Lok Sabha Question No. 803 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-24
Subject: Regulatory Framework for Issuance of Licences
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## Lok Sabha

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 803

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  24th July 2025 )

## REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR ISSUANCE OF LICENCES 803.    SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY

## Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Government has formulated any formal policy/regulatory framework for the issuance of licences to scheduled airline operators in the country;
- (b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  eligibility  criteria, procedures and the list of documents or papers required to apply for
- a Scheduled Operator?s Licence (SOL);
- (c)  the  number  of  airlines  that  have  been  granted  scheduled operating permits in the country since 1980 along with the name of each airline, their ownership details and the year of commencement of operations;
- (d)  the  number of airlines currently operational and the number of the  airlines  that  have  ceased  operations  along  with  the  year  of
- closure in each case; and
- (e) the year in which licences were granted to Deccan Airlines and Kingfisher  Airlines  respectively  along  with  the  duration  of  their operations  and  the  reasons,  if  any,  officially  recorded  for  the discontinuation of their services?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL  AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol)

- (a)  to  (b)  :  Details  regarding  the  regulatory  framework  for  the issuance of licences  to scheduled airline operators in the country is at Annexure-I.;

(c)  to  (d):  The  number  of  airlines  granted  scheduled  operating permits  in  the  country  since  1980,  along  with  information  on currently operational airlines and those that have ceased operations, is at Annexure-II.

(e) : Deccan Aviation and Kingfisher Airlines were granted scheduled operator permits in the year 2003 and 2005 respectively.

Deccan  Aviation  Ltd  was  acquired  by  Kingfisher  Airlines  Ltd,  and subsequently  in  2008,  the  company  Kingfisher  Airlines  Ltd  was merged  into  Deccan  Aviation  Ltd,  and  the  merged  airline  was renamed as Kingfisher Airlines Ltd.

The scheduled operator permit in respect of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd was suspended w.e.f. 20th October, 2012 for their non-adherence to approved flight schedules and abrupt cancellation of flights in the preceding 10 months and failing to re-establish a safe, efficient and reliable air transport service.

- ******

## Annexure-I

## Regulatory Framework for issuance of licences to Scheduled airline operators

1. The Air  Operator  Certificate  (AOC)  for  Scheduled  Air  Transport  Service  is  granted  by DGCA under the provision of Rule 134 and Schedule XI of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. As per  the  provisions  of  Schedule  XI  of  the  Aircraft  Rules  1937,  AOC  for  under  taking Scheduled Air Transport Service can be granted to:

(i) to a citizen of India, or (ii) to a company or a body corporate provided that(a) it is registered and has its principal place of business within India;

- (b) the Chairman and at least two-thirds of its Directors are citizens of India; and
- (c) its substantial ownership and effective control is vested in Indian nationals.
2. Further,  any  applicant  desirous  of  obtaining  AOC  is  required  obtain  a  No  Objection Certificate for his proposed air transport services from the Central Government, which is granted by Ministry of Civil Aviation after ensuring the laid down  eligibility requirements, as well as taking into account the factors such as the financial soundness of the applicant, his operational plan, the clearance from security angle of the applicant organisation including its Directors, and any other factor that may have a bearing on the proposed air transport services from policy angle.
3. The  no  objection  certificate  granted  by  the  Central  Government  remains  valid  for  a period of three years from the date of issue, during which the applicant is expected to obtain the AOC from DGCA after complying the laid down requirements.
4. DGCA  grants  Air  Operator  Certificate after  ensuring  the compliance  of  relevant regulatory  requirements  as  per  Air  Operator  Certification  Manual,  which  follows  a structured 5 phase process for grant of AOC by DGCA so as to ensure that the applicant has the required capability to provide safe, efficient and reliable service.
5. The AOC is valid for a period of 5 years and is renewed for a further period of 5 years after ensuring that the operator is in continued compliance of the relevant regulatory requirements as per procedure laid down in Air Operator Certification Manual.
6. List of documents or papers required to apply for a Scheduled Operator's Licence
- i. Initial NOC issued by Ministry of Civil Aviation
- ii. Formal Application Appendix-A, B, C of CAP3100/CAP3300/CAP34000 as applicable along with requisite fees.
- iii. Nomination of post holders
-  Accountable Manager
-  Director Flight Operation
-  Director Training
-  Chief Pilot(s)
-  Continuing Airworthiness Manager (CAM)
-  Quality Manager
-  Manager In-Flight
-  Chief Security Officer (CSO)
-  Chief of Flight Safety
-  SMS Manager / Safety Manager
- iv. List of Manuals
-  Operations Manual
-  Aircraft Flight Manual
-  FDTL Scheme
-  Normal & Emergency Procedure Checklist
-  Safety & Emergence Procedure (SEP) Manual
-  Cabin Crew Training Manual
-  Quick Reference Handbook
-  Passenger Briefing Card
-  Dangerous Goods Manual (If Applicable)
-  Flight Dispatch Manual
-  Ground Handling Manual
-  Load and Trim Sheet
-  Continuing Airworthiness Management Exposition (CAME)
-  Minimum Equipment List (MEL)/Configuration Deviation List (CDL)
-  Aircraft Maintenance Program (AMP)
-  Technical Log Book
-  Weight Schedule/ L & T Sheet
-  Flight Safety Documentation System Manual
-  Flight Safety Manual
-  Safety Management System Manual

## Number of airlines that have been granted scheduled operating permits in the country since 1980

|   S. No. | Name of the Airlines                                                       | Year of Commencement                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Current Status                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Air India Ltd.                                                             | Prior to 1994, there were only 2 Scheduled                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 | Prior to 1994, there were only 2 Scheduled                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|        2 | Indian Airlines Ltd.                                                       | Airlines namely Air India and Indian Airlines established under the provisions of the Air Corporations Act, 1953, which was repealed vide the Air Corporations (transfer of under takings and repeal) Act. 1994. The two airlines were merged in 2007, eventually creating a single airline Air India Ltd. | Airlines namely Air India and Indian Airlines established under the provisions of the Air Corporations Act, 1953, which was repealed vide the Air Corporations (transfer of under takings and repeal) Act. 1994. The two airlines were merged in 2007, eventually creating a single airline Air India Ltd. |
|        3 | East West Travels &Trade Link Ltd.                                         | 1994                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Closed in the year 1996                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|        4 | Archana Airways Ltd.                                                       | 1994                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Closed in the year 2000                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|        5 | Skyline NEPC Ltd.                                                          | 1994                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Closed in the year 1997                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|        6 | Modiluft Ltd.                                                              | 1994                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Closed in the year 1996                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|        7 | NEPC Micon Ltd.                                                            | 1994                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Closed in the year 1997                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|        8 | Jet Airways (India) Ltd.                                                   | 1995                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Closed in the year 2019                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|        9 | Jet Lite (I) Ltd. (Formaly known as Sahara Airlines)                       | 1996                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Closed in the year 2019                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|       10 | Alliance Air Aviation Ltd. (Formerly known as Airline Allied Services Ltd. | 1997                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Operational                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|       11 | Lufthansa Cargo India Pvt. Ltd.                                            | 1997                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Closed in the year 2000                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|       12 | Deccan Aviation Pvt. Ltd.                                                  | 2003                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Acquired by Kingfisher followed by merger of Kingfisher into Deccan Aviation in 2008, and the merged entity was renamed as Kingfisher Airlines. Closed in the year 2012.                                                                                                                                   |
|       13 | Blue Dart Aviation Ltd. (Cargo)                                            | 2003                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Operational                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|       14 | Air India Express Ltd. (Formerly known as Air India Charters Ltd.          | 2005                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Operational                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|       15 | Kingfisher Airlines Ltd.                                                   | 2005                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Merged into Deccan Aviation in 2008.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
|       16 | Spice Jet Ltd.                                                             | 2005                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Operational                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|       17 | Paramount Airways                                                          | 2005                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Closed in the year 2010                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |

|   S. No. | Name of the Airlines                                                 |   Year of Commencement | Current Status                                       |
|----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
|       18 | Go Airlines (India) Pvt. Ltd.                                        |                   2005 | Closed in the year 2023                              |
|       19 | InterGlobe Aviation Ltd.                                             |                   2006 | Operational                                          |
|       20 | Indus Airways Pvt. Ltd.                                              |                   2006 | Closed in the year 2007                              |
|       21 | MDLRAirlines Pvt. Ltd.                                               |                   2008 | Closed in the year 2009                              |
|       22 | Jagson Airlines Ltd.                                                 |                   2008 | Closed in the year 2008                              |
|       23 | Deccan Cargo &Express Logistics Pvt. Ltd.                            |                   2009 | Closed in the year 2014                              |
|       24 | Aryan Cargo Express.                                                 |                   2010 | Closed in the year 2011                              |
|       25 | Quickjet Cargo Airlines Pvt. Ltd.                                    |                   2012 | Closed in the year 2017                              |
|       26 | Religare Aviation Ltd. (Regional)                                    |                   2012 | Closed in the year 2017                              |
|       27 | LEPL Projects Ltd. (Air Costa)                                       |                   2013 | Closed in the year 2017                              |
|       28 | Air Asia (India) Pvt. Ltd. (Name changed to AIX Connect Pvt. Ltd. )  |                   2014 | Merged into Air India Express Ltd. w.e.f. 01.10.2024 |
|       29 | Tata Sia Airlines Ltd. (Vistara)                                     |                   2014 | Merged into Air India Ltd. w.e.f. 12.11.2024         |
|       30 | Air Pegasus Pvt. Ltd.                                                |                   2015 | Closed in the year 2016                              |
|       31 | Turbo Megha Airways Pvt. Ltd. (Trujet)                               |                   2015 | Closed in the year 2022                              |
|       32 | Air Carnival Pvt. Ltd.                                               |                   2016 | Closed in the year 2017                              |
|       33 | LEPL Projects Ltd. (Air Costa)                                       |                   2016 | Closed in the year 2017                              |
|       34 | Zexus Air Services Pvt. Ltd. (Zooom Air)                             |                   2017 | Closed in the year 2024                              |
|       35 | Deccan Charters Pvt. Ltd. (Air Deccan)                               |                   2017 | Closed in the year 2020                              |
|       36 | Air Odisha Aviation Pvt. Ltd.                                        |                   2018 | Closed in the year 2020                              |
|       37 | Ghodawat Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. (STAR AIR)                            |                   2019 | Operational                                          |
|       38 | Heritage Aviation Pvt. Ltd.                                          |                   2019 | Closed in the year 2022                              |
|       39 | Pawan Hans Ltd. (SCO)                                                |                   2019 | Closed in the year 2024                              |
|       40 | Big Charter Pvt. Ltd. (Fly Big)                                      |                   2020 | Operational                                          |
|       41 | Aviation Connectivity Infrastructure Developers Pvt. Ltd. (Air Taxi) |                   2020 | Closed in the year 2023                              |
|       42 | SNV Aviation Pvt. Ltd. (Akasa Air)                                   |                   2022 | Operational                                          |
|       43 | Quickjet Cargo Airlines Pvt. Ltd.                                    |                   2022 | Operational                                          |
|       44 | GSEC Monarch and Deccan                                              |                   2022 | Operational                                          |

| S. No.   | Name of the Airlines                 | Year of Commencement   | Current Status   |
|----------|--------------------------------------|------------------------|------------------|
|          | Aviation Pvt. Ltd. (IndiaOne Air)    |                        |                  |
| 45.      | Just Udo Aviation Pvt. Ltd. (Fly 91) | 2024                   | Operational      |