http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=1&cat2=22&newsid=204293&RF=De faultMain
<However the crux of the problem, according to aviation circles, is the non-existence of an aviation policy. There has only been talk of a need for one, but it has never materialised. No minister has stayed long enough in his post to think of a policy. Mr Patel, who has so far had the longest tenure, has postponed his deadline twice for such a policy. Since 1987 there have been 11 civil aviation ministers, and since 1990 there have been 11 civil aviation secretaries, but yet no civil aviation policy. The result is that the civil aviation ministry is controlled by bureaucrats and one arm of the ministry gives permission for any number of airlines to be set up regardless of infrastructure, and the other, namely the Airports Authority of India, is hamstrung by bureaucrats. The problem has become acute in the last three to five years as traffic has outgrown infrastructure. Check-in counters in peak hours have no standing room, baggage handling facilities are pathetic and apron space for movement of vehicles is minimal. The situation for parking bays for aircraft has reached such a state that aircraft have to overnight go to adjoining airports at great cost in terms of fuel and count time. Growth in traffic will only aggravate it. The aircraft landing system is antiquated> ----------------------- Is this any way to run the civil aviation sector in the 21st century?
