New Delhi. 30 October,2015. Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) welcomes the much awaited Draft National Civil Aviation Policy as a right step in promoting overall growth of the Aviation Industry. However, it is disappointing to see that the policy has completely ignored the interests of Business & General Aviation in India, which forms an important part of the industry. It is particularly good that for remote and regional connectivity, the policy has laid out a framework for new scheduled commuter airlines, but we still see a few gaps which need to be addressed on priority. Points given in the draft for Charter Operations only cater to inbound foreign charters, and do not address the concerns of the domestic charter industry. The policy has also overlooked the exorbitant and irrational taxation on import of small aircraft, which has been one of the major reasons for the retardation of growth of this sector. This also has a wide ranging fallout on the other areas of the industry, and needs to be addressed on an urgent basis. We will submit a detailed response to the Ministry in days to come.
