Lok Sabha clears Bill to provide DGCA statutory status

Responding to issues raised by members during the discussion on the bill, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri said while air fares needed to remain affordable, it was also necessary that the airline business remains viable.

He said the civil aviation sector has been deregulated and the government does not set air fare. Speaking on the stress the sector is undergoing because of the coronavirus outbreak, Puri said the industry would emerge from these challenges.

On the issue of the disinvestment of Air India, the minister said the national carrier was losing Rs 26 crore per day before the coronavirus outbreak. The figures would be higher as several routes have been shut following the outbreak of the virus globally, he added.

Earlier, moving the Bill for discussion and passage, Puri said there was a need to provide statutory backing to regulatory bodies as they were set up under executive order.

The Bill also provides for keeping aircraft belonging to the country’s armed forces outside the purview of the Aircraft Act, 1934.

The Bill proposes to increase the fine for violations of rules from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore. The Bill would bring regulation regarding air navigation services under its purview.