India's civil aviation sector has been blaming government's policies for its financial woes.

Moves like giving more licences to start new airlines and allowing existing airlines to import more planes would have assisted in bring down fares that have defied gravity ever since the start of Kingfisher's troubles last year, but aviation minister Ajit Singh did just the opposite.

Low cost carrier IndiGo wanted to import sixteen planes this year to expand its service, but the ministry gave clearance for just five planes. The clearance for more imports of planes would depend on a new the ministry's new yet-to-be-finalized regional connectivity policy that may make it mandatory for carriers to have small turboprops in their fleet.

The aviation minister himself declared that he would push for carriers to get smaller aircrafts in their fleets to enhance regional connectivity. He also declared that the government had three ways to enhance small town connectivity, viz. new guidelines for flying to smaller towns; clearances from plane acquisition committee and cut-rate airports.

Private-sector airlines are arguing that the government is restricting their freedom.

Arguing against the government's policies, an airline executive said, "We are in the business with our money and must be given some freedom to operate. Otherwise the government should shut us down and just keep AI alive by pumping in thousands of crores of public money."

Captain G R Gopinath, who is also called the father of low-cost flying in India, has long been seeking the ministry's approval for starting a new airline with a foreign partner but is yet to obtain the same.