Charter flights don't require DGCA approval: Govt responds to Congress-JDS allegations

New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry today said it had sought a detailed report into the charges by JD(S) that it was denied permission by the DGCA to fly its legislators to Kerala, asserting that the flight regulator's permission was not required for chartered flights operating inside India. 

The party had yesterday alleged that chartered flights that were scheduled to carry its legislators along with those of the Congress from Bengaluru to Kochi were denied permission by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) at the last minute.

A Civil Aviation Ministry official, however, was quick to dismiss the charges last night and said the DGCA's permission was not required for chartered flights operating within India.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha in an early morning tweet said today, "Domestic charter flights do not require DGCA approval. They have to get their flight plan approved by local Air Traffic Control and then are free to fly. We will get a detailed report tomorrow and provide all the facts."

A JD(S) source had on Thursday said, "We are just working out, all flights have been denied permission...Flights that were confirmed, last minute there is a problem." 

Asked whether the plan was for both the Congress and JD(S) MLAs travelling together, the source said, "Plan was there....You know what all kinds of things, they are doing."