Civil aviation ministry may accept IATA demand for suspension of slot rules

IATA, which represents over 250 airlines, has requested global regulators for suspension of the rules in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

The civil aviation ministry is likely to accept International Air Transport Association's (IATA) demand for suspension of the rules on allocation and use of airport slots.

IATA, which represents over 250 airlines, has requested global regulators for suspension of the rules in view of the coronavirus outbreak resulting in widespread cancellation and suspension of international flights.

"Around 43 per cent of all passengers depart from over 200 slot-coordinated airports worldwide. At present, the rules for slot allocation mean that airlines must operate at least 80 per cent of their allocated slots under normal circumstances.

Failure to comply with this means the airline loses its right to the slot the next equivalent season. In exceptional circumstances, regulators can relax this requirement,” IATA said in a statement today.

It further said: "Suspending the requirement for the entire season (to October 2020) will mean that airlines can respond to market conditions with appropriate capacity levels, avoiding any need to run empty services in order to maintain slots.

Aircraft can be reallocated to other routes or parked; crew can have certainty on their schedules," it added. “It is a force majeure kind of situation. The situation is not in airline's control,” an official said, indicating that the government may accept IATA’s demand. Indian carriers have suspended flights to China and Hong Kong, while international airlines have cut frequencies to India.

CCI sees no evidence of collusion by IndiGo, others in price fixing: Report

CCI in 2015 ordered a probe into allegations of anti-competitive practices after similar fares were being offered on certain routes by IndiGo, SpiceJet , GoAir, state-run Air India and Jet.

Investigators with India's antitrust watchdog have found no evidence that the country's biggest airline, IndiGo , and four rival carriers colluded to fix ticket prices, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2015 ordered a probe into allegations of anti-competitive practices after similar fares were being offered on certain routes by IndiGo, SpiceJet , GoAir, state-run Air India [AIN.UL] and now-defunct Jet Airways .

The CCI inquiry, which included an analysis of the algorithms airlines to determine ticket fares, found that all five airlines were working independently, the three sources said.

"No direct evidence of cartelisation was found," said one of the sources, who added the investigation also did not reveal any communication amongst airline executives to fix prices.

Budget airline IndiGo, the country's biggest carrier, said in a statement "the case is without merit" and added that it has been cooperating with the investigation.

The second-biggest airline, SpiceJet, GoAir, Air India and Jet Airways did not respond to a request for comment. The CCI did not respond to questions from Reuters.

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An adverse finding could have led to a fine of up to three times the profit made in each year prices were fixed, or 10% of annual revenue, whichever is higher. Indian airlines are already grappling with slow growth in air traffic.

Details of the CCI case, which was investigated in two phases, have not been made public in line with the watchdog's practice.

The agency, whose senior members are reviewing the investigation findings, has not made a final ruling and could further extend the investigation. But two of the sources said the airlines were likely to be cleared.

Govt launches chatbot loaded AirSewa digital platform for air passengers

AirSewa 2.0, the upgraded version of the web portal and mobile app, provides chatbot support for a faster resolution and personalised traveller experience.

Chatbots will now help air travellers in addressing their grievances, as the government Monday launched an upgraded version of AirSewa digital platform.

Besides, passengers can have access to real-time flight status and schedule for both domestic and international flights, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry.

AirSewa 2.0, the upgraded version of the web portal and mobile app, provides chatbot support for a faster resolution and personalised traveller experience. Also, passengers can sign up using their Facebook and Google accounts.

Generally, chatbots are computer programmes that interact with people through audio or text messages.

The AirSewa portal and mobile app were launched in November 2016. Since the launch, AirSewa 1.0 has helped resolve a significant number of air passenger concerns, as per the ministry.

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu formally launched the upgraded version of AirSewa in New Delhi.

Around 12,000 complaints have been dealt with through AirSewa, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said.

"It is very very scalable and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven," he noted.

India is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world.

The ministry also said that AirSewa would help the government capture air travellers' feedback for policy interventions.

Business Standard