dna impact: MHA takes U-turn, charter aircraft to get landing permit

The ministry of home affairs had decided to stop the issuance of temporary landing permit (TLP) to crew members of foreign-registered charter aircraft and, instead, asked them to seek  employment visa to enter the country.

After dna reported on the same and the fact that this was leading to a drop in tourism and business (businessmen and elite tourists had started going to other countries to avoid such restrictions), the decision now stands reversed. Sources in the ministry said the decision had been taken due to security reasons.

In a circular issued recently to all its embassies and consulates the world over, the ministry has said that it will continue to grant TLP to crew members of foreign-registered charter aircraft and private non-revenue flights, subject to regular checks and fee payments.

However, in case of nationals from Prior Reference Category countries — Afghanistan, China, Ethiopia, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka — and nationals of Pakistani origin, the process will still take time as information about them will be uploaded by the Indian missions via the online visa processing system. The ministry is expected to take a decision on it within 30 days of the information upload. A circular regarding this has been put up on the ministry’s website.

The development has brought relief to industry stakeholders who have seen their business going down for the past few months. As per an estimate, monthly around 24,000 flight movements of non-scheduled aviation are observed in the country.

Secretary of Business Aircraft Operators Association group captain Rajesh Bali said, “It’s a welcome decision. We have advised MHA to deploy Advance Passenger Information System for such crew members, similar to what happens for scheduled airlines.”

As per circular...
In case of charter flights for tourists from non-PRC nations, the tourists or travel agency sponsoring them must fill in the visa applications for crew members.

A complete list of crew members along with printed visa applications must be submitted to the FRRO concerned by the tourists or travel agency 72 hours ahead of the trip.