International flying rights to Indian carriers: Privatised Air India loses preferential status
NEW DELHI: Privatised Air India will no longer get precedence in getting international flying rights under India’s bilaterals with other countries and all Indian carriers will now be on the same footing.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revised the guidelines in this regard by dropping the clause that was meant for the erstwhile state-owned Maharaja: “Due consideration shall be given to the operational plans submitted by Air India before allocation of the traffic rights to the other eligible applicants.”
The regulator, on April 19, 2022, issued the revised rules for granting permission for scheduled international flights to Indian carriers who can qualify for doing so after meeting the 0/20 requirement — no cap on years of operation but having a minimum of 20 aircraft in fleet.
