A few wise men
In his opening remarks, Ashok Chawla, secretary, ministry of civil aviation said, “Passenger traffic is growing exponentially and the inadequate infrastructure and insufficient human resources in terms of cabin crew engineers and pilots need immediate attention.”
However, indicating that the FDI limits in the passenger segment will not be raised from the current 49%, Chawla added that the industry needed to mature before the FDI cap is relaxed further.
The industry was progressing but with difficulty, expressed V Thulasidas, CMD, Air India. He said the single largest challenge for the airline was to manage their operating costs which majorly includes high aviation turbine fuel prices. “Other issues like flight delays shall be done away with since Air India is inducting new aircraft in its fleet.”
Saroj Datta, executive director, Jet Airways, continued that whether it be a government owned or privately owned airline, both were affected by the rising fuel prices. Deliberating on the uneven tax structure on importing ATF, Datta said, “The entire tax structure pertaining to the import of ATF is not structured. Different states pay different taxes. The government has to look at those duties in a more relevant manner.”
Agreeing with Datta, Kapil Kaul, CEO,
Be the first to comment.
