Tirupati MP Dr Gurumoorthy urges centre to establish Tirupati as an aircraft MRO hub without any delay

Tirupati: Tirupati MP Dr. Maddila Gurumurthy on Wednesday requested the civil aviation ministry to implement Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) centre of Tirupati airport, and increase air connectivity to the temple city under the UDAN Scheme.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, the Tirupati MP recalled that the ministry of civil aviation assured several times that Tirupati international airport is one of the eight airports selected for establishing the MRO Centre, while Invest India also highlighted Tirupati's potential to become an MRO centre.

To make the country a hub for maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft, the ministry has earlier geared up to identify sites and invite bids for implementation of MRO at eight airports, including the Tirupati international airport. The Airports Authority of India was asked to identify the site for establishing the MRO centre at Tirupati.

Tirupati MP Gurumurthy urged the civil aviation ministry to appoint a special officer for speedy implementation of the MRO centre. He also asked the ministry for the launch of an international logistics project and increase of connectivity to Tirupati Airport under UDAN scheme.

02/12/21 Sandeep Raghavan/Times of India

Read More

Severe Omicron can clip aviation industry's wings badly: Martin Consulting

Travel restrictions have been imposed world over as a new variant Omicron emerged in South Africa. The Union Health Ministry of India has revised its guidelines as well on international travel from December 1.

Mark D Martin, Member of Royal Aeronautical Society and Founder, CEO, Martin Consulting, shared his perspective on what impact it will have on the Indian aviation companies.

Till the potency and lethality of this variant is determined, it is a wait and watch situation for everybody, he noted.

“If this variant is what it is then we are going to be looking at the next 18-24 months minimum as a washout year for aviation,” he said.

Analysts were, till very recently, predicting a recovery in aviation business in 2022 and 2023.

“We are still a bit optimistic because we have not got ourselves fully around this new Omicron variant. The more we learn about this in the next couple of weeks, the more it will determine the future of aviation,” he said.

30/11/21  Sonia Shenoy/CNBC TV18

Read More

Civil Aviation Ministry ready to deal with new virus variant: Scindia

Gwalior: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said his ministry had made all preparations in the face of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus.

We are putting emphasis on keeping an eye on passengers coming from the 12 countries considered sensitive for the new variant," he told reporters here.

"Though it will affect flight movement, precaution is necessary," he added.

The Union government has issued directives that passengers arriving from South Africa, Botswana and Israel among other countries be screened at the airports, and also asked the states to remain alert.

Scindia, meanwhile, also informed that programs will be started to give a fillip to drone technology in Madhya Pradesh. 

30/11/21 PTI/Telegraph

Read More

17 months on, Chail helipad project in Himachal still to take off

Solan: The development of a helipad at Jhajha village in the Chail valley remains a distant dream even 17 months after the project was approved by the state government.

On the demand of the Chail Hoteliers Association, the government had approved the project in June last year. Around 6.19 bighas of land was selected for it and various departments such as the PWD, Jal Shakti, Power, and Forest were to give no-objection certificates (NOCs) to pave the way for the transfer of land to the Tourism and Civil Aviation (TCA) Department.

Rati Ram, Deputy Director, Tourism and Civil Aviation, says, “Efforts are afoot to speed up the project as NOCs have been secured from various departments. This will pave the way for the transfer of 6.19 bighas at Jhajha village to the TCA Department.” Officials had initially shown promptness in executing the project and the officials of various departments had also conducted a joint inspection in June. The work, however, slowed down due to the delay in getting NOCs, the one from the Forest Department was received a few months ago.

Divisional Forest Officer, Solan, Shreshtanand says, “The Forest Department granted the NOC about two months ago though the field staff had raised objections initially as the land in question is forestland.” Kandaghat SDM Vikas Sood says all NOCs have been procured and the case has been sent for the transfer of land to the Deputy Commissioner.

30/11/21 Ambika Sharma/Tribune

Read More

Will Omicron upset Indian travellers plans; impact international aviation recovery?

On November 26, the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, subsequently named Omicron, as a variant of concern. To quote the WHO, “Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on how it behaves, for example, on how easily it spreads or the severity of illness it causes.”

WHO, in updates published on the WHO website, left more questions than answers, stating that research is ongoing and more details should be available in the days ahead about the effectiveness of current vaccines on this strain. Dr Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who first spotted the new variant, has in various media interviews, maintained that the patients so far have extremely mild symptoms.

The new variant was first identified in Botswana on November 11. However, since the reports of the new variant, it has already spread in various parts of the world. Reportedly, the Omicron variant has now been identified in Australia, Austria, Belgium,

Botswana, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Reunion Island (French territory), South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Information about the new variant surfaced just when after a long grounding, the world had started to open up. While the WHO did not suggest any travel restrictions be imposed, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and European Union were some of the countries/blocs that imposed new requirements or restrictions for arrivals from south African nations, including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Other countries such as Israel and Japan have gone one step further to stop almost all foreigners from arriving on their soil.

As we have adequately seen over the past 18 months or so, travel bans don’t help. Most countries failed to bar the virus from entering their frontiers since information about any variant being discovered always comes around with a lag, rather than ahead of time. This means no one is prepared for them when the first cases are beginning to circulate around the globe. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned against travel bans, stressing that restrictions are "not a long-term solution" when it comes to managing coronavirus variants.

While India has taken a more measured approach at this point in time, it is almost bound to create inconvenience and affect travel yet again. November 26 was also the day when India announced that they will allow commercial flight operations to resume effective December 15, 2021, after a long 20-month hiatus. Over the weekend, the stance shifted, and the Government of India indicated that the resumption of international commercial operations would be “reviewed.” We still don’t know if this means there will be a postponement of flights resumption or not.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has required that all in-bound travellers from southern African countries (such as Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa) Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong, Brazil, Bangladesh, China, Mauritius, New Zealand and Israel will be subject to an on-arrival RT-PCR test at the first port of entry, effective December 1. To add to this, the Government of India requires a 2 percent random sample of passengers on each international flight arriving in India to be tested, with the job of picking these passengers handed over to the airline.

However, what is bound to create chaos is the requirement that passengers cannot leave the airport before their report is received. This means that there will be a perpetual crowd build-up at major airports in the coming weeks, and passengers will be required to wait at the airport for about 4-6 hours before they can catch a connection or exit the airport.

With the fading mask discipline, this could mean the airports themselves could be hotspots for transmission. For instance, on December 1, there are scores of wide body aircraft scheduled to arrive at Delhi Airport in the wee hours (KLM from Amsterdam and Air India, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic from London, apart from Qatar Airways and Emirates who could be carrying passengers from Brazil and Europe, apart from their own countries into India).

30/11/21 Ajay Awtaney/Free Press Journal

Read More

Atmanirbhar Bharat: IAF aircraft to fly on 'made in India' bio-jet fuel

New Delhi: CSIR-IIP Dehradun’s home-grown technology to produce bio-jet fuel has been formally approved for use on military aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF). 

The technology, developed by the Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP), a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, has undergone evaluation tests and trials over the last three years. 

This certification represents India’s growing confidence in the aviation biofuel sector and another step towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

The testing of airborne items is a complex and meticulous process involving intricate checks while ensuring the highest levels of flight safety. International aviation standards define the scope of these rigorous assessments. Fuel being the lifeline of aircraft requires thorough analysis before being filled into manned flying machines. 

The certification received by the lab today is an acknowledgment of the satisfactory results obtained from various ground and inflight tests performed on the indigenous bio-jet fuel by various test agencies supported by the IAF.

Earlier on January 26, 2019, an AN-32 aircraft, filled with blended bio-jet fuel, had flown over Raj Path at New Delhi during the Republic Day celebrations. Thereafter, the performance and reliability of the Indian technology were also tested when the Russian military aircraft safely landed and took off from Leh airport on 30 Jan 20 at high altitudes under severe  winter conditions.

The fuel was also used on a civil, commercial demonstration flight operated by SpiceJet on 27 Aug 18 from Dehradun to Delhi. These test flights with green fuel underscored the capabilities and commitment of Indian scientists and airmanship of IAF to serve a national cause.

Today’s approval by CEMILAC is a culmination of many years of intensive research and active support of many agencies, including the test facilities of Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) Panipat Refinery and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL).

This clearance will enable Indian armed forces to use bio-jet fuel produced using indigenous technology across all its operational aircraft. This will also enable early commercialization of the technology and its mass production.

29/11/21 Manish Shukla/ZeeNews

Read More

COO Captain Rohaneet Singh Raina shares his inspiring tale in the aviation industry

The aviation industry has been booming in India for the last few years. To make a mark in this field is not an easy task until you are determined and passionate like Rohaneet Singh Raina. The young and dynamic captain from Jammu & Kashmir has defied all the odds to become one of the eminent pilots. He is the COO of Kashmir Air Services, and under his leadership, the company acquired a multi-engine aircraft. Brought up in a humble family, Captain Rohaneet Singh Raina has an achievement to be proud of.

He has obtained six-seater multi-engine aircraft along with approval Initial NOC to operate Non-Scheduled Operator Permit (NSOP) from the Ministry of Central Aviation (MOCA). Captain Rohaneet Singh Raina pursued his training in a flight school in Vancouver, Canada. After pursuing and completing his training, Captain Rohaneet Singh Raina was recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a Civil Aviation Authority of the USA.

Having an FAA Airmen Certification, he is one of the courageous personalities in the aviation industry. He says, “Aircraft and planes always left me excited. It was my dream to become a Pilot, and I feel proud to transform my dreams into reality.” However, the captain then stated that he faced a hard time after returning to India. "During 2012, the aviation industry plunged into a steep recession and it directly impacted me and my batchmates," said Captain Rohanneet. Without losing any hope, he kept on exploring different horizons in the aviation industry.

It was in 2018, Captain Rohaneet’s fortunes changed when he was offered to start a venture under the name Kashmir Air Services (KAS). Speaking about the same, he said, “I was approached by some close associates to start a venture. It was intriguing, but I had no proper experience of getting into a venture.” With a leap of faith, he started this project, and it received loads of love and support from everyone. Moreover, Captain Rohaneet Singh Raina got tremendous support in seeking Initial NOC approval on NSOP from MOCA. He thanks the system set under the leadership of Honourable PM Shri Narendra Modi Jee.

Throwing light on the KAS project, Captain Rohaneet Singh went on to say that earlier the business model for KAS had the purchase of Super King Air B200 (10 seaters corporate jet). Unfortunately, it could not happen due to its unavailability in India. Instead, he purchased Piper Seneca (PA-34), a six-seater multi-engine aircraft. Currently based in the country’s capital city, New Delhi, Rohaneet Singh Raina calls his grandmother his biggest inspiration in life.

29/11/21 Business Standard

Read More

Air passenger footfalls up 56%

Ahmedabad: With increased confidence among travellers after getting fully vaccinated and the decreasing number of Covid-19 cases, air travel received a boost ahead of the festive season in October. Air passenger footfalls rose by 56% in October this year. Some 5.58 lakh passengers travelled from the city airport in October this year, against 3.58 lakh passengers in the same month last year.

Travel operators and city hoteliers attribute the increased movements to the revival of leisure travel as well as corporate travel for events, conferences and exhibitions.

“During the festive season, a lot of corporate and leisure travellers travelled to Ahmedabad. Many came to attend weddings. This gave good business to hotels,” said hotelier Narendra Somani.

Of the 5.58 lakh passengers that travelled through the city airport, 65,722 were international passengers and 4.93 were domestic. Overall travel sentiment improved significantly over the past few months. So much so that in October footfalls increased by 20%, compared to 4.6 lakh passengers in September.

“With Covid-19 cases decreasing, people are regaining confidence to travel. Moreover, with restrictions eased or completely lifted in parts of the country, their sentiment is strengthening. Thus, business travel in domestic market has gone up to near pre-Covid levels. With the festive season and long weekends, leisure travel picked up. All of this led to a high number of air travellers,” said Virendra Shah, chairman, Travel Agents’ Association of India , Gujarat.

29/11/21 Niyati Parikh/Times of India

Read More

Aviation, communication may not come under cross-border insolvency ambit

India could exclude some key strategic sectors, such as aviation, telecommunications and critical infrastructure services, from the cross-border insolvency framework’s ambit.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) released a consultation paper on November 24 seeking public comments on a draft cross-border insolvency framework under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) by December 15.

The government intends to amend the IBC in the Winter session of the Parliament that begins on Monday.

“Certain sectors are of national importance, highly sensitive and bound by various regulations and conditions, so their insolvency significantly affects public interest,” said a senior government official.

Once the Bill is introduced, the government is likely to put out a negative list of sectors, the official added.

While financial services providers have been kept out of the ambit of cross-border insolvency provisions, the government is looking to exclude some more sectors when the final rules are issued after the amendment, the official said.

The proposed amendment would empower the government to notify a class or classes of corporate debtors or entities to whom the provisions of cross-border insolvency provisions would not apply.

29/11/21 Shrimi Choudhury/Economic Times

Read More

Don't roll back resumption of international flights: Travel industry execs

Mumbai: Enhance testing and strengthen Covid-19 protocols but do not put on hold resumption of scheduled international flights, travel industry veterans said on Saturday.

They were reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a review of plans to ease travel restrictions in the wake of the new Covid-19 variant 'Omicron'. The Prime Minister chaired a comprehensive high level meeting on Saturday to review the Covid-19 situation in the country.

An official release from the government said that the PM asked officials to review plans for easing of international travel restrictions in the light of emerging new evidence.

Officials from the civil aviation and health ministries did not immediately respond whether this would result in suspension of the Friday order on resumption of scheduled international flights or ban on passenger movement from certain countries or quarantine measures for arrivals.

The civil aviation ministry has allowed resumption of scheduled international flights from December 15.

Airlines need to assess availability of aircraft and airport slots besides assessing viability of routes. Increasing frequency at an existing destination again is easier than opening a new destination or restarting a route after months of suspension. “We just received the order last evening. A decision on new flights would take a few days,” a senior executive of a private airline quipped when asked if plans were being reworked.

The travel industry however does not support continued suspension of scheduled international flights. “It will send a wrong signal. Of course public health is important and we need to remain vigilant. The government can impose travel restrictions on countries impacted by the new variant of Covid-19 but should not stop scheduled international flights,” said Rajiv Mehra, president of Indian Association of Tour Operators.

27/11/21 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Stadard

Read More

Families stuck after sudden decision to ban flights to and from South Africa

Hundreds of foreigners on family or business trips in South Africa desperately tried to get back home on the last available flights as several nations imposed restrictions on travellers due to the discovery of the new Omnicron variant of COVID-19 in this country.

The UK announced on Thursday that all flights to and from South Africa and five neighbouring countries would be banned from Friday noon following an announcement that the new Omnicron variant of COVID-19 had been detected in South Africa.

Many other countries followed suit, most of them indicating that only their own citizens would be allowed back, subject to a quarantine period.

In New Delhi, the central government asked all states and union territories to conduct rigorous screening and testing of all international travellers coming from or transiting through South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana, where a new variant has been detected.

According to the government's decision on Friday, airlines will be allowed to operate 50 per cent of their pre-COVID scheduled passenger flights between India and South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana from December 15.

India does not have an air bubble arrangement -- which allows special passenger flights between two countries amid COVID-related restrictions -- with South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana. Also, these three countries are classified under the "at-risk" category by India's ministry of health.

Tourists from Britain, one of the largest in South Africa's tourism and family visit sectors, were particularly hard hit.

“I need to get home to be with my family for Christmas, and now it looks like I might be stuck here with my friends,” said

a tearful Joanne Johnson as airline employees explained the cancellation of flights, adding that arrangements were being made to repatriate British nationals only.

South African pensioners Johan Vermeulen and his wife Annemarie had been looking forward all year to join their son Andre, who had settled in the UK in 1999, and his family.

“We haven't seen our grandchildren for more than two years now and thought that the pandemic was now easing enough to go there,” Annemarie said.

Jarred Sampson said even if he did manage to get onto a flight, he would be faced with the unbudgeted expense of going into quarantine for 10 days on arrival in the UK.

27/11/21 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Nurse Baby helps deliver baby on plane during ‘eventful flight’

A nurse called Leela Baby has been given an award after she helped to deliver a baby on an aeroplane.

Ms Baby, a senior oncology specialist nurse at the University Hospitals Sussex Foundation Trust, was called into action as she travelled on a long-haul flight from the UK to Cochin in southern India.

Another passenger on the Air India flight, Simi Philip, was seven months pregnant and going into labour, so the pilot called on the intercom to ask if there was a nurse or doctor on the plane.

Ms Baby, who was travelling with her husband, volunteered her help, and along with two doctors who were also on the flight, she safely delivered baby Shawn to Ms Philip, within two hours of her labour beginning.

The flight then had to be diverted to make an emergency landing in Frankfurt, Germany, to allow Ms Philip and Shawn to be taken to hospital as a precaution.

When she got to Cochin, Ms Baby was given an award for helping with the emergency delivery from the Rotary Club based in the Indian city.

“I was travelling with my husband, Joseph, from Heathrow to Cochin, when all of a sudden there was an announcement asking for any experienced doctors or nurses on board who can help with an emergency labour,” Ms Baby explained.

“It’s a long time since I delivered a baby so I waited at first but when a second announcement went out I came forward and volunteered.

“They asked me if I had experience working in labour and I said I have experience of working in labour when I first started working as a nurse in India, and although I’m working as a chemotherapy nurse now, I am confident I can help.

“They told me there was a woman - Simi – who’s 29 weeks pregnant and in emergency labour. I asked Simi how she was doing and how the pain was. She said she was in a lot of pain and that she was having contractions. Soon after this, her waters broke so we took her to a bed by the cabin crew area.

“We examined her and the baby’s head was crowning. Then we delivered the baby safely. Both mother and baby were safe. Whilst the doctors looked after the baby, I carefully took out the placenta.”

26/11/21 Graham Clews/Nursing Times

Read More

HC asks Centre, DGCA to respond to plea to scrap Covid-19 self-declaration form

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Thursday sought response of the Centre and DGCA on a plea seeking to do away with the mandatory online self-declaration form, provided under the Air Suvidha App, which has to be filled up by the passengers before boarding a flight that they are Covid-19 negative.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Ministry of Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and Air India Ltd on the petition which said the self-declaration form requires knowledge of technology and a smartphone along with the seat number which is not there with many passengers.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on December 23.

The petition by Sumita Kapil, a practicing advocate, sought direction from the authorities to do away with/scrap with the self-declaration form provided under the Air Suvidha App.

The petition, filed through advocate Shaan Mohan, gave instances of various passengers who were not able to board the flight from abroad to India as they were unable to fill their forms on smartphones and submit them online before boarding the plane despite having tickets and negative RTPCR test reports.

Thereafter, the passengers had to get their forms filled by the travel agent and book another flight due to which they suffered a huge loss, it said.

25/11/21 Tribune

Read More

India's jet fuel demand revives after being decimated by COVID-19

India's jet fuel demand is ready for take-off as the country plans to open its doors to international tourists and forms more air travel bubbles, while domestic travel has surged as the local COVID-19 situation has mostly stabilized, with the total number of doses administered in the world's second most populous country crossing 1 billion.

Register Now According to the latest data from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, or DGCA, passengers carried by domestic airlines in October rose 70.46% month on month and those carried during January-October registered an annual growth of 25.88%.

"October was the peak holiday season for India. So, there has been an increase in domestic travel," a trader based in Singapore said.

"There were various lockdown and COVID-19 restrictions in India last year. So, I would expect that as soon as people can travel, they would," he added.

This also resonates with a survey commissioned by IATA of 4,700 respondents in 11 markets including India in September. The survey demonstrated confidence that the risks of COVID-19 can be effectively managed and that the freedom to travel should be restored, IATA said in a statement on Oct. 5.

"People want to travel. 86% expect to be traveling within six months of the crisis ending," Willie Walsh, IATA's director general said that time.

"With COVID-19 becoming endemic, vaccines being widely available and therapeutics improving rapidly, we are quickly approaching that point in time," Walsh added.

Although India's DGCA in its latest circular on Oct. 29 said the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger flights to or from India had been extended till Nov. 30, it noted that international travel may be allowed on select routes by the authorities on a case-to-case basis.

This move aligns with its intention of relaxing restrictions, sources said.

Singapore and India, for example, have already made some headway in this regard. On Nov. 21, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said it had reached an agreement with the Ministry of Civil Aviation of India on the resumption of scheduled commercial passenger flights between Singapore and India.

This will facilitate quarantine-free travel on the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) from India to Singapore, which will start from Nov. 29, with six designated VTL flights daily from Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai.

25/11/21 Surabhi Sahu, Amy Tan, Ratnajyoti Dutta/S&P Global

Read More

Blade India to induct five new H125 helicopters, ties up with Airbus

 Mumbai: US-based helicopter transport services provider Blade's Indian subsidiary on Wednesday said it will induct five new H125 in its fleet to further expand its services and has entered into a partnership with European aviation giant Airbus for this purpose.

The new machines are being added to meet the significant demand and response from the Indian market for its "on-demand" helicopter services, it said.

The helicopters will be provided to operators by a GIFT City-based leasing company taking advantage of the Government of India's new initiative, the company said adding that Blade will underwrite flight hours through partner operators.

"Blade India is delighted to announce the expansion of its services and network by selecting the H125. We are pioneering short-haul air mobility services in the country in partnership with Airbus," Amit Dutta, managing director of Blade India, said.

He noted that short-haul air mobility is poised to be the next big one in the area of air connectivity.

Dutta added, "We are fortunate to have excellent support from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, India, which recently announced sweeping policy changes to accelerate the growth of the vertical lift industry."

Airbus H125, previously named the AS350 B3e, has proven to be a market leader for urban transportation, heli-tourism, emergency medical services (EMS) and other multi-mission in India and globally, the company said.

Launched in 2019, Blade India, which is a joint venture of Blade UAM Inc US and Karanpal Singh-promoted Hunch Ventures Group India, currently offers its services in Maharashtra and has already announced to launch operations to Karnataka from next month.

24/11/21 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

Read More

How Centre's 90,000 crore investment will see India's airport sector flying high

The country's airport sector is all set to soar! Union Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal announced on Wednesday that India's airport sector is expected to see an investment of Rs 90,000 crore in a five-year period, starting 2020-21.

This infusion of cash is bound to give a fillip to the sector, which had been battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi gears up to lay the foundation stone at the Noida International Airport, take a look at what all this entails.

Air transport is a key element in the country’s transport infrastructure.

From the establishment of the Tata airline by JRD Tata in 1932, India's aviation industry has grown leaps and bounds.

As of 2020, the country, according to Statista, had 16 scheduled operators.

By 2024, it is expected that India will become the third-largest market in terms of passengers, overtaking the United Kingdom.

In an effort to boost the aviation sector, investments totalling Rs 90,000 crore will be made for airports over a five-year period, starting 2020-21.

Of this amount, around Rs 20,000-22,000 crore will be invested by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), while the remaining amount of about Rs 68,000 crore would be from the private sector.

The Modi Sarkar has planned to build as many as 220 operational airports, including heliports, over five years.

Currently, India has 136 operational airports in the country.

25/11/21 First Post

Read More

IAF gets Mirage 2000 fighters from France to strengthen aircraft fleet

New Delhi: Amid tensions on the border, the Indian Air Force has received a boost to its fighter jet fleet as two-second hand Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft have arrived from France at its Gwalior airbase.

"The Indian Air Force has received two Mirage 2000 trainer version aircraft from France. The two aircraft were flying with their Air Force and arrived at the Gwalior airbase recently," government sources told ANI.

The aircraft would now be upgraded to the latest standards as part of the Mirage upgrade programme going on in the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the sources said.

The two aircraft were acquired by the Indian Air Force as part of the programme to make up the number of aircraft in the Mirage fighter fleet to around 50.

The IAF had acquired around 51 Mirages in different batches and they form three squadrons which are all based in the Gwalior Air Force station.

Sources said the Mirage upgrade deal between the French and Indian sides was for enhancing the capabilities of 51 aircraft and some of these kits are left due to crashes involving these planes.

The same kits can be put on these two French Air Force planes and make them suitable for combat operations, the sources said.

The Indian Air Force has invested very smartly in finding the spares for the Mirages in form of phased out old French aircraft and this is going to help the Air Force maintain them till 2035, the sources said.

The Mirages have been in service from the 1980s and have been the mainstay of the force from the Kargil war to the 2019 Balakot airstrikes where they bombed a Jaish e Mohammed terrorist camp in Pakistan.

25/11/21 ANI/Business Standard

Read More

India Has Potential To Be Number 1 In Air Travel By Next Decade: Aviation Minister

Kolkata: India has the potential to attain the top position in air travel in about a decade, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday, underlining the government's commitment to pushing the sunrise sector to scale new heights.

The government, he said, is committed to improving connectivity on both regional and long haul international routes, and has set a target of raising the number of airports to 220 by 2025 from 136 at present.

"We have jumped from 74 airports in the last 70 years to 62 (more) airports in the last seven years. Now we have 136 airports. But that's not where we are going to stop. We have a target of a total of 220 airports by 2025, and that include heliport and water ports. The task before us is gigantic. Tomorrow we are going to launch the Jewar airport (near Noida)."

"If you look at what we have been able to achieve in the last 5-6 years from 2014-2019....the connectivity growth, civil aviation alone has (grown) 89 per cent, and that helped us in jumping from the seventh position in terms of travel numbers to almost fourth position in 2019. And mind you, we will be jumping to the number one position in the next decade or so," the union minister told a virtual session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

It has resulted in a whole new market opening up for connectivity and travel, he said, adding much of the growth in the civil aviation sector now will be driven by tier 2 and tier 3 cities as tier-1 cities have reached their maturity.

The minister said most metropolitan cities need a second airport.

"I am looking forward to a location for a second airport in Kolkata. Our metro airports are almost bursting at the seams... I think we need to look at the new airports at all the metros. We are already in the process of a second airport in Delhi and Mumbai. We also need to do that in other cities including Kolkata," he said.

"We have set strong targets over the next 100 days....from either laying the foundation stone of or inaugurating five new airports, six new heliports and 50 new UDAN routes by December or so. Proliferating the last mile connectivity is our target. I think that is fundamental and key to the growth of civil aviation," he said.

The minister said connectivity is not just about bringing people close together and driving the economy.

"Two paradigms have changed...from globalisation to hyper localisation, and reaching your destination in the shortest possible time. Connectivity has become the driver of growth. Civil aviation is in its sunrise phase," he said.

24/11/21 PTI/NDTV

Read More

New helicopter policy to propel growth of civil aviation sector

The civilian helicopter sector got a shot in the arm when in October 2021 the Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced a new helicopter policy at the Helicopter Summit organised by the industry body FICCI in Dehradun. Under this policy besides many other norms dedicated hubs and corridors would be established and landing charges and parking deposits abolished to boost commercial helicopter operations in the country. 

Under the new policy, the government will put together a dedicated helicopter acceleration cell in the Civil Aviation Ministry that will look at helicopter industry's issues. As part of the policy there will be no landing charges or parking deposits for heliports or helicopter companies. To begin with four Heli Hubs and Training Units will be set up in Mumbai, Guwahati, Delhi, and Bengaluru and helicopter corridors will be set up in 10 cities and 82 routes in the country. 

Experts with whom THE WEEK spoke found that the helicopter policy and development of heli hubs is the need of the hour to give a push to the slow moving civilian helicopter sector in the country. The civil aviation market is growing at a rapid pace in the country and has drawn many aviation giants towards India as many business class people are ending up buying their own personal aircraft and jets. However helicopters despite their advantages have been lagging behind in penetration remarked a former helicopter pilot who did not wish to be identified. 

This former pilot points out that the journey of the civil helicopter sector in India has remained more or less stagnant. “Since the first civil helicopter took to the skies in India in November 1953 the commercial use of helicopters in India was limited to small aviation companies involved in communication and crop spraying until 1986. The formation of the Helicopter Corporation of India in 1986 (later Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd), was the turning point in the civil helicopter industry in India. Though Pawan Hans now holds and operates the largest fleet of helicopters in the country, it could only add a mere 292 units during its 26 years period up to 2012. Post that the firm began facing tough times due to higher cost of operations and regulatory norms,” remarked the former pilot. 

Interestingly if one goes by the numbers India at present has only 266 civil registered helicopters in the country, operating with non scheduled operators, private category, government (central and state) and PSUs. The Non-Scheduled Operators hold the major chunk of helicopters in numbers (200 plus) the balance operate under the category of private and Government and PSUs. Surprisingly this number is very less compared to the global statistics. 

23/11/21 Abhinav Singh/The Week

Read More

Go First clocks 9.8% market share, becomes 3rd largest domestic carrier

Wadia group’s low-cost carrier Go First, formerly known as GoAir, has notched up its highest market share of 9.8 per cent in 2021 and become the third-largest domestic carrier after IndiGo (53.5 pc), and Air India (11.8pc), according to the October air traffic report released by the regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

The Wadia group airline, which began 2021 with a market share of 8.2 per cent in January, has overtaken rival SpiceJet to become the third-largest carrier in October.

Wadia group’s low-cost carrier Go First, formerly known as GoAir, has notched up its highest market share of 9.8 per cent in 2021 and become the third-largest domestic carrier after IndiGo (53.5 pc), and Air India (11.8pc), according to the October air traffic report released by the regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

The Wadia group airline, which began 2021 with a market share of 8.2 per cent in January, has overtaken rival SpiceJet to become the third-largest carrier in October.

In January, IndiGo had a market share of 54.3 per cent, followed by SpiceJet with 12.8 per cent, and Air India with 10.3 per cent. AirAsia and Vistara had market share of 6.9 per cent and 6.7 per cent.

In April, Go First notched up a high of 9.6 per cent. Still, the October market share of 9.8 is its highest in 2021 and closer to its pre-Covid market share of 10 per cent in February 2020.

Go First, which brought back Kaushik Khona to replace Vinay Dube as the Chief Executive Officer in August 2020, had kick-started 2021 with renewed vigour and aggressively opened new stations and added new flights.

In November, it added 32 new flights and Amritsar, Surat, Dehradun and Aizawl to its domestic network. The airline said direct flights would connect these airports to and from Delhi, Mumbai, Srinagar, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Guwahati.

Its IPO is scheduled to open on December 8, and the airline is looking to raise Rs 3,600 crore from the initial public offering.

While Go First has consolidated its market share, rival SpiceJet’s, which maintained a 12.6 per in Q1, witnessed a decline in market share, logging 10.6 per cent in Q2, and 8.7 per cent in Q3. In October, it marginally improved it to 9.0 per cent, according tothe DGCA report. “We believe we have consistently performed well, and that is reflected in our increased market share. October results show that we can now look ahead optimistically to more opportunities and growth. Our customers have reiterated their faith in us. Zero cancellation and passenger complaints bear testimony to our relentless efforts to provide exceptional service,” said Chief Executive Officer, Go First, Kaushik Khona.

22/11/21 Free Press Journal

Read More

Indian Airlines Make 73% Passenger Recovery In October, Go First Overtakes SpiceJet

Indian airlines continued their strong recovery into October. Traffic data for the month shows 8.98 million passengers taking to the skies, a 73% recovery compared to the same month in 2019. The month also saw another reshuffling of the top three domestic carriers, with Go First overtaking Vistara and SpiceJet to take the number three place.

Indian aviation is back on track. October marked a substantial jump in passenger numbers as passengers returned for the festival season across the country. After a deadly second wave of cases in April-May, passengers have returned in droves as vaccination numbers pick up across the country and cases remain low.

October 2021 saw 8.98 million passengers take domestic flights, up 70% from the last time last year and only 27% below 2019 levels (12.3 million). Airlines are now targeting an early 2022 return to pre-pandemic numbers, barring any other surges of infection in the near future.

If flight capacity is any indication, airlines are set for a strong November too. While the jump in traffic will be lower than the 22% from September to October, airlines have added almost 10% more flights this month. So which airlines are seeing the biggest gains from the increasing traffic?

October traffic brought another reshuffle in the middle order of Indian airlines. Go First saw its market share surge to 9.8%, up 1.6% from last month, allowing it to take the third spot. SpiceJet made some gains too, climbing to 9% and taking fourth place in the market.

The two carriers’ growth came at the cost of Vistara’s, whose market share fell to 7.8% from 8.7% in October. This bumped the airline down to fifth place, ending its third-place honors in just a month. AirAsia India increased its market share to 6.4%, up 0.8%, and its strong showing since April.

21/11/21 Pranjal Pande/Simple Flying

Read More

AMCA: Made-in-India stealth fighter jets for Indian Air Force

India is now finally getting set to launch its most ambitious indigenous military aviation project to build a fifth-generation fighter or the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) with advanced stealth features as well as 'supercruise' capabilities.

The case for the full-scale engineering development of the twin-engine AMCA prototypes has been finalized and will be sent for approval to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) by early next year after consultations between the defence and finance ministries, top sources told TOI.

Production of fifth-generation jets is an extremely complex and expensive affair, with the American F/A-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning-II Joint Strike Fighter, the Chinese Chengdu J-20 and Russian Sukhoi-57 being the only operational ones around the globe at present.

Experts, however, contend the J-20 and Sukhoi-57 fighters are still somewhat short of being true-blue fifth-generation fighters. The 36 Rafales being inducted by IAF, under the Rs 59,000 crore deal inked with France in September 2016, are 4.5-generation jets.

22/11/21 Economic Times

Read More

Govt orders airlines, ground handlers to use energy efficient equipment

Mumbai: The civil aviation ministry has mandated airlines and ground handling (GH) companies to phase out airport equipment that is older than twelve years and switch to electric or fuel efficient variants by May 2022.

While the companies have welcomed the ministry’s green initiative, they said that the deadline for implementation is tight, especially in the wake of financial challenges faced by the aviation sector during the pandemic.

Ground handling covers functions such as check-in, passenger boarding, cargo loading and unloading, aircraft cleaning etc. While domestic airlines are allowed to do self-handling, foreign airlines rely on GH companies.

Airlines and GH companies use motorised and non-motorised equipment such as low floor buses, step ladders, pushback tugs, cargo loaders, baggage tractors, pallet dollies, tow bars among others.

“It has been decided that all GH agencies and airlines doing self-handling at airports having passenger movement of more than 3.5 million passengers per annum shall comply with the minimum standard of ground support equipment and vehicle,” the civil aviation ministry said in a November 1 order. The order would cover around twenty-five top airports in the country.

It said the decision had been taken in order to ensure the use of state of art equipment and best practices in line with International Air Transport Association’s airport handling manual as also for maintaining an eco-friendly environment at airports. All GH companies and airlines doing self-handling have to ensure strict compliance of the minimum standards for ground support equipment (GSE) and vehicles in six months.

According to the order the maximum age limit of GSEs will be twelve years. Refurbished equipment too shall not be allowed under any circumstances, it said. The government also wants companies to induct electric-powered equipment or use diesel vehicles that are compliant with Bharat-VI emission standards.

21/11/21 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

Read More

Extended suspension of international flights impacting financial health of airlines: Vistara

As the pandemic clouds slowly clear, Vistara on Sunday said a prolonged suspension of scheduled international flights to and from India is impacting the financial health of most airlines and also cautioned that it might be too early to conclude that the country's aviation sector is out of the woods.

The full-service carrier, which started flying to eight international destinations during the pandemic, has embraced a "nimble" approach amid the dynamic and unpredictable situation in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic as some countries are now witnessing rising infections.

Vistara CEO-designate Vinod Kannan said most predictions about recovery of the aviation industry have been proven wrong in these times of great unpredictability, and it might be too early to say that the Indian aviation industry is completely out of the woods.

On the domestic front, air traffic is nearing pre-COVID-19 levels and grew 70 per cent in October compared with the year-ago period.

"A prolonged suspension of scheduled international operations is definitely impacting the financial health of most airlines, thereby adding to the pressure (on the revenue)," he told PTI.

In an email interview, Kannan, who is currently the airline's chief commercial officer, said that though administration of vaccines across the globe has brought a lot of positivity and hope to the industry, the situation continues to be dynamic and unpredictable.

With continuously evolving travel restrictions in different parts of the world, "recovery of demand in international segment still has a long way to go", he noted.

Scheduled international air services to and from India remain suspended since late March 2020 due to the pandemic. India has air bubble arrangements with more than 25 countries for operating overseas flights.

For now, the suspension is till November 30 and there is no clarity on normalisation as discussions are going on against the backdrop of spike in the number of coronavirus cases in some countries.

21/11/21 PTI/Business Today.in

Read More

India's airlines still face significant headwinds

The number of domestic air travellers has been rapidly increasing. Most recent figures show that domestic travel is inching towards 70 percent of pre-Covid levels. Packed airport terminals and rising occupancy on flights are proof of the same. Add to this the recent 72 aircraft order by the startup airline Akasa, the successful sale of the national airline Air India to the Tata group, a settlement between Boeing and SpiceJet, the possible revival of Jet Airways, buzz about additional aircraft orders by incumbents and another startup waiting in the wings. Together these are adding up to much enthusiasm. Yet, behind the narrative also lies the fact that yields are being held up by government-mandated price-floors, international flying continues to be depressed, airlines are carrying excess fleet and fixed costs, currency fluctuations continue, fuel prices have doubled in the past year and airport charges continue to rise unabated. Overall, Indian aviation is not quite out of the woods yet. See what the headwinds ahead are >>

Read More

Spl organ air ambulance can end logistics problems

Nagpur: Though the brave parents of 18-year-old Tirth Shah, who died of brain haemorrhage in Nagpur on November 17, were ready to donate his heart and lungs, both the vital organs could not be retrieved and transplanted because of the logistical issues.The heart was allotted to a patient in Chennai hospital, but the recipient was not in a condition to pay for the air ambulance to transport the organ. The pair of lungs was allotted to a hospital in Secunderabad, but it was rejected by the hospital, also due to logistics problem.

TOI asked experts in the field of organ donation about how grievous is the logistics problem and what the probable solution is.

“Chennai and Secunderabad centres could not utilize the organs for their registered recipients as the transportation cost was beyond their reach,” said Dr Vibhavari Dani, president of Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC), Nagpur. The ZTCC maintains centralised waiting lists for various organ recipients, and ensures equitable allocation of organs.

“The time has now come to mull over this logistical cost hindrance, especially at government level. Serious rethinking is necessary for lowering such costs to save lives of the needy from the underprivileged sections of the society,” said Dr Dani.

According to Dr Sancheti, Air India, soon to be owned by the Tata group, can station one small plane at three or four metropolitan cities in India.

“These flights should take off only for organ retrieval and transport activity. The recipient will pay fuel and operational cost of the flight. There would be no need to hire a costly chartered flight for them. It will curtail huge expenses and make organ transplant affordable,” Dr Sancheti added.

21/11/21 CHaitanya Deshpande/Times of India

Read More

Airline ticket prices for this holiday season are skyrocketing

The holiday season is here again and after nearly two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are eager to see loved ones in person again, but it won't be cheap.

During the pandemic, airlines were desperate to fill planes and offered highly discounted fares to entice people to travel despite ongoing restrictions and the risk of the virus. However, now that vaccination rates are up and the US border is open, demand has skyrocketed, and so have ticket prices.

Hopper, an airfare tracking app, published its yearly Holiday Travel Guide to give travelers an idea of what to expect in terms of ticket prices over Thanksgiving and Christmas. According to the company, domestic airfare this Thanksgiving is an average of $300 roundtrip, up 23% from 2020, though still 11% below 2019 levels.

Christmas travel will burn an even bigger hole in travelers' wallets this year. Hopper revealed domestic airfare around the holiday is $390, which is 55% higher than 2020 and on par with 2019.

Atlanta-resident Candace Driver complained on Twitter about rising airfare. She told Insider she flies home to California every year for Christmas, but fares were double what she paid for three people in 2020.

"It was $1200 for tickets home this year. Last year we got out of here for around $600," she said.

Insider also spoke with Twitter user Bailey Bond who said she spent hours looking for a cheaper flight from Portland to Texas after prices soared to $900. She ended up paying $800 for one ticket.

"Every year for Christmas we have spent about $360 per person for round trip flights to Texas," she said. "What we usually spend getting two of us home round trip wouldn't even buy 1 person a round trip ticket this year."

20/11/21 Taylor Rains/Business Insider

Read More

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia calls on States to reduce VAT of aviation jet fuel

India has the third largest domestic aviation market in the world, next only to the United States and China. But the value added tax (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel, imposed by States, currently hovers anywhere between 4 and 30 per cent and has been a major reason for airlines’ losses and the cripplingly high operational costs of the airlines.

The high VAT rate was very much on Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia’s mind when on November 18 he reiterated his call to the States and Union Territories to bring down the VAT on aviation fuel. While thanking those States and Union Territories that had already drastically reduced VAT on jet fuel to below 4 per cent, Scindia said these States had within a short period of a reduction in VAT gained by way of larger air traffic movement.

Addressing the ‘Civil Aviation Ministers Conference’ in New Delhi, Scindia said the civil aviation sector was probably the worst hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He called on the States and UTs to work collectively and provide “better passenger facilities and strive for the sector’s expansion and decentralisation”. The Minister assured the States and UTs of the Centre’s support and said “your success will lead to our success”.

Stating that the civil aviation sector had a large cost-benefit ratio and the potential to generate employment, the Minister called upon States and UTs to facilitate the construction of new airports by swiftly handling land allotment and acquisition issues. He said that the Ministry would be doubling the number of airports in India, taking the number to over 200 by 2023-24. The Minister also emphasised the plans on setting up at least one heliport in each district in collaboration with the States/UTs. On the issue of seaplanes, the Minister said that the States should provide capital support for this initiative.

On the issue of drones, Scindia said that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to create a leadership role for India in this sector. The Minister added that rules had been framed for promoting drones and production linked initiatives in the sector would provide a further push. Similarly, new initiatives, he said, had been taken up in the sectors of MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) , flying training organisations, last mile connectivity, cargo handling, and krishi udaan so that the bottlenecks were removed and the sector gained substantial growth and pre-eminence.

20/11/21 Ravi Sharma/Frontline

Read More

With Boeing order in bag, sky’s the limit for this Salem entrepreneur

A first-generation engineer’s desire for innovation has put Salem, Tamil Nadu, on the global defence and aerospace industry map. Sundaram Ramaswamy Naidu’s Aerospace Engineers Pvt Ltd (AEPL) was in the news recently for signing a long-term contract with US-based aerospace giant Boeing to manufacture and supply 683 critical components, from the first quarter of 2022.

While Sundaram has for long supplied parts to Boeing, he was a Tier-2 dealer. Now he will supply directly to the company, making it a first for Tamil Nadu. Over the next two years, AEPL will invest ₹150 crore in expanding its Salem facility as well as in a new manufacturing facility in Hosur, devoted to civil aerospace production, which will employ around 1,000 people.

“Clamps and fittings for the aircraft engines will be our first delivery,” said Sundaram, whose company also supplies components to Airbus and Rolls-Royce.

The Salem-based company’s expansion plan aligns with the state government’s ‘Make in Tamil Nadu’ initiative as well the Union government’s proposal to develop a defence corridor in the state. It also reflects Sundaram’s perseverance, and ability to dream big, in his over 30-year entrepreneurial journey.

Sundaram, a polymer technologist from the Madras Institute of Technology, began his journey in 1988, at the age of 25, when he launched Elastomeric Engineers in Salem.

In the early years, he recognised the need to develop indigenous goods. The company went on to bag orders for aviation rubber products (gasket couplings) from BHEL. The PSU giant was quick to accept Sundaram’s design and product for two critical reasons — they were indigenous, and priced lesser than imported ones.

Having started with a ₹7-lakh loan from the National Small Industries Corporation in a 2,400sqft shed, Sundaram and his team moved from five orders to 500 units in four months. The first-year turnover was close to ₹45 lakh, Sundaram recalls.

Today, Sundaram’s AEPL, operating on 1,25,000sqft premises, makes a wide range of high-precision and high-quality parts and sub-assemblies for the aviation, defence and healthcare industries. It claims to have developed over 20,000 parts with stringent airworthiness quality.

Additionally, AEPL is setting up another 1,25,000sqft manufacturing facility, dedicated for civil aerospace production under the Make in India initiative, in Hosur. It is also expanding its existing Salem facility with an additional covered building space of 50,000sqft over the next two years at an investment of ₹150 crore.

20/11/21 N Vinoth Kumar/Federal

Read More

Govt Set To Reduce ATF Tax. 'Our Competition Is With Railways', Says Civil Aviation Minister

New Delhi: After bringing down taxes on petrol and diesel, the government is now preparing to cut down taxes on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), the fuel for air planes, to make air travel cheaper. Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said seven states and Union Territories of the country have reduced the value-added tax (VAT) on jet fuel to less than 4 per cent.

Scindia said that Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Andaman Nicobar have reduced VAT on jet fuel to between 1-4 per cent. At present, there are more than 22 states and Union Territories where the VAT rate is more than 4 per cent. The Central Government has written to the Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors of other states requesting them to bring down the VAT.

Jyotiraditya Scindia said, "Our competition is with the railways. We are trying to reduce the airfare to an extent where passengers travelling in the AC two-tier railway coaches can travel by plane at the same cost. This requires reducing the tax rate and we are swiftly working to make it happen."

19/11/21 ABP

Read More

Low-cost air carriers wear seat belts as Akasa Air set for takeoff

When we think of Indian low-cost airlines, a couple of names that come to our mind are IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air Asia. Soon there will be another name added to the list: Akasa Air. The new low-cost airline is backed by the billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, which makes it enough to grab all the headlines. While Akasa spreads its wings, two Indian airlines stand cautiously. Let’s read in-between the lines!

Post Jet Airways saga, two Indian low-cost air carriers - IndiGo and SpiceJet - ruled the domestic skies. But, now the tables have turned as Akasa Air prepares itself to join its competitors. Additionally, it’s important to remember that Air India is getting remodelled. If Tatas’ abide by the customer expectations, then Air India will stand up as direct big competition to others.

Currently, IndiGo is the country's largest carrier by fleet (approximately 275 aircraft) and domestic market share (around 56%). Meanwhile, SpiceJet’s overall numbers are dropping. The market share is around 8.5%, and the weekly flights have shrunk too.

If your portfolio holds aviation stocks or if you’re planning to invest in it, then you need to know what’s the ground reality of this sector. Akasa Air will be a direct competitor of IndiGo because its ex-President Aditya Ghosh will join the airline.

Former Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube will run the company, and Ghosh is expected to be on the board. This only proves that Akasa will have an experienced team of aviation veterans, which stands as a positive.

By now, it’s evident that the entire landscape of the Indian aviation market will change by next year. A $1 rise in fuel price can cost crores of money to an airline. Looking at the Indian market, the launch of Akasa Air and the arrival of Air India remains a crucial point. Once these two get in action, there would be a few airlines taking a major hit. Overall, the sector appears to be bright and is expected to bounce back after rising passenger capacity and vaccination rollout.

18/11/1 Teji Mandi/Free Press Journal

Read More

Domestic air passenger volume spikes 70.5% to 89.85 lakh in October

Mumbai: Domestic air passenger volume spiked 70.46 per cent in October to 89.85 lakh over the same month of 2020, DGCA data showed on Thursday.

The Indian carriers had flown 52.71 lakh passengers in October last year.

It may be recalled that domestic traffic along with international flight services remains shut for two months till May 25, when scheduled air services were resumed in a graded manner. Scheduled international flight operations to and from India remain suspended as of now.

IndiGo in October 2021 flew 48.07 lakh passengers, accounting for 53.5 per cent of the total domestic traffic. Whereas, Air India, which is now set to go to its new owner Tata Group, transported 10.61 lakh passengers with an 11.8 per cent market share, according to data.

Full-service carrier Vistara, which is the Tata-SIA joint venture airline, flew 6.96 lakh passengers during October, cornering 7.8 per cent of the total pie. Budget carrier AirAsia India carried 5.72 lakh passengers in the previous month and had a market share of 6.4 per cent, according to DGCA data.

The two other carriers Go First (erstwhile GoAir) and SpiceJet transported 8.84 lakh and 8.10 lakh passengers, respectively, in October 2021, weaning away 9.8 per cent and 9 per cent share of the total domestic passenger traffic.

18/11/21 PTI/Business Standard

Read More

India now world's third largest domestic aviation market: Scindia

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday that India has become the third largest domestic aviation market in the world.

Speaking at a curtain raiser event on 'Wings India, 2022', Scindia said that India presently handles the third largest domestic traffic after the US and China.

"We all know that in this densely globalised economy, air transport is a key element in the country's transport infrastructure and plays an important role in the country's economic growth," he said.

The minister said that the overall freight handled by the country's airports during the first two quarters of FY22 (combined) has recovered to more than 80 per cent (15.36 lakh MT during April-September FY22) of the pre-pandemic level, despite the country being hit by a severe second wave in the first quarter.

18/11/21 IANS/Times of India

Read More

Want an aviation hub in India for Indians: Jyotiraditya Scindia

The government wants Indian carriers to launch long-haul international flights from India and create aviation hubs in India, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said today.

“I want a (aviation) hub created in India for Indians. We would not want aviation hubs outside India,” Scindia said at a CII conference.

The Modi government, since it has come to power in 2014, has been of the view that foreign carriers are flying out a large number of passenger traffic flying to Europe a ..

This government has also put a hold on any increase in foreign flying quota for several countries and also discussing ways to reduce the existing quota, which may be very difficult.

The government under the current bubble arrangement with several countries have also put a ban on airlines carrying sixth freedom passengers (a passenger flying to London from New Delhi via Dubai or any other hub).

On return of international flights, Scindia said that they are in discussions with several ministries and a decision will be taken once the environment is safe.

“Let me commit to you that we are evaluating it (resuming international flights)… but let’s not forget about the impact of COVID… we want to go back to normalcy but in a safe environment,” he said.

18/11/21 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

Read More

Boeing Now Has 214 Confirmed 737 MAX Orders From India

After years of drought and shrinking order books, Boeing has turned a page in the Indian domestic market. The American giant now has 214 confirmed 737 MAX orders from India, helping it claw back lost ground from rival Airbus. As narrowbodies remain the focus of the market, let’s look at Boeing’s recent successes.

A few months ago, we discussed the dominance of Airbus over Boeing in the Indian market. Fast forward to this week and the American giant has made significant progress in India. From having its signature MAX jets not flying to clocking a new order to reaching a settlement with its biggest customer, the tide is turning.

Today, the manufacturer has firm orders for 214 737 MAX 8s from two customers, Akasa Air and SpiceJet. The former is Boeing’s newest client, having secured an order for 72 737 MAX jets at the Dubai Air Show this week. The latter is Boeing’s largest operator, with an order for 155 MAX 8s and 50 options. Of that, 13 aircraft were delivered before the grounding in March 2019, bringing outstanding orders to 132.

Including options, 264 is not an insignificant number, and Boeing has the potential to rack up more orders from airlines like Jet Airways in the future. While Airbus’ dominance is not broken yet, there is another shift taking place.

For comparison, Airbus currently has orders for over 650 A320 family aircraft in India. A bulk of these come from market leader IndiGo, which has another 550 A320neo, A321neos, and A321XLRs on order from the European manufacturer. Go First and Vistara comes in at the second and this place respectively.

Air India is another major Airbus client but has no aircraft on order as of today. However, with Tata buying the carrier, there is a chance of a large order in the coming years as the airline modernizes its fleet.

The large order book and diverse clients mean that Airbus will be more resilient to shocks in the market. The fall of Jet Airways set Boeing back years in its India growth, with over half of all narrowbody orders wiped out. However, the planemaker is back now, and it is looking to make a splash.

18/11/21 Pranjal Pande/Simple Flying

Read More

Delivery of Rafale jets to India will be completed by April 2022: French envoy

Mumbai: Thirty Rafale fighter jets manufactured by French firm Dassault Aviation have been delivered to India so far and the remaining six will be handed over by April 2022 as part of an inter-governmental agreement signed five years ago, Ambassador of France Emmanuel Lenain said on Thursday.

He said it is a matter of pride for France that despite the COVID-19 pandemic which forced factories to close down for weeks, it was able to deliver the aircraft on time.

"In France, teams have been working extra shifts. They have been working nights and weekends sometimes to be able to fulfil the commitment. That is what trust is about."

"As of today, 29 (jets) have been ferried to India and 30 have been delivered to India. We are fully on time and we are going to reach the target of having all 36 delivered by April of next year," Lenain said.

The envoy said India and France have been cooperating for decades in the field of defence.

Fighter jets are first handed over to the Indian Air Force in France and they are later flown to India.

The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29 last year.

In 2016, India and France signed an inter-governmental agreement under which Paris is to provide 36 Rafale fighter jets to New Delhi.

The Rs 58,000-crore deal invited criticism from the opposition, particularly the Congress which has alleged financial irregularities while procuring the fighter jets.

18/11/21 PTI/New Indian Express

Read More

Smooth flight or turbulence ahead for India's airlines?

New Delhi: Contact-intensive services were among the hardest hit by the pandemic, with airlines being no exception. But now, with the infection ebbing and the threat of a third wave diminishing, the aviation sector is seeing green shoots of recovery

IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta recently told a financial daily that the situation was improving rapidly and faster than the sector had expected. Dutta said that while IndiGo’s performance in the last quarter was strong, the current quarter was also shaping up very well. He underlined that most importantly, revenue and traffic were coming back. Also, in a recent interview with Business Standard, Dutta’s response to why IndiGo was holding back its qualified institutional placement decision also highlighted how the airline is faring.

Things are not looking up for IndiGo alone. The entire sector is seeing buoyancy. According to a recent report, November has brought good news for the aviation sector, with daily domestic air traffic reaching close to pre-Covid levels. On 14th November, 385,661 passengers were recorded at departures.

This was the highest-ever daily traffic seen in India since air travel resumed in May last year following a two-month shutdown. This amounted to 96.4 per cent of pre-Covid air traffic level, as, on an average, around 400,000 domestic passengers were recorded on a daily basis in 2019.

Fresh blood is also being infused into the sector. Akasa Air, the budget airline backed by Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, recently placed an order for 72 Boeing aircraft. Valued at nine billion dollars at list price, the order was signed at the Dubai Air Show.

Also, let us not forget the most momentous development for the sector, the privatisation of Air India. It is returning to the Tatas after 68 years. If taken together, the Tata group, which also operates Vistara and AirAsia India, will have around 25 per cent share of the domestic airline market. That’s apart from the fact that it now has the largest Indian airline on international routes.

18/11/21 Bhaswar Kumar/Business Standard

Read More

Winter schedule kicks off with new long and short routes of Indian airlines

The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a deadly blow to the aviation sector even before it could heal the wounds inflicted by the grounding of Jet Airways, a one-time market leader.

The pandemic led to considerable changes in airline networks. Routes were dropped and new ones came up. Even the profiles of some routes changed.

Air India operates on both the shortest and the longest domestic routes in the country. At 1,340 nautical miles (2,482 km), the New Delhi-Port Blair route is the longest on the domestic network. Air India also operates on the shortest route in the country – between Kozhikode and Kannur, which is 51 nautical miles (94 km) and takes 30 minutes to cover.

Here are some of the shortest and longest airline routes in India >>

Read More

Decks cleared for Nagpur Flying Club’s take off after DGCA approval

Nagpur: After prodding from the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has cleared decks for restarting the Nagpur Flying Club (NFC) after a gap of over four and half years.

The apex body granted a ‘certificate of approval’ to the British-era club for two years from Tuesday till November 15, 2023.

With this mandatory approval, the Maharashtra government run club can now admit students for training and award them Private Pilot License (PPL) and Commercial Private License (CPL) required for flying aircraft in India. TOI had been tracking the NFC’s development through a series of articles, ever since it was closed.

“The certification means we can officially restart our operations. We can also purchase new planes and demand funds from the government for the purpose. The Mahajyoti had already granted us Rs2.5 crore funds for training OBC students here. We would soon be approaching the government tribal department to offer similar funds for training tribal students,” an elated divisional commissioner Parajakta Lavangare Varma, the ex-officio chairman, told TOI.

She said she was also keen to take help from alumni in running the prestigious club that was once pride of the city and had churned out several pilots, some even served in the Indian Air Force (IAF), while others flew commercial planes in India as well as abroad.

NFC’s maintenance cum accountable manager Pragnesh Sisodia said they would soon float an advertisement inviting applications from the aspirants. “The DGCA had already awarded air-worthiness certificates to our four aircraft. We would be initially admitting a batch of 40 students and then expand their number subsequently, once we commence our operations in a full-fledged mode. They would be selected through written-cum-verbal test. We have already appointed assistant flying instructors and other ground staff for running the club’s operations and training students.”

18/11/21 Vaibhav Ganjapure/Times of India

Read More

MP cuts VAT on aviation turbine fuel at Bhopal, Indore airports to 4%

In a bid to enhance air connectivity, the Madhya Pradesh government has decided to reduce the Value Added Tax (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to 4 per cent at Bhopal and Indore airports, a move it hopes will bring down airfares, an official said on Wednesday.

Currently, VAT on ATF was 25 per cent at Bhopal and Indore airports, and with the decision to slash it taken by the state cabinet on Tuesday, it will come down to 4 per cent, the official from the public relations department said.

"Like Gwalior, Jabalpur and Khajuraho airports where VAT on ATF is 4 per cent, the state government has decided to rationalise it at Bhopal and Indore airports too by reducing it from 25 per cent to 4 per cent, the official said.

This decision will give a boost to the tourism and hospitality sector in the state, apart from enhancing air connectivity, he said.

The move will prompt the aviation companies to reduce airfares, introduce more flights from the state and provide relief to air passengers, the official said.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had earlier demanded that VAT on ATF in Madhya Pradesh be reduced to a uniform 4 per cent to attract more flights to his home state.

17/11/21 PTI/BusinessToday.in

Read More

Daily domestic flyers hit new high since pandemic

New Delhi: With the number of flights and travellers going up, India witnessed the highest number of single-day domestic air travellers on Sunday since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last March.

As many as 3,85,661 passengers travelled via 2,754 flights across the country on Sunday. This was at 96.4 per cent of the pre-Covid level as in the year 2019 an average of around 4,00,000 domestic passengers was recorded on a daily basis.

Major airports saw heavy crowds and long queues last weekend, indicating the comeback of air travel.  As many as 3.78 lakh domestic passengers had travelled via 2,701 flights last Sunday.  Post the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the daily domestic passenger count crossed the three lakh mark for the first time on October 9.

The data of the Ministry of Civil Aviation showed that as many as 3.67 lakh passengers travelled via 2,713 flights across India on November 13. Similarly over 3.21 lakh domestic air passengers travelled via 2,594 flights on November 12. Before the pandemic struck, India’s daily domestic air traffic was approximately 4.25 lakh passengers.

On a weekly basis, the average daily air traffic during November 8-14 is around 3,52,400 passengers, 18 per cent up on the week, and the average passenger load factor for all major airlines also hovered around 80-90 per cent. For context, the average daily domestic air traffic in the month of October was 2,83,334 passengers.

Last week, an ICRA report had said that domestic air passenger traffic in the country had grown by a whopping 67 per cent year-on-year at around 87-88 lakh in October, on the back of festive season demand amid a continuous fall in the number of Covid-19 infection cases.

According to credit rating agency ICRA, domestic passenger volume in October 2020 was at 52.71 lakh. Moreover, domestic carriers operated 46 per cent more flights at 72,000 during the month under review over 49,150 departures logged in October 2020, ICRA said, adding, on a sequential basis, the number of departures in October 2021 were higher by around 18 per cent, as Covid-19 infections demonstrated a downward trajectory.

16/11/21 Rajesh Kumar/Pioneer

Read More

Vaccination status likely to be on boarding passes

New Delhi: Soon, you may have your Covid vaccination status printed on your flight boarding pass, making your travel hassle free and smooth.

The government is working on providing APIs for vaccination status at the time of web check-in with a mobile number. It is also exploring possibilities of having the vaccination status printed on all boarding passes — including the ones issued on spot.

An application programming interface (API) is needed to bring applications together in order to perform a designed function built around sharing data and executing pre-defined processes. APIs will also ensure end-to-end authentication, while passengers would not be required to carry their certificates for verification, official sources said.

The move is aimed at facilitating travellers, particularly those going abroad as some countries have raised issues with certification. “We are working with the ministry of civil aviation for providing APIs for vaccination status at the time of web check in through mobile number. It will perhaps also be possible to print the vaccination information on the boarding pass itself,” an official told TOI.

The move assumes significance as most people have resumed travel with economies and countries opening up after a long gap due to the Covid-19 outbreak. However, vaccination has become a key criteria for countries to allow entry to travellers.

16/11/21 Sushmi Dey/Times of India

Read More

Airfares rise 30-100% against pre-pandemic levels amid festive season: Thomas Cook

With a surge in domestic air passenger traffic, the airfares have risen by 30 % to 100 % of the pre-pandemic levels amid the festive season, a top Thomas Cook executive has said. The domestic air passenger traffic increased around 67 % year-on-year in October.

Thomas Cook, however, expects the airfares to be levelled off going forward, as the domestic carriers operate with 100 % capacity.

After domestic traffic nosedived in May at 19.20 lakh month-on-month due to the virulent second wave of the pandemic, the traffic gradually returned to the growth trajectory in the subsequent months, reaching around 88 lakh in the previous month, credit rating agency Icra had said earlier this month.

The growth was supported by the steep decline in COVID-19 infection cases, higher capacity deployment by the local carriers and festive season demand, among others.

Strong pent up demand is resulting in a strong uptick in domestic air travel, exacerbated by the limited reopening of international routes, said Indiver Rastogi, President & Group Head for global business travel at Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC.

India's festive season, typically, starts from October 1 and goes up to November 30 every year.

"Starting with the festive season, domestic airfares continue to witness a surge between 30 % and 100 % when compared with pre-pandemic levels," he said.

According to Rastogi, while a flight ticket to Andaman (Port Blair) from Ahmedabad spiked a steep 100 %, it was costing 50 % more from Delhi.

For travel from Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata to the same destination, the ticket prices were up 30 %, he noted.

Goa being a favourite destination witnessed the flight ticket prices rising in the range of 10-30 % from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and 50 % from Ahmedabad, Rastogi said.

15/11/21 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

In-flight hot meals, newspapers and magazines now allowed on all domestic flights, says Aviation Ministry

The Civil Aviation Ministry of India (MoCA) has allowed airlines to serve hot meals on all domestic flights. The air carriers were barred from serving in-flight meals, which have a duration of less than two hours, since April 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry has also permitted resumption of magazine and reading materials for passengers on domestic flights, the order noted.

"The airlines, operating flights on domestic sectors may provide meal services on board, without restriction on duration of the flight," the ministry's order said on Tuesday. The decision to resume meals and magazines has been taken as "Covid caseload" has reduced due to "proper implementation of appropriate Covid behaviour protocol", it mentioned.

When the scheduled domestic flight services were resumed on May 25 last year after the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, the ministry had allowed the airlines to serve in-flight meals under certain conditions.

Earlier, Vistara, a Tata-SIA alliance airliner announced to re-introduced in-flight meals across cabins on its domestic network. The domestic airline has also resumed serving hot vegetarian meals in the Economy Class on its flights within India. Vistara has laid out a detailed plan to keep the inflight menu new and refreshed. As per the company, a lot of travellers preferred Vistara over other domestic airlines due to good quality in-flight meal. Vistara says they will be refreshing meals every three days which includes options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

In Economy Class, breakfast options include Masala Uttappam, Medu Vada, Idli with sambar etc.;  lunch and dinner options include Vegetable Biryani with Dal Makhani, Jeera Pulao with Chana Masala, and more; while Masala Pao with Bhaji, Hot Garlic Vegetables with Noodles, etc. will be served as snacks on relevant flights. 

16/11/21 ZeeNews

Read More

Rajasthan, MP cut VAT to reduce fuel prices

Jaipur: The Rajasthan government on Tuesday decided to reduce petrol price by Rs 4 per litre and diesel rate by Rs 5 per litre from midnight.

“In the Cabinet meeting today, it was unanimously decided to reduce the rate of VAT on petrol and diesel. After this, the rates will be reduced by Rs 4 per litre in petrol and Rs 5 per litre in diesel from 12 o’clock tonight,” Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot tweeted.

Meanwhile, the MP Cabinet also cut VAT on aviation fuel from 25% to 4%, a much-awaited move that is expected to boost aviation and tourism in the state. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had written to many states, urging them to reduce VAT on aviation turbine fuel.

16/11/21 Times of India

Read More

Tripura Cabinet Deducts Aviation Fuel Tax; Creates 61 Posts Under Law Department

Agartala: Tripura cabinet on Tuesday announced the decision to charge one percent tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel at Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport in Agartala.

In a press conference organized in Agartala on Tuesday evening, the Information and Cultural Affairs minister (ICA) Sushanta Chowdhury asserted that the council of ministers today decided to deduct the VAT of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 16 percent to 1 percent.

“With this deduction of VAT on ATF, Tripura government will incur a loss of Rs 1.67 crore per annum. However, the government had earned a profit of 1.78 crore per annum”, – asserted Chowdhury.

“At present, West Bengal is charging VAT of Rs 25 percent, Assam is charging 23.65 percent. But, we are expecting that the number of airlines will land at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport as the fuel tax has been deducted to 1 percent” – he added.

The ICA minister further claimed that “During the previous Leftist regime, 18 percent tax was imposed on aviation turbine fuel. BJP-led government curtailed 2 percent and fixed at 16 percent VAT of ATF in November 2018. Now, 15 percent more has been slashed”, he added.

Its worthy to note that construction & decoration processes of the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport’s new terminal is on the verge of completion, and will soon be inaugurated.

16/11/21 Abhijit Nath/Northeast Today

Read More

Balakot Strike Hero Mirage 2000 Displays Might At IAF's Airshow On Purvanchal Expressway

In an air show organised by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday, November 16 at Purvanchal Expressway, the rolling landing of the fighter jets including Mirage 2000 was part of the capability display. As part of the standard process to land an aircraft and thereafter attend to by a team to make it ready for the next mission, Mirage 2000 was first landed on the airstrip for Turn Round Servicing (TRS). Here's all you need to know about the Dassault Mirage-2000 fighter jet which is considered the hero of the Kargil war 1991 and was also deployed during the Balakot strike.

During the Balakot strike of 2019 which was piloted in response to the Pulwama attack,12 Indian Air Force Mirage-2000 fighter jets, entered Pakistani airspace and dropped laser-guided bombs of 1000-kg on Jaish-e-Mohammed terror launch pads across the Line of Control.

Many other fighter jets including the Sukhoi Su-30MKI and MiG-29 and the indigenously developed Tejas LCA in its arsenal were used by the IAF in the Kargil but it was Mirage-2000 which played a decisive role in the1999 Kargil war and turned it in India’s favour. 

IAF's Mirage-2000 which was first commissioned in 1985 is considered the deadliest and versatile aircraft. The IAF has named it as Vajra meaning lightning thunderbolt. Dassault Aviation developed the Mirage-2000 and in 1978, took its first flight. It was then inducted into the French Air Force in 1984. In 1982, as a response to Pakistan buying US-made F-16 fighter jets by Lockheed Martin, India had placed an order of 36 single-seater Mirage-2000 and 4 twin-seater Mirage 2000. 

Considering the successful use of these jets, the Indian government in 2004 placed an order of 10 Mirage-2000 planes. Later in 2011, a contract was signed to upgrade the existing Mirage-2000 jets to Mirage 2000-5 Mk. This was done with an aim to increase the life of the jets that are currently ready to serve till 2030.

16/11/21 Vidyashree S/Republicworld

Read More

Captain Rohaneet Singh Raina's Journey In The Aviation Industry Is All About Perseverance And Dedication

It was not an easy journey. To be precise, foraying into the aviation industry is not a cakewalk, perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but young and dynamic Singh from Jammu and Kashmir conquered all the difficulties and challenges to become a successful pilot and COO of Kashmir Air Services. This company acquired multi-engine aircraft under his leadership.

Young Capt. Rohaneet Singh Raina, Hailing from a humble family, achieved the milestone of obtaining a six-seater multi-engine aircraft and approving a Non-Scheduled Operator Permit from MOCA.

Capt. Rohanneet Singh Raina began studying in flight school in Vancouver, Canada, at the young age of 18 and was exceptionally well in training. His extraordinary accomplishments are evident from the fact that he achieved solo flying in mere 17 hours.

Consequently, he was accorded recognition by FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, which is the Civil Aviation Authority of United States of America, with inclusion in the prestigious FAA Airmen Certification Database due to meeting or exceeding high educational, licensing & medical standards established by this entity.

"I was always very fascinated by aircraft and all the things happening at airports – I guess I've always been dreaming of becoming a pilot since childhood, " said Capt. Rohanneet Singh Raina. He further added that he faced a difficult time when he returned to India.

"During 2012, the aviation industry plunged into a steep recession, and it directly impacted me and my batchmates," said Capt. Rohanneet added that he never lost hope and kept exploring various possible and potential avenues in aviation.

In 2018, Capt. Rohanneet got an offer from business associates to start a venture under Kashmir Air Services (KAS). "Some close associates approached me with an idea to start their venture. I found it interesting despite having no prior experience in the field," said Capt. Rohanneet Singh Raina, adding that instead of setbacks owing to apprehensions, he went ahead with the project and received huge love and support.

He stated that he also received ample support in taking approval on Non-Scheduled Operator Permit from MOCA. "I am thankful to everyone, especially the support system set under the guidelines imbued by Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji. He is a visionary, and I hope that someday I will get the opportunity to meet him," said Rohanneet.

While talking about the KAS project, Capt. Rohanneet affirmed that earlier, the business model for KAS included the purchase of Super King Air B200 (10 seaters corporate jet). However, he could not purchase it due to its unavailability in India. To counter this, he purchased Piper Seneca (PA-34), a six-seater multi-engine aircraft.

Talking about his struggles, Rohanneet said that he lives in Delhi along with his grandma.

"Although my mother has played a significant role in making me reach this far, I consider my grandma as my biggest inspiration," said Rohanneet, continuing that he accrues learning pragmatism from his sister. She lives in UAE and works as HR Executive at a prominent hotel.

16/11/21 Outlook

Read More

SATS breaks ground on Indian central kitchen

Singapore-based ground handler and caterer SATS announced that work has begun on the construction of its central kitchen in India. The 20,000 sqm kitchen is located at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/BLR Airport), and will be the largest and first of its kind in India. SATS’ first central kitchen in India will cost S$37 million to build and is expected to be operational in 2023. The kitchen will incorporate automation and smart technology to produce nutritious, tasty, safe food cost-effectively. Examples of advanced technology that will be used include an automated rice line that can produce up to 600kg of different types of rice within an hour and Internet of Things (IoT) devices for monitoring food temperature. 

The building has also been designed with sustainability and safety in mind. It is the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified frozen food manufacturing facility in India with an IoT building management system to enable utility consumption to be proactively tracked and regulated. Taking into consideration enhanced safety measures in response to COVID-19, the building has MERV-13 to 16 air filtration capability and a dedicated fresh air supply receptive zone, Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) technology that uses UV-C rays to disinfect the air, and touchless operations. 

Reflecting SATS’ unique approach to innovation, the kitchen will also house an innovation centre that will be connected to the SATS Innovation Hub in Singapore. The Innovation Centre in India will allow partners to leverage SATS’ product and packaging development strengths to innovate and introduce a variety of cuisines and products to the India market. Partners can also leverage the technical know-how of SATS on shelf-life extension food technology to reduce food wastage.

The ground-breaking of SATS’ first central kitchen in India comes shortly after its announcement on 26 July 2021, signalling the rapid speed of SATS’ response to local demand.

15/11/21 Asian Aviation

Read More

Malayali pilot Bincy Johnson all set to conquer new heights

Arinalloor: Bincy Johnson was fascinated by plane trips from a young age. Since then, she started dreaming of flying the aircraft. When she heard her parents talking about sending her off to study medicine after Plus Two, she told them: “I want to be a pilot. Please don’t make me pursue any other course.”

Her father James Johnson and her mother Sobha Johnson stood by her wish. At the age of 19, the Arinalloor native secured her license from both New Zealand and Australia. She has finished the first phase of the Indian Pilot License. She currently lives with her brother Britto in Bengaluru preparing for the second phase.

“It is in India that the highest number of girls enter this field. There are 12 percent female pilots in India, whereas in many other countries it is only 4 percent. Although the expenses for pursuing the course are high, many have succeeded in this field by completing their education with the help of education loans,” says Bincy. “I can find a job as an instructor in New Zealand or Australia with this license. But my wish is to become an airline pilot.”

“Our family was settled in Saudi before. The plane trips that we used to take to our homeland and back are what intrigued me the most. I presented my dream before my parents when I felt that it was the right time. They supported me. I cannot express the happiness that I felt during my first take off on January 24. It was a moment of absolute joy in Arinalloor as well. I also feel happy when the people of my town refer to me as a ‘pilot’. My next dream is to land a flight in Thiruvananthapuram or in Nedumbassery.”

14/11/21 Mathrubhumi

Read More

Aviation Min Scindia pleased as Himachal Pradesh CM Thakur reduces VAT on Jet fuel to 2%

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia thanked Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday for the reduction in Value-added Tax on Air Turbine Fuel to two per cent. While going on to term this step to be a significant one, Union Minister Scindia stated that this would boost the air connectivity in Himachal Pradesh. CM Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday also unveiled the Mandi greenfield airport which is in close proximity to the China border, and is CM Thakur's dream project.

On November 3, the Centre had decided to reduce the excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs. 5 and Rs. 10 respectively. As per data provided by the Ministry of petroleum and natural gas, 22 states/Union Territories in a bid to provide relief to the consumers had undertaken a commensurate reduction of VAT on fuel. 

Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia while thanking Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday stated that the step taken was a progressive one. In a tweet that Scindia put out while expressing his gratitude, he urged other states to embark in similar directions. Scindia mentioned that by doing so, the governments would help bolster the economic prosperity of India and also bring connectivity to places that lack the same. 

11/11/21 Saptarshi Das/Republicworld

Read More

Ahmedabad to roll out helicopter joyrides, seaplane services before Gujarat Global Summit

Gujarat’s biennial flagship event, Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) 2022, will be held in January. It will be the tenth edition of VGGS and the state civil aviation department, in association with the tourist department, is all set to unleash various activities in Gujarat skies.

The government will begin helicopter joyrides in Ahmedabad city and will start an air ambulance service. Air ambulance services will allow people to hire helicopters in order to visit tourist or religious places.

For air ambulances, the Beechcraft Super King aircraft will be used. The aircraft is used by notable personalities and necessary permission to convert this aircraft into an ambulance has already been taken.

However, among all these attractions, the most important feature that is set to resume is the Ahmedabad-Kevadiya seaplane service which connects the riverfront of Sabarmati in Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity in Kevadiya.

12/11/21 First Post

Read More

Airfare, Full Air Schedule, Meals on Short Flights: Govt Panel's Flurry of Questions to Aviation Ministry

New Delhi: The Department related Standing Committee for Transport, Tourism and Culture met on Friday to discuss “issues affecting the Civil Aviation Sector in the current scenario”. Members asked several questions related to airfare and the price cap in the meeting of the Aviation officers that also included the Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Several members asked as to why was there still a cap on flights and when would the normal schedule of flights resume.

Civil aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal is said to have told the committee that the price cap was due to the bubble system which is still in place and that an educated call would be taken by the concerned ministries in the near future.

Members expressed their concern over the high ticket price and why the government was not able to bring it under control. The officials of the ministry explained to the committee that there were several factors including the rise in aviation fuel that was in a way responsible for their price rise of tickets.

Members suggested to the aviation officials that the government should start regularising flights, not just domestic routes but also internationally given the fact that the maximum number of people are now doubly vaccinated and it will only help in lowering the ticket prices further.

Members also raised concerns over the domestic flights that are less than two hours and had no meal facilities for fliers and said that it was discriminatory. “ Is there any assurance that there will be no Covid for passengers who do not eat on a flight for more than two hours and there will be Covid if there was a flight distance of lesser than two hours and food was supplied?”

MoCA Secy told the committee that he will be placing the concern before the concerned authorities even as such a call had to be taken by the health specialist committee. A member of the committee Suggested that such expert committees were advising on the resumption of meals on flights should also appear before this committee to explain their logic.

12/11/21 CNN-News18

Read More

Sikkim: MI 172 Commercial Chopper Makes Maiden Trip For Demonstration and Trial

Pakyong : After almost three-and-half decade post commissioning of Pawan Hans chopper in tiny state of Sikkim with Tourism Dept still operating it’s 30 minutes flight service from Gangtok’s Burtuk Helipad to Siliguri’s Bagdogra Airport in West Bengal. Today under the supervision of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) the dream finally comes true when 26 seater MI 172 carried demonstration cum trial toady in Gangtok.

Sikkim got its first airport just recently for long distance air travel but due to weather constraint it is still causing bottleneck situation.

Pakyong Tabletop Airport which is a distinct 100th airport under Udaan Project of government  of India is seeing surge in movement of travellers from Delhi and Kolkata. Spicejet Private Airliner is the lone player which operates under Airports Authority of India. To get respite from bottleneck situation there has been a hue and cry with many demanding upgrading chopper service with seating capacity which can ease mobility of people between Bagdogra and Sikkim.

With time there has been seen huge crisis of air transport since the NH10 couldn’t be relied due to several landslides and natural calamity each year.

12/11/21 Voice of Sikkim

Read More

DGCA starts eGCA portal for pilots, engineers, trainers, in tie-up with TCS

Mumbai: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in collaboration with TCS, launched the eGCA, a portal that provides end-to-end digital solutions for all its stakeholders, including pilots, aircraft engineers, operators and flying training organizations.

With this portal DGCA and TCS will help eGCA to deliver anytime-anywhere regulatory approval.

TCS had won the mandate from DGCA in 2019 to digitize it’s daily operations, Over the last 2.5 years TCS has streamlined 300 services, with the first set of services being made live on 30th December 2019. The platform, an e-governance tool for Civil Aviation, will provide a new service mechanism for all the stakeholders, keeping customers at its forefront.

Tej Bhatla, Business Unit Head, TCS, said, “We are proud to have partnered with DGCA to bring the best use of technology in building eGCA - a future-ready platform that enhances efficiency and strengthens governance. For us, this is another memorable #tcspartofyourstory for #digitalindia, built on the belief and faith that DGCA had in us.”

DGCA is the safety regulator for India’s expansive civil aviation sector and is responsible for safe and efficient air transportation through a regulatory framework, services to stakeholders, and proactive safety oversight. Before its switch to digital governance, the regulatory body functioned predominately on a paper-based model. This led to longer processing times for applications and stakeholders were not able to track the status of their application on a real-time basis.

11/11/21 Business Standard

Read More