Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha raised several problems faced by air travelers, emphasizing on the increase in air fares, which is becoming a burden on the common people. He was speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the discussion on the Indian Aircraft Bill-2024. He also expressed concern over looting and monopoly in the aviation sector. Questioning the success of the UDAN scheme, he highlighted the closure of many airlines, which he said was hurting the goal of affordable travel.
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Chadha also pointed to long queues at airports, poor services and expensive food. He said airports have become worse than bus stops as overcrowding often results in long queues, causing passengers to miss their flights.
The AAP MP stressed that many tourist destinations in the country lack airports and hence their connectivity is poor. Highlighting the disparities in airfares, he compared the fares to Maldives, which are lower than those to Lakshadweep. He said that this disparity is affecting domestic tourism.
Chadha said that one of the major reasons for choosing air travel is time saving, passengers buy expensive tickets to save time, but flights in small cities often have delays of 3 to 4 hours.
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Notably, a bill to replace the Aircraft Act, 1934 with the Indian Aircraft Act, 2024 for ease of doing business and manufacturing and maintenance in the aviation sector was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday for passage.
The Bill seeks to empower the Central Government to regulate the issuance of Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificates and Licenses, to provide ease of doing business, to provide for the design, manufacturing and maintenance of aircraft and related equipment and to provide for international citizens. Provides for making rules to implement the Convention and other matters relating to civil aviation safety.
