Seven airlines to import 80-seater planes
14 Mar 2007
New Delhi: The government has cleared the proposal of seven domestic airlines to import 80-seater aircraft, according to a written reply by civil aviation minister Praful Patel in the Rajya Sabha. As per existing rules, the operation of such aircraft benefits airlines through the payment of lower levies.
According to the minister, the airlines whose proposals have been cleared by the government are the State-owned Alliance Air and private carriers Jet Airways, Deccan Aviation, Sahara Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines, Paramout Airways and Indus Airways.
The concessions can prove to be significant for airlines operating such aircraft. For one, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) levies no landing charges on such aircraft. Also, the budget for fiscal 2007-08 has also proposed to amend section 14 of the Central Sales Tax Act of 1956 by including aviation turbine fuel (ATF), sold to aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of less than 40,000 kg, as being eligible for duty reductions.