India studying allowing FDI in domestic airlines

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The government is studying a proposal to allow foreign direct investment in domestic airlines, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel said on today (February 20).

“The consulting process is still on and we can’t give a time line for it,” Praful Patel told reporters at a function at Mumbai’s international airport.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha on Thrusday, Patel said, “The proposal to allow foreign airlines to invest in domestic airlines is underexamination.”

He was replying to a question whether the government is considering a proposal to allow Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in domestic airlines, including public sector Air India.
Asked if Air India has opposed such a move, he said, “No such representation has been received from the Air India on change in FDI policy.”

Meanwhile, in a separate question Patel said the Board of Airports Authority of India (AAI) has approved ‘in principle’ AAI’s proposed VRS for employees of IGI Airport, Delhi and CSI Airport, Mumbai. He said the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) is to be partly financed by the Joint Venture companies operating the Delhi and Mumbai airports.

(With inputs form agencies)

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