Bipin Shah   Self Employed
Airlines are in a huge dilemma with the government's announcement of implementation of the new ground handling policy on April 1. Private airlines have written to civil aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi on ground handling policy asking the ministry to wait till April 4 for the Supreme Court's directives on the same, reports CNBC-TV18's Swati Khandelwal Jain quoting sources in knowledge of the development.

 

The government had asked the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) including SpiceJet, Jet,

JetLite, Kingfisher, IndiGo and GoAir to sign an MoU with ground handling agencies. The policy was first formulated in 2007 but could never get implemented because private airlines had opposed saying that it would restrict them from doing their own ground handling operations.

 

The MoU, it is being learnt, will now be signed subject to the outcome of the court’s proceedings, sources have said. The government has advices airlines to enter into a formal service level agreement later.

 

Sources in the airlines have said that the implementation of the policy does not respect SC proceedings and the signing of MoU will not only prejudice the airlines’ case in the court but is not legally and commercially feasible. "They have asked the government to not insist on pre-emptive and hasty implementation," sources added.
Mar 30th 2011 01:00