Govt allows Gulf airlines to carry cargo in passenger planes to keep supply chains going

New Delhi: The government has granted special permission to foreign carriers such as Emirates, Kuwait Airways, and Jazeera Airways to operate passenger aircraft for all-cargo services to ensure seamless continuity of critical cargo movement despite the ongoing disruptions due to the Iran war, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday.

The Indian aviation sector is currently navigating a serious operational and financial situation triggered by the conflict in West Asia. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has implemented a multi-layered response to ensure passenger safety and convenience while working on keeping the industry stable, the statement said.

The ministry highlighted measures being taken to ensure continuity of services, facilitate passenger travel, and maintain coordination with airlines and relevant authorities.

It said it is closely and continuously monitoring the evolving situation arising out of the ongoing conflict in the Western Asia region. Several countries, including Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE, have imposed airspace closures or severe restrictions, leading to unprecedented disruption in global aviation networks and international connectivity.

Despite these challenging and constrained conditions, Indian carriers have demonstrated exceptional resilience and operational agility in maintaining services from this region, which underscores the robustness and responsiveness of the aviation sector.

However, due to the airspace restrictions, flights to Europe and North America by Indian carriers have to take longer routes, which has increased travel time.

Due to timely intervention by the government on the pricing of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), which constitutes around 40 per cent of operational costs of airlines, domestic airfares have remained stable, the statement said.

Moreover, the ministry, in coordination with other stakeholders, is actively engaged in working on other significant measures to support the industry.

Operational relaxations have also been extended. Especially to manage the strain of longer routes, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has temporarily relaxed pilot flight duty time limitations to prevent acute crew shortages.

While the situation remains dynamic, the government remains firmly committed to ensuring passenger safety and convenience, uninterrupted cargo movement, and overall sectoral stability, the statement added.

IANS