Lok Sabha Question No. 295 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-08
Subject: Amendments in Slot Allocation Guidelines
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Vinod Kumar Sonkar, Bhola Singh, Raja Amareshwara Naik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 295 (To be answered on the 8 th  December 2022)

## AMENDMENTS IN SLOT ALLOCATION GUIDELINES

295.

SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR SHRI BHOLA SINGH SHRI RAJA AMARESHWARA NAIK

Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  amendments  in  slot  allocation
- guidelines  for  airlines  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof;
- (b)  whether the Government proposes to make it compulsory to blend
- sustainable fuel with the aviation fuel they use to achieve lower carbon emissions and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has removed the mandatory requirement to wear
- masks on flights and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the other steps being taken by the Government for development of civil aviation sector in the country?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION

(GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD))

- (a): A few requests have been received from the Aviation Sector to amend the 'Historicity  Clause'  of  the  existing  Guidelines  on  Slot  Allocation. Consequently, deliberations are being made on the same in consultation with all the stakeholders. Any decision regarding amendments to the existing Guidelines  is  subject  to  the  outcome  of  the  deliberations  with  all  the stakeholders.
- (b): To realise the goals of decarbonisation of Aviation Sector, Ministry of Petroleum  and  Natural  Gas  (MoP&NG)  had  constituted  a  Bio-ATF Programme Committee to take forward the Bio-Aviation Turbine Fuel programme in the country to promote use of clean fuels. MoP&NG forwarded the recommendation of the Committee to Ministry of Civil Aviation for comments. This Ministry has advised incremental blending of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) with ATF starting from 2025 with preference for

international flights.

(c): Yes, Sir. (d):  The  Government  has  undertaken  the  following  measures  for improvement in civil aviation sector in the country, some of which are as follows: i.  Upgradation/ Modernisation of airports' infrastructure is a continuous process and is undertaken by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other Airport Developers from time to time depending on the availability of land, commercial  viability,  socio-economic  considerations,  traffic demand/willingness of airlines to operate to/from such airports. AAI and other Airport Developers have targeted capital outlay of approximately Rs. 98,000 crore in airport sector in the next five years for expansion and modification of existing terminals, new terminals and strengthening of runways, among other activities. ii.  The  Digiyatra  initiative  aims  to  provide  a  contactless,  seamless  and paperless handling of passengers at airports from the entry gate of the terminal to the boarding point. Project under Digi Yatra has been launched at three airports viz. Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi on 01.12.2022 under PhaseI. Four other airports viz. Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata and Vijayawada will also be awarded under Phase-I. iii. Modernisation of air navigation infrastructure has been taken up. iv.  Route  rationalization  in  the  Indian  airspace  is  being  carried  out  in coordination  with  Indian  Air  Force,  using  modern  air  traffic  flow management techniques to develop shorter flight routes and lower fuel consumption by airlines. v. Greater use of digital technology is being encouraged at air cargo terminals to enhance efficiency and to reduce dwell times. vi. eGovernance has been enabled at Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) for most of their stakeholder interactions and internal processes. vii. Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) on 21.10.2016 to stimulate regional air  connectivity and making air travel affordable to the masses. As on 29.11.2022, after four rounds of bidding under UDAN, 453 routes have commenced, operationalizing 70 Airports including 2 Water Aerodrome & 9 Heliports. More than 2.15 lakh UDAN flights have operated and over 1.1 crore passengers have availed the benefits in UDAN flights so far. The scheme has been able to provide air connectivity to Tier-2 &Tier-3 cities at affordable airfares and has transformed the way people travel. viii. Further, keeping in view India's growing aviation market, technology and skill base, Government has announced new Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) Guidelines on 01.09.2021 with a view to create a congenial atmosphere in the country for the development of the MRO industry. ix. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has brought out a liberalised Flying Training Organisation (FTO) policy wherein the concept of airport royalty

(revenue share payment by FTOs to AAI) has been abolished and land rentals have been significantly rationalised. x. Ministry of Civil Aviation has released a policy for promotion of helicopter operations  across  the  country.  The  policy  covers  various  aspects  like concessional ground handling charges, parking deposit, landing charges, service charges, credit facility with ATC and training for Air Traffic Control (ATC) with a view to making helicopter operations viable. As  per  the  policy,  State  Governments/UTs  are  required  to  set  up  an Institutional mechanism to facilitate helicopter operations by obtaining permissions, approvals, clearances, etc. Ministry of Civil Aviation has also requested the State Governments and UTs to consider setting up helipads in each district for promoting helicopter operations. The Government through this policy, aims to stimulate air traffic and enhance air connectivity through helicopters by facilitating helicopter operations across the country. xi. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has undertaken the National Mission on Design & Development of Regional Transport Aircraft. Accordingly,  Ministry  of  Civil  Aviation  has  established  a  Monitoring Committee for implementation of Regional Transport Aircraft project under the  Co-Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Last meeting of the Committee was held on 07.11.2022, wherein it has been decided/ agreed that by the time agreement with the prospective technology partners is finalised, domestic and international manufacturing partners shall continue. xii. Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken up the issues of reduction in Central Excise Duty on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) with Ministry of Finance and reduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) on ATF with State Governments/ Union Territories (UTs) on multiple occasions. Based on the request, VAT on ATF has recently been reduced in the range of 1-4% by Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in their respective States/ UTs. Besides, Karnataka has also brought down the VAT on ATF to 18%. xiii. Under the Wet Lease Agreement, SpiceJet and Indigo airlines have been granted in-priniciple approval for induction/ operation of nine (09) and six (06) aircraft, respectively.

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