Kerala opposes draft civil aviation policy

New Delhi: Some states, including Kerala and Punjab, have voiced their opposition to the NDA government's draft civil aviation policy on the grounds that its proposal of creating only six international hubs in metros would work against states' interests.

Kerala opposed the draft policy, saying the international arrivals and departures from three airports in the state at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode are higher than the Chennai airport.

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said despite the steady growth in civil aviation in the last decade, most airlines in the country are incurring losses, an official statement said.

"The aviation industry is seriously affected by high operational costs including cost of aviation turbine fuel, service tax and other charges, shortages of maintenance facilities, high foreign exchange rate and competition from foreign airlines, among others," he said.