INDIA: Civil Aviation Minister, Ajit Singh says the country's airline regulator will decide on grounding national carrier Air India's Boeing Dreamliner jets after the U.S. company submits a report on the aircraft's safety
Record ID:
1377175
INDIA: Civil Aviation Minister, Ajit Singh says the country's airline regulator will decide on grounding national carrier Air India's Boeing Dreamliner jets after the U.S. company submits a report on the aircraft's safety
- Title: INDIA: Civil Aviation Minister, Ajit Singh says the country's airline regulator will decide on grounding national carrier Air India's Boeing Dreamliner jets after the U.S. company submits a report on the aircraft's safety
- Date: 16th January 2013
- Summary: NEW DELHI, INDIA (JANUARY 16, 2013) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) INDIA'S CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER, AJIT SINGH STANDING SINGH WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDIA'S CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER, AJIT SINGH, SAYING: "Air India is checking with DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) and DGCA has to decide but there are many other airlines who are still working, even United in USA is working so after discussing with DGCA, air India will decide." FILE - NEW DELHI (2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) AN AIR INDIA BOEING DREAMLINER IN THE SKY BOEING DREAMLINER LANDING ANOTHER BOEING DREAMLINER TAXIING NEW DELHI, INDIA (JANUARY 16, 2013) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDIA'S CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER, AJIT SINGH, SAYING: "I haven't had a chance to talk to the DGCA but in general I can say that the plan submitted before doesn't mean anything. It has no fiscal depth with that plan he won't be able to run the airlines. The banks will not give him working capital so therefore he has to come up with a concrete plan with lot more money than what he is saying now. With that kind of money he can run only for a few months, then what?" FILE - (2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) A KINGFISHER AIRLINES AIRCRAFT TAXIING
- Embargoed: 1st February 2013 19:48
- Keywords:
- Location: India
- Country: India
- Topics: Transport
- Reuters ID: LVA7UKKUSSOPF728G5RDH7RF0ZY6
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: India's civil aviation minister, Ajit Singh said on Wednesday (January 16) that the country's airline regulator will decide whether or not to ground the national carrier Air India's Boeing Dreamliner jets after the U.S. company submits a report on the aircraft's safety.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is due to take a decision after Boeing submits a report by the end of Wednesday (January 16) after a series of incidents heightened safety concerns over the plane.
"Air India is checking with DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) and DGCA has to decide but there are many other airlines who are still working, even United in USA is working so after discussing with DGCA, air India will decide," Singh told reporters in New Delhi.
The regulator has formed a team to work with Boeing to judge the safety of the aircraft, an Indian official from the aviation watchdog said.
Meanwhile Japan's two leading airlines have grounded their Boeing Dreamliners soon after one of the Dreamliners landed in emergency.
Pilots on the All Nippon Airways (ANA) Dreamliner made the emergency landing in Japan on Wednesday after an apparent battery error triggered warnings in the cockpit.
Witnesses said there was a strong burning smell on the plane.
It's the latest and most serious incident to hit the Dreamliner, which is the world's first mainly carbon-composite airliner.
In 2012 India had taken the delivery of the first Boeing 787 commercial widebody airplane.
India, one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, offers tremendous growth opportunities to planemakers as more newly affluent Indians take to the skies.
The aviation minister also commented on the fate of the debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines, saying he was not convinced about the fiscal plan submitted with the Indian aviation watchdog for the revival of the beleaguered airline.
"I haven't had a chance to talk to the DGCA but in general I can say that the plan submitted before doesn't mean anything. It has no fiscal depth with that plan he won't be able to run the airlines. The banks will not give him working capital so therefore he has to come up with a concrete plan with lot more money than what he is saying now. With that kind of money he can run only for a few months, then what?" said Singh.
Kingfisher Airlines has been given a 'no objection certificate' from oil companies and some aircraft leasing companies to restart operations, a senior regulatory source said today.
The airline, which lost its operating licence at the end of 2012 and has not flown since the start of October, has not secured approval from airports to fly again, the source at the DGCA said on condition of anonymity.
Kingfisher, which is estimated to owe $2.5 billion in debt to banks, staff, vendors and others, has submitted a $119 million revival plan to the regulators. An official at the DGCA said last week that the plan would not be sufficient to rescue the airline. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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