NEW DELHI: Here's some good news for jetsetting HNIs. Aviation authorities have decided that India-registered charter flights or private jets will not need to adhere to the pre-condition of taking clearance from the regulatory agency (called YA number) to fly out of the country from December 15.
The regulator is likely to extend this relief to foreign-registered charter flight or private jets by January-end. The operators will just have to file their flight plan with ATC to go abroad. This will add to the ease of doing business.
Currently, a maze of rules poses hurdles to both Indian aircraft owners and foreign jetsetters. The situation is worse if business leaders or high net worth individuals have a last-minute travel plans are made on weekends when government to do so on a weekend when sarkari offices here are closed and unable to give the required clearances.
The Indian charter industry is relieved at the prospect of YA number being done away with. Business Aircraft Operators' Association (BAOA) president Rohit Kapur said that YA number was a requirement unique to India. "Doing away with YA will ensure operators can fly overseas without delay and this will also free up DGCA resources."
Last April, VistaJet - one of the world's largest private jet charter companies - had said getting clearances on a weekend to even overfly India was tough. Thomas Flohr, founder and chairman of this multinational company, had to fly from Myanmar to Dubai on a Monday last year. The company sought DGCA nod to overfly India on the preceding Friday. But being a weekend, the permission did not come in time and he had to fly to Dubai by circumventing India, which took an extra three hours.
Flohr has said such things harm India's image especially when the country is trying to get foreign investment. Now with the DGCA making it easier for India-registered business jets to fly out, flying in by foreign jets is next on their agenda.
The regulator is likely to extend this relief to foreign-registered charter flight or private jets by January-end. The operators will just have to file their flight plan with ATC to go abroad. This will add to the ease of doing business.
Currently, a maze of rules poses hurdles to both Indian aircraft owners and foreign jetsetters. The situation is worse if business leaders or high net worth individuals have a last-minute travel plans are made on weekends when government to do so on a weekend when sarkari offices here are closed and unable to give the required clearances.
The Indian charter industry is relieved at the prospect of YA number being done away with. Business Aircraft Operators' Association (BAOA) president Rohit Kapur said that YA number was a requirement unique to India. "Doing away with YA will ensure operators can fly overseas without delay and this will also free up DGCA resources."
Last April, VistaJet - one of the world's largest private jet charter companies - had said getting clearances on a weekend to even overfly India was tough. Thomas Flohr, founder and chairman of this multinational company, had to fly from Myanmar to Dubai on a Monday last year. The company sought DGCA nod to overfly India on the preceding Friday. But being a weekend, the permission did not come in time and he had to fly to Dubai by circumventing India, which took an extra three hours.
Flohr has said such things harm India's image especially when the country is trying to get foreign investment. Now with the DGCA making it easier for India-registered business jets to fly out, flying in by foreign jets is next on their agenda.
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