Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Civil Aviation Praful Patel of India

Patel was elected as a member of the Lok Sabha in 1991 at the age of 34.

Apart from his political activities, Patel is also a very successful businessman.

But party colleague and chela Praful Patel has surpassed the guru.

If Patel had been a real revolutionary, he would have ensured that not just for acquisition this time, but for the future too, systems/structures of purchase were made more transparent and simpler.

Patel has managed to solve the problem this time, but hasn't really left a legacy for his successors.

He is aware of the failing but is experienced enough to know that he can't change it because Patel has followed the civil aviation ministry for years.

Patel has opted for the latter argument.

A member of the Tenth Lok Sabha at the youthful age of 34 years in 1991, Shri Praful Patel was elected three times consecutively to the Lok Sabha (10th -12th Lok Sabha.

In April 2000, Shri Praful Patel was elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Widely traveled, Shri Praful Patel is an active member of Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO), a premier networking platform of young global business leaders committed to sharing their individual and collective resources.

Other than politics and business, Shri Patel is an ardent sportsman, being President of the Western Indian Football Association and Vice President of both All India Football Federation and the Maharashtra Olympic Association.

Senior NCP leader Praful Patel says Maharashtrians do feel hurt.

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel remained unmoved and, after three days of chaos, outlasted the strikers.

Fearing such a situation, Patel has said, he would raise the concerns expressed by the airline industry.

New Delhi, Jan 14 - The government should consider allowing foreign airline operators to own up to 25 percent stake in Indian carriers, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here Wednesday.

All right reserved by Khabarexpress.

HERALD CORRESPONDENTMARGAO, JAN 3The All India Football Federation (AIFF) President-in-charge and Union Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel expressed confidence that the proposed world class Bharti-Air Tel Football Academy will come up at Panzarcone-Cuncolim.

Patel praised chief coach Bob Houghton for his good work with the national team.

Meanwhile, Patel is learnt to have met with Tourism Minister, Micky Pacheco, Revenue Minister Jose Philip and Dr Wilfred De Sousa, all of NCP.

Indian civil aviation minister Praful Patel has spent the last few years driving change in India's airline sector and achieving what most people thought was impossible Aviation personalities come almost exclusively from airlines in most markets.

As minister since May 2004 following a change in government, Patel has accomplished what almost nobody thought possible.

Patel has his critics, which is natural for a political figure, but it is in fact tough to find anyone in India's aviation sector with a bad word to say about him.

Whereas his predecessors failed to take difficult decisions for fear of political repercussions, leaving the industry stifled for years, Patel has taken on controversial tasks without apparent fear.

And calling the bluff of those opposed to change is what Patel has consistently done over the past three and a half years.

Patel says he has been able to push through change in part because air transport in India, where there is a rapidly growing middle class and there has been strong economic growth for several years, was finally ready to get off the ground in a big way, having been stifled previously by restrictive policies and old-fashioned attitudes towards flying.

In short, domestic air traffic has more than doubled since Patel took charge.

Patel says the carrier's board is likely to clear purchase proposals soon after which formal government approval can be sought.

This is likely very soon, as Patel is in favour of it.

The government was initially looking at easing the five-year rule to three years but Patel says this is no longer likely.

Patel says he enjoys aviation, and he had followed the sector closely for many years before becoming minister.

Like father like sonPraful Patel has been India's civil aviation minister since May 2004 following a change in government.

through Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel is moving keenly to allow foreign carriers pick up a 25 per cent stake in Indian airlines, analysts and industry experts say this will help mop up not more than Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) -- which is only.

Civil aviation minister Praful Patel said on Tuesday that as per the original plan, the bidding process for constructing the airport should have been.

Features on Politics - Praful PatelPraful Patel says Indian carriers to repay aviation fuel dues by March 2009Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel today said that Indias airline companies are to repay upto 28 billion rupees outstanding aviation fuel dues to state-run refineries by March 2009 in six monthly installments.

ANIPraful Patel says he asked Naresh Goyal to reinstate sacked employeesTaking the credit for last nights reinstatement of Jet Airways sacked employees, nearly 1900 in number, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel today said that the employees were taken back by the Airlines after he had asked its chief Naresh Goyal to do the same.

ANIPatel rules out retrenchment of Air India staffUnion Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said that there will be no retrenchment in Air India.

Hyderabad, October 15 : India is poised to steer out of the current crisis in the aviation sector and the government was doing everything possible to support and sustain the industry, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said Wednesday.

There were about 400 old or unused airports in the country, Patel said these could be brought into operation in a phased manner.

The Bidi king of Vidarbha, Praful Patel is a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Union Minister of State with independent charge of Civil Aviation.

A dynamic man, Praful Patel took the historic decision of buying aircraft for the Indian Airlines and Air India soon after he took over.

But Patel has promised that by the end of the year, he will have identified foreign partners for Delhi and Mumbai airports and work will start.

Patel said the hub would help the government promote Indian carriers, and increase their market share on international routes.

We've asked the oil companies to consider a reduction in the base price of ATF," Patel said after a meeting with the prime minister.

Patel said he had discussed the emerging scenario with the prime minister, the finance minister, the deputy chairman of the planning commission and others.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of ''Petrotech 2009'', the eighth edition of Asia''s largest petroleum exhibition and conference here, Patel said the Indian Government is considering various options to help the aviation industry come out of its current problems.

Talking to reporters after meeting with Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora, Patel said that oil firms have agreed to raise the credit period for local carriers to 90 days from 60 days, and refineries would revise jet fuel prices every 15 days instead of 30 days.

Praful Patel says Indian carriers to repay aviation fuel dues by March 2009 Submitted by Mohit Joshi on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 11:11.

Praful Patel says he asked Naresh Goyal to reinstate sacked employees Submitted by Mohit Joshi on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 07:19.

Hyderabad, Oct 16 :Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said that there will be no retrenchment in Air India.

Inaugurating the exhibition at the Begumpet Airport here, Patel said India would need an investment of 200-300 million dollars in the next 10-15 years in the entire spectrum of the aviation sector, including procurement of planes and airport infrastructure.

Patel is likely to make a presentation to Prime Minister Dr.

After day-long deliberations with concerned parties, Patel said all NCP MLAs, MGP MLAs, Independent Vishwajit Rane and Save Goa Front member have decided to support the Digamber Kamat government.

Fares are a question of demand and supply," Patel said in an interview.

A confidant of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar, Patel says he is determined to clear the hurdles to the growth of the Indian civil aviation sector.

Patel is currently the spokesperson as well as one of the national leaders of Pawar’s NCP.

Patel was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991 from the Bhandara constituency.

Patel is the president of the Western India Football Association, vice-president of All India Football Federation, the Maharashtra Olympic Association and the National Sports Club of India.

Though he might be new to the corridors of power in New Delhi, Patel is a seasoned politician.

former Speaker of the Lok Sabha P.

considered decision to join the NCP.

VISAKHAPATNAM: The international airport here, work on which is progressing at a brisk pace, will be inaugurated in three to four months, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel has said.

of Delhi and Mumbai airports to private sector firms.

bids, Patel said the proposals of the two consortia have been approved.

Heeding to the demands of the Left parties and trade unions, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) would continue to manage the 35 non-metro airports, which have been short-listed for upgradation and modernisation.

Patel said he had spoken to the unions and the Left parties and claimed that there would be "no confrontation" and the two airports would be handed over to joint venture companies.

Patel said unlike the practice in insurance and telecom sectors, foreign airlines are not allowed to acquire equity in Indian carriers.

Patel said he had discussed the matter with the Left parties and unions and "nobody has an objection either to raise money by IPO or to merge" the two airlines.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is ready to back Congress party president Sonia Gandhi or her MP son Rahul Gandhi as prime minister after the 2009 general elections, NCP leader and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said.

Patel said that all reserved activities such as security, immigration, customs and air traffic control would continue to be under government control at the new airports.

Fares are a question of demand and supply,' Patel said in an interview with IANS.

Patel said that he had, indeed, intervened to help bail out the aviation sector by trying to resolve the impasse over prices of aviation fuel between airlines and fuel retailers - a move that was criticised by his cabinet colleague, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora.

Hyderabad, October 16: : Sympathising with the sacked Jet Airways employees, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Thursday said he would hold talks with all airlines to find a way out of the downturn in the industry caused by high fuel costs and economic slowdown.

Patel said the sacking of Jet Airways employees was a labour issue and there were other departments and agencies in the government to deal with the issue.

Hence his cute comments about how he was sure Ahluwalia would do his best to address issues of poor roads and sewage that he would no doubt have noticed "in (his) many visits across Delhi and the country"! But what are truly amazing are the other things Patel has written in his widely reported letter to Ahluwalia.

In a piece of brilliant writing, Patel said the idea was to not repeat the mistakes made at the time of construction of the present Delhi airport, the plans for which were approved by (under an earlier government, decades ago), apart from the aviation ministry, the Planning Commission! Put that way, it's difficult not to agree with Patel.

It's a nostalgic moment to see that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's memory is kept alive," Praful Patel said at Federation House here Thursday evening while releasing Ketan Mehta's National Award winning film on DVD and VCD.

Remembering the contribution of the great leader, who was India's first home minister, to the country's integration, he said: "It is often said that if Sardar Patel had his own way this would be a different country.

Adopting the exertion of Montreal Convention, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has proposed to hike the compensation charges for delaying the domestic flights, loss of baggage and for any injury or death.