Chief Managing Director of SpiceJet Ajay Singh on Thursday criticised the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s proposed changes in the aviation sector, reported PTI. Speaking on the sidelines of Assocham’s 9th International Conference on Indian Civil Aviation and Tourism in New Delhi, Singh said that ticket cancellation fees, baggage charges and other compensations are things that an airline should get to decide. The Centre recently announced a slew of passenger-friendly rules including that all tickets must be made refundable.
“As long as the airline makes it clear to the passengers at the time of buying tickets as to what the cancellation charge policy, then it is the contract between the airline and the passenger. That should not be interfered with by any other authority,” Singh said. His key suggestion was there was a need to bring down costs and make airlines profitable. “We have to stimulate (demand), bring down costs and fares. We have to stimulate this market with low fares,” he added.
Singh also said the focus should be to ensure that airlines in India are able to take passengers from India to different parts of the world and get people from different parts of the world to India. Singh was referring to the 5/20 rule, whereby a domestic airline has to complete flying home routes for five years and have a fleet of 20 aircraft before it can fly international routes.
"We should not be really exporting our hubs to the Middle East or to the Southeast of Asia," he added. However, Singh lauded the government for focussing on regional connectivity and building 100 new airports.
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