Aero India 2013: Top US firms eye Indian defence pie

Washington: A large industry delegation from the US will participate at Aero India 2013 in Bangalore showcasing advanced capabilities geared towards India's air, land, naval, and internal security systems needs.
Focused on enhancing industrial partnership and meeting India's defence modernisation requirements, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) has sent its largest industry delegation to Aero India 2013 in Bangalore.
The 12th executive defence mission from USIBC, comprising nearly 400 top American and Indian companies focused on enhancing the US-India commercial relationship, includes senior executives from America's premier aerospace and defence companies.
04/02/13 IANS/TImes of India

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Passenger Demand Grew as Air Cargo Declined in 2012

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced full-year traffic data for 2012 showing a 5.3% year-on-year increase in passenger demand and a 1.5% fall for cargo.
The 5.3% increase in passenger demand was slightly down on 2011 growth of 5.9% but above the 5% twenty-year average. Load factors for the year were near record levels at 79.1%. Demand in international markets expanded at a faster rate (6.0%) than domestic travel (4.0%). In both cases emerging markets were the main drivers of growth.
The 1.5% fall in demand for air cargo compared to 2011 marked the second consecutive year of decline, following a 0.6% contraction in 2011. The freight load factor for the year was 45.2%.
“Passenger demand grew strongly in 2012 despite the economic bad news that dominated much of the last twelve months. This demonstrates just how integral global air travel is for today’s connected world. At the same time, near-record load factors illustrate the extreme care with which airlines manage capacity. Growth and high aircraft utilization combined to help airlines deliver an estimated $6.7 billion profit in 2012 despite high fuel prices. But with a net profit margin of just 1.0% the industry is only just keeping its head above water,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
31/01/13 Aviation.ca

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Fraud couple take jobseekers for ride, promising work in airlines

New Delhi: A married couple duped several unemployed youths of crores on the pretext of providing them jobs, police said.
Dharmesh Doshi and Ashu Doshi of east Patel Nagar were arrested for cheating, deputy commissioner of police (north-west) P Karunakaran said.
Police said in December, Nipun Sharma and Nipun Juneja registered a complaint with Subhash Place police station. They said they were looking for jobs of pilot. In August, they found that Venture Overseas, a consultancy firm provides overseas aviation jobs.
They contacted Dharmesh, CEO of Venture Overseas at Netaji Subhash Place in Pitampura. He conducted written exams for pilot recruitment and his wife interviewed the successful candidates.
31/01/13 Deccan Herald

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Post FDI in aviation, investor interest in listed carriers show revival

New Delhi: With the cabinet's approval of 49% Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI) and fuel prices cooling off, the aviation sector is showed signs of revival.
With SpiceJet recording profits of Rs 102 crore in the quarter ended December, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) increased their stakes whereas FII stake in Jet airways has stabalized. Stakes of domestic institutional investors (DIIs), including mutual funds and insurance increased by a%age point in both the listed carriers.
Mumbai-based Jet Airways, India’s second largest carrier in terms of the number of passengers, saw the stake of FIIs dip slightly from 4.81% in the quarter ended September to 4.27% in the quarter ended December. The stake of FIIs in Sun Group-owned SpiceJet rose from 2.86% to 5.22%.
However, in the corresponding period last year, the stake of FIIs in SpiceJet was 3.81%. In past one year, there were three rounds of fund infusion in SpiceJet by its promoters of around Rs 419 crore.In Jet airways, the stake of FIIs was 5.42%.
29/01/13 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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Two Air India subsidiaries to become operational from February 1

New Delhi: Ground handling activities and maintenance and repair of all Air India aircraft would be carried out by two new subsidiaries of the national carrier when they become operational from February 1.
The operationalisation of the Air India Transport Services Limited (AITSL), which would carry out ground handling activities, and Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) that would be responsible for maintenance, repair and overhaul activities, would slash Air India's aircraft to manpower ratio by more than half.
Air India would provide AIESL Rs 375 crore as capital expenditure over three years beginning now, while it would give Rs 393 crore over 12 years from this year to AITSL, airline sources said.
The proposal to hive off the engineering and ground handling departments of Air India to two wholly-owned subsidiaries was approved on April 12 last year by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs as part of the airline's turnaround and financial restructuring plans.
29/01/12 PTI/Economic Times

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City can ‘C check’ aircraft

Thiruvananthapuram: The Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility of Air India Charters Limited (AICL), a fully owned subsidiary of the national carrier Air India, near Thiruvananthapuram international airport has been given permission to carry out the crucial ‘C’ checks of Boeing 737-800.
With this, Air India Express, the low cost carrier of the AI, can carry out the ‘C’ checks of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft at the MRO here instead of in Mumbai. Thus, the low-budget airline of the cash-strapped AI will be able to save Rs.2.5 lakh an hour.
In ‘C’ checks carried out after every 3,000 flights or in 15 months, engineers will repair components, test major internal mechanism and calibrate flight control. Minor structural inspections, compressor, flight control, rigging test-check flights will be taken up.
30/01/13 The Hindu

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Relief for business jet owners as aviation ministry scraps royalty hike

Mumbai: Business jet owners and charter flights operators won a major reprieve as the civil aviation ministry has decided to roll back a hike in royalty charged from the companies providing maintenance, repair and overhaul services (MRO) to these operators or owners.
In a letter dated Jan 7, the ministry informed stake holders of scrapping royalty charges which by a previous notification were increased by as much as 33% from 13% for MRO service providers in August 2012. The state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) had brought the MRO operators on a par with ground-handling service providers to increase royalty charges, a move that was widely opposed by the MRO industry. Business Aircraft Owners Association's (BAOA) president Rohit Kapur said the move will give an already over-taxed MRO industry some reprieve as the imposition of the increased royalty pushed maintenance costs for operators of general aviation aircraft by at least by 10 -15%. Normally, 30-35% of an aircraft's cost is factored in as maintenance cost.
29/01/13 Manisha Singhal/Economic Times

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Indian automobile maker Mahindra eyes aerospace

Washington DC: One of India's largest information technology companies thinks it can adapt the software sector's on-site/offshore business model for the aerospace industry and leverage that growth to transform itself into a leading aircraft design and manufacturing house within a decade.
Mahindra Satyam's aerospace practice faces the long odds of any non-established player seeking to grow rapidly and become a sophisticated designer and maker of globally competitive commercial and military aircraft.
But the group, headed by Ramaseshan Satagopan, is not without certain advantages. Being part of the $15 billion Mahindra Group is helpful. The company has grown rapidly over 15 years by becoming a builder and designer of automobiles for the Indian market.Now, the Mahindra Group's chairman, Anand Mahindra, has started looking for new growth opportunities - describing himself, according to India's Business Standard newspaper, as "outrageously ambitious to see Indian aerospace take its rightful place in the world".
Underscoring that ambition, Satagopan tells Flight International: "My chairman feels the next wave [of growth in India] will likely be in aerospace".
29/01/13 Stephen Tribmle/Flight Global

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Akhilesh agrees to consider VAT cut on fuel for Agra flights

Agra: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday agreed in principle to reduce VAT on aviation fuel for planes landing at the Taj city's airport.
This is seen as a concrete initiative to promote air traffic by making it attractive for airlines to connect Agra. "The reduction from 21 percent to 4 percent will make a substantial gain for the airlines," said the Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber president Prahalad Agarwal.
A delegation of the local tourist industry presented the chief minister, who is here for the CII Partnership Summit, with a memorandum, reiterating the long-standing request for the reduction of VAT on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for commercial flights from 21 percent to 4 percent.
29/01/13 Jagran Post

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Post FDI in aviation, investor interest in listed carriers show revival

New Delhi: With the cabinet's approval of 49% Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI) and fuel prices cooling off, the aviation sector is showed signs of revival.
With SpiceJet recording profits of Rs 102 crore in the quarter ended December, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) increased their stakes whereas FII stake in Jet airways has stabalized. Stakes of domestic institutional investors (DIIs), including mutual funds and insurance increased by a%age point in both the listed carriers.
Mumbai-based Jet Airways, India’s second largest carrier in terms of the number of passengers, saw the stake of FIIs dip slightly from 4.81% in the quarter ended September to 4.27% in the quarter ended December. The stake of FIIs in Sun Group-owned SpiceJet rose from 2.86% to 5.22%.
However, in the corresponding period last year, the stake of FIIs in SpiceJet was 3.81%. In past one year, there were three rounds of fund infusion in SpiceJet by its promoters of around Rs 419 crore.In Jet airways, the stake of FIIs was 5.42%.
29/01/13 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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UP CM Akhilesh Yadav blocks Ajit Singh's attempts to increase state's air connectivity

New Delhi: Political rivalry is playing spoilsport for development of Uttar Pradesh as the Samajwadi Party-led UP government is stonewalling opponent RLD leader Ajit Singh's - also the civil aviation minister - attempts to increase air connectivity in the state.
Since April 2012, 20 letters sent by Singh's ministry to UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his office to build airports in nine different cities have been ignored by the state government. This bombardment of requests elicited from Akhikesh Yadav a token response of announcing setting up only two new airports at Agra and Kushinagar as part of a slew of infrastructure initiatives for UP, at the CII's Global Partnership Summit on Monday.
However, the two mooted airports are not from minister Singh's list, which coupled with the delayed response makes analysts interprete it as more of a turf war than a real intention towards development.
29/01/13 Anindya Upadhyay/Times of India

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India, Dubai passenger traffic rises in 2012

Dubai:  With Mumbai and Delhi featuring amongst the busiest routes from UAE, India remained Dubai International airport's single biggest country destination in terms of passenger numbers last year.
The passenger traffic between Dubai and India continued to show robust growth during the past year, with total passenger traffic rising 7.4 per cent year on year to 7.34 million passengers in 2012, the annual traffic report issued by Dubai Airports has said.
Traffic was bolstered by the introduction of Spicejet which added new flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Ahmedabad to Dubai.
Air India Express, Indigo and Emirates also added new flights and destinations during the year, it said in a statement released here on Sunday.
29/01/13 PTI/Economic Times

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India’s Navigation Service GAGAN To Launch In 2014; Funding; Use Cases

India will launch its first navigation satellite this year as a part of its Gagan (GPS aided geo augmented navigation) project, says S. Ramakrishnan, director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), according to a report from The Hindu. Gagan is a regional satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) jointly developed by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Ramakrishnan said that the first navigation satellite, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) will be launched with PSLV C-22 rocket in the next few months and only after all the satellites are positioned accurately in the space, the government will be able to provide navigation service through Gagan. He added that the service is expected to be launched in 2014.
29/01/13 MediaNama

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Relief for business jet owners as aviation ministry scraps royalty hike

Mumbai: Business jet owners and charter flights operators won a major reprieve as the civil aviation ministry has decided to roll back a hike in royalty charged from the companies providing maintenance, repair and overhaul services (MRO) to these operators or owners.
In a letter dated Jan 7, the ministry informed stake holders of scrapping royalty charges which by a previous notification were increased by as much as 33% from 13% for MRO service providers in August 2012. The state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) had brought the MRO operators on a par with ground-handling service providers to increase royalty charges, a move that was widely opposed by the MRO industry.
29/01/13 Manisha Singhal/Economic Times

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Aero India 2013 to lift India's defence sector

Bangalore: India is projected to become the third largest defence spender after the US and China with $ 80-100 billion worth of acquisitions lined up for next five years and the bi-annual aerospace exposition, Aero India, is a fitting tribute to the growth in the industry. The Aero India 2013 airshow is scheduled to be held from February 6 to February 11 in Bangalore. The defence capital budget in the 12th plan will be an estimated Rs. 4,45,500 crore. Those who missed the long-range ballistic missile Agni-5 at the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi on Saturday can catch it during the Aero India 2013 show. The ninth edition of Aero India show at the Yelahanka Air Force station in Bangalore will show case 53 civil and military aircraft from leading manufacturers and suppliers across the globe.
Apart from Agni-5, the Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AEW&Cs) will be one of the major attraction at the DRDO pavilion. India has taken up development of the Rs 6,000-crore Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) that will have the capability to penetrate longer distances into the enemy territory.
29/01/13 One India

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Pvt jet owners approach tribunal against parking charge hike

Private jet owners have approached aviation tribunal challenging the recent approval of 50-time hike in penal parking charges by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA).
Admitting the plea of the Business Aircrafts Operators Association (BAOA), the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal (AERAAT) issued notice to the AERA asking to file its reply.
On January 15, the AERA had approved 50-time hike in penal parking charges proposed by Mumbai airport operator MIAL retrospectively from July 1, 2012.
The tribunal also directed the MIAL to furnish an undertaking within a week stating that it will deposit the amount collected through increased parking charges in a separate account till the outcome of the BAOA's plea.
29/01/13 PTI/BUsiness Standard

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No infrastructure, airlines unable to import fuel

Kochi: Though almost a year has lapsed after the Centre decided to permit airlines to directly import aviation turbine fuel (ATF), none of the airlines has been successful in importing ATF so far.
The Centre had taken the decision after the cash-strapped airlines' clamour that ATF accounted for about 50% of their operational cost in the domestic sector.
They had claimed that direct import of ATF would bring down their operational cost by at least 20% to 22% as they can then avoid paying sales tax which hovered around that level.
Some states had raised concern that the decision would affect their revenue streams. Kerala was levying about 29% sales tax on ATF and had generated Rs 58 crore revenue last year. The finance department was estimating that this might shoot up to nearly Rs 69 crores in the current fiscal, considering the growing demand. There were fears that the decision to permit direct ATF import would derail these estimates.
28/01/13 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Air Works India co-founder PS Menon passes away

Kozhikode:  P S Menon, co-founder of Air Works India , one of the leading providers of aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services in the country, passed away at his residence in Kozhikode Sunday evening. He was 92.
PS Menon along with late BG Menon had founded the company in 1951 and built it into a leading aviation services firms in the country. The company now has presence in 20 cities and is qualified to maintain 50 aircraft types.
26/01/13 K R Rajeev/Times of India

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Air Asia's Anthony Fernandez, Kerala biz man keen on Indian skies

Davos: Malaysian Air Asia's Anthony Fernandez and Middle East-based Indian businessman Yusuf Ali are believed to be exploring possible opportunities to enter the Indian aviation space.
Ali who hails from Kerala runs Lulu group of supermarket chain. He is looking at the possibility of starting an airline service between his home state and the Middle East, which has a significant population of Keralites.
Air Asia's Anthony Fernandez is eyeing a full-fledged airline service in India.
Both Ali and Fernandez have separately held informal discussions with Indian business leaders here at Davos where they are attending the WEF annual meeting.
While the two could not be reached for their comments, sources said both are very much interested in the Indian aviation space.
26/01/13 PTI/Indian Express

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HAL to display its specials at Aero India

For the first time, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will provide glimpses of the Prospective Multirole Fighter, also known as the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), for public.
FGFA will be HAL’s major display at the Aero India, said R K Tyagi, Chairperson, HAL.
“HAL’s strength in design, development and production will be showcased through its products during the event, including in-house designs such as Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Intermediate Jet Trainer, et al,” he said in a statement.
Also to be showcased will be ‘Rudra’, the weaponised version of the Advance Light Helicopter (ALH).
The aircraft equipped with Integrated Architecture Display System (IADS) with multi-function displays and powered by twin Shakti engines, will now come with weapons like 20mm Turreted Gun, 70mm rockets and air-to-air missiles.
26/01/13 Deccan Herald

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Pvt jet owners cough up Rs4 cr in penalty to Mumbai airport

Mumbai International Airport Limited has collected close to Rs 4 crore in penalty from private jet owners in a measure to decongest the
airport. The penalty was levied on jet owners whose planes were parked beyond the stipulated time limit.
The fine was approved  by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority but has been challenged in the AERA's appellate tribunal by the
Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA). The tribunal will take a decision on the matter next month.
The penalty ranges from Rs 1000-15,000 per hour beyond permissible limit and varies depending on plane type.
GVK-group run Mumbai International Airport Limited began levying penalty on private planes overstaying at airport from last July
leading to immediate protests over the stiff charges. MIAL argued that the penalty was necessary to de congest the airport.
MIAL collected Rs 3.89 crore from jet owners till December for over 14,000 hours of excess parking, according to the Airport Economic
Regulatory Authority order which approved the levy.
27/01/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Airlines slash fares as lean season sets in

New Delhi: Airlines have started offering hefty discounts of up to 30 per cent on select international routes on advance purchase of tickets from various Indian destinations as the lean season has set in and is expected to continue till April end.
Emirates Airlines has cut airfares by around 30 per cent on international routes on advance purchase of tickets. Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Air India is also offering discounts ranging between 10 per cent to 30 per cent on many international routes.
Other Indian carriers including IndiGo are offering a Rs.1,500 discount on one- way fares apart from discounted tickets on international routes.
Emirates Airline that operates around 185 flights a week to ten Indian cities started its discounted fares from Jan 23 on advance purchases ranging from three to ten days on flights to Dubai. The offer is open till March 31.
26/01/13 India Today

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IAF air ambulance evacuates eight injured in Kumbh Mela fire

New Delhi: An air ambulance of Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully evacuated eight persons, injured in a fire at Kumbh Mela, for emergency medical attention in the national capital.
"IAF immediately pressed into service an AN-32 aircraft (modified air ambulance) from Agra on requisition to airlift eight severely burnt pilgrims by Allahabad's District Magistrate and flew them out to Delhi at about 1215 hours yesterday," IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Gerard Galway said.
26/01/13 PTI/ZeeNews

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Air warriors to set the skies on fire

Bangalore: Metal birds are all ready to roar and take adrenalin levels to a summer high. Come February 6, Aero India 2013 will treat Bangaloreans to a stunning display of fighters and aerobatics for five days.
The Stealth Air Superiority Fighter Aircraft (Perspective Multi-Role Fighter), jointly developed by Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) and its Russian partners, is expected to be the show-stopper. Other major attractions in the HAL pavilion include in-house designs such as Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Rudra, the weaponized version of Advance Light Helicopter (ALH), and the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT). ALH-Dhruv, LCH and Rudra (Mk 4 WSI) will be on flying display.
Among HAL's static displays are LCA's naval variant with armament mock-ups, Rustom-1 (unmanned aerial vehicle), Nishant (UAV) on launch vehicle and various missiles of the DRDO.
26/01/13 Times of India

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India's LCA-Tejas-linked Kaveri dream over

Bangalore: The dream of fitting Kaveri engine being developed indigenously into the home-grown Light Combat Aircraft LCA-Tejas appears to be as good as over.
"Kaveri engine as such will never come into LCA," P S Subramanyam, Director of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), a DRDO lab, which is the nodal agency for the design and development of LCA with HAL as the principal partner, said.
Noting that LCA-Mark 1 and Mark 2 will have engines from GE, he, however, said the LCA would support Kaveri engine's flight tests and demonstrations and certification.
"As and when there is support required by the Kaveri engine, LCA will give support of its flying test facilities," Subramanyam said.
25/01/13 PTI/Indian Express

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BEL to show itself off at Aero India

Navaratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronic Limited ( BEL) today said that it will showcase its R&D capabilities at the Aero India 2013 by displaying its latest range of products and systems.
The company said that it is the main attraction at the 9th International Exhibition on Aerospace, Defence & Civil Aviation which would be Network Centric Warfare (NCW) systems developed indigenously for the Indian defence forces.
NCW solutions for the Navy will include Combat Management System (CMS), which automates tactical data from the ship’s sensors to provide decision support to the ship’s Command, the company said in a statement.
In the Aero India show which is to be held from February 6 to 10, BEL will also include cutting-edge technology based C4I systems catering to all the 3 Services—like computing elements in various forms, right from wrist-wearable computers, hand-held computers and Tablet PC to rugged laptop; communication equipment such as Software Defined Radio with different variants, among others.
25/01/13 Pradeesh Chandran/Business Standard

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India takes up AWACS programme for air superiority, can penetrate enemy territory

Bangalore: India has just taken up development of the Rs 6,000 crore Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) that will have the capability to penetrate "longer distances" enemy territory by way of radars and electronic warfare systems without venturing into the region physically, a top defence official said on Friday.
Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, Secretary in the Department of Defence (R&D) and Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) VK Saraswat said DRDO just started the programme, after clearance from the government recently.
Asked how it's different from the indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system, he said: "AWACS is a heavier and high endurance system, which can give you in terms of coverage about 360 degrees as against AEW&C which is about 270 degree coverage."
25/01/13 PTI/IBN Live

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Pawan Hans resumes services between Guwahati and Naharlagun

Itanagar: Much to the relief of air commuters, especially patients in land-locked Arunachal Pradesh, Asia's largest helicopter company Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL) on Thursday resumed its passenger services between Guwahati and Naharlagun after a gap of 20 months.
A brand new M-172 chopper with seating capacity of 26 passengers was flagged off by chief minister Nabam Tuki at Naharlagun helipad here on Thursday at a simple ceremony in the presence of civil aviation department and PHHL officials besides a host of ministers and MLAs.
25/01/13 Times of India

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DRDO to display advancements in aerospace at Aero India

Bangalore: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will display its achievements and future programmes at the 9th Aero India expo beginning here on February 6.
Talking to newsmen here, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister V K Saraswat said the main thrust would be on projecting aerospace related research and development advancement made by DRDO Labs and the coordinated efforts of various R and D work centers of DRDO. In all 31 DRDO Labs would be show casing their technological might.
Among display would be in 14 categories including combat aircraft systems, avionics and unmanned air vehicle systems, aerial delivery systems, surveillance systems, certification of aircraft systems, electronic warfare, missiles and radar.
LCA Fighter variant would be on display along with flying display of combat LCA and Airborne Early warning and control systems.
25/01/13 Military Aerspace

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HAL to provide glimpses of Prospective Multirole Fighter at AeroIndia

Bangalore: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will provide glimpses of the Prospective Multirole Fighter at the upcoming Aero India 2013, a top official said today.
"For the first time, we will present to the world glimpses of Prospective Multirole Fighter, also known as Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft ( FGFA). This is under co-development with the Russians", Dr R K Tyagi, Chairman, HAL,said in a release here.
HAL's strength in design, development and production will be showcased through its products during the event including in-house designs such as Light Combat Helicopter, "Rudra" the weaponised Advance Light Helicopter and Intermediate Jet Trainer.
25/01/13 Economic Times

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Russia and India Join Global Satnav Augmentation Meeting

Experts ensuring that aircraft can safely rely on satellite navigation across Europe and other parts of the globe met this week to share future plans, welcoming Russian and Indian representatives for the first time.
Ever more aircraft around the globe are using satnav augmentation to guide them on their way, with special infrastructure sharpening signal accuracy and reliability across given geographical regions.
More than 50 of the specialists overseeing the world?s five regional satnav augmentation systems met at Toulouse in southern France for the latest meeting of the Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) Interoperability Working Group (IWG).
25/01/13 Space REF

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Seaplane security staff ready to roll

Kochi: The first batch of Kerala police personnel to be deployed for providing security cover to the proposed seaplane terminals in the state, has completed training at the Aviation Security Training Institute (ASTI) of the Cochin International Airport Limited (Cial).
These personnel are drawn from the newly-constituted Kerala Police Airport Security Group and will be deployed at Ashtamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Bolgatty and Bekal - the five locations where waterdromes are to be set up in the first phase of the seaplane project.
The centrally located Cochin international airport has been identified as the base airport for the project in terms of operations, maintenance and refueling, airport sources said.
The first batch comprised 36 personnel, which included women and belonged to the ranks of inspectors, sub inspectors and civil police officers.
25/01/13 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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MoCA seeks subsidy for airlines flying to remote locations

Ministry of Civil Aviation has demanded some funds to provide subsidies to airlines that fly to remote locations in this Budget itself, reports CNBC-TV18's Sumit Jha.
This is a part of ministry's drive to improve connectivity to remote locations. Ministry sources say that there is reluctance on part of some airlines to fly to these locations. That is because of historically low yield which ultimately decides the profitability of these airlines.
They have struggled to cover their costs. So, with some sort of subsidy to these airlines ministry hopes that more flights and frequency would improve to these locations. More airlines will queue up to fly to these locations.
25/01/13 CNBC-TV18/SME Monitor

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You might be paying for the empty seats on your flight

Mumbai: Every time you board a flight that takes off from the main runway (09) at Mumbai airport, you unknowingly pay the airline quite a bit extra for your ticket. The reason? The airport is yet to replace a jet blast shield on the main runway that was damaged in July 2012.
A jet blast shield, or deflector, is a safety device that redirects the highenergy exhaust from a jet engine to prevent damage and injury. It must be strong enough to withstand heat and high speed air streams as well as dust and debris carried by the turbulent air. Without a deflector, jet blast can be dangerous to people, equipment and other aircraft.
Because of the damaged shield (which would cost just Rs 10 lakh to replace) planes cannot use the first 1,000 feet of the main runway, to prevent damage to high-tech instruments behind the shield and to the slums further back. This shortened take-off in turn forces them to fly with less than the maximum permissible load-ie,fewerpassengers. Unsurprisingly,the airlines recover these losses by hiking their ticket prices.
24/01/13 Bipin Kumar Singh/Economic Times

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Aero India takes off on February 6

Bangalore: It is that time when aviation buffs get ready to take off to the Air Force Station in Yelahanka here when the ninth edition of Aero India will be inaugurated by Defence Minister A.K. Antony on February 6.
They can watch aerobatics by, among others, the Flying Bulls from the Czech Republic and Russian Knights — the Russian Air Force Aerobatic Team will complement Indian Air Force’s Sarang Aerobatic Team — at the biennial event that provides a platform for Indian and foreign vendors.
However, IAF’s pride — the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Tea — which has performed to huge plaudits from the audience in the previous shows, will not be there for the country’s premier air show, a press release said.
All exhibition space has been sold out and this edition is expected to see the participation of over 600 companies and 768 overseas delegations.
24/01/13 The Hindu

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Long haul business jet with shower

Bangalore: This modern jet can fly non-stop from Mumbai to London or from Kolkata to Sydney; it comes with an optional stand-up shower and a flight deck, and can carry eight passengers and four crew members.
If you haven’t had enough of Bombardier Global 6000, have a peek at its market leading wide-cabin business jet sibling, the Challenger 605, that can fly six people to Greece or Australia – some 7000 km away.
Canadian maker Bombardier Aerospace will put these two business jets and more on show at the ninth Aero India show that opens here on February 6.
24/01/13 The Hindu

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Patna Airport may be shifted to Bihta

Patna/New Delhi:   The Ministry of Civil Aviation is mulling to shift Patna International Airport to Bihta in a bid to avoid huge traffic congestion problem in the city. Normally, due to traffic it takes a lot of time to reach Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport, which is situated in the heart of the city.
According to sources, airforce base situated in Bihta might be transformed into civil airport and vice-versa. Meanwhile, sources have also said that the state government wants the airport shifted to
Nalanda.
23/01/13 Daily Bhaskar

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IAF flies 80-year-old aircraft from Delhi to Vadodara

Vadodara: The Indian Air Force showed off its technical skills when it flew an 80-year-old de Havilland DH-82 Tiger Moth aircraft from Delhi and landed it at the airport Vadodara on Tuesday. "I enjoyed flying it," Group Captain DS Dangi said. The 'de Havilland DH82 Tiger Moth' is a two-seater, single-bay bi-lane powered by a 145-horse power Gypsy Major four-cylinder inverted air-cooled engine.
It was the primary trainer aircraft for the Royal Air Force during World War II and was also the basic trainer aircraft in the IAF, right from 1940. IAF training schools operated the Tiger Moth until it was later replaced by the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) designed and manufactured two-seater primary trainer called 'Hindustan HT-2', Air Commodore Sodhi said.
23/01/13 PRI/IBN Live

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Boeing to take off at Santacruz (even if it’s at a kids’ park)

Mumbai: More than two years after the iconic aeroplane structure at Lions Garden in Santacruz (W) was demolished in December 2010, a brandnew ‘Boeing’ is all set to make a landing at the venue.
The garden, better known as ‘aeroplane park’ after Air India donated a concrete replica of a Boeing 707-437 to the park minders in the 1960s, became a huge attraction, with kids flocking there from all over the city. Such was the popularity of the aeroplane at the park that on weekends, people had to queue up to enter it.
However, tragedy struck in March 2009, when an eight-year-old boy, Praveen Jamdale, died after a part of the aeroplane structure collapsed on him. A few months later, the Kamala Raheja Foundation, which maintains the garden on behalf of BMC, pulled down the structure amidst protests from several residents and activists, who said they should have been consulted. At that time, BMC had promised a new aeroplane for the park.
Now, the new ‘Boeing’, worth around Rs 30 lakh, is set to arrive in six months. A high-ranking the BMC official said, “The designs have been approved, and the structure is being readied. The plane will be made of cement concrete, and will be a better version of the earlier structure.”
24/01/13 Chaitanya Marpakwar/Mumbai Mirror

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Jumbo herd strays into aviation institute

Cuttack: A herd of 13 elephants, including five calves, entered the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), Charbatia, under Choudwar police limits on Wednesday. According to forest officials, the herd was on its way to Athagarh from Chandaka when they got confused and entered Choudwar.
"The elephant herd ventured into a few villages in Choudwar but when the people irritated them by showing lights and making unusual sounds, the pachyderms got frightened and barged into the ARC premises by breaking a boundary wall," said a senior forest official.
The herd, however, did not cause further damage to property or human life in the area. There are huge trees on the ARC premises, under which the herd has taken shelter. The wild elephants have not affected the operations of ARC either.
24/01/13 Times of India

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SC asking airlines not to collect transaction fee to hit travel agents

Mumbai: The Supreme Court directing airlines not to collect transaction fee from passengers will hit travel agents. Air India and Jet Airways introduced the fee last year after slashing agents commission to one percent from the earlier three percent while low cost airlines have been collecting the fee from earlier.
Profit margins in selling air tickets have fallen from around 7 to 8% to around 5 to 6%. With the slash of the transaction fees, the agents' profit margins is expected to fall further to 3-4%, said a travel agent.
The Supreme Court ruling will benefit the passengers but will impact the agents hard as many airlines have reduced commission or offer no commision at all. The transaction fee is one of the source of income for agents others being commission, productivity bonuses and incentives from global distribution systems.
“The transaction fee shall not be collected from any passenger in any form or under any other name,” a bench of justices D K Jain and Madan B Lokur said. The apex court also directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA) to examine the tariff structure of the airlines in view of their wide range of base prices for air tickets.
23/01/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Supreme Court stops airlines from charging transaction fees

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ordered airlines to stop collecting "transaction fees" from passengers. The judges have slammed the aviation regulator for not penalising airlines who add charges to their base fares.
23/01/13 Amit CHaturvedi/NDTV.com

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SpiceJet scheme triggers a full-blown fare war among domestic carriers as they scramble to drop ticket prices

New Delhi: SpiceJet's recent mega ticket sale at 2,013 a ticket, has spurred a full-blown, but silent, fare war among its peers as they scramble to drop fares, albeit discreetly. This has forced the fragile financials of a sector to be put to test on the sustainability of the recent turnaround in the sector.
To begin with, Air India dropped fares much lower than rival Jet Airways to surpass even the three budget carriers on some routes Monday night, forcing the low-cost airlines to match that drop. However, the travel industry fraternity says this is not where things would stop as IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir could drop ticket prices further to protect their market share. The airlines in India are heading to a lean season, which begins from February.
"Air India has dropped fares over the past two days quietly to match those of budget airlines in order to maintain its market share as passengers will prefer to fly AI over low-cost carriers to avail of better services like in-flight entertainment, meals and the likes," yatra.com COO (corporate travel) and Senior VP (air product) Sunny Sodi told ET.
23/01/13 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times

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India's first Boeing Defense C-17 heavylift aircraft takes off

New Delhi: The first of 10 C-17 Globemaster III airlifters for the Indian Air Force (IAF). India's first C-17 will now enter a US Air Force flight test program at Edwards Air Force Base in Palmdale, Calif. Boeing is on track to deliver four more C-17s to the IAF this year and five in 2014.
"The C-17 met the stipulated airlift requirements of the Indian Air Force when it flew field evaluation trials in India during June 2010," said Air Commodore Sanjay Nimesh, Air Attaché at the Embassy of India. "It was exciting to see the C-17 fly again, this time with Indian Air Force markings, as the airlifter completed its first-flight milestone on Jan. 11. We look forward to the day that the first IAF C-17 flies over India."
 "The C-17's ability to operate in extremely hot and cold climates; transport large payloads across vast ranges; and land on short, austere runways makes it ideal for India's airlift needs," said Nan Bouchard, Boeing vice president and C-17 program manager. "We value our continued partnership with India and the U.S. government and will provide dedicated support as India's first C-17 enters flight testing."
23/01/13 Dailybhaskar.com

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Aviation industry: Buffeted by ground realities

Indian aviation, the ninth largest market in the world, has significantly contributed to business, trade and tourism growth in the past decade.
The paradox of the sector, which serves one of the world’s fastest growing economies and registered unprecedented growth in traffic, is that almost all Indian carriers are in the red.
Transportation is one of the most important wheels of growth in any economy, and air travel is no longer an elitist luxury but a necessity. The sector has been impacted by several factors including high operating costs fuelled by high oil and tax cost, cash crunch and soaring debts.
Recently, the Government opened up FDI in Indian carriers to foreign airlines and also allowed direct import of aviation turbine fuel (ATF).
Responding to this, R. Neelakantan, Chief Financial Officer, SpiceJet said, “Permitting FDI by foreign airlines was a right step for Indian aviation, as it requires resources for expansion to connect Tier II and III cities with metros and foreign destinations. Further, the Government has been proactive in helping the industry directly import the required ATF.”
23/01/13 Pallavi J Bakhru/Business Line

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Indian jet repossession row could scare off funds: aircraft renting firm

Dublin: One of the world’s largest leasing firms has warned India the failure of troubled carriers like Kingfisher Airlines to return airplanes when they cannot pay their bills could put the country’s aviation growth at risk by scaring away new funding.
ILFC, which owns over 900 aircraft and rents them out to airlines for several years at a time, is the latest industry player to clash with the Indian carrier, whose financial difficulties have left its aircraft grounded since October.
“I am not happy with the way things are working out in India right now,” ILFC chief executive Henri Courpron told Reuters.
“There is not a clear path to exiting fleets out of India when necessary. There are too many cooks in the kitchen and too many authorities involved in what should be a clear process.”
23/01/13 mydigitalfc.com

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Indian skies, foreign thrills at Aero India

Bengaluru: For the first time since the beginning of the bi-annual Aero India, the Indian Air Force’s daredevil Surya Kirans will be sorely missed over Bengaluru’s skies. This February, when the ninth edition of India’s aviation  show gets off the ground at the Yelahanka Air Force Station, it won’t be the now-familiar red-painted Kiran Mk II trainers that will perform the show’s most scintillating manouvres, but the little-known Russian Knights.
Almost exactly four years ago, on January 21, 2009, a key member of the Surya Kiran team, Wg. Cdr. R.S. Dhaliwal died in a crash during a training sortie. In March 2006, Wg. Cdr. Dheeraj Bhatia and Sqn. Ldr. Shailender Singh died in another crash during training at the Air Force Station, Bidar. The aerobatics team has not recovered from these shocks. Still, a proud six-aircraft team did perform the last Surya Kiran show at Aero India 2011.
Former IAF pilots and aviation experts are asking why the world’s fourth largest Air Force failed to maintain its own aerobatic team. The IAF retired the Kirans soon after the 2011 display and announced that the Indian aerobatics team would regroup on the BAE Systems’ Hawk trainer aircraft, but that probably won’t happen until Aero India 2015.
23/01/13 Amit S. Upadhye/Deccan Chronicle

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SpiceJet not to be a trend unless govt changes policy

New Delhi: SpiceJet returning to profitability in the December quarter had analysts swooning over the airline’s ability to rise above the morass of losses yesterday.
But don’t celebrate just yet. First, the ongoing March quarter is typically lean, with less load factors (percentage of occupied seats per aircraft) than the December quarter and analysts are predicting that SpiceJet may remain operationally profitable but would report a marginal loss in the current quarter.
Other airlines may also find it difficult to sustain the yields and load factors seen in the December quarter, with some returning to the red.
22/01/13 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

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Aviation industry: Buffeted by ground realities

Indian aviation, the ninth largest market in the world, has significantly contributed to business, trade and tourism growth in the past decade.
The paradox of the sector, which serves one of the world’s fastest growing economies and registered unprecedented growth in traffic, is that almost all Indian carriers are in the red.
Transportation is one of the most important wheels of growth in any economy, and air travel is no longer an elitist luxury but a necessity. The sector has been impacted by several factors including high operating costs fuelled by high oil and tax cost, cash crunch and soaring debts.
Recently, the Government opened up FDI in Indian carriers to foreign airlines and also allowed direct import of aviation turbine fuel (ATF).
21/01/13 Pallavi J Bakhru/Business Line

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Rs 14,000 cr defence deals for pvt military, aviation industry

New Delhi: The offsets policy initiated by the government has benefited India's private military and aviation industry which got contracts worth over Rs 14,000 crore in last few years and can look towards getting business of few lakh crore more as the sector opens up further.
As per the offsets policy, foreign vendors bagging any deal worth over Rs 300 crore have to invest at least 30 per cent of the worth of the deal in the Indian industry only, Defence Procurement Procedure, Secretary (Defence Production) R K Mathur told reporters here.
With India looking to spend over Rs 15 lakh crore in defence procurements in the next few years, the value of offsets is expected to be around Rs Rs 5 lakh crore with a significant amount of the business likely to go to the private industry.
21/01/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Aero India show to begin on Feb 6 in Bangalore

New Delhi: The ninth edition of Aero India, a biennial air show, will be held from February 6 to 10 at the Yelahanka Air Force station in Bangalore, with over 53 civil and military aircraft from leading manufacturers and suppliers across the globe participating in the premier air show of Asia.
“I hope it will be bigger show compared to earlier editions. We are getting support from various stakeholders and I expect good response to the show,” Secretary (Defence Production) R.K. Mathur said at a press conference in New Delhi on Monday.
Mr. Mathur said that China has also been invited to the show but a confirmation has not been received yet. He said that more confirmations were expected. “We expect the number to be higher than the last year,’’ he added. Aero India-2011 had featured 63 aircrafts. He said of the aircraft participating, 55 per cent were civilian. As many as 27 countries will be participating in the show.
He said the aero show provides an ideal window of opportunity to companies to not only network with Indian industries but also benefit from the sharing of expertise in research and development and product support with other global players. “The show has its own merits for development of defence industry in the country,’’ he said.
21/01/13 Vinay Kumar/The Hindu

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Bangalore Gears Up to Host Aeroindia

The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony would inaugurate the Ninth Edition of Aero India on 06 February 2013 at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bangalore.
Organised by Department of Defence Production this biennial event provides a significant platform for Indian and Foreign vendors. The five day show aims at promoting products and services being offered by Indian Defence Industry in the International Market and providing exposure to the Armed Forces, R & D personnel to the latest Aviation and Aerospace Industry.
While Aero India 2011 saw the participation of exhibitors from 29 countries with more than 675 companies and 47 overseas delegations accommodated over the gross exhibition area of 75,000 Sqm, the Ninth Edition of this International Aerospace Exhibition is expected to see the participation of over 600 companies and 78 overseas delegations accommodated over an approximate area of 1,25,000 Sqm. The largest overseas participation is seen from USA with indoor space occupied being 1,185 sqm followed by Israel and Russia. Other major participants are France, UK, Germany and Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Ukraine, Australia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Japan, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, UAE and Singapore.
The event would also see the participation of aerobatic teams – Flying Bulls from Czech Republic, Russian Knights-Russian Air Force Aerobatic Team and IAF’s Sarang Aerobatic Team.
The first edition of Aero India was held in December 1996 with an objective to provide significant platform for business opportunities in the International Aviation sector as well as to exhibit capabilities of Indian Defences R & D and Production. Being a biennial event subsequent editions were held in 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011. While a modest 176 companies participating in the second edition of Aero India in 1996, the event in its Ninth Edition of 2013 is expected to feature over 600 companies.
More than 78 official delegations are expected to attend the four day exhibition with many products expected to be launched by Indian and Foreign Companies during the exhibitions. Several Business to Business meetings are planned to be held on the sidelines. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is the Event Manager of Aero India 2013.
21/01/13 Press Information Bureau

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Aero India to miss its chief attraction combat aircraft?

New Delhi: Three aerobatic display teams are expected to be the main attraction for the biennial Aero India show starting February 6, which appears to be a scaled down affair with many a combat aircraft giving it a miss following finalisation of a multi-billion dollar IAF deal.
Addressing a press conference on the Aero India show, Secretary (Defence Production) R K Mathur claimed the ninth edition of the show in Banglaore was expected to be "bigger and better" than the previous ones.
Howver, ministry officials said the number of aircraft who have confirmed participation in the show is 52 this year so far while 63 aircraft had come in 2011. The number of companies who have booked space at the show is 607 while 675 took part in the last edition.
21/01/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Arunachal Pradesh gets Pawan Hans helicopter

Guwahati: The Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited has delivered an Mi-172 helicopter on wet lease to the Arunachal Pradesh government for resumption of passenger services that were suspended after the helicopter accident on April 30, 2011, that killed the then Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu.
An official of Arunachal Pradesh Civil Aviation Department told The Hindu on Sunday that Chief Minister Nabam Tuki would take the final decision on routes and timings for the Pawan Hans helicopter services once the necessary safety clearance was obtained. The government had invited bids for twin engine large helicopter (Mi-172/Mi-171 or equivalent) not older than five years.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended the Pawan Hans service in the northeast region from May 5, 2011 to June 6, 2011 after two helicopter crashes —one on April 19, 2011 of an Mi-172 and the second on April 30, 2011 of an AS 350 B3.
21/01/13 Sushanta Talukdar/The Hindu

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HAL to be lead integrator in MMRCA proj: Defence Min

New Delhi: The Defence Ministry today suggested that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd would be the lead integrator for producing 108 multi-role combat aircrafts (MMRCA) in the country after French firm Dassault Aviation sought to play a bigger role in the multi-billion dollar project.
"The role of HAL is already defined in the Request for Proposal for the MMRCA project. It says that the main body, aero-engines, air frame and the integration shall be done by HAL," Secretary (Defence Production) R K Mathur said at the Aero India 2013 press conference here.
Dassault, which bagged the IAF deal for supplying 126 medium multi-role combat aircrafts, had asked the Ministry to define the role of HAL in the project.
As per the tender, first 18 of the 126 aircrafts are to be supplied by Rafale from its facilities and the rest 108 are to be license produced and integrated by HAL at its facilities here.
21/01/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Kingfisher exit spurs price hawks

Domestic airfares have constantly risen to unaffordable levels from the beginning of 2012 since Kingfisher Airlines, India’s second largest airline by market share at one time, plunged into crisis. Fares peaked in October-December when the airline went belly up.
Now fares are headed for correction as demand for air travel is declining due to prohibitive fares, and the current lean season has added to the problem. Since airlines have made money in the October-December quarter, they are cross- subsidising in the current quarter to stimulate demand by lowering fares.
Throughout last year, rival airlines which were vying for Kingfisher’s share increased fares as the airline with a 22 per cent market share went out of business within 10 months of plunging into the financial crisis. The near-month-long pilots strike in Air India’s international operations also helped rivals jack up prices.
19/01/13 Lalatendu Mishra/The Hindu

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Bidding date for State’s VIP helicopter extended again

Ranchi: The VIPs in the state would have to wait little longer again for their new chopper with the extension of the bidding tender date by the state civil aviation department. The global tender for a new helicopter floated by the state aviation department after several deliberations on January 3, 2013 with a bidding deadline of January 12 has again been shifted to January 22.
“I cannot say anything on the tender this moment. The bidding deadline has been shifted to January 22. We will explain the status only after that, said state civil aviation Flight Operations- in charge Captain SP Sinha when asked about the tender and the extension.
The tender floated by the state civil aviation department has called in helicopter manufacturers and their authorized representatives to bid for the twin engine chopper for the state. When purchased, this would be state’s first ever chopper for VIPs. Presently, the state has two hired helicopters managed by the air wing of BSF apart from Dhruv. This is not for the first time that a tender for chopper has been opened. Sadly, a chopper tender was opened and cancelled by the state aviation department last year.
18/01/13 Akansha Priyadarshini/The Pioneer

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Domestic airlines carry 4% less passengers in Dec

New Delhi: The year 2012 has ended on a despondent note for the domestic airline industry.
The latest data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation show a decline of four per cent in the number of passengers carried by the domestic airlines in December 2012 compared with the same period last year.
The seven airlines carried 54 lakh passengers in December 2012, against 56 lakh flown in the same month last year.
On an annualised basis, too, the number of passengers carried by the industry saw a decline.
The data reveal a three per cent decline in the number of passengers flown during January-December 2012 at 5.88 crore compared with 6.06 crore last year.
In December 2012, the Delhi-based low-cost airline, IndiGo, maintained its position as the market leader with share of 27 per cent.
On a stand-alone basis, Air India took the number two spot with a market share of 20.6 per cent. However, if the passengers flown by Jet Airways and JetLite are combined, they had a market share of 25.6 per cent.
18/01/13 Business Line

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Raise limit of liquor allowance for air passengers: Assocham

New Delhi: Aimed at making Indian airport hubs more ‘happening’, Assocham has written to the Government to consider increasing the limit of liquor allowance to four litres a passenger.
In a letter to Finance Minister P Chidambaram, the industry body said that this would stimulate industry buying on international arrivals. Pointing out that many countries had higher duty-free quota for travellers, the chamber said the enhanced limit would add approximately Rs 300 crore to the exchequer.
India currently allows two litres of liquor purchase at international airports. Compare this with Dubai Airport, which allows a passenger to carry four litres, provided the buying is done at the airport, while Singapore, Sri Lanka and the European Union permit three litres, 4.5 litres and four litres, respectively.
According to data by Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), liquor accounts for 63 per cent of total sales across airports compared with 17 per cent globally.
18/01/12 KR Srivats/Bindu Menon/Business Line

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Aviation shame for India: 4 pilots under scanner for fudging records

New Delhi:   Four Indian pilots have been suspended for fudging records by international civil aviation bodies. The pilots belog to two airlines who may face action by the international body. This revelation is not a good news for Indian civil aviation industry as it might face sanctions from the international body.
A high-level inquiry has been set up at the level of Indian Civil Aviation Ministry. Meanwhile, the international bodies are reviewing the records of suspended pilots.
As India faces a downgrade threat which would mean that Indian flights may be restricted, Indian's Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has called the issue 'serious'.
18/01/13 Daily Bhaskar.com

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Supreme Court asks DGCA, FIA to explain extra charges

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked the aviation regulator and the industry to explain the rationale of imposing charges over and above base fares on airline passengers, appearing to disregard airlines' defence that these levies were needed to deal with fluctuating market conditions.
Seeking more clarity on the volatility in airfares and the sharp differences in to and fro fares, the top court also sought to know whether the final rates charged by various airlines were within bands declared by them under the rules.
The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), an industry body for airlines, had earlier justified all the extra charges, attributing them to market volatility while denying that the operators were acting in concert and resorting to anti-competitive behaviour. The FIA also said that the Competition Commission had already cleared them of this charge.
18/01/13 Economic Times

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Bidding date for State’s VIP helicopter extended again

Ranchi: The VIPs in the state would have to wait little longer again for their new chopper with the extension of the bidding tender date by the state civil aviation department. The global tender for a new helicopter floated by the state aviation department after several deliberations on January 3, 2013 with a bidding deadline of January 12 has again been shifted to January 22.
“I cannot say anything on the tender this moment. The bidding deadline has been shifted to January 22. We will explain the status only after that, said state civil aviation Flight Operations- in charge Captain SP Sinha when asked about the tender and the extension.
The tender floated by the state civil aviation department has called in helicopter manufacturers and their authorized representatives to bid for the twin engine chopper for the state. When purchased, this would be state’s first ever chopper for VIPs. Presently, the state has two hired helicopters managed by the air wing of BSF apart from Dhruv.
18/0/113 Aknsha Priyadarshi/Daily Pioneer

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UTC Life Rafts First U.S. Aerospace Exports from India

UTC Aerospace Systems has become the first U.S. company to manufacture aerospace products in India under the terms of a bilateral aviation safety agreement (BASA) signed in 2011 by the U.S. FAA and India’s Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The agreement gives blanket approval for manufacturing U.S. aerospace products in India, or vice versa.
At a factory in Bangalore in southern India, UTC Aerospace Systems, which includes the former Goodrich businesses acquired last year, started making life rafts for business aircraft. Under the terms of the BASA, UTC and other U.S. companies are expected to start manufacturing a variety of products for general aviation aircraft, including seats, lighting and batteries.
17/01/13 Neelam Mathews/AIN Online

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SpiceJet fare cut scheme: DGCA advises airlines not to follow it; draws flak

New Delhi: Regulators in India are known to crack down when prices go up. The rationale being that sky-high prices hurt consumers and help companies make supernormal profits. But for the first time in India, a regulator has stepped in to prevent companies from cutting fares.
Budget carrier SpiceJet may have brought cheer to fliers with a scheme offering a million tickets for 2013 each, but the aviation regulator has ensured that other airlines, who wanted to follow SpiceJet, didn't go through with their planned cuts.
Officials in the aviation ministry said the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) contacted all airline CEOs in the evening of January 11, the day SpiceJet launched the three-day scheme. He advised them against succumbing to the trend.
DGCA officials said they thought it right to intervene as fares would have become distorted and they had to protect the industry from bleeding any further, just like they do when fliers complain of sky-high ticket prices during peak seasons.
The move explains why IndiGo and GoAir, which were about to announce discounts, withdrew their plans.
17/01/13 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times

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Business jets keep Nedumbassery busy

Kochi: Business jet operations seem to be picking up at Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial). According to airport authorities, there has been an 80% increase in business jet movements from the airport during the first nine months of this fiscal compared with the same period last year.
The number of non-scheduled flights has increased to 475 from April to December end this year as against 265 during the same period in the previous year, airport sources told TOI here.
Officials of the Joy Jets, the sole group to operate a chartered jet from the Cochin airport, said they have recorded a 60% growth in their business in the last six months.
They said the company, which is operating an Embraer Phenom 100 business jet since October 2011, was able to fly 40 hours per month, a good figure as per the industry standards. "We generally fly to areas like Chennai, Madurai, Bangalore and Pune. But we have also operated long-distance chartered flights to places such as New Delhi, Chandigarh and Kolkata," a Joy Jets official said.
16/01/13 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Indian carriers face downgrade threat from US

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the national aviation authority in America, has issued a safety alert for its operators - a move that could have far-reaching implications for Indian airlines.
Indian training and safety standards are far below those demanded by the FAA, and experts have warned that airlines operating out of India stand a very real risk of being downgraded. This, they say, could even lead to Indian carriers getting barred from flying to America.
The FAA’s Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO), issued for airlines and regulators around the world, deals specifically with degradation in pilots’ skills, which is significant, keeping in mind recent controversies involving Indian pilots fudging simulator training records.
In the last one month, Jet Airways has derostered two pilots and Air India suspended its training head for fudging simulator training records. Asking airlines to encourage manual flight operations, the FAA said, "Flight operations data has identified an increase in manual handling errors and the continuous use of automated systems could lead to degradation of the pilot's ability to quickly recover the aircraft from an undesired state.”
17/01/13 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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Govt directs PSU officials to fly on cheapest ticket instead of flying Air India

New Delhi: National carrier Air India could lose its exclusive clientele base as the Department of Public Enterprises has directed all officials of the 246 state-owned companies to avail of the cheapest air ticket available for official travel instead of indiscriminately flying Air India.
In a letter dated January 7, 2013, the ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises has instructed officials of all Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) to avail of "cheapest discounted air fare of the entitled class" for work-related travel.
"All administrative ministries/departments are requested to advise CPSEs under their administrative control to comply with the above instructions strictly," the letter reads.
While, this move could benefit government-owned companies by pruning their travel budgets, it could mean a substantial hit for Air India's business, which had just started recovering sometime in the middle of last year.
17/01/13 Anindya Upadhyay & Dheeraj Tiwari/Economic Times

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Government postpones GAAR implementation to April 2016

New Delhi: The government will delay by two years the implementation of the controversial rules on tax avoidance to 2016, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on Monday, a decision which earned a positive market reaction and is likely to help attract more capital inflows.
The General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), aimed at companies and investors routing money through tax havens such as Mauritius, had been scheduled to be implemented from April 2014. They will now come into effect from April 1, 2016.
The BSE Sensex rose as much as 1 per cent after the news of the delay and after a slower-than-expect rise in inflation cemented hopes for an interest rate cut this month.
14/01/13 Reuters/NDTV.com

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'SMEs lag behind in aviation component manufacturing'

The Indian small and medium enterprise (SME) sector's participation and role in the field of aviation and aerospace component manufacturing is far behind its global counterparts, according to industry players.
There are about 25 to 30 SMEs who have taken the business for manufacturing aviation and aerospace component seriously. "It is a long term investment for them. It is highly capital intensive industry. I definitely believe there can be many more of them," said Country Head of UTC Aerospace Systems, Chris Rao.
"This is a reason why Indian aviation and aerospace component industry is far behind in terms of growth in comparison with the global growth rate. It is a USD 930 billion industry globally and India’s share is not even half the percentage. We want India to at least catch up to 10 percent of the global growth in the near future," he added.  
When asked what kind of challenges these SMEs are facing in manufacturing aerospace and aviation components, he said that SME sector's participation in the component level manufacturing is poor.
14/01/13 Namrata Kath Hazarika/SME Times

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SpiceJet, IndiGo cut fare in lean season, fuel price war

New Delhi: Domestic airlines are gearing up for the lean travel season — February to April — coming out with discounts to lure passengers. Low-cost carrier SpiceJet announced on Thursday that it will offer fares for R2,013 across its network for tickets booked between January 11 and January 13, while India’s largest passenger carrier IndiGo will offer discounted fares on select domestic routes.
A Mumbai-Delhi one-way fare on IndiGo is available for R2,010 as part of the low cost carrier’s discounts. Jet Airways has also come out with a winter sale where it is offering an 8% discount on tickets booked on its website. However, despite the discount, Jet Airways has not underpriced its tickets and the fares still remain higher than its low-cost competitors.
13/01/13 Indian Express

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Bonanza for passengers: After SpiceJet's promotional offer, domestic travellers hope more carriers will slash air fares

A fare war in the Indian skies looms large, with domestic air travellers apparently lapping up the promotional offer announced by SpiceJet on Friday that makes flying even cheaper than train journey.
The move could force other carriers to follow suit, especially since passenger traffic has been steadily declining in recent months with corresponding rise in airfares.
In fact, IndiGo, another low-cost carrier, has already marginally slashed fares on select routes. Though major airlines such as Air India and Jet Airways say they don't have any plans to reduce fares, but they are closely watching the passenger response to the SpiceJet scheme.
The fliers, needless to say, are delighted and are making a beeline for the SpiceJet offer, while hoping that other airlines will also offer a similar bonanza. The airline is offering a limited-period sale across its domestic network for an all-inclusive one-way fare of Rs.2,013.
13/01/13 India Today

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NRKs want Kerala to go ahead with airline project

Trivandrum: Non-resident Keralites want the Kerala government to go ahead with the Air Kerala project without waiting for the Civil Aviation permission to fly overseas.
While a section of the NRKs have urged the government to launch the airline and then continue the pressure for exemption from the civil aviation norm that makes five years of domestic operation mandatory for license to fly overseas, others have sought collaboration with existing foreign airlines.
Dubai-based DM Healthcare Group CEO Dr Azad Moopan said getting overseas license will be easy after the launch of the airline. He told the Khaleej Times that the initial capital for launching the domestic operation could be raised from government agencies and high-networth NRKs.
Dr Moopan said he himself was ready to contribute to the kitty if the government came up with a concrete proposal. However, he refused to quantify the amount.
13/01/13 Khaleej Times

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DGCA asks why duration of flights on same routes vary

Ever wondered why different airlines flying the same kind of aircraft between two destinations have big variations in their flight duration? If you have, you are not the only one.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation or the DGCA has lately been asking the same question. It has been left pondering over the difference in flight durations, sometimes as high as 40 minutes, on key routes.
The air safety regulator has now initiated an inquiry to know what exactly makes one flight reach a destination far quicker than others flying on the same route.
The DGCA, on orders from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has called a meeting of all airlines informally, seeking reasons for such differences in flight duration.
Hoping to get some answers, The Indian Express sent email queries to Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir on December 10, 2012 and again on January 1. However, Jet, SpiceJet and GoAir did not reply to the emails, while a spokesperson of IndiGo responded with a ‘no comment’.
13/01/13 Mihir Mishra/Indian Express

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Railway passengers head for airport

Mumbai: The slashing of airfares by a few low-cost airlines could possibly triggering a price-war in the coming days. The move is already making railway passengers opt for flights.
This massive shift by rail passengers towards air travel has also been triggered by the declaration of increase in rail fares which was made recently by the railway ministry in order to bridge its deficit of Rs25,000 crore.
“The development in the last few days has suddenly brought a fresh change in the airline industry. A sudden rush to book flight tickets could be seen in the otherwise dull period, which usually follows after the new year,” says Iqbal Mulla, president of the Travel Agents Association of India.
13/01/13 Shankar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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AirAsia looks for a partner to launch an Indian airline, promoter Tony Fernandes keen on India

Mumbai: AirAsia plans to launch an Indian airline in partnership with a local promoter as the desire to earn share in one of Asia's biggest aviation markets trumps fears of a hypercompetitive industry full of bureaucratic obstacles.
Two people close to the development said Asia's largest budget carrier is exploring options to set up a company that will be majority owned by an Indian promoter, preferably a well-known business group.
AirAsia will hold 49% in the venture that will apply for an aviation licence. The Malaysian carrier has broached the issue with the Videocon Group and the talks are at a preliminary stage, one person said. Venugopal Dhoot, the chairman of the Videocon Group, confirmed that they had been approached by the airline.
"They had approached us. These were preliminary discussions. There's nothing I can say now," Dhoot said. An AirAsia spokesperson in Malaysia declined to respond to an ETquery on the matter.
Tony Fernandes, the promoter of AirAsia, is a flamboyant businessman with a taste for Formula One racing and football.
10/01/13 Manisha Singhal/Economic Times

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Deloitte to study Rohit Nandan Committee report on air connectivity

New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has enlisted the services of Deloitte, the reputed consultancy firm, to study the Rohit Nandan Committee report on air connectivity and recommend measures within a month to connect smaller towns and cities on a low-cost basis.
The Committee, which was set in April 2011 "to explore policy initiatives for expansion of air connectivity in the country", submitted its report in January 2012.
Deloitte's suggestions, according to sources in the ministry, would form the basis for a policy that will be framed by the Centre to bring smaller towns and cities within the air route network in due course.
The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa) in its 2009 report on low cost terminals concluded that "no Indian should be more than 50 km away from an airport". The Indian authorities find this surmise overambitious in view of the country's economic situation and availability of resources.
There are 457 functional and non-functional airports. Of these, 91 are managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and 125 by the armed forces.
10/01/13 Devesh Kumar/Business Today

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Airline business isn't like running buses: Ravi

Kochi: The NRIs' complaint regarding shortage of staff in Indian missions will be taken up with the ministry of external affairs, minister for overseas Indian affairs Vayalar Ravi said here on Thursday.
The minister made the assurance at a press conference held as a sequel to the 11th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the NRI conclave, which concluded a day ago.
Ravi said inter-ministerial consultations would be held to follow-up the suggestions, made at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas meet, for the welfare of the NRIs. Involvement of the ministries of home, external affairs, law and civil aviation would be required to implement some of the suggestions.
Measures would be taken to ensure the participation of chief ministers in the next edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. "The chief ministers missed an opportunity to showcase their states to prospective NRI investors,'' Ravi said.
10/01/13 Times of India

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Air India launches ‘Dreamliner’ aircraft flights to Paris

Mumbai: Air India introduced its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft operations to Paris from Thursday.
The daily flight on the Delhi-Paris-Delhi route will operate with the Dreamliner as per the existing schedule, the airline said. The flight will leave Delhi at 1.10 p.m. and arrive at Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport (also known as Roissy Airport) at 6.05 p.m. (local time).
The return flight, AI-142, will depart from Charles de Gaulle airport at 9.30 p.m. (local time) and arrive at Delhi at 10.10 a.m. next day.
Air India is gradually expanding operations of its B-787 aircraft to more international destinations. Currently, the Dreamliners fly from Delhi to Dubai and Frankfurt, in addition to some domestic sectors.
10/01/13 Business Line

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DGCA rushes to recruit after adverse audit

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is trying to fill 201 vacancies after a safety audit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) last month raised concerns of under-staffing. More than half of these vacancies are for personnel who verify the safety of operations and airworthiness of planes. A DGCA official told FE the regulator was planning to hire retired officials under 65 with sufficient experience on short-term contracts until suitable candidates were found. “We are also trying to get some people on deputation from Air India, other airlines and the Airports Authority of India,” the official added.
The 201 recruits will be offered one-year contracts. Out of its sanctioned strength of 574, DGCA currently employs only 307. Nearly 60 of them are consultants while 50 are on deputation from airlines. With the aviation ministry investigating nearly 25 DGCA officials for alleged breach of rules, even the existing staff strength may go down.
10/01/13 Debabrata Das/Financial Express

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No takers for Captain GR Gopinath's second 'Simply Fly' plan

Mumbai/New Delhi:  Captain GR Gopinath, the man who sold the dream of 'flying' to the ordinary Indian with his Simply Fly Air Deccan, is finding it tough to launch another mainline Indian carrier as the civil aviation ministry remains unconvinced about the need for another airline in India's crowded skies.
A top civil aviation ministry official, who preferred anonymity, told ET that the government is skeptical about issuing a fresh licence to Gopinath as a new airline will trigger a price war, jeopardising the viability of the existing ones.
"This industry needs deep pockets. There's lack of clarity on how he will fund his venture," a senior official from the aviation ministry, who declined to be named, said.
10/01/13 Manisha Singhal & Anindiya Upadhyay/Economic Times

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Govt wants OMCs to merge pipeline, aviation assets

Mumbai/New Delhi: The government wants all the three oil marketing companies ( OMCs) — IndianOil Corporation ( IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation ( BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation ( HPCL) — to merge their pipelines and aviation assets to bring these under the umbrella of a single joint venture company. Although the government’s rationale is to control budget in creating a similar infrastructure by the three companies, the proposal has not found favour with IOC, the biggest marketer of petroleum products in the country.
IOC had a near-monopoly in aviation assets, with 101 aviation fuel stations and wherever the other two companies did not have such stations, it charges exorbitantly, said senior executives in BPCL and HPCL.
Through its subsidiary IndianOil Aviation Service, IOC provides aviation turbine fuel ( ATF) or jet fuel to major international and domestic airlines, refuelling over 1,500 flights. “IOC is present at 100 airports and if you have multiple suppliers, the price will become competitive for IndianOil. Though there may not be much difficulty in creating new assets, one has to figure out how to merge the existing ones,” said an HPCL executive.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has held a couple of meetings on the issue, but a move to have separate company for pipelines has not been successful.
10/01/13 Kalpana Pathak & Jyoti Mukul/Business Standard

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New Indian Government Policy Stalling Bizjet Deals

India’s business aviation sector is facing a new obstacle to growth, with civil aviation minister Ajit Singh now insisting on giving final approval for every aircraft imported into the country. Before October, aircraft acquisition requests from airlines, charter companies and private individuals were dealt with by senior government officials on the aircraft acquisition committee, which met each month to clear backlogged requests.
Singh’s personal intervention in the unwieldy process seems to be causing delays already. Over the past three months, approximately 50 requests for aircraft purchases have been on hold awaiting approval by the minister. The new aircraft acquisition approval policy is intended to induce India’s airlines to buy smaller aircraft that the government wants deployed to new regional airline services to connect smaller cities.
10/01/13 Neelam Mathews/AIN Online

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Millionaires Buying Private Planes Boost Demand

Millionaires in search of new toys are set to fuel a fourfold jump in Asia’s share of private jets in the next five years.
Asians may own as much as 20 percent of the global luxury jets fleet by 2017 as economic growth spawns new millionaires, said Singapore-based K.K. Yong, vice president of Jetsolution International Services Ltd. Southeast Asia will create the next wave of demand for private aircraft, benefiting General Dynamics Corp. (GD)’s Gulfstream, Embraer SA (EMBR3) and Textron Inc. (TXT)’s Cessna, the aviation consultant said.
Rising affluence in Southeast Asia, China and India amid a boom in mining and property projects is boosting demand for private jets to increase business flexibility and cut travel times, according to Jetsolution. The number of people in the Asia-Pacific region with at least $1 million in investable assets rose 1.6 percent to 3.37 million in 2011, RBC Wealth Management and Capgemini SA said in September.
“When people get wealthy they tend to buy what they wish to have eventually,” Yong said in an interview in Singapore on Jan. 7. “Demand for business jets is highly correlated to wealth creation, which is largely driven by economic growth in the region.”
10/01/13  Kyunghee Park/Bloomberg/Business Week

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Unidentified paraglider: IAF asks police to investigate

The Indian Air Force (IAF) authorities have asked the Chatuhshrungi police station to look into an "unauthorised" paragliding incident which took place on December 25, reportedly in Kamshet area. The unidentified paragliding is said to have taken place at 12.40 pm when a helicopter flying from Alibaug to Arki reportedly spotted a paraglider at a distance of 5 nautical miles during its flight.
In early December, another helicopter flying between Baramati and Pune had spotted a paraglider flying at about 1,000 feet.
The incident has once again highlighted the missing framework for the operation of aero-sports activities within a particular air space. According to sources at Airport police station, the police received a letter from IAF authorities on December 26.
10/01/13 Indian Express

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Putting North India on the global air map

A number of established international airlines including British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Kuwait Airways, Etihad and SriLankan operate regular flights from various parts of the world to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
In a bid to make it easier for tourists and others to travel from Agra to Khajurao and the holy city of Varanasi, Air India recently launched a three times a week flight linking these cities.
The move has seen Agra coming back on to the air map of the country. In many ways, the launch of the new flight epitomises the potential that exists in North India not only for developing airports and air routes for tourism, but also for economic activities.
According to officials of the State-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI), catering to the growing demand in North India, there are 28 operational and three non-operational airports in the region.
09/01/13 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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Domestic air traffic demand fell by over 6 pc in Nov: IATA

New Delhi: Domestic air traffic demand in India fell by over six per cent last November as the country's business fundamentals remained "weak", though neighbouring China saw an impressive 7.7 per cent growth in the same period, global airlines body IATA said today.
Overall domestic air traffic demand in India "fell by 6.5 per cent, reflecting the slowing economy and sinking business confidence", the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its analysis of the latest global air traffic.
"Month-on-month traffic (in India) increased by 3.2 per cent, the second month of positive growth in a row. However, it is not clear if India has turned the corner as business fundamentals remain weak," the global traffic results said.
09/01/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Ticket fare for aero show grounded; same as last year

Bangalore: Aviation enthusiasts who are eagerly waiting to watch the world’s most advanced fighters performing breathtaking manoeuvres at the upcoming Aero India 2013 have reasons to cheer.
The organisers of the bi-annual airshow which is to be held from February 6 to 10 have not increased the ticket fares for the general visitors at the Aero India. These will remain the same as during the last edition of the show held in 2011.
For general visitors wanting to have access to the air display viewing area (ADVA), a ticket will cost Rs400 on weekdays and Rs500 on the weekend (February 9 and 10).
Tickets for the exhibition area with air display is priced at Rs2,000 and Rs1,000 for weekdays and weekends respectively. The organisers, however, have increased the ticket rates for business visitors by `500 compared to the previous edition of the airshow. A business visitor who wants to visit the exhibition area with air display tickets will have to shell out Rs2,000 on weekdays. On weekends, the rate will be Rs1,000. The tickets for the airshow will be sold from select banks and the details will be intimated in the days to come.
09/01/13 Hemanth CS/Daily News & Analysis

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FinMin may notify ATF under ‘declared goods’

New Delhi: The finance ministry is considering putting the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) under the category of notified goods, a demand that has been repeatedly made by cash-strapped airlines, struggling under high taxes on the jet fuel.
ATF comprises about 40 per cent of an airline’s costs and due to huge state levy, it is about 50 per cent higher than anywhere in the world and is among the prime reasons for losses incurred by airlines.
If notified as “declared goods”, the jet fuel will attract only 4 per cent central sales tax (CST) as per the CST Act, 1956. Declared goods are goods of special importance under Section 14 of the Act.
08/01/13 Shruti Srivastava/Indian Express

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Rescuing air travel from the clutches of the Maharaja

International aviation is a controlled business as each sovereign country has full rights over allocation of routes over its territory to airlines of other countries. This is done through bilateral air service agreements between countries.
In India the strong influence of Air India over the ministry of civil aviation led to a conservative policy towards such agreements in spite of repeated requests of ministries of commerce and external affairs to be more liberal. Did this lead to an overall economic loss to the country as business people could not get tickets when needed? No such calculation has been made but the answer is likely to be in the affirmative.
In the past it was always Air India’s inability to meet the requests of foreign airlines for more capacity in matching the flights performed by them into and out of India that discouraged the government from giving more international routes into India.
08/01/13 Sanat Kaul/Deccan Herald

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Pawan Hans pilot flew Scindia during mandatory off period

Mumbai: The Director General of Civil Aviation has instituted an inquiry into a night flight undertaken by a Pawan Hans chopper on December 27 last year to take Union Minister of State for Power Jyotiraditya Scindia to Bhopal and Indore from Delhi despite the pilot-incommand not being qualified to fly after sunset.
This gross violation of VVIP security was reported to the DGCA by the Pawan Hans Pilots Guild on January 2. The guild has filed a parallel complaint with Pawan Hans chairman and managing director Anil Srivastava.
The complaint also points that the pilot-in-command Captain J B Singh undertook the flight even though he was on his mandatory off period of three weeks after performing a duty of six weeks away from home on various detachments. When this fact was pointed out to him by his co-pilot K S Dahiya, he was over-ruled by Captain Singh.
08/01/13 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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Aviation sector could face less turbulence this year

Turbulence and uncertainty can best describe the year 2012 for the Indian aviation sector. In 2012 major airline companies’ profits plunged into red, staff unrest crippled two airlines and the year also saw one the major players grinding to a halt.
This was also a year when air fares shot up, forcing travellers to think twice before booking air tickets, finally resulting in declining air traffic.
Hit by rising fuel costs, hostile cost environment, continued regulatory uncertainty and rupee depreciation, the aviation sector has major challenges to overcome. For 2013, however, there are signs of a turnaround, aviation analysts feel.
Lower competition arising from Kingfisher Airlines’ exit due to financial turmoil and subsequent consolidation in industry has helped in shoring up realisations in 2012-13. Predictably, demand growth has been a casualty of this hike in ticket prices, accentuated by the slowdown in the economy.
06/01/13 Nivedita Ganguly/Business Line

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Airbus Military Prevails In Indian Tanker Selection

Airbus Military has confirmed that it has been selected as the preferred bidder for the Indian air force’s (IAF) aerial refueling tanker program.
India is discussing the purchase of six aircraft in a deal worth around $1 billion. India selected the Airbus A330 multirole tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft over the Russian-built Ilyushin Il-78 tanker aircraft, a variant of the Il-76 transport plane already in service with the IAF.
In a statement, Airbus Military said the aircraft would be “delivered over a 51-month period starting at a date to be agreed as part of the contractual discussions.”
Preferred bidder status in India means that the platform has been selected, but this does not represent a final contractual decision.
07/01/13  Anthony Osborne/Aviation Week

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Aircraft financing costs set to rise, PwC says

Paris:  Global airlines face a hike in the cost of financing aircraft deliveries as an international pact on export credits squeezes already-scarce funding, according to consultants PwC.
Tougher policies by leading Export Credit Agencies (ECAs) could result in higher ticket prices and speed up the development of alternative funding channels in the $100 billion jetliner market, it said in a report published on Monday.
Although the industry is expected to cover its needs this year, the higher costs and tightening of funds could also put pressure on manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing to fill the gap with more customer finance, it added.
Manufacturers made up 7 percent of global aircraft financing in 2012, up from 3 percent in 2011, according to the report.
For years government export credit agencies in the main aircraft-producing nations -- the United States, Canada, Brazil and EU members such as France, Germany and the UK - have acted as a backstop to promote exports to fragile foreign airlines.
07/01/13 Reuters/Economic Times

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Now, airlines won't have to fly on non-viable routes

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry has decided to scrap the existing rule under which it is mandatory for domestic carriers to deploy 10% of their capacity to non-viable routes which include north eastern states, Jammu & Kashmir and Andaman & Nicobar Island.
Instead airlines wanting to fly designated routes which are considered non-viable will be given subsidy through the recently floated Essential Air Services Fund (EASF). This will be funded partly through central government budgetary support and partly by imposing a cess on passengers who are flying between the country’s metros.  Also state governments will be asked to underwrite some seats on these routes to support the domestic carriers.
The list for non-viable routes (which are known as Category 2) apart from the current locations will be extended and re categorized to include other regional connections which do not make money currently.
The changes planned will be incorporated in a new regional connectivity policy which is expected to be announced with a month by the Government.
06/01/13 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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Weddings to joyrides, choppers high on wish list

A helicopter ride seems to have caught the fancy of people, who are losing no opportunity - be it for making a grand entry at their wedding, offering a special puja by showering flowers from closer to heaven, or purely for a joyride - to hire a chopper.
“I get one or two calls every day from people who enquire about the charges for hiring a helicopter during weddings. Sometimes they want the groom to be picked up from a particular place and dropped at the wedding venue, sometimes they want the bride and groom to be taken for a short ride around the wedding venue after the wedding ceremony,” said Junaid Bagwan, proprietor at Angel Consultancy, a company that provides helicopter services to clients.
Bagwan had recently organised a campaign in which his company offered a 12-minute ride in a helicopter for Rs 5,000 per head.
06/01/13 Anjali Jhangiani/Express India

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A year on, deal with Dasault not in sight

New Delhi: Contrary to expectations of an early push towards finalising the contract for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force, the deal will not be signed before the current financial year comes to an end in March this year.
The IAF is keen that the negotiations are concluded and the way is paved to finalise the multi-billion dollar deal with the French manufacturer Dasault Aviation for its Rafale ominrole fighter plane.
Sources in the Ministry of Defence told The Tribune that there was no possibility that the contract can be signed in the current financial year. While the negotiations started after Dassault was declared the lowest bidder in January 2012, indications are that the discussions between the Contract Negotiation Committee and the French company is far from over.
Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Officer Charles Edelstenne, scheduled to demit office next week, told a French Parliamentary panel last month that while there was “relative optimism” over the progress of talks. He acknowledged the negotiations were tough.
05/01/13 KV Prasad/The Tribune

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Tourism to take wings with amphibian airplanes

Mumbai The state has come up with a novel idea to promote tourism through amphibian airplanes that can land on water as well as roads. It will buy nine such planes, also called seaplanes.
“Tourists can experience landings on and take-offs from water. The seaplane can perhaps land in Pawna dam catchment area,” said minister for tourism Chhagan Bhujbal.
Officials said the option was already there in states such as Kerala and on Andaman and Nicobar islands and could be implemented successfully in the state as well. “... provided environment laws are not violated,” said an official.
Recently, Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority cleared a proposal for a seaplane service from Mumbai to Konkan.
The idea was mooted by Maritime Energy Heli Air Services.
05/01/13 Express India

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Sri Lanka gearing up to tap Indian market

Colombo: Close on the heels of Sri Lanka expanding the Colombo port in a big way, primarily to cater to the Indian market, the country is also setting up an MRO facility at an up-coming airport, again, targeting the Indian market
The Colombo port expansion project, named South Harbour, is west of the existing port of Colombo, and sprawls over 600 hectares. The plan is for having three terminals each having 1,200m length and facilities to accommodate the berths alongside. An additional 7.5 MTEU capacity will be available after completion of the third stage of the Colombo Port Expansion Project. The terminals will be operational by August 2013.
Most mother vessels, with cargo for India, call on Colombo or Salalah. As the Indian market expands, Colombo port is taking steps to tap this market. The Hambantota Port will also be used to tap the Indian market.
04/01/13 RK Radhakrishnan/Business Line

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