Indian Aviation sees yet another year of turbulence in 2012
Indian Aviation Industry witnessed tumultuous developments in 2012 with the grounding of Kingfisher Airlines and financial trouble hitting Air India and other carriers even as a prestigious airport project contract bagged by a leading Indian infrastructure firm was terminated by the Maldivian government.
To provide some succour to the ailing Indian carriers, the government came up with some pro-industry policies like allowing foreign airlines to invest in their Indian counterparts, but to no avail.
Even steps to check high air fares did not have the desired impact and affordable ticket prices remained a distant dream. This also led to a fall in domestic air traffic, with the passengers carried by Indian airlines dropping 2.94 per cent between January-November compared to 2011.
A negative development was the "unilateral" termination of the prestigious Male airport expansion and modernization project contract awarded to major infrastructure firm GMR, by the Maldives government. The contract was awarded to the Indian company by the previous regime there in 2010.
The FDI liberalisation move saw no takers, though there were hopes that 2013 would witness some interested foreign airlines picking up equity in Indian carriers, some of whom were in talks on the issue.
Commenting on the FDI decision, IATA chief Tony Tyler said, "As long as high taxes prevail, high airport costs and high cost of operations exist, you are not going to get a lot of people to invest in airlines."
While welcoming the move, he said, "Unless conditions in India are improved for the airlines, you are not going to see a flood of foreign carriers coming into the industry. Foreign capital needs a return just as anywhere else."
The year also saw the government coming to the aid of Air India by promising additional equity of Rs. 30,231 crore in tranches between 2012 and 2021 provided the airline fulfils the tasks set out for it in a time-bound manner as per its Turnaround and Financial Restructuring Plans.
| Kids explore spacecraft at Cradle of Aviation Museum Newsday So it wasn't a surprise that the 8-year-old and his brother Matthew, 3, were among the hundreds of children on Friday to explore airplanes and spacecraft at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. “When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut,” said ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| Garcetti urges effort to save aviation mechanics school Los Angeles Times Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti on Friday called for measures to keep a highly regardedaviation mechanics school at Van Nuys Airport from shutting down or being moved to smaller facilities elsewhere. Garcetti said he will request at the Jan. See all stories on this topic » | ||
| ||
| The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation event focuses on anti-submarine ... Pensacola News Journal The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation at Pensacola Naval Air Station will host retired Col. John Orr of the Canadian Royal Navy to present the “History of the Sea King – Development of Anti-Submarine Helicopter,” on Jan. 19 as part of the “Discovery ... See all stories on this topic » | ||
| ||
| Kazakhstan needs aviation regiment Tengrinews Former Kazakhstan Vice-Minister of Defense, Major General Amirbek Togussov supports the suggestion of the Majilis (Lower Chamber of Kazakhstan Parliament) to transfer of the whole militaryaviation fleet under the jurisdiction of one authority ... See all stories on this topic » |
