Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia urges States to reduce tax on jet fuel

Air traffic growth will be driven by smaller cities, says Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, said there is a huge demand for air travel after the pandemic and urged eight states and Union Territories to reduce the tax on jet fuel.

Air traffic growth will be driven by smaller cities, he said while speaking at the Civil Aviation Ministers' conference in the national capital.

Domestic air traffic is inching closer to pre-Covid level and in recent times, the daily passenger numbers crossed the four lakh mark twice.

Scindia said that Value Added Tax (VAT) on jet fuel is still high in eight states and Union Territories in the range of 20-30 per cent and urged them to reduce the rate.

Jet fuel cost accounts for a significant part of an airline's operational costs.

The Minister requested Goa, Assam, Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajashthan,  Bihar and Tamil Nadu to reduce the VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF).

"New growth to come from Tier 2 and 3 cities," he said and emphasised the need to bring down entry barriers in the context of high VAT on jet fuel in some states.