Overseas Air Services

India has bilateral air services with 93 countries as on May 31' 1999. Air India Ltd (govt owned) is the major international carrier of the country. It runs services to USA, Europe, the Russian Federation, Gulf/Middle-East, East Asia, Africa etc. Air India owns a fleet of 26 aircraft consisting of six B-747-200, two B-747-300 (combi), seven B-747-400, three A300-B4 and eight A310-300 aircraft. During 1998-99, Air India carried 3.15 million passengers (prov.) as against 3.06 million in 1997-98. Govt of India has decided to privatise Air India by selling its majority stake to a strategic partner

Domestic Air Services

Indian Airlines (Govt owned) is the major domestic air carrier of the country. It operates to 57 domestic stations (including Alliance Air operations) and 17 international stations in 14 countries (viz Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Singapore, UAE, Oman, Myanmar, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain). The Airlines owns a fleet of eleven A-300, thirty A-320, twelve B-737 and three Dornier-228 aircrafts. All B-737 aircrafts are being run by its wholly owned subsidiary Alliance Air. Govt of India has decided to privatise Indian Airlines. There are few private airlines operating in India, notable among them being Jet Airways and Sahara.

Organizations
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is responsible for enforcing civil air regulations. It is the highest regulatory body for civil aviation in India responsible for host of activities like regulation of transport services to/from and within India, registration of aircraft, grant of airworthiness certificate, licensing of aerodrome etc. DGCA also coordinates all regulatory functions with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Airports Authority of India (AAI)is responsible for providing safe, efficient air traffic services and aeronautical communications service for air traffic control in Indian air space. It manages 92 civil airports including five international airports.

Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is the nodal body on all civil aviation security matters. It is responsible for laying down standards of pre-embarkation security, anti-sabotage measures, monitoring airport security, inspection, dummy checks etc.

Cargo Movement

In order to help Indian exporters and make Indian export more competitive, Govt of India introduced in April 1990 an 'open sky' policy for cargo. Under this policy, any foreign airlines or association of exporters can bring freighters to the country for cargo shipment. The Govt has also permitted market forces to determine cargo tariff, with IATA rates as the floor rate.