Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Civil Aviation Ministry would be the chairman of the six-member aircraft acquisition committee, while other members would be the Director General of Civil Aviation, Chairman of Airports Authority of India, Commissioner of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, former DGCA H S Kohla and Joint Secretary (Domestic Transport) as member convenor.
"The AAC would consider, examine and make recommendations on all proposals for providing air transport services and for permitting import or acquisition of aircraft for various purposes.
"AAC would also examine and appraise applications or proposals from the perspectives of air transport capacity required to meet the air traffic demand, as well as the safety, security, financial, commercial and other relevant aspects of the proposal to ensure orderly growth of air transport services," a statement from the Ministry said.
The committee after examining the proposal would make recommendations for operation of scheduled air transport services, regional scheduled air transport services and non-scheduled air transport services.
Apart from these, it would also look into acquisition of aircraft for flying training institutes and for private use.
The committee would give 'in-principle approval' for import or acquisition of aircraft on the request of the applicant to enter into long-term contract of supply with other parties like manufacturer, lessor or financer and also to plan their operations in future.
It would also be empowered for extension for initial 'no objection certificates' and import permissions, actual induction of aircraft for which 'in-principle approval' has been obtained earlier and replacement of aircraft if the seating capacity of the replacement aircraft exceeds by more than 10 per cent of the capacity of the aircraft being replaced.
Apart from this, the ministry has also done away with the procedure for consideration and approval of applications has also been streamlined significantly with timelines stipulated for various stages of processing.
