1-yr notice rule for pilots: HC seeks govt, DGCA reply on plea

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today issued notice to the Centre, DGCA and Air India on a plea challenging the decision that senior pilots have to serve 12-month notice period before quitting or shifting to another airline.
Justice Vibhu Bakru sought response of the Centre, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the airline, on the petition by Indian Pilots Guild, representing senior Air India pilots who operate wide-body aircraft.

The petition has challenged the DGCA rules announced on August 16 that a one-year notice period will have to be served by commanders and six months by co-pilots.

The notice period, however, may be reduced if the air transport undertaking provides a no-objection certificate to a pilot and accepts resignation earlier than the period stipulated in the new rules, as per the amended Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR).

During the hearing, Central government standing counsel Gaurang Kanth, who also appeared for the DGCA, a regulatory body for civil aviation, said it has the powers to issue directions.
31/08/17 Economic Times

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India Air Traffic Growth Likely to Slow in 2017

New Delhi: Some metro airports continue to have issues in India as capacity is increasing, said IATA chief economist Brian Pearce.

India's airlines are likely to see slower growth this year because of fuel price increases and a marginal slowdown in the economy, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

"You would expect it to slow because the economy has slowed--not very much--and we are getting towards the end of big stimulus from the fall in oil prices," IATA chief economist Brian Pearce said in a interview. Pearce said he expects the airlines to clock a domestic growth in low double digits this year compared with about 20% last year when it touched almost 100 million in annual passengers flown.

"We are not getting a price stimulus from oil. We had a big stimulus from oil in 2016 much less in 2017," he said, adding that Indian airlines increased capacity by about 14% in the last 12 months and that process will continue.

Pearce said oil prices will remain around $50 this year but could go up next year.

"Fuel prices will remain sideways. Earlier it looked like Opec cuts would lead to prices rising but US shale oil producers have balanced that out. Perhaps next year you would see pressure on it," he said.

Some metro airports continue to have issues in India as capacity is increasing, Pearce said. There was also a difference in how China and India were growing, he said

"The difference between how China and India is growing is that in China they are connecting different city pairs while in India, the expansion has been by increasing frequencies," he added.
29/08/17 Tarun Shukla/Mcclatchy/AviationPros

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Demand for air travel growing: Chief Secretary

Vijayawada:  Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar has exhorted officials of the Infrastructure and Investment (I&I) and other departments concerned to strive to get air connectivity between Vijayawada and Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Rajamahendravaram augmented to cater to a larger number of travellers. In a review meeting on various airport projects under execution on Thursday, Mr. Dinesh Kumar said demand for air travel was growing at such an impressive pace that people flying out of Kadapa increased tremendously. The demand was unmet to a large extent as the airlines were yet to realise the potential offered by Tier II and Tier III towns. Shortage of pilots was another matter of concern.

Mr. Kumar ordered that the construction of three parking bays at the Tirupati airport should be completed by the end of September and expansion of the runway at Rajamahendravaram airport by May 2018. Steps should be taken for speedy construction of the integrated terminal building at the airport in Gannavaram.
31/08/17 The Hindu

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Festival flight fares see marginal hike in Kerala

Kochi:  Flight ticket prices phenomenally used to go over the roof during the Onam–Bakrid season as people flocked to the state to celebrate festivals.

 Anticipating public displeasure over this, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requested the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to give permission for additional services to airline companies to ease traffic woes during the festival season.

However, it hardly evoked a response with no airline company except Air India Express approaching the ministry seeking permission for additional services to Kerala.

Nonetheless, the average flight ticket prices to Kerala from UAE was only Rs 11,130 during Onam season, as per the booking status on August 25, says Paytm Travel, one of the leading travel aggregators in the country.

The average airfare to Kochi from Riyadh, Muscat, Doha were Rs 12,914, Rs 12,231 and Rs 19,051 respectively, as on August 25.  The average ticket price to airports in Kerala and Tamil Nadu from other domestic airports in the country was Rs 5,087, as per the booking data of August 25.
31/08/17 Dhinesh Kallungal/New Indian Express

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... but water keeps pilots away from skies

Mumbai: Airlines had to cancel or delay many flights here because crews could not reach the airport even though the rains that paralysed the city on Tuesday had eased up: Many roads continued to be under water.

Private carrier Jet Airways cancelled 19 flights out of the city, including some of its international services. Its other flights are delayed by up to two hours.

Though Air India did not cancel any of its flights, its operations were delayed by around half and hour on an average.

The airlines said though the situation was under control and the visibility improved, they were witnessing operational delays because the city roads remained water-logged for the second consecutive day on Wednesday and crew could not reach the airport.
Jet Airways, which had on Tuesday cancelled 12 flights including some international operations and diverted many, on Wedbesday said there were no diversions.

”Flights are released as per crew reporting. Due to which flights are getting delayed with the maximum delays going up to two hours,” the airline said in a statement.

”The total number of flights cancelled is 19 today. Many passengers, crew are stranded for hours due to non- availability of transport. Cockpit crew are coming by company transport, while some cabin crew are coming on their own,” it said.

Tuesday's torrential downpour crippled rail and road traffic in the megalopolis, which is slowly returning to normalcy.

While road traffic has improved, largely because of a public holiday announced by the state government, rail transport is limping and is far from returning to normalcy as water on tracks is yet to recede.

An Air India official said the airline has not cancelled any flights but the operations are delayed by at least 30 minutes.
30/08/17 PTI/Telegraph

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Flight operations continue to be impacted on day two of Mumbai rains; airlines waive off cancellation fees

After the downpour that engulfed the city on August 29 flight operations were severely impacted on Tuesday. Many domestic airlines like Jet Airways and IndiGo announced the cancellation and delay of flights that will continue to be impacted on Wednesday.

Market leader, IndiGo on Wednesday tweeted out, “Cancellation/rescheduling of flights affected due to bad weather condition at Mumbai sector.”

The airline have waived off the cancellation charges for passengers travelling to and fro from Mumbai on August 29. Those passengers that were impacted due to delay and cancellation of flights could get their booking rescheduled; cancelled without any change or cancellation fees.

Jet Airways also put out an official statement regarding the cancellation of flights.
"Inclement weather in Mumbai during the last 24 hours, including the suspension of arrivals and departures between 1615-1700 hours at Mumbai Airport impacted Jet Airways' schedule, resulting in the airline's flights from Mumbai being delayed by up to 30/40 minutes. During the interim, two flights - 9W275 and 9W624, were diverted to Ahmedabad and are now being recovered," Jet said
It further added, "To minimise the impact on the network and hasten recovery, the air to cancel a few scheduled flights of August 29 and August 30.”
30/08/17 ZeeBiz

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After rains, unavailability of crew hits flight schedules

Mumbai: Flight operations in the country’s financial capital largely remained affected for the second day today, even though rains subsided and the city struggled to get back on its feet following incessant downpour a day before.

The airlines had to either cancel and delay a number of flights, mainly due to difficulties being faced by their crew and passengers in reaching the airport.

Private carrier Jet Airways cancelled 19 flights out of the city, including some of its international services. Its other flights are delayed by up to two hours.
Though Air India did not cancel any of its flights, its operations were delayed by around half and hour on an average.

The airlines said though the situation was under control and the visibility improved, they were witnessing operational delays due to non-availability of crew who are stuck, as most part of the city roads remained water-logged for the second consecutive day today.

Jet Airways, which had yesterday cancelled 12 flights including some international operations and diverted many, today said there were no diversions.
30/08/17 PTI/FreePress Journal

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Niti Aayog asks govt to reduce excise on jet fuel

Niti Aayog has recommended to the government to cut excise duty on jet fuel to bring down high cost of flying, especially through metropolitan airports.

“Align excise duties on aviation turbine fuel to international levels to bring down its cost. On average, ATF accounts for about 40% of airlines’ total costs, making up the majority of airlines costs,” the Centre’s policy think tank said in its next three years agenda.

The agenda was sought by Prime Minister’s Office.

Jet fuel costs are among the world’s highest in India.

“The high cost is exacerbated by a host of duties and taxes. Airlines pay an excise duty of 14% and a VAT ranging between 5% and 30%. Thus, the total effective tax on jet fuel is between 19% and 44%,” the Three Year Action Agenda 2017-18 to 2019-20 said.
The Aayog also sought to reverse the new civil aviation policy that proposes to extend the hybrid till model for determining airport charges to state-run airports, saying it will raise costs for airlines and passengers.
Currently, Public Private Partnership (PPP) airports in India –Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad – operate under a hybrid till mode, where aeronautical revenue (landing, parking and ground handling) and a share of the non-aeronautical (duty free shops, hotels, restaurants and airport infrastructure) revenue are used to determine tariffs.
29/08/17 Deccan Herald

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Discriminated for no fault: Airlines, airports in India fail their ‘special’ fliers

Hyderabad: For the disabled, journeys on domestic flights are tales of never-ending turbulence. Days after the de-boarding of paraathlete Madhu Bagri from a Hyderabad-bound plane, the demand for standardisation of air travel protocols for the disabled has grown stronger.

International paraathlete Suvarna Raj says that she was de-boarded from a plane in a similar manner last month. “I reached a little late than usual and was given my boarding pass. But they denied me entry because my security check would take longer,” she says. She missed her flight and was allocated a seat on a flight which departed the next day.

Experts say that such an incident would have never occurred had India been following International Protocol and using Explosive Trace Detection Systems (ETDs). These systems allow for security checks to be carried out without disabled persons having to part with their accessibility gear.

Nipun Malhotra, the founder of the Nipman Foundation, says, “I filed an RTI and found that over 77 airports in the country have ETDs, but they are not being used anywhere. Instead, we are forced to be transferred from our wheelchair or remove our prosthetic limbs in the name of security.”

Persons with disability ask why they have to undergo such humiliation when the necessary technology is available.

Their troubles do not end after the security check. “As per the procedure that is followed internationally, disabled persons are allowed to take their wheelchairs up to the aircraft door, where they are shifted to aisle chairs which can pass through the cabin. However, in India, the wheelchair goes into the baggage compartment and disabled passengers are physically lifted and carried to their seats, which is not only dangerous but also humiliating,” says Ms Suvarna Raj. Some airlines do not have aisle chairs, in which case the availability of seats in the front row becomes crucial, as was in the case of Madhu Bagri.

As per the protocol to be followed in Boeing flights, disabled persons may be seated in the front row. However, in smaller ATR flights, the emergency exit doors are located in the front, requiring mobile persons to be seated adjacent to them.

Accessibility experts say that some airlines do not have any provision for the assistance of disabled persons, as a result of which they are forced to crawl or drag themselves to their seats, which constitutes a violation of their human rights.
29/08/17 Donita Jose/Deccan Chronicle

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India may start exporting F-16 fighter jets, Lockheed wants India as global factory

New Delhi: Lockheed Martin is closing in on an international deal for F-16 fighter planes, and has offered to eventually build all the jets at a proposed plant in India if it wins a bigger order to supply the Indian Air Force, a top executive said.
The US defence giant and Sweden's Saab are in a two horse-race to equip the Indian military with at least 100 single-engine jets that have to be produced locally under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make-in-India' plan.
Randall L Howard, who leads F-16 business development, said Lockheed is offering to make India the sole F-16 production centre, so eventually it will make the planes not just for India, but also for other countries.
Lockheed is closing its F-16 production line at Forth Worth, Texas and will supply new orders from a new facility at Greenville, South Carolina. But the plan was to eventually build the planes in India, Howard told Reuters.
"Our next customer, which we believe to be very soon ... we will produce those aircraft out of that (Greenville) facility," he said. "As you look beyond that, the opportunity for India is to then move all of that into India and that's what's being proposed ... to have a single production line in India that would service the new production requirements of global demand, the global market."
29/08/17 Reuters/India Today

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Policy push for local air hubs

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi-government wants to transform the metro airports into global aviation hubs, like the ones in Dubai and Singapore, through a series of policies, including stalling bilateral deals that favour rival airports.

The move, officials feel, will also address the aviation sector's financial woes.

Both the finance and the civil aviation ministries feel there is a need to stop feeding rival airports in Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Istanbul while major domestic airports and airlines remain under-utilised on global routes.

A number of policies are being considered to make the metros more cost effective for airlines to fly internationally. These include lower parking fees, incentives to airlines to take up unused flying rights and changes in visa rules to allow easier transit to passengers travelling from neighbouring and Southeast Asian countries to Europe and the US.
"India can be a hub for neighbouring countries to fly to Europe and the US. We have to be imaginative. Singapore gives a three-day transit to anyone with a valid visa and ticket to Europe, the US or Australia as they know these travellers have been vetted by stringent checks. The result is funneling of passengers as well as spending in dollars in Singapore's hotels and duty-free stores," said aviation ministry officials.
Officials point out that besides Air India, whose huge losses have forced the government to put it on the block, at least two major airlines have negative net worth and huge borrowings.
27/08/17 Jayanta Roy Chowdhury/Telegraph

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Turbulence hits cloud seeding

Bengaluru: On Saturday, a radar installed at GKVK campus in Bengaluru spotted ‘seedable’ clouds hovering around the drought-hit Kunigal and Gubbi areas of Tumakuru district. The aircraft, which had been circling the skies as part of cloud seeding, attempted to approach when their permission for flight was denied by the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) of the Kempegowda International Airport, which was coordinating passenger flights entering and exiting the busy airport.

With three airports dotting the city’s landscape, and no-go defence corridors criss-crossing the skies, those in charge of Project Varshadhari — the government’s ambitious cloud-seeding programme — are finding it difficult to chase the clouds. On Saturday, with the clouds at Tumakuru district off-limits, seeding was done in Bengaluru Urban district instead. On Friday too, the plan to chase “good, seedable” clouds at Hassan and Chikkamagaluru — both of which are important catchment areas for river Cauvery — was scuttled owing to lack of permission from defence authorities.

While the cloud seeding aircraft takes off from Jakkur Aerodrome, authorities need permission from the HAL Airport, Air Force base at Yelahanka as well as KIAL.

“Each ATC has its scheduled and unscheduled flights and they prioritise their operations. It becomes difficult for our plane to seed clouds. The only solution is for the State government and the three airport representatives to meet and chalk out a solution for the problem,” said G.S. Bhat from the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, and head of technical committee on the project.
27/08/17 Mohit M Rao/The Hindu

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Here’s why boarding the plane first is a bad idea

A new study has revealed that priority boarding in a plane is bad for the health as it increases the likelihood of spreading diseases.

According to the study, most airlines board by zones starting with first class and then moving on to other sections until the plane is full.

However, according to a team of mathematicians who analyzed the boarding process say that ‘zone boarding’ puts most people at risk, even if one of them is unwell.

According to them, the best way to combat it is by using the two zone boarding process by which they seat half the plan from the front and half from the back. According to the research, this would lower passenger contact by almost 27 percent.
Another solution, according to them, is that airlines should opt for smaller commercial planes to decrease risk of infection in the wake of outbreaks like Ebola.

The research that was carried out at the Arizona State University studied boarding scenarios on planes to see how a disease would spread if one person was infected.

The results showed that the method of boarding in zones with first class at the front increased the likelihood of someone being exposed to the infected individual.
28/08/17 Deccan Chronicle

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GITAM students spread wings at aero-modelling workshop

Hyderabad: Students of Department of Aerospace Engineering, GITAM University, Hyderabad have got hands on training on unmanned aerial vehicle.

The department organised one-day workshop on ‘Basic Aero Modelling’ recently.

Capt. Prabhat, Wing Commander (retired) Indian Air Force and Pilot, Indigo Airlines was at hand to guide students.

They were shown how to fly and design UAV, different models of aircrafts.
28/08/17 Telengana Today

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Higher airport charges, taxation shackle industry, says Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal

Mumbai: Raising the issue of increasing airport charges and levies along with high taxation, Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal has said such factors continue to “shackle” the airline industry. Goyal, in the airline’s annual report for 2016-17, sent to the shareholders ahead of the company’s AGM next month, also said the existing airport infrastructure has not been able to match with the rapid growth in passenger volumes and aircraft movement. The Jet Airways Chairman, however, maintained that the domestic aviation sector remains robust and holds out significant opportunities to the players in the space.
“For aviation to truly realise its potential, several areas must be addressed. Escalating airport levies, surcharges and high taxation continue to shackle the industry, ” Goyal said.
The current airport infrastructure is unable to keep pace with the breakneck growth in capacity and traffic, he said adding, “addressing these issues is the most urgent need of the hour.”
However, these challenges notwithstanding, the domestic aviation market is set for a bright future, he added.
Unserved airports are the one where there is no flight whereas the underserved airports have been categorised as the ones which have three or less flights per week.
Significantly, Goyal’s Jet Airways along with some other domestic carriers did not participate in the first round of bidding for operating flights under UDAN scheme.
27/08/17 PTI/Indian Express

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Regulate fares for flights connecting Chandigarh, DGCA tells airlines

New Delhi: Civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Sunday advised airlines to “keep a check on airfares” on the sectors with flights connecting cities like Chandigarh, Jammu and Jaipur. The DGCA’s advisory comes on the back of the recent violence that has hit cities in Haryana and Punjab in the wake of the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for rape by a CBI court in Panchkula. He is slated to be sentenced on Monday. “Airlines have been advised to keep a check on the airfares on these sectors,” a senior DGCA official said.
“DGCA has already cleared one additional flight on Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi of Vistara for today (Sunday) and one each additional flight on Delhi-Chandigarh-Delhi and Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi of Vistara for tomorrow (Monday),” he said. According to the official, national passenger carrier Air India has been requested to explore the possibility of operating a flight on the Delhi-Jammu-Delhi sector on Monday. “IndiGo has informed that they will mount an additional flight on Delhi-Jammu-Delhi sector on August 29,” the official added.
27/08/17 IANS/Financial Express

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Delhi flights: Airlines have a field day

Amritsar: Following the cancellation of trains and buses from the city for Delhi, the fare of domestic flights has gone up four times the normal fare. There are almost 12 domestic flights to Delhi from the city airport.
A flight to Delhi, which normally varies between Rs 2,500 and Rs 4,000, now costs from Rs 12,000 to Rs 27,000.
Abhishek, a trip adviser from Holiday Dreamer, said, “Generally, a Delhi flight costs Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,000. Now, with low availability of seats, the fare being charged by various airlines is about Rs 25,000. Such a situation had arose last year during Jat agitation.”
Due to high fare, a large number of tourists are stuck in the city. They are waiting for the restoration of rail and road traffic. “As the CBI court had announced the date of verdict a week before, traders had scheduled their meetings accordingly. But most of the tourists were unaware. Now, they have only one option to get expensive air tickets to reach Delhi,” said Ravi, another tour planner.
26/08/17 Charanjit Singh Teja/Tribune 

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This Is How It's Supposed To Work - Air Fare To Delhi Soars To RS 26k

The trains between Chandigarh and Delhi have been largely cancelled for today and there is concern that air fares are soaring as a result. Well, yes, this is how things are supposed to work in a market. If supply changes then prices change, if demand changes then prices change. It is the change in prices which then match changed supply with changed demand. This is not an error or mistake, this is the point of using the system itself:

With all 36 trains from the city cancelled, air fare to Delhi soared to Rs 26,000 on an Air India evening flight — almost 15 times the normal fare for the one-hour flight. The scenario will remain the same on Sunday as well with the cheapest air ticket to the capital selling at Rs 6,600 on the 7.55am IndiGo flight. On average, the Sunday price for a Chandigarh-Delhi ticket on Sunday will cost anywhere between Rs 17,000 and Rs 18,000.

There are five direct flights between Chandigarh and Delhi and there are fears that a ticket cost could zoom to between Rs 56,000 and Rs 57,000, if passengers book on the spot.

Ambala division railways manager Dinesh Kumar announced on Saturday that all trains playing from Chandigarh railway station or the Ambala railway station will remain cancelled till Monday (August 28), with service to resume only on Tuesday.

That was later revised to only a few trains will be running, not the full service roster. At which point we've got to ask, well, what are we going to do about this?

36 trains quite obviously carry rather more people than 5 airplanes. We simply cannot therefore fit everyone who wishes to travel between the two cities on the available transport (this is to assume that the trains run full but we've got to assume something). How do we decide among those who do get to go to Delhi and those who don't?

We need some form of rationing and the most obvious method is to ration by price. For the joy of that system is that that very variation of price changes the demand to be able to go to Delhi. Some might well have gone to Delhi at Rs 500. Or 1,000. But won't want to go at 10,000. Or 50,000, whatever the price becomes. Changing the price thus changes the decision to want the service--and those who still desire it at the higher price are clearly those who value the opportunity to go to Delhi the most.
27/08/17 Tim Worstall/Forbes

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Dera violence: Mount extra flights to Jammu, Chandigarh and Amritsar, DGCA tells airlines

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to mount extra flights from Delhi to places like Amritsar, Chandigarh and Jammu where rail and road connectivity has suffered due to the Dera violence. The regulator, which had on Friday asked airlines to curb rise in airfares on these routes, is now seeing how more flights could be deployed there.
"DGCA had cleared one additional flight on Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi route by Vistara for Sunday and one each additional flight on Delhi-Chandigarh-Delhi and Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi of Vistara for Monday.
Air India has been requested to explore a (extra) flight Monday on Delhi-Jammu-Delhi sector. Indigo has informed they will mount additional flight on Delhi-Jammu-Delhi sector on Tuesday. Airlines have also been advised to keep a check on the airfares on these sectors," said a senior DGCA official.
27/08/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Jaitley launches production of HAL 'Light Combat Helicopter'

Bengaluru: Defence Minister Arun Jaitely on Saturday launched the production of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) designed 5.8 ton category Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) in Bengaluru.

LAC is a multirole combat helicopter being developed in the country by HAL for use by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army.

HAL dedicated the role changer design upgrade program of 'Hawk-i' to the country.

HAL's Rotary Wing, Research and Design Centre, designed the LCH whereas Mission and Combat System Research and Design (MCSRDC), designed the 'Hawk-I' in association with the Aircraft Division.

T Suvarna Raju, Chairman and Managing Director of HAL said, "The Light Combat Helicopter and Hawk-i would provide the country extra potential to have additional combat resource and the programs are truly 'Make in India,' capable of generating employment opportunities in the country including MSME & Service sectors."
26/08/17 Business Standard

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Three-day aerospace conference begins at Institute of Aerospace Medicine

Bengaluru: At what altitude is additional oxygen required in a fighter jet? What is the extent of load that the human body can take and how can this be maximised during combat? Answers to these questions are some of the outcomes of aeromedical research. The 56th annual three-day conference of the Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine is underway in the city. It is being held at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) on Old Airport Road. At the inaugural address on Friday, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa announced that IAM had procured the High performance Human Centrifuge Disorientation Simulators and the latest Ejection Procedure Simulator at the Aeromedical Training Centres.
“The progress made in Night Vision Goggle (NVG) training is an example of the support aerospace medicine has made to the evolving flying environment,” he was quoted as saying, according to a press statement. IAM provides support to the Indian Aviation Industry. “Grounding of pilots on medical grounds is a tremendous loss to an organisation. Your scientific work may provide hope to aviators who have overcome medical ailments so as to return to active flying duties,” Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, said. The Conference is being attended by service delegates (medical officers and aerospace medicine specialists from the Army, Navy and Air Force), civilian delegates and foreign delegates with 15 scientific sessions where novel research will be presented. Dr Scott Allen Shappell, professor, Department of Human Systems at the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida, will be delivering the Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee Memorial Oration which is one of the highlights of the conference every year.
27/08/17 New Indian Express

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Acquisition of aircraft: DGCA amends procedure for obtaining permission

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday said that it has amended the procedure for obtaining permission for import or acquisition of aircraft to include mandatory installation of the GPS-aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) on planes imported from January 1, 2019 onwards.
The rule was originally envisaged in the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016. “Accordingly, the aircraft being imported for registration on or after 01.01.2019 shall be suitably equipped with GAGAN equipment,” the new rule said. The rule mandating GAGAN in aircraft from 2019, however, won’t be applicable for aircraft that have already been inducted by airlines into their fleets.
According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), GAGAN uses a system of ground stations to provide augmentations to the GPS standard positioning service navigation signal. The navigation system said to be designed for providing the additional accuracy, availability, and integrity necessary to enable users to rely on GPS for all phases of a flight. GAGAN would provide benefits beyond aviation to all modes of transportation, including maritime, highways, and railways, as per AAI website.
26/08/17 Indian Express

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After first batch of 36, IAF wants 36 more Rafales

New Delhi: The IAF is now strongly pitching for acquiring another 36 Rafale fighters after it gets the first 36 jets under the mega Rs 59,000 crore contract (7.87 billion euro) inked with France last September, stressing that the “followon“ deal will cost just over 60% of the original acquisition and induction price. Defence ministry sources say the IAF has made “some presentations“ on the operational need to procure 36 additional Rafales as part of its long-term plans, with the force contending the French fighters will prove to be much cheaper than the proposed fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) to be developed with Russia.

“But no final decision as yet has been taken on either the 36 more Rafales or the FGFA project,“ said a MoD source. Citing IAF's “critical operational necessity“, the Modi government had last year inked the deal for the 36 Rafales, with their weapon packages, associated supplies and logistics, after scrapping the long-pending and deadlocked $20 billion MMRCA (medium multirole combat aircraft) project for 126 fighters.
26/08/17 Rajat Pandit/Economic Times

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Planes imported from Jan 2019 should be equipped with GAGAN: DGCA

New Delhi: From January 2019, planes that are imported should be suitably equipped with indigenous navigation system GAGAN, according to aviation regulator DGCA.
The GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system was was officially launched in July 2015.

The national civil aviation policy requires all aircraft being registered in India from January 1, 2019 to mandatorily be GAGAN enabled.
In tune with it, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said, "aircraft being imported for registration on or after January 1, 2019 shall be suitably equipped with GAGAN equipment".
The watchdog has included this provision in a new air transport circular on procedure for obtaining permission for import/ acquisition of aircraft.

GAGAN uses a system of ground stations to provide augmentations to the GPS standard positioning service navigation signal.
25/08/17 PTI/Economic Times

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Dera crisis: Airfares to Punjab, Jammu shoot up, DGCA steps in

New Delhi: Airfares from Delhi to places like Chandigarh, Amritsar and Jammu rose dramatically on Friday, with rail and road access to several parts of north Indian like Punjab and parts of Haryana cut off due to Dera violence. Fares for the weekend are also higher than average as trains have been cancelled.
"The normal fare on Delhi-Amritsar route (one way) is about Rs 1,250. On Friday, the fare was Rs 7,300 and for Saturday and Sunday the fare is Rs 4,400. Delhi-Chandigarh normal fare is about Rs 1,500. On Friday it rose to Rs 12,800. The fare for Saturday on this route is Rs 5,200 and then later Rs 4,300. Delhi-Jammu normal fare of Rs 2,200 rose to Rs 31,183 on Friday. For next two days, fare for this sector is Rs 4,800," said Sharat Dhall, COO of travel portal Yatra.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief BS Bhullar directed airlines on Friday night to immediately curb the spurt in hikes. This is the second time in a week that DGCA had to take such a step. Last week, it had issued a directive for Northeast India which was cut off by floods and airlines had raised fares.
"Bookings were heavy this weekend as Maharashtra and some other states had a holiday on Friday due to Ganesh Chaturthi. So people had three days to travel. With rail and road suddenly cut off by the Dera violence, the remaining last few seats on flights to places like Jammu, Chandigarh an Amritsar went for highest fares," said a travel agent who did not want to be named.
25/08/17 Times of India

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Gurmeet Ram Rahim rape case verdict: Airfares to Chandigarh shoot up

Chandigarh: Ahead of the court verdict in the rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Friday, the airfares to Chandigarh have skyrocketed.
The air travel between Delhi and Chandigarh usually costs between Rs 1,600 to Rs 3,000, but on Wednesday it touched Rs 8,000. A Spicejet ticket between Chandigarh and Delhi, scheduled for 8:25 pm, cost Rs 7,992 while a Jet Airways ticket cost Rs 6,112, said an HT report.
All in all, people are wary of travelling to Chandigarh with reports claiming that Ram Rahim's followers may resort to violence if the decision is not in his favour.
24/08/17 One India

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BJP MP says airlines exploiting NE travellers, seeks PM help

New Delhi: A BJP MP today sought the prime ministers intervention in putting a cap on airfare to the Northeast as he claimed that the airlines have been "exploiting" travellers by "unreasonably" increasing fares, taking undue advantage of floods in Assam.
The BJP lawmaker from Tezpur, Ram Prasad Sarmah, said airfares to the Northeast have spiralled by four to six times of normal fares in many cases, leading to resentment in the minds of the people.
The "unreasonable and exorbitant increase of airfare by airlines by taking undue advantage of natural calamities caused by unprecedented floods in Assam" has caused untold miseries to the people of the region, he said in the letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Seeking the prime ministers intervention, Sarmah requested him to take steps for "putting a cap on the airfare on hourly basis of flight so that the airlines do not resort to exploitation of the people taking undue advantage of natural calamities, crises and helplessness of the people".
24/08/17 PTI/India Today

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IndiGo and SpiceJet breadwinners even as aviation sector battles engine issues, seasonal glitches

India’s domestic aviation industry has been flying high and clocking double-digit passenger growth for long and the month of July 2017 was no exception. While industry grew by 12.5 percent, it was lower compared to the last two months. Apart from seasonal weakness, performance was marred by engine issues faced by Indigo and GoAir. This also had an impact on the overall domestic load factor that fell 270bps (MoM) to 83.2 percent in July 2017.

Despite IndiGo's engine issues, we continue to like the business on the back of its leadership in the domestic market, cost efficiencies and plan to foray into a long-haul low-cost airline. In addition, we like SpiceJet on the back of its turnaround, market share expansion and comfortable valuations.
IndiGo continues to lead Indian skies. However, its market share fell by 130bps (MoM) in July 2017 on the back of engine problems that it has been facing on its A320neo aircraft. As per sources, the company has grounded 13 aircraft due to engine issues. This resulted in a rather unimpressive performance on all parameters in the month of July 2017.

The engine problem led to a single-digit growth in passenger traffic as compared to the double-digit growth it clocked in the last two months. Its load factor also went below 85 percent on the back of a significant fall in the RPK (revenue passenger kilometer).
From the brink of bankruptcy, SpiceJet has navigated well and continues to reach higher altitudes. SpiceJet stole the show on all counts in the month of July 2017. It witnessed 80bps (MoM) rise in the market share, 1,070bps rise in passenger growth, 590bps rise in ASK (available seat kilometer) and 730bps rise in RPK.
Jet Airways continues to struggle to gain market share. Though it gained 50bps market share in July 2017, it is still below the high of above 20 percent market share that it achieved in July 2014. Its RPK witnessed a fall of 500bps (MoM) and ASK increased by 310bps (MoM).
23/08/17 Nitin Agrawal/Moneycontrol

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Indian Aviation Sector Will Continue To Thrive In Price Conscious Market

The air transport sector in India has its own set of unique problems. First, thanks to grossly inadequate infrastructure and lack of affordability, the local market has not been fully tapped. This, in spite of its huge potential for growth with its wide geographical expanse, large population and higher mobility. Moreover, high operational cost and slow pace of policy reforms had made the business environment highly unviable for service providers. And, more importantly, monopoly of the state and the policy discrimination kept the private sector at bay for several years in the past even as the bureaucracy at Air India restrained its own growth.

However, if the vibrant growth that the sector has seen in the last decade — both in terms of the number of service players as well as passengers — is any indication, the recent economic progress and gradual change in the policy framework have started transforming the market, say industry analysts and experts.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that India will have 6 million aircraft movements and 300 million passenger departures by 2030, based on a Goldman Sachs economic projection for the country. However, India as a strongly price conscious market and a high-cost operational region for aviation, needs to develop a unique model to achieve the expected growth.

24/08/17 C H Unnikrishnan/Business World

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Plea in Delhi HC against 1 yr notice period rule of DGCA

New Delhi: A plea was today moved in the Delhi High Court challenging the DGCA's decision that senior pilots have to serve a 12-month notice period before quitting an airline and shifting to another.
The petition by the Indian Pilots Guild, representing senior Air India pilots who operate widebody aircraft, was mentioned before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Anu Malhotra for an urgent hearing tomorrow.
The bench, however, said there was no urgency in the matter and it will be listed for hearing in the normal course.
The petition, mentioned by advocate Kaushiq, challenges the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) rules announced on August 16 saying that pilots shall give a notice period of at least one year in respect of commanders and six months in respect of co-pilots, to the employer.
The notice period, however, may be reduced if the air transport undertaking provides a no-objection certificate to a pilot and accepts his resignation earlier than the period stipulated in the amended rules, as per the amended Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR).
24/08/17 PTI/Times of India

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First international airport in 1991, 4th on way, Kerala has no use for aviation department

Kochi: Strange as it may sound, Kerala, with a massive expatriate population, has never deemed it necessary to have its own civil aviation department, despite the ever-swelling number of people who prefer flight as the chosen mode of transport, both domestic and international.  To put things in perspective, the number of states that have their own aviation department now stands at 14, many of them with much lower air traffic volume.  Curiously, even though there is no state aviation department, Kerala has an IAS officer as its aviation secretary, which is an additional charge he holds. Presently, files related to airport projects are handled at ‘D’ Section under the state transport department.

‘’A request has been submitted to the government for the constitution of an expert cell to take care of aviation-related projects and to coordinate between state and central governments. The matter is pending before the Chief Minister. A decision is pending,’’ K R Jyothilal, Secretary, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, who holds the additional charge of State Aviation Secretary, told Express. Clearly, a dedicated department to give wings to its aviation aspirations seems a distant cry.

“There is no denying the difficulty faced by the state in implementing aviation projects in the absence of a dedicated department. High-level coordination between the state and central government is required, not only for new airport projects but even for the maintenance and development of the existing ones. This is especially true in the case of various clearances that require close coordination with a number of central ministries,” said aviation analyst Jacob Philip.
23/08/17 Babu K Peter/New Indian Express

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Soaring air fares in flood-hit Bengal Banking on distress?

The air fares to the flood affected parts of North Bengal and bordering Bihar are seeing an all time high amidst a disaster that has left it disconnected and inaccessible via the railways or roadways, making the bag heavy for the airline companies.
Heavy downpour coupled with spate in the rivers mainly originating in the mountains have flooded North Bengal causing severe damages. The districts of Malda, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar are badly affected in the flood.
Cashing in on the heavy demand for airways as a preferred mode due to the disruption in railway lines submerged under water, the companies are quoting a high price for an ‘invaluable’ seat.
A Vistara seat will cost you INR 32,819 from Siliguri to Kolkata while Jet Airways is charging INR 21,660.
The major rail lines in the meanwhile are still being repaired as the flood is making it increasingly difficult to do it at one go.
The question being raised here is that, is there no mechanism by means of which this can be controlled with tickets crossing the INR 3,000 threshold for such a short trip?
An official from a commercial Indian airline stated, “Here, what we are seeing is that while going from say Kolkata to Siliguri, the number of passengers are limited. However, while the flight returns from Siliguri to Kolkata there is a high demand and thus to maintain this disparity in demand, it’s a commercial prospect to hike the fares to maintain the breakeven.”
23/08/17 Media India Group

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India Braces for Next ICAO Audit

As the International Civil Aviation Organization prepares to start its latest audit of India under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program on November 6, the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is working hard to resolve copious anomalies in its systems and processes. The 10-day proactive audit includes analysis of flight safety, training and licensing and flight- and duty-time limitations of the DGCA, airports, and airlines.

The DGCA has completed the first step, which includes submission of protocol questions (PQ) to ICAO for compliance timelines. ICAO will also check Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) to ensure India exercises good practices. The DGCA meanwhile, has revised all CARs to incorporate the latest ICAO amendments.

In 2012 ICAO ranked India as the world’s 13th worst performer in safety; two years later the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration downgraded the country to Category 2 from Category 1, effectively halting its airlines from adding flights to the U.S. or entering into any new code-share agreements for a year.

Ensuring certification of non-scheduled airlines, particularly those flying internationally, continues to present a problem as have inadequacies associated with firefighting equipment, air traffic management and lighting at airports.
22/08/17 Neelam Mathews/AINonline

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India begins search for 234 new naval helicopters

The Government of India has begun the process of procuring 234 new naval helicopters, of which 123 will be anti-submarine warfare (ASW)-capable multi-role helicopters and 111 twin-engine utility helicopters.

The Times of India reports that the program, which will be implemented under the “Strategic Partnership” policy of India’s Ministry of Defence, will be worth more than $5 billion U.S.

Under the Strategic Partnership directive, the winning original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will deliver the helicopters in collaboration with a defence industry partner from India’s private sector. New Delhi’s main objective is to see upwards of 70% of the sourcing be done domestically.

According to the Times of India, OEMs are expected to submit responses to New Delhi’s call by October, at which point OEMs will receive request for proposals (RFP) from India outlining specific technical as well as commercial requirements surrounding each (or in some cases both) helicopter programs.
23/08/17 Bilal Khan/Quwa

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Indian MRO Claims Avionics OK From DGCA

New Delhi-based MRO provider Haveus Aerotech India said it has received approval from India's civil aviation authority to provide avionics maintenance and repairs, according to a local media report.

The Economic Times reported the company’s statement that India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation granted approval to perform avionics work at its facility in the Gurugram suburb southwest of New Delhi.
The company has invested more than $1.5 million in upgrading that facility to support both civil and military avionics maintenance, repairs and retrofits for small and large, and single- and multi-engine aircraft, according to the newspaper.

Haveus Aerotech India is part of Satyasai Group, which it said had introduced the concept of asset management of computers, servers and peripherals and have made a significant presence across various industry verticals, with more than 4,000 laptops, computers and toolkits on rent throughout India.

Over the past few years, Haveus said, it has evolved to become a “single-point stop for all aircraft and engine maintenance services, with a mission to provide quality people at all levels and offer the quickest delivery time.”
22/08/17 James T. McKenna/Aviation Today

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Will cloud-seeding be a political eyewash?

Bengaluru: The much-hyped cloud-seeding project could be just that, a build-up sans adequate results. The government is unlikely to get into the act of inducing rain in Karnataka till August 25 or even later, with partial seeding in the Cauvery basin slated to begin only from Wednesday.
This is leading to scepticism over the project being a political eyewash ahead of the 2018 polls.
According to government officials, despite the project seeing a high-profile la unch, with rural development and panchayat raj minister H K Patil, agriculture minister Krishna Byre Gowda and planning and statistics minister M R Seetharam in attendance, there was no cloud-seeding, thanks to non-functional radars which failed to guide the aeroplanes to release rain catalysts.
" A delay in the inaugural run coupled with clouds disappearing means the project is yet to take off. The radars are yet to receive any uplink, including the one installed at Gandhi Krishi Vikas Kendra (GKVK) which is yet to become functional," said sources.
With the ambitious project kicking off only in the last leg of southwest monsoon, there's little hope of something concrete coming out of it.
23/08/17 Sandeep Moudgal/Times of India

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Bengaluru: Now fly to airport at cost of cab

New Delhi: In a first, India's first heli taxi project was announced in Bengaluru earlier this month.

The helicopter-taxi (heli-taxi) service, operated by Thumby Aviation Private Limited, is scheduled to begin by December 2017 in Karnataka's capital city.
The best thing about the heli-taxi service is that the passengers will be charged same fare as that of a cab for flying from city to the airport.

At start, the services will commence between Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and Electronics City, where a heliport is expected to come up.
23/08/17 Zee Media

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Vijayawada-Singapore flight services likely

Vijayawada: The Vijayawada Airport, which has recently joined the club of international airports, is most likely to have a direct flight service to Singapore.

According to sources, the State government is in talks with Singapore’s Scoot airlines which is operating from eight airports including Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. The service would help many locals who now have to go to Hyderabad or Chennai to fly to Singapore.

The State government is making efforts to bring in international services to city as it would help develop an ecosystem for the IT industry in the capital region. The AP Civil Aviation Policy, 2015 also facilitates the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of 20% of the project cost to the airline that operates in State in addition to the VGF by the Central government.

“The State government is of the view that an airline would start a service to Singapore and the airline is also mooting the proposal,” said a top official of the Central government.
However, the matter is still between the airline and the State government and the Airports Authority of India is yet to be approached, according to the official.
23/08/17 The Hindu

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IBS Software Inks Multi-Year Contract With Jin Air

IBS Software (IBS) has been selected by South Korea based Jin Air, a subsidiary HanJinKal, as its Passenger Services System (PSS) provider. The seven year, multi-million dollar contract for the engagement was formally signed yesterday by Mr. Choi JungHo, CEO of Jin Air and Mr. VK Mathews, Executive Chairman - IBS Group, in Seoul. The engagement will see IBS implement its Passenger Services System (PSS), iFly Res, for integrated reservations, ticketing, and departure control operations. IBS' platform will replace the existing system of a renowned PSS provider allowing Jin Air to open up new revenue streams from both its low cost and scheduled flights business. IBS' loyalty management system, iFly Loyalty, will also be implemented along with iFly Res. This will support the diverse needs of Jin Air like FFP, coalition programs, SME and corporate programs and other various models.
The contract, awarded after more than two years of evaluation, will see IBS implement its modern PSS system by March 2018, which will also enable Jin Air open up possibilities to generate significant ancillary revenue with flexible management options. iFly Res, with native NDC integration, will empower Jin Air seamlessly integrate its PSS to third party systems, and will considerably augment the airlines interline and codeshare capabilities. Jin Air has been operating on the same system as Korean Air, and will now look to simplify its business as it transitions from the two different systems to the new-gen iFly Res platform. Established in 2008, Jin Air has a fleet strength of 24 aircrafts and flies to 37 local and international destinations including US, Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.
23/08/17 PR Newswire

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Ramco Systems expands business in Chinese market

Chennai: Amid continuing geopolitical tensions between Asia’s economic powerhouses — China and India — Chennai-based software major Ramco Systems announced it had expanded its client list in the Chinese market yet again, adding another original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the global top five.
According to a statement released by the firm’s management, it has secured an order from one of the global top five aircraft OEMs for its joint venture in China.

Ramco will help the China-based manufacturing centre to embrace latest technology offerings to automate its maintenance and engineering, supply chain, finance, HCM (human capital management) and Payroll functions on a unified platform. With in-built Mobility and Hubs for simplified user experience, the application will enable users to configure and track aircraft components, gain visibility of stock and provide advanced reporting support, in addition to addressing local statutory compliance requirements for HR, payroll and finance.

“With this win, we now have two of the top five global aircraft OEMs as our clients. Ramco’s ability to address the end-to-end needs of the aviation industry with a comprehensive offering and experience with existing customers in the Chinese region played a key role in winning this strategic deal,” said Virender Aggarwal, CEO, Ramco Systems.
23/08/17 New Indian Express

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IAF to Get Another 36 Rafale Combat Aircraft

New Delhi : The Government is likely to approve at least another 36 Rafale Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCAs) very soon.

Details are not known but informed sources told India Strategic that although a decision was just about due, the possibility of more aircraft was also being considered in view of the Indian Navy’s requirement of 56 twin-engine shipboard fighters as also the Government’s Make in India programme. If only 36 Rafales are taken, then it would not be economical to set up their manufacturing infrastructure.

IAF is looking for a mix of about 400 single and twin engine fighters as most of its combat jet inventory is of the 1980s Soviet generation. The Mirage 2000, which was acquired from France after the US gave Pakistan F 16s in 1982, also arrived in IAF squadrons from 1985 onwards.

The nuclear-capable Mirage 2000 though is still formidable and some half a dozen of the nearly 60 have already been upgraded to contemporary standards by Thales, the French company known for making deadly Electronic Warfare (EW) systems. Thales is providing the highly sophisticated EW systems for the Rafales also.
21/08/17 Gulshan Luthra/India saga

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Cockpit games

In an astonishing move, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued a diktat that commanding pilots have to serve a one-year notice period before they quit and join another airline. A co-pilot has to serve a six-month notice period, says the aviation regulator.

What’s the logic behind this new rule? Well, the DGCA believes that it takes eight to nine months to train a pilot and their resignations — especially if they are en masse — cause operational disruptions. The question is can a regulator interfere in job contracts between a private airline and its employees? Isn’t it overstepping its jurisdiction? And in a competitive open market, isn’t it the airline’s headache to make sure it fills the vacuum quickly so that flights run smoothly.
Talent shortage, especially the dearth of key talent, is a universal phenomenon. Literally every industry — and critical sectors such as healthcare and emergency services — is grappling with this problem but does that mean binding employees forcibly to their seats? If the employer ensures good working conditions and adequate work-life balance, why would an employee leave or create a stir? “People stay if they are engaged,” points out a private airline’s HR head.

Also, as some pilots point out, if they are forcibly asked to stay on long after they have mentally quit, the danger is they might work without motivation. The notice period is one of the most awkward times in most employees’s lives — you are not trusted with key responsibilities, and you are kept out of meetings, thus worsening the disengagement. Wouldn’t such a pilot ferrying 200-odd passengers be more of a liability?

Aviation has been a pretty turbulent industry in India, and pilots and managements have had a notoriously acrimonious relationship necessitating frequent intervention by the DGCA. For instance, pilots have held airlines to ransom by reporting sick at the very last moment. This happened with Jet Airways last November when its pilots went on the warpath over a new software-based rostering system which they felt was unfair. Flights got disrupted as a result. The show of rebellion prompted the DGCA to consider a drastic new rule whereby pilots reporting sick would have to undergo medical checks to verfiy their claim. According to the DGCA pilots often reported sick during weekends and festivals. Clearly, there is complete lack of trust on the DGCA’s part where pilots are concerned.
23/08/17 Chitra Narayanan/Business Line

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All of us have some extra baggage

Some Indian Airlines are taking the fun out of flying by charging passengers extra for carrying baggage that weighs more than what is allowed.
On domestic flights you are allowed to check-in 15 kg of luggage, which is ridiculous since Indians need to take with them a lot of stuff every time they travel. We are not a throwaway society such as America, so we carry around with us most of the things we possess.

If your baggage is even a kilogram heavier than the 15 kg allowed, the airlines will make you pay Rupees 285 (about Dh16) per kg, more than double the amount that you paid last week.
The Delhi High Court has revoked the order by the Director General of Civil Aviation capping the amount charged for excess baggage. This has made the airlines happy because it was fed up of passengers bringing silly things on board. A Times of India report quotes Virgin Atlantic aircrew who had to deal with someone bringing a headboard on board, hoping that he could attach it to his bed back home. There is the case of international students from India wanting to bring brooms (presumably the jhadoo that every Indian housemaid wants, instead of a vacuum cleaner, and which was the symbol of the Aam Aadmi Party, (Common Man’s Party), pressure cookers and folding beds as their cabin baggage.
It is not just Indian passengers who wish to take crazy stuff on board and I am not sure how the Virgin staff handled requests such as wanting to take a freezer, car tyres, a bathtub and a car engine on board, from people in various cities from Shanghai to South Africa.
But travelling to any Indian city from the Arab Gulf states is generally interesting. Airlines plead to passengers to come early so that things can be sorted out about their humongous baggage.
Passengers come early and bring with them baggage stacked high on their trolleys that even divas or film stars would be wary of checking in. Then everything becomes informal as if you are on a train journey to Jalandhar.
Every “Gulfie’s” favourite airline is always Air India because it allows 30 kg of baggage from the Middle East. If you are flying Business Class, then the airline allows 40 kg of free baggage.Travelling to Mumbai from the port city of Jeddah in Western Saudi Arabia, my heart would beat faster as we took off and slowly, very slowly, gained height and started to level off over the Red Sea.
Flying with us was loads of stuff in the hold, ranging from two-in-one transistor radios to kitchen sinks (seriously yes, kitchen sinks, as everyone was then building a home back in their villages and towns in India with their petro-dollar wealth and Italian kitchen sinks were sleek and easy to install).
If God forbid, there was an incident mid-air, nobody would have reached the emergency door as we would have been tripping over the bags kept under our feet instead of under the seat as advised by the airline crew.
On my final departure from Dubai I had two carry-on bags that looked like round kettle weights, as the bags had gone out of shape with the things stuffed inside. “Please put them on the scale,” said the staffer at the check-in counter.
The weight was way above the seven kg I was allowed. “You still have time,” he said, looking at my boarding pass. “Shuffle your stuff around and check-in one hand baggage.”
22/08/17 Mahnood Saberi/Gulf News

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Air passenger traffic sees 12.43 per cent increase in July but capacity utilisation in flights declined

New Delhi: There was a significant growth in domestic air traffic in July as compared to the air traffic in the same period last year, the civil aviation ministry claimed on Monday. Domestic air passenger traffic rose by 12.43 percent in July to 95.65 lakh from 85.08 lakh reported for the corresponding month of last year. However, there was a decline in capacity utilisation of flights due to end of the tourist season, the ministry admitted. Releasing government data on domestic air traffic, the country’s aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation also said that during the January-July period passenger air traffic in the domestic sector grew by over 17 percent.
In its domestic air traffic report for July, the DGCA stated, “Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-July 2017 were 657.21 lakh as against 560.87 lakh during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering a growth of 17.18 percent.” The statistics also provided insight into punctuality, seats utilisation and cancellations of flights in the domestic sector.
India’s largest airline in the domestic market IndiGo led the industry with 84.6 percent punctuality rate at four major airports of Bangalore, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. It was followed by GoAir (78.2), Vistara (74.5) and SpiceJet (73.4). IndiGo also retained its position as the largest airline in domestic market with the highest market share of 38.7 percent followed by Jet Airways (15.8), SpiceJet (14.2), Air India (13.5), and GoAir (7.8). AirAsia India and Vistara had market share of 3.6 percent each, followed by JetLite (2.4) and Trujet (0.5).
21/08/17 New Indian Express

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MRO Hub for Avionics in Gurugram gets DGCA approval

New Delhi: MRO service provider Haveus Aerotech India Pvt Ltd today said that it has got approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its avionics Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub at its Gurugram (Gurgaon) facility.

“The facility will soon have the capability to repair and overhaul over 3000 avionics components. The upgraded facility will also have complete design facility for retrofitment and modification of civil and defence aircraft,” the company said in a release ..
Haveus Aerotech has already invested over US$ 1.5 million for upgradation of its facility at Gurugram (Gurgaon). To ensure world class expertise and service standards, it has also tied up with Italy based firm - Jet Avionics – an acknowledged leader in avionics management, the release added.
21/08/17 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Pawan Hans can steer heli taxis if govt has its back

Bengaluru all set to become the first city in the country to have a helicopter shuttle service, but instead of the initially proposed government-owned Pawan Hans, it is a private helicopter firm Thumby Aviation Pvt Ltd that jumped in to offer the service.

A Parliamentary Committee had recommended the name of Pawan Hans Ltd to explore if its helicopters can be used as air taxis to provide last mile connectivity between the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and the city centre. Pawan Hans Ltd has said that it can do so only if the state government provides Viability Gap Funding (VGF).

The flagship helicopter service provider of the Government of India, which operates a fleet of more than 50 helicopters, was recommended by a committee comprising MPs. In a report submitted in March, the committee had made this suggestion to the government.

But Thumby Aviation Pvt Ltd grabbed the opportunity and also conducted a survey before it decided to launch the helicopter shuttle service. It is now in the process
of seeking regulatory approvals to offer the service.
21/08/17 Hemanth CS/Bangalore Mirror

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Bengaluru’s ‘Airport to City’ Helicopter Rides Will Be Cheaper Than You Think!

People who frequent cab services for travelling in Bengaluru often find themselves at a loss getting a taxi during peak hours. Even if they are lucky enough to hail one, their day doesn’t begin without spending a few hours stuck in traffic.

Well, soon you could fly your way out of all the above-mentioned hassles – literally.

HeliTaxi, a helicopter shuttle service, is expected to be functional from the Kempegowda International Airport within three months. The scheme was announced by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha earlier this month.

“The aerial service will ferry air passengers to and from the airport to the city faster than private cars, cabs or buses can through dense vehicular traffic on both ways,” said Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) Managing Director Harsha Raghavan, reports India Today.

Tying up with a private helicopter service provider Thumby Aviation Ltd, the aerial ferry will help passengers travelling between the airport and the city on demand.
21/08/17 Lekshmi Priya S/Better India

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DGCA 1-yr notice period norm for pilots may hit expansion plans: Experts

Mumbai: New DGCA notice period norms for airline commanders may hit the expansion plans of the domestic carriers besides significantly impacting the entry of potential strategic investors, according to experts.

The new rules, put in place by the aviation regulator last week, make it mandatory for commanding pilots to serve at least one year notice period if they want to quit and join another airline. Before this, a six-months notice period was sufficient for this purpose.

The norms are also facing opposition from some airline unions.

The revised norms may not withstand legal scrutiny if challenged in a court, but they can also have major commercial outcome for some market participants, said aviation think-tank CAPA's South Asia head Kapil Kaul.

"This decision (of extending the notice period to one year) will impact expansion, forward planning and increase costs. All the start-up airlines, including possible strategic investors considering entry due to the 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) rule, will be significantly impacted," Kaul said.
According to the government, domestic scheduled carriers are likely to induct over 384 aircraft in their fleet by March 2020. Currently, the combined fleet of these carriers stands at 490.

These airlines will require a good number of pilots - both junior and senior (commanders) pilots - to operate these many planes.
While an airline typically needs 10 pilots per aircraft, most Indian carriers have brought it down to 8.
20/08/17 PTI/Business Standard

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More flights for Onam sought

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged the Centre to introduce more flights from West Asia during the Onam season.

In a letter to Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathy Raju, the Chief Minister said more seats should be allocated on the flights of foreign carriers from destinations in West Asia to the State between August 27 and September 15 under the bilateral agreement.

An increase of 15,000 seats could reduce the airfare from the present ₹50,000 to ₹30,000 in the Kerala-West Asia sector, the Chief Minister said, recalling the assurance of the Union Civil Aviation Secretary at the May 15 meeting of the representatives of airlines that more seats would be sanctioned on demand from airlines.

Mr. Vijayan urged the Union Minister to approve a request of Air Arabia for additional flights during the August 28-September 1 period. He said Air India Express commenced more flights to Sharjah after the May 15 meeting convened by him.
19/08/17 The Hindu

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As Assam remains cut off, private airlines mint money

Guwahati: At a time when floods and erosion continue to wreak havoc in Assam, private airlines are minting money by jacking up fares — taking advantage of the State’s road and rail links with the rest of the country being cut off by the natural disaster.
All private airlines have increased fares between Guwahati and other major cities to such an extent that it is nearly impossible for the people of the State to bear the cost of flying even in emergency situations. The governments both in New Delhi and Dispur, often shedding crocodile tears for flood victims in the State, are however mute spectators to the development. The standard excuse being trotted out is that the government does not interfere in the fare mechanism of private flight operators.
Each ticket for a journey between Guwahati and Kolkata till Sunday (August 20) was being sold in between Rs 9,000 to Rs 15,000, as against the normal day’s fares of Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000. Under various rebate schemes, people used to purchase flight tickets to these destinations even in the range of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,200. When contacted, most travel agents in the city told this correspondent that tickets under the rebate schemes have been exhausted, forcing the people to fork up Rs 9,000 to Rs 15,000 for a single flight from Guwahati to Kolkata.
Similarly, air tickets between Guwahati and New Delhi (till Sunday) were being sold in between Rs 15,000 to Rs 24,000, as against the normal rates of Rs 6,000 to Rs 6,500. Under the rebate schemes, tickets on this route used to be sold in between Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,500.
19/08/17 Sentinel

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Army to get 6 new Boeing Apache attack helicopters

The Defence Acquisition Council has cleared the purchase of six more Boeing Co Apache helicopters in a deal worth close to Rs4,200 crore ($654.6 million), sources in the defence ministry said.

The AH-64E Apache multi-role combat helicopters, considers as among the most advanced, will come with associated equipment, including spares, training and ammunition. The four-blade, twin-turboshaft attack helicopter has a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew.

It is equipped with a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and has a major systems redundancy to improve combat survivability.
19/08/17 Bill Cooke/Gears of Biz

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Wings of JRD’s flying licence issuer clipped

New Delhi: From being one of the most powerful bodies in civil aviation, the Aero Club of India (ACI) now has been rendered “homeless”. Last month, ACI—an apex body of all flying clubs and other aero sports organisations in the country—was evicted from its office near the Safdarjung Airport, and now has no office.
ACI was evicted following an order of the Delhi High Court, which ruled that the club was in unauthorised occupation of a land it was granted 30 years ago. The land was allotted by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1984 for a period of 30 years at a fee of `1 per annum. The licence expired in September 2013 after which the club made a request for renewal and sent a cheque for `30 as licence fee for the period of 30 years. However, it was not granted.

ACI Vice-President Captain Pankul Mathur said, “India is making its presence felt in almost all kinds of sports, from cricket to gymnastics. This is happening because the government is supporting different forms of sports by providing infrastructure etc. It is important that ACI also be supported by the government through infrastructure and other means to bring India on the world map in aero sports.”
The institution’s history is as old as the history of civil aviation in the country. It was from here that India’s first pilot JRD Tata got his flying licence.

The Aero Club of India (ACI) came into being in 1927 and before Independence, it used to function as a branch of Royal Aero Club of Great Britain. Its legacy was such that then Viceroy of India was the club’s patron-in-chief.
19/08/17 Sana Shakil/New Indian Express

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Naqvi flags off 1st batch of 300 Haj pilgrims from Mumbai Airport

Mumbai/New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi saturday said that the Central Government had completed all the entire process related to Haj 2017 well in time to ensure best facilities to Haj pilgrims.

Naqvi flagged off the first batch of 300 Haj pilgrims from Mumbai at ChhatrapatiShivaji International Airport here today.Shri Naqvi congratulated to Haj pilgrims and extended best wishes to them for theirpilgrimage. A total of 5600 Haj pilgrims are going to Haj this year from Mumbai. Naqvi said that Haj 2017 has been completely successful till date as the CentralGovernment had completed preparations for Haj this year well before in time to ensuresmooth pilgrimage.

Naqvi said that new Haj Policy 2018 will be finalised very soon and Haj fromnext year will be organised according to this new Haj policy. The new Haj policy is aimed atmaking Haj process transparent and smooth.
20/08/17 The Indian Awaz

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Indigo stays No 1 in India, but Spicejet makes big moves in July

Indigo Airlines continued to dominate the domestic market in terms of passenger flown in July but its market share reduced by almost 200 basis points to 38.7% from 40.8% in June. Another low cost carrier SpiceJet on the other hand increased its market share to 14.2% from 12.9% in the preceding month. Air India’s market share during the month remained flat at 13.5% m-o-m. The same was the case with Jet Airways where market share remained flat at 15.12%. The market share of the two new airlines partly owned by Tata Sons – Air Asia and Vistara – also stayed flat at 3.6%. In terms of passenger load factor – one of the metrics to judge the profitability of an airline – SpiceJet continues to lead the chart with 94.4% which is the same as June. While the same for Indigo declined to 83.7% from 87.8% in June. Air India continue to lag behind competitors and reported 75.5% occupancy of aircraft compared to 77% in June. The same for Jet Airways also decreased by one percentage point to 80.2% during the month. “This is the 28th month-in-a-row that SpiceJet has flown with load factors in excess of 90%, a feat unparalleled in global aviation history, which firmly establishes our standing as the country’s favourite airline. We take pride in serving our passengers and will ensure that we continue to serve them even better,” said Shilpa Bhatia, senior vice-president, commercial, SpiceJet.
The load factor for AirAsia also declined marginally at 88.4% from 89.6% in June while the same from Vistara declined to 84.6% compared to 86.4% in June. In terms of the total passengers carried Indigo continues to be ahead of competitors but total passengers flown declined to 36.99 lakh passengers in July from 38.26 lakh passengers in the month before. Jet Airways carried 15.2 lakh passengers and SpiceJet increased its passenger carried to 13.5 lakh from 12.7 lakh in the month before. The number of passengers carried by Air India during the month increased to 12.9 lakh from 12.4 lakh in June. Air Asia and Vistara also flown 3.4 lakh passengers each during the same period.
Total passenger carried in July increased by 17.17% y-o-y to 657.21 lakh passengers. Pertaining to On Time Performance (OTP), Indigo continues to lead its competitors by landing 84.6% flights on time in July compared to 86.1% in June. GoAir came distant second by improving its OTP to 78% compared to 75.9% in June. The same for Vistara declined to 74.5% compared to 80.8% in June. SpiceJet’s OTP also fell substantially to 73.4% during the month from 79.8%. Two full service carriers had the lowest OTP during the month as Air India’s OTP decreased to 65% from 69% while the same for Jet Airways decreased to 64.2% from 70.4% in June.
19/08/17 Financial Express

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Why DGCA is wrong in fiddling with employment contract of pilots

New Delhi: The aviation regulator DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation) has recently increased the notice period for senior pilots from six months to one year in case they want to quit job. In addition, co-pilots have to give six months prior to leaving an airline. The DGCA says that "pilots are resigning without providing any notice to the airlines... even groups of pilots resign together without notice and as a result airlines are forced to cancel their flights at the last minute. Such resignation by the pilots and the resultant cancellation of flights causes inconvenience and harassment to the passengers."
Such interference from the government in the private job contracts is one of its kind, and shows that authorities are more concerned about airlines than pilots. In an open economy, employment contracts, especially in private sector, and their terms should not come under the purview of the government. The airline and pilots have to mutually decide on notice period requirements based on the other terms of the contract.
The DGCA says that "it takes about eight to nine months to train a pilot to operate an aircraft... as he has to pass technical and performance examinations, undergo simulator and flying training and has to undertake 'skill test' to satisfy license requirements before he is released to fly." But how's that different from other skilled jobs in other sectors? Every organization in the formal sector spends time and resources to hone professionals to perform tasks as per its needs.
More than the diktat itself, the timing of this change as raises questions. In the past, there have been instances of pilots leaving in hordes to join start-up airlines leading to shortage of pilots with incumbent airlines. It happened once in 2005 when three airlines were launched - IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir - around the same time. A similar situation was faced by airlines when Vistara and AirAsia India started operations in 2013.
The increase in notice period can be a short-term solution for airlines but each airline has to look beyond. Not just India, there's a huge shortage of pilots in the whole Asia Pacific region. According to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the region will need 230,000 pilots by 2030, while the current training capacity is just about 5,000 a year.
Currently, airlines hire pilots through three channels - lateral hiring from other airlines (which is mostly for senior pilots), hiring from open market, and tying up with flying schools to keep a steady flow of pilots every year.
Airlines like IndiGo have taken a lead by through its cadet programme with UK-based CTC Aviation and CAE. The airline picks up candidates at young age and trains them. IndiGo is inducting close to 300 cadets every year which is close to its current pilot requirement. That way it's not as much dependent on lateral hiring as other carriers.
19/08/17 Manu Kaushik/Business Today

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Airlines rake in moolah as students head for foreign shores

Jalandhar: As the September intake to study abroad is coming to an end, queues in front of immigration offices and travel agencies are reported to be soaring as the last day to the session is approaching close. Students who are scheduled to fly Canada from the region for the given session allegedly claim, “We are being affected by the high ticket prices of the airline companies, who are charging almost double the price of ticket to Canada.”
Karanveer Singh (21), who recently booked an economy class ticket on one of the popular airlines of India says, “It is disappointing as the behaviour of the airlines is to be condemned. They are hiking the prices deliberately because they know that this is the beginning of the new academic session abroad. As a result, the students are at mercy of the airline companies.”
As the companies are in a position where no one could question them, as students we are helpless. It adds to the pressure and puts pressure on students who have a limited budget and have taken loans to accomplish their dreams to pursue study abroad, Karanveer said.
When checked, it was found that there is a pattern in the ticket prices of airlines. Airlines are charging half the amount from people boarding the plane to India, and almost double and in some cases more than double from people going to Canada, where a big chunk of students from Punjab go.
19/08/17 Avneet Kaur/Tribune

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India's July domestic air passenger traffic up 12%

New Delhi: Domestic air passenger traffic rose by 12.43 per cent in July to 95.65 lakh from 85.08 lakh reported for the corresponding month of last year, official data showed on Friday.

On a sequential basis, total domestic air passenger traffic had risen by 19.98 per cent to 95.68 lakh in June.

According to data furnished by the civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), passenger traffic during the January-July period grew by over 17 per cent.

"Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-July 2017 were 657.21 lakh as against 560.87 lakh during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering a growth of 17.18 per cent," the DGCA said in its monthly domestic traffic report.

Further, the data noted low-cost carrier (LCC) SpiceJet had the highest passenger load factor (PLF) in July at 94.4 per cent. PLF is a measure of capacity utilisation of the airline.
SpiceJet was followed by budget passenger carriers AirAsia India at 88.4 per cent, Vistara at 84.6 per cent and IndiGo at 83.7 per cent.

"The passenger load factor in the month of July 2017 has shown declining trend compared to previous month primarily due to the end of tourist season," the monthly statistical analysis said.

Besides, the data showed that IndiGo led the industry with 84.6 per cent punctuality rate at four major airports of Bangalore, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. It was followed by GoAir (78.2), Vistara (74.5) and SpiceJet (73.4).

The overall cancellation rate of scheduled domestic airlines for July 2017 stood at 0.79 per cent.

In addition, the data disclosed that a total of 678 passenger related complaints was received last month.

"The number of complaints per 10,000 passengers carried for the month of July 2017 has been around 0.71," the aviation regulator said.

The data revealed that IndiGo led the industry with the highest market share of 38.7 per cent followed by Jet Airways (15.8), SpiceJet (14.2), Air India (13.5), and GoAir (7.8).

AirAsia India and Vistara had market share of 3.6 per cent each, followed by JetLite (2.4) and Trujet (0.5).
18/08/17 IANS/Business Standard

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Senior Pilots to Serve One-Year Notice Period, Says DGCA

Senior pilots will now have to serve a 12-month notice period before joining another airline, with aviation regulator DGCA coming out with new rules notwithstanding opposition from the pilots' community.

Currently, both senior and junior pilots are required to serve a six-month notice period.
Currently, both senior and junior pilots are required to serve a six-month notice period.
Pilots’ Union Object Decision
The notice period, however, may be reduced if the air transport undertaking provides a no-objection certificate to a pilot and accepts his resignation earlier than the period stipulated in the amended rules, as per the amended Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR).
Provision of this CAR would be subject to the outcome of writ petition pending before the Delhi High Court, the regulator said.
Sometime back, a petition was filed against the DGCA proposal to increase the notice period for pilots and it is pending before the court.
“During the notice period, neither the pilot shall refuse to undertake the flight duties assigned to him nor shall the employer deprive the pilot of his legitimate rights and privileges with respect to the assignment of his duties,” the watchdog said.
Jet Airways’ pilots’ union said it remains opposed to increasing the notice period.
We seriously object to this new rule. We were opposed to it and we remain opposed to it. We will strongly protest this move along with all pilots from all airlines.
 National Aviators Guild (NAG) President D Balaraman
NAG claims to have more than 1,000 Jet Airways pilots as its members.
While alleging that the DGCA is favouring private airlines, Balaraman said pilots would go on a mass protest.
Two pilots' unions at Air India – ICPA and IPG – did not offer any comment on the DGCA decision.
ICPA (Indian Commercial Pilots Association), a recognised union, has around 600 members, while IPG (Indian Pilots Guild) – which is derecognised – has about 900 members.
17/08/17 PTI/Quint

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2 pilots’ unions plan to take aviation regulator to court

Mumbai: Two associations representing more than 1,600 pilots plan to take India’s aviation regulator to court over a new rule, which requires them to serve a notice period of up to one year when they resign from an airline. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation introduced the rule on Wednesday.
"We had petitioned at the Bombay High Court even when the rule was in its draft stages. Then, we were told it was too early to appeal. Now that it's been implemented despite all our protests, we will file a fresh petition," said D Balaraman, the president of the National Aviators Guild, which has more than 1,000 pilots of Jet AirwaysBSE -1.75 % as members.
The Indian Pilots' Guild, affiliated to Air India and represents about 600 aviators of the national carrier, will also approach the Bombay High Court over the issue, a spokesperson said.
Other unions would protest against the rule but were yet to decide on a legal course of action, said Praveen Keerthi, general secretary at the Indian Commercial Pilots Association, another second lobbying body of Air India pilots.
18/08/17 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

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Check-in with 15-20 kg to cost lot more on domestic flights

New Delhi: Checking in more than 15 kg on domestic flights could now blow a big hole in your pocket.
The Delhi high court on Wednesday set aside a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) order that capped excess baggage charge at Rs 100 per kg for each extra kilo between 15 kg and 20 kg.
While airlines were earlier free to charge any amount as excess baggage charge beyond 20 kg, they can now go back to their old fee of up to Rs 350 per kg beyond 15 kg itself. For flyers, it could mean shelling out up to Rs 250 more per kg in the 15-20 kg band.
About two years back, all Indian carriers — except Air India — had reduced free check-in baggage allowance for economy class domestic flyers from 20 kg to 15 kg. They then started charging anywhere upto Rs 350 per kg for each kilo beyond 15 kg. After getting complaints from passengers, the DGCA last summer directed airlines not to charge more than Rs 100 per kg for extra baggage between 15 and 20 kg. Beyond 20 kg, they were free to charge any amount per kg as excess baggage charge.
On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court set aside the aviation regulator's order capping excess baggage charge at Rs 100 per kg in the 15-20 kg band. The court said DGCA had no power to fix such tariff for excess checked-in baggage. The Federation of Indian Airlines, which has carriers like IndiGo, Jet, GoAir and SpiceJet as members, challenged this order.
17/08/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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India may increase Dubai seat entitlements by 6,000 seats a week

New Delhi: India and Dubai are likely to finalise an agreement to increase the seat entitlement by 6,000 seats a week. However, the outcome of the talks depends on Indian carriers agreeing to hold talks without any commitment of getting preferred slots at Dubai's main airport.

This comes almost a year after the ministry turned down a similar request from Dubai. The talks have resumed as Indian carriers have fully utilised the current capacity entitlements. Of the current entitlement, 66,504 seats on the sector designated airlines of both India and Dubai are utilising capacity to the full extent.
According to an official of a private airline, the civil aviation ministry official has asked Indian carriers whether the agreement can be increased without any guarantee of slots. Simultaneously the ministry has also asked if the Indian carriers will use the Al-Maktoum International Airport at Jebel Ali which is 37 kilometres away from the main city of Dubai. "The civil aviation ministry sent a questionnaire to airlines asking if it is okay to hold talks without any guarantee of slots at Dubai's main airport," the official said. Lobby group Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) which represents IndiGo, SpiceJet, Go Air and Jet Airways has asked the government to ensure that they get preferred slots at Dubai airport. However, Dubai Airport in the past has said that the allocation of slots is independent of bilateral agreements.
Mohammed Ahil, Director General of the Civil Aviation, the governing body of aviation activities in the Gulf state has written to ministry that there is a further requirement of increasing the number of seats as carriers from Dubai was not being able to expand operations in India for lack of flying rights.

17/08/17 Business Standard

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Delhi High Court sets aside DGCA circular on excess baggage fees

The Delhi High Court today set aside the Rs 100 per kg fee fixed by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for excess checked-in baggage of 15-20 kgs on private airlines.
Justice Vibhu Bakhru set aside the DGCA's June 10, 2016 circular according to which private airlines had been allowed to charge Rs 100 per extra kg till 20 kg as against their earlier rates, ranging from Rs 220 to Rs 350.
The circular had come into effect from July 1 last year as the court had not stayed it or deferred the date of implementation.
The court had said the amounts charged by the airlines would be restored if the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) succeeded in its plea challenging the circular.
FIA, in its plea through advocate Gaurav Sarin, had said that the DGCA did not have the jurisdiction to fix tariff as this power laid with the airlines and the fares weredetermined by the market forces.
It had said that the DGCA can interfere only when there are specific instances of discriminatory practices and such circulars cannot be issued in a general manner.
16/08/17 PTI/India Today

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Might Airlines Go Vegan, Just for the Health of It?

Six percent of Americans are vegan, up from one percent in 2014, according to a GlobalData study published in June 2017. How is this trend reflected in the airline catering industry, and will it extend to other aspects of the passenger experience?

What the Health, a documentary that’s vehemently in support of veganism, has been causing a stir since it launched on Netflix in June. While the producers have been accused of bias and exaggeration, the film has planted a seed, prompting discussion about the effect of animal product consumption on human health, and even causing some viewers to switch to a plant-based diet.

Air India initiated a similar debate in July when it announced plans to to offer an entirely vegetarian menu for economy-class passengers on domestic routes. While the airline cited cutting costs and reducing food waste as reasons for the decision, some called it discriminatory – about 30 percent of Air India’s customers opt for non-vegetarian meals, according to The Indian Express.
Following Air India’s announcement, PETA sent letters to Indian airlines encouraging them to serve vegan meals to all passengers. The animal rights organization explained that meat, egg, and dairy production is one of the leading contributors to climate change, which is causing droughts and heatwaves in India. “Balancing an airline’s carbon footprint can start with putting meat and dairy products on the no-fly list,” said PETA India CEO Manilal Valliyate. “PETA is encouraging all Indian airlines to follow Air India’s lead and serve exclusively healthy, humane, and eco-friendly vegan meals on all flights.”
16/08/17 Kristina Velan/apex

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As India increasingly takes to the skies, here is how Modi government looks to provide a big boost

New Delhi: The Indian air travel market has been witnessing 20 per cent annual growth in domestic passenger traffic. To sustain this double digit annual growth, country’s aviation infrastructure needs to grow. It has been learnt that over 800 new aircraft are likely to enter the market. At present, 500 aircraft are operated by country’s carriers, PTI reported on July 20. Now, front-end infrastructure such as airport terminals and runways are coming up in good numbers. However, it is the aircraft maintenance which is still lagging behind in terms of global standard.
Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL)’s, a subsidiary of national carrier Air India, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Nagpur is a vital cog in the wheel to address the above-mentioned issue. It has been learnt that the Nagpur MRO facility consists of two wide-body hangars, a support building and other miscellaneous buildings. The MRO unit is designed for undertaking maintenance of any type and size of aircraft, including A380. Each hangar can accommodate one wide body or three narrow body aircraft at a time, as per PTI report.
However, the growth and commercial viability of the facility will depend on a number of factors such as air traffic growth at Nagpur, having better commercial sense for private airlines, and fiscal incentives to the unit to make it competitive with other MRO companies in India and other key locations spread across Asia, according to Indian Express report.
16/08/17 Financial Express

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Air India’s MRO: Traffic, tax incentives imperative for Nagpur facility to take off

Nagpur: The Indian air travel market, which is currently witnessing a 20 per cent annual growth in domestic passenger traffic, is pegged to be one of the fastest growing markets in the world. However, to sustain this growth, it is also deemed essential for the country’s aviation infrastructure to grow. Although various parties are putting their weight behind the front-end infrastructure such as airport terminals and runways, the back-end infrastructure, a major part of which is aircraft maintenance, is still a laggard compared with its global peers.
Air India Engineering Services Ltd’s (AIESL) Nagpur maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility is a step in the direction to correct this issue. However, the growth and commercial viability of the facility depends on a number of factors such as air traffic growth at Nagpur, having better commercial sense for private airlines, and fiscal incentives to the unit to make it competitive with other MRO companies in India and other key locations spread across Asia.
16/08/17  Pranav Mukul/Indian Express

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Glorious history of civil aviation in Hyderabad stuck in air pocket

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Does Not Have An Aviation Museum. Relics Of Yore Remain Only In Photographs And Books. Now, Heritage Activists Want A Portion Of The Begumpet Airport To Be Converted Into An Aviation Museum To Inspire The Younger Generation
The legacy of civil aviation in Hyderabad continues to inspire pilots and researchers in aviation even seven decades after the first commercial flight took off the Begumpet airport in July 1946.The Begumpet airport, which is now virtually defunct, has been a witness to the history of Hyderabad's civil and military aviation as it unfolded over the years. It was the first airport to watch a new chapter being drafted in the world of aviation when the world's first woman commercial pilot took off from its runway in 1948. However, the aviation history of Hyderabad traces back to a little over 100 years ago, 1911 to be precise.
In fact, Hyderabad's aviation heritage is intricately linked with the nobility and the ordinary citizens, and military and civil aircraft. It also cherishes several interesting episodes including the air phobia of the Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, who founded the Begumpet airport, and the mysterious Sydney Cotton, who airdropped arms prior to the Operation Polo or the so-called Police Action in 1948 that led to the merger of Hyderabad state with the Indian Union. The runway and the air traffic control tower in Begumpet airport still echoes the daredevilry of the women aircrew. Sadly, Hyderabad with a glorious history and heritage of civil and military aviation does not boast of an aviation museum.
16/08/17 Syed Akbar/Times of India

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