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First Post
09-07-2025
- Business
- First Post
Developing mechanism to curb sharp hikes in airfares during high demand, DGCA tells parliamentary committee
The DGCA said it was also open to the idea of fixing a price ceiling on certain routes during times of high demand read more India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has informed a Parliamentary panel that it is working to develop a mechanism to curb sharp increases in airfares during high demand or festive season. The DGCA said it was also open to the idea of fixing a price ceiling on certain routes during times of high demand. Recently, top officials from India's civil aviation ministry and several airlines appeared before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, where the members expressed concerns about pricing and flight safety. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, some members of the committee, which is chaired by Congress MP KC Venugopal, demanded an audit of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, reported the Economic Times. Preliminary report on Air India crash not submitted yet Sources indicated that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has not yet submitted its report on the crash, as the analysis of the recovered black boxes continues. The bureau remains within the 30-day period mandated for submitting its preliminary findings, with the investigation involving experts from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the US National Transportation Safety Board, Boeing, and GE Aerospace. Key officials, including Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Sinha, DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, and top executives from IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa, appeared before the committee. Wilson informed the panel that Air India is addressing frequent complaints about seat conditions and amenities, committing to complete fleet retrofitting within two years while emphasising the airline's dedication to flight safety. Audit of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security demanded Committee members demanded an audit of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), citing multiple operational safety incidents and pressing for a timeline on the AAIB's crash report. Sources confirmed that safety audits of Boeing 787 Dreamliners across various airlines, including Air India's 33 aircraft (26 787-8s and seven 787-9s), have been completed. These audits, mandated by the DGCA post-crash, examined fuel systems, engine controls, cabin air compressors, hydraulics, and take-off parameters, revealing no major safety issues but highlighting maintenance challenges like spare-part delays and coordination lapses. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Former Civil Aviation Minister and PAC member Praful Patel, speaking to reporters, highlighted the DGCA's staffing shortage, with 53 per cent of positions vacant, and proposed hiring retired personnel on short-term contracts to enhance air safety oversight.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Will devise means to curb airfare surge: DGCA tells parliamentary panel
NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) on Tuesday informed a parliamentary panel that it is working on a mechanism to curb sharp increases in airfares during times of high demand and may fix a price ceiling on certain routes during periods like festive seasons. Top officials from the civil aviation ministry and senior executives from airlines appeared before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, where its members raised concerns about the pricing and flight safety. Some MPs also demanded an audit of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. Sources said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has not yet submitted its report on the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 that killed 274 people including 241 of the 242 on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The analysis is still ongoing and the bureau is within the 30-day period to submit the report, they said. Civil aviation secretary Samir Sinha, DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai , Air India chief executive Campbell Wilson as well as top executives of Indigo, SpiceJet and Akasa appeared before the Parliament committee chaired by Congress MP KC Venugopal . Wilson told the parliamentary panel that Air India will complete retrofitting of its fleet in two years to address frequent complaints about its seats and other facilities, and underscored the airline's commitment to flight safety, sources said. Live Events Discussing the Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad, several members of the committee demanded an audit of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. They also cited a spate of other incidents concerning operational safety and wanted to know from the bureau when its report on the Air India plane crash would be ready. In the meeting, it was also informed that safety audits of Boeing 787 Dreamliners operated by various lines have been completed, sources said. Talking to reporters after the meeting, former civil aviation minister Praful Patel, a member of the committee, suggested the DGCA take measures to strengthen air safety. There is an issue of understaffing in the civil aviation regulator, and it can recruit retired personnel for short-term contacts, he said. Members from across party lines grilled officials and airlines operators over an "arbitrary" surge in air ticket prices and cited a host of examples, including a steep hike in fares for planes flying from Srinagar after the Pahalgam terror attack and during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, according to the sources. When an official said the DGCA will be talking to airlines to have a consensus on developing a mechanism against such price increases, a BJP member shot back wondering if the unfair practice will continue for want of consensus. Some other MPs said the aviation regulator has the remit to take action. The DGCA said it will be putting guidelines in place to curb any unreasonable surge in prices, the sources said.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
5 Corbett tigers to be moved to Rajaji in relocation phase-2
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand forest department will translocate five more tigers to Western Rajaji from Corbett to ease pressure on the densely populated reserve and help revive tiger presence in the new habitat. The move forms the second phase of the rewilding project and follows the relocation of five tigers between 2020 and 2025, one of which gave birth to four cubs, two now living in the wild. Rajaji Tiger Reserve, formed in 2015, spans around 820sqkm in the Shivalik foothills and is split by the Ganga into eastern and western zones. Until 2020, Western Rajaji had no breeding tigress, largely due to habitat fragmentation caused by NH-58 and the Haridwar–Dehradun railway line. Principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden, Ranjan Mishra, said they had discussed the proposal with NTCA officials and would now seek formal clearance. "The status of clearances and specifications from NTCA will determine the next course of actions," he said. Head of forest force and principal chief conservator of forests, Samir Sinha, said the relocated big cats from the first phase were adapting well. "The movement of big cats indicates that wildlife corridors and forest stretches are connected, and it's encouraging to see that the newly constructed wildlife underpasses are facilitating animal movement," he said. Officials expressed concern about forest patches around densely populated areas such as Rishikesh, Nepali Farm, and Buggawala, where people were not yet accustomed to coexisting with tigers. Forest officials in Uttar Pradesh were asked to install camera traps to study tiger dispersal trends and frame future conservation strategies. They told their counterparts in Uttarakhand that the work would start after the forest fire season. The first phase of relocation included enclosures and monitoring with radio collars and camera traps by teams from WWF-India, WII, and the forest department. Since then, tiger movement has also been recorded in the lower Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh. A senior wildlife scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India reiterated the need for joint efforts by four states — Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttarakhand — to support the re-colonisation of tigers across the Western Himalayan foothills, which once had a thriving tiger population. Uttarakhand ranked third in the country with an estimated 560 tigers, as per the 2022 tiger estimation exercise by NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India.
