the grant of this permit to submit their objections or suggestions, if any, within 20 days of issue of this public notice, setting out the specific grounds on which representation is made,? the notice said.
The Schedule XI of the Aircraft Rules says, ?The Director-General shall cause to be published in the Official Gazette,
particulars regarding each application for a permit and the date, not being less than thirty days after the date of publication, on which the application shall be taken into consideration.?
Industry sources said while its been over two months since Tata-SIA has applied for the AOP, the airline is yet to complete its paperwork with the regulator.
Since taking over as the Director General of Civil Aviation in January from his previous position as a joint secretary in the aviation ministry, Prabhat Kumar has taken several steps to improve the efficiency and transparency of the regulator. While issuing a ?Standards of Services? for the first time last month that underlines all of the regulator?s duties and sets time limits for all approvals, Kumar has also become tough with non-scheduled operators (private/corporate jets) who had been regularly seen to be flouting rules related to maintenance of equipment and medical checks of staff.