Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said that the government wants Indian airlines to take up more international routes and is ready to sign new bilateral agreements towards this. Raju opined that the government would definitely not mind the increasing number of international passengers and raising freight, but this should contribute to our economy’s GDP and not to another country's GDP. However, he also pointed that Indian airlines were not making use of the existing bilateral agreements and such agreements are pointless if Indian airlines do not perform and use it. He said there were plans to professionalize the management of Air India but there's long way to go to turnaround the national carrier.
Earlier, the private airline operators have opposed government’s proposal to promote regional connectivity by asking private carriers to deploy 100 per cent of trunk route capacity on regional routes among other requirements. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, had said that they will open no frills airports in regional locations and also urged airlines to include remote locations to improve connectivity.
The revised draft policy on air connectivity to regional and remote areas termed the state governments as major stakeholders in improving air connectivity in the hinterland, asking them to take financial measures like slashing VAT on jet fuel and underwriting of some seats to encourage aviation growth. It also suggests that the state governments should waive electricity and municipal charges like house and property taxes for five years for airport infrastructure.
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