The Delhi High Court on Monday directed civil aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which has deregistered three aircraft of the Paramount Airways following a dispute, to give a hearing to the Coimbatore-based airline.
A division bench, comprising acting Chief Justice M.B. Lokur and Justice Mukta Gupta, however, declined to grant any relief to the airline, saying there would be “no stay” on the DGCA's direction to ground its aircraft.
“DGCA would give a personal hearing to the petitioner [Paramount Airways] on March 29 and pass an order within two weeks,” the bench directed while dismissing Paramount's petition to stay the DGCA's order de-registering its planes.
The court further said, “We are not staying the order dated December 4, 2009 by the DGCA” through which the regulator had de—registered the aircraft of Paramount Airways.
The court's direction came after counsel appearing for the airline submitted that DGCA directed them to ground their aircraft without giving them a personal hearing and it was in violation of natural justice.
During the proceedings, Paramount Airways also requested the court to allow its grounded planes to fly as the customers who have booked their tickets were suffering. It further submitted that other airlines have no capacity to accommodate its passengers.
However, the court declined to entertain it. Even Paramount Airways' request to allow it to fly by making payments to the U.K.—based GE Capital Aviation Service Ltd (GECAS) and Celestial Aviation Trading as per the order of the Queen's Bench of London was rejected by the court.
“It for the Madras High Court to decide. We are not going into it,” the court said.
The airlines has decided to challenge the order to obtain immediate relief. “We are further moving the court to obtain immediate relief,” a Paramount Airways spokesperson said.
