India's Civil Aviation Ministry has given the go-ahead for three domestic private airlines to increase their fleets by importing more aircraft. The approval, announced by the ministry's Aircraft Acquisition Committee (AAC), affects Skyline NEPC, JVG Group and Bengal Air.
Bombay-based NEPC Skyline will add two Boeing 737-200s to its existing fleet of five 737-200s. NEPC, parent of Skyline, has a stated requirement for a total of eight more 737s, including four for Skyline, and four for the Madras-based division (formerly NEPC) whose fleet had previously been limited to turboprops, such as the Fokker F27.
The group is in discussions with Lufthansa to buy three 737s which have been on lease to troubled Delhi-based Modiluft. Lufthansa has been fighting a prolonged legal battle in India to recover the grounded aircraft, which looks set to be resolved following a recent court decision ordering Modiluft to return the aircraft. Modiluft has filed a $53 million counter-claim against Lufthansa, however.
The AAC has also given the green light for the JVG Group, which plans to launch an Indian scheduled airline, to import three Boeing 737-300/400 aircraft. Recent guidelines which were introduced as part of India's new Civil Aviation Policy say, however, that new entrants to the domestic-airline business must have a minimum fleet-strength of five aircraft.
JVG says that it expects to meet the new regulations by importing two more aircraft towards the end of the year.
The third beneficiary is small Calcutta-based private airline Bengal Air, which has been allowed to add three British Aerospace HS748 turboprops. The 48-seat aircraft will be deployed on the airline's short-haul routes, which are concentrated mainly in the state of West Bengal.
Source: Flight International
