New Delhi, Jan 09: A parliamentary panel today asked the government to accord the first right of refusal for unutilised air routes to the government-owned carriers - Air India and Indian Airlines. The suggestion, made by the parliamentary consultative committee of the Civil Aviation Ministry, came in the backdrop of recommendations of the Naresh Chandra Committee to allow private domestic carriers to fly abroad.

Reiterating the government stand that Air India's unutilised rights to operate on foreign routes should not be given to foreign airlines, the committee said the private carriers should be allowed to operate on those routes which Indian Airlines was unable to take up. The members in the panel said rationalisation of routes should be carried out and private airlines should be asked to fly on some of the existing socially important but economically non-viable routes in order to reduce the pressure on Indian Airlines.

Bureau Report