Cabinet soon to fix FDI limit for foreign airlines

16 Nov 2011 Evaluate

In order to help the domestic cash-strapped carriers, the commerce and civil aviation ministries have agreed on allowing foreign airlines to pick up stakes in Indian companies, but they still have to take a call on whether the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit would be 24% or 26%. The matter is soon likely to be discussed by the two ministries.

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said, ‘a proposal has come from the civil aviation ministry and it is receiving our active consideration. A cabinet note will be circulated only after the inter-ministerial consultations.’ Earlier the civil aviation ministry had written to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) agreeing to equity participation by foreign airlines in domestic carriers, proposing to allow foreign airlines to invest up to 24% in local carriers within the existing cap of 49% for foreign investors.

However, DIPP is not in favour of the aviation ministry's proposal of 24% cap and had suggested a minimum of 26%, as it wants to extend all help to the besieged sector and the best way of doing that in the current situation is to open doors to foreign investments, as banks are not in a position to extend more funds to the sector.

Under the current rules, the government allows 49% FDI in the aviation sector, but at the same time, it restricts any direct or indirect investment by foreign airlines or their arms in the domestic aviation sector. A relaxation in the restriction would fly in the much-needed strategic funds for the airlines industry.

The Indian aviation industry is divided on the issue, with some private carriers opposing the proposal for the fear of large-scale takeover of the India's carriers by foreign ones. Changes in existing FDI policy have been debated for long, but after the recent disaster of chain flight cancellations by Kingfisher Airlines, the issue has gained momentum again. In the first half of the fiscal, India's airlines have made a combined loss of about Rs 3,500 crore.

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