Aviation Minister Gajapathi Raju holds meeting with FM Arun Jaitley

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Wednesday held discussions with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on various issues.

The meeting assumes significance against the backdrop of the Civil Aviation Ministry in advanced stage of finalising the much-awaited civil aviation policy.

While there was no official word about what transpired during the meeting, both ministers are believed to have discussed the broader issues related to the aviation sector.

After the meeting, Raju did not divulge any details about his discussions with Jaitley and only said, "media will be informed at a suitable stage".

The civil aviation policy, which has been in the works for a long time, is expected to provide a fillip to the domestic aviation sector which has high growth potential.

The policy would look to enhance regional air connectivity, rationalise jet fuel cost, promote air cargo, maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) and helicopter operations and improve passenger facilitation.

It is also anticipated to come up with possible changes to the 5/20 norm whereby domestic airlines are required to have at least five years operational experience and minimum 20 planes to fly overseas.

The draft policy was initially unveiled in November 2014 and after taking the comments and suggestions into consideration, the Civil Aviation Ministry is looking at certain modifications to it.