Udaipur, Sept 27: Government is planning a host of measures, including regulations for helicopter operations and rationalising routes of the three domestic carriers as part of efforts to improve the civil aviation scenario, Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said today. It has also mooted a proposal to allow aerial photography from aircrafts which was prohibited till now, Rudy told reporters at the Maharana Pratap Airport here. A committee, headed by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has been formed to suggest measures to make helicopter operations more affordable by looking into aspects like flight routes and existing passenger tax rates, he said. "The flight corridors for helicopters should be different from that of a big aircraft. Also, the passenger tax for a helicopter is high even though it carries less number of passengers", he said adding that the committee has been asked to submit its report within a month. A meeting with the CEOs of the three domestic carriers, Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Sahara has also been called to rationalise routes and provide more options to passengers, he said.
This, he said, was part of the government`s efforts to have the flights to a particular destination be spread over the whole day instead of having more number of flights in the morning or evening, which leads to lower passenger traffic.
Rudy said talks would be held with the Finance Ministry For rationalising the existing "high" rates of sales tax imposed by various states.
Bureau report