Domestic flights start, int’l awaited

Ministry of Civil Aviation, which allowed the resumption of domestic flights in a calibrated manner from May 25, has said that international operations are still not on the cards, at least till July 2020. The Ministry is also in discussion with airlines on the matter of refunds and will speak to travel agents as well.

Nisha Verma

Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, has shared that they have begun operations on one-third of the routes approved in the summer schedule by DGCA, and this will continue till August 24. The decision came a day after Puri said that they were waiting for an approval from the states to start domestic operations.However, Ministry of Civil  Aviation (MoCA) could not operate flights to Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal on the same day, which later began on May 26 and May 28, respectively.

In addition, all the flights were put in different bands based on duration, according to which fares were capped to make them feasible for both passengers and the airline. In fact, the fare between Mumbai and Delhi has been capped between `3500 and `10,000.

However, speaking on the bailout package for aviation, Puri said, “The government is having discussions with the airlines on a regular basis. We
have already taken some steps to mitigate the long-pending demands of airlines and theaviation sector. In January 2020, fuel throughput charges
were rationalised. The centralexcise duty on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) was reduced to 11% in October 2018. The GST rate on MRO has been reduced
from 18% to 5% with full input tax credit from April 1, 2020. The proposal to bring ATF under the ambit of GST is before the GST Council, which has
representation from the states as well. Further measures will  ertainly be considered.”

When asked about refunds, he said that they are in discussion with airlines for this and will also be talking to the travel agents. The minister further shared that resumption of international flights is not on the cards till July, and they will do the same when the situation permits. That being said, he claimed that they have been successful in bringing back stranded Indians from across the world through a series of flights under the Vande Bharat Mission.