This information was given by General (Retd.) Dr.V.K. Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation in a written reply to Smt Priyanka Chaturvedi in Rajya Sabha today.

The details of major steps taken by the Government to overcome the operating cost for the civil aviation sector, inter-alia, are as follows:

1. Provide support to airlines through various policy measures.
2. Provide airport infrastructure through the Airports Authority of India and the private operators.
3. Promotion of private investments in existing and new airports through the PPP route
4. Route rationalization in the Indian airspace in coordination with Indian Air Force for efficient airspace management, shorter routes, and lower fuel consumption
5. Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate reduced to 5% from 18% for domestic Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services.
6. As of date, exclusive air-links or Air-Bubbles have been established with 28 countries to restart international passenger services while regular international flights remain suspended due to COVID-19.
7. A calibrated increase of domestic aviation.
8. Stipulating fare-band for the airlines
9. A conducive aircraft leasing and financing environment has been enabled.
10. Benefits under Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) 3.0 have been extended to the civil aviation sector.