Last month, 21,00,000 people flew within India - 82% less than the 12 million passengers seen in July 2019. Schedule domestic air travel in India was allowed to resume at one third capacity from May 25, after a two-month suspension. The coronavirus had started disrupting air travel from late February and consequently India saw just 37 million passengers in the January-July 2020 period - down 55% from 82 million in the year-ago period, according to DGCA data. Last month also saw two things happen for the first time in domestic market share: Air India’s share down to single digit (in terms of passengers carried) and market leader IndiGo soaring past the 60% mark. SpiceJet is the second biggest Indian airline at 15.7%, with AI a distant third at 9.1%. The two Tata JV airlines - Vistara (4.2%) and AirAsia India (6.2%) - together accounted for 10.4% domestic market share in July. Operating minuscule operations, Wadia group’s GoAir saw just 3.8% share last month.
AGR: SC seeks spectrum info from RCom, Jio
The Supreme Court sought the details of spectrum sharing pact between Reliance Communications (RCom) and Reliance Jio and said as to why the company using the spectrum of the other firm cannot be asked to pay the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) related dues to the government. Spectrum is a government property, not private, and anyone using it is liable to pay the dues, the apex court said. The SC bench asked the counsel for Reliance Jio and RCom to place their spectrum sharing agreements on record. The bench also asked DoT to make it clear in whose name and from which date the spectrum is being used and how much fees/dues of AGR year wise and amount was deposited with it for using of the airwaves by the companies under some inter se arrangements. “Let DoT file an affidavit with respect to its stand reflected in the order passed by this court on February 20, 2019. Let DoT also file the requisite documents in this regard supported by an affidavit of the secretary of the department of telecommunication,” the bench said.
