Italy records almost 1,000 virus deaths in one-day record
Rome: Italy recorded a shocking spike in coronavirus deaths Friday with 969 new victims, the worst daily record for any country since the pandemic began.
The infection rate however continued its downward trend, with the civil protection agency reporting nearly 86,500 confirmed cases in Italy -- a 7.4 percent increase, down from around 8.0 percent in previous days.
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India needs aviation giants, not 'Fly-by-Night' operators, says ex-minister Praful Patel
Mumbai (PTI): Former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Friday warned against "fly-by-night" operators entering India's aviation sector, arguing that only established, high-capital players can survive the industry's "tough" financial demands.
Speaking to PTI, the 68-year-old Rajya Sabha member emphasised that while India has no restrictions on new airlines, the "tough, capital-intensive" nature of the business requires long-term commitment.
"That is why it is important that big players should come into the aviation business, and not just fly-by-night people. Some new airlines have been given licenses, but I don't think they are long-term players," he noted.
His comments come as the Civil Aviation Ministry recently approved three new carriers -- Shankh Air, Al Hind Air, and FlyExpress -- to start their operations in 2026.
Patel, who served as Civil Aviation Minister from 2004-11 under the Congress-led UPA government,
said many newly licensed airlines may lack the endurance required to survive the sector's high cash-flow drain.
"We need strong players like Tatas, who came with Air India. We need similar big names also to come into the aviation sector,” the NCP leader opined.
Asked about IndiGo’s widespread flight cancellations last month, Patel said, “IndiGo is financially a very strong airline, a very big airline. There was an issue of pilots and Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules. I wish they had handled it better.”
“Having said that, on the whole, it is still a very important player in the Indian aviation market and will remain important for many, many years to come,” the former Aviation Minister said.
The key sector needs strong players, the veteran politician emphasised.
"I think it is important that aviation needs strong players. The monopoly or duopoly is not there because somebody made it like that. In the past, you saw Jet Airways, Kingfisher and GoAir collapse financially and a series of other airlines also had these kinds of problems,” Patel said.
“That’s why, if there are strong players in aviation, it will be good for the country,” he added.
