Getting back to top won't be easy: Sania Mirza
Bengaluru, Jan 9: The journey back to the top won't be easy, says star player Sania Mirza, who is targeting a return to competitive tennis by the end of 2019 season.
Sania recently had her first child with cricketer-husband Shoaib Malik. The winner of six Grand Slams has started training.
The 32-year-old Hyderabadi says she has to juggle many a roles and it is a demanding task.
"Well, I have been able to play these roles thick and fast. I have been a wife for a while. I have become mother just now. I am trying to get back to the top level. I know, it is not going to be easy, but nothing is worth than doing it," Sania told PTI.
"My realistic goal is to make a comeback to the sport. Probably by the end of this year it may happen. Earlier I had talked about my return by 2020. There was a reason for that. I didn't want to put pressure on myself and still don't," she said.
Sania said her life has changed completely after giving birth to her son Izhaan.
"Life changes a lot when you have an infant in the house. You are not the priority anymore. As sportspersons, we tend to be a little bit selfish all our life. It is all about us. It is all about our fitness, rest and work," Sania said.
"When an infant arrives in the house, it is nothing about you anymore. It is all about the infant. And, that is what motherhood is all about. The life becomes selfless," she on the sidelines of the inauguration of the 9th season of 'The Label Bazaar' exhibition here.
Sania said her son will have to freedom to choose his calling in life.
"I and my husband (Shoaib Malik) are not discussing it at all. He can be a doctor or whatever he wants to be, and that is how my parents have brought me about. They allowed me to choose whatever I wanted to do. May be, my son, will not be a sportsperson at all. You never know," she said.
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AI, IndiGo, SpiceJet seek ATF price relief; say airline industry on verge of 'stopping operations'
Mumbai (PTI): Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have told the government that the country's airline industry is under extreme stress and on the verge of "stopping operations", as they sought revision in ATF pricing and financial support.
The West Asia turmoil has pushed up oil prices, and airspace restrictions have increased airlines' operating costs, especially on long-haul routes. Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for around 40 per cent of a carrier's operational expenses.
Against this backdrop, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has written to the civil aviation ministry, seeking steps to extend the same fuel pricing mechanism uniformly across both domestic and international operations as was done in the past with the establishment of the crack band.
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With an unprecedented rise in jet fuel prices and exorbitant crack/differential between crude and ATF, the federation said the operation of airlines is being challenged in totality.
"... any ad hoc pricing (domestic vs international) and/or irrational increase in the price of ATF will result in unsurmountable losses for airlines and will lead to grounding of aircraft, resulting in cancellation of flights," the federation, which represents Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, said.
"In order to survive, sustain and continue operation, we request your urgent intervention for immediate and meaningful financial support to tide over the current situation," it said in a letter on April 26.
Also, the airlines have sought temporary deferment of excise duty on ATF, which is at 11 per cent.
"With the abnormal increase in ATF prices from the pre-crisis period, adding rupee depreciation to the increased prices, the 11 per cent excise duty also increases manifold for the airlines and adds to the ATF price as a big impact on airlines," they said.
Last month, the government limited the hike in ATF price to Rs 15 per litre for domestic operations, but for international operations, the price rose by Rs 73 per litre.
The airlines said the situation has practically made international operations, along with domestic operations, completely unviable and resulted in significant losses for the aviation sector in April.
Seeking urgent intervention on the current ATF ad hoc pricing, FIA said the current situation is creating a severe imbalance in domestic and international operations and rendering airline networks unviable and unsustainable.
"The airline industry in India is under extreme stress and is on the verge of closing down or of stopping its operations."
The federation has pitched for a transparent pricing framework under the crack band mechanism (USD 12–22/BBL) that was implemented in October 2022, saying there was a fair and reasonable margin for Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
According to FIA, the country's largest aviation hub Delhi has the second-highest value-added tax (VAT) of 25 per cent on jet fuel, while the highest rate is 29 per cent levied in Tamil Nadu.
"The other major aviation cities, viz. Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata range between 16 per cent and 20 per cent. These 6 cities cover more than 50 per cent of airlines' operations within India," the federation said.
