(a): whether the Union Government have received proposal from Government of Kerala operation AIR Kerala;
(b): if so, whether the Union Government has not accorded permission sanction to Government of Kerala for the establishment and operation of AIR Kerala as a budget airline; and
(c): if so, thereason therefor?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION ( SHRI PRAFUL PATEL )
(a)to (c): Though no proposal for formation of any airline by the name `Air Kerala` is pending with the Government for clearance, the Government of Kerala had informed that a public limited company, `Air Kerala International Services Limited` has been registered as a Special Purpose Vehicle for a budget airline project. The Government of Kerala requested this Ministry for exemption to the proposed airline from the stipulated conditions relating to fleet size and the length of operation in the domestic sector for an airline to be considred for international operations. This request was not considered in the light of the existing Government policy regarding the minimum fleet size of 20 aircraft and experience of 5 years continuous operations in domestic sector for permitting an Indian scheduled carrier to operate international services.