Air travel to cost more as airlines freed to charge extra for services

New Delhi: Air travel is all set to cost more as Indian carriers — like their foreign counterparts — are now free to charge passengers extra for almost every service.
The aviation ministry on Monday allowed airlines to 'unbundle' services —meaning charge extra for blocking seats in advance, check-in baggage, and carrying sports and musical equipment or high value baggage. The list of items allowed for extra charge by aviation minister Ajit Singh will be reviewed in six months.
Fallout of this order could be reduced free check-in weight. Domestic flyers are presently allowed to check-in 20 kg and airlines have been planning to reduce this to 15 kg. Airlines have been planning to hike excess baggage charge too, which means a double whammy for flyers.
30/04/13 Times of India

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Now, pay more for luggage on domestic airlines

Mumbai: Indian airlines, like their peers in the US and Europe, will now be able to charge for check-in baggage and seats of choice. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh today allowed domestic airlines to charge fees for preferential seats and use of lounges, among other things, opening for them additional revenue streams.
In its statement, the ministry said it had decided to permit scheduled airlines to unbundle certain services and charge for those separately. The move was based on the recommendations of Nathan Economic Consultants in its report ‘Economic Regulations to Airlines’ Ticket Pricing in India’. The report had batted for unbundling of services “since it has become a necessary aspect of exercising more control over operational costs and running a successful airline”.
The decision, coming within days of AirAsia applying for starting domestic services, could prove beneficial for the Malaysian low-cost airline, which relies heavily on ancillary revenue from luggage, meals, in-flight entertainment, preferred seats, etc, while keeping its base fare low.
30/04/13 Business Standard

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Flying to get costlier as airlines set to charge for preferred seats, check-in bags

New Delhi:  In a move that would raise the cost of air travel, the government on Monday said it has allowed airlines to charge passengers for preferred seats on a flight, check-in baggages and meals, among other things.
"Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh has decided to permit scheduled airlines to unbundle certain services and to charge fees for these services separately," an official release said.
The services for which the airlines would be free to charge passengers include preferential seating, meals, snacks, drinks (barring drinking water), check-in baggages, use of airline lounges, carriage of sports equipment and musical instruments and valuable baggages which have higher carrier liability.
29/04/13 PTI/Times of India

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Get ready to pay more for check-in baggage, preferred air seats and meals

New Delhi: Next time you want a seat with more leg room on a domestic flight, be ready to pay extra. Not just for more leg room, domestic carriers may soon begin charging  for even check- in baggage, meals (which most LCCs charge for anyway), carrying a musical instrument or sports gear.
Civil Aviation regulator DGCA today allowed airlines to charge for these services at a pre-determined fare which would be outside the base fare.
This has been a long pending demand of airlines and is on the lines of global practices where some airlines charge for each piece of  luggage. But it is interesting to note that while these charges will not need to be paid by fliers if they don’t want a snack, a preferred seat or a check-in bag, they are being allowed just when AirAsia is preparing to launch services in India.
30/04/13 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

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Air travel to be expensive, pay more for meals, baggage

New Delhi: Air travel will become expensive with Aviation Minister Ajit Singh allowing backdoor charges to be levied on service like preferred seats, check-in baggage and meals. The airlines can now charge for preferential seating, meals, snacks, drinks (barring drinking water), check-in baggage, use of airline lounges, carriage of sports equipment and musical instruments and valuable baggage which have higher carrier liability. The ministry said the list of services will be reviewed every six months. The charges for unbundled services will be fixed and announced in advance by the airlines. They won't vary in line with the base fare for a particular flight.
The attempts by domestic airlines to introduce charges on preferential seats and drinking water were put on hold in 2011 following orders from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
29/04/13 One India

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Base airfare to come down post unbundling of srvcs: KPMG

The base fares of the airline companies are likely to come down post unbundling of services by government, noted Amber Dubey, partner, KPMG. Today, the government allowed airlines to charge passengers for preferred seats , check-in baggage and meals among other things, which will essentially raise the cost of air travel.
However, the government argued that this move would result in a lower base fare. Agreeing to this view, Dubey explained that people will now only pay for services that they are using.
"The base fare will definitely come down. But by how much? It is something which only time will tell because almost 80-85 percent of the cost base of a airline is anyway fixed,” he said.  Most of the airline costs such as fuel, airport charges, wages and salaries, and aircraft leasing are fixed, leaving very little room for companies to reduce base fare.
29/04/13 moneycontrol.com

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Routes, time-slots issue: COPU slams Civil Aviation Ministry

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel on Tuesday slammed the Civil Aviation Ministry for taking a "contradictory" stand on allocation of routes and flight time- slots to ensure that private airlines were not favoured at the expense of Air India.
The Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU), which had recommended a "transparent review" of route and slot allocations, said the ministry had first said such an analysis had been carried out but later held that it had no role in selection of routes by airlines.
In its report tabled in Parliament today, the COPU said it expected the ministry "to clarify their aforesaid contradictory views and apprise the Committee of the outcome of the analysis and review undertaken regarding route and slot allocations".
The report came days after the enhancement of bilateral air traffic rights with the Gulf and other nations.
30/04/13 PTI/ZeeNews

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Fake pilot held for cheating women

Kolkata: City police on Saturday arrested an imposter from his Thakurpukur home for posing as an eligible bachelor and robbing several women of huge amounts of money.
The accused Ambarish Sarkar allegedly posed as a pilot with a foreign airlines and approached women through the various marriage portals. Though not particularly good looking, it was his gift of the gab and fluency in English that floored young women. Moreover, he also boasted of multiple flats in various European cities.
Police sources said that following a complaint filed by Sarkar's latest victim - an employee of a private firm - they started looking for the accused. The two apparently met at a city hotel and the woman was captivated by his smartness.
30/04/13 Times of India

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Civil Aviation Authority will appoint more watchdogs

Kolkata: One of the first things that Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) proposes to do once it is constituted is to recruit people at market rates for use in regulatory purposes.
Speaking to TOI, Director General of Civil Aviation Arun Mishra said the CAA should begin functioning towards the latter half of the year with initial support from the finance ministry and thereafter through fees collected from airlines operators that is currently deposited into the Consolidated Fund of India."The CAA will be headed by a chairperson, who will receive support from the director-general (DG) and seven to nine members. These officials will be appointed by the central government on the recommendation of a selection committee. The authority will have full financial autonomy and a separate fund—Civil Aviation Authority of India Fund—will be used for all expenses including salaries," Mishra said.
29/04/13 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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DGCA didn't levy fine worth crores from errant pilots

New Delhi: Three years ago, India increased the quantum of penalty that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the country's aviation regulator, could levy on pilots, instructors, airlines, training schools, etc if found violating aviation norms. From a few hundred rupees, the fine was increased to lakhs. However, last month, the civil aviation ministry found out that the DGCA has not levied a single fine despite the fact that since 2009, there have been about 600 cases that called for a penalty.
"The reluctance of a few DGCA officials to levy the penalty is questionable and will be investigated,'' said a top official from the civil aviation ministry. "We have studied only cases involving flight training organizations. The penalty amount not collected amounts to a few crores," he added. Aviation regulators worldwide use penalty as an effective deterrent.
30/04/13 Manju V/Times of India

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Malindo Air eyes network growth in India, China

Kuala Lumpur: Malindo Air will roll out more destinations in India following the launch of its first international route between Kuala Lumpur and New Delhi in June.
 CEO, Chandran Ramamuthy, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the airline would commence flights between Kuala Lumpur and Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata in the second half of 2013, subject to regulatory approval.
 He added: “We see India is a big and growing market. In terms of tourism arrivals, it is the second largest medium-haul market after China.”
 Besides ramping up seat capacity, Malindo Air’s new Indian services might pave the way for lower airfares and new outbound destinations for Indian tourists, said Grandlotus Travel Agencies managing director, K Thangavelu.
29/04/13 S Puvaneswary/TTG Asia

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Pawan Hans to provide services to IITs

Mumbai: Helicopter company Pawan Hans may soon be providing helicopter services to two IIT campuses. Pawan Hans officials said that they have got demands from IIT Kanpur and Manali to operate services from their campuses to neighbouring cities to facilitate the movement of people.
On Monday, the chairman and managing director of Pawan Hans, Anil Srivastava, said that IIT Kanpur has asked for helicopter services from their campus to Lucknow. Similarly, IIT Manali has also requested for services from the campus to Chandigarh. "Most people come to Kanpur from Delhi. But the number of flights is very less. Also, Kanpur airport is about an hour away from the campus. Hence, there is a request to have services from Lucknow, which is better connected by air to other parts of the country," said Srivastava. "We will start services to IIT Manali from next month," he added.
30/04/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Youngest 'pilot' steals limelight at air show

Thrissur: Aditya Pawar, all of seven years, likes 'to fly' when his friends play video games. The class II student from Bangalore was the first Indian to participate in the world championship for flying radio-controlled aircraft in the United States. The youngest 'pilot' in India came to Thrissur to participate in an air show at Punkunnam Vidya Mandir School on Saturday. And he enthralled the audience by flying a life-like model of NF2070 aircraft at a height of 1,000 feet. Though there were other participants who demonstrated their skills at the air show organized by Aero-Sports, Aditya stole the show.
Aditya, the eldest son of Abhay and Asha Pawar, picked up his hobby only eight months ago. "Abhay likes to fly radio-controlled aircraft and Aditya loved the experience. The problem in Bangalore is that there are no open spaces for flying such model aicraft and we have to travel 35 km away from town to find space," said Asha.
29/04/13 TC Sreemol/Times of India

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Yet to appoint CEO for India foray: AirAsia

Mumbai: AirAsia today said the low-cost airline group is yet to appoint CEO for its India foray, more than a month after AirAsia Group Chief Tony Fernandes tweeted that he had selected a person for the top job.
Meanwhile, it is also learnt that the Malaysian carrier has not yet applied for the flying licence to the sector regulator, even though it has already received the FIPB approval.
“AirAsia India has not appointed a CEO,” AirAsia spokesperson said in an e-mail statement to PTI from Airline’s headquarters in Sepang, Malaysia.
The e-mail came in response to a PTI query seeking confirmation of the name of CEO doing rounds in the industry.
21/04/13 PTI/Business Line

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Good partner made Tata group return to aviation

Mumbai: A good partner and untapped potential in the low-cost sector made Tatas re-enter the aviation space although the industry remains tough, and the competition cut-throat, according to a company official.
"If you look at the low-cost carrier space, it is huge and it has not been adequately tapped. So, the opportunity is there," Tata Group Brand Custodian and Spokesperson Mukund Rajan said, when asked what made the group change its stand on re-entering the sector.
There are many people from many cities wanting to travel but are not receiving the services, and that offers immense potential, he said.
The Tata group, which pioneered civil aviation in India, is making a come-back to the sector with Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia and Telestra Tradeplace of Arun Bhatia in a 49:30:21 joint venture 'AirAsia India', a no-frills airline.
28/04/13 PTI/Indian Express

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The dogfight begins

It sounded too good to be true — Etihad paying a huge premium of 32 per cent over the market price to pick up just 24 per cent equity in Jet Airways. Large premiums are usually associated with a transfer of control but Etihad was not getting into the pilot’s seat of Jet Airways. The equity stake was also not big enough to make a difference as an investor as Etihad would still be unable to block special resolutions at shareholder meetings.
Throw in the fact that Jet is not exactly in the pink of health. With accumulated losses of over Rs.1,900 crore and borrowings of over Rs.13,000 crore, the airline is hardly an attractive investment candidate. So, how was Etihad persuaded to part with such a large premium for a small stake?
The answer came immediately after the deal was made public. The government announced an increase in the bilateral weekly seats between India and Abu Dhabi to 36,670 seats a week from 13,330 at present. That’s almost a three-fold rise and is a huge shot in the arm for the small emirate of Abu Dhabi whose national carrier is Etihad.
In the airline industry, seat capacities between two countries are decided through bilateral agreements with each country then apportioning its share to different airlines registered there. In the case of Etihad, it is the national carrier for Abu Dhabi and will enjoy the whole share of the emirate’s bilateral seats.
28/04/13 Raghuvir Srinivasan/The Hindu

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Aviation MRO industry calls for proper policy

India may be eyeing to become one of world's largest aviation markets, but lack of favourable policy for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business is hampering the growth of the segment, MRO industry sources said.
The MRO sector, considered an important part of the aviation sector, is still neglected due to lack of proper policy, an industry official said.
According to an estimate, aircraft MRO business is currently worth $500 million and is likely to grow over $1.5 billion by 2020. India, currently, constitutes one per cent of the global MRO market worth $45 billion.
"Currently, the MRO industry is facing the problems of high service tax, high royalty charges by airport operator and delay in Customs clearances of spare parts," Dhiraj Chhabra, associate vice-president (Marketing) of Air Works, one of the country's first MRO companies, said.
28/04/13 PTI/Business Standard

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MoD to resolve IAF-HAL spat over trainer aircraft for rookie pilots

Even as the criticality of imparting proper training to rookie pilots hangs in the balance, IAF and defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics have locked horns on the acquisition of new basic trainer aircraft (BTA). The defence ministry will soon have to step in to resolve the tussle.
Upset with the huge delay in development of the indigenous BTA, IAF has now formally asked MoD to approve its acquisition case for 37 more Swiss Pilatus PC-7 trainers to add to 75 such planes already ordered for Rs 2,896 crore last year.
A miffed HAL, however, wants MoD to reject the proposal. Contending its under-development HTT-40 aircraft will meet all the BTA requirements of IAF, the indigenous aircraft manufacturer says it will prove cheaper than the Swiss aircraft in the long run.
28/04/13 Rajat Pandit/Economic Times

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Most flight cancellations due to technical glitches

Mumbai: Most flight cancellations in 2012 happened due to technical problems. Data published by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows that, most number of flights are cancelled due to technical glitches. The next big reason for cancellations is commercial, followed by consequential cancellations. Weather related cancellations contribute to only about 11 percent of cancellations.
The data shows that of all the domestic flights delays, 40.6 percent were cancelled due to technical problems faced by the aircraft. Airport officials said that this shows how often aircraft suffer glitches which are big enough for the flight to be cancelled. "This reflects poorly on the maintenance of the aircraft by airlines," said an official at Mumbai airport.
28/04/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Unmanned aerial vehicles take lead role in coastal security drill

Kochi: The efficacy of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) as an early warning mechanism against enemy sneaking in aboard hijacked or rouge vessels was demonstrated during Exercise Gemini-2, the second edition of integrated coastal defence drill for Kerala and Lakshadweep. The 48-hour-long drill drew to a close at 6 a.m. on Saturday.
The Heron and Searcher UAVs of the Navy’s air squadron No. 342 based at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi took to the skies relentlessly, picking out at least a few suspect vessels on each flight and alerting the defence forces to the threat.
“They proved quite useful in searching for rogue boats, which made it easy for us to instruct interceptor boats on patrol to check them out,” said a Navy officer. “Given the flight safety restrictions imposed by commercial aviation, they couldn’t be flown at high altitudes. But they did a good job,” he said.
28/04/13 S. Anandan/The Hindu

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Aviation industry: Out of turbulent times

Chennai: Good days are back again for the aviation industry. As per a survey by IATA (International Air Travel Association), 73% of the respondents expect an improvement in profitability in the next 12 months. "Consolidation and efficiency gains have helped airlines in some regions increase profits in 2012, and that is likely driving the expectation for further financial improvements in 2013," IATA said.
The association said that the improvement in outlook compared to January largely reflects the outcome of structural changes rather than acceleration in global economic growth. Also, the first two months of 2013 have seen strong expansion in the growth trend, supported by improvements in the business environment and solid economic growth in emerging regions. "For the 12 month outlook, respondents expect to see an increase in cargo traffic," IATA said.
27/04/13 Aparna Ramalingam/Times of India

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MiG Still Hopes for Indian MiG-35 Order

Russia has approached India again with an offer for MiG-35 fighters. The move comes as negotiations drag on to finalize a contract for the Dassault Rafale, which was declared the winner of the medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA) competition in January last year. Explaining the move, Sergei Korotkov, general director at Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (RAC MiG), told Russian media, “Although we lost the [MMRCA] tender, we nonetheless met all the requirements set by the tender committee.” He noted that MiG has been a partner with the Indian aerospace industry and air force for 50 years; India signed for its first MiG-21 fighters in 1962.
Although RAC MiG has failed so far to clinch a firm domestic order for the MiG-35, Korotkov said that negotiations with the Russian MoD continue, with an award expected in this year’s second half. Korotkov said that deliveries of the 24 MiG-29K/KUB carrier-capable fighters for the Russian navy will start later this year. For the first time in recent Russian procurement history, they will come equipped with foreign avionics, including Sagem navigation systems and Thales helmet-mounted sights. The Russian navy is the second customer for the ship-borne MiGs after India, which has already received 20 such aircraft out of 45 on order (worth nearly $2 billion), and expects four more later this year.
26/04/13 Valdimir Karnozov/AINonline

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Jet-Etihad deal is a game changer

Jet Airways’ sale of 24 per cent stake to Abu-Dhabi-based Etihad Airways for $379 million (about Rs 2,050 crore) is a win-win situation for both parties and for Indian passengers. Travellers will now have a choice of flying from smaller cities directly to Abu Dhabi and thereon to any of the carrier’s global destinations. There is also expected to be a price war between Etihad and its Gulf competitor, Emirates, as both will be competing for the Indian passenger who will be the ultimate beneficiary.
In the next three years the number of Indians travelling abroad is expected to touch 44 million so the stakes for airlines are tremendous. Etihad is in keen competition with Emirates, which flies out of 10 cities and currently has a 13 per cent market share of international travellers from India.
The government has agreed to give Etihad permission to fly to 11 more cities in India in addition to the nine it already flies to and both Etihad and Jet will get an additional 37,000 seats a week from the present 13,000. This generous enhancement of flights by the government has, as expected, caused serious worry among Indian domestic carriers, including Air India, who feel they would be deprived of air traffic.
26/04/13 Deccan Chronicle

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Smaller cities get global gateway in Abu Dhabi

The biggest gainers of the deal between Jet Airways and Etihad could well be those living in the mid-sized and smaller cities of India.
Post the deal, Jet plans to connect close to a dozen of these cities to destinations across the world through Etihad’s home base of Abu Dhabi, which will become the new hub for the Indian carrier.
“People in Tier 2 and 3 cities will see enhanced global connect, which may give a fillip to trade and tourism in those locations. They can expect more competition, better regional connectivity, higher efficiency and lower fares,” says Amber Dubey, Partner and Head-Aviation at global consultancy firm KPMG.
In three years from now, Jet Airways has plans to connect 23 cities to the world through Abu Dhabi. The cities include Patna, Baroda, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Amritsar, Baroda, Jaipur and others, including the metro cities. A Jet Airways source said that they have plans to induct 54 aircraft over a period of three to five years to support their expansion plan.
26/04/13 Mihir Mishra/Financial Express

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Aviation Ministry to invite airlines to submit Abu Dhabi flight plans

New Delhi: Close on the heels of India wrapping up the bilateral negotiations with Abu Dhabi, the civil aviation ministry is now set to invite Indian carriers to submit their flight plans to the West Asian destination for the winter schedule starting October.
"In case the demand for seats outstrips the available quota, the demands of the carriers with requisite resources, including aircraft, will be considered first," said a senior ministry official.
In the bilateral negotiations that concluded on Wednesday, both sides have agreed to allocate an additional entitlement of 36,670 seats per week spread over a period of three years. Of the total entitlement, 11,000 weekly seats will be available in 2013, an additional 12,800 seats by up to October 2014 and the remaining 12,870 weekly seats by up to October 2015.
26/04/13 Mihir Mishra/Indian Express

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Will AirAsia get approvals to begin Indian operations soon?

Malaysia’s Air Asia has plans to launch operations in India as early as this year. The airline is pro-actively trying to complete bureaucracy related formalities so that it can begin operations in smaller towns and cities with an Airbus fleet.
After getting a formal approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to set up an airline in the domestic market, the airline is learnt to have submitted an application to launch low cost airline in India along with Tata Sons and Telestra Tradeplace in a 49:30:21 partnership.
Earlier, there was a talk that the aviation ministry had disapproved AirAsia's India entry on grounds that Tata Sons should have first set up an airline company, obtained a flying permit and then should have offloaded stake to it. But later, the foreign investment proposal panel okayed the venture.
26/04/13 Moneycontrol.com

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Taking off

Jet Airways's sale of a 24 per cent stake to Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways for approximately Rs 2,050 crore is a win-win for the two airlines. It is also a much-delayed step into the future for India's crisis-hit civil aviation sector. Jet has become the first Indian carrier to utilise the government's change of policy last September to allow foreign airlines to acquire equity in Indian carriers. While Etihad gets access to India's large outbound passenger market, Jet will see a near-tenfold increase in its capacity in addition to strategic expertise, cheap financing and fuel import benefits, apart from a doubling of its market worth. The deal suggests the potential for restoring growth in the cramped and ailing sector.
At a time when global perception of the Indian economy is gloomy, the Jet-Etihad deal underscores the fact that civil aviation is a growing market in India that will continue to invite competition and investment. Having posted a loss of Rs 10,000 crore for FY2011-12 due to adverse circumstances, however, the industry is by no means out of the woods. Instead of throwing good money after bad, such as in providing a sovereign guarantee to Air India's debts and bailing it out, as with the Rs 30,000 crore package last year, the civil aviation ministry should have left AI to fend for itself and given private carriers the leeway to strike the best deals for themselves.
26/04/13 Indian Express

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AirAsia applies for operational clearance

The low cost carrier (LCC) filed an application with the civil aviation ministry on April 23 to start its India operations, official sources said yesterday.
The airline started the process of hiring pilots and cabin crew earlier this month.
The company in its application said it proposed to start operations with a few aircraft and eventually operate around 37 in the next five years.
Earlier, the LCC had said that it will operate from Chennai and focus on providing connectivity to tier-II and -III cities. It plans to start operations by the end of this year.
In its proposal to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), AirAsia said it intended to hold 49% stake in the joint venture (JV), while Tata Sons will hold a 30% stake and the Arun Bhatia-promoted Telestra Tradeplace 21%.
25/04/13 IANS/Gulf Times

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Government Approves High Level Air Space Policy Body

Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Shri K. C. Venugopal informed Rajya Sabha today that the concept of Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) for sharing of airspace between civil and military users has been agreed in principle. The Government has accorded approval for constituting a High Level Airspace Policy Body (HLAPB) with the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation as its Chairperson, and also for establishing sub-committees by the HLAPB to develop modalities for implementing the concept of FUA. Salient features of the airspace sharing settlement includes establishment of three levels of airspace management, viz., ASM Level 1, the strategic level, wherein the per-determined airspace structures will be established, ASM Level 2, the pre-tactical level, wherein day-to-day allocation of airspace according to user requirements will be carried out and ASM Level 3, the tactical level, wherein real-time use of airspace allowing a safer and fuel efficient civil and military flights is effected. The airspace sharing settlement also includes establishment of an Airspace Management Cell (AMC) for conducting ASM Level 2 operations in close coordination with Central Flow Management Unit.
25/04/13 Press Information Bureau

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Govt eyes helicopter service in NE states

New Delhi: The central government on Tuesday said it has laid down Route Dispersal Guidelines with a view to achieve better regulation of air transport services taking into account the need for air transport services of different regions of the country including North Eastern (NE) states.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Paban Singh Ghatowar told the Lok Sabha that according to these guidelines, all scheduled operators are required to deploy in the North Eastern Region, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep (Category-II routes) at least 10% of their deployed capacity on trunk routes (Category-I routes).
23/04/13 India Blooms

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India To Launch First Seaplane Operation

The state of Kerala in Southwest India has invested $2.2 million in a seaplane operation to promote major destinations located near its 24 lakes and water bodies known for backwater tourism and houseboats. Kerala Tourism Infrastructure (KTIL), the nodal agency for the project, awaits a Directorate General of Civil Aviation no-objection certificate (NOC), and plans a launch in mid-May.
Of six operators that have shown interest, Kerala Seaplanes and Pinnacle Air, offering a mix of Twin Otters, Cessna Caravans and Cessna 206s, stand ready to start operations once they complete trial flights. As an incentive, the state has waived parking and landing charges for a year for those registered before January 31.
The business model does not include a permanently constructed terminal. KTIL is building five marked “waterdromes”–one kilometer by 250 meters wide–with houseboats and jetties for terminals so it can move the facilities to other bodies of water as the need arises.
22/04/13 Neelam Mathews/AIN Online

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India-UAE air services bilateral hangs in balance

New Delhi: A question mark hangs over the bilateral air services agreement that India and the United Arab Emirates are hoping to conclude in Abu Dhabi on April 23.
The issue is on how many more seats India should exchange in the bilateral with UAE, so that airlines from both countries can operate more flights. There is no political consensus in the inter-ministerial group, comprising the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministries of Finance, External Affairs, Commerce and Civil Aviation.
There is renewed interest in the bilateral agreement mainly because UAE’s Etihad Airways is in talks to pick up a significant stake in India’s private carrier Jet Airways.
At the moment India and Abu Dhabi allow their airlines to operate close to 14,000 seats a week between the two countries. The proposal is to increase the allocation of seats three-fold to over 42,000 a week.
Jet Airways is seeking an increase in the number of flights that it is allowed to operate to Abu Dhabi pointing out that it plans to link 23 cities in India to not only Abu Dhabi but also to provide passengers an opportunity to connect to cities in the Gulf region, Africa and the US.
22/04/13 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and Air Arabia seek 1.5 lakh more seats a week to India

Mumbai: The Middle Eastern airlines, in a bid to strengthen their foothold in the Indian market, are likely to seek nearly 1,50,000 additional seats per week from the Indian government, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), a global aviation consulting firm.
CAPA estimates that the market will open up further and there will be more penetration to the Tier-II cities in India.
"The Middle Eastern airlines will make a very compelling case for this expansion as they have a total of 400 aircraft on order. Of these, 90 are wide-bodied aircraft. These airlines need markets like India to open up for picking up traffic," said Kapil Kaul, CEO, South Asia and Middle East, CAPA.
According to CAPA estimates, the middle eastern carriers - Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and UAE carrier Air Arabia - are likely to ask the government permission for additional seats and also revisit their demand to fly the largest passenger airplane in the world, the A380 to India.
23/04/13 Manisha Singhal/Economic Times

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Lufthansa union on strike, India flights hit

Mumbai: Lufthansa Airlines operations came to a grinding halt on Monday due to a one-day trade union strike at its German hubs.
As a consequence the airline's flights from Germany to Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore and their return legs were affected.
The airline said it is making alternate arrangements for passengers in India affected due to flight cancellations.
It said the flights from India will depart as per schedule early Tuesday.
Nearly all Lufthansa flights within Germany and Europe will be cancelled.  In all, only 20 of the 1,650 planned Lufthansa short-haul flights on Monday will operate due to the limited flight schedule, the airline said in a statement. The airline said it was operating only six long haul flights from Frankfurt and seventeen flights from Munich due to the labour trouble.
22/04/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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UP's first flight kitchen near Lal Bahadur Shastri airport

Varanasi: The first flight kitchen in the state came up near Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Babatpur from Saturday.
Flight kitchen establishment owner Pradeep Narayan Singh said world class flight kitchens exited in limited metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore. "When I saw some of those kitchens, the concept for bringing a world class flight kitchen in Varanasi developed in my mind as the Airport Authority of India (AAI) had also decided to upgrade Babatpur airport into international airport," he added.
22/04/13 Times of India

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Tejas grounds Medium Combat Aircraft project

New Delhi: Troubles in India’s ambitious Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project has inflicted gaping wounds where it would hurt the Indian Air Force (IAF) the most—the future plans for an Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has “put on hold” the AMCA project that is being spearheaded by Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
The reason for the sudden decision to send the AMCA project—which began in right earnest in 2006 as the Medium Combat Aircraft (MCA) development in 2006—to cold storage is to help ADA to focus all its energies to first work on completing the much-delayed LCA project. “The AMCA has been put on hold for the moment. This decision was taken recently to let the ADA focus on the LCA project,” top Defence Ministry sources told The Sunday Standard. The AMCA project, for which the IAF provided the final Air Staff Qualitative Requirements (ASQR) in April 2010, may be taken up at a later date, sources said. But that will still be far away in the future.
21/04/13  NC Bipindra/New Indian Express

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50 years on, MiG-21 continues to showcase combat flying

New Delhi: It was a pleasantly warm morning in 1963, when India's first truly supersonic fighter soared into the sky with a sonic boom to shatter the calm. The MiG-21 is still flying high in the Indian skies, even though its stellar track-record got hugely marred in later years as "a flying coffin" or "a widow-maker".
Veteran fighter pilots, however, dismiss any criticism of the MiG-21 by dubbing it the "faithful, if highly-demanding, wife" that helped them be truthful to their credo, "Fight to fly, fly to fight, fight to win", over the years.
Even as IAF marks the 50th anniversary of MiG-21 operations this month, the single-engine fighter is not going to fade away anytime soon. Faced with a depleting number of fighter squadrons as well as an inordinate delay in the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft project, coupled with the excruciating slow pace of new acquisitions, the IAF has plans to operate over 100 upgraded MiG-21 "Bisons" at least till 2017.
20/04/13 Economic Times

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Cleartrip facility to reschedule flights online

New Delhi: In a first, online travel company Cleartrip has introduced a feature that enables travellers to reschedule flights on their own. Currently, for any change in the itinerary, customers have to contact call centres.
About 30 per cent of the calls (200-300 calls a day) to Cleartrip call centres relate to rescheduling a journey.
Cleartrip, which developed the feature through the past four months, says it did this entirely on the basis of customer feedback.
"We noticed each call took a lot of time. There were many instances in which by the time all options were presented to a traveller, he/she would just cancel the whole booking and decide to do it afresh, on his/her own. It was a lot of hassle," said Hrush Bhatt, co-founder and director (product and strategy), Cleartrip.
Currently, the company is offering the facility only on domestic flights.
20/04/13 Ruchika Chitravanshi/Business Standard

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Singapore Airlines Group and Changi Airport to benefit as India-Singapore market opens up further

The Singapore-India market is poised for a modest increase in capacity, driven by further expansion from the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group made possible by the recent signing of an expanded bilateral between the two countries.
The updated air services agreement only increases the previous capacity allotment for Singapore-based carriers by 10%. But SIA will take whatever it can get as Singapore-India is an important and generally under-served market. Incremental increases are typical with the India-Singapore bilateral, which has been updated several times in recent years, although Singapore would prefer a much bigger and broader agreement.
SIA along with full-service subsidiary SilkAir and low-cost carrier affiliate Tiger Airways already account for over 70% of capacity between India and Singapore. Indian carriers do not require a revised bilateral as they were using less than 40% of the prior allotment. Indian carriers over the last year have seen their share of the market decrease and may see their share drop further by the end of 2013 as the SIA Group again boosts capacity to India.
19/04/13 CAPA

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Armed men burgle Kanda's farmhouse

Gurgaon: Former Haryana minister GopalKanda's farmhouse in GwalPahari on Gurgan-Faridabad Road was burgled by armed men late on Thursday night, according to police.
Around 15 armed men barged into the farmhouse by breaking the boundary wall with a JCB machine. According to a complaint filed by a security guard of the farmhouse, after breaking into the house the men stole various valuables. The guard said that the miscreants couldn't be identified as they were wearing masks.
Kanda is currently in jail on the charge of abetting the suicide of former MDLR air hostess Geetika Sharma.
20/04/13 Sanjay Yadav/Times of India

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Squall disrupts IAF watch unit

Kolkata:  For half an hour on Wednesday evening, the Indian airspace was left vulnerable as the Air Force Military Liaison Unit (MLU) at Kolkata airport that monitors aircraft movement was paralyzed by the nor-wester. The 126-kmph squall blew away the corrugated roof of the MLU housed in the annexe of the air traffic control tower, forcing the Air Force personnel to shut down at 7.15 in the evening. The skies remained unmanned till 7.45pm.
As the storm gained intensity on Wednesday evening, the roof that protects the MLU office began to be tossed up and down. At 7.15pm, when the squall's intensity touched 126 kmph, the clamps that kept the sheets fixed to the beams snapped like twigs. Within moments, all hell broke loose in the usually quiet office space. With sheets of blinding rain pouring in, the Air Force personnel on duty scampered to first switch off electricity to the surveillance equipment and then carry them to safety.
19/04/13 Times of India

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Mumbai airports: Space crunch to hit parking of choppers

Mumbai: Space crunch may hit parking of helicopters and small airplanes at the two airports in Mumbai, with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) planning to implement stringent guidelines to decongest the aerodromes and their runways.
Lack of parking space is more acute at the main Chhatrapati Shivaji International ( CSI) Airport and implementation of the guidelines would begin soon, airport sources said, adding "parking is a major issue due to the space crunch."
AAI guidelines mandate that at least 75 metres on either side of the runway has to be kept vacant, they said, adding that no obstruction, including parking of aircraft, are allowed within this limit.
17/04/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Nextant Aerospace sees opportunities in Asia

According to Nextant, Asia has lowest penetration of business jets among super rich in the world and the number of billionaires are set to double in the next ten years.
Nextant are focusing on Asia signing deals with China Great Wall Industrial Corporation and Jet Aviation Singapore.
The entry-level business jet market in Asia has grown rapidly over the last decade with the five years to 2012 seeing a 74% increase in deliveries on the previous five year period (2003-2007). Globally, deliveries of business jets grew by just 6% between the same two period.
In spite of this recent growth, the business aviation market in Asia remains relatively underdeveloped compared to the rest of the world and is likely to continue to grow as its economies and high net worth populations continue to expand. It is for these reasons that Asia has been identified as a core part of Nextant’s expansion strategy.
18/04/13 Corporate Jet Investor

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India’s inbound arrival to go up in next 6 months

India’s inbound tourism strategy needs to be tailored to the leisure segment, business travel, while medical and adventure tourism and domestic tourism should be targeted at the middle age segment (35-50 years) to cash in on the rising disposal incomes and increased propensity to travel, a quick survey by FICCI reveals.
The survey findings released to the media today by Jyotsna Suri, Vice President and Chairperson of FICCI’s Tourism Committee, show that a bulk of the respondents (37%) saw the potential growth in inbound tourism in the leisure segment.
Business travel and medical tourism came second with adventure tourism, the third. The respondents are of the view that India’s tourism should target the middle age segment (35-50) to accelerate its growth. The strategy, hence, should be to capitalize on the growing disposable incomes on travel and entertainment. The survey received 480 written and telephonic responses from tourism industry professionals in hotels of all categories, tour operators, travel agents, airlines, investors and tourism associations.
16/04/13 eTN

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Airlines may get direct subsidy for small town

New Delhi: In a bid to boost regional connectivity from 89 small towns that either have small airports or airstrips, the aviation ministry is planning to give upfront subsidies to airlines to put them on their networks. For this, the existing route dispersal guidelines (RDG) that mandate that airlines fly a certain percentage of their flights to the northeast, Kashmir and some other areas may be phased out in the next two to three years.
"We expect an annual subsidy of Rs 400 crore would be required for airlines for flying to these otherwise commercially unviable areas. To fund this, a reasonable cess of about Rs 50 will be levied on all domestic tickets. There will be a bidding process for the flights linking the small towns to bigger cities. Airlines with lowest viability gap funding would be given those routes," said a senior official.
The ministry has decided not to force airlines but 'nudge' them to provide regional connectivity through this route.
17/04/13 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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MRO facility at Kochi Airport on the road to completion

Kochi: The Aircraft Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) wing of the Cochin  International Airport Limited (CIAL) is at its final stages of completion.  The CIAL officials are in talks with four major European companies for  technical joint venture for the MRO facility. On completion, the facility will provide a large number of direct as well as indirect jobs.
As part of the MRO facility, line maintenance work is already operational at the airport and a twin hangar facility to carry out major maintenance at CIAL is already in place.
“The MRO facility of CIAL is yet to become full swing. Talks are on for a  technical joint venture partner for the project. Since CIAL is looking for an international partner, it will take more time to realise the project,” CIAL sources said.
For the MRO facility to become full fledged, major maintenance facility has to be operational.
17/04/13 Pramod Thomas/New Indian Express

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Delhi HC refers pleas on noise pollution at airport to green tribunal

New Delhi:  The Delhi high court on Tuesday referred to National Green Tribunal (NGT) a batch of petitions alleging that noise pollution generated by aircrafts at the IGI airport is affecting health of the residents of nearby areas.
"Considering the provisions of the Environment Protection Act, the Environment Protection Rules and Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules as also the definition of noise pollutants given in the Air (Prevention and Control) of Pollution Act, it can hardly be disputed that these petitions involve a substantial question relating to environment," said a bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice V K Jain.
"If the noise level in Vasant Kunj, Brijwasan and other areas in the vicinity of Terminal-III of IGI Airport exceeds the limits laid down in the schedule, that would be substantial question relating to environment and also amounts to violation of provisions of the Environment Protection Act. Thus, these petitions fulfill the twin requirements of section 14 of the NGT Act," the bench said.
17/04/13 Economic Times

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AirAsia's Tony Fernandes to rely on Kathleen Tan to pilot India take off

New Delhi: Tony Fernandes, founder of Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia, which has six airlines under its fold, will be banking heavily on a woman to ensure the success of his impending India launch. Not surprisingly, months ahead of launching AirAsia India operations, Tony will lean on Kathleen Tan, 52, his decade-old associate at AirAsia, to build the India travel market, just as she did for the airline in China.
Tan, who is known as his 'right hand' in aviation circles and was the airline's former commercial head, has been appointed CEO of AirAsia Expedia (AAE), a JV between AirAsia and travel portal Expedia. It was Tan's original marketing gimmick to offer a million discounted flight seats - a pioneering move which she introduced first in 2005 for AirAsia. This strategy was adopted, this year, by SpiceJet and Jet Airways.
Though, Tan is no more on AirAsia's payroll but she is not too far away either from her previous employer. Tony reads her shift to Expedia as a "gain for AirAsia".
16/04/13 Anindya Upadhyay/Times of India

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AirAsia entry: DGCA will have to pen norms on extra charges

New Delhi:  The debate over airlines raising revenues has been reignited with the impending arrival of ultra low cost airline AirAsia in India. AirAsia charges passengers over and above ticket prices for everything – for every piece of check-in luggage, for preferred seats, for meals and for blankets.
When it begins operations later this year in the domestic market, wouldn’t there be a clamour for similar charges by other LCCs?
A source in DGCA said it was possible that airlines would imitate AirAsia’s model and seek permission to levy these charges.
“But airlines have just been talking about these, no one has made any formal request to the DGCA to look into this issue till now.”
These sources also said airlines such as IndiGo and GoAir already offer preferred seats with meals and this service is chargeable.
16/04/13 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post.com

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FAA certification in near future for ALH-Dhruv: Ajit Singh

Bangalore: Efforts will be made to get HAL's Advance Light Helicopter (ALH-Dhruv) certified by US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the near future, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh today said.
The FAA certification would enable HAL to export ALH-Dhruv, which they were unable to do because Indian certification was not accepted worldwide.
The indigenous chopper had already received the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) certification in 2003.
Inaugurating FAA-Asia Pacific bilateral partners' meeting hosted by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) here, Singh also said that a mechanism needs to be evolved to benefit the bilateral countries involved in such agreements so that they could export or import aeronautical parts mutually.
16/04/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Air links and visas still an issue for Indian inbound to Philippines

Jaipur: Encouraged by last year's 25 per cent year-on-year growth in Indian arrivals, the Philippines is looking at increasing flight connections between the two countries and easing its visa requirements.
The destination is aiming to increase arrivals from India by an ambitious 43 per cent to a total of 66,000 visitors in 2013, up from last year’s 46,000.
Benito Bengzon, assistant secretary – international tourism promotion, Philippines Department of Tourism (DoT), noted that India was already among the country’s top 15 source markets.
Planning to target MICE groups and Indian filmmakers, the DoT is looking for airlines interested in connecting key Indian cities to Manila in the hopes of doubling the number of such flights. Currently, Philippine Airlines runs a thrice-weekly service between New Delhi and Manila via Bangkok.
16/04/13 Shekhar Niyogi/TTG Asia

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First Helicopter EMS To Be Launched In India

India’s yet-to-take off helicopter emergency medical services program (HEMS) received a boost earlier this year with a firm contract for seven Eurocopter EC135s by Bangalore-based Aviators Ltd. signed in the presence of visiting French president François Hollande.
Deliveries are to start by the end of 2013 and operations are to be launched by the first quarter of 2014, Arun Sharma, managing director of Aviators, told AIN. The company, which is holding “discussions with financial institutions and potential partners,” will make an announcement soon, he added.
Unlike current operators that convert their helicopters to EMS on an as-needed basis, Sharma said, “Aviators’ HEMS [aircraft] will not be used for executive charter operations. It will be manned by qualified paramedics, part of the crew.” Equipped with a Fenestron shrouded tail-rotor and bearingless main rotor, the EC135’s large unobstructed cabin, oversized sliding side doors and rear clamshell doors enable rapid loading/unloading of patients and equipment–even with the rotors turning–which facilitates operations during time-critical emergency medical missions, said Norbert Ducrot, Eurocopter senior vice president for the Asia Pacific region.
15/04/13 Neelam Mathews/AINonline

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Airlines think big, look to smaller cities

New Delhi: After failing to fill up even three-fourths of their seats in 2012, airlines are hoping that the largely untapped traffic in tier II and tier III cities can revive their fortunes. Last year the domestic air passenger market contracted 2.1% and while some of it may have been due to the absence of Kingfisher Airlines, the market had begun to contract six months before October 1, 2012, when Kingfisher was finally grounded.
SpiceJet, an early mover, has had two profitable quarters in 2012-13 by increasingly deploying more capacity on non-metro routes. “Regional connectivity has been a focus area for us,” said SpiceJet CEO Neil Mills. “We do 110 flights a day now on our Bombardier Q400 fleet and we have seen a lot more traffic in the tier II and tier III cities.”
Jet Airways agreed that non-metro or regional routes are the future. “As good as our railway network is, it still doesn’t connect most non-metro cities,” said Raj Sivakumar, senior vice-president, alliances and planning.
15/04/13 Debabrata Das/Financial Express

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HAL's trainer pitted as Rs 4,500 cr cheaper than Swiss Pilatus trainer

New Delhi: A looming test case will soon make clear how serious the defence ministry (MoD) is about its recently expressed intentions to end corruption in arms procurement by indigenising defence production. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the Bangalore-based public sector aircraft builder, has challenged the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s plan to purchase more Pilatus trainer aircraft by building a basic trainer aircraft, using its own funding.
Of the IAF's total requirement of 183 basic trainer aircraft, 75 PC-7 Mark II trainers have already been bought for Rs 2,900 crore from a Swiss company, Pilatus. The first few trainers have already been delivered and the IAF will begin training rookie pilots on the PC-7 Mark II this July. With the IAF's immediate requirement met, HAL demands the IAF buy 108 HTT-40 trainers to complete its fleet.
This has led to a dramatic three-way face-off between the MoD, HAL and the IAF. The IAF insists that it needs more Pilatus trainers immediately and is pressing the MoD to exercise the options clause in the Pilatus contract for 37 more PC-7 Mark II trainers. HAL points out that Pilatus will complete delivery of the initial order for 75 trainers only in 2015. If the HTT-40 does not fly by then the options clause can be exercised then, bringing HAL's order down to 71 aircraft.
15/04/13 Ajai Shukla/Business Standard

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AirAsia sees take-off in September, with two aircraft

Chennai: Low cost carrier AirAsia plans to start its India operations in September with two aircraft.
AirAsia India, a joint venture between AirAsia, Tata Sons and Telstra Tradeplace, kicked off the hiring process for cabin crew at Chennai today. The airline plans to hire about 100 cabin crew.
AirAsia’s COO Bo Lingam, who is leading a 14-member team in Chennai to hire candidates, said, “The way things are going, it looks like in September we will be launching our operations, provided we get all the regulatory approvals.”
He added that there is scope for more airlines to enter the aviation industry, considering the population is high.
The airline’s promoter Tony Fernandes is expected to visit India in June, added Lingam.
13/04/13 T E Narasimhan/Business Standard

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3,500 young aspirants for 100 jobs at AirAsia interviews

Chennai: It’s only 7-30 a.m. But not too early for a pretty girl in a black short skirt and a white shirt who steps out of a Karnataka-registered Honda City that comes to a screeching halt in front of Chinmaya Heritage Centre in central Chennai.
She, along with a whole lot of young men and women, is to attend an interview with AirAsia India to become a flight attendant.
And, in an hour, the narrow street off Harrington Road in Chetpet is swamped by young aspirants who have come rushing to the centre with the hopes of flying high with the airline. The airline is expected to commence its domestic operations in September.
The hot and humid day did not prevent the men from wearing glossy suits in various colours that caught the attention of passers-by. Many girls were busy touching up their make-up. A number of candidates came directly from the airport or railway station, lugging along their trolleys. A police patrol was stationed outside the venue to regulate the traffic.
The interview started at 9 a.m, and by 11 a.m. nearly 1,000 candidates had registered. By 3 p.m., the tally had increased to 3,500 for 100 vacancies.
“We have never in our history seen such an overwhelming response,” said Suhaila Hassan, AirAsia’s group head flight attendant.
13/04/13 TE Raja Simhan/Business Line

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India to be second largest air traffic market in a decade: Ajit Singh

Nagpur: The open air policy of the government has helped achieve higher growth in the aviation sector and the country is going to be the second largest air traffic market in the world, aviation minister Ajit Singh said today.
Stating that the domestic carriers flew close to 162 million passengers in 2011-12, up from 143 million in 2010-11, he called for more investments in the aviation infra sector, especially from private sector and hinted that the government may hand over the operations and management of the Kolkata and Chennai airports to private parties in a PPP model.
Singh was in the city to unveil a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar at the city's international airport named after him in the presence of Maharashtra chief minister Prithiviraj Chavan and a host of ministers.
14/04/13 PTI/Times of India

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Chopper lying idle for 6 months for want of pilot

New Delhi/Raipur: A battle-ready BSF 'Dhruv' helicopter, deployed for undertaking sorties to aid anti-Naxal operations, is lying idle for close to six months in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur as authorities are not able to find a pilot to fly the machine.
The air wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), already hard-pressed for rationalising sorties for air support missions in Naxal hotbeds of Maoist violence-affected states, is in talks with helicopter company Pawan Hans to find a "principal pilot" for the machine.
The chopper, an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) 'Dhruv' manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has been embossed with the Border Security Force (BSF) logo and colours and carries the registration number "VT-HAA".
14/04/13 PTI/Business Standard

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AirAsia to take off in Indian skies in September

Chennai: AirAsia, the low cost carrier, is planning to take off in Indian skies in September this year with two aircrafts.
Bo Lingam, chief operating officer, AirAsia said, "the way things are going, looks like by September we will be able to launch our operations, provided we get all the regulatory approvals."
He added that there is scope for more airlines to enter the Indian aviation industry as the population of the country is high.
The airline's promoter Tony Fernandes is expected to visit in June, said Lingam.
Also, AirAsia India, which is a JV between AirAsia and Tata, today started the hiring process for cabin crew at Chennai.
The airline has said that it would hire 100 people for the position of cabin crew for the aircrafts.
13/04/13 Business Standard

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AirAsia Starts Hiring Pilots For India Budget Carrier

AirAsia is looking for India-based captains and first officers, the company said on its website.
Tony Fernandes, the Malaysian discount carrier's group chief executive, separately posted an advertisement on Facebook and Twitter social media websites calling for applications.
"AirAsia India is taking off," read an ad on Mr. Fernandes' Facebook page, which indicated the closing date for pilots' applications is April 19.
Neither Mr. Fernandes nor staff from AirAsia's corporate communications department immediately responded to emails or other messages from The Wall Street Journal seeking to confirm the information.
The company is interviewing candidates for cabin crew positions on Saturday and Sunday, according to an advertisement that was previously posted on the company's website.
13/04/13 Fox Business

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Plane breaking: New ways give life to old birds

New Delhi: Earlier, after a plane had ferried its passengers and made a final touch-down at the end of its 25-year life, only about 40% of the body parts were recycled. Now, though, they're being dismantled in such eco-friendly and cutting-edge ways that almost 85% of it is reusable. By 2015, it will go up to 95%.
Aluminum, titanium, copper, stainless steel, plastics and wiring can now be reused and made into consumer products such as mobile phones, computer casings and golf clubs. Even automotive parts. Some of the major players, like Airbus and Boeing are now making planes go from "cradle to cradle" instead of "cradle to grave". Over the next 20 years, some 6,400 aircraft will be disposed off.
Airbus for the first time started a 3.2 million euro project called PAMELA-LIFE (Process for Advanced Management of End-of-Life of Aircraft) which dismantled an A300 using green techniques. This resulted in a standard for safe disposal of planes and the formation of a firm, Tarmac Aerosave, which used 3D (Decommissioning, Disassembling, Dismantling) processes.
13/04/13 Shobha John/Times of India

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CBI to probe brigadier's role in VVIP chopper deal

New Delhi: As part of its larger ongoing probe into the bribery allegations engulfing the Rs 3,546-crore contract for 12 VVIP helicopters, the CBI will also investigate the role played by a brigadier who allegedly demanded bribe from AgustaWestland to swing the other deal for 197 light utility choppers in its favour as well.
"With the CBI probing the VVIP helicopter contract, it's but natural that the agency will also examine the allegations made against the brigadier in the 197-helicopter project. We have also written to CBI about this matter," said a defence ministry official.
The Army earlier had asked the defence ministry to keep the over Rs 3,000 crore project for the 197 helicopters on hold till the inquiry against Brig V S Saini is completed to avoid any blowback later, as was reported by TOI last week.
Though AgustaWestland no longer figures in the competition for the 197-helicopter project, where Russian Kamov Ka-226T and Eurocopter AS 550 C3 Fenne choppers are locked in the final competition, the controversy about the brigadier has also pushed this proposed critical acquisition into cold storage.
12/04/13 Times of India

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India to Gulf airfares to fall as new flights launched

Abu Dhabi: Airfares between India and the Gulf is expected to fall soon thanks to possibly increasing competition in the sector, an Indian minister said here yesterday.
India’s decision to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country’s aviation sector will help launch more flights between India and the Gulf, triggering more competition among airlines that will result in falling airfares, K.C. Venugopal, Indian minister of state for civil aviation, said.
12/04/13  Binsal Abdul Kader/Gulf News

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India Reduces Wait for Landing and Overflight Permits

India has reduced the advance application requirements for foreign-registered aircraft from seven to three business days for landing permits and from three days to one business day for overflight permits. The legislation, which has been cleared by the state cabinet, is now awaiting amendment to the civil aviation requirements by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enable it to be enforced. That process is likely to take around two months, sources have told AIN.
The faster approval times are being implemented on a trial basis for six months, after which the waiting period is likely to come under review and could be abolished altogether, paving the way for instant approvals. The seven-day restriction was imposed 18 years ago, following security concerns when a low-flying private aircraft air-dropped illegal arms in Bengal, East India.
11/04/13 Neelam Mathews/AIN Online

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New insurance to spike plane lease rentals

Mumbai: Aircraft lease rentals for Indian carriers will go up, as leasing companies might opt for a re-possession risk insurance on planes leased  to local companies, said Uday Nayak, chairman of Veling, a Mauritius-based leasing company.
Re-possession risk insurance covers against loss due to non- recovery of aircraft from the lessee. Its need is being felt after airport operators and the service tax department held in custody Kingfisher’s planes upon termination of lease terms.
Recently civil aviation secretary K N Srivastava directed the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to release Kingfisher planes which were de-registered from the records due to a lease rental default. The government directive came in the wake of petitions filed by lessors and aviation finance companies, including ILFC and DVB, demanding release of their planes. Wary of the Indian government's actions and worried over the heightened risk of business in this country, leasing companies are considering an insurance cover against such actions.
12/04/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Russia, India Forge Ahead on Fifth-Gen Fighter

Sukhoi announced this week that the “design and development” (D&D) phase of the Russo-Indian prospective multifunctional fighter (PMF), also known as the fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), has been completed. The aircraft is a joint development with India of the T-50 that Sukhoi has already designed and flown for the Russian Air Force. “The airplane has been shaped completely,” the manufacturer stated.
According to Sukhoi, the Russian and Indian sides have agreed, specified and allocated the further work that they will accomplish in the next “research and development” (R&D) phase. A contract for this phase is expected later this year, “upon completion of preparatory work.” In practical terms, placing the R&D contract is the “make or break” point for the Indian government.
India and Russia signed a government-to-government framework agreement for the FGFA in October 2007. The next move followed in December 2010, when Russian arms import/export organization Rosoboronexport, and its contractors Sukhoi and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), signed the D&D contract, under which Sukhoi trained a number of HAL specialists and provided “input data and software packages” so that the joint Russo-Indian team could work together “in a common environment.” Since January last year, Indian specialists have been working in Russia and Russians in India.
12/04/13 Vladimir Karnozov/AIN Online

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AirAsia must first prove it can fly high on low-fare biz model

Malaysian carrier AirAsia's strategy of offering the lowest fares in the industry and occasional free seats may stand in the way of getting a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the civil aviation ministry, two officials said. AirAsia is planning a three-way joint venture with Tata Sons and Telestra Tradeplace to start an airline in India.
After a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance, AirAsia must secure an NOC from the civil aviation ministry before approaching the directorate general of civil aviation for a scheduled operator's permit.
"The applicant must provide a detailed business plan including feasibility report for the routes it wants to fly on and prove its ability to fly on a sustainable basis," a ministry official said. "We will assess what kind of fares they plan to offer and whether it would be sustainable, given the tax and cost structure in the industry. We cannot have uncompetitive fares since it is bad for the health of the industry. Also, we cannot let the airline go into losses even if its promoters are rich," the official said.
10/04/13 Debabrata Das/Indian Express

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In U.S. cables, an early battle for Indian skies

Chennai: Foreshadowing the hard knuckled fight for big ticket civilian and fighter aircraft deals that would occur over India’s immensely lucrative skies some three decades later, the Kissinger cables provide a fascinating glimpse into the bitterness that even the sale of a handful of planes by a rival could cause an American vendor.
After losing a closely fought battle to Airbus Industrie for the supply of three civilian aircraft to Indian Airlines in 1975, a representative of the American aircraft maker Lockheed complained to the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi that one reason the French firm had won was because it had ‘sweetened’ the deal with a $1.5 million contribution to the Congress party.
The representative, Peter Mingrone, claimed that Lockheed too had been solicited for a similar contribution but had refused as prices were already “rock bottom.”
He said Airbus had won because it slashed the final sales price to $23 million for each aircraft and financed the entire sale at an interest rate under 8 per cent.
11/07/13 Murali N. Krishnaswamy/The Hindu

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Aircraft lease rentals to go up

Mumbai: Aircraft lease rentals for Indian carriers will go up as leasing companies may opt for a re-possession risk insurance on planes leased  to local companies, said Uday Nayak, chairman of Veling, a Mauritius-based leasing company.
Re possession risk insurance covers against loss due to non recovery of aircraft from the lessee and the need for such a cover is being felt after airport operators and service tax department held in custody  Kingfisher planes upon termination of lease terms.
Recently civil aviation secretary K N Srivastava directed Airport Authority of India to release Kingfisher planes which were de-registered from records due to lease rental default. The government directive came in the wake of petitions filed by lessors and aviation finance companies including ILFC and DVB demanding the release of their planes. Wary of Indian government's actions and worried over heightened risk of business in India leasing companies are considering an insurance cover against such actions.
11/04/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Punnamada Lake all set to receive amphibian aircraft

Alappuzha: As a major tourist destination in the state, the Punnamada Lake is getting ready to bring up its new tourist attraction in the state. The Kerala Tourism Infrastructure  Limited (KTIL) has begun steps to establish a sea port in the area. The construction of a floating jetty has begun and the marine buoys for the marking of the runway has reached the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) office, Punnamada.
KITM Managing Director S Anilkumar said that the service of the seaplane will begin by May end. The construction of the floating jetty has been progressing in Punnamada and four other destinations in the state. A 1000 metre runway is needed for an amphibian aircraft landing in the lake.  “The state government has sanctioned Rs 12 crore for the construction of jetties and other basic infrastructure,” he said.
The KTIL had called for tender, for operating seaplane service. About five companies evinced interest in the service.
11/04/13 Biju E Paul/New Indian Express

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JK to add another chopper to its fleet

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Government is contemplating to add one more helicopter to its air-fleet, which has cost around Rs 12 crore to the State exchequer during the last three years.
Official sources said the Government is contemplating to purchase Agusta-109, a twin-engine helicopter, and a formal proposal in this regard has been formulated by the Civil Aviation Department headed by Chief Minister. “The proposal is at the initial stage and the matter would be soon taken up with the Finance Department for seeking clearance,” sources told Greater Kashmir.
The State has already a fleet of one fixed-wing aircraft (King Air- 350) and two helicopters (Bell 407 and Agusta-109 E). The Agusta-109 Twin Engine Helicopter purchased in 2005 from M/s Agusta Westland had cost Jammu and Kashmir a whopping 44,11,500 US Dollars. This time the cost is expected to be higher.
The helicopter is being presently used for the movement of Governor, Chief Minister, Ministers and senior officers to remote and inaccessible areas.
10/04/13 Firdous Tak/Greater Kashmir

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One-time nod for aircraft import

New Delhi: Airlines operating in India will now need just a one-time approval to import aircraft over five years, following an easing of norms that required a clearance before placing an order and then another approval before bringing in every batch of planes to join their fleet.
The new rule follows the abolition on March 21 of the Aircraft Acquisition Committee (AAC) headed by civil aviation minister Ajit Singh that vetted the requests of airlines for importing each plane and granted permissions.
"Instead of going through the AAC, airlines will now have to take an in-principle approval valid for five years. They will have to submit a five-year business plan and traffic projections to justify their need for the aircraft," said the official, who did not wish to be named.
However, bulk orders for delivery period exceeding five years, such as the order placed by budget carrier IndiGo for 180 Airbus A-320s to be delivered from 2016 to 2025, will also have to be tailored to fit the new rule, the official said
10/04/13 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times

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Gandhi brothers competed as middlemen for IAF deal: WikiLeaks

New Delhi: During the Emergency (1975-77), the Gandhi brothers, Rajiv and Sanjay, may have competed as representatives in at least one of the most lucrative aircraft contracts of the day, suggest the US embassy cables released by Wikileaks.
The US embassy had said in a cable on July 30, 1976 that the Maruti company controlled by Sanjay was negotiating for BAC (British Aircraft Corporation) in India, and in a later cable added that it believed the company was already working with it. BAC was in the race for two aircraft contracts in India—for supplying aircraft to Indian Airlines and as a joint developer of Jaguar fighter for the Indian Air Force's Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft (DPSA) project.
The US embassy cables — sent between 1973 and 1976 — suggest that Rajiv was working for Saab-Scania, whose Viggen aircraft was in the fray with Jaguar for the DPSA venture.
So, if the secret cables from the US embassy in India are to be believed, then the brothers were working for rival firms that were desperate to sell fighters to the IAF. It is not clear if the brothers' rivalry over IAF's fighter deal had spilled over to family ties. However, the IAF's fighter contract went beyond the Emergency, and the final decision could not be taken until 1978, when the Janata government settled for Jaguar fighters.
10/04/13 Times of India

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Maruti had an aviation dream, Wikileaks reveal

Apart from the politics surrounding the dark Emergency, the Kissinger cables released by Wikileaks also has a bit of juicy stuff for the business too.
According to a report in the Business Standard today, the documents have revealed that two Indian companies linked to the Gandhi family had sought help from the US diplomatic channels to enter into aviation business.
The companies named in the cables are Maruti Heavy Vehicles and Maruti Technical Services, and have been identified as part of the Maruti group, the brainchild of the most controversial late politician Sanjay Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi was a director on one and Sanjay on both.
These companies wanted to connect with two leading plane makers and an avionics equipment company. They had even managed to clinch a deal with one of the global majors, the report said.
The aviation story of Maruti started in 1976, when KL Jalan, managing director of Maruti Heavy Vehicle (P) Ltd, sough the US embassy’s assistance “in arranging a meeting with the president or high-level official of Cessna Aircraft to discuss the sale of Cessna aircraft in India”, the BS report quoted a cable.
Jalan again approached the embassy after four days seeking to contact Piper Aircraft, another plane maker, which actually expressed its willingness to “discuss full distributor requirements on our next visit to India in January 1977”.
10/04/13 First Post

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AirAsia India to lower fares, but at a price

New Delhi: It's the ultimate irony. While travellers are waiting for really low fares from AirAsia India, Indian carriers are waiting for it to begin operations so that they can increase their ancillary revenue by charging more for things like check-in baggage.
Indian carriers have been planning to reduce the current domestic free check-in baggage allowance of 20 kg to 15 kg. But the only reason they have not done this so far is the fear of being asked to reverse the move by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The aviation regulator had asked airlines to stop charging extra for pre-selection of seats last year.
"AirAsia does not offer any free check-in luggage and passengers have the option of booking the same at the time of buying tickets. They are likely to get the same policy to India, enabling us to at least lower the current free checkin weight from 20 kg to at least 15 kg," said an airline official.
10/04/13 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Deccan Charters to stop flight services within Gujarat from May 1

The Deccan Charters Limited has decided to call off its flight services in the state from May 1. The move comes nine months after it launched the services by offering daily charter flights between major cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Kandla.
The company owned by captain G R Gopinath, who founded low cost Air Deccan and sold it later to Vijay Mallya, had launched the service under the brand name "Deccan Shuttles" on August 20, 2012, targeting corporate houses and cash rich domestic and international Gujarati passengers.
Though the company was the first to begin the intra-state flights in Gujarat, the company found it difficult to break even, sources said.
Due to high air fare, that ranges between Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000, as well as lesser demand from passengers, the company has decided to stop its services. The company has already discontinued its Surat-Bhavnagar flight last month.
10/04/13 Satish Jha/Indian Express

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Lack of subsidy from Bengal Govt halts Cooch Behar-Kolkata flight service

Kolkata: The Kolkata-Cooch Behar flight service is unlikely to resume any time soon as the West Bengal Government failed to live up to its promise of subsidising operations for six months.
Operated by a non-scheduled carrier North East Shuttles Pvt Ltd, the flight service was stopped after just 12 flights in one-and-a-half months.
The services were initiated based on the State’s promise to subsidise eight seats of an 18-seater Dornier 228 aircraft, for the first six months, in case of non-availability of passengers. The idea was to give a cushion to the operator to help commercialise operations.
As anticipated, passenger availability was low initially. But, the carrier did not receive the promised subsidy for the flights it operated between October and mid-November last year.
09/04/13 Business Line

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Fifth generation fighter crosses milestone

Moscow: India and Russia have crossed the first milestone towards the development of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), completing the preliminary design of the plane.
“The preliminary design contract (PDC) for the Russian-Indian fifth generation aircraft has been executed,” Russia’s Sukhoi aircraft company announced on Wednesday.
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed the $295-million PDC contract in December 2010 with the Sukhoi company, which is responsible in Russia for developing the PAK-FA (perspective aviation complex-frontline aircraft), as the FGFA is called in Russia.
“The aircraft design has been fully developed,” Sukhoi said in a press release. “Both parties have agreed upon on the amount and division of work during the research and development (R&D) stage. A contract for the R&D is being prepared. It is to be signed this year.”
10/04/13 Vladimir Radyuhin/The Hindu

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More Druk Air flights from May

Kolkata: Bhutan's national carrier Druk Air is doubling the connectivity between Paro and Kolkata from May and introducing thrice-a-week flights from the city to Dhaka, airline general manager (commercial operations) Namjy Wangchuk said on Wednesday. The airline may increase the frequency of the Kolkata-Singapore connection to thrice-a-week, up from twice-a-week at present.Though the airline has a direct connection between Dhaka and Paro, it has decided to introduce the flight to the Bangladesh capital via Kolkata to meet the demand on this sector. "At present, only Jet Airways has regular flights from Kolkata to Dhaka," Wangchuk said.
Paro airport being surrounded by mountains and situated at an altitude of 7,300 ft, no airlines flying into it requires special engines that provides additional thrust to land and take off.
10/04/13 Times of India

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Mahalaxmi helipad to get 24x7 services, night landing system

In a first, a night landing facility will be installed at a prominent helipad in the city to ensure 24x7 services for politicians and bureaucrats, who use choppers on a regular basis. This facility, when installed, will be the first of its kind in the country as far as civil helicopter travel is concerned. The proposed project will come up at the helipad at Mahalaxmi Racecourse.
According to officials from the aviation ministry, the state government has requested the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to install a night landing system at the Mahalaxmi helipad. “The state has been asking for a night landing system for a very long time to ensure uninterrupted chopper services for VIPs such as politicians and bureaucrats,” said an official from the aviation ministry.
Earlier, officials had explored the possibility of having the night landing system at the Juhu helipad, but this did not work and the state decided to install the facility at Mahalaxmi, which is the helipad used by state officials. “If installed, it would be the first civil helipad in the country with a night landing system,” the official added.
10/04/13 Bipin Kumar Singh/Mumbai Mirror

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Defence Ministry keeps seaplanes at bay

Mumbai: The wait for travelling in an amphibious aircraft that can land on runways or in water bodies during the course of a single journey is all set to get longer.
The Maharashtra Tourism Department Corporation’s (MTDC) plan to begin the seaplane services in April has hit a major roadblock as the ministry of defence (MoD) is apparently going slow in issuing a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the project.
Sources said the MoD is studying the proposal minutely in view of security reasons and has sought answers to its various queries from M/S Mehair Ltd, the operator of the project.
A defence spokesperson said, “The NoC application is under process.”
08/04/13 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Ramco Signs 10 Aviation Deals in FY 2012-13

Chennai:  Ramco Systems, the global Aviation Software provider on Cloud, Mobile and Tablets continues its successful voyage through the year by signing 10 Aviation deals in FY 2012-13. This includes, Aviation majors such as Emirates, GoAir, Air Tahiti, Caribbean Airlines, Hevilift among others. The last quarter of the financial year saw four new wins including a new regional airline in India, a start-up charter airline and a specialty Heli-operator, both based out of Thailand, and an Aerospace component manufacturer in Asia.
Commenting on the success, Mr. Virender Aggarwal, CEO, Ramco Systems, said "It has been a remarkable year for our Aviation business. Adding ten customers from across the globe is a testimony to the product strength, integration capabilities, deep domain knowledge and customer experience gained over the years. Our ability to simplify the MRO software by offering the solution on iPad, with a cool new user interface has been helping us tilt deals in our favour. We recently launched role-based 'Aviation Workspaces' which is a revolution in the MRO Software industry. This will further build the momentum for our growth."
Workspaces bring in a fundamental change in the way users interact with the application. It is steered by a data driven interaction pattern and powerful visualizations.
08/04/13 SME Times

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Emirates flew more persons in and out of India than Air India

New Delhi: In a development that could be of serious concern to Indian carriers, Dubai-based Emirates flew more international travellers in and out of India than Air India in 2011-12, according to official data.
Jet Airways, however, grabbed little more of the market share than Emirates when it came to international air traffic emanating out of India.
While Emirates cornered 13.04 per cent of the total market share of India, flying 45.32 lakh passengers in and out of the country in 2011-12, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express jointly carried 41.38 lakh passengers or 11.91 per cent, the data showed.
The global market share of Jet Airways was 15.7 per cent as the private carrier flew 54.53 lakh travellers during the period. Other Indian carriers like Kingfisher Airlines, which was flying then, had a market share of 3.24 per cent, IndiGo had 1.19, SpiceJet 0.86 and JetLite 0.31 per cent.
07/04/13 PTI/Economic Times

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AgustaWestland helicopter scam: Net closes in on elusive British arms agent

The net is closing in on British defence agent Christian Michel who is allegedly involved in the AgustaWestland helicopter scam. Until Italian investigators supplied Indian investigators with information on Michel’s travels to New Delhi, the agencies had been totally clueless about the movements of this elusive arms agent. Exclusive investigation details accessed by The Sunday Standard reveal that 52-year-old Michel landed in Delhi on March 7, 2005.
From March 7 on, Michel stayed in Delhi for 4-5 days and returned to Dubai after interacting with his contacts, who the sleuths are now chasing. Again on April 20, he flew in from Dubai and stayed for two days in Delhi before leaving for London. His visits during the crucial phase is important as, according to a statement issued by the Defence Ministry in February this year, the operational requirements were deliberated over meetings held between March 2005, to September 2006. Investigators decoding the pugmarks of Michel confirmed that the reclusive agent made a subsequent trip every month till November 2005.
07/04/13 Yatish Yadav/New Indian Express

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Elusive chopper deal agent had decade-long India ties

New Delhi: Apart from amending technical specifications, a committee comprising officials from Indian Air Force, National Security Advisor’s office, Special Protection Group and Ministry of Defence had also revised the number of helicopters to be bought from 8 to 12.
From March 7, 2005 on, British defence agent Christian Michel stayed in Delhi for 4-5 days and returned to Dubai after interacting with his contacts, whom the sleuths are now chasing. Again on April 20, he flew in from Dubai and stayed for two days in Delhi before leaving for London. His visits during the crucial phase is important as, according to a statement from the Defence Ministry in February this year, the operational requirements were deliberated over meetings between March 2005- September 2006.
07/04/13 Yatish Yadav/New Indian Express

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Indian, Singaporean airlines to fly 10 pc more passengers

New Delhi: Airlines of India and Singapore would now be able to fly ten per cent more passengers with the signing of a new MoU to enhance the bilateral air traffic agreement.
The MoU, however, bars Singaporean carriers from operating the superjumbo Airbus A-380 to India.
It enhances by ten per cent the capacity entitlements with Indian carriers now entitled to operate 29,400 weekly passenger seats from India to Singapore and the designated airlines of Singapore flying 28,700 weekly passenger seats from Singapore to India, an official statement said here.
The MoU was signed by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh and Singapore's Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew earlier this week in Singapore.
05/04/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Not a full flight

Indicating an overall slowdown in economy that is now hurting the aviation segment despite airlines offering low fares during the lean season, India’s domestic air traffic declined considerably by over nine per cent in February compared with the same month last year, as on average over a quarter of seats remained vacant on flights in this period.
Revealing this in its latest global passenger traffic report, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) found the domestic traffic in India dropping 9.1 per cent in February compared to a year ago. This decline occurred even when the global passenger demand rose 3.7 per cent compared to February last year.
The results also showed that the overall passenger load factor slipped to 74.5 per cent, implying that on an average only so much of seats in an airplane in India were filled up. Passenger load factor is a measure of how much of an airline’s passenger-carrying capacity or aircraft seats offered is used.
06/04/13 Sujay Mehdudia/The Hindu

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Engineering students US-bound for aero design contest

Mysore: The taking off of an 'aircraft' from the premises of Indian Institute of Science was, in fact, the realization of yearlong efforts by a team of two engineering students Eshaan M Khanpuri and Sukeerth Calastawad. They have conceptualized the 'aircraft' to participate in SAE International Aero Design contest, and they had been working on it from two years.
It is for the first time in the history of Mysore in general, and Visvesvaraya Technological University in particular, that two students are taking part at SAE International Aero Design contest. The two-member team is of the 75 teams from across the world to take part in the three-day contest to be held at Van Nuys, California (USA), from April 12.
Eshaan and Sukeerth are the second year students of electrical and electronics and mechanical engineering, respectively, in Maharaja Institute of Technology. Professor Y T Krishne Gowda has guided them to develop the micro-class aircraft to participate in the contest.
05/04/13 Yashaswini S N/Times of India

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India's domestic air traffic declined by 9 pc in Feb: IATA

India's domestic air traffic declined substantially by over nine per cent in February compared with the same month last year, as on average over a quarter of seats remained vacant on flights in this period, global airlines' body IATA has said.
In its latest global passenger traffic results, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) found the domestic traffic in India dropping 9.1 per cent in February compared to a year ago.
This decline occurred even when the global passenger demand rose 3.7 per cent compared to February last year.
The results also showed that the overall passenger load factor slipped to 74.5 per cent, implying that on an average only so much of seats in an airplane in India was filled up.
Passenger load factor is a measure of how much of an airline's passenger-carrying capacity or aircraft seats offered is used.
04/04/13 PTI/Economic Times

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New Delhi: The apprehension of global airlines when Abu Dhabi-based Etihad confirmed stake purchase talks with Jet Airways that the Gulf carrier is planning its own informal alliance has proven true. Etihad president and CEO James Hogan said in US on Wednesday that "legacy airline alliances have outlived their usefulness". He said Etihad's equity alliance of minority shareholdings enabled the airline to enter markets, without the complexities attached to mergers or larger investments.
Star Alliance top brass had voiced this concern to Air India brass last month when they met to discuss AI's entry into the alliance. Etihad is in talks with Jet to acquire a 24% stake. However, fears over safety of their investment in India - after compatriot Etilsat's fate - have held up the deal. None of the three major alliances - Star, Oneworld and SkyTeam - have an Indian partner yet, while they have been trying for years. The problem is the aviation ministry's unwritten pre-condition that they can take an Indian carrier on board only after accepting AI into the fold. Considering the condition of the Maharaja, Star backed out.
05/04/13 Times of India

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Global demand for aerospace composites to reach $4.2 billion in 2018

Hyderabad:  Demand for composite materials in the global aerospace industry achieved double-digit growth in 2012, driven by the continued ramp up of new and existing large commercial aircraft production and increased build rates across the military, civil helicopters, and certain business jet aircraft, according to custom & syndicated research firm Composite Insights.
The commercial aerospace industry continues to use a greater proportion of advanced composite materials with each new generation of aircraft. As Airbus and Boeing increase the production rates of their newest aircraft—including the A380, B787, and A350—the demand for composite materials is expected to grow rapidly through 2018.
New aerospace programs—including the Comac C-919, Bombardier C Series, Mitsubishi MRJ21, Comac ARJ21, and Sukhoi Superjet-100—are expected to contribute to the growing demand for composite materials in civil aerospace. The growth in military aircraft and helicopter production that has occurred in recent years will continue the same trend driving the demand for composite materials.
04/04/13  Courtney Howard/Avionics Intelligence

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Civil aviation ministry tried to thwart AirAsia's India plans

New Delhi: As Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia readies to spread wings in India announcing hiring plans on Wednesday, documents available with ET reveal that the civil aviation ministry had tried to thwart the foreign airline's India plans.
The aviation ministry had disapproved of AirAsia's India entry, arguing that the Indian promoters — Tata Sons and Arun Bhatia — should have first set up an airline company, obtained a flying permit and then sold off 49% to the foreign partner, minutes of foreign investment proposal-clearing committee, reviewed by ET, reveal.
"The proposal is supported in principle, but the applicant should first set up the company, obtain licence from ministry of civil aviation and then divest to a foreign collaborator in order to follow the policy intent," the civil aviation ministry had argued on March 6 in the meeting of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), which had taken up AirAsia's proposal for clearance.
Interestingly, AirAsia India still hasn't approached the civil aviation ministry for a noobjection certificate (NOC), a prerequisite for getting a flying permit — though has shortlisted the name of an India CEO and will also hire cabin crew next week in Chennai.
04/04/13 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times

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Majority of air passengers favour 'pay as you weigh' model

Mumbai:  The proposal to charge overweight air passengers more may not have gone down well with some, but a majority of respondents in a recent survey voiced support to the idea.
Fifty-nine per cent of the respondents favoured the "fat tax", a survey by global travel search portal Skyscanner revealed.
"An independent online poll of 1,000 adults revealed that the majority (59 per cent) of international travellers were in favour of 'fat tax', which would see airlines charging more for seats to overweight passengers," the survey findings said.
The remaining felt it would be "unfair and discriminatory."
04/04/13 Economic Times

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Bill to replace DGCA by new aviation regulator

A bill to replace the DGCA by a new aviation regulator with full operational and financial autonomy is likely to be tabled in Parliament in the next part of the Budget Session starting later this month, official sources said today.
The bill would establish the new regulator, to be called the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which would replace the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and administer and regulate civil aviation safety and managing safety oversight over air transport operators, air service navigation operators and operators of other civil aviation facilities. Interestingly, the proposed CAA, like the DGCA, would also deal with matters relating to financial stress on safety of air operations, as witnessed in connection with the closure of the bankrupt Kingfisher Airlines in October last year.
03/04/13 PTI/moneycontrol.com

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