No voluntary retirement for civil aviation sector employees in India

September 26th, 2009 KERALA - Civil Aviation secretary M Madhavan Nambiar has said that aviation industry is going through a very difficult phase, turning thousands of pilots and other specialized staff jobless in the country. Addressing Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) aviation academy in Nedumbassery district of Kerala state, he said that the aviation sector has been hit by a slowing economy triggered by the global financial crisis, reducing business and leisure journeys of most passengers.

September 26th, 2009 NEDUMBASSERY - Civil Aviation Secretary M Madhavan Nambiar on Friday said that the Aviation industry was going through a very difficult phase turning thousands of pilots and other specialized staff jobless in the country. Nambiar was addressing the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) aviation academy in Nedumbassery district.

September 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here on Wednesday that a revival plan for national carrier Air India is on track and his ministry will soon approach the Union Cabinet for approving infusion of equity. Speaking to newsmen, on the sidelines of the symposium on cooperation between India and Asia in the aviation sector, Patel said the revival plan is in the process of being finalised.

September 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Civil aviation authorities Thursday asked all airlines to restrain from raising fares when the Jet Airlines pilots are on strike. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has written to all airlines not to charge higher fares and limit their charges to those prevailing last week, a civil aviation ministry spokesperson said.

August 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel informed on Thursday that the Centre has decided to set up a Group of Ministers (GoM) to look into the issue of jet fuel pricing and demands of the airline industry. The Union Cabinet took the decision to form a GoM after Patel made a detail presentation on the problems faced by the aviation industry.

August 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Minster of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel has urged the private air operators to come forward for negotiations rather than threatening to suspend on August 18. Patel said, the government understood the problems of the aviation sector, but maintained that it would not tolerate inconvenience to the paying public.

July 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Tuesday signed a pact with International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents some 230 airlines comprising over 90 percent of scheduled air traffic globally, on skill development in the aviation sector. Under the pact signed in Geneva, IATA will help Indian aviation industry personnel enhance skills to help them match global standards, the government said Tuesday.

June 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India Thursday said it has developed an effective strategy to strengthen its regulatory mechanism and safety system for its aviation sector following recommendations from international authorities. "The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA - India's aviation regulator) has developed an effective strategy to strengthen and develop a robust regulatory mechanism and a safety oversight system.

April 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A planned nationwide two-day strike by 15,000 airport employees from Thursday midnight has been called off after the government agreed to discuss their grievances, a civil aviation ministry spokesperson said. 'The strike, called by the employees of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), has been called off,' the official said.

March 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has assured its US counterpart that India will soon have a separate agency for investigating air accidents, a government official said Monday. 'We are streamlining the working of our agency and would have a separate agency to handle air accident investigations.

February 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The economic slump has a silver lining for the officer-strapped Indian Army. Officers planning to seek premature retirement are having second thoughts and those who had applied have begun withdrawing their applications.

January 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian Air Force (IAF) has readied its squadron of IL-78 midair refuellers to supply aviation fuel in case the strike by employees of public sector oil firms cripples the aviation sector, an official said here Friday. 'The six IL-78 aircraft have been kept ready to deal with a crisis situation if the need arises,' a senior IAF official said.

January 7th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Orissa government will invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to tackle the ongoing strike by employees of public sector oil companies, a state official said Thursday. Those who try to obstruct free flow of petroleum products in the state will be dealt with under the act, the official from the state civil supply department told IANS.

January 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Airline operators Tuesday said they have a contingency plan with oil companies for uninterrupted supply of aviation fuel to tide over any crisis if oil sector employees go on strike. The Oil Sector Officers' Association (OSOA), an umbrella organisation representing 45,000 oil sector employees, has threatened strike from Wednesday demanding higher wages.

December 30th, 2008 NEW DELHI - The government has postponed by at least six months the implementation of the new ground-handling policy at airports, expected to come into force Thursday, an official said Wednesday. 'The implementation of the new ground-handling policy has been deferred by six months or until further order,' said a spokesperson of the civil aviation ministry.