Defence ministry clears decks for buying 111 choppers for navy at Rs 217 bn

New Delhi: The defence ministry on Monday announced it had approved ‘implementation guidelines for the strategic partnership model’.

The ‘strategic partner’ (SP) model of defence procurement, which was promulgated in outline in May 2017, provides a policy framework for

Indian firms to manufacture specified defence platforms in India based on technology transferred by a selected foreign vendor.

The SP policy initially aims at building four categories of weaponry — fighters, helicopters, submarines, and armoured vehicles.
31/07/18 Ajai Shukla/Business Standard

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India aerospace: 'Nothing can stop us'

Aravind Melligeri, the chair and chief executive officer of Aequs, speaks to DW's Zulfikar Abbany at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow in the UK.

DW: When we think of airplanes, we think of huge machines that cart us from A to B. But rarely do we think of all the small parts that make up the whole. And that's where a company like Aequs comes in, focused as it is on precision engineering for the aerospace industry. Based at the Aequs Special Economic Zone in Belagavi, in Karnataka state, India, you've expanded with subsidiaries in the USA and France. But let's start with that special economic zone. You've done something interesting there to nurture aerospace manufacturing locally. Tell us about that.

Aravind Melligeri, Aequs CEO: It's an ecosystem that consists of joint ventures for forging, surface treatment and assemblies, where we do our own machining activities. These are joint ventures with Saab Aerospace, Aubert & Duval of France, and Magellan Aerospace of Canada. The idea is to reduce the length of the supply chain from start to end. So you can forge, machine, surface treat, and assemble in a single location. And that stops you from having to travel all over the world to get the parts done.

And is that an innovation in itself in India? Does India need more of that sort of movement?

Absolutely. If you look back, 10 years ago there wasn't a single surface treatment facility in India which was approved by Boeing and Airbus. So we basically built this whole ecosystem. It's one of a kind. And, in fact, Airbus gave us an innovation award in 2016, recognizing the uniqueness of our ecosystem. A country like India, which lacks aerospace manufacturing, needs such an ecosystem so that more can be brought into the country and delivered from there.
31/07/18 DW

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T-Hub selects 3 start-ups for Boeing India programme

Hyderabad: Start-up incubator T-Hub has selected three Indian start-ups for the Boeing HorizonX India Innovation Challenge.
Merxius, HUVIAiR and ZestIoT are the start-ups that are working on emerging business models in extended reality, unmanned aircraft technology and Internet of Things (IoT). They joined three teams from Boeing’s India Engineering & Technology Centre (BIETC) in presenting their ideas to prospective investors and customers, as well as government stakeholders, at the Demo Day of the Challenge.
The Demo Day marked the culmination of a three-month accelerator programme launched in collaboration with T-Hub. Following a stringent evaluation process, six teams from a competing pool of more than 100 ideas and applications won the opportunity to join the cohort, a release from the T-Hub said.
31/07/18 The Hindu

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Govt data sees drop in airline staff misconduct complaints

After last year's shocking video of an Indigo staffer manhandling and dragging an irate passenger at Delhi airport ruffled many a feathers, the latest data released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) indicates that there is a decline in complaints related to staff misbehaviour with passengers.

The MoCA data released in the ongoing Parliament session stated that there were only 2,595 complaints pertaining to staff misbehaviour with passengers between 2015 and June 2018. However, the data indicates constant decline in the number of complaints in regards to the same.

In 2015, 903 complaints pertaining to staff misbehaviour with passengers were reported followed by 834 in 2016, 617 in 2017 and 241 in 2018 (upto June). "This indicates that there is a decline in complaints related to staff misbehaviour with passengers," MoCA said.
The latest data also indicates a decline in the number of complaints against private airlines. The data reveals that 33,217 complaints were received between 2015 and June 2018 out of which 2,595 were pertaining to staff misbehaviour.
30/07/18 Mehul R Thakkar/DNA

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Private jets may soon land in care of aircraft operators

New Delhi: Super-rich Indians may soon be able to own private jets without having to take on the responsibility of managing and maintaining the aircraft.

The aviation ministry is working on a proposal to allow the concept of different owner and operator for private jets, said a government official.

If the proposal is implemented, it would allow a company or a private person to buy an aircraft and hand it over to an aircraft management company to maintain and operate it on mutually agreed terms.
30/07/18 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Not for glamour but employment encourage Naga youths to join aviation industry

Dimapur:  More than 70,000 government jobs are required in Nagaland because there are more than 70,000 youths registered as ‘unemployed’ at the Directorate of Employment (2017) and there are additional unaccounted numbers of unregistered unemployed youths.

The prospect for youths in the govt. sector looks bleak because the govt. sectors in the state is saturated and unemployment is a major challenge as termed by state legislators and leaders as well.

It was during the inauguration of Emporium Training & Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. in Dimapur recently, the advisor to the state chief minister for Skill Development Kazheto Kinimi asserted “with less scope for employment opportunity in the state and with no big factories, companies or industries to give employment to the many number of youths, the Peoples’ Democratic Alliance (PDA) govt was committed to impart and empower the youths with the skills training and help in self employment and other employment opportunities”.
29/07/18 Eastern Mirror

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Punjab: 2 young woman pilots to embark on world tour from

Patiala: : Two young women, Keithair Gilroy Misquitta (23) and Aarohi Pandit (22) will embark on a world expedition on a small plane from the Patiala Aviation Club.
The women, who have received training at the Patiala Aviation Club, will be completing the journey in 90 days and will fly through three continents, 23 countries covering nearly 40,000 kilometers on their own.
The motive of the expedition is to promote the ideology of women empowerment and to save and educate girl child (Beti Bachao Beti Padhao). The expedition was flagged on Sunday by former Union minister Preneet Kaur from Patiala Aviation Club.
29/07/18 Jaskaran Singh/Times of India

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First Boeing Apache, Chinook helicopters for India complete inaugural flights

Boeing and India recently took a significant step towards modernizing the Indian Air Force’s helicopter fleet by completing the first flights of Apache and Chinook helicopters destined for delivery in 2019. India ultimately will receive 22 AH-64E Apache attack, and 15 CH-47F(I) Chinook transport, helicopters.

Boeing has been a long term strategic partner to India in the development of indigenous aerospace and defense ecosystem thereby contributing to the success of ‘Make in India’ initiative. This will support aerospace and defense programmes across the Boeing enterprise.

“We look forward to delivering this phenomenal capability to India,” said David Koopersmith, vice president and general manager, Boeing Vertical Lift. “From coastal operations to high-altitude mountainous missions, these aircraft will play vital roles with the Indian armed forces.”
30/07/18 Stat Times

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Small cities, big aviation boom

New Delhi: It’s not the metros, but increasing traffic to and from tier II cities which is driving the booming aviation sector in India. While airports in the country have seen about 17 % of annual growth in air travelers, airports at smaller cities like Surat, Ahmedabad, Ranchi, Patna and Amritsar registered much higher growth. According to Civil Aviation Ministry data, more than 25 cities have clocked a growth of over 20 per cent, while Delhi and Mumbai have only seen 14.5  and 6.5 per cent growth, respectively.

Airports in the country saw 308.75 million passengers in 2017-18, compared to 264.97 million the previous year. While cities like Ranchi and Amritsar have shown dramatic growth of 72  and 64  per cent respectively, Surat in Gujarat has seen a staggering growth of nearly 250 per cent. The total number of air passengers at Ranchi and Amritsar was 1.77 and 1.69 million in 2017-18, compared to 1.01 million in 2016-17.
29/07/18 New Indian Express

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Airline growth story hits turbulence amid acute pilot shortage

Mumbai: The government on Friday extended the deadline for Indian airlines to phase out foreign pilots amid an acute shortage of pilots, specially commanders. The cut off date has now been put off by two years to December 31, 2020

Pilot shortage has become a structural challenge for Indian carriers with hiring of expat pilots becoming harder due to global demand while supply constraints have pushed up salaries and airline unit costs even as the government is bullish on the growth of low cost air travel connecting Tier 2 cities.

In March 2018, India had 6,772 commercial airline pilots (including those on hold pool under training by an airline). According to a report on “Resource Requirements for Indian Airlines” from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation - India (CAPA India), the requirement will be 16,802 by March 2027. Similarly, India will require 2,541 general aviation pilots, up from the present 1,225, who fly private jets and helicopters.
29/07/18 Aditya Anand/The Hindu

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Steep hike in airfare from Kerala to Gulf

Thiruvananthapuram: Airlines have hiked fares up to five times the basic tariffs from the three international airports in Kerala to almost all destinations in West Asia, hoping to cash in on the demand among Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) returning after the coming Bakrid and Onam festivals and summer vacation of educational institutions in the Gulf.

The increase in fares by airlines based in India and West Asia, including budget carriers, has upset the travel plans of several NoRKs, many of whom have already reached home after the closure of educational institutions as also those who are planning to come home and return after Bakrid, which falls on August 22, and Onam, on August 25.

The fares, which were in the range of Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 12,000 in the West Asia-Kerala sector during the off-season, have been steeply hiked after August 22 by the airlines, including the national carrier Air India and its low-cost arm Air India Express. Educational institutions in the Gulf will reopen on September 1 after the summer vacation.
29/07/18 S. Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Unexpected growth in domestic air passengers from Kerala

Malappuram: The rise in the domestic flight services for the past five years point to the unexpected increase in the number of Malayalis choosing to fly.
Not just to the foreign countries but also to states outside of Kerala, more people have started opting flights as their mode of transport.
In 2013, around 3,02,869 people had chosen flight to travel within the country via three airports in the state. In 2014, this decreased by 1298. But the following four years saw an
unexpected hike in the number of passengers.
The number of domestic passengers from Kerala is 33.54 lakh until the month of May. When compared to the same time period last year, the increase is by 29.8 per cent.
28/07/18 Vimal Kottakkal/Mathrubhumi

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BRICS nations sign aviation partnership agreement

Johannesburg: The five BRICS countries have signed a memorandum of understanding on Regional Aviation Partnership to expand and deepen cooperation among competent authorities in the field of regional aviation.
“We have signed this agreement on the basis of understanding and mutual benefits in order to bolster our regional aviation transport sector, to share good practice and open socio-economic and development opportunities amongst the member states,” said South African Minister of Transport, Bonginkosi Blade Nzimande.
The agreement was signed on Thursday on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
Nzimande said that the field of cooperation includes amongst others, sharing public policies and best practices, particularly in the field of regional airports management, airport infrastructure management, air navigation services, innovation and training, particularly pilot training.
27/07/18 UNI

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IAF is Doing Obsolescence Management For Jaguar Aircraft To Strengthen Its Fleet, Says Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is revamping its Jaguar ground attack fighters. Air Chief Marshal Birendra Singh Dhanoa while speaking to reporters today said that IAF was doing obsolescence management for the Jaguar aircraft. The IAF chief said, “We are doing obsolescence management for the Jaguar aircraft, from wherever we'll get the spares, we have to keep our fleet flying, its a good deal.” India is mulling over acquiring old and mothballed Jaguars from other countries to bolster the existing fleet of the aircraft.
The IAF is currently facing a shortage of fighter jet squadron. The force has only 33 fighter squadron against the authorised strength of 42 squadrons, and most of the Mig fighter jets are expected to retire over the next few years. India has also signed a deal with France to acquire 36 Rafale jets in 2016. The first fleet of these jets is expected to be delivered in 2019. Besides this, the IAF has also issued a request for information (RFI) to acquire 110 fighter jets.
27/07/18 Latestly

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Massive pilot shortage scripts big windfall for expats

Government has extended the permission for foreign pilots to work in Indian carriers by two years and has shifted the deadline to phase them out from this year-end to December 31, 2020. This decision came as it became quite clear that India is facing a severe crisis of pilots, especially commanders and this will continue for a while, according to a report by Times of India.

There are 290 expat pilots out of the total 7,000 pilots with the domestic airlines. Speculation is also there that the 2020 end would not be the fixed deadline as compared to the increasing number of flights as there are not adequate number of Indian pilots.

“At present, scheduled Indian airlines have over 7,000 pilots for their combined fleet of over 600 planes. This year itself the shortage is of over 250 pilots. Given the order books of our airlines, 1,100 aircraft are supposed to join in 7-8 years that will require over 10,000 additional pilots,” said CAPA  India head
27/07/18 ZeeBiz

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Women in Aviation International celebrate Girls in Aviation Day

The India Chapter of Women in Aviation (WIA) International, in association with the Airport Authority of India (AAI), celebrated Girls in Aviation Day at Agartala Airport in Tripura on July 26. With the vision to encourage girls to take up aviation subjects and explore career opportunities in related industries, the initiative is aimed at showcasing opportunities in the aviation and aerospace sectors. This initiative also aligns with the Government of India’s Skills India initiative.

As part of the program, Women in Aviation International (India Chapter) invited 50 students from various schools for a tour of Agartala Airport. Visiting students were given an opportunity to explore, learn, and discover the various aspects of aviation and aerospace such as air traffic controller, airline dispatch, pilot, aviation maintenance technician, aeronautical engineer, or aviation management. In addition, the girl students were given a tour of the ATC Tower, Airside, Terminal Building, and AOCC, and all their queries and questions were answered by the officials working in the respective departments.

Speaking on the occasion, Mrs. Radha Bhatia, President of Women in Aviation International (India Chapter), shared: “This is the third year that the WAI India Chapter is celebrating ‘Girls in Aviation Day,’ and we are delighted to host the same at Agartala. This day is celebrated for the young girls to encourage them to choose aviation as a viable career opportunity. World over, India has the maximum number of female pilots, but there are many other avenues that are still unknown. With this celebration, our aim is to see girls from the state of Tripura explore exciting careers available to them as engineers, air traffic controllers, and dozens of other jobs within the aviation [field].”
27/07/18 Anil Mathur/eTN

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Pilot shortage: DGCA extends expats' permits

New Delhi: With India facing a severe shortage of pilots, especially commanders, the government has extended permission for foreign pilots to work in Indian carriers by two years by shifting the deadline to phase them out from this year-end to December 31, 2020. India currently has 290 expat pilots in its total pool of over 7,000 pilots with desi airlines and the new 2020-end deadline fixed by DGCA is unlikely to be the final one as Indian carriers are inducting turboprops in large numbers for which there are not enough Indian pilots. In fact, the number of expat pilots here is expected to shoot in coming months.
“At present, schedule Indian airlines have over 7,000 pilots for their combined fleet of over 600 planes. This year itself the shortage is of over 250 pilots. Given the order books of our airlines, 1,100 aircraft are supposed join in 7-8 years that will require over 10,000 additional pilots,” said CAPA India head Kapil Kaul. These numbers are only for schedule airlines, with the pilot requirement for charters, regional connectivity players and private jets being separate.
Kaul added these are conservative estimates and the requirement of pilots may further increase when Indian carriers increase their wide body operations — with currently only Air India and Jet operating twin aisles. Vistara has placed an initial order for 6-10 wide bodies and this number expected to increase from the Tata Group airline alone significantly in coming time.
27/07/18 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Ever tried pooling your family’s frequent flyer miles?

One of the most frustrating moments of my life as a frequent traveller is breakage of my miles and points balances.

You know you have almost enough miles to redeem a flight or enough hotel points to redeem a hotel night, but you need to still bridge a minor gap.

My options back in the day would be limited to buying miles or asking someone to transfer them to me, both of which cost money.

Luckily, airlines and hotel chains have taken cognisance of this situation.

There are a lot of people who don’t travel as frequently to get free flights of their own, but when they pool miles from various accounts, it may help them to get these miles together.

Many airlines and hotel programs allow for pooling of miles between family members and/or friends, making it convenient to use miles from multiple accounts.
In India, Jet Airways’ JetPrivilege is the only programme currently which allows for miles to be pooled from family accounts.
27/07/18 Ajay Awtaney/CNBC TV18

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Rafale deal: In letter to Rahul Gandhi, Anil Ambani refutes Cong's charges

New Delhi: Billionaire Anil Ambani has written to Congress President Rahul Gandhi refuting allegations of his Reliance Group lacking experience to get the Rafale fighter jet deal and said the government had no role in French Group Dassault picking up his company as a local partner.

In a two-page letter written on December 12, 2017, Ambani explained to Gandhi, who has been attacking the government over the Rafale deal, why his Reliance Group bagged the multi-billion dollar project.


Invoking his family's "respectful relationship" with the Gandhi family over generations, Ambani said he was "personally saddened" by the "unfortunate statements" against him and his group by several functionaries of the Congress party.
26/07/18 PTI/Business Standard

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After CAG voices fear, govt says Indian Railways not losing out to airlines

Is Indian Railways losing out to airlines? Well, the popular perception is that passengers are developing a preference for airlines over trains on account of rising rail fares and falling airfares. However, Rajen Gohain, Minister of State for Railways claims otherwise.

Indian Railways is not comparable with airlines, he told Lok Sabha on Wednesday and also denied that the national transporter was losing passengers because of the high fares the transporter charges.

Fares of trains may or may not be higher than airfares, he said, adding that the two are different modes of transport.

"It is the choice of the passenger to opt for either railway or airlines for travelling. Further, the fares on airlines between same origin-destination are different in different airlines as well as in different services during the day in the same airlines. Hence, fares of Indian Railways are not comparable with airlines," he said.
26/07/18 ZeeBiz

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Airbus vs Boeing: Who is winning the Indian skies?

Airplane manufacturer Boeing outdid its competitor Airbus in the recently concluded Farnborough Airshow, bagging around 500 orders as compared to 430 of the latter.
The two saw bulk orders coming in from Indian carriers during the airshow. Jet Airways ordered 75 aircrafts of 737 MAX 8 from Boeing, valued at $8.8 billion, while Vistara has committed to adding 50 Airbus A320 neo narrow-body planes to its existing fleet. In addition to this, Vistara has also confirmed an order for six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
Though Boeing was ahead of Airbus in the airshow, it still remains far behind when it comes to the overall order book position. Airbus, as on March 2018, had pending orders of 7,186 aircraft, while Boeing had 5,836.
Boeing is a notch ahead of its French counterpart in overall orders from India, but its Airbus that enjoys the lead when it comes to existing fleet of Indian carriers and already executed orders.
26/07/18 CNBC TV18

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No proposal to include jet fuel under GST: Government

New Delhi:  Notwithstanding the demand from the airlines, the government on Wednesday said there was no proposal to bring Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) or jet fuel under GST (goods and services tax).
"At present, there is no proposal to include ATF under GST," minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha said in the Rajya Sabha today.
Civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu had earlier told PTI that the move will help cut the cost as airlines would get input tax credit.
25/07/18 PTI/Times of India

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5 routes in India where air travel is cheaper than travelling on trains

There is a reason why flight booking is such a difficult task. With more and more people taking flights every day, the inevitable has finally happened. Not only is traveling by air saving your precious time but a recent study has found it to be cheaper as compared to train bookings. According to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in Parliament recently, tickets on certain premium trains of the Indian Railways were much higher as compared to airfares. The report which was critical about Railways’ flexi-fare scheme said that if a passenger was to book a ticket 90-120 days in advance, traveling by air is the cheaper option in several routes. And while in some routes the airfares remained higher, the difference was only up to ?600.

The CAG report stated that airlines in general have reported a growth in the number of passengers in 26 routes across the country while occupancy in Indian Railways’ premium trains like The Rajdhani and Duronto have only increased in four directions. The cost of air travel by economy class in these routes are cheaper when compared to the cost of a AC2 and AC3 tier in trains.
25/07/18 Abhishek Nair/GQ

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Good news for flyers coming? Govt to examine single 15 kg check-in bag number order

New Delhi: The government assurance on the attention being drawn against restrictions imposed by private airlines on the number of check-in bags for the economy class will certainly bring smiles on the face of frequent flyers. A BJD member today sought the government's intervention in this regard to which the Centre said it would look into the matter.

Anubhav Mohanty raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha during the Question Hour, demanding the government's intervention to direct the airlines to revert to the earlier system of restricting the check-in baggage to 15 kgs, irrespective of the number of pieces.

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said, "scheduled domestic airlines put no restriction on the number of the check-in baggages, except Jet Airways," adding that Jet Airways has restricted with effect from July 15, the number of pieces of check-in baggage to one, weighing 15 kg or less.
25/07/18 ZeeBiz

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Air travel may get costlier in 2019, fares in India seen rising by 7%

Singapore: A strong global economy and rising oil prices are expected to push up the cost of air travel in 2019, with fares seen rising 2.6 per cent and hotel rates up 3.7 per cent, although there are downside risks from a trade war, according to an industry forecast.

In some countries, including India, New Zealand, Norway, Germany and Chile, airfares are expected to rise by more than 7 per cent, said the annual business travel forecast from Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) released on Tuesday.


"Speaking for the Asia-Pacific region, we are coming off a period three to four years ago where there was a lot of capacity in the system (and) fares were down pretty significantly, potentially lower than was sustainable," said Michael Valkevich, CWT's vice president for global sales & program management, Asia Pacific.
24/07/18 Reuters/Business Standard

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India finalising negotiations for 48 additional Mi-17-V5 helicopters from Russia

New Delhi: India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is concluding negotiations with Russia to acquire 48 additional Mi-17-V5 military transport/utility helicopters for USD1.1 billion for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Official Indian sources told Jane’s on 23 July that the deal for the twin-engine helicopters – 38 of which are earmarked for the IAF – is likely to be signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India in early October for the annual bilateral summit between the leaders of the two countries.

The proposed deal also includes an offset obligation that requires all vendors to invest 30% of the overall contractual value of all military purchases over INR20 billion (USD290 million) into India’s defence, internal security, and aviation sectors.
24/07/18 Rahul Bedi/Jane's Defence Weekly

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India to be world's third largest aviation market by 2025

India's aviation industry has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past few years, driven by government schemes, consistent increase in passengers, and investment by airlines.

Notably, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), India's civil aviation market is set to become the world's third largest aviation market by 2025.

A major driver of growth in the sector over the past few years has been government schemes like UDAN and NABH Nirman.

The former aims to connect 56 and 31 unserved airports and helipads respectively, while the latter aims to expand India's overall airport capacity by more than five times so that they can handle up to a billion trips annually.
23/07/18 Shiladitya Ray/NewsBytes

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Baggage complaints up: DGCA

New Delhi: The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation has said that 27.5 per cent of all complaints received in June related to baggage, adding that this reflected a rise of nearly 11 percentage points from June last year.

Failure to load bags onto the aircraft, tagging errors and technical issues were some of the key reasons for mishandling of baggage, airline industry sources said.

According to a recently released draft air passenger citizen charter, airlines will have to pay Rs 3,000 per kilogram to passengers for the loss of baggage, and Rs 1,000 per kilogram for delay or damage. The proposed rules will apply to international airlines too.
23/07/18 PTI/Telegraph

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Kerala may reduce jet fuel taxes

Thiruvananthapuram: In what could be a shot in the arm for Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL), which is set to begin operations in September, the state government is exploring the possibility of reducing the sales tax levied on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from 28 per cent to 1 per cent.
A senior officer told ‘Express’ that KIAL has submitted a proposal to the state government seeking a tax sop on ATF as such a move will surely attract more domestic airlines to start services from Kannur airport. The carriers could also make Kannur their preferred fuelling point, he said. The government will take a decision soon. However, it is not clear whether the other three airports in the state will get the benefit of the proposed reduction on VAT charges.
According to a senior official, the reduction of VAT has been a long-pending demand of domestic airlines.
The Centre is charging a 14 per cent excise duty on ATF. On top of this, states charge up to 30 per cent sales tax or VAT. While Odisha and Chhattisgarh have slashed the VAT to 5 per cent in order to attract airlines, states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra tax ATF at 29 per cent, 28 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.
23/07/18 Dhinesh Kallungal/New Indian Express

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Why private spend is a must for sustainable flight

Is private investment likely to materialise for the enormous challenge of developing airport infrastructure in the country? That’s the million-dollar question facing the aviation sector. For, regulatory uncertainties and unrealistic terms of reference for concession agreements, coupled with mid-way reviews impacting revenue streams, have stopped investors from loosening their purse strings thus far.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) was left red-faced recently after failing thrice to get a single bid for the privatisation of brownfield airports at Jaipur and Ahmedabad. The PPP model under which the government had privatised airports at Delhi and Mumbai for a fixed tenure is already showing signs of strain, forcing it to take a hard look at the way concession agreements are drawn up and have a consultative discussion with experts and stakeholders. A framework or a model-concession agreement is likely to be out in August, sources say.

Why the need for private money? Padma Priya J, director, Grant Thornton, India, says the sector would need $25 bn of investment between 2016 and 2026. “India is now the third largest aviation market after US and China. Meeting the growing demand is a task which cannot be handled by the government alone.”
23/07/18 Financial Express

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Land ownership row hits lab plan at iconic institute

Hyderabad: All hopes of bringing out of oblivion a crucial aspect of Sir Ronald Ross’s legacy may have to be abandoned, thanks to ownership tussles over a 2.5-acre land parcel.

The Ronald Ross Institute of Parasitology in Begumpet could have earned Hyderabad the distinction of housing a lab where Nobel-worthy science was undertaken. On August 20, 1897, Sir Ronald Ross discovered the malarial parasite in the female anopheles mosquito at a modest lab, attached to a hospital.

Osmania University is custodian of the building which housed Sir Ross’ lab, but the Indian government owns the land through Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA). The Ministry stated a few months ago that the land, attached to the Begumpet airport, cannot be alienated in favour of the university, informs institute director B. Reddya Naik. “Our plan was to set up a modern research laboratory on the premises. The significance associated with this place is enough to fetch it funds from numerous agencies. But without ownership of land, no infrastructure can be developed,” he says.
21/07/18 Rohit P.S./The Hindu

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Rafale deal controversy: French government’s statement, what is says, what it doesn’t

Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s statement in Lok Sabha, during the debate on no-confidence motion against Narendra Modi government, that there was no secrecy pact between India and France over deal for purchase of Rafale aircraft, was countered by French government within hours.
The statement issued by the French government affirmed that a secrecy pact exists between the two countries. The statement, however, only said the agreement “legally binds the two states to protect the classified information provided by the partner, that could impact security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment”.
However, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stretched the meaning of “classified information… that could impact security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment” to include the aircraft price.
Also lost in the noise was the aspect of shunting out public sector’s Hindustan Aeronautcis Limited, which has been making fighter aircraft for decades, and giving the contract to a private player with no background or experience in the field.
21/07/18 APN

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Flexi-Fare Scheme Faulty, Airlines Cheaper Mode For Travel: CAG

New Delhi:  In a strong rebuke to the railways' flexi-fare system, the CAG has warned the scheme could "force" passengers to opt for airlines, noting that the national transporter had already lost its premium train patronage to other mail and express trains.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its report for year ending March 2017, has stated that while the introduction of the flexi-fare system in premium trains Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto has led to increase in passenger earnings in this category of trains to Rs. 552 crore, they have carried 6.75 lakh fewer travellers during September 9, 2016 to July 31, 2017, compared to the corresponding period in 2015-2016.

"Wherever dynamic/enhanced fare was introduced, the occupancy was very low. However, this aspect was not taken into consideration while introducing the flexi fare system in all Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi trains irrespective of demand and occupancy.
20/07/18 PTI/NDTV

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India's domestic air passenger traffic up 18%, IndiGo records highest market share

India's domestic air passenger traffic in June 2018 rose 18.36 percent to 113.25 lakhs in June last year. During the January-June period, the domestic airlines carried 684 lakhs passengers, up 22 percent from the same period, in the previous year, according to the data released by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The data disclosed that low-cost carrier SpiceJet had the highest passenger load factor (PLF), a measure of capacity utilisation of the airline, at 94.8 percent during June. SpiceJet was followed by Go Air with a PLF of 88.3 percent, IndiGo at 88.3 percent.

Regarding punctuality, IndiGo led the industry with 84.1 percent punctuality rate (on-time performance) at the four major airports of Bengaluru, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai during June. SpiceJet followed indigo with a punctuality rate of 81.2 percent, Jet Airways (including JetLite) at 78.8 percent.

The overall cancellation rate for all scheduled domestic airlines for June stood at 0.97 percent with IndiGo again leading the pack with a cancellation rate of 0.2 percent followed by Air Asia at 0.31 percent cancellation rate. Bad weather caused 28 percent of these cancellations during the month, followed by technical faults, which produced as much as cancellations.
19/07/18 CNBC TV18

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Optimistic about the prospect of aviation in India: Naresh Goyal

Mumbai: Despite challenges like high oil prices, airline major Jet Airways' Chairman Naresh Goyal has said that he is optimistic about the prospects of aviation in India.

"Despite the headwinds posed by the high Brent crude prices, and the longer term challenges of escalating airport levies, surcharges and taxation, I am quite optimistic about the prospect of aviation in India," Jet Airways Chairman said in the company's annual report for 2017-18.

"The outlook remains bright."

The IATA (International Air Transport Association) has predicted that by 2025, India will overtake the UK as the world's third largest aviation market, behind only to China and the US.
19/07/18 IANS/Business Standard

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DGCA to hire experts to regulate Air Traffic Controllers as India looks to improve ICAO ranking

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is preparing to hire experts after it was named the nodal agency for providing licences to Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) by the aviation ministry to improve a crucial global aviation ranking.

ATCOs were hitherto regulated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) but the ministry decided to bring them under the ambit of the aviation regulator after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) gave India a poor ranking, said senior officials.

The exercise of licensing ATCOs will require additional manpower at the DGCA, which faces a severe staff crunch.

"We will be hiring experts to ensure smooth operations," said DGCA head BS Bhullar.

ICAO, the United Nations’ aviation agency, gave a ranking of 57.4 percent to India because AAI rather than the DGCA gives licences to ATCOs, contending that this practice leads to conflict of interest.
19/07/18 CNBC TV18

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Challenging times ahead for aviation sector as losses rise

New Delhi: It's challenging times ahead for the Indian aviation sector. According to ratings agency ICRA, the aggregate loss of the aviation sector is expected to reach Rs 3,600 crore in 2018/19, up from around Rs 2,500 crore in 2017/18. The reasons for the higher losses include higher aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, slowdown in capacity addition, and lower yields.

The report, for instance, says that the market leader IndiGo, which had about 41 per cent share in industry capacity, had slowed down in the adding new capacity in 2017/18. The airline's domestic capacity addition - available seat kilometres (ASKM) - in the last financial year stood at 10.3 per cent, far lower than the 28.1 per cent in 2016/17. IndiGo, over the past one year, has been facing delays in aircraft deliveries, particularly Airbus A320neos, due to technical glitches with engines, and an increased focus on the international operations. The total capacity of Indian carriers stood at 146.8 million in 2017/18.

ICRA estimates the sector-wide capacity additions of 15-17 per cent in 2018/19. "The key driver for the industry capacity growth continues to be the sizeable order backlog...approximately 1,033 aircraft of various sizes and configurations are on order by Indian airlines," the report says.
19/07/18 Manu Kaushik/Business Today

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Airfares may go up with hike in security fee component

Airfares will get more expensive if the government’s proposal to hike the security charge on air tickets is realized. The government is mulling increasing the security component of ticket prices to cover up for unpaid dues owed to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The state-owned Airport Authority of India (AAI) and also private airport operators have flagged the issue with the government. Airport operators say that the present charges are insufficient to cover the cost of security. The number of passengers transiting through Indian airports has risen exponentially while security personnel manning these facilities have remained constant, leading to longer delays.
The component of the fare covering security charge has been unchanged for the past ten years. An official in the Civil Aviation Ministry told Business Standard that the hike may be as low as Rs 50. The passenger service fee has two components – a facilitation charge and a security charge.

The facilitation charge goes towards maintaining airport infrastructure such as escalators, baggage belts, and air conditioning. The security component is disbursed to the CISF, which is tasked with guarding Indian airports.
19/07/18 moneycontrol.com

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Hindustan Aeronautics chooses L3 Aviation Products for helicopter flight data recorders

Farnborouh: Avionics designers at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) in Bangalore, India, needed flight data recorders for miltary and civil helicopters. They found their solution from avionics supplier L3 Aviation Products in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Hindustan Aeronautics is choosing the FA2300 Modular Airborne Data Recorder/Acquisition System (MADRAS) for the HAL Advanced Light Helicopter and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) production programs. The companies made the announcement this week at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England.
The FA2300 MADRAS is a line-replaceable unit (LRU) produced in Bengaluru, India, that provides high-speed recording of flight data and audio that are crucial for post-flight analysis and accident investigation.

MADRAS records data as quickly as 256 words-per-second for a minimum of 25 hours and has the capability to record four channels of high-quality audio for as long as two hours.
19/07/18 John Keller/Intelligent Aerospace

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India's pax aircraft fleet to grow two fold to 1,100 planes by 2027

Mumbai: The passenger aircraft fleet in the country is set to nearly double to 1,100 planes by 2027, from around 600 at present, a global aircraft leasing firm said.

Ireland-headquartered leasing company Avolon has also said 75 per cent of the jets in the existing fleet are currently narrow-body or single-aisle planes.

Wide-body jets, also called twin-aisle planes, which are primarily used for long-haul and ultra long-haul operations, account for 11 per cent of the existing fleet and the rest 14 per cent are regional jets, it said.

"Avolon forecasts that India's current passenger fleet will double to almost 1,100 aircraft by 2027 with the total value of aircraft to be delivered over the next 10 years, at current list prices, projected to be $60 billion," it said.
17/07/18 News Today

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‘Compensate fliers for over 2-hour delays’

Mumbai: The Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) has sought compensation for passengers for flight delays of more than two hours and for no notification at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure, and demanded an ombudsman for the aviation sector.

In its suggestions and objections to the draft air passenger charter, APAI has also asked the Aviation Ministry to convene a meeting of all stakeholders in the last week of July, prior to finalising and circulating the charter.

The ministry had in May come out with the draft air passenger charter, which seeks to address issues related to flight delays and cancellations. The charter has proposed that passengers would be compensated ?20,000 on missing connecting flights if the delay is more than 12 hours and ?10,000 if the delay is between four and 12 hours.

The ministry is expected to finalise the proposal this month.

D. Sudhakara Reddy, president, APAI, said to the ministry, “At the meeting, all stakeholders can address their concerns to enable the finalisation of the passenger charter/rights.”
18/07/18 aditya anand/The Hindu

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MPs demand cap on air fares

Members in the Rajya Sabha today sought a cap on airfares and sought to know why charges were levied by airlines on booking preferential seats in a flight.

Raising the issue during Question Hour, Congress leader Chhaya Verma said that she had taken an Indigo flight on June 29 from Delhi to Raipur, and the staff did not upgrade her to the front rows, despite there being vacant seats.

Instead, the airline announced that the vacant seats in the front row are available for an additional charge of Rs 600, she said and asked why comfortable seats were kept vacant if there were no passengers.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu termed it as a "serious issue" and asked the government to probe the matter.
18/07/18 PTI/Economic Times

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Airbus appoints Ashish Saraf as head of India helicopter biz

Mumbai: European aviation major Airbus today announced the appointment of Ashish Saraf as the head of its helicopter division in India.

Saraf, whose appointment is effective from July 1, took over from Xavier Hay, who leaves India after six years to take over new responsibilities, the company said in a release.

Since 2015, Saraf had been serving as the vice president industry development, strategic partnerships and offsets at Airbus India, focusing on 'Make in India' initiatives aimed at enhancing the company's industrial footprint, it added.
17/07/18 PTI/Business Standard

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Sikorsky announces sale of S-76D Helicopter to govt of Maharashtra

New Delhi: Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, on Tuesday announced the sale of an S-76D™ aircraft to the Government of Maharashtra in India. The announcement came during the Farnborough International Airshow.

This contract marks the first sale of an S-76D helicopter in India. Delivery is scheduled in 2019. "The S-76D helicopter introduction has been quite successful in the Indo-Pacific region, with more than 30 aircraft sold and delivered in the last five years," said Christophe Nurit, Sikorsky's Regional Executive for Asia.

"The aircraft has been selected and proven for multiple mission requirements ranging from Naval and Coast Guard operations to Executive Transport. One of our clients in Asia has accumulated 10,000 hours on its S-76D fleet in less than two years. This is another great achievement for this product. Sikorsky is proud to now introduce it in India," added Christophe Nurit.
17/07/18 ANI/Asian Age

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DGCA to regulate air traffic controllers, says govt after ICAO flags concerns

New Delhi: With global aviation watchdog ICAO giving low score to India after safety oversight audit, the government has decided to entrust the regulation of air traffic controllers with the DGCA.

Senior Civil Aviation Ministry officials today said India's score after the latest ICAO audit fell to 57.44 per cent from the previous level of 65.82 per cent.

The decline was mainly due to ratings of air traffic controllers being given by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is also the provider of air traffic control services, the officials said.

Now, the ministry has decided that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) would be carrying out regulatory and safety oversight of air traffic controllers, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey told reporters here.
16/07/18 PTI/Business Standard

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Indian airlines eyeing international skies

Kolkata: Indian airlines are moving towards the international market in search of better returns as the intensifying fight for a bigger share of the world’s fastest growing domestic market drives down profits, says a recent report by Reuters.

A data report from the travel firm Rome2Rio, says that, India is among the cheapest domestic airlines market in the world, with an average fare of 13 cents per kilometre flown, less than half the 27 cents per km average in China and the United States of America (US). Promotional offers on a two-hour flight from Mumbai to Delhi, such as, USD 50 one-way tickets, are easier to find, and for the airlines that are expected to take delivery for more than 500 aircraft in the next five years, the pressure on profits and fares are also increasing. The Indian airlines market is growing by 30 pc.

According to Reuters, since 2015, the profits of the global airlines have been strong, though the variations between regions are wide, therefore the Indian carriers are struggling to keep their profit constant, despite them enjoying almost 90 pc seat reservation in the domestic market and benefitting from a more than double of the domestic passenger numbers over the last four years.
Airlines including SpiceJet Ltd (SPJT.BO), Vistara, InterGlobe Aviation Ltd’s (INGL.NS) IndiGo are conversing so that they can buy or lease the widebody aircraft, and to boost profit they are firming up international growth plans.
17/07/18  Varsha Singh/Media India Group

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HAL Faces Growing Competition in Home Market

As the Indian aerospace and defense manufacturing ecosystem slowly moves towards the "Make in India" initiative along with policy changes to support it, the landscape is likely to prove challenging to government-owned manufacturers such as Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL, Chalet K7). Private industry is bringing competition and manufacturing capabilities are being enhanced, presenting growth opportunities for Indian defense manufactures such as Tata Group, Mahindra Defense Systems, Dynamatic Technologies, and Larsen & Toubro.

HAL continues to be the market leader as India relies on imports to meet 70 percent of its defense requirements, with the remaining 30 percent met by domestic companies. Although India has sought to diversify its procurement sources, with a recent focus on the U.S., Russia continues to dominate Indian defense equipment spares imports, given that around 65 percent of its defense equipment is Russian (and maintained by HAL).

According to HAL's recent annual report, “Combat aircraft [and] helicopters in the light and medium weight categories offer excellent opportunities in the near future. The company has infrastructure and expertise and these will have an edge over competition in the short term.”
17/07/18 Neelam Mathews/Times of India

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Avolon White Paper Predicts Indian Airline Fleet to Double by 2027

International aircraft leasing company Avolon issued a white paper providing an in-depth analysis of India’s air travel market. The paper is divided in two parts. The first section details the factors impacting India’s commercial airline sector, while the second part contains an analysis of the Indian aviation market, including a detailed breakdown of the major passenger markets, airline fleets and future growth projections.

Key findings of the White Paper include:

22.8 million international passengers were carried by Indian airlines in 2017, an increase of 14% on the previous year.
Almost 117 million domestic passengers were carried in 2017, a 17.4% increase on 2016. Annual domestic passenger growth has averaged 15% since 2012.
Domestic passenger demand is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 9.6% over the coming decade, while an 8.3% growth rate is forecast for international passengers.
India’s airports handled 295 million passengers in 2017, with the five busiest airports all approaching – or already exceeding – their terminal capacities. Despite significant state and private investment being committed, airport capacity will likely remain a constraint on growth.
Low cost airlines carry 65% of domestic passengers and their dominance is set to be maintained into the future, with load factors amongst the highest in the world.
Indian airlines currently operate almost 600 passenger aircraft – 75% narrowbody, 11% widebody and 14% regional aircraft. Notably, more than 60% of the in-service and committed fleet comprise future technology types.
India’s share of the international aviation market has steadily declined to below 40%, reflecting years of under-investment at Air India. Onerous requirements for potential buyers to assume $5 billion of debt and guarantee all full-time jobs contributed to no offers being received for Air India in its recent flotation bid.
16/07/18 Monitor Daily

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Wrong to impose GST on international air tickets, says global airline body IATA

Global airlines' body IATA has strongly opposed levying of GST on international air tickets, dubbing the taxation as ‘wrong’ as it contravenes many global agreements to which India is a party.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents more than 280 airlines in different parts of the world. Its members include Air India, Jet Airways and Vistara.

"It is wrong to apply GST to international tickets. It contravenes international agreements to which India is party," IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac told PTI in an interview.
"That's why we are asking the government to zero-rate international tickets," he said when asked about his views on the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India.
16/07/18 PTI/DNA

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Inflight connectivity: Airline passengers split over using mobile phones

Whether you regard your next flight as a chance to kick back and relax or a valuable window to catch up on lost work may depend on where you live, according to a survey of 8,000 passengers in 10 key travel markets.

While airlines seem determined to keep passengers connected 24-7, most people from France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Britain and the US are happy to have their phones rendered unusable while en route, the poll suggests. Indian, Chinese and Arab passengers, by contrast, are generally keen to make calls.
Some 69 per cent of Germans reckon it’s not necessary to be permanently available, compared to just 12 per cent of Indians and 18 per cent of Chinese, according to the survey. The risk of disturbance was cited as the chief concern surrounding inflight phone links, with Japanese travellers most worried. Many Asian flyers said they’d pay for connectivity even if the flight cost much more.
Travellers from the United Arab Emirates, China and India said having a toothbrush and eye mask was important or very important, compared with only 38 per cent of Swedes. Fewer than one-third of respondents in any country wanted a shower, spa, wellness service or fitness equipment on board.
16/07/18 Bloomberg/Business Standard

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Peak hour flights may get costlier

New Delhi: The government is mulling over a proposal to impose a surcharge on airlines for operating flights during peak hours to enhance airport capacity and to avoid flight delays, according to Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra.

Currently, landing fees paid by airlines are determined by the weight of an aircraft and do not vary according to the time of the day.

“We should not allow congestion to happen during peak hours. There is a large window of non-peak hours that we are persuading airlines to consider. In fact, we are considering whether we can introduce charges for flight operations during peak hours. A concept note is being prepared and global models are being studied. We want to encourage use of non-peak hours. This is right now at a proposal stage and a final decision is yet to be taken,” Mr. Mohapatra told The Hindu in an interview.
16/07/18 Jagriti Chandra/The Hindu

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Empty seats becoming rarer on airline flights

Mostly gone are the days when you could get an entire row of airline seats to yourself; with flights worldwide fuller than ever, travellers are lucky even to have a middle seat open between themselves and a fellow passenger.

Forbes reports that, worldwide, the average load factor for commercial airliners has reached 81.9 per cent in 2018, meaning more than eight of every 10 seats on the average flight is full. That’s up from an average of 75.2 per cent in 2005.

Low-cost carriers tend to have the highest load factors, although the basic economy fares offered by big airlines like Delta have helped fill seats, too.

Globally, Ryanair is the most crowded airline flying, with an average load factor of 94.7 per cent in 2017. Other airlines with load factors over 90 per cent include India’s Spicejet, Europe’s Easyjet, Wizz Air, and Air Asia.
15/07/18  Robert Curley/Business Traveller

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Reliance vs PSUs: Battle for supplying jet fuel to Mumbai airport intensifies

Mumbai: The battle over lucrative pipelines supplying jet fuel to Mumbai airport is hotting up with a powerful formation of Reliance Industries and private airlines Jet Airways and Emirates trying to break the stranglehold of PSU oil firms BPCL and HPCL.
BPCL and HPCL built and operate two separate pipelines from their Mahul refineries in Mumbai to supply jet fuel (ATF) to airlines at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at Santacruz in the city.
Reliance, which produces a fourth of India's aviation turbine fuel (ATF), wants access to these pipelines to be able to get a pie of Rs 10,000 crore fuel trade that happens at one of Asia's busiest airports.
While Reliance and airlines feel competition among fuel suppliers would bring down costs, HPCL and BPCL said the pipelines are their "captive" infrastructure to take products out of the refineries and giving third party access to them would hurt their operations and profits.
15/07/18 Reuters/DNA

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Why are we buying even helicopters from abroad?

Make in India in defence is a serious issue. Unfortunately, this government specialises in perception building, image-making and in coinages like Make in India… a kind of building an advertising campaign…what we have is just a document. Where is the policy? We are still groping around defence procurement procedures, not even policy. Where is Defence production strategy ?I just want to look into the big items. Where is the Arjun tank after four years? How has the LCA Tejas moved? How has modernisation of IAF accelerated? From 36 squadrons, we have come down to 31.We lost the last year of the UPA Government and the last four years of the Modi Government and we have paid a high price. Globally, the defence Industry is not growing; it is stagnant in fact. So, we need to push our own agenda and bargain on technology transfer as buyers.
15/07/18 Kapil Kak/National Herald

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U’khand: Passengers to charged during rescue operations

Dehradun: Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority on Saturday issued a notification that stated the passengers would be charged availing helicopters during rescue operations at the time of disasters.

Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority, in its notification, said that the charges for the normal passengers availing helicopters in Pithoragarh during rescue operations at the time of disaster, will be fixed Rs 3,100 (including GST) per person.

The order has been approved by the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.
14/07/18 ANI/India.com

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India-make equipment costlier, MoD asks why

New Delhi: Startled at how indigenously produced military equipment was costing more than the same equipment if supplied by foreign makers, the Ministry of Defence has set up a committee to examine how the Indian public sector companies arrive at the cost of each equipment supplied to the armed forces.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sithraman said: “I have asked a panel to look into the costing of products manufactured by the Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).”
The Indian Air Force offered to get the price of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the Tejas examined by the committee to start with. The committee, headed by the Director of Costs in the Ministry, has been asked to report back by August-end.
15/07/18 Tribune

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RAF 100: Incredible Indian pilot with a taste for adventure

Former Newham and Gravesend resident Mahinder Singh Pujji was born in Simla in the Punjab in 1918, the son of a senior civil servant in the British Raj.

He fell in love with flight after joining the Delhi Flying Club in 1936 where he learned to fly before getting his first job with Himalayan Airways.

In 1940 he was one of the 24 Indian pilots to arrive in Britain after volunteering for the Royal Air Force (RAF).

He joined No 43 Squadron flying Hurricane fighter aircraft.

He trained in combat and received his pilot’s wings with 17 Indian colleagues. Within a year 12 had been killed in action.

But Pujji managed to survive being shot down twice during dog fights with the enemy – crash landing on top of the white cliffs of Dover one time. He said his turban saved him by cushioning the blow.

Pujji returned to India after the war but was invalided out of service with the Indian Air Force after surviving tuberculosis.

By the 1950s he was flying gliders taking historic figures including Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and US president Dwight D. Eisenhower up into the clouds.

He emigrated to Britain in 1974 where he worked as a Heathrow Airport air traffice controller.
15/07/18 Jon King/Newham Recorder

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LCA Tejas introduced because of my efforts: Parrikar

Panaji: The Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) of the Indian Air Force has been introduced because of his efforts when he was Defence Minister, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday, stating that the project was “not going anywhere” before he assumed charge of the ministry in 2014.
“Lot of things have been done during my tenure as a Defence Minister… Make in India for example was one of the best. Tejas fighter aircraft has been introduced because of my efforts. It was not going anywhere. It was stuck up. Fighter helicopter version has been developed during my tenure,” Parrikar said at a function held in the state capital to mark the launch of the state Information Technology policy.

The Chief Minister also said that his elevation as the Defence Minister in 2014 when he was already functioning as the CM of the coastal state, was perhaps a temporary assignment, but added that his most important achievement were the surgical strikes on India’s eastern and western fronts.
14/07/18 Indileak

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Flexible use of airspace to cut down on flight time, fuel consumption

Kolkata: Total radar and radio coverage along with flexible use of airspace is set to reduce travel time between Kolkata and several cities in the south by up to 10-12 minutes, leading to considerable savings in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and carbon dioxide emission.
“Around a third of Indian airspace is controlled by military. Earlier, civilian flights were not allowed to use military airspace. Hence, air traffic control officers had to assign circuitous routes that skirted them. But now, there is greater flexibility and synergy in using these restricted airspace on a need basis. The direct routing of fights from Kolkata is saving around 9,000 kg of fuel or 28,500 kg CO2 emission everyday. That translates to 10,371
tonne of CO2 saved in a year,” said Airports Authority of India member (air navigation services) Anil Kumar Dutta on the sidelines of a seminar organised by the Air Traffic Controllers’ Guild to discuss the challenges faced by the aviation sector.
At Rs 70 per kg of ATF, that also translates in to saving of Rs 6.3 lakh in fuel cost for the airlines daily.
Sources in Kolkata ATC said flights to Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Vizag, Bhuwaneswar, Delhi and Ahmedabad would also benefit from the flexible use of airspace that allowed direct routing of flights and also cut flight-time by 10-12 minutes. Every minute of flight reduction saves 40kg of
ATF or 126kg of CO2.
14/07/18 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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National Aeronautics Laboratories should drop Saras project, develop 70-seater regional jet: Ex-HAL chief

Kochi: The National Aeronautics Laboratories (NAL) should drop the Saras project, the plan to develop a 14-seater indigenous multi-purpose civilian aircraft, and concentrate on developing a 70-seater regional jet aircraft, said Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) former chairman C G Krishnadas Nair here on Wednesday.
“Saras is an outdated project, whereas a much-advanced 17-seater aircraft is being developed under the Make in India project in Kanpur. There won’t be any takers for Saras. Instead, NAL should join hands with HAL and leverage its experience and capabilities to develop the 70 -seater regional jet,” Nair, who arrived  in Kochi to participate in the three-day Aviation Innovation Exposition and Workshop told ‘Express’.

“HAL acquired the capability to develop passenger aircraft decades ago and we had a proposal to develop a 110-seater aircraft. But we were prevented from entering the passenger aircraft development sector and asked to concentrate on defence projects,” said Nair.
12/07/18 Manoj Viswanathan/New Indian Express

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India’s ATF demand grew at 13 per cent in June

New Delhi: India’s total fuel demand grew at 9 per cent to 17,994 Tonnes in June as compared to the corresponding month a year ago.

Consumption of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), primarily used as a fuel to run airlines, grew 13 per cent to 679 tonnes in June as compared to the corresponding month a year ago, on the back of improved growth in domestic air traffic.

India’s domestic air traffic has been posting continuous double-digit growth for 45 straight months, growing by 23 per cent last month, aiding the consumption of ATF.
12/07/18 Energyworld

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Pilots, cabin crew can work longer in 'exceptional circumstances', says DGCA

New Delhi: Pilots and cabin crew can now work beyond their prescribed duty hours in case of "exceptional circumstances", including delays due to air traffic control and runway closure, according to aviation regulator DGCA.

Airlines can extend the duty hours of flight and cabin crew to "avoid inconvenience to passengers" in such circumstances.

The decision comes after the Delhi High Court, on May 22, ruled that the aviation regulator had the power to grant the airline companies an exemption from the stipulated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTLs) of pilots.
11/07/18 PTI/Economic Times

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India Mulls Bringing Jet Fuel, Natural Gas Under GST

India is proposing to bring jet fuel and natural gas under the national goods and services tax as early as next week and replace a slew of existing duties and provincial levies, people familiar with the matter said.

An Indian tax panel will decide July 21 whether to approve the proposal to levy a 28 percent tax on aviation fuel, the people said, asking not to be identified as deliberations are confidential. This will be the first step towards charging GST on petroleum products under the new tax system, one of the biggest reforms for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Indian states charge as much as 30 percent in sales tax on aviation turbine fuel, on top of a 14 percent excise duty, making it the costliest in Asia. The levies hurt profitability of airlines, which say that fuel accounts for 40 percent of their costs. Combined taxes in New Delhi, India’s busiest airport, are 39 percent, while Singapore charges just 7 percent value-added tax.
12/07/18 Shruti Srivastava/Bloomberg Quint

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The Untold Story of the First Indian Pilot, Purushottam Meghji Kabali

In the early 1930s, airlines had started expanding their markets globally. Although the aircraft back then were much more compact and could only fly small distances at a time, airline manufacturers and pilots were witnessing a steady growth in new records set in aviation. Pilots across the globe were crossing longer distances, breaking speed records as new airways industries were entering the market. At the same time, in 1930, an Indian, Purushottam Meghji Kabali had also entered the industry. PM Kabali is considered to be the first Indian pilot although JRD Tata obtained his license one year before Kabali.

In the year 1930, Kabali purchased a Spartan VT-AAT aircraft in England. He planned to fly it from Croydon, in England, through Paris, Rome, Iran, and land in Karachi. After take-off, the aircraft functioned beautifully, and Kabali hardly had any issues as he crossed Paris, Marseilles, Pisa, Rome and Tunis. It was in Tripoli (Libya) that he had to cut his journey short.

The crashed “Feather of the Dawn” was loaded on a truck. From Libya, the damaged aircraft was transported to the Bombay Flying Club in parts.  After “Feather of the Dawn” was repaired, he flew it and remarked that the “plane flew beautifully”.

In the coming years, PM Kabali became a pilot for “Air Services of India Ltd”, a private airline based in Juhu, Mumbai. This company merged into the Indian Airline Corporation in 1953.
11/07/18 Tanvi Patel/Better India

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Fuel charges can't be part of cancellation charges: IATA agents association

New Delhi:  A body of travel agents in the country, in a representation to the government, demanded a review of the air passenger's draft citizen charter, contending that inclusion of fuel charges in the cancellation fee was "illegal" and in "violation of law".
The IATA Agents Association of India suggested that the fuel charges should not be clubbed with the base fare for deciding cancellation charges as there was no "fuel burn-off" when the passenger was not travelling at the first place.
According to the draft charter released on May 22, the cancellation charges should be printed prominently on ticket and airline and their agents together should not, under any circumstances, levy cancellation charge more than the basic fare plus fuel surcharge.
11/07/18 PTI/Times of India

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Naval air fleet set for huge growth: Karve

Kochi: A three-day aviation innovation exposition-cum-workshop was inaugurated by Vice Admiral A.R. Karve, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief of the Southern Naval Command, at the Naval Base here on Wednesday.

He said naval aircraft fleet was expected to grow from 150 to 450 in the near future and urged the industry, especially the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to grab the opportunity.

Held by the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) and the Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies and Industries (SIATI), the expo, named INNOEX-18, will be on till July 13. There are 20 stalls from 18 firms in the expo in which indigenous aviation stakeholders such as the Air Force, ISRO, Aero Cluster Labs of the DRDO, Air India, Pawan Hans Limited and members of the academia and industry are taking part.
12/07/18 The Hindu

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Aviation Innovation Expo begins

Kochi: The Aviation Innovation Exposition and Workshop (Innoex-18) began at the Kochi Naval Base on Wednesday. Vice-Admiral A R Karve, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the  Southern Naval Command, inaugurated the three-day expo organised by the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) and Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies and Industries (SIATI).

Former Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd chairman C G Krishnadas Nair, AeSI president R K Tyagi, DRDO Aeronautical Systems director general Tessy Thomas and National Institute of Advance Studies (NIAS) adjunct faculty SS Mantha shared their experiences with young aeronautical professionals of SNC at the workshop.

The exposition, which included about 20 stalls, brought together seven major indigenous aviation stakeholders, the Air Force, ISRO, Aero Cluster Labs of DRDO, Air India, Pawan Hans Ltd, as well as members of the academia and industry.
12/07/18 New Indian Express

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Air Passengers Association of India seeks compensation for pax for over 2-hour flight delays

Mumbai: The Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) has sought compensation for passengers for over two-hour flight delays and for no notification at least 24-hour prior to the scheduled departure, along with the appointment of an ombudsman for the sector.

In its suggestions and objections over the draft air passenger charter, APAI has also asked the aviation ministry to convene a meeting of all stakeholders prior to finalising and circulating it.

The ministry had in May come out with the draft air passenger charter, that seeks to address issues related to flight delays, cancellations and others. The draft charter has proposed that passengers would be compensated Rs 20,000 on missing connecting flights if the delay is over 12 hours and Rs 10,000 if the delay is between 4 and 12 hours.
12/07/18 PTI/Financial Express

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No-fly proposal turned down

Bhubaneswar: The ministry of civil aviation has turned down the proposal of state police to declare the area surrounding the Jagannath temple as a no-flying zone, police said on Thursday.

The state police had earlier proposed to declare the area as no-flying zone for the annual charity festival scheduled to be held on Saturday.

The police said the ministry had turned down the proposal, citing that the region was an international route for air services.
12/07/18 Telegraph

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Russia May Sell 48 Mi-17 Helicopters to India

Russian Helicopters is prepared to sign a contract to export 48 Mi-17-V5 helicopters to India. A source within the company confirmed to Sputnik that the deal, which the company is preparing in cooperation with Russia's Rosoboronexport agency, is currently underway:
"We are looking forward for the buyer's final decision to sign the contract. After that we can start executing it," the source added.

The Mil-17-V5 military and transport model, which is equipped with the new Klimov VK-2500 turboshaft engine, is part of the Mil-17 family of multipurpose helicopters. A total of 12,000 Mi-17s have so far been delivered to clients in 110 countries.
12/07/18 Denis Bolotsky/Sputnik

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Costly oil, weak rupee to hit airline profits

Profits at listed Indian carriers could nosedive in the three months to June due to rising fuel costs, a falling rupee and intensifying competition — factors that would cancel out the impact of 18 per cent on-year traffic growth.
SpiceJet, InterGlobe Aviation and Jet Airways could, cumulatively, report a 70-75 per cent on-year drop in net profit even though revenue may climb about 15-20 per cent , roughly in kilter with the pace of passenger growth for the industry.
By the end of the June 2018 quarter, Brent crude price soared 13.5 per cent to $78 per barrel and the dollar strengthened 5.3 per cent with respect to the rupee at Rs 68.47. These two variables impact about 40 per cent of a transporter’s costs. Furthermore, stiff competition has prompted companies to lower fares to stay relevant, and the inability to raise fares in lockstep with costs would depress profits.
11/07/18 Rajesh Naidu/Economic Times

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Passenger traffic in Jan-May rises by 22.69% over last year

Domestic air passenger traffic in January-May 2018 grew 22.69% over the year-ago period, with stronger regional connectivity and the onset of the tourist season, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Passengers flown by domestic airlines in the first five months of 2018 stood at 57.16 million over 46.59 million in the corresponding period of 2017.
The passenger load factor (PLF)—an indicator of how many seats on a flight are occupied by paying passengers—has also grown. Month-on-month, it rose by 16.53% to 11.86 million in May from 10.17 million in April.
The DGCA attributes the increase in PLF for May to the beginning of the tourist season.
10/07/18 Purba Das/Fortune India

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India's Wings Aviation mulls scheduled ops in 2019

Wings Aviation: is planning to invest INR1.5 billion rupees (USD21.85 million) in its fleet with an eye on launching scheduled regional flights in 2019, Telangana Today has reported.

The passenger charter, air ambulance, general aviation, and training specialist intends to add five unspecified helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft in the coming months, Chairman and Managing Director Y Prabhakar Reddy has said. The newly added aircraft will be used first for the carrier's charter business and for its medevac wing, Air Aid.

Short of going into any details, Reddy has added that Wings Aviation would be looking at "regional connectivity" once it launches a scheduled airline.
10/07/18 ch-aviation

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India to manufacture planes? See what Suresh Prabhu said

New Delhi: Aviation is a sector high on the priority list of the PM Nrendra Modi led NDA government. It has promoted the UDAN concept and now is taking the next step to expand the sector. Terming the creation of infrastructure a big challenge, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday said India will need at least 1,000 planes in the next few years as it prepares a comprehensive and integrated plan for 2035 to boost the sector.

"To create infrastructure for aviation is a big challenge and we, therefore, are preparing a comprehensive and integrated plan for 2035.... Aviation is one of the sectors that can play a leadership role in the world," Prabhu said at an event organised by CII here.

Delivering the Suresh Neotia Memorial Lecture on "Future of World Trade in Rising Clamour for Protectionism", Prabhu said the government was also preparing a cargo policy that has a tremendous growth potential. "Separately, we are preparing a cargo policy as it has a huge potential to grow with the growing need to transport cargo from one place to another. Cargo flights can move at night with the policy coming in," he said.
10/07/18 IANS/ZeeBiz

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Indigo offers discounts on 1.2 million seats for 4 days

Mumbai: In the largest discounted ticket sale offer by a domestic carrier, no-frills airline IndiGo has put 1.2 million seats up for grabs with fares starting at Rs 1,212 for travel across its flight network, including overseas destinations.

The bookings began on July 10 for the four-day 'mega anniversary sale' offer for travel period from July 25 to March 30 next year, IndiGo said in a release.

"IndiGo is offering customers a four-day special sale starting at Rs 1,212 effective from July 10 till July 13. As part of the mega sale, the airline is offering 12 lakh seats for travel between July 25, 2018 and March 30, 2019 across the 6E network including the international routes," it said.
The country's largest airline by domestic market share, IndiGo currently opeartes 1,086 daily flights, connecting 42 domestic and eight international destinations.
11/07/18 PTI/Khaleej Times

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Aviation Secretary meets his Revenue counterpart to bring aviation turbine fuel under GST

New Delhi: In a bid to bring aviation turbine fuel (ATF) within the purview of goods and services tax (GST), the aviation secretary met the revenue secretary on Tuesday. ATF prices have direct bearing on the air fares and the Civil Aviation ministry has voiced its concern on this.

A civil aviation ministry official said that the ministry is of the view that ATF should be brought under GST and for this the ministry has earlier also written to the ministry of finance.

Currently, diesel, petrol, crude oil, natural gas and aviation turbine fuel are outside the purview of goods and services tax, and states have the right to impose value added tax on these items. Airlines companies have also demanded to bring ATF under the GST saying that it comprises a substantial chunk of operational costs of the airlines.
10/07/18 Kumar Vikram/New Indian Express

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Around 30% of Indian Couples Plan Trips During Monsoon, Study Reveals

With the onset of the monsoon, more and more couples are taking advantage of the pleasant weather and heading for short breaks with 30 per cent planning it with their better halves, says a study conducted by travel marketplace ixigo.

The data reveals that 39 per cent Indians, travelling during the monsoon, are planning to travel as couples, followed by 24 per cent with family and 18 per cent solo, reads a statement.

Couples are planning short-stays that extend to about three or four days. Also, hotel searches for Goa show the maximum spike of 16 per cent from previous months, while Shillong and Guwahati follow with 11 per cent and 9 per cent spikes respectively.
10/07/18 IANS/India.com

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Raining discounts: Air fares to small towns dip

Chennai: Flying may be cheaper than travelling by train or air-conditioned buses as a slew of offers by airlines on domestic routes have led to a dip in fares from Chennai to Madurai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Trichy, Visakhapatnam and also to Bengaluru for travel till end of September.
One-way fare is in the range of 1,700 to 1,999 on most of the days for one month to two months advance booking, making flying a better option than taking trains and buses as flights cover the distance in half an hour.
Airlines like SpiceJet and IndiGo have offered discounts to boost air travel during the monsoon on the west coast, which is a lean travel season.
10/07/18 Times of India

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India should build its own aircraft, says Ex-ISRO chief Kiran Kumar

Hyderabad: A growing large economy like India with huge domestic market should build aircraft indigenously and make sure that it does not depend on international entities alone to meet its needs, says an eminent scientist. The former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation A S Kiran Kumar said India is now poised for a significant growth in the aircraft industry.

The President-elect of Aeronautical Society of India said many of the Indian industries and private enterprises actually contribute to the global aircraft industry and provide some key components because of the “advantages” they have. These industries and enterprises are establishing newer capabilities within the country. “In the coming days and years, there is a tremendous opportunity, we need to build on the capabilities of the country,” Kiran Kumar told PTI.

Companies globally are realising there is a tremendous potential in India to make cost-effective components and sub-systems, and “gradually things are moving in this direction,” according to him. More and more entrepreneurs, Kiran Kumar said, are gradually trying to pitch in and capture the market. “It’s a positive development that’s happening and in the coming days and years, we also need a large number of aircraft; if we are able to do some more developments on aircraft industry within the country, it will be great,” he said.
09/07/18 PTI/Financial Express

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Kerala: No relief for flights from aviation fuel tax cut

Thiruvananthapuram:  The state government decision to reduce the tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) will have no impact on the existing air fares as it will be applicable only for new domestic services under the regional connectivity scheme like UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagarik). “The cabinet on Wednesday decided to reduce the tax on aviation turbine fuel to five percent from 28.75 percent only for regional connectivity. There would not be any tax reduction on ATF on existing domestic or international flights," a top government official clarified to DC.

All major airlines have been urging the state to bring down the ATF so as to cut  air fares as well as to enhance connectivity, especially to the Gulf sector. Even at a meeting of major airlines convened by chief minister  Pinarayi Vijayan in May, the  airlines' officials had suggested steep reduction in ATF tax to cut air fares. Some airlines even sought only one percent tax on ATF. The civil aviation ministry has been also urging all states to bring down the tax on ATF.

Aviation experts point out that  bringing down the ATF's tax would lead to reduction in fares and attracting more aircraft and enhancing fuel intake. "About 300 aircraft are flying over Kerala skies every day. Thiruvananthapuram is even the mid-point of the busy Gulf - Singapore sector.
09/07/18 Arjun Raghunath/Deccan Chronicle

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IAF charged Rs 294 mn to ferry new currency notes post-demonetisation

New Delhi: Over Rs 294.1 million was spent on using the Indian Air Force's ultra-modern transport aircraft -- the C-17 and the C-130J Super Hercules -- to ferry the newly-issued Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 currency notes post-demonetisation, according to an RTI reply.

The move to scrap the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016, and saw 86 per cent of currency being sucked out of the system, needing an urgent operation to replenish it with the new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes issued after demonetisation.

According to the response provided by the IAF, its frontline transport aircraft, the C-17 and the C-130J Super Hercules, undertook 91 sorties to transport bundles of currency from security printing presses and mints to various destinations across the country after the Rs 1,000 and the Rs 500 notes were demonetised by the government in a sudden move on November 8, 2016.
08/07/18 PTI/Business Standard

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Mumbai: Airlines slash ticket prices to boost monsoon bookings

Mumbai: To boost bookings during the monsoon, airlines have slashed fares on routes connecting Mumbai by up to 30 per cent, a study conducted by travel website ixigo revealed. The survey indicated that between June 22 and July 5, airfares dropped by 31 per cent on Mumbai-Delhi routes, 28 per cent on Mumbai-Chennai route and 22 per cent between Mumbai and Bengaluru. The biggest drop, of 48 per cent, was witnessed on the Chennai to Mumbai route in the corresponding period.

This meant that an air ticket for an economy class travel between Mumbai and Bengaluru on July 2 was as low as Rs 900. Many travel websites are offering discounts and cashback offers as well to encourage sales, the study found. Airlines, including Go Air, Vistara, SpiceJet and Jet Airways, had announced ‘Mega Monsoon sale’ to encourage flight booking.
09/07/18 Indian Express

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India preparing comprehensive aviation plan for 2035: Suresh Prabhu

Terming the creation of infrastructure a big challenge, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday said India will need at least 1,000 planes in the next few years as it prepares a comprehensive and integrated plan for 2035 to boost the sector.
"To create infrastructure for aviation is a big challenge and we, therefore, are preparing a comprehensive and integrated plan for 2035.... Aviation is one of the sectors that can play a leadership role in the world," Prabhu said at an event organised by CII here.
Delivering the Suresh Neotia Memorial Lecture on "Future of World Trade in Rising Clamour for Protectionism", Prabhu said the government was also preparing a cargo policy that has a tremendous growth potential.
07/07/18 IANS/Economic Times

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Shimla heli-taxi service gets costlier

Shimla: Barely a month after its launch, the heli-taxi fare between Shimla and Chandigarh has gone up by Rs 500, from Rs 2,999 to Rs 3,499, officials said on Sunday.

This is not all. There is a confusion over its landing site in the Himachal state capital.

Officials said the chopper is still landing at the airport at Jubbarhatti, 22 km from here, and not at the Annandale ground, the picturesque flat highland just 3 km from Shimla's Ridge, as announced by the government soon after the launch of its maiden flight on June 4.
08/07/18 IANS/Business Standard

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Chinese carriers fly into great wall of India

India has rejected the Chinese government’s request to allow its carriers add more flights on the India-China route after strong opposition from Indian carriers which felt that the
move would jeopardise their own expansion plans.
IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and GoAir along with Air India, in a rare show of solidarity, decided to oppose the Chinese plan in a recent meeting with aviation ministry officials.
The meeting was held after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s China trip in June where the Chinese government demanded an increase in flying rights for its carriers.
“There was a proposal to increase flying rights between the two countries, but Indian carriers opposed it on the grounds that they have plans to launch flights to China and the
government should not agree on allowing more flights to Chinese airlines, as it would jeopardise their plans,” an aviation ministry official said on condition of anonymity. He added that government has decided against increasing any bilateral traffic rights.
07/07/18 Economic Times

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Aviation passenger demand stays strong in May as India, China log big growth

Geneva: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says that global passenger traffic results for May (measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs) increased by 6.1% compared to the same month in 2017. Capacity climbed 5.9% and load factor rose 0.1 percentage point to 80.1%. IATA Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac said,"May was another solid month in terms of demand growth. As had been expected, we saw some moderation, as rising airline costs are reducing the stimulus from lower airfares. In particular, jet fuel prices are expected to be up nearly 26% this year compared to 2017."
07/07/18 ZeeBiz

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Airline moves court against pilots who ‘quit without notice’

Mumbai: A city-based private airline has filed a criminal complaint against seven pilots accusing them of violating aviation norms by quitting the airline without serving the notice period. The pilots, on the other hand, have said that the airline hasn’t paid them in months.
Supreme Transport Organisation Pvt Ltd, an arm of the Supreme Airlines Group, filed the criminal complaint under IPC Sections 420 (cheating) and 406, 408 (criminal breach of trust) against the pilots alleging that they left the company without serving the requisite one-year notice period as mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The complaint, filed at the Andheri Metropolitan Court, names Captain Rishabh Jain, Captain Ravikant Sarowa, Captain Kowser Hussain Bhat, Captain Jagadeeshwaran GS, Captain Thurumalai Kumaran, Captain Ganesh Nagraj, and Captain M Satyan as the accused.
07/07/19 Satish Nandgaonkar/Mumbai Mirror

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Heli taxis to connect more Himachal towns

Shimla: The government has decided to appoint an aviation consultant as talks will be held with 18 operators, who have evinced keen interest in providing the services in more areas.
The state government is in the process of appointing an aviation consultant who will prepare the roadmap for the expansion of air connectivity. It is being felt that good air connectivity in the form of heli-taxi service and regular flights connecting the main tourist towns of Manali, Dharamsala, Dalhousie and Shimla is a prerequisite for tourism promotion.
The government’s invite has evoked good response and 18 operators have expressed interest. A meeting will be held with these operators on July 20 to examine their proposals and its technical and economic feasibility.
07/07/18 Pratibha Chauhan/Tribune

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‘Role of Caro crucial in aviation growth’

Hyderabad: Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey on Thursday said the aviation sector had achieved rail parity. Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Civil Aviation Research Organisation (CARO) at Begumpet airport here, he said there were three reasons that contributed to achieving the parity.

The number of passengers carried by the civil aviation sector was more than the number of passengers who travelled in air condition classes of railways.

Secondly, the airfare provided for connecting 90-odd cities in the country was comparable with the air-condition second class charges of the railways.
06/07/18 Telangana Today

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These are the 6 fighter jets in the race for an Indian Air Force contract. Again

New Delhi: Tragedy and farce hang like spectres over the Indian Air Force’s efforts to procure fighter jets.

The first ended in tragedy, and a deadline of sorts for a second, or third, attempt ends Friday, with six foreign vendors’ responses to a 73-page Request for Information (RFI).

In the re-run of the scrapped MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) race, the same six companies with the same six aircraft would be intending to compete for the same order from the same customer. Only, this time the customer, Indian Air Force, has pared down the numbers from 126 to 110.

Boeing’s  F/A-18E/F  Super Hornet Block III, Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Fighting Falcon Block 70,  Dassault Aviation’s Rafale F3R, Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab’s Gripen E and Russian United Aircraft Corporation’s MiG-35 will be vying for a IAF contract conservatively estimated at $18 billion over 12 years. Four of these six companies are also in contention for the navy order.
06/07/18 Sujan Dutta/The Print

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Proud moment: India makes this big aviation achievement

India has been slow to take to the aviation sector, leading to many disasters like Kingfisher Airlines going bust, but now that it has, the country has taken massive strides and has become a global leader now! Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu on Tuesday said India is the fastest growing aviation market in the world. The minister also said that India witnessed a 19.6 per cent growth in air passenger traffic in June.

The minister, who was in Uttar Pradesh to flag off a SpiceJet flight from Kanpur to Delhi under the UDAN scheme, said the growth achieved was in line with the government's thinking on the entire country benefitting from the aviation sector.

"Under #leadership of @PMOIndia @narendramodi ji #Aviation sector is doing rapid progress.We are fastest growing aviation market in world. Another record month of huge advancement, provisional air traffic growth for June is 19.6 per cent which is in line with our thinking, let all benefit," the minister tweeted.
04/07/18 ZeeBiz

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India Records Double-digit Air Passenger Growth for 45th Consecutive Month in May: IATA

New Delhi: India registered double-digit domestic air passenger growth for the 45th straight month in May even though volumes have fallen in recent months, airlines' grouping IATA said on Thursday.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the country's Revenue Passenger Kilometre (RPK) -- a measure of passenger volumes -- rose 16.6 per cent in May.
Seasonally-adjusted passenger volume in India has fallen back in recent months alongside some mixed signs on the economic front, it said.
"Nonetheless, the bigger point is that May was India's 45th consecutive month of double-digit annual RPK growth (16.6 per cent).
05/07/18 PTI/News18

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A race to the bottom

Airlines in India, it seems, are in a race to the bottom. Over the last week, several airlines have come up with discounted fare offers. Market leader IndiGo Airlines is selling tickets for as low as ₹999 on some domestic routes. So are SpiceJet and GoAir. AirAsia India is offering fares of ₹1,299 on some domestic routes and cheap fares on international routes too. Expect others to join the bandwagon soon.

Sure, such offers are typical in the September quarter, traditionally a weak one for airlines in India. It could be argued that airlines are seeking to woo passengers and fill up seats that would otherwise have flown empty.

But cheap fares are also reflective of the dog-eat-dog competition in the country’s aviation sector that has translated into a sharp loss of pricing power. Ideally, airlines, rather than cutting fares, should have upped them to pass on steep cost increases. Their major cost component — aviation turbine fuel — has been steadily increasing, due to the double whammy of rising crude oil prices and a weakening rupee.
05/07/18 Anand Kalyanaraman/Business Line

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Airbus to miss delivery target for A320neos in 2018

Airbus will miss the delivery target for A320neo family units powered by Pratt & Whitney 1100G engines due to the delays caused by the issues with the powerplants, Bloomberg has reported.

Airbus has denied to confirm that it will miss the delivery target and has reiterated that its target for the type's deliveries for 2018 remains at 800 units.

Originally, the European manufacturer had planned to deliver around 210 PW1100G-powered A320neos during the remainder of 2018. The Pratt & Whitney powerplant is one of two available engine options for the type, the other being CFM International LEAPs.
05/07/18 ch-aviation

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Delayed flights? Errant airlines could be in for a shock

New Delhi: Airlines could lose their precious landing and take-off slots at an airport if they do not operate their flights on time, according to a senior government official.

As part of this exercise, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport will be monitoring the on-time performance of various airlines for the month of July. On the basis of the data collected, airlines could lose their slots when the aviation watchdog prepares the winter schedule, which spans the last Sunday of October to the last Saturday of March.

“If a particular flight of an airline does not adhere to the time slot for departure and arrival at an airport more than 15%-20% of the times, the airline could lose that particular slot. A final decision on the matter is yet to be taken and we are currently consulting with various stakeholders on the issue,” said a senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
04/07/18 Jagriti Chandra/The Hindu

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Despite airfare hike, monsoon holidays on track

Mumbai: An increase in the surcharge on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) and global crude prices has sent up airfares for most popular tourist destinations, such as Goa, Shillong, Cochin, Guwahati and Port Blair. Airlines said there has been an average increase of 24%, compared to this time last year.

Industry watchers said despite the steep hike in airfare, there has been a spike in bookings to these destinations, mainly due to the monsoon discounts being offered by domestic airlines. On Wednesday, SpiceJet announced all-inclusive one-way fares starting at ₹999 for select non-stop domestic flights. Go Air, Air Asia, and Vistara are all offering monsoon discounts.

Aloke Bajpai, CEO and co-founder of travel marketplace Ixigo, said, “People are busy planning their monsoon getaways. Despite the increase in airfare, bookings to tourist destinations are increasing. Monsoon is usually a lean travel season. These fares will help in spurring travel demand,” said Sharat Dhall, president, Yatra.com. Industry analysts said airfares in India had long broken free of their seasonal, cyclical nature thanks to aggressive all-year offers by airlines.
05/07/18 aditya anand/The Hindu

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