With no clear policy framework, India’s business and general aviation community is being stifled by limited infrastructure, regulatory hurdles and high taxation, according to India’s Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA). These problems recently prompted the BAOA to send a 50-item legislative wish list to the country’s ministry of aviation.

The latest obstacle thrown in business aviation’s way is a new requirement that the ministry has to approve every aircraft purchase by specific model type. “There is a need to delink the general aviation acquisition process from commercial aviation,” said BAOA president Rohit Kapur. Some Indian buyers are believed to have gone into default on aircraft purchase contracts waiting for the ministry’s acquisition committee to meet, which it has not done for the past five months.

Meanwhile, the BAOA said other regulatory matters to be addressed include day-to-day issues such as removal of the seven-day notice period for foreign aircraft to land in India and approval processes for the foreign pilots needed by the industry to make up for the shortfall caused by restrictions on flight training.