Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) in Airlines

* These guidelines stipulate that a minimum number of flights should be deployed on loss making routes.
* The Airlines have been demanding that a fund, termed the Essential Air Services Fund, may be created levying a cess on both the domestic and international passengers. The Civil Aviation Ministry will utilize the fund to provide to subsidy to airlines flying to identified uneconomic routes.
* But this is surely going to impose an additional burden on the consumer. This needs some explanation. The RDG make it mandatory to the company to fly to uneconomic routes. The expenditure/loss relating to such operations cannot be transferred by the Airline directly to the other passengers. It is only the combined performance of the company that will matter. Now, the creation of a fund, will make it easy for the companies to charge additional amounts from the customers.