MIHAN project created 54,000 jobs - TCS, HCL to Air India open hiring doors; more to come

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Jobs creation is one of the toughest tasks for any government to do even as it is the biggest demand by the public. So, when a huge number of jobs gets created for the common man, everyone sits up and takes notice. This is exactly what is happening right now, at least as far as Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari is concerned. Nitin Gadkari, through his endeavours, has created 54000 jobs. In fact, that is the exact number of people who have actually got jobs.

It is called the Nitin Gadkari model and it has been implemented in his parliamentary constituency Nagpur. This initiative by Gadkari has led to over 54,000 people getting jobs in companies. This Gadkari initiative has been named MIHAN - Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur.

The MIHAN project was created for Nagpur and the Vidarbha region when development projects were initated there. This project helped in generating employment for the local people. Importantly, this also fulfilled the promise made by the BJP leader to the people in 2014. Gadkari had vowed to generate 50,000 jobs in this region.

Gadkari started the MIHAN project to make Nagpur and the Vidarbha region the hub of economic activities and work started in 2009. Nagpur is an important city for air and rail traffic due to its special geographical location and this project looked to boost that position further.

Gadkari set up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Nagpur. After winning the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Gadkari became an MP from Nagpur and eventually a cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi-led government, after which he focused on working on his dream project.

The best part was that it generated much interest, in both private and public sector. Gradually, some big companies showed interest in the MIHAN project. Thereafter, many companies came forward for investment to take advantage of the benefits on offer.

Among these companies, Air India has provided jobs to at least 4,500 people in Nagpur, HCL has employed around 2,500 people and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has given employment to 7,500 people, according to IANS. Similarly, investment opportunities of more than 170 companies have provided employment opportunities.

Gadkari's office said that 54,868 people got jobs in Nagpur in the last six years. These jobs were created following the establishment of industries and development projects in Nagpur.

A total of 36,407 jobs have been generated in SEZ and 16,162 in the non-SEZ area. At the same time, 2,299 people got jobs through the Central Facility Building MIHAN SEZ.

30/11/20 ZeeBiz

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Covid-19: Aviation must rely on technology to return to the skies

In an era where contactless has become the new normal, aviation industry players are tolling on tech solutions to track the spread of Covid-19, making travel touchless and seamless. Indian and global airlines including Vistara, Air India, Etihad, and Singapore Airlines are using technology to make travel safer for passengers.

A recent study by Amadeus found that technology plays a crucial role in supporting recovery. Nearly 84 per cent of travellers said the technology would increase their confidence to travel in the next 12 months by addressing concerns around mixing with crowds, social distancing and physical touchpoints.

“Access to technology that reduces human contact, queues and physical touchpoints were the ultimate factor for getting people to travel,” it said. The study was conducted among 6,000 travellers globally, of which approximately 1,000 respondents came from India.

Vinod Kannan, Chief Commercial Officer of Vistara, also believes that in a post-pandemic world, touchless is going to play a key role in ensuring safety throughout the passenger’s journey and will be a deciding factor for the customers to choose an airline. “Today, not just Vistara, but the entire aviation industry has come together to rebuild passenger confidence in flying, which is already showing positive signs and helping fuel demand,” he said.

Global airline lobby IATA recently said it is working on a mobile app that will help travellers demonstrate their coronavirus-free status. On the other hand, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a global mechanism that would use QR codes to open up international travel.

Industry experts and players said that though these technologies might be effective individually, a standardised platform was needed to track the spread of Covid-19 to make air travel seamless.

For example, according to Vimal Kumar Rai, founder and MD at TRACE Consulting Services, the QR code suggestion made by China may be viewed through the lens of skepticism. “The problem of course is politics and perception; China isn’t trusted on the world stage for various reasons and for this reason, its suggestion of the use of QR codes will be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. Who or what will see your data, how will it be stored and used in the future, etc — these are all major concerns.”

29/11/20 Forum Gandhi/Business Line

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BEL, CSIO join hand for developing aviation, perimeter security technologies

Chandigarh: The Panchkula Division of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh will work as joint partners for design and development of futuristic technologies in the area of aviation and perimeter security.

A memorandum of understanding in this regard was signed between the two organisations here today. BEL is a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, while CSIO is a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research under the Ministry for Science and Technology.

Jitender Kumar, Additional Director General in the Defence Ministry’s Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance was the chief guest.onm the occasion. He appreciated CSIO’s efforts for developing aviation technologies and congratulated it for the design of Head up Display for aircraft. He also emphasised the need to develop more aviation related technologies in the future.

CSIO Director, Prof SA Ramakrishna, said that the partnership between the two organisations is cemented by this agreement. It enabled CSIO to be the natural research source for BEL, while BEL becomes the logical industry partner that takes up and translates to reality the niche technologies developed by CSIO.

28/11/20 Tribune

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India Prepares To Remove Restrictions On A320neo Engines

The Indian aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is set to give approval to the Pratt & Whitney engines used on the A320neo. Operated primarily by carriers IndiGo and GoAir, the engines had been involved in a number of incidents over the past year, causing inflight shutdowns.

The DGCA had placed restrictions on airlines operating A320neos without the required engine replacements. Airlines were not allowed to operate flights more than 60 minutes away from a suitable airport for an emergency landing. This meant airlines were forced to either operate such flights with older A320ceo aircraft or to take a longer route in order to comply with the requirement.

Nevertheless, IndiGo and GoAir have been busy revamping their fleets and are now set to secure the EDTO approval to resume longer flights. EDTO stands for Extended Diversion Time Operations and is the equivalent of ETOPS, although the latter is the more commonly used term.

To remove the restrictions, the DCGA has requested IndiGo performs a validation flight of 90 minutes in duration, using either the A320neo or A321neo. Upon successful completion of this flight, the restrictions should be removed, allowing IndiGo and GoAir to begin operating these aircraft normally.

According to a report in Business Standard, IndiGo has replaced all the affected engines on its aircraft. GoAir is yet to undertake replacements on around 16 engines, but due to the current downturn in travel, it does not need to operate these aircraft at the present time.

27/11/20 Joanna Bailey/Simple Flying

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Civil aviation ministry objects to charging flyers for Covid tests

Nagpur: Soon after the state government issued restrictions on travellers from Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa, the ministry of civil aviation has raised an objection over alleged bias against flyers, who have to pay for their tests on arrival, if they are not carrying Covid negative test results. Road and rail passengers are tested for free. The central ministry wants a uniform policy towards travellers of all three modes — air, road and rail.

Even as the state government had made it mandatory for persons entering Maharashtra from these states to have a Covid-negative report, there are different norms for travellers on the three modes. Fliers have to board the plane with a Covid negative report. However, those not having one can get the tests done at the airport where they arrive by paying for it. The air travellers have to get a RT-PCR test, which takes at least six hours to generate a result.

Travellers by rail and road on the other hand have to get the much faster Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) done, and also do not have to pay anything.

A senior bureaucrat of secretary rank at Mumbai Mantralaya told TOI that the state government has received an objection from the civil aviation ministry, which is demanding a uniform policy for all.

The state government is now working on the uniform policy, which will deal with aspects like charges and type of test to be conducted on travellers. “A final decision has not been taken yet. However, the RT-PCR is always a more reliable option,” the officer said.

Talking to TOI, chief secretary Sanjay Kumar said the idea behind charging flyers is to stress that they should be flying with a Covid negative report in hand. He said it is the local body’s discretion to appoint a testing agency. It can be from the private or government sector, depending on the situation, and the decision is of the concerned local body, he said.

27/11/20 Shishir Arya/Times of India

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Pilots, cabin crew exempted from test rule

Mumbai: Airline pilots and cabin crew have been exempted from the RT-PCR tests made mandatory for domestic passengers arriving from certain Covid hotspots in the country into Maharashtra from Wednesday onwards.

In an order issued on Wednesday, chief secretary Sanjay Kumar said that the state government received a request from Air India stating that the airline operates a large number of Vande Bharat flights and multiple cargo flights in and out of Maharashtra on a regular basis. “This involves a large number of light and cockpit crew to travel into Maharashtra from various states to either operate or to be positioned for flight duties on a daily basis,” stated the order.

Under the latest guidelines issued by the state government, Covid RT-PCR test has been made compulsory for all people arriving into Maharashtra from Covid hotspots of Delhi NCR, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa. This would lead to delays of scheduling of flights, the airline pleaded.

The state government then decided to exempt all cockpit crew and cabin crew carrying valid identity cards from RT-PCR tests at all airports in Maharashtra “subject to following all necessary Covid-related protocols” by the airlines concerned, said the order.

26/11/20 Times of India

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IATA urges Centre to support Indian airlines to tide over COVID crisis

The central government should change its position and support the Indian airlines and other aviation stakeholders in the face of COVID-19 crisis, a top official of global airlines body IATA said on Wednesday. The Indian carriers have laid off employees, cut salaries and posted significant losses during the last few quarters as coronavirus-induced travel restrictions have drastically impacted the aviation sector. “The Indian government has not engaged in support for airlines and we do urge them to change that position and to assist the airlines and airports and other aviation stakeholders, IATA Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific region, Conrad Clifford said.

This is something that we continue to encourage and urge the Indian government to do, he said at a virtual press conference. The Indian airlines have sought an interest-free credit line of at least USD 1.5 billion for the coronavirus-impacted aviation sector, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had told the Rajya Sabha on September 16.

The airlines have sought relief from the government by asking that banks and financial institutions may be directed by the Centre to defer repayments of loans to the aviation industry by six months, the minister had noted.

Clifford said given the increase in domestic activity in India, he hopes that the Indian carriers would get back to a cash positive situation, possibly more quickly than the carriers that do not have a strong domestic market. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents around 290 airlines across the world comprising 82 per cent of the global air traffic. “The progressive raising of the limitation by the Indian authorities is actually being matched by demand… and I do expect that trend to continue so it is very welcome to be raising the restriction, which the authorities have been doing progressively,” Clifford said.

Since May, the country has gradually raised the limit on the number of domestic flights that the Indian carriers can operate. India had resumed scheduled domestic passenger services from May 25, after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown. However, the airlines were allowed to operate not more than 33 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights. On June 26, this was increased to 45 per cent, and on September 2, it was further increased to 60 per cent. This cap was extended to 70 per cent on November 11.

25/11/20 PTI/Financial Express

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Airlines, hotels brace for losses as travel restrictions kick in today

Nagpur: The curbs on travellers to the state from Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa are expected to be another setback for airlines and hospitality industry, which were yet to emerge from the losses due to Covid. Railways, which continue to run limited trains, are yet to gauge the impact. For Wednesday, only three tickets for Nagpur to Delhi were cancelled, but figures for incoming passengers from these states were not available readily.

If a passenger from Nagpur travels to any of the four states, there will be no curb on exit, but the same person on coming back to the city by any of the modes will be subject to tests or screening. The frequency of buses from these states to Nagpur and nearby is already low, said sources in road transport business

Sources in a couple of private airlines said they are bracing for reduction in passenger load from the sectors in coming days, which may lead to cancellation or rescheduling of flights.

Nagpur has direct air connectivity to Ahmedabad, Goa, and Delhi in these states.

“Majority of the airlines are still operating at half their capacity, and the improvement has only been marginal during the festive season. There has been hardly any vacation travel since reopening of airports,” said a senior official in a private airline requesting anonymity. ”Such sudden decisions by states have even earlier impacted passenger traffic on some sectors,” the source said.

A single aircraft does not fly to two destinations alone. If there is less than viable load at one of the stations then cancellations affect the entire route covering multiple stations, the source said. Airlines have also seen permanent and temporary layoffs following Covid losses.

Some labs have offered to do RT-PCRs test for Rs1,400 per passenger at the airport. As per GR, home visit charges are Rs1,600 for RT-PCR sample collection. NMC has asked labs to charges as per GR only.

Even as the state government has made Covid-19 tests mandatory for railway and bus passengers arriving from Goa, Gujarat, Delhi, and Rajasthan, no panic buttons have been pressed. Railway sources said on Tuesday only three passengers had cancelled tickets to Delhi.

25/11/20 Shishir Arya/Times of India

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Will Airline Companies make Vaccination Compulsory for International Travel?

Many airlines companies across the globe, banking on the news that immunisation against COVID-19 virus will become a reality soon, are considering if vaccination for international passengers can be made compulsory.

One of the worst pandemic-hit sectors, the airlines industry, is still bound by various restrictions, especially regarding international travel. But the companies are also looking towards ways to boost business from the coming year.

Australia’s leading airlines, Qantas, is one of the first airlines, which is thinking of making vaccination compulsory for passengers travelling on international flights, once the vaccine is widely available, reported the country’s media recently.

According to latest reports, the head of International Air Transport Association (IATA), Alexandre de Juniac, urged governments to relax quarantine rules and borders bans in favour of testing but remained wary of the compulsory vaccination plan for international passengers. He was speaking at IATA’s annual general meeting in Geneva.

Air New Zealand and Korean Air, according to media reports, appear partial to the idea of immunisation shots for international travellers but have said that relaxation of pandemic containment rules have to be determined by the governments.

25/11/20 Outlook

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‘Festive Season To Fuel Air Travel Growth’

Sunil Bhaskaran, MD & CEO, AirAsia India speaks with Ashish Sinha of BW Businessworld about the green shoots of revival in air travel, the induction of Airbus A320-Neo, and the rapid recovery of demand as more restrictions are getting lifted, among other things. 

Excerpts >>

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Countries shouldn’t wait for majority to be vaccinated, need to open borders now: IATA Director General

Countries across the world should not wait for the majority of people to be vaccinated against coronavirus and need to open their borders by implementing systematic pre-departure testing, IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac said on Monday.

“Our own surveys show that the vast majority of travellers treat quarantine as they would a complete border closure. They just won’t travel,” he said in a pre-recorded video message at the IATA Global Media Days event.

That is why, the International Air Transport Association  (IATA) is calling for systematic pre-departure COVID-19 testing instead of open borders with quarantine, he added.

Global air traffic has reduced drastically in 2020 due to coronavirus-triggered travel restrictions. The IATA represents around 290 airlines across the world comprising 82 per cent of global air traffic.

The IATA DG said he wanted to emphasise on how critical it is to open borders now and the reason why good news on vaccine progress “should not distract from activating testing fast”.

“We have plans in place to support vaccine distribution. It will probably be the biggest airlift in history. But we literally cannot afford to wait for the majority to receive the vaccine before we reopen our borders. We must start reopening now without delay,” he asserted.

According to IATA’s assessment, COVID-19 vaccine won’t be widely available till the second half of 2021.

23/11/20 PTI/Financial Express

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President boards Air India One-B777 aircraft for its inaugural flight to Chennai

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind boarded the Air India One-B777 aircraft on Tuesday for its inaugural flight to Chennai, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement.

Kovind is visiting Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh to offer prayers at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple, it said.

"This is the first flight of the Air India One-B777 aircraft with the head of State on board. The aircraft is fuel efficient and has a longer range than the B747-400 that are deployed for similar VVIP operations," the statement said.

The aircraft has state-of-the-art interiors with reduced noise levels, it added.

Air India One is the call sign for the VVIP aircraft used by the president, vice president and prime minister.

On the occasion of the inaugural flight of Air India One-B777, Kovind commended the pilots, crew members and the entire team of the Air India and the Indian Air Force for operating the state-of-the-art aircraft and facilitating VVIP movements within the country and on state visits abroad, the statement said.

24/11/20 PTI/Times of India

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Air traffic continues its slow but steady rise. So, where’s everyone flying?

Friday the 13th brought some good news for Indian aviation. The daily departure count crossed 60 percent of pre-Covid levels for the first time. Passenger numbers, at 225,097, were the highest since May 25, when airlines were allowed to re-start operations. Subsequently, Diwali week pushed the numbers higher.

October also brought in some cheer with 31 percent growth over September. November is already looking better, thanks to the movement of people due to festivities.

While airlines have been allowed to operate 70 percent of pre-Covid flights now — a long way from 33 percent, when it began — the real questions are over where the traffic is moving and who is on those flights. An exclusive analysis shared by ICF, a global consulting and digital services company, shows that traffic has nosedived between Tier I to Tier I routes.

The two Tata airlines were at the forefront in deploying capacity, with AirAsia India deploying 63 percent of last October and Vistara deploying 58 percent. Market leader IndiGo deployed 55 percent of capacity. While the government has capped capacity at 60 percent for October, it was at pre-Covid levels and a few airlines have grown since last October, which makes their capacity look more than 60 percent compared to last October.

There were 63 new routes this October compared with the same month the previous year, with 20 of them being between Tier I and II and 25 between Tier II and Tier II, according to the analysis by ICF. Air India is the only carrier that has increased flights between Tier I to Tier I while both IndiGo and Vistara have dropped such sectors by 9 percent.

The trend is in continuation of previous months, with September seeing a drop of 63 percent over last September for flights between Tier I cities and the drop being lowest for flights between Tier I and Tier II.

24/11/20 Ameya Joshi/Moneycontrol.com

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APADCL Moots Aircraft Repair Centre at Orvakal Airport in Kurnool

The State Airports Development Corporation (APADCL) hopes to set up an Aircraft Repair and Maintenance (MRO) Center at Orvakal Airport in Kurnool. The proposals for setting up an MRO center will be implemented after the commencement of commercial activities from here. The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation will issue the necessary clearances to start commercial services from Kurnool Airport after the completion of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) scrutiny in the first week of December. In addition, APADCL hopes that the establishment of the MRO Centre will enable it to make full use of the infrastructure.

It is learnt that currently they had to rely on Bangalore and Shamshabad International Airports to operate flights. Due to the increase in the number of services at these two airports, the congestion is high. This makes clearance not available quickly. Maintenance charges are high. APADCL therefore hopes to set up a centre in the state. As it is a newly established airport the services will not be large. Officials said immediate clearance would be found and maintenance costs would be lower. It has sought tenders from companies to set up a pilot training center here.

23/11/20 Pavan Kumar Bandari/Hans India

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59th Annual Conference Of Indian Society Of Aerospace Medicine Held In Bengaluru

Bengaluru: With the theme of 'Extraordinary Times: Changing Aeromedical Paradigms', the 59th Annual Conference of Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine was held at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bengaluru on November 20-21.

Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC, Chief of the Air Staff, inaugurated the conference on Friday.

Air Marshal RD Mathur, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services, Director General of Medical Services (Air) and senior officers from Head Quarter Training Command participated in the event besides directors of various prestigious scientific institutes located in Bangalore.

According to an official statement, two orations were delivered in the conference, "The prestigious 'Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee Memorial Oration' was delivered online by Dr Scott A Shappel, Professor and Chair of Human Factors and Systems and Behavioural Neurobiology from the USA. The 'Air Vice-Marshal Srinagesh Memorial Oration' was delivered by Wing Commander (Dr) SN Sharma (Retired), Senior Cardiologist, Badr AI Sama Hospital, Muscat, Oman."

Air Vice-Marshal MM Srinagesh, is popularly known as the 'Father of Aviation Medicine' in India for his contribution in the field of Aerospace Medicine.

Due to COVID pandemic, the conference was hybrid in nature with 75 delegates present at the Institute and about 200 delegates participating online. 

21/11/20 Business World

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Indian airlines, airports are all set to handle distribution of temperature-sensitive COVID-19 vaccines

New Delhi: As some of the coronavirus vaccine trials across the world are in their final stages, Indian airports and airlines have geared up to handle the distribution of temperature-sensitive vaccines in the country.

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and GMR Hyderabad airport's cargo are set to play a pivotal role in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines as they are equipped with the state-of-the-art time and temperature-sensitive distribution system.

"Delhi Airport has two cargo terminals with world-class infrastructure that provides GDP (good distribution practices)-certified temperature-controlled facility for handling temperature-sensitive cargo. With the capacity to handle over 1.5 lakh MT per annum, this facility has state-of-the-art temperature-controlled zones with separate cool chambers ranging from +25 to -20 degree Celsius, which would be extremely conducive for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines," a Delhi International Airport Limited spokesperson said.

"There are Cool Dollies at the airside that ensure unbroken cool chain during temperature-sensitive cargo movement between terminal and aircraft. The terminals have separate gates dedicated for fast movement of vehicles carrying vaccines in and out of the airport," he added.

The emphasis has been laid on quick and efficient transportation and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines whenever they are available.

GMR Hyderabad airport said the terminal is equipped with various temperatures ranging from -20 to +25 degrees Celsius with state-of-the-art equipment and cool containers to cater to product-specific requirements.

"GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC) boasts of India's first Pharma Zone with GDP-certified temperature-controlled facility for handling temperature-sensitive cargo... The Freighter Parking stands are just 50 metres away from the terminal thereby minimizing the ramp exposure timing and ensuring quick turn-around of the aircraft.

"We have recently launched the latest Cool Dollies -- which is a Mobile Refrigeration Unit for Airside Transportation designed to eliminate any temperature excursions and to maintain the Unbroken Cool Chain. The GHAC also boasts of one of India's largest storage facility for Cool Containers like Envirotainer, C-Safe, Unicooler, and Vaqtainer within our premises to make sure the service is available for customer 24x7," Hyderabad Airport said.

An official of SpiceJet said the airline is fully prepared and ready to handle the COVID-19 vaccine.

20/11/20 ANI/ETNowNews.com

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VK Mathews: ‘Problem of Indian aviation is not the costs, it’s the price’

Business travel, severely hit by the restrictions imposed to contain Covid-19, is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels at least till 2024, VK Mathews, chairman of IBS Software — a software technology firm with airlines and hotel companies as clients — told Pranav Mukul in an interview. Mathews also talked about the concerns in civil aviation industry and the aversion of Indian airlines in making technology investments. 

Edited excerpts >>

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On Gaya to Delhi flight, old lady saw woman pilot in cockpit. Her reaction was priceless

New Delhi: An old lady on a flight from Gaya to Delhi was rather surprised to find a woman pilot in the cockpit earlier this week. Read that again if you may but it's true. Hana Khan, the woman pilot in question, shared the story in a post on Twitter and it has gone viral on social media.

Hana Khan, a commercial pilot, was on duty on a Delhi-Gaya-Delhi flight on November 15. It was all fine until an elderly woman passenger wished to view the cockpit of the flight. The passenger approached the cockpit and found Hana inside, and exclaimed, "Oi yahan to chorri baithi (A girl is sitting here)!" Of course, everybody burst out laughing.

"Did a Delhi-Gaya-Delhi flight today. An elderly lady wanted to look into the cockpit & when she saw me, she exclaimed in an haryanvi accent, "Oi yahan to chorri baithi!" Could not stop laughing," Hana Khan said in her tweet.

"Also. This was when we landed back in Delhi in case you all wonder," she added.

Hana Khan's post has gone viral on Twitter with over 15,000 likes and around 1,000 retweets. In the comments section, people shared their thoughts and opinions on Hana's post and encouraged her as well.

"That elderly woman would surely share the moment of her shock with the chorris of her community and that would be something inspiring for them, no doubt. You are a source of inspiration to many," a user said.

Another comment reads, "Hahaha! I hope it helped break down a life-long perception that she might have held."

18/11/20 Raya Ghosh/India Today

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Green shoots in sky: October domestic air travel rises 34% over previous month

New Delhi: Domestic air travel is slowly and steadily reviving in India after being allowed to resume in May-end following a two month suspension. Last month saw 52.7 lakh people fly within the country. While this figure is 57% less than 1.2 crore of October 2019, it is almost one-third (33.7%) more than the 39.4 lakh domestic travellers in the immediately preceding month of September 2020.

IndiGo had 55.5% domestic market share last month, followed by SpiceJet’s 13.4%; Air India’s 9.4%; GoAir’s 7.5%; AirAsia India’s 7.1%; Vistara’s 6.4% and others accounting for the remaining 0.7%.

The two Tata JV airlines, which could soon be merged as AirAsia puling out is becoming increasingly likely, will have a combined market share of over 13% — bringing it almost at par with financially frail SpiceJet. Air India’s future could be decided by the outcome of its divestment process which will be known next month, unless the privatisation deadline is extended yet again.

Scheduled domestic flights were suspended on March 25 and allowed to resume partially on May 25. June, the first full month post-resumption, saw 19.8 lakh domestic flyers — down 83% from 1.2 crore in same month last year. In subsequent weeks as travel numbers picked up, the government gradually allowed airlines to mount more flights and currently 70% of pre-Covid level of domestic operations are allowed.

18/11/20 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Domestic air passenger volume falls 57 pc to 52.71 lakh in Oct

Mumbai, Nov 18 (PTI) Domestic air passenger volume fell 57.21 per cent to 52.71 lakh in October over the year ago period, as airlines continued to operate at a much lower capacity, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation''s (DGCA) data showed on Wednesday.

The number of total passengers carried by domestic airlines in October last year stood at 1.23 crore.

However, passenger load factor (PLF) showed some recovery in October due to increase in demand after easing of lockdown restrictions and onset of festive season, DGCA said.

The average load factor of nine domestic airlines, which operated flights during the month, was at 59.2 per cent, with scheduled commuter airline Star Air clocking the best PLF at 71.6 per cent.

State-run helicopter operator Pawan Hans Ltd had the lowest PLF at 21.9 per cent in the previous month.

Air India flew 4.94 lakh passengers during October, while IndiGo, the largest carrier by market share, flew 29.7 lakh passengers. Passenger volume of SpiceJet and GoAir stood at 7.04 lakh and 3.95 lakh, respectively, during the month.

AirAsia India carried a total of 3.74 lakh passengers, while Vistara flew 3.39 lakh passengers, as per DGCA''s data.

In terms of punctuality in operations, as much as 98 per cent of AirAsia India flights from four key metro airports -- Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderbada and Bengaluru --departed and arrived on time.

Air India had the lowest on-time performance from these airports at 90.7 per cent during October, DGCA data showed.

"We are delighted that our continuous efforts to ensure reliable and efficient service has enabled us to retain the No. 1 position in on-time performance (OTP)," AirAsia India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sunil Bhaskaran said in a statement.

18/11/20 PTI/Outlook

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Lending wings to Flying Training Organisations

Chennai: Annual rentals for flying training schools also called flying training organisations (FTOs) in six new airports, including Salem in Tamil Nadu, have been dropped to ₹15 lakhs as against ‘several’ crores previously. This is to make setting up FTOs more attractive. Two FTOs will be given slots at each airport for 25 years based on competitive bidding. Bid documents should be out by December 15, said Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary at Ministry of Civil Aviation, in a social media posting.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has got approvals for its ‘liberalised’ policy for FTOs. Six airports - Belagavi, Jalgaon, Kalaburagi, Khajuraho, Lilabari and Salem - have been identified as the first batch to be bid out. These airports have minimal disruptions due to weather and commercial/ military air traffic, he said. This is under the double the Commercial Pilot Licence programme of the government wherein India will double its flying training capacity and become a global training hub, Dubey added.

Airlines and OEMs are also being encouraged to set up flying schools themselves or in collaboration with leading FTOs. The annual loss of forex to foreign FTOs will be gradually phased out under the Atmanirbhar Bharat movement.

Industry sources said that despite the presence of over 30 FTOs, nearly one third of the aspiring pilots prefer training institutes abroad. However, the government’s latest move will save valuable forex going out of the country. With the growth in the Indian aviation sector, over 9,000 trained pilots would be required in the next five years.

Reacting to Dubey’s social media message, Vishnu Mohan Jha, General Manager, Mumbai International Airport Limited, said it was an excellent initiative for the growth of Indian aviation. Actions taken during these times (pandemic) will determine the future of any company or nation. This liberalised policy can certainly be the game changer in the time to come.

Agreeing with Jha, Pawan Kakkar, CEO, Quick Silver Freight Systems said that it was an excellent change in the perspective. “Unless we look at airport charges in a rational manner, the regional aviation scenario cannot become viable. No point keeping the airport infra and the aircrafts underutilised as it depreciates faster than any other investment,” he said in response to Dubey’s post.

Now the airlines should come forward for this backward integration. If they can have their own or supported FTO, they will reap huge long-term benefit, felt Lokesh Bardia, Principal Consultant at Enterprise Reach.

18/11/20 TE Raja Simhan/Business Line

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New Normal in Air Travel to be the Old Normal?

As far as travel goes, all sorts of predictions and estimates concerning how tourism will transform have been arrived at ever since the pandemic struck. But if Minister for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri is to be believed, the new normal in terms of air travel would reach the old normal by the end of this year or the beginning of the next.

This comes after it was reported in September that passenger had fallen to 20% and Indian carrier revenue had plummeted by seven times (from Rs 25,517 cr in April-June 2019 to Rs 3,651 cr in April-June 2020). The cap on domestic flights was also relaxed recently.

Puri, speaking at the valedictory session of Deccan Dialogue, the annual flagship event of the Indian School of Business, said that the industry was already operating at 70% capacity and aiming at 80% very soon. “We opened civil aviation on May 25, a good two months and two days after we have completely locked down—with 30,000 passengers on a day.”

The 68-year-old, virtually attending the event, said that operating at full capacity would mean that the safety protocols in place currently are ramped up. “I’m confident that by the end of the year, by December 31 or soon thereafter… means a week or two weeks thereafter, we will be back to pre-COVID levels,” he said, adding, “That requires, in turn, that we continue to maintain the existing safety protocols, strengthen them and are able to adapt.”

India currently has air travel bubbles/travel arrangements with 20 countries including Asian neighbours Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Bhutan and major trade partners such as US, Germany and France. Ideas to kickstart tourism afresh are also being mulled over, including experiences such as flights to nowhere. 

17/11/20 Outlook

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Air travel to reach pre-COVID level by early January: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

New Delhi: Air travel in India will reach pre-COVID level by the end of current year or early January, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday. He also urged people to continue to maintain safety protocol with self-discipline. 

"We opened civil aviation on 25th May, a good two months and two days after we had completely locked down, with 30,000 passengers a day. Two or three days ago, just before Diwali, we carried 225,000 people," Puri said at the Deccan Dialogue organised by Indian School of Business (ISB) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs. 

"At a scale at which we are opening up in a calibrated manner, we have already reached 70 per cent capacity and I have asked my colleagues to look at 80 per cent. I am confident that by 31st December or soon thereafter...means a week or two thereafter, we will be back to pre-Covid levels," he added. 

Puri said he was committed to bring aviation GDP back to India. He was confident that the sector would get a boost in the next few years with the country getting 100 new airports and the fleet size reaching up to 2,000 from around 750 now.

"Our fleet size today should be around 750. I know airlines when they come across a pandemic like this, they try to curtail the size of their fleet orders. But, I can say with seven per cent penetration which means out of every 100 Indians, only seven fly and a 17 per cent rate of growth which we experienced pre-Covid at one time. We will move from 750, not to the 1,200 which everybody says, but to 2,000 aircraft. We will do it pretty quickly," he said.

17/11/20 India TV

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Silver lining on Covid cloud: Amid fewer passenger flights, cargo ops boost airline revenues

New Delhi: Where Covid-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions made 2020 the worst year for airlines in terms of loss of revenues, a forced leaning towards cargo operations for a steady revenue stream meant growth in the segment exceeding expectations for aviation industry stakeholders. Consider the following points:

* SpiceJet, which has a dedicated freighter fleet, saw revenues from cargo operations more than double to Rs 564.93 crore during April-September, from Rs 224.85 crore in the same period last year.

* India’s largest airline IndiGo, which is operating less than half of the capacity it was operating with last year, is carrying more cargo than it did at 100 per cent capacity last year.

* IndiGo, among some other airlines, carried previous financial year’s equivalent of cargo volumes in just the last five months.

* Air India’s cargo operations witnessed a five-fold growth in volumes during September, when compared with April this year.

Globally, 2019 was the worst year for air cargo industry since 2009 during the global financial crisis. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the 3.3 per cent annual decline in cargo demand was the steepest drop since 2009. As the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the sharpest ever year-on-year decline of 27.7 per cent in air cargo demand was met with a 42 per cent reduction in capacity. The fall in capacity, which was mainly on account of suspension of passenger flights that carry cargo aircraft bellies, created a demand-supply skew that led to a rise in yields.

A recent research report by ICICI Securities noted that the capacity reduction has resulted in air freight rates increasing by 30-60 per cent on some routes globally, and even in India a rate increase of 7-15 per cent was observed. This forced Indian airlines to relook their cargo strategy as a key revenue stream at a time when passenger operations were largely constricted.

16/11/20 Pranav Mukul/Indian Express

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'Happy Diwali' for airlines; footfall touches new high as people rush to native places

The Diwali festivities have brought cheers to the otherwise coronavirus-affected aviation industry, with airlines witnessing record passenger volume during the current season. Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in a tweet, congratulated the country for achieving this milestone. "On this joyous occasion, domestic aviation operations in the country touched a new high. 2,25,097 passengers on 1,903 flights. Total flight movements 3,809. Footfalls at airports 4,47,870," he said.

The minister also said that India's Vande Bharat Mission has facilitated international travel of more than 29.6 lakh stranded and distressed citizens so far. "Continuing to reach out with more air bubble arrangements, flights and destinations," he added.

After the coronavirus-induced lockdown was imposed in the country, the government resumed a limited number of domestic air services on May 25. At the time, airlines were permitted to operate just 33 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights. The limit on the number of flights was gradually increased up to 70 per cent.

Ahead of Diwali on Friday, airports in Mumbai and Delhi, which have the country's busiest terminals, saw seat occupancy going to 70 per cent from 60-65 per cent earlier, Business Standard reported. "Month on month we are seeing an improvement in traffic. Business on Diwali has been better than Dussehra," said a senior private airline executive told the news daily. The national capital witnessed a footfall of 81,570 passengers, while Mumbai saw 46,442 passengers travelling via airlines on Friday.

Besides, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has approved 12,983 weekly domestic flights of airlines for the winter schedule that started on October 25 and will go on till March 27, 2021. In last year's winter schedule, the aviation regulator had approved 23,307 weekly domestic flights.

15/11/20 Business Today

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India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation relaxes cap on number of domestic flights in operation

Noting the significant increase in the number of domestic passengers availing flights, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation has recently decided to allow Indian airlines companies to increase the number of flights.

Currently, the airlines were operating flights which equalled 60 per cent of their capacities.

According to a tweet by the Minister of Civil Aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, domestic carriers will be allowed to increase their operations from the existing 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the pre-COVID approved capacity.

The day the announcement to allow the increase in flight operations was made, the ministry noted that domestic airports handled 3,691 flights on that day.

It was on May 25 that domestic operations had recommenced with 0.3 lakh passengers, which increased to 2.06 lakhs on November 8, according to the Minister.

The Ministry has been gradually expanding the number of domestic passenger flights over the past few months.

Starting in May, with the COVID-19 containment rules in place, the airlines companies were allowed to operate flights equal to one third of their respective capacities from the pre-pandemic schedule. This was further increased to 45 per cent in June and 60 per cent in September. According to media reports, the ministry, on October 29, had said that the 60 per cent cap on the number of flights being operated by the airlines will continue. 

14/11/20 Outlook

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Airlines are making money selling everything but tickets

With hopes that their season in hell could be approaching an end, airline stocks are on a tear.

Shares in Singapore Airlines Ltd. jumped the most in 21 years Tuesday while those in Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. were up the most since 2008 after Singapore and Hong Kong announced the opening of a travel bubble starting Nov. 22. News of successful trials of a Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE coronavirus vaccine pushed the Bloomberg World Airlines Index up 9.7% Monday in anticipation of an ebbing tide of pandemic.

The cavalry better come quickly. Right now, much of the industry is running short of rations.

With traffic down 73% from a year earlier in September — and international flights running at just 12% of their levels a year ago — the usual path for companies to bring in cash by eking out a margin on their revenue is still blocked. That could remain the case well into next year, given the likely bottlenecks to producing and distributing vaccines in quantities sufficient to reopen international travel. 

Still, there’s more than one way to provision your army. If you can’t sell plane tickets, you can still try everything else that’s not nailed down.

The first thing companies try to sell in a crisis are bits of paper. Airlines have issued $88 billion in bonds so far in 2020, more than half of the $153 billion that the industry sold over the previous four decades put together, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Throw in the value of loans taken out and airlines’ total debt is up by $124 billion since the end of February, the data show.

14/11/20 David Fickling/Bloomberg/Economic Times

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Future lockdowns, tepid corporate travel challenges to aviation sector recovery

On Wednesday, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri allowed the carriers to deploy 70 per cent of their approved capacity in the domestic market. This is the third time the government has revised the capacity constraints which will allow airlines to put more seats for sale as the demand has started to pick up for business and leisure travel.

Analysts believe that airlines are currently operating at 50-55 per cent capacity on the domestic segment, and they are hoping that by the end of 2020, the domestic capacity should reach 75-80 per cent. The numbers are even more encouraging on the PLF (passenger load factor) side which has climbed up to over 70 per cent - highlighting that the airlines are flying more passengers per flight despite the fare bands restrictions.

"Towards the end of September, demand has picked up for the air travel. The industry has been banking on the domestic market which is showing signs of revival. China is exhibiting a growth of 1-2 per cent, and is back to the pre-Covid levels on the domestic side. India is heading towards that direction," says an aviation analyst with a leading brokerage.

Airlines are trying to be more efficient to increase revenues and reduce costs. This includes a series of measures such as inducting more efficient planes in the fleet, increasing the cargo operations, focussing on the profitable charter services business, reducing discretionary spending, and renegotiating contracts with vendors and suppliers.

SpiceJet, for instance, has emerged as the largest cargo operator in the country during the pandemic. "SpiceJet continues to focus on managing cash flow by exploring new networks and revenue model (charter, cargo), deferring payments to vendors including lessors, reducing unit costs by renegotiating rentals and maintenance contracts, cutting down discretionary and employee costs. Likely return to service of Boeing 737 Max (more fuel and cost efficient) by January-March 2021 will further aide operations," said brokerage Prabhudas Lilladher in a recent report.

An improvement in the aviation sector also bodes well for state-run Air India which is currently in the process of disinvestment. Recently, the civil aviation ministry modified the sale rules for the national carrier to allow the potential bidders to decide on the quantum of debt (estimated at over Rs 69,000 crore) that they are willing to take over as part of the deal.

"The journey has been encouraging so far. The confidence of travellers is coming back. The corporate travel, especially on the SMEs [small and medium enterprises] side, has picked up as well. The major cost element for airlines - aviation turbine fuel - looks favourable. With the global aviation demand not reviving till 2023/24, the crude prices will unlikely go back to $80 a barrel," says the aviation analyst quoted above.

13/11/20 Manu Kaushik/Business Today

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Is it safe yet to fly during the pandemic?

Washington: Public health experts say staying home is best to keep yourself and others safe from infection. But if you''re thinking about flying for the holidays, you should know what to expect.

Flights are getting more crowded and more airlines plan to stop blocking seats to accommodate the growing number of people taking to the skies again.

Starting December 1, Southwest will join United and American in allowing every seat on planes to be sold. JetBlue will scale back the number of blocked seats, and — along with Delta and Alaska — plans to drop all limits some time next year.

The airline industry says it''s safe to fly, pointing to a report it funded that found the risk of viral spread on planes very low if everyone wears a mask, since planes have good ventilation and strong air filters.

But the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that sitting within 6 feet of others — sometimes for hours — can still increase your risk of getting infected.

12/11/20 AP/Outlook

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Civil Aviation Ministry Allows Domestic Airlines To Operate At 70% Pre-COVID Capacity

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Wednesday, November 11 announced allowing domestic carriers to increase their operations from the existing 60 percent to 70 percent of the pre-COVID approved capacity. A total of 2.06 lakh passengers have used the domestic air services since flight operations resumed post-COVID-19 lockdown, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed.

Earlier, the ministry had said that the Indian airlines can operate a maximum of 60 percent of their pre-COVID domestic passenger flights till February 24 next year due to the prevailing coronavirus situation.

The Union Civil Aviation Minister further added that the Vande Bharat Mission has so far facilitated international travel of more than 2.9 million stranded and distressed people, out of which more than one million have been facilitated by Air India and Air India Express alone. Now in the Phase-7, Vande Bharat Mission continues to reach out to citizens across the world, Puri wrote in another tweet.

Last month, the union minister asserted that the upper and lower limits on domestic airfares will remain in place for another three months post-November 24. In May, the ministry had placed these limits through seven bands, classified on the basis of flight duration, till August 24. Later, it was extended till November 24. Puri said if the scheduled domestic flights reach pre-COVID levels by the end of the year, he will have no hesitation in removing the fare limits at that time.

Domestic passenger services resumed on May 25 after nearly two months of lockdown. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had on May 21 announced seven bands of ticket pricing with lower and upper fare limits based on flight duration. The first such band consists of flights that are of less than 40 minutes duration.

12/11/20 Brigitte Fernandes/Republic World

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Airlines await Deepavali cheer

New Delhi: Deepavali is the time for family reunions and all around cheer, including for airlines that see a surge in demand for travel. This year though is different as data from online travel agents shows that passengers are far more hesitant while making a flight booking.

Demand for travel in the first week of November is only 8% more than the first week of October, according to travel portal Cleartrip.com. A surge in COVID-19 cases in various metros as well as concerns about likely travel restrictions mean that passengers wait until the last minute to book their travel.

“One way trips account for 78% of those being undertaken between November 7 and November 15. This indicates that most customers prefer to have flexibility in travel plans and are booking closer to the date of travel,” says Cleartrip’s Aditya Agarwal, Head of Corporate Strategy.

The top 10 routes are dominated by those originating in business centres such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune and destined for cities in northern and eastern parts of the country such as Jaipur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kolkata.

But, a shift towards leisure travel too is beginning to happen.

“We are also witnessing a trend of ‘escape tourism’ in metros like Delhi, where increasing level of pollution has tourists flocking to destinations like Goa in search of fresh air. We have seen a 74% month-on-month increase in bookings for Goa in October. Low airfares this year around Deepavali are also further encouraging travellers to travel for leisure,” says ixigo CEO & Co-founder Aloke Bajpai.

12/11/20 Jagriti Chandra/The Hindu

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More flights for Andaman; Strict implementation of COVID19 protocols for incoming passengers

Port Blair: As the number of flights operating between the Port Blair and Mainland India has been increased, the District Administration of South Andaman has geared up to ensure that all COVID-19 protocols are strictly following by incoming passengers and visiting tourists at Veer Savarkar International Airport Port Blair. 

 As per information from VSI Airport sources, now on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday there will be five flights while on Monday, Thursday and Friday there will be six flights. On Sunday there will be seven flights till March 27, 2021. Four direct flights a week have also been made available for Bengaluru. 

This new schedule, issued on 09.11.2020, will remain effective till March 27, 2021 Since the first nation-wide lockdown, the numbers of flights to Andaman was reduced to a mere five a week to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus in Andaman but since last two months, the number of flights are being gradually increased, which will also increase the risk of getting more COVID-19 cases to Andaman from Mainland India. 

 Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner (South Andaman) visited VSI Airport on Tuesday along with the Superintendent of Police (South Andaman) and had deliberated with the Airport Authority, CISF and Airline operators in view of the opening up of the tourism sector and increase of the footfall of passengers due to the increased number of flights. During the deliberation, it has been emphasized that keeping in view of the increase in the footfall due to the recent opening of tourism-related activities in A&N Islands by the A&N Administration, the District Administration with the co-operation of stakeholders has decided to facilitate all the incoming passengers and tourists by following COVID-19 protocol.

 11/11/20 UNI

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Airbus, Boeing, GE, Honeywell are all flying on India digital tech

Almost every major global aerospace company today has a significant engineering presence in India because aircrafts are becoming digital products, and the aircraft makers need India’s quality talent in software, simulation and electronics. Ashmita Sethi, country head of Pratt & Whitney, says India has significant talent, research, innovation and engineering productivity to offer to the world.

Read how Indian digital tech drives aerospace and aviation giants >>

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Air traffic picking up pace as govt. allows more flights

Chennai: The State government on Monday announced its decision to allow 150 more flights to land in Chennai every day. If implemented, this will take the number of flights handled at the airport to over 300 a day. For passengers, this is significant because there will be more flights to key destinations and to more cities across the country.

But what happened in the past six months when the State government gave such similar announcements? Rewind to May. When the government allowed flight operations during the COVID-19, it came at a price, only a select number of flights could land in the city on a daily basis to ensure that the State did not witness a flurry of cases. Initially, the government allowed 25 arrival flights from other States. The number of flights gradually grew to 50 and then touched 100 in October. What impact the airport had when the State government increased the cap in the number of arrival flights to 100 a day? A month after this development, while there has been a steady increase every week, the number of flights is yet to touch that figure. At present, Chennai airport handles around 90 arrival flights a day.

Sources in Airports Authority of India (AAI) said while they were ready to give slots to airlines, there was no demand to operate over 200-250 flights a day. “There have been more passengers taking flights in the past few weeks, but not to an extent where airlines want to make an optimum use of the permitted number of flights. So far, we witness that many passengers travel from Chennai to Jodhpur, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru,” an official said. Once, there were only 11 passengers to a flight in Delhi and a mere seven on a flight to Tiruchi.

“Hence, they may think there is no point in adding more flights without the demand as they may end up making losses,” the official said.

But one positive trend through these months is that the number of people travelling has been constantly growing. While August saw 2.32 lakh domestic passengers, it was 3.5 lakh in September, recording a 54% increase. Till October 25, 3.72 lakh passengers travelled through Chennai airport. There were only about 2,000-3,000 passengers travelling a day when flight services were resumed. Now, there are 13,000-14,000 passengers a day and on some days, it touches 17,000 too.

11/11/20 Sunitha Sekar/The Hindu

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Five million aviation jobs at risk globally, say airlines’ body seeking government help

Mumbai: About 4.8 million aviation workers’ jobs are at risk due to poor air travel demand caused by the pandemic and urgent government intervention is needed to prevent an employment catastrophe in the aviation industry, said global airlines’ travel body, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) in a joint statement issued on Tuesday.

Air travel demand has plummeted this year, with a drop of more than 75% in August 2020 as compared to August 2019, putting at risk close to 5 million jobs, according to estimates from the Air Transport Action Group.

In view of this, IATA and the ITF made the joint call to governments to provide continued financial support for the aviation industry and safely re-open borders without quarantine by implementing a globally harmonized system of pre-departure Covid-19 testing.

"The impact of Covid-19 related border restrictions and quarantine measures has effectively closed down the aviation industry, grounding planes and leaving infrastructure and aircraft manufacturing capacity idle," said IATA.

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO said: “Aviation faces an unprecedented employment catastrophe. Airlines have cut costs to the bone, but have just 8.5 months of cash left under current conditions. Tens of thousands of jobs have already been lost, and unless governments provide more financial relief, these are likely to increase to the hundreds of thousands.” He added that governments need to work together to safely re-open borders.

"That means putting in place a global scheme for testing passengers for Covid-19. With that in place, quarantine can be removed and passengers can have the confidence to fly again,” he added.

10/11/20 Manju V/Times of India

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Indian Oil commissions 120th Aviation Fuel Station at Darbhanga

Kolkata: In a quest to unite the Indian skies, Indian Oil has commissioned its 120th Aviation Fuel Station at Darbhanga, Bihar. 

The inaugural refuelling was done for a SpiceJet flight to Delhi, thus marking the commencement of flight operations at the Airport. Indian Oil was selected for developing fuel farm facility at this airport under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) by Ministry of Civil Aviation in the year 2018. 

 Indian Oil Aviation set up on- wheel Aviation Fuel Station (AFS) facilities on war footing to make the airport operational with permanent facilities scheduled to be commissioned by the end of the calendar year. 

 The Corporation has positioned three refuellers at the airport to cater to the three daily flights scheduled currently. The passenger airport is operated by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and located at the outskirts of Darbhanga city in Central Bihar. 

 The commissioning of the Indian Oil AFS at Darbhanga is expected to boost air connectivity in the eastern part of the country. Indian Oil Aviation Service is a leading aviation fuel solution provider in India and the mostpreferred supplier of jet fuel to major international and domestic airlines. 

 Between one sunrise and the next, Indian Oil Aviation Service refuels over 2000 flights, that is more than one aircraft per minute, from the bustling metros to the remote airports linking the vast Indian landscape, from the icy heights of Leh (the highest airport in the world at 10,682 ft) to the distant islands of Andaman & Nicobar. 

 09/11/20 UNI

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Fly Blade India Launches Helicopter Services From Panchshil Realty's YOO Villas Helipad In Pune To Mumbai

Pune: Pune-based Panchshil Realty today announced that Fly Blade India Pvt. Ltd. has started operating daily helicopter services between Pune and Mumbai from Panchshil's YOO Villas helipad in Pune.

YOO Villas is an exclusive enclave of signature villas designed by global celebrity designer Kelly Hoppen and is located close to the bustling business district of Kharadi in East Pune.

Currently, this helicopter service is the only air connectivity option as there are no commercial flights operating between Pune and Mumbai. Outbound and inbound passengers looking for quick air connectivity with Mumbai now have a convenient option.

This helicopter service is a fly-by-seat solution where users pay only for the required number of seats just like they would when flying with any commercial airline.

Fly Blade India is currently offering two services a day from the YOO Villas helipad, Pune to Mumbai and two services a day from Mumbai to YOO Villas helipad. The services will operate to Mahalaxmi Race Course in south Mumbai and to suburban Juhu.

For more details about the helicopter services including schedules and travel concierge services, please reach out to Fly Blade India on 1-800-102-5233 or via e-mail customerservice@flyblade.in or visit https://flyblade.in/.

"With the launch of this first-of-its-kind helicopter service from YOO Villas helipad, the travel time between Pune and Mumbai will be reduced to just a fraction of what it takes by road. Punekars and Mumbaikars can now do day-return trips," said Sagar Chordia, Director, Panchshil Realty.

"Owners of Panchshil homes and our corporate occupiers in nearby Kharadi now have a quick and convenient commuting option. Since our helipad is co-located with YOO Villas, owners from outside Pune will now be able to land at their own doorstep. Intending buyers will now have yet another compelling reason to invest in and buy a Panchshil home," he added.

09/11/20 ANI/PRNewswire/Business World

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Aviation experts have criticised the Civil Aviation Ministry

Aviation experts have criticised the Civil Aviation Ministry’s decision to extend fare caps on domestic flights till February 2021 and its intention to cap airline capacity to 75 per cent.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Thursday announced extension of seven bands capping fares for domestic flights till February 24. Imposed from May 25 when domestic air travel resumed, the fare caps were to end on November 24. The ministry had regulated the fares for flights ranging from 40 minute to 210 minute flights to ensure that market dynamics do not shoot fares through the roof for certain sectors.

When the domestic air travel was allowed to resume from May 25, the ministry had allowed airlines to operate only 33 per cent of normal capacity as per summer schedule for 2020. The average daily passenger traffic then was about 30,000 passengers. This cap was enhanced to 45 per cent with effect from June 26, and further revised to 60 per cent from September 2, 2020.

The daily passenger traffic touched 2.05 lakh passengers on November 1, with more than 3400 daily flight movements, and 3.41 lakh daily footfalls at the airports across the country.

“Ministry of Civil Aviation is monitoring the traffic every day, and it is expected that the traffic would further pick up because of the festival season and as the

passenger traffic increases, the upper cap would be revised to 70-75 per cent of normal capacity in the coming days,” a statement from the ministry said.

The statement immediately triggered an intense debate in aviation circles that continued capping would mean slower recovery of the sector to normalcy, and further delay in reopening of international flights.

Is the capping of capacity and fares justified? Ameya Joshi, founder of aviation network blog Network Thoughts, said: “These are unprecedented times and there has never been a policy framed for such times. In a free market, any such caps are a hindrance and hopefully they would go away with more flights being allowed soon. If the objective is social distancing at airports, then may be a staggered schedule should be proposed so that more flights can be accommodated without a huge capacity barrier.”

Jitender Bhargava, former Executive Director of Air India, and author of The Descent of Air India said: “I have always maintained that MoCA should not be imposing restrictions whether it is with respect to number of flights that can be operated or the fares that can be charged, particularly when it lacks justifiable merit. Airlines know it best as to how much capacity must be deployed because excess capacity will lead to more vacant seats on a flight thus impacting financial health of airlines.

08/11/20 Satish Nandagaonkar/Mumbai Mirror

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Nitin Gadkari Says 'Working on Aviation Fuel from Gadchiroli Bamboo Plan'

Nagpur: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said he was working on an idea to set up a refinery for production of aviation fuel from bamboo grown in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district. Gadkari was speaking at the inauguration of an "Atmanirbhar Bharat' assistance office here.

"I am planning to set up a bio-refinery for production of aviation fuel. The bamboo for this will be sourced from Gadchiroli district. I have begun work on this and in two to three years, I will show you flights running on this bio fuel," he said at the inauguration event. SpiceJet Operates India’s First Bio-fuel Flight, Lands Aircraft Successfully at Delhi’s IGI Airport.

08/11/20 PTI/Latestly

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Airlines can now operate 60 percent of pre-COVID domestic flights till February 24 next year

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has said that Indian airlines can now operate maximum 60 percent of their pre-COVID domestic passenger flights till February 24 next year.

The ministry had resumed domestic passenger services from May 25 after a gap of two months due to the COVID-19 lockdown. However, airlines were not allowed to operate more than 33 percent of their pre-COVID domestic flights.

Another order on June 26 had put a 45 percent limit on the number of domestic flights.

Now the ministry has issued a new order stating that, “45 percent capacity may be read as 60 percent capacity”.

07/11/20 Outlook

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Airlines can now operate 60 percent of pre-COVID domestic flights till February 24 next year

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has said that Indian airlines can now operate maximum 60 percent of their pre-COVID domestic passenger flights till February 24 next year.

The ministry had resumed domestic passenger services from May 25 after a gap of two months due to the COVID-19 lockdown. However, airlines were not allowed to operate more than 33 percent of their pre-COVID domestic flights.

Another order on June 26 had put a 45 percent limit on the number of domestic flights.

Now the ministry has issued a new order stating that, “45 percent capacity may be read as 60 percent

07/11/20 Outlook

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What aviation gloom? IndiGo prepares a mega order of 150 aircraft engines

IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, is in talks with Pratt & Whitney and CFM International Inc. for its next batch of jet engine orders, according to people familiar with the matter, a rare sign of dealmaking in a sector that’s been paralyzed by the virus pandemic.

The discussions with the rival manufacturers relate to engines that would power about 150 new Airbus SE A320neo jets, the people said, asking not to be identified because the negotiations are private. Talks are preliminary and there’s no timeline on when any agreement may be reached, the people said.

Based on the size of IndiGo’s last engine order -- a $20 billion transaction with CFM that covered 280 planes and was the largest engine order in history -- the new agreement could be worth around $10.7 billion, including service, repair, and maintenance. The pandemic presents a unique opportunity, however, for IndiGo to potentially bargain with the engine makers, both of which it now counts as suppliers.

“This is the perfect time to engage given the overall market conditions and state of competitors -- both of which will enable Indigo to get very lucrative deals,” said Satyendra Pandey, a partner at New Delhi-based advisory AT-TV and a former head of strategy for Go Airlines India. “As this selection is for the remaining aircraft, it involves the long-term performance and cost forecasts.”

Representatives for IndiGo and CFM declined to comment. Pratt & Whitney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., IndiGo is the world’s biggest customer for jets in the A320neo family, with as many as 730 on order. The airline has yet to decide the engine type for the 300 that would be outstanding.

That any airline is negotiating over future aircraft and related parts is a surprise considering how thoroughly the global aviation industry has been demoralized by the pandemic. India had the world’s fastest-growing aviation market for several years before demand started to falter and Covid-19 shut borders and diminished international travel.

IndiGo, while impacted by border closures and a dearth of international travel like other airlines, is relatively rich, with about $2.4 billion of cash and equivalents as of Sept. 30. Total debt as of that date was $3.5 billion.

06/11/20 Anurag Kotoky/Bloomberg/Business Standard

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Airlines can operate at 70-75% of pre-Covid levels, clarifies govt

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) said on Thursday that the cap on the number of domestic flights that Indian airlines are permitted to operate would be increased to 70-75 percent of their pre-Covid levels as passenger traffic surges. The ministry had said last week that the Indian airlines can operate maximum 60 percent of their pre-Covid domestic passenger flights till February 24 next year due to the prevailing coronavirus situation. 'MOCA is monitoring traffic everyday, and it is expected that the traffic would further pick up because of the festival season. As passenger traffic increases, the upper cap would be revised to 70-75 percent of the normal capacity in coming days’, the ministry said in a press release on Thursday.

06/11/20 Times Now/Times of India

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Govt extends fare capping for domestic flights till February 24

New Delhi: Aviation Ministry on Thursday (November 05) said that the fare cap on domestic flights will continue until February 24, 2021.

"The fare bands within which the airlines have to operate have been extended upto 24th February, 2021 by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. These fare bands came into force with effect from 21st May, 2020," the ministry said in its statement.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the aviation ministry implemented a cap on domestic airfare in May.

On May 21, the aviation regulator DGCA issued the government-decided fare limits for these bands -- domestic flights with less than 40-minute duration to have lower and upper limits of Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000, for 40-60 minutes Rs 2,500 and Rs 7,500, for 60-90 minutes Rs 3,000 and Rs 9,000, for 90-120 minutes Rs 3,500 and Rs 10,000, for 120-150 minutes Rs 4,500 and Rs 13,000, and for 150-180 minutes Rs 5,500 and Rs 15,700.

The daily passenger traffic has reached 2.05 lakh on November 1, 2020. When domestic aviation opened in May 2020, the airlines were enabled to fly up to 33%  of the normal capacity (as per the summer schedule, 2020).   At that time, the average daily traffic was about 30,000.

This cap was enhanced to 45% w.e.f. June 26, 2020. This cap was further revised to 60% w.e.f. September 2, 2020. At present, airlines can operate up to 60% of their capacity. 

"Ministry of Civil Aviation is monitoring the traffic everyday, and it is expected that the traffic would further pick up because of the festival season and as the passenger traffic increases, the upper cap would be revised to 70-75% of normal capacity in the coming days," it added.

05/11/20 Aparna Deb/ETNowNews.com

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Flying in time of Covid-19: More passengers feel air travel is the safest mode to travel, reveals Vistara Survey

Flying during Coronavirus Covid19 pandemic: More than 80 per cent of passengers are likely to travel within India “on their next flight” even as two out of every three customers thought that “flying is the safest mode of travel”, a Vistara survey has revealed. Vistara’s survey has come at a time when the Coronavirus pandemic continues to cast shadows over air transportation all over the world. In a silver lining, the Vistara Survey has shown that while business travel is the prime source of air traffic at present, people are boarding flights to return to their homes or traveling to areas where they earn a livelihood. The survey has also a positive projection claiming that air traffic is likely to increase from October onwards as people have started visiting relatives and friends. There could be a spike in the “leisure travel” category in 2021, the Vistara Survey stated.

Vistara has stated that its customers’ survey was conducted between August 17 and September 2 this year and more than 4,500 customers responded. This is the second installment of the Vistara survey to ascertain passengers’ sentiment about boarding flights in the current times. The first customer survey rolled out in June 2020.

Around 84 per cent of Vistara customers are likely to travel within India on their next flight. However, only 16 per cent of Vistara flyers revealed that they would travel outside of the country. Around 26 per cent of business-class flyers expected that their next flight would be an international one. Vistara customers have said that they would like to travel to international destinations by August 2021. The top five on the destinations list are Singapore, Dubai, and US, UK, and Thailand.

During the survey, 41 per cent of the respondents said they were planning to board their next flight by November 2020, and 63 per ecnt were hopeful about taking their next flight by February 2021.

The survey has revealed that two out of every three flyers thought that flying is the safest mode of travel. During the first survey, 32 per cent of respondents expressed that they do not fear exposure onboard an aircraft. In the second survey, the figure has increased to 49 per cent.

05/11/20 Debjit Sinha/Financial Express

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A realistic estimate of when airline traffic can return to pre-COVID levels

Last week, aviation minister Hardeep Puri voiced his continued optimism about achieving full recovery in India's domestic civil aviation sector between Diwali and December of 2020. This hopeful prognosis comes amid two solid months of recovery in the aviation sector.

What will it really take to reach pre-COVID19 levels? And is that even possible? >>

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Boeing places 737 MAX aircraft simulator in India

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has placed a 737 MAX simulator at Noida in India, multiple people aware of the development told CNBC-TV18.

India's aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had asked Boeing to set up a simulator in India so that Indian customers of MAX aircraft do not meet logistical challenges in sending their pilots for MAX training abroad. After Jet Airways suspended operations in April 2019, SpiceJet is the only active MAX customer in India.

"The simulator has been placed at Noida. It is being managed by Canada-based civil aviation training company CAE Inc," an official said.

Some officials from DGCA are likely to oversee the pilot training at the simulator when MAX returns to service, officials added.

As preparations continue to bring Boeing 737 MAX aircraft back to service, DGCA is also involved in online deliberations with Boeing regarding the same.

On October 28, Boeing said the 737 MAX has completed around 1,400 tests, check flights, and more than 3,000 flight hours.

"Following the lead of global regulators, Boeing made steady progress toward the safe return to service of the 737 MAX, including rigorous certification and validation flights conducted by the US Federal Aviation Administration, Transport Canada and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The Joint Operational Evaluation Board, featuring civil aviation authorities from the United States, Canada, Brazil, and the European Union, also conducted its evaluations of updated crew training," Boeing had said on October 28.

05/11/20 Anu Sharma/CNBC TV18

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Domestic flights to remain capped at 60% till February 24

New Delhi: The government has decided to extend the 60% cap on deployment of domestic flights by schedule airlines till February 24, an extension of a further three months from the earlier deadline of November 24. Last week, the aviation ministry had decided to similarly extend domestic fare caps till February 24.

“Presently (the 60% cap on domestic capacity is) till February 24, 2021. But it can be revised, if needed,” said a senior aviation official. Domestic air traffic has been picking up after being allowed to resume on May 25 following a two-month Covid-induced lockdown. While May 25 had seen 30,000 people flying within India, this number had risen to 2 lakh on November 2.

Given the gradual and steady revival in domestic air travel, the aviation ministry had recently said it may soon hike the 60% to 75%. But now the 60% cap could remain till February 24, unless either that date is extended again or brought forward.

Earlier on Thursday (before this decision was known), Vistara chief commercial officer Vinod Kannan was asked if the decision to extend 60% cap was getting a bit delayed to catch the Diwali rush. “Given the land factors (aircraft occupancy) airlines have at this time, there is adequate capacity (to handle festive rush). The ministry s examining the issue of raising the cap further,” Kannan had said.

DGCA data for domestic flights in September, 2020, shows big airlines having a load factor ranging from SpiceJet’s 73% to Air India’s 57.9%. This basically means domestic flights are still flying with partially-filled planes and can accommodate more passengers when demand increases a little more as is expected in the coming holiday season.

With 60% of the originally approved summer schedule for domestic flight capacity allowed to be deployed, the DGCA had cleared a schedule for 12,983 weekly domestic flights covering 95 airports in winter 2020-21 — down 44.3% from 23,307 in winter 2019-20.

The schedule approved with the current cap of 60% has seen maximum drop in weekly domestic flights of SpiceJet — 1,957, down 55% from 4,316 last winter. This is followed by Air India — 1,126, down 50% from last winter’s 2,254; GoAir — 1,203, down 48% from 2,308; IndiGo — 6,006, down 42% from 10,310.

04/11/20 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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How Could A Second Wave Affect Indian Aviation?

While India’s domestic market continues to recover, the possibility of a second wave looms over the industry. As we’ve seen in Europe, a second wave could halt the aviation industry once again as it did in April. So how would Indian airlines be impacted by a second wave of infections?

India quickly responded to its first COVID-19 cases by enacting a national lockdown and banning all domestic flights. Flights restarted in mid-May and have seen a gradual recovery, with passenger numbers reaching 50% of pre-pandemic levels. International flights, however, remain few, restricting the wider passenger recovery.

While no airline went into bankruptcy, nearly every carrier reported huge financial losses for the second quarter due to the lack of flights. Cargo flights did offer some revenue, but only one airline had a dedicated cargo fleet to take full advantage of the market. It’s clear any sudden measures would only harm aviation further.

It’s unlikely the government would enact such a lockdown considering the impact it had on the wider economy. However, it could place restrictions on the number of domestic and international flights, as individual states have done in the past as well. A full grounding of flights could push airlines over the financial edge a second time around.

The immediate impact of a second wave would be on passenger confidence, with many opting not to fly if cases surge across the country. No Indian airline offers blocked middle seats but most do sell the middle seat at a lower price. A second wave could halt any further growth of domestic travelers and even increase cancelations.

It should be noted that Indian passenger numbers have proven remarkably resilient to a surge in cases. Even at the peak of cases in September, over 100,000 domestic travelers flew every day, which means the second wave would have to quite substantial to drop passenger numbers significantly.

04/11/20 Pranjal Pande/Simple Flying

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UN agency ICAO to conduct partial audit of Indian aviation sector in February: Report

The UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is scheduled to conduct a partial audit of India’s aviation sector in February 2021.

While the agency’s audits usually cover eight aspects, this time only five of them -- personnel licensing and training, aircraft operations, airworthiness of aircraft, and organisational and legislative matters -- covered under Directorate General of Civil Aviation will be assessed.

The Centre is hoping that a positive review will bolster India’s ranking after suffering double blows due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Air India Express crash in Kozhikode, The Economic Times reported.

It is yet uncertain whether the audit will be conducted physically or virtually as this would depend on the COVID-19 status by February, a senior government official told the paper.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

“We are all set to improve our ranking as our agencies, including the DGCA, have done a lot to improve India’s aviation norms,” the official added.

The DGCA taking over the process for licencing of air traffic control officers (ATCO) from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is expected to boost ranking, they said. This was the factor that led to India being ranked lower than some other sub-continent countries during the 2017-18 audit.

03/11/20 Moneycontrol

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Government needs 66 acres more to upgrade Karnal aviation club

Karnal: The requirement of land for expansion of the Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Karnal, has changed again and now the club will be developed in 172 acres for which the department requires additional 66 acres.

The government already owns 106 acres and to meet the requirement, it needs additional 66 acres, but farmers have given consent for only 38 acres.

In 2014, the additional land requirement was 18 acres, which was revised to 28 acres, later to 280 acres, and again to 55 acres, but now it has finally agreed on 66 acres.

The Centre had introduced a land acquisition Act, but it is not being followed by the state government in this project. We are in the favour of development and we have agreed to provide our land for the aviation club if the government adheres to the Central land acquisition Act, but the government should clarify how much land it requires and how much it will pay. —Bhavneet Singh Kaliana, Resident of kulvehri

“The aviation club will be upgraded in 172 acres for which we need 66 acres more. A couple of farmers have given conditional consent that their remaining land should also be purchased, which has been accepted,” said Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav. He said the rates were negotiated by the revenue authorities and also justified as the collector rates.

02/11/20 Tribune

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COVID-19 risk in airplanes, restaurants, grocery stores cannot be easily compared: Scientists

New Delhi: While a recent study has claimed that dining out, and grocery shopping could be more dangerous than air travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, partly due to special ventilation systems in aeroplanes, some scientists say such a comparison cannot be made without knowing if mask-wearing and social distancing norms are properly followed in each of these scenarios.

In the research, funded by airlines, airports and aircraft manufacturers, scientists from the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health in the US, said the ventilation system in airplanes made of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters continuously circulate and refresh the air supply, "filtering out more than 99 per cent of the particles that cause COVID-19."

However, researchers including Arnold I Barnett from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, said the HEPA filters may not function as effectively in airplanes as the report suggests.

"HEPA filters are very good, but not as effective as US airlines suggest. They are not foolproof and there are numerous examples of transmission despite these filters," Barnett, a professor of statistics with a focus on problems of health and safety, told PTI.

He noted that transmission probability depends on a contagious passenger's emissions of the virus via breathing, speaking, and coughing or sneezing -- a mixture that varies from person to person -- as well as the movement of droplets and aerosols given the geometry of the airplane and its powerful HEPA air-purification systems.

"None of the processes is fully understood for COVID-19," the MIT scientist noted Abraar Karan from the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in the US, also expressed concern about transmission risk aboard airplanes.

"For those considering flying, the reality is that while planes have great ventilation systems, we don't have a good idea of how many COVID-19 cases were actually infected on the flight itself," Karan tweeted.

"We are not testing the right way to figure this out," he added.

Commenting on the risk of contracting COVID-19 in airplanes as compared to the odds in grocery stores and restaurants, Justin Yang from the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, who was unrelated to the study, said such an evaluation "cannot be made in a simple way."

Yang, whose team recently published a study on COVID-19 infection among grocery store workers at an outlet in the US, said "there isn't really a safer-riskier order of situations between airplanes and grocery stores as it depends on many factors."

01/11/20 PTI/India TV

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Mangaluru: Creativity galore at Aviation Studies of Srinivas University College online flyer making

Mangaluru: College of Aviation Studies of Srinivas University on Wednesday October 28 conducted an online Flyer Making Competition for BBA Aviation students as a part of the off-stage event.

The students had to prepare flyers on the topic 'How do you market your BBA Aviation Course?', with an intention to identify the creativity and innovation of the students.

Participants had to prepare flyers through paper or through digital modes, out of which the best three flyers were awarded prizes.

Almost 32 students actively participated in this competition. Nayana Madhusudan from final year BBA (Aviation Management) was awarded first place, Anjana Gowda from the first year BBA (Aviation Management) was awarded second place and John Rodrigues from the second year BBA (Aviation Management) won third place.

02/11/20 Daijiworld

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To Avoid A Major Crash, Our Airlines Need A Helping Hand

The Coronavirus pandemic that first emerged in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China, has spread to 219 countries, areas or territories, infected 454,28,731 and killed 11,85,721 people as of October 31, 2020, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And with no confirmed antidote so far, it continues to spread, with some regions already experiencing a second wave.

The pandemic has hit consumer demand, ravaged production lines, played havoc with transportation and logistics, and practically put a brake on the basic drivers of the economy. Countries like India have been badly hit, the with GDP plummeting to below 23 per cent.

One of the worst-hit sectors is the aviation industry. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade association and representative of the airline industry, estimates that global revenues generated by the airline sector are likely to be reduced by half from US$ 838 billion in 2019 to US$ 419 billion in 2020.

Major airlines are staring at bankruptcy or looking toward the government support to survive. Some may have to ultimately close down. The most recent examples of airlines that filed for bankruptcy or ceased to exist include the UK low-cost carrier Flybe (March 2020), Virgin Australia (April 2020), Chile’s LATAM (May 2020), Colombia’s national airline Avianca (May 2020), the German airlines SunExpress Deutschland (June 2020), and the Austrian airline LEVEL Europe (June 2020). The severe financial crunch due to the Covid-19 pandemic has proved to be the death knell for them. The prolonged suspension of operations due to Covid-19 outbreak has brought the aviation sector to the brink of a complete collapse. IATA estimates that globally, airline sector may need a bailout package worth US$ 200 billion to sail through the crisis.

01/11/20 Mohammed Naved Khan,  Matloob Hasan/Outlook

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Private flying may reach a new high amid Covid-19

When air travel in India effectively stopped in March, private jet operators feared the worst, believing the pandemic would decimate their businesses. On the contrary, however, many have held up surprisingly well. Delhi-based entrepreneur Kanika Tekriwal, who runs JetSetGo Aviation, a private plane aggregator business, has seen a spike in queries since flying resumed. “Now, we get approximately 20 queries a day… out of these, over 70% are new customers. In March, we saw a nine-fold increase in demand just before the lockdown was announced, but were able to fulfill only 50% of the requests mainly because the regulations kept changing overnight in countries. During the lockdown, which was being implemented in various parts of the world, we received 10-12 requests a day to bring people stuck in various parts of the world back home,” says Tekriwal, the CEO and founder of JetSetGo Aviation.

Similarly, Santosh K Sharma, co-founder and CEO, Foresee Aviation, a professional private jet and helicopter aggregator, witnessed 30-40 queries per day both in the domestic, as well as the international sector, and is hopeful this number will eventually rise. “Guests flying private for the first time would realise the importance of safe and customised travel. Speedy, efficient, flexible aviation comes to the fore in these unprecedented times. The ability to fly anywhere at a moment’s notice and get home quickly is proving invaluable,” says Sharma, who is also the founder of the soon-to-be-launched app Book My Jet for private booking.

Charters give one the option to fly at one’s convenience, skip layovers and reach one’s destination directly, saving a lot of time. Add to it personalised VIP service, onboard social distancing, hassle-free security check and the scenario becomes extremely appealing. “The various touch points throughout the journey reduce, making private flying favourable. For instance, commercial fliers have over 200 touch points at the airport, while private jets have as little as 30. Hence, the preference,” explains Tekriwal.

01/11/20 Vaishali Dar/Financial Express

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Srinivas University, College of Aviation conducts online flyer making competition

Mangaluru: College of Aviation Studies, Srinivas University had conducted online flyer making competition for MBA aviation management students as a part of off-stage event on Wednesday, October 28.

The students had to prepare flyers on a topic “How do you market your MBA Aviation Course?”, with the intention to identify the creativity and innovation of the students. They had to prepare flyers through paper or through digital modes, out of which the best two flyers were awarded with prizes.

Five students had actively participated in this competition. Sapna from third Semester MBA (Aviation Management) was awarded the first place, Sweety and Roshin K Sibi from third Semester MBA (Aviation Management) was awarded second place.

The compettion has been planned and coordinated by Prof Pavithra Kumari dean - College of Aviation Studies, Srinivas University.

Undergraduate competition: 

College of Aviation Studies, Srinivas University had conducted online flyer making competition for BBA aviation students as a part of off-stage event on Wednesday, October 28.

The students had to prepare the flyers on a topic “How do you market your BBA Aviation Course?”, with an intention to identify the creativity and innovation of the students.

Participants had to prepare flyers through paper or through digital modes, out of which the best three flyers were awarded with prizes.

01/11/20 Daiji World

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