With cash-starved domestic airlines turning defiant,the civil aviation ministry is reconfiguring its policies to tame them. In one such move,the ministry is adding an expert in the aircraft acquisition committee to do an in-depth analysis of the import requests by several airlines and operators. Currently,all the acquisitions we clear are on the basis of macro numbers of demand and supply. Now,we have decided to do a route or region-wise demand and supply analysis for which the import request is made, said a senior civil aviation ministry official,who did not want to be identified. The official added that to facilitate such analysis they have decided to add the economic advisor of the ministry in the aircraft acquisition committee. The committee has four members and is chaired by a joint secretary in the ministry. The other three members are: additional secretary and financial advisor of the ministry and one representative each from the Airports Authority of India and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. Apart from adding a member in the committee,we are also planning to drastically bring down the number of requests we take up at such meetings. Usually it is over 100 requests,which we are planning to bring down to less than 40,thereby giving us time to discuss the proposals properly, said the official. The ministry is also looking at adding a clause that mandates the airline importing the aircraft to operate it in the designated route for at least six months. In another diktat,the civil aviation ministry has issued letters to the airlines asking them not to cancel flights to the northeast without approval. The need was felt after one full-service carrier cancelled its flight to Guwahati without informing us. On our query,the airline said that they wrote to the ministry but got no reply. Taking that as yes,they went ahead and cancelled it, the official said.
