Prior nod for relief flights not needed, says DGCA

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Mumbai, Sep 4 : Foreign scheduled airlines no longer require prior permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to operate relief flights to cover aircraft-on-ground situation in the country.

The DGCA, through a circular issued recently, has relaxed certain pre-conditions for relief flights, routing of over-flights over India and change in the type of aircraft.

“It has been decided that in the event of an aircraft-on-ground situation, a scheduled foreign airline need not seek prior permission from this office for operation of the relief flight,” the DGCA circular said. Relief flights are operated for the purpose of carrying stranded passengers or for ferrying the engine or spares for a grounded aircraft.

Till now, specific approval of the DGCA was required to operate such flights for aircraft-on-ground or making changes in the aircraft type or routing of the over-flights. The relaxations have been made on the grounds that airlines face difficulties in getting approval, especially beyond office hours or on holidays.

“More than not, such changes are made at the eleventh hour due to technical or operational reasons. The problem gets further accentuated when the need for operation of relief flights or changes arises after office hours,” the DGCA circular said. Although such permissions are granted forthwith, difficulties are encountered by airlines as well as the DGCA office, it said. “Iran Air is a case in point. When its Mumbai-Teheran flight had to make an emergency landing in Mumbai, we granted relief flight approval orally, and next day it submitted the required documents,” a DGCA official said.