Aviation: 5/20 norm a 'pain in the neck', says Gajapathi Raju

Making a strong case for doing away with the '5/20' norm for domestic carriers, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Thursday dubbed the regulation as a pain in the neck.

Under the '5/20' regulation, domestic airlines in operation for at least five years and with a fleet of minimum 20 planes are allowed to fly on international routes.

The minister's stance comes at a time when the Ministry is reviewing the 5/20 norm and is discussing the issue with various stakeholders.

"I, for one, would like to get rid of it. Unfortunately, it was a Cabinet decision taken by a government... The reasoning in that file and Cabinet note are rather funny. I think it has to go. It is an outdated thing. It is like a dinosaur and dinosaurs are heavier. When you wear it in the neck, it is a pain in the neck," Raju said.

He was responding to a query about 5/20 norm during a 'Tourism Investors Meet' in New Delhi. By bringing in changes in the more than decade-old rule, the government seeks to address the imbalance between domestic and foreign carriers. At present, budget carrier GoAir, which had started operations in November 2005 is the only domestic carrier among the old players that is not eligible for overseas operations, as it does not have 20 planes. New airlines Vistara and AirAsia India are also not eligible for operating international flights from India as they do not meet the 5/20 norm.