Date:18/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/05/18/stories/2005051801340700.htm

Back Laid down norms followed in Boeing aircraft deal: Minister

Ashwini Phadnis

London, May 17

IN an effort to put to rest the controvery surrounding the decision of Air India to acquire 50 Boeing aircraft, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, has said that the airline had followed laid down procedures in acquiring the aircraft.

"The controversy is only in the media. We follow established and well laid down procedures," the Minister said at a press conference at the Indian High Commission in London on Monday evening.

A day after the AI board decided to acquire Boeing aircraft, the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus Industrie complained about the deal not being done in a fair manner. At its meeting in Mumbai on April 26, the AI board decided to acquire 50 Boeing aircraft including the yet to be launched Boeing 787. The deal is valued at about Rs 30,000 crore.

Commenting on the recently concluded India-UK bilateral air services agreement, Mr Patel said that it was the most liberal that India had signed with any country apart from the recently concluded open sky agreement with the US. The India-UK bilateral air services agreement will see the number of flights being operated by the two countries rise to 56 by October next year. He added that the Indian Government had designated three more airlines from India — Jet Airways, Air Sahara and Indian Airlines — to start operations to the UK

In response to a question on infrastructure problems, Mr Patel said that apart from the on-going restructuring and modernisation plans at Delhi and Mumbai airports, the Government was also looking to develop secondary airports in to world-class entities at secondary cities. Ahemdabad airport was a "priority" non-metro airport for modernisation and would be completed soon.

Addressing the conference, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Mr Kamlesh Sharma, said that there has been an increase in the number of people being granted visas to visit India. A spokesman of the High Commissioner said that last year 3,20,000 visas were issued for people to visit India, an increase of almost 25 per cent over the previous year.