Aviation Ministry

Aviation minister Naidu bats for more women pilots into helicopter industry

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Monday said more women pilots should come into the helicopter industry as helicopters are critical in connecting unserved areas where building an airport or operating an aircraft is difficult. Highlighting that 15 per cent of pilots in India are women compared to the global average of 5 per cent, the minister said efforts are continuing to empower women in the aviation sector. "I would encourage more people, especially women, to become not only commercial aviation pilots but also helicopter pilots... More women pilots should come into the helicopter industry," he said at an event in the national capital. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets and the civil aviation ministry is taking various initiatives to boost the helicopter industry also. Naidu said the helicopter industry has a critical role in expanding air connectivity network to unserved areas where building an airport or taking a commercial plane is ver

Scindia optimistic on non-terrestrial networks to connect unconnected India

Union Telecom Minister Jyotriaditya Scindia on Monday said he is looking at the evolution of satellite communication networks or non-terrestrial networks with great optimism and believes it will open up new frontiers in communication technologies besides connecting the unconnected. While speaking at the South Asian Telecommunication Regulators Council hosted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Scindia said the non-terrestrial networks will ignite the advent of new applications and advance the resolve of the government towards United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. "The advent of non-terrestrial networks, in addition to the GEO satellites, the medium earth orbit, and the low earth orbit satellites, has now given a new inflection point to telecommunication technology. I believe that presents a huge opportunity to be able to connect the hitherto unconnected population across the length and breadth of our country," Scindia said. The government has decided to ...

CPI's K Narayana urges civil aviation minister to control rising airfares

"Our concern is about the fluctuation of airfares. In the last year alone, airfares have increased by 40 percent. Airlines should not hike the charges exorbitantly and arbitrarily

Centre taking steps to ban hoax bomb perpetrators from flying: Minister

Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Sunday said the Centre is mulling to take steps to ban perpetrators who resort to hoax bomb threats from flying. Speaking to mediapersons here after formally inaugurating two flights Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada, the minister also said besides taking support from international agencies, law enforcement wings and the Intelligence Bureau to prevent these fake threats, the union government is also mulling to amend two Civil Aviation Laws. "We are also taking the support of international agencies, law enforcement agencies, the Intelligence Bureau to prevent these. We are planning to bring changes to two civil aviation laws. Those who resort to these kinds of activities will be punished severely and imposed a penalty. We are also taking steps to ban such persons from flying. We will announce them in the coming days," he said. As of Saturday, in 13 days, more than 300 flights operated by the Indian carriers have received hoax bomb threats. Mos

India banned drone imports to encourage local startups: Ram Mohan Naidu

Union Minister of Civil Aviation K Ram Mohan Naidu on Tuesday said India has totally banned the import of drones to encourage local talent to manufacture them. Addressing the two-day national drone summit at Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh, the Civil Aviation Minister noted that the government banned drone imports as it does not want some other country or company to benefit at the cost of India. We have banned the total import of drones, why did we do it? We want to encourage more startups to come in this drone sector. We want the people of this country to manufacture drones. We don't want to import drones and let the benefit go to some other country or some other company, said Naidu. According to the union minister, the government wants the young and bright minds of the country to develop new types of drones to cater to solutions which are indigenous to the country, so, with that mindset we banned imports'. The aviation minister highlighted that the Centre has liberalised rules for th

Govt may introduce new law to crack down on hoax callers disrupting flights

This move comes in response to a recent dramatic surge in hoax calls, with over 20 incidents in the last four days leading to flight diversions and delays

India and France strengthen aerospace ties, signs MoU for bilateral coop

Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu led India's delegation in meet with French aerospace representatives at New Delhi today

Shankh Air gets approval to soar, set to be Uttar Pradesh's first airline

Shankh Air, Uttar Pradesh's first scheduled airline, will hub at Lucknow and Noida, connecting major Indian cities with high-demand interstate and intrastate routes

Efforts on to make India global aviation hub, build aircraft: KR Naidu

Highlighting the aviation sector's growth potential, Union minister K Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday said efforts are on to make India a global aviation hub as well as to start manufacturing aircraft in the country. With Asia-Pacific region poised to lead global aviation growth, Naidu said strategic investments in infrastructure and collaboration amongst the regional stakeholders is critical to achieving sustainable growth across the sector. Speaking at the second Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation in the national capital, Naidu emphasised on three elements -- infrastructure, integration and innovation -- for the sector's growth. "My ministry is working with the vision of establishing a seamless aviation landscape in the country, integrating helicopters and seaplane operations alongside wide-body aircraft under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN," he noted. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets and the fleet size of domestic carriers

Working to extend Udan scheme by another 10 years: Rammohan Naidu

The government intends to offer viability gap funding for seaplane operations, Naidu said

India to boost helicopter manufacturing, says aviation minister Naidu

Expanding the helicopter industry presents a significant opportunity and the government is set to advance towards manufacturing helicopters, Union Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said on Friday. India is poised for a significant transformation in its aviation sector with the introduction of the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill, 2024, he said. The Bill was moved for passage in the Lok Sabha on Friday. It promises to enhance the country's aviation capabilities, including helicopter manufacturing and the introduction of seaplanes. In a speech delivered while introducing the Bill, the minister highlighted the potential for growth in India's helicopter industry, noting that the country operated just 250 helicopters at present. "This is a great opportunity to tap into. We are going to manufacture helicopters and the state-of-design element in the Bill will improve the establishment of manufacturing plants and designs," he said. The minister expressed confidence that once the .

Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak to address discrepancies in aviation law: Govt

The government on Thursday said the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024, which seeks to replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act, would address the current discrepancies in the aviation law and help the industry grow. Speaking during a discussion on the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu underscored the need for the new legislation, noting that the Aircraft Act, 1934 has become outdated due to its numerous amendments over the years. The Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 31, is intended to "regulate various aspects of the aviation industry, including the design, manufacture, maintenance, operation, and sale of aircraft". Naidu explained that the 1934 Act had undergone 21 amendments, resulting in ambiguities and contradictions, particularly regarding the powers and functions of internal organizations like the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He pointed out that these issues have created confusion within the aviation sector, ..

Priority to bring down airfares: Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu

Naidu also said that his target is to make India the biggest domestic civil aviation market in the whole world

Govt to develop more airstrips, calibrate airport rules, says official

The civil aviation ministry is looking at developing more airstrips as well as calibrating regulations for major and small airports to boost air connectivity, a senior official said on Wednesday. India is one of the fastest growing civil aviation markets in the world, with domestic air traffic on the rise and airlines expanding their fleet as well as operations. Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam said the number of airports in the country has increased to 157 from 74 in the last ten years. The ministry has reviewed the full list of 453 airstrips in the country and around 157 of them are operational, he said and added that more airstrips would be developed as brownfield projects. Also, efforts will be made to jointly develop more defence airfields for civil aircraft operations. Speaking at the CAPA India Aviation Summit 2024 in the national capital, the secretary said the ministry would look at calibrating regulations for major and small airports. These are steps aimed at

NCLAT stays insolvency proceedings against Deccan Charters till April 26

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has stayed insolvency proceedings against Captain GR Gopinath's Deccan Charters till April 26, 2024, its next date of hearing. Earlier, the Bengaluru bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had directed initiation of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP), admitting a plea of financial creditor Krone Finstock claiming a default of around Rs 10 crore. The Chennai bench of NCLAT on a petition filed by Sanjay Saihgal, a director of the suspended board of Deccan Charters, on Wednesday directed Krone Finstock to file a reply within four days. A three-member bench of the appellate tribunal also directed the interim resolution professional (IRP) not to proceed any further till the next date of hearing i.e. April 26, 2024. Deccan Charters provides services such as aircraft maintenance, aviation training and charter services of helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft. The NCLT had also appointed an IRP for the company, which

'Strict' action if airlines violate new rules, says Jyotiraditya Scindia

On Tuesday, the minister had asked the airlines to set up war rooms to address issues of affected passengers immediately

War rooms, more manpower: Aviation ministry's plan to deal with fog chaos

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced measures that will be taken to handle the fog-induced chaos at the Delhi airport and elsewhere, resulting in severe flight delays

Delhi Airport chaos continues as dense fog delays 30 flights, cancels 17

Freezing temperatures and low visibility due to dense fogs in Indira Gandhi International Airport disrupt travel plans in north India for a second day; DGCA calls for real-time flight updates

Fog impact: Give real-time update on flight delays, DGCA tells airlines

DGCA to issue SOP to airlines for better communication with passengers as fog impacts flight operations, he added

Ram Mandir: Aviation minister flags off Ahmedabad-Ayodhya direct flight

Indigo will operate on the Ahmedabad - Ayodhya route, thrice a week, Thursday onwards