VIEWPOINT A new feather in the CAP

The National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) is out and ready to be implemented. While much has been said about the policy and the ever archaic 5/20 rule, which has been replaced with 0/20, there is a lot in the aviation policy which is yet to unfold. Firstly, the goal towards regional connectivity, which does look interesting, is a humongous task to be achieved. However, the government is asking states to come up and ask for development of airports by giving subsidies. Even airlines will be asked to subsidise their taxes. The government will also be giving VGF on routes that fly to TierII, Tier-III cities. This would mean a number of stakeholders, that too with conflicting interests, on one table. How fruitful that would be is still to be seen, but the capping of airfares at

2500 per hour is certainly the first step in this direction. In order to save the cost that airlines are spending outside for MROs, the policy is aspiring towards making India a MRO hub, which in itself is a herculean task. However, it only reflects the government’s primary goal— affordable flying. All that is needed now is a well-defined roadmap with timelines in place.