‘If I am not fit to fly, he is not fit to be a pilot'

"Travelling by air is often not a very pleasant experience for a person with disability. Incidents of harassment are quite common when a passenger with disability travels by air on her own or his own."

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : ‘If I am not fit to fly, he is not fit to be a pilot': This is an adapted version of a letter sent by Jeeja Ghosh to the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. She is Head of Advocacy and Disability Studies at the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy in Kolkata.

The author was not allowed to fly because of her cerebral palsy — which is not a disease but a condition caused by damage to the brain. This is yet another incident that shows lack of awareness and a humane touch even among the so-called elite and educated people of society.

Grounding the disabled

"The case of a woman passenger with cerebral palsy rudely deplaned by SpiceJet is a terrible reminder of the distance India still needs to travel in recognising and respecting the human rights of disabled people. "

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Grounding the disabled: It is time the aviation industry got its act together on sensitising its personnel about handling passengers with particular needs.

A major weakness of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, is the absence of a punitive clause. This is arguably the reason why its provisions remain poorly implemented.

India's disability law is up in the air. It is time to bring it down to earth, anchoring it firmly in the terrain of equality that our Constitution envisages for all citizens.

Turbulent Flight

Improving viability of airlines should be top priority for government

Turbulent Flight

-The Times of India, February 22, 2012

Airline's and Airport's ratings

Tony Tyler, chief of IATA (International Air Transport Association) had warned about the poor infrastructure of airlines and airports in India.

Francois Gautier, a frequent flier in India rates the best airlines and airports of this country, and of course, the worst too...

A level flying field

"Given the mess that national carrier Air India finds itself in, the withdrawal of the sole right to operate foreign flights was only to be expected. The Union Civil Aviation Ministry has now opened up the flights and seats under existing bilateral Air Service Agreements (ASA) to all scheduled airlines in India."

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : A level flying field: Hardly 20% of the quota available for India under these bilateral aviation agreements was utilised by Air India. The capacity was either going abegging, or foreign airlines took permission to operate additional flights.

The world is moving towards a clear 'Open Skies' regime in which passenger choice will hold the key. So Indian airlines will have to learn to be attractive and competitive, both in fares and facilities.

FDI in the sky

The move to liberalise the FDI norm in domestic airlines has to be seen in the context of the financial troubles that most domestic airline companies are embroiled in.

"Though this is an infinitely better option than a bailout using public funds, the reality is that there might not be too many takers among foreign airline companies for this." If the government is keen to rescue the airline industry, there are other things that it could do, discussed in this article The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : FDI in the sky

The last thing the government should do is throw good money after bad, especially when it belongs to the public.