No new licence for Greenfield airline – MoCA
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The Minister of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has decided not to give fresh licences to set up a Greenfield airline for the time being. “We are not giving licences for Greenfield airlines. As of now, Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in aviation can come only through existing airlines,” Ajit Singh, Minister of Civil Aviation was quoted as saying by the Business Standard.
According to the current policy, a start-up airline has to get a no objection certificate from the Ministry, tantamount to a licence, post which it has to get a scheduled operator’s permit. The DGCA also has to clear the airline’s security preparedness.
The MoCA will also work on the aircraft acquisition policy as well as revaluate demand for planes in relation to the estimated passenger growth and orders placed by domestic carriers. The FDI approval is likely to benefit three domestic airlines – SpiceJet, GoAir and Kingfisher Airlines, while it will also allow Air India to put their operations in order.
