Taxiing before take-off

Jamshedpur, March 2: Taking cue from the booming airline industry, which has been showing keen interest in operating in Jharkhand skies, the government is making plans to enter the aviation business.

If things go as per plan, Jharkhand could well be the first state in India to start an airline service within its prominent destinations for the benefit of the public.

The civil aviation secretary J.B. Tubid confirmed that the state government is planning to start such a service. ?But it is a policy decision and we are awaiting the nod from the state government,? he added.

The government has already made the initial move by inviting tenders from business houses for the purchase of as many as six flying machines.

The tender calls for two twin-engine helicopters, a seven-seater (including two seats for airline staff) and a 14-seater (including two seats for airline staff) flying machine. A 11-seater twin-engine turbo-propped aeroplane (including two seats for airline staff) and a four-seater single-engine aeroplane (including one seat for the staff), makes up the rest of the tender notification.

Confirming the tender bid, sources in the civil aviation department said if the airline services become popular, there could be further additions to the fleet.

?Initially, small service planes and choppers would be pressed into service. Depending upon the number of passengers the service elicits, plans to bring in larger aeroplanes would be considered,? the sources added. The flying machines could also be charted.

The Jharkhand Civil Aviation Authority would purchase the flying machines. But the details of the costs of the tickets and the financial details of the project are yet to be worked out, added the sources.

The government is eyeing the airports and airstrips that are strewn around the state and after checking them and looking at their condition, the necessary decisions would be taken, said the sources.

The decision to start an air service for the public was taken because other state?s aeroplanes lie unused for months together. And the government felt that mobilising such planes would benefit the public logistically and the government financially, the sources observed.

According to the tender, all the aircraft should be equipped with the latest in avionics. Apart from that, the seven-seater, twin-engine helicopter should have VIP configuration and must be air-conditioned.

The 14-seater, meanwhile, is the police version. In addition to the fittings mentioned above, this aircraft should also have the features usually offered to a police department, the tender stipulates.

The four-seater single-engine aeroplane should have, as per the tender, dual controls, and should be preferably certified for aero-towing of gliders and sailplanes. In addition, tenders have also been invited for a two-seater motor glider, which must also be equipped with dual controls.