The Ministry of Civil Aviation is responsible for the formulation of national policies and programmes for the development and regulation of civil aviation and for devising and implementing schemes for orderly growth and expansion of civil air transport. Its functions also extend to overseeing the provision of airport facilities, air traffic services, carriage of passengers and goods by air, safeguarding civil aviation operations, regulation of air transport services, licensing of aerodromes, air carriers, pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers. The Ministry also administratively controls the Commission of Railway Safety, a statutory body set up under the Railway's Act, which is responsible for safety in rail travel and operations.
India has been a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and is also on the Council of ICAO since its inception. The civil aviation sector has three main functional divisions--regulatory, infrastructural and operational. The civil aviation sector in India has seen a phenomenal growth in recent years. As on date there are a large number of companies providing passenger transport and cargo handling services in the country. The Air Transport Companies are both in the public sector and in the private sector. In the public sector, there are Air India, Indian Airlines, Air India Charters Limited (Air India Express) and Alliance Air. In the private sector, there are 7 scheduled airlines (passenger), namely, Jet Airways, Sahara Airlines, Deccan Aviation, Spice Jet, Go Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Paramount Airways and Indigo operating on the domestic sector providing passengers with a wide choice. There is also one cargo private scheduled airline, i.e., Blue Dart Aviation. In addition to the above mentioned scheduled airlines, there are at present 46companies holding non-scheduled air transport operators permit. While Air India mainly provides international services, Indian Airlines has also been operating to the neighbouring countries in South East Asia and the Middle East. The private scheduled airlines Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines have been operating on international sectors to Colombo, Kathmandu, Singapore and UK, etc. Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd., a public sector company, is engaged in providing helicopter services to ONGC for its offshore operations. Pawan Hans Helicopters are also used by various State Governments, especially in North-East region, to provide connectivity to inaccessible areas and difficult terrains.
Apart from Air India, Indian Airlines, Alliance Air and Air India Charters Ltd., there are at present eight private scheduled operators, viz. Jet Airways (India) Ltd., Sahara Airlines Ltd., Deccan Aviation (P) Ltd., Go Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Paramount Airways Pvt. Ltd., Go Airlines (India) Pvt Ltd., and Inter Globe Aviation Ltd. (Indigo) operating on the domestic sector providing a wide choice of flights and connectivity to various parts of India. One cargo airline viz. Blue Dart Aviation Pvt. Ltd. is also operating scheduled cargo services in the country. During the year 2006, a total number of 3,83,413 flights were operated by the domestic scheduled operators carrying a total of 32.172 million passengers. In addition to the abovementioned scheduled airlines, there are at present 59 companies holding nonscheduled air transport operators permit. While Air India mainly provides international services, Indian Airlines has also been operating to the neighboring countries in South-East Asia and the West Asia. The private scheduled airlines Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines have been operating on international sectors to Colombo, Kathmandu, Singapore, UK, Thailand, Malaysia and USA. Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd., a public sector company, is engaged in providing helicopter services to ONGC for its offshore operations. Pawan Hans Helicopters are also used by various State Governments, specially in North-East region, to provide connectivity to inaccessible areas and difficult terrains.
