Home ministry delaying Jet's US plans: Praful Patel

Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel today put his weight behind Jet Airways' application seeking to fly to the US and said the issue of security clearance by home ministry to the country's largest carrier is unnecessarily delayed.

"The home ministry has given the security clearance to Jet to fly domestic routes. Why can not the carrier be given permission to fly to the US.

"If it cannot be given security clearance to fly to the US, then it should also not be allowed to operate in domestic routes," Patel said adding that the issue should be put to rest by the home ministry at the earliest.

The plans of Jet Airways is stuck with the home ministry, which has not so far responded to certain queries raised by the US Federal Transportation Authority on certain security-related questions.

Government sources said while the Civil Aviation ministry has given its approval to Jet Airways to fly to the US, its plans are stuck on the security clearance from the home ministry.

On the issue of talks between the Indian government and the US transportation authority on the Jet Airways' issue, Patel said, "negotiations and process are on between the two government and this is expected to soon provide some result."

Meanwhile, Marion C Blakey, administrator of US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), today met Patel in New Delhi for signing an MoU to support modernisation of India's civil aviation system. Sources close to the development said US Department of Transportation has given its go-ahead for Jet's proposed US service.

However, Jet executives declined to comment on the issue.

Jet is actively looking at key destinations including US, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, China, Rome, Zurich, Munich, Frankfurt and certain points in South East Asia.

"Our growth over the next two to three years will be fairly rapid and as such, the international operations on an overall basis will start contributing positively to our results as these operations mature," airline executives said.