The Hindu : Kerala News : Air Kerala remains ‘grounded’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Air Kerala remains ‘grounded’

M.P. Praveen

Civil Aviation Ministry yet to grant any possible exemption to it

KOCHI: Air Kerala, an international airline conceived by the State Government in association with Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), seems destined to remain “grounded” at least in the immediate future as the Civil Aviation Ministry is yet to grant any possible exemption to it from the existing norms for flying abroad.

Talking to The Hindu, managing director of CIAL Shriram Bharath said the signs were not encouraging though he declined to rule out the project completely.

He is pinning hopes on the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) formed as part of drafting the civil aviation policy. The GoM is learned to be considering among other things relaxation of the existing civil aviation norms to fly abroad following the widespread demand by carriers.

As per these norms, an airline to fly abroad should have a fleet of at least 20 aircraft besides having five years’ operational experience in the domestic sector.

Aviation policy

A clear picture about the fate of Air Kerala would evolve once the civil aviation policy was in place, Mr. Bharath said.

The proposal for an international airline with State participation, which was announced by the previous United Democratic Front Government, faced apparently insurmountable hurdles from the very outset.

That the Civil Aviation Ministry was unlikely to relax the norms for the start-up airlines to fly abroad was clear from the beginning. Though the leaders from the State, cutting across party lines, exercised their leverage for securing exemptions for the proposed airline, it failed to cut any ice with the Civil Aviation Ministry.

Realising that chances of the proposed airline taking off were remote, Board of Directors of CIAL decided to alter the Memorandum of Association of the Air Kerala International Services Limited, which was formed primarily for the launch of the airline.

Mr. Bharath said one way to evade the stipulations was to go for a joint venture with a carrier, which satisfied the norms of the Civil Aviation Ministry. He said an airport service provider starting an airline would offer a strong combination good enough to attract prospective participants.

Significantly, he indicated that a few airlines had already approached CIAL for a joint venture though he declined to reveal the names of those carriers.

He, however, said all such plans and proposals would have to wait till the civil aviation policy was in place, he said.

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