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January 13, 2012
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Indian Regulator Cites Safety Violations and Financial Ills of Airlines
By Heather Timmons and incomplete investigations of business in part because they are NEW DELHI (NYT):Many incidents at IndiGo. financed by entrepreneurs who of India’s airlines are rife with The Indian airline industry is have a personal stake in trying to safety violations, according to an nearing a crisis after rapid growth, make the business work, Mr. Kaul unreleased report by the industry’s analysts say. In the last seven years, said. top regulator here. “The airlines which are surviving according to the Center for Asia Most of the airlines in India — Pacific Aviation, passenger numbers are beyond business,” he said. including Air The report India Express, did not discuss GoAir, IndiGo, direct dangers to Jet Airways, passengers. Mr. Kingfisher and Kaul said that SpiceJet — if the regulator were named had thought in the report, passengers were which was at risk, it would dated Dec. have grounded 27. airlines. The report IndiGo, one was given of the few to The New The report by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation noted a Indian airlines York Times shortage of engines and many pilot resignations at Kingfisher, t h a t i s n o t o n M o n d a y as well as other ills at Indian airlines. Photo: Adeel Halim losing money, by an airline dis puted the executive, who asked to remain have tripled, to more than 150 regulator’s report, saying, among anonymous because the report million last year. About $14 billion other things, that the airline had was not public and he feared has been invested in aircraft and removed engines early to comply repercussions. more than $25 billion in the whole with a directive from the Federal The report noted that the industry in that time, but the growth Aviation Administration in the regulatory agency, the Directorate in pilots, flight trainers, regulatory United States about one engine General of Civil Aviation, had been safety experts and maintenance model, and that all employees were prompted to examine the airlines engineers has not kept pace with “strongly encouraged” to report any amid a “background of severe demand, according to analysts and safety issues. financial stress being faced by regulators themselves. A spokeswoman for GoAir almost all” of the carriers. Stiff competition in the industry said that the airline had met with It was signed by Lalit Gupta, head has recently driven down revenue the regulator on Jan. 6 about the of the aircraft engineering branch to the point where several airlines report and that the regulator had of the directorate, and E. K. Bharat are nearing bankruptcy, raising “fully accepted” GoAir’s response. Bhushan, the regulatory agency’s more safety concerns. “GoAir has always been committed top official. Neither official returned “The airline sector is broadly at to guarantee high safety standards a call for comment on Monday. a brink of financial disaster,” said and will continue to invest all the The report found fault with Kapil Kaul, the South Asia chief resources necessary to keep our almost every one of India’s airlines, executive at the Center for Asia standards at the highest level,” although the regulator said it had yet Pacific Aviation. “Most of them she said. to examine Air India’s international don’t have a business case to exist, Jet Airways said, “All points operations. and fund-raising options have raised by the report have been The concerns included a shortage dried up.” clarified and accepted by the safety of pilots at Air India Express, the The Indian airline industry has department of D.G.C.A. Guest state carrier’s budget airline; a lost $5 billion to $6 billion in the safety is of paramount importance shortage of engines and a spate last five years and this year was at Jet Airways and JetLite,” a Jet of pilot departures at Kingfisher expected to lose an additional $2 subsidiary. Airlines; a two-year delay in billion, he said. Check us online at www. auditing international operations at While in other parts of the world, indoamerican-news.com for more Jet Airways; a lack of instructors for some airlines may have consolidated community news. Call 713-789the Boeing 737 aircraft at SpiceJet; or shut, in India they remained in NEWS (6397) to subscribe today!
Tenth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Biggest Event so far
CULTURAL FARE: Artists perform Rajasthani folk dance at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2012 conclave outside the B.M. Birla Auditorium in Jaipur on Saturday. Photo: Rohit Jain Paras JAIPUR: The 10th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD), currently being held in the Pink City, is the biggest edition so far with around 2,000 delegates from 60 countries, said Union minister for overseas Indian affairs Vayalar Ravi on Sunday. Ravi addressed mediapersons at the event venue and said the important announcements made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the event even larger. “The announcements made by PM
Manmohan Singh like the pension scheme for workers outside India and life insurance of Rs 1 lakh for them are important decisions taken,’’ he said. He applauded the arrangements and management of the event by the state government. “The decision to hold the 10th PBD in Jaipur has paid off. It was taken after a formal request made by the state’s chief minister during the RANA meet, which he attended last year,’’ Ravi added.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lights a lamp to inaugurate the10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conclave in Jaipur. Also seen are Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar.
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