UFOs Are Being Spotted Regularly At The Delhi Airport, Indian Air Force Put On High Alert

Delhi: Things have been getting a little weird for the security agencies working in and around Delhi, Indra Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. They have been put on red alert after 'regular spotting' of suspicious objects flying in and around the international airport.
On Friday, the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) at the Delhi airport spotted unidentified flying objects not once, but thrice in and around the airport. While it could've very well been a drone, there isn't any video, or photographic evidence to support the claim.
In fact, an Air Vistara pilot flying in from Bhubaneswar complained of being distracted by a laser beam right before he landed on IGI's runway 29 on Wednesday night. It's a scary situation considering the number of lives at risk. The pilot apparently observed a laser beam distracting him 6 nautical miles away from the runway.
31/10/15 Rishbh Banerji/Indiatimes

Read More

Industry hails draft aviation policy

Mumbai: The draft aviation policy, which was unveiled by the government on Friday, was broadly welcomed by the aviation industry officials. The aviation fraternity hailed several proposals, particularly pertaining to building of no-frills airport, tax exemptions for maintenance, repairs and operations sector and efforts to encourage middle class Indians towards air travel.
SpiceJet promoter and chairman Ajay Singh said: “The government has focused on regional connectivity and we have been a proponent of that for a long time but we do not agree with the capping of prices at R2,500. Exempting MRO’s from certain taxes is also encouraging.”
Hailing the government’s move Indigo Airlines president Aditya Ghosh said: “Lowering taxes on the MRO sector will help reduce the input cost of running an airline. Government’s initiative in promoting low-cost airports will help in the penetration in domestic market,” said Aditya Ghosh, president, Indigo Airlines. Similarly, Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh said: “We applaud the ministry of civil aviation for being proactive and prompt in putting together a slew of recommendations to tackle the known issues that have been plaguing the aviation industry.”
31/10/15 Financial Express

Read More

Revised draft aviation policy to boost air traffic in State

Visakhapatnam: The growth and development of airstrips like the one at Kadapa and the proposed ones at Kuppam and Oravakal in Andhra Pradesh will get a boost with several initiatives for regional airports announced in the Revised Draft National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), released by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju in New Delhi on Friday.

The revised policy will also benefit regional airline operators like Air Costa to fly to more destinations and increase their occupancy. It would also provide better air connectivity within the State.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had already approved AP Civil Aviation Policy in June this year. The State government had announced lower VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), stamp duty exemption, re-imbursement of property tax for Aircraft MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility.

The revised draft policy provides several concessions to airlines operating to airports under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). This can be a boon to airports in Andhra Pradesh to increase traffic and provide regional connectivity within the State.
31/10/15 B. Madhu Gopal/The Hindu

Read More

‘If States want regional connectivity, they should come on board’

New Delhi: oon after putting the draft civil aviation policy in the public domain for stakeholder comments, RN Choubey, Secretary – Civil Aviation, met with BusinessLine to outline the policy’s finer details.

A lot of what is being proposed involves the States — such as an 80:20 viability gap funding (VGF) where the Centre will meet 80 per cent of the cost and the States, the rest. Have the States accepted this proposal?

We will make this offer. It is up to the States. If they want regional connectivity to progress, they must make tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) less than 1 per cent and agree to this 20 per cent (VGF). They also must agree to provide water and power at concessional rates and security free of cost. We want it in place by April 1, 2016.

How many States will come on board?

That prediction is a difficult one.

Has the offer of VAT of 1 per cent or less in Regional Connectivity Scheme airports been made to the States?

Now it will go. Any State which wants small airports and regional connectivity and (wants) its people to start flying…after all we are seeking VAT of 1 per cent or less on ATF, on fuel which is not being sold now. So there is no loss to them.

Why should I pay subsidy which goes in part to the State? The idea is that subsidy should be given for the benefit of the flyers.
30/10/15 Business Line

Read More

New draft policy mulls over 50% FDI in airlines

New Delhi: In a significant move, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Friday pitched for hiking FDI beyond 50 per cent in the sector in case the open skies policy is implemented, but its stand on scrapping the 5/20 Rule remained ambigous.

The ministry released a revised draft policy on civil aviation in the country, where it spoke about liberalising bilateral rights leading to greater ease of doing business and wider choice to passengers.

It is also looking at open skies policy on reciprocal basis with SAARC, and countries beyond a 5,000 km radius from New Delhi. “Unlimited flights above the existing bilateral rights will be allowed directly to and from major international airports within the country as notified by MoCA from time-to-time,” it said. “Open skies agreement with countries lying partly or fully within the 5,000 km radius from New Delhi will be considered with effect from April 1, 2020, on a reciprocal basis,” the draft policy said.
31/10/15 Deccan Herald

Read More

Still circling: Draft aviation policy makes few moves forward

The fact that the government has not been able to come out with a clear aviation policy statement after being in power for nearly 20 months speaks volumes for how the sector has been run, and how vested interests continue to block its opening up. Among the most detrimental policies has been the 5/20 rule – an airline must have flown for 5 years and must have a minimum of 20 aircraft before it can fly overseas – that stymies global operations of newer airlines. Such a regulation should never have been enforced because it is there only to give older players an advantage over new entrants. The government now proposes to re-write the rule, or maybe not. While the draft civil aviation policy, announced on Friday, lists the options of retaining or withdrawing the rule, in all probability it is the third option which will be exercised – this allows airlines to fly overseas subject to them accumulating some minimum Domestic Flying Credits (DFC). The DFCs are an improvement from the current 5/20 rule, but there is no real reason to have them at all except to delay newcomers like Vistara and Air Asia’s overseas foray, to lower the competitive intensity for older players like IndiGo and SpiceJet.
It is equally unfortunate that little has been done to fix the regressive Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) which force airlines to fly to locations that are un-remunerative. While the government may have its own reasons for ensuring there is air connectivity in certain parts of the country, such as the north-east, there is a case for compensating airlines for flying loss-making routes.
30/10/15 Financial Express

Read More

Government indecisive on 5/20 norm; seeks more comments

New Delhi: Playing safe on the vexed international flying norms for domestic airlines, the government has kept all options open on 5/20 rule even as it today unveiled a comprehensive draft civil aviation policy.

By giving three options on the norm for stakeholders, the Civil Aviation Ministry seems to have taken a cautious approach on the issue before putting in place the final policy that is expected in a couple of months.

The revised draft policy, which has been in the works for nearly a year, was unveiled today and provides for a slew of incentives to various segments of the domestic aviation sector which is yet to realise its full potential.

Despite various lobby groups batting for and against the 5/20 norm -- whereby only local carriers having five years of operational experience and a fleet of 20 aircraft are allowed to fly overseas -- the policy did not provide a finality on the matter.
30/10/15 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Sops for maintenance, repair and overhaul services will help: Experts

Mumbai: The government's proposals for India's aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centres will 'significantly' decrease the cost difference between fixing a plane here and doing it abroad, said industry experts. They, however, said that other components, especially royalty to airports for operating MRO facilities, should be abolished for the segment to be viable.

Post the incentives, servicing a plane in an Indian MRO will be about 20% costlier than in other markets, said industry experts. It's more than 35-50% costlier now, according to industry figures. In its draft aviation policy, the ministry of civil aviation has proposed that no service tax be levied on MRO services will be zero-rated and that airport royalty and other levies will be rationalised.
Aircraft maintenance tools and tool kits will be exempt from customs duty. The government has also proposed to allow a 3-year tax holiday on storage of spare parts imported by an MRO, extended from 1 year. Also, foreign aircraft can be brought to India for MRO work and can stay here for 6 months without any regulatory approval.
31/10/15 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

Read More

Aviation Sector To Contribute $250 Bn To India's GDP By 2025: Report

With an anticipated 3-fold increase in domestic air traffic, the Indian aviation sector has the potential to contribute to over 5 per cent of the GDP and create economic value of up to $250 billion on an annual basis by 2025, according to an industry report titled ‘Maximising the contribution of aviation to the Indian economy,’ released on Friday (30 October) .

The report commissioned by Tata SIA Airlines Ltd, the parent of India’s new full service airline — Vistara,  was intended to inform and sensitise policy makers and other stakeholders about the enormous benefits of liberalising aviation in India..

Looking at the global data and international best practises, the report underlines the need for a supportive supply and regulatory environment to realise the aviation industry’s transformative potential.
31/10/15 CH Unnikrishnan/BusinessWorld

Read More

Rooftop sensors for flight tracking app

Kolkata:  It's not just Indian Air Force and Airports Authority of India (AAI) controllers that are tracking flights. Someone in your locality could be doing so. For that matter, even you could be monitoring the progress of aircraft as they arrive, depart or fly over the city!

Three overseas companies—Flight Radar of Sweden, Flight Aware of the US, and Flight Finder of the UK—have seeded tracking devices in various neighbourhoods of Kolkata and other cities to create a network of private aircraft monitoring stations that tracks the progress of flights in the region. The data is then fed into a tracking system real-time that can be accessed on the internet.

"Now you can see the progress of a flight in which your loved one is travelling, right from takeoff till it lands. And this isn't just from one Indian city to another but across the globe. So long as you have the flight numbers, they can be viewed real-time on your mobile phone, tablet or laptop from anywhere in the world," said Arya Ghosh, a bank executive who hosts devices that receive signals from flights and automatically loads the data on the internet.
31/10/15 Subro Niyogi/Times of India

Read More

Keep an eye out for 1929-30 first airmail set of India

Formerly the Jewel in the Crown of the British Empire, today India appears to be on the threshold of becoming one of the world’s great powers.

India is popular with many stamp collectors worldwide, especially among British Empire collectors and members of the Indian diaspora.

Stamp collecting in India has grown as many people became more affluent and could afford to collect.

A good set to look for is India’s first airmail set (Scott C1-6) issued in 1929-30.

The stamp design features an inset portrait of King George V, while the vignette depicts a DeHavilland Hercules biplane flying the mail above a lake with mountains in the background.

This classic and colorful set is popular with aviation topical collectors as well as with country and British Empire collectors. The 2016 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue values the set in unused hinged condition at $34.65 and in mint never-hinged condition at $60. It is a good buy at those prices. Be sure to avoid examples with toned gum.
31/10/15 Henry Gitner and Rick Miller/Linn's Stamp 

Read More

No handwritten passports after Nov 24

Pune: Indian citizens with handwritten passports will have to get them replaced with machine-readable ones.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has set a deadline of November 24 for the global phase-out of all non-Machine Readable Passports (MRPs).

Thereafter, foreign governments may deny a visa or entry to a person travelling on a non-Machine Readable Passport, a circular from the ministry of external affairs said.

The government has been issuing MRPs since 2001. Those issued before 2001 and particularly those issued during the mid-1990s with a validity of 20 years fall into the non-MRPs.
31/10/15 Times of India

Read More

Many pluses for domestic airlines, some with strings attached

The 8-9 per cent jump on Friday in the stocks of SpiceJet and Jet Airways suggests that the Draft National Civil Aviation Policy 2015 has many positives for the sector in general, and for the entrenched, incumbent players in particular.

For one, the vintage players in the sector — Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo and Air India — must be relieved that the government has not yet revealed its hand on the contentious ‘5/20’ rule. Inviting suggestions and effectively kicking the can down the road, the draft policy suggests that the rule could continue, or be abolished, or be replaced, with domestic flying credits.

The older airlines want continuation of this rule that mandates five years of domestic operations and a fleet of 20 aircraft before an airline can start international operations. This is being opposed tooth and nail by new entrants such as AirAsia India and Vistara that want to fly international, without fetters, as soon as possible.

For the time being though, the older airlines will not see threat from the competition on their lucrative international routes.
30/10/15 Anand Kalyanaraman/Business Line

Read More

Air Travel to Cost More as Govt Moots 2% Levy on Tickets

New Delhi: Air travel is set to become a little more expensive with the government proposing 2 per cent levy on all domestic and international tickets to raise funds for boosting regional air connectivity.

The proposal, part of the elaborate and revised National Civil Aviation Policy, is to be implemented from January 2016.

Even as there are concerns that additional levy will push airfares higher, leading carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet said the move will help develop infrastructure for regional air connectivity which, in turn, will bring down the costs.

Coming out with the much-awaited draft policy, the Civil Aviation Ministry today proposed a raft of measures to bolster regional air connectivity, including by way of levying additional cess and providing viability gap funding.

For Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), the government plans to impose a 2 per cent levy on all tickets.

"RCF (Regional Connectivity Fund) will be funded by a levy of 2 per cent on all domestic and international tickets from January 1, 2016 onwards under...The Aircraft Act 1934. The RCF levy will be applied on all routes other than Cat IIA routes and RCS routes," as per the draft policy.
30/10/15 Outlook

Read More

In aviation policy draft, Government seeks to make air travel affordable

New Delhi: To enable the common man to fly at least once every year, the Ministry for Civil Aviation (MoCA) today unveiled the draft civil aviation policy proposing a two per cent levy on air fares on trunk routes to subsidise air travel to under-served and un-served destinations.
The ministry additionally proposed a replacement to the 5/20 rule (which requires an Indian airline to have a fleet of 20 aircraft and operational experience of five years to commence international operations) with a reworked domestic flying credits (DFC) formula, but it also left open options to either retain or abolish the regulation altogether. A final decision on the issue will be taken after public consultations and will subsequently be notified when the final civil aviation policy is cleared by the Cabinet.
In an effort to boost air connectivity, the civil aviation ministry is looking at an upfront subsidy to airlines so that the cost of air travel on certain routes would be brought within the reach of the common man at about Rs 2,500 per flying hour under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). The subsidy would be collected in a Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF) and generated by levying a two per cent charge on air tickets in high-volume traffic making sectors.
No-frills airports at over 401 unused air strips across the country would be developed at estimated cost of around Rs 50 crore each for supporting flights to these unconnected destinations. The push for air travel proposed under the regional connectivity scheme is expected to boost domestic air traffic to 300 million by 2022 from 70 million now. Domestic air ticketing is expected to go up further to 500 million by 2027.
Among other things, the draft policy proposes to rationalise jet fuel cost, promote air cargo, maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) through fiscal and regulatory concessions and frame separate regulations for promoting helicopter operations.
30/10/15 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Indian Express

Read More

Government plans all-inclusive airfare at Rs 2500 for 1-hour flight, use choppers for intra-city movement, no-frills airports

The Union Civil Aviation Ministry on Friday released a "dynamic" draft aviation policy that can "keep pace with the ever changing demands of the sector". The highlight of the draft policy was a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), under which the airfare has been capped at Rs 2500 per passenger for a one-hour flight.
However, the Rs 2500 cap for one hour doesn’t specify if the limit is on the schedule timing of flight or the on-air time.

According to a ministry release, the scheme will come into effect from April 1, 2016.
While the government has put a cap on the airfare, it has also mentioned the ways by which the cost can be compensated for the stakeholders. The most significant of the steps to be taken, as per the draft policy, is a levy of 2% on all domestic and international tickets on all routes.
In addition to this, it has been proposed that the state governments will provide free land and multi-modal hinterland connectivity. The state governments will also be required to provide concessional rates of power, water and other utilities. Also, they would be required to impose VAT on ATF 1% or less on airports coming under the regional connectivity scheme. The excise duty on ATF drawn by SCAs from RCS airports will also be exempted. The draft policy also talks about looking at cost effective security solutions.
The draft policy further talks about building no-frills airports at a cost of Rs 50 crore. Pointing that at least 75 out of 476 airstrips and airports have scheduled operations, the ministry has called for revival of the rest on the basis of demand.
It also mentions that the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for scheduled commuter airlines will be shared between the Centre and the states in 80:20 ratio.
Presenting the revised draft national aviation policy, Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey said the ministry has proposed 2 per cent levy on all domestic and international tickets for regional connectivity scheme.
30/10/15 IBN Live

Read More

Cheaper air fares, FDI push: 15 key takeaways from draft aviation policy

In a big first step to making flying affordable for the masses, the Centre announced a slew of measures in its draft aviation policy that aims to incentivise flights to smaller towns and allows creation of no-frill airports to boost regional numbers.

Here are 15 key takeaways from the draft aviation policy that was released on Friday for inputs from stakeholders before finalisation.

1. Flying for masses
Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) that will come into effect from 1 April 2016, the Centre will target an all-inclusive airfare not exceeding Rs 2,500 per passenger, indexed to inflation for a one-hour flight on RCS routes. This will be implemented by way of:
i) Concessions by different stakeholders

ii) Viability gap funding for scheduled commuter airlines
iii) Put nearly 300-odd airports to use. These will be upgraded no-frills airport at cost of Rs 50 crore each. Besides, to make operations in such airports feasible, the security will be aircraft-based, so that the airport is sanitised just around an hour or two before the flight.
iv) Centre has mooted 2 per cent levy on all air tickets to fund regional connectivity scheme.
2. Bilateral traffic rights
The government plans to liberalize the regime of bilateral rights leading to greater ease of doing business and wider choice to passengers. It will enter into an 'Open sky' ASA on a reciprocal basis with SAARC countries and countries with territory located beyond 5000 km.
3. Plan to increase FDI
The Centre has proposed to increase FDI in airlines from 49% to above 50% if it decides to go in for open skies for countries lying within 5,000 km radius

4. 5/20 Rule
Under this rule for Indian carriers to fly abroad, the Centre has invited suggestions on three possible policy options: i) 5/20 Rule may continue as it is, or
ii) 5/20 Rule will be abolished with immediate effect, or
iii) Domestic airlines will need to accumulate 300 domestic flying credits before commencing flights to SAARC countries and countries with territory located entirely beyond a 5,000 km radius from New Delhi.

The rest:
5. Secure skies
6. Code Share Agreements (CSA)
7. Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)
8. Route Dispersal Guidelines
9. Ease for helicopters
10. Scheduled commuter airlines
11. More airports
12. Prod for AAI
13. Push for cargo
14. Aeronautical 'Make in India'
15. Charter operations

30/10/15 Economic Times

Read More

India Proposes Rule Changes to Promote Local Air Connectivity

India proposed changes to its civil aviation policy designed to lower the cost of local flying and boost regional connectivity.
The government is proposing incentives to cut the cost of flying and is setting up a regional connectivity fund to improve access to remote areas, according to the draft aviation policy unveiled Friday.
The proposals are part of a long-awaited civil aviation policy that would replace some rules dating back to the 1930s. The draft includes several options for the “5-20 rule,” which requires local airlines to operate for five years and have 20 planes in their fleets before they can offer international flights. The rule could be kept, amended or scrapped, according to the draft.
30/10/15 Anurag Kotoky/Bloomberg

Read More

New Aviation Policy Draft: Cheaper Air Tickets, No-frills Airports

New Delhi:  Incentives to fly to small towns at affordable costs and easing the norms for domestic carriers to operate services abroad are some of the highlights of the new draft aviation policy, released on Friday for inputs from stakeholders before finalisation.

The primary aim of the policy is to ensure a tariff of no more than Rs.2,500 per ticket for each flying-hour with a host of incentives and other benefits to both airport developers and operators to make that happen.

"A lot of consultation has taken place. We invite suggestions from stakeholders and public -- since it involves the people of India. After all those suggestions come in, we will look into it," Civil Aviation Minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju said.

"The policy will also have a fixed period of existence, so that Industry can plan in advance. That is the idea," the minister told a press conference to unveil the new draft, along with his deputy Mahesh Sharma.

"The basic behind of National Civil Aviation Policy is to take flying to the masses," Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said, adding that operators will get some doles to fly to smaller towns with incentives linked to fuel prices and inflation.
"We currently have some 430 airstrips and airports. But only around 90 in operation -- nearly 300-odd are not being used. This is a Huge unused asset. These airports will form the basis for enhancing our regional connectivity," Mr Choubey added.

He said these will be upgraded into a no-frills airport at cost of Rs. 50 crore each. Besides, to make operations in such airports feasible, the security will be aircraft-based -- so that the airport is sanitised just around an hour or two before the flight.
30/10/15 Indo-Asian News Service/NDTV

Read More

Aviation policy to have positive impact on rupee: Sudhir Agrawal, UTI MF

Aviation policy to have positive impact on rupee: Sudhir Agrawal, UTI MF
In a chat with ET Now, Sudhir Agrawal, Fund Manager - Fixed Income at UTI MF shares his thoughts on the aviation policy. Excerpts:

ET Now: What is your take on the civil aviation policy?

Sudhir Agrawal: That is not my area of expertise but overall, it is a welcome step because that will open up more space for other foreign players to get in. It might even be good for the rupee because if we see more flows coming in,then that might be supportive for the rupee at a time when other emerging market currencies are under pressure. So from a macro point of view, that is good.

ET Now: What was your reading of the Fed statement? The US GDP data came down sharply so if the Fed was to be consistent, maybe there is no case for hiking rates. But most interpretation of the FOMC statements now seem to suggest that December is very much on the cards. What is your reading?

Sudhir Agrawal: It is important to understand that even if there is going to be a rate hike, direction-wise it is negative. When the economy was at the levels of 2008, the kind of rates they are sitting at were close to 0%. Now with so much of growth and with unemployment numbers coming down significantly, 0% does not go down well here.

That probably is one of the reasons why Fed might not want to delay the rate hiking process too much. With any sign which points to global uncertainty getting stabilised probably, they might not mind hiking the rate. And probably that will be better for the overall global economy because the fear of the unknown has created a lot of uncertainty among people and when Fed hikes rates, they are rid of that uncertainty.
When the taper tantrum started, there was a lot of hype around that. But when the actual tapering happened, it did not affect the market too much. So there is still a possibility of a rate hike soon. And as when that happens, after an initial round of volatility, we should see market stabilising.
30/10/15 ET Now/Economic Times

Read More

Government needs to reconsider policy on subsidising air travel: Mythili Bhusnurmath, ET NOW

In a chat with ET Now, Mythili Bhusnurmath, Consulting Editor OF ET NOW shares his thoughts on the aviation policy. Excerpts:

ET Now: Your overall assessment of the aviation policy has been laid out. It is largely a three-fold focus - improve regional connectivity, bring more operational efficiency in the system and bring in lower costs.

Mythili Bhusnurmath: Yes, that's the overall picture of the policy and in many ways it has gone beyond people's expectations. The MRO in particular has been a welcome thrust since this is an area where India has immense advantages and we could capitalise on that.
The only part of the policy that I am a little unhappy with is the idea of subsidising. Competition should be the way to lower prices. If you want to make it possible for the ordinary middle class person to fly, it should ensure that with greater competition prices coming down.

If we did more to improve road and rail connectivity and then thought of air connectivity and allowed airline prices to come down through competition rather than through subsidies, it would have been better. Of course, every subsidy is paid out of the tax payer's money and that money could be better utilised to improve road connectivity.
30/10/15 ET Now/Economic Times

Read More

4 ways air travel in India could change in 2016

How you fly, where you fly and how much you pay could all change soon. The Draft National Civil Aviation Policy 2015, announced on Friday, has a slew of measures to make air travel in India faster, easier and—hold your breath—even cheaper! Here are the highlights:

Better regional connectivity
The policy aims to improve connectivity to small town India by developing no-frills airports and encouraging airlines through concessions. Free land for airports, supporting transport infrastructure, VAT relief and even viability gap funding for smaller airlines are part of the plan. From 1 April 2016, the government wants to cap all-inclusive air-fare for a one-hour flight on some regional routes to Rs2,500.

More helicopters and seaplanes
India has only 300 civilian choppers as compared to 1300 in Brazil, says the draft ruefully, and lists “promotion of helicopter usage” as one of the key objectives. The government will develop four (unspecified) heli-hubs across the country, and will ease flying rules for choppers. In addition, it plans to promote use of seaplanes for tourism and regional travel.

More local airlines
It will easier for scheduled commuter airlines to set shop and fly. Rules for entry will relaxed, and parking, navigation and other charges will be subsidised to allow smaller airlines to take wing.

Easier private charters
The jet-setting folk may have a bit less to grumble about. Aircraft coming into India will be allowed to land at any airport with customs and immigration facilities. Passengers coming on an inbound charter flight will be free to shift to scheduled carriers for travel within India or abroad and vice versa. The government also hopes to ease several other restrictions on chartered flights in India.
30/10/15 Salil Deshpande/Conde Nast Traveller

Read More

DGCA drafts a new set of rules to lift air ambulance services to global levels

Mumbai: Mumbai: India's aviation regulatory body has drafted a new set of rules for air ambulance services that can potentially improve the country's medical emergency services up to global standards.

The new regulations from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will enable players such as Aviators Air Rescue, which is set to launch India's first dedicated air ambulance operator next year. The company will be about 24% owned by Air Medical Group Holding (AMGH), one of the world's biggest providers of these services. A DGCA official said Airmethods, another global air ambulance operator, has also shown interest in the segment.

An air ambulance is a helicopter equipped with an approved flight stretcher, specialised medical equipment and medication to treat a patient. It is staffed with a fully trained medical team to handle the specific requirements of a patient who needs to be transported by air.
29/10/15 Anirban Chowdhury/Health-Economic Times

Read More

Airlines eye brand uplift and win hearts through inflight babycare

Pritha Sharma was left embarrassed when her three-year-old daughter created a ruckus on their flight to Dubai. Books, music, movies, wine followed by a series of catnaps can be your way of spending time on long-distance air travel, but not for your little ones. When it's not easy to keep them occupied at home, doing the same on long-haul flights seems almost impossible. Thousands of parents like Pritha face similar plight.

Come holiday season and perturbed parents will start bombarding front-desk airline executives with queries anticipating inflight ordeals. So, what kind of efforts do these airlines take to make kids' travel a hassle-free one? In reality, there are plenty. Airlines across the globe are going innovative to make travel easier for the kids. From priority boarding, complimentary strollers to inflight entertainment, TV shows and a range of exciting games, the aviation majors are playing santa to little passengers. And it shows that a child's comfort is not just the priority for parents while picking a flier, it is equally important for the airlines.
On Emirates, little flyers can dig into a rucksack filled with goodies themed around surfing, skating and snowboarding. They can also make friends with their cuddly 'Fly With Me Monsters'. At Singapore Airlines, all children receive a special activity kit which includes soft toys, games or colouring books. Cathay Pacific, too, provides activity kits that include puzzles and colours to keep them entertained. The airline's team even celebrated Childrens' Day with young passengers by conducting games and giving away attractive prizes at the boarding gate. During festivals, Air India gives mementoes to their little passengers. The state-run carrier also provides crayons and drawing books to kids.
30/10/15 Sovon Manna/Times of India

Read More

Airfares reach record high prices around Diwali

Ahmedabad:If you are taking a flight to some place for a vacation this Diwali, be ready to shell out at least 40 to 150% more on air tickets. Airfares are at a record high for the festival of lights, with tickets for some destinations priced at triple their normal rates.
Airlines have what they call a 'dynamic fare system', which allows them to reconfigure the price mechanism and offer fewer seats in the low-price range.
"During most of the year, airlines operate flights to 60-70% of the capacity," said city-based tour opearator Bhavin Patel. "The upcoming festive season is no less than a golden opportunity for them."
A one-way economy class Ahmedabad-Kolkata ticket which costs around Rs5,500 - 7,000 during off-season, will cost more than Rs11,000 around Diwali. A similar rise in ticket rates for other destinations such as Goa, Pune, Chennai and Jaipur among others, has also been reported.
29/10/15 Piyush Mishra/Times of India

Read More

Seaplane project revived, to take off from Koradi Lake

Nagpur: Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule have revived the jinxed seaplane project but now the plane will take off from Koradi Lake instead of Nagpur airport. Bawankule has included the sea plane in his 450 crore Koradi beautification project.

The guardian minister told TOI that the beautification project has been cleared by finance and planning departments and now was under consideration of a high-level committee headed by the chief minister and chief secretary.

The project was conceived by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), which had roped in Mumbai-based MEHR for operating the plane. Gadkari has decided to rope in another operator, whose rates will be substantially lower.

Ex-MLA Ashish Jaiswal, who has been pursuing the project, told TOI, that Gadkari had promised five seaplanes. "They will travel to various destinations like Khindsi, Nawegaon-Khairi, Tadoba, etc. The destinations are yet to be finalized," he added.
29/10/15 Ashik Roy/Times of India

Read More

Alok Shekhar appointed India's representative to ICAO

New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Alok Shekhar has been appointed as India's representative in the council of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a United Nations body.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shekhar, a 1994 batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre, for the post of representative of India in the council of ICAO in Montreal, Canada, for three years, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

He is at present working as Secretary in Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India.
29/10/15 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Builder lied about civil aviation NOC; booked

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Tuesday lodged an FIR with Bandra police station against a city based developer for the alleged misrepresentation of civil aviation no objection certificate (NOC) to get civic body approvals for a project in Khar (West). Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta directed an executive engineer in charge of building proposal, Western suburbs, H ward, to lodge an FIR against Dev Land & Housing Limited, popularly known as DLH.

The police have booked the developer under sections 420, 465, 468, 471 along with section 34 of the IPC. The issue of a building in Khar being constructed in violation of rules was raised by Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh.

Both civic officials and authorities from the Bandra police confirmed the charge. "As per instructions of the BMC chief, action has been initiated against the erring developer," a civic official said. A senior police official from Bandra police station told Mirror, "We will investigate the allegations and accordingly submit the report for further action."
29/10/15  Sanjeev Shivadekar/Mumbai Mirror

Read More

After PM intervention, MoCA drops plan to regulate fares

The ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has dropped plans to put in place a mechanism to regulate air fares with the Prime Minister’s Office stepping in against any intervention which would distort market dynamics.
The ministry’s decision to not regulate fares will come as a respite for airlines as earlier on August 27 Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma had hinted that some checks and balances may be put in place to address predatory pricing. “The Prime Minister has shown his concern over the predatory pricing issue,” Sharma had said, adding that the airlines need to reduce fares and not hike them particularly when it comes to emergency travel like in medical emergency on the sidelines of an industry event, organised by Assocham in association with the civil aviation ministry.
Top sources in the ministry informed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while directing senior officials to examine measures which can help rationalise air fares particularly during festive periods, have asked them to refrain from putting in place checks which would distort market economics. “The Prime Minister did express concern over the steep hike in airfares, particularly during the festive season. He is, however, not in favour of regulation,” said a senior civil aviation official in know of the development.
The ministry has accordingly asked airlines to suggest models for self-regulation.
29/10/15 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Indian Express

Read More

DGCA drafts a new set of rules to lift air ambulance services to global levels

Mumbai India's aviation regulatory body has drafted a new set of rules for air ambulance services that can potentially improve the country's medical emergency services up to global standards.

The new regulations from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will enable players such as Aviators Air Rescue, which is set to launch India's first dedicated air ambulance operator next year. The company will be about 24% owned by Air Medical Group Holding (AMGH), one of the world's biggest providers of these services. A DGCA official said Airmethods, another global air ambulance operator, has also shown interest in the segment.

An air ambulance is a helicopter equipped with an approved flight stretcher, specialised medical equipment and medication to treat a patient. It is staffed with a fully trained medical team to handle the specific requirements of a patient who needs to be transported by air.
29/10/15 Anirban Chowdhury/ Economic Times

Read More

Firm keen on starting aviation service

Kolhapur: City-based Sanjay Ghodawat Group is planning to start aviation service from Kolhapur.

The service will operate under Ghodawat Enterprises Pvt Ltd, part of Sanjay Ghodawat Group. A proposal has already been submitted to the state public works minister Chandrakant Patil, who is the guardian minister of the district, the company said.

The company said the proposal has also been submitted to the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Group, which currently owns two helicopters, plans to include aircrafts like EC-135 and ERJ 135 to its fleet. "These planes can offer service from Kolhapur to Shirdi, Mumbai, Amravati, Hyderabad, Solapur, Latur, Tirupati, Nanded and Jalgaon," the company said.
29/10/15 Times Of India

Read More

Airlines see flight bookings double on festive sales

New Delhi: Festive season sales by low-cost carriers (LCC) have led to almost doubling of bookings.
Deep discount carrier SpiceJet Tuesday put up three lakh tickets for sale with domestic fares starting at Rs 749 (taxes extra) and international ones beginning from Rs 3,999 (all-inclusive). Under this offer, tickets on routes like Delhi to Amristar, Ahmedabad to Mumbai all are priced at Rs 749 base fare (taxes extra). While within the international sector, the sale offering for Chennai to Colombo is at Rs 3,999 all-inclusive.

The three-day sale launched will be open till Thursday midnight and tickets sold under this will be for travel between February 1 and October 29, 2016. "The yearlong travel period under the current offering will provide SpiceJet customers with immense flexibility while enabling them to plan their travel well in advance," said a SpiceJet spokesperson.
28/10/15 Times of India

Read More

DoNER moots commercial helicopter service within Northeast to improve intra-regional connectivity

New Delhi: Ministry for the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has mooted commercial helicopter service within Northeast in order to improve intra-regional connectivity. At a meeting of senior officers of the Ministry, Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister for Development of North Eastern Region said that the biggest hurdle in attracting investments, tourism and entrepreneurship in Northeast is the lack of adequate connectivity. Even though the rail network expansion has started on a fast track in the last one year or so, major part of the regon still remain unconnected by rail. Similarly, road connectivity also gets adversely affected due to weather conditions, he added. In such a situation, improvement in air connectivity is the only immediate viable option, the Minister said.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that his Ministry will be taking up the prospects of developing Guwahati Airport as regional hub for the entire Northeast with the Civil Aviation Ministry. The helicopters can be grounded there overnight and can be put to use for commercial sorties for civilian passengers at frequent intervals to different destinations in all the eight states of Northeast. He said that this will give the civilians, the freedom to plan their movement as per their requirement and priority, and not be constrained by the availability of a routine aircraft flight.
28/10/15 HospitalityBiz

Read More

Pawan Hans to add 13 aircraft worth Rs 900-cr to its fleet

New Delhi: State-owned Pawan Hans Helicopters is working on a plan to add 13 aircraft to its fleet, including two seaplanes that would cost the company over Rs 900 crore even as it prepares for an initial public offering (IPO).
"We have firmed up a plan to buy 11 helicopters and two seaplanes. The plan has been sent to the civil aviation ministry for approval," said a Pawan Hans executive, who did not wish to be identified.
"This will cost us about Rs 930 crore and we expect the government to lend about Rs 550 crore for the same," said the official. The state-owned helicopter operator has 45 helicopters in its fleet and the company will add 9 medium-sized and 2 heavy duty helicopters and two seaplanes. "Some of the helicopters will be replacements too," said the executive.
The government has plans to divest stake in Pawan Hans in FY16 and has hired SBI Caps as an adviser. The executive said these moves will go a long way in increasing the valuation of the company. "We would surely look at raising substantial sums of money through the IPO," added the executive.
28/10/15 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

Read More

Chopper Service to Sabarimala from November 15

Kochi:  Come November 15, a Kochi-based private tour operator will commence a daily helicopter service to Sabarimala, in a bid to attract high-end pilgrims and tourists to the temple situated amidst hills.
The to-and-fro service from Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) to Sabarimala is priced at `34,900/person and can accommodate five persons per flight, said Santhosh Thayil, director of Santos King Tours & Travels, which is launching the service.  The frequency of the service will be increased depending on the demand. The flight will be up to Perunad, the nearest location which has a helipad facility. From there the devotees are provided an air-conditioned car facility till Pampa, a distance of 40 km.  The tourists/pilgrims would return via the helicopter next day at 6 pm from Perunad, an hour’s ride to CIAL.  Thayil said Santos King Tours & Travels has tied up with Chipsan Aviation, a Delhi-based aviation service provider, which launched its operations in Kerala in 2012.
28/10/15 New Indian Express

Read More

Sting reveals travel agents are offering fake air ticket receipts for babus to claim LTA

They book your air tickets, reserve your hotel rooms, and plan your holidays. Now, they also help government officials claim Leave Travel Allowance (LTA) on fake bills and thereby rob the state exchequer of crores of rupees.
A recent sting operation has exposed that travel agents provide bogus bills for the costliest air tickets to government employees while offering them much cheaper fares.
The government officials, in turn, use these fake bills to get the benefit of travel allowance.
In the nine-minute video captured by a central government employee, agents have claimed that they get a lions share of the ticket cost as they offer cheaper air fare and undisclosed benefits like hotel stay, food and transport to babus.
Upon the whistleblower’s complaint, the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government has appointed an investigating officer to probe the issue.
28/10/15 Shashank Shekhar/Mail Online

Read More

Company allays fears on safety of hot air balloons

Panaji: The Goa Tourism Development Corporation and Camping Retreats on Tuesday allayed fears about the safety of free floating hot air balloon service, which was launched recently in the state as part of tourism promotion, and said that the operations were extremely safe.

Mukesh Yadav, who manages operations of the hot air balloon flights for Camping Retreats which operates the services, said that the company has obtained all permissions necessary, for operations of the service, of agencies concerned, including state, central and defence forces.

Yadav said that necessary safety equipment like fire extinguisher, first aid kit and fuel to last for two and half hours for one hour trip were used during the flights as per the Director General of Civil Aviation norms. “Since we value our patrons we take extra care to ensure their safety,” he added.
28/10/15 Goacom

Read More

Aviation industry must adapt and change: Etihad CEO

DUBAI: Asserting the civil aviation industry must adapt and change, Etihad Airways president and chief executive officer James Hogan has said partnerships and collaboration were the most tangible way to grow in the current competitive scenario.

Addressing the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Aviation Day in Abu Dhabi, Hogan said Etihad Airways' successful partnership strategy could become a model for other players.

He said that partnerships and collaboration were the most tangible way to grow in today's highly competitive business environment, providing consumers with greater choice and connectivity.
28/10/15 PTI/The Times Of India

Read More

China proposes bigger bilateral flight quota

With air traffic on India-China route on the rise, Chinese aviation authorities have proposed to increase bilateral seat entitlements for designated airlines of the two countries.

Responding to this, the Indian aviation ministry has called a meeting of domestic airlines such as Air India, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and IndiGo to discuss their requirements before taking the Chinese proposal forward.

“A meeting would be held this week with airlines to assess their requirements for additional seats,” a government official said.

While Chinese airlines have increased seats and frequency between the two countries, Indian carriers have failed to utilise seats allocated to them. As per an official data for the summer schedule this year, Indian carriers operated only 1,024 seats utilising less than one-fourth of 5,000 seats a week allocated to them.

As against this, the three Chinese carriers Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines operated about 7,900 seats a week.

Indian carriers SpiceJet and Jet Airways which earlier operated to China have withdrawn their flights due to commercial unviability. Chinese carriers have, however, maintained their lead over their Indian counterparts.
28/10/15 Nirbhay Kumar/my digital fc

Read More

Heli-ambulance: DGCA plan faces rules roadblock

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s plan to promote the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) is stuck due to the existing rules of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). DGCA’s comprehensive regulations have so far failed to take off due to the existing guidelines that mandate a 60-minute prior approval of flight path by the nearest Air Traffic Control (ATC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF), and a permission by the local administration — which at times takes up to two days. According to sources, the DGCA — the civil aviation regulator in the country — put together the draft regulations 10 days ago. They will now be finalised based on suggestions/ recommendations received from the industry. Government sources added that the regulations make critical equipment requirements, tough training standards, networking and data linking and even night vision goggles as mandatory for HEMS operations.
27/10/15 Pranav Kulkarni/Indian Express

Read More

Soon, 24x7 copter service for state VIPs

Ranchi: The state government on Monday introduced a new system to ensure round-the-clock helicopter availability for VIPs and its high-ranked government officials.

In its first meeting after Navratri, the Raghubar Das-led-cabinet trashed the previous system of taking chartered flights and entered into a lease agreement with a civil aviation company. Under the one-year agreement, the government will pay the firm Rs 76 lakh for at least 25 flying hours every month.

According to the civil aviations department, the new arrangement will be made operational from the first week of November. Captain Surendra Prasad Sinha, director of the department said the new measure will be cost-efficient. "In a chartered system, the company used to charge anywhere between Rs 1.25 lakh- Rs 1.75 lakh per hour. This will ensure the chopper is always available during emergency," Sinha said. Once the fixed flying hours are over, the company will be paid at Rs 75,000 an hour. The new arrangement also mandates the aviation company to provide a substitute if the chopper is grounded for maintenance.
27/10/15 Dhritiman Ray/Times of India

Read More

'Be Vigilant When on Air Duty'

Chennai: In a lecture on ‘Preventive vigilance as a tool for good governance’ held for Air India officials as part of the Vigilance Week celebrations, C L Ramakrishnan, a former DGP said, “One needs to be vigilant not just for the company, but yourself as its your integrity which is at stake when on duty,” Breaking his seminar into three parts, Ramakrishnan took the officials through the definition of vigilance and being vigilant, what the present situation was and how one could achieve 100 per cent vigilance. “What is necessary for a crime? O1 + O2 +O3, where O1 is the object, O2, offender and O3, the opportunity which translates into O4 — the offence.

“If few of the above factors can be controlled, it would show success in preventing a crime,” said Ramakrishnan, detailing the equation of how crimes come about. “In an ideal world, one can expect all three of these problems not to exist, which is not possible. But it can be pruned which helps in reducing the damage of corruption in an organisation, An intelligent man can take advantage of a situation where there is a difference between the rule book and the on-ground situation,” said Ramakrishnan giving an example of an out-dated rule book in his working days that had a few obsolete clauses on prisoner transfer during the British Raj.
27/10/15 New Indian Express

Read More

All you wanted to know about 5/20 rule

The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation India, in its recent report on maximising the contribution of aviation to the Indian economy, is the latest to join the long list of agencies calling on the government to reconsider the socalled 5/20 rule.
The rule stipulates that a domestic carrier must have a fleet of 20 aircraft and should have operated in the Indian skies for five years before it becomes eligible for international operations. The Union Cabinet on December 30, 2004, had approved the 5/20 rule. There is no clarity on why the rule was decided on. At that time, bureaucrats told the media that India could ill afford a situation where a new startup airline from the country crashed while on a flight abroad. This would sully the name of Indian aviation. A five-year unblemished track record would ensure more safety on international flights.
The rule immediately allowed Jet Airways and Air Sahara to benefit as it broke the monopoly of Air India and Indian Airlines to operate flights from India to international destinations.
But Air India and Indian Airlines also benefited from the 5/20 rule as they were the sole Indian carriers allowed to operate from India to the Gulf, including to the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia for another five years. At that time, the Gulf routes were the most profitable ones for the two state-owned airlines. But now two new carriers — AirAsia India and Vistara — are also keen to fly abroad.
Also, since 2004, international airlines have been allowed greater access to India through the exchange of air services bilateral agreements (ASA). By definition, an ASA allows Indian carriers an equal number of flights to the country with which the ASA has been exchanged. But in reality this has not happened.
26/10/15 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

Read More

New DGP makes chopper trip to protest-hit area

Chandigarh/Bathinda: A day after he was appointed as new police chief, DGP Suresh Arora on Monday flew to Amritsar in the state-owned helicopter to pay obeisance at Golden Temple. Arora, who replaced his batchmate Sumedh Saini following deteriorating law and order situation after 10 reported incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib, was accompanied by additional DGP (law and order) Rohit Chaudhary and DIG (intelligence) Rajesh Jaiswal from Chandigarh.

He also went to Durgiana Temple. Arora, a 1982-batch IPS officer, was until recently vigilance bureau (VB) director and set for a top job in New Delhi on central deputation. His trip to Amritsar and later Bathinda included meetings with cops from Faridkot, the epicenter of protests, and neighbouring districts, where incidents of sacrilege had occurred.

The state government had recently come under fire from the opposition in the Vidhan Sabha while questioning non-availability of a chopper and seven-hour road trip undertaken by Saini to Gurdaspur on July 27, when terrorists had attacked the police station in Dinanagar.
27/10/15 Neel Kamal & Rohan Dua/Times of India

Read More

Mysurean takes part in Guinness Record creating event

Mysuru: Two Indian pilots, including one from the city, took part in a Guinness World Record creating event recently.
James Sumith Lobo and Wing Commander (retired) Ashok Mehta took part in the first ever open-air fly-in, in which hobby pilots from all over the world took to the skies on the same day, October 10.

The Indian pilots participated in the World Ultralight Fly-In (WUFI) in their attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the first worldwide ultralight and open air synchronized flying event. The event, put together by Dayton Ultralights with the help of members of Experimental Aircraft Association, in Moraine, Ohio, USA, was open to all pilots who fly light sport aircrafts.

“The limitations of these aircraft mean, it is unlikely all of us around the world will ever get to fly together. But we can all fly the same sky, on the same day everywhere on planet Earth, making this the first virtual worldwide flying,” said Belgium’s Koen Van de Kerckhove, WUFI creator, in a press note issued here.

Since not all pilots could be in the same place at the same time, a concerted effort to synchronize flights with the use of social media and online ZeeMaps were used. To participate, pilots flew their aircraft and submitted a dated photograph with their name, location, and type of aircraft. The initial flights started in Australia around 5 pm on October 9, Ohio time.
27/10/15 TR Sathish Kumar/Deccan Herald

Read More

Fraud aviation institute told to pay pupil 60K

Thane: A fraudster who had started an aviation engineering college in Kalyan and pocketed hefty fees from students, was recently held guilty by the district consumer redressal forum. He has been directed to refund Rs 60,000 to a girl student who had dragged him to the forum.

The student, Swapnali Gade, had filed a complaint against Amol Daware of Avions Engineering Foundation on learning that the college she enrolled in was not affiliated to any university or board and Daware was under-qualified to teach engineering subjects.

Gade said she and many students had been taken in by advertisements given by the institute, promising an engineering degree in three years.

The students had registered with Daware's institute in 2007 and paid Rs35,000 or more as fees. However, Daware shut the institute abruptly within two months, making them lose an academic year.

Gade also alleged that Daware had no engineering degree. The students'parents lodged a police complaint and Daware was arrested.
27/10/15 Nishkant Karikar/Times of India

Read More

Discount treats spice up air travel

New Delhi: Airlines are vying with one another to offer discounts and promotional schemes on both domestic and international routes.

Low-cost carrier AirAsia is offering rock-bottom fares to over 20 countries across India, Asia and Australia. For flights within India, fares start from as low as Rs 1,299. Travellers can also fly to international destinations such as Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok with fares starting at Rs 4,499 and Rs 4,999, respectively.

"As the pioneer for low-cost travel, AirAsia makes travelling to a dream destination more accessible and affordable for all. We hope our guests take advantage of our low fares coupled with our exemplary service to explore exciting destinations," said Mittu Chandilya, chief executive officer and managing director, AirAsia India.

Booking for the promotional seats started from October 19 and continued till today with the travelling period between March 1 and October 29, 2016.
26/10/15 Telegraph India

Read More

Woman from Taccode dies of cardiac arrest during flight

Mangaluru: A woman from Taccode near Moodbidri passed away due to cardiac arrest during a flight from London to Hong Kong on Sunday October 25.
Rita Rodrigues (40), a native of Taccode, was travelling by flight from London to Hong Kong, when she suffered a severe cardiac arrest just before landing at Hong Kong airport.
She breathed her last before medical help could reach her.
26/10/15 Daijiworld

Read More

No records of PM's meeting on aviation policy, says government

New Delhi: The central government says it has no record of a recent meeting on the country's civil aviation policy, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by some of his Cabinet colleagues. Replying to a Right to Information (RTI) Act query, the aviation ministry said the discussions were informal.

"It is informed that the meeting on August 25 was not a formal one and, therefore, there was no agenda nor were any minutes issued," said the ministry's reply, dated October 14.

Besides Modi, the meeting, held at the Prime Minister's Office on August 25, was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma. At the meeting, which reportedly went on for about three hours, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey gave a presentation on the draft civil aviation policy to the PM.

Earlier, it was decided a panel of secretaries, headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, would be formed to discuss the key issues on which there was no consensus. However, four months after the aviation ministry decided to "completely re-write" its previous civil aviation draft policy, it is yet to be released in the public domain.

"The issues discussed included regional connectivity, the 5/20 rule (an airline has to have five years of operations and at least 20 aircraft to fly on international routes), bilateral traffic rights, code-share agreement, maintenance, repair and overhaul service, route dispersal guidelines, fiscal issues affecting the aviation sector, Airports Authority of India, new projects, the helicopter policy, aeronautical 'Make in India' and ground handling," the RTI response said.
24/10/15 Somesh Jha/Business Standard

Read More

Drones in the US to require registration; what about India?

Earlier this week the US Government announced that it would make it mandatory for all unmanned aircraft to have registration. The US Transportation authority is working on creating a task force to develop recommendations for a registration process for all unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

The task force will consist of 25-30 representatives from the UAS and manned aviation sectors as well as the government and other stakeholders. This group will then decide exactly which kinds of aircraft should be exempt from registration, for example toys and small UAS. The committee, which is to develop the recommendations by 20th November, will also recommend a way to make the registration process easy.

According to the agency, “Registering unmanned aircraft will help build a culture of accountability and responsibility, especially with new users who have no experience operating in the U.S. aviation system.”

Drone regulation in India: There is definite need for drone regulations in India. The fear and uncertainty over the technology, combined with regulatory and bureaucratic ignorance has created an environment where drones are currently banned in the country. The Government even started cracking down on import of drones, with many being seized as they arrive. In April, we’d reported that the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) was framing guidelines for the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones in the country, post which drones were expected to be legalized. Meanwhile, drone enthusiasts in India will have to stick flying remote controlled toys.
23/10/15 Vivek Pai/Medianama

Read More

Police forces in West have air units

New Delhi: Few would disagree that 1,000 vans are too inadequate to patrol a city spread over 1,484sq kms and with a population of 1.65 crore. However, Friday's air patrol initiative could change the way Delhi Police has been handling law and order and crime situations in the capital so far. Top cop B S Bassi seems confident as he said that chopper-aided policing would not remain a one-time experiment.

"All over the world, police organizations use choppers for crime prevention, apprehension of criminals, law and order and crowd control, traffic management, evacuation and rapid force deployment. I have no doubt that choppers shall be useful in policing the capital," Bassi told TOI. Sources say the police brass is awaiting necessary approvals in this regard.

Senior officers, who have visited western countries on exchange programmes, are surprised that the largest metropolitan force in the world has remained dependent solely on force deployment on the ground. "Aerial policing or police aviation is alien to Delhi and the rest of the country but it is a major part of police agencies in the west. The US was first to establish a police aviation unit in 1929 in Brooklyn, New York. NYPD and LAPD depend a lot on patrol choppers for situations ranging from crowd control to ferrying accident victims or even dangerous inmates," said an officer.
24/10/15 Raj Shekhar/Times of India

Read More

Airports Authority of India Paragliding World Cup 2015 inaugurated

New Delhi: Preparations are underway on a massive scale in Bir Billing at Himachal Pradesh, where the Paragliding World Cup will commence from October 23, 2015, and go on up-till the 31st October 2015.  The Billing Paragliding Association (BPA), which has been entrusted to organise the event, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure a memorable experience for everyone. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has taken an active interest in organising this event and is the title sponsor of the Paragliding World Cup 2015. AAI has in the recent past been responsible for promoting various Sports in India to help build a sports friendly environment, which is largely untapped. GAGAN – GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation is an India SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation System) Programme jointly developed by India Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) to implement SBAS over India airspace.  AAI has offered to the paragliders to take advantage of GAGAN signals for accurate navigation and tracking facility; for the first time using GAGAN enabled Accord receivers. About 130 of the best paragliders, including those in World’s Top-5, from over 35 countries are set to participate in the championship which will put India firmly on the global paragliding map. During the week-long tournament, the edge of competitive sport during the day will give way for some fun and frolic in the evenings, with themed programmes being planned each evening. The gala opening and the closing ceremonies promise to be extravaganzas, adding their own colour to the World Cup.
23/10/15 Orissadiary.com

Read More

Keen contest on cards as top pilots reach Bir

Bir (Dharamsala): Preparations are in full swing for the Paragliding World Cup starting at Bir Billing located about 40 km from Dharamsala from tomorrow morning. The Paragliding World Cup competitions would kick off after inauguration by the union minister for Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju. The minister arrived at Dharamsala today afternoon.
All the 130 pilots who will participate in the World Cup arrived at Bir Billing today. They practised taking off from Billing and landing at Bir.
The top pilots who would be competing in the World Cup in the next seven days include Julien Wirtz of France, Jurij Vidic of Slovenia, Torsten Siegel of Germany, Andreas Malechi of Germany and Maxine Pinot of France. Eight Indian pilots, including two world ranked pilots Ajay Kumar and Gurpreet Dhindsa, are also participating. The participant pilots also include 12 women pilots, including world No 1 Klaudia Bulgakow of Poland.
Besides a strong contingent of 13 pilots from France, nine pilots from UK, seven from Russia, five from South Korea and four each from Germany, Japan and Norway are also participating. Bir Billing Paragliding Association has erected a tent village for the pilots participating in the World Cup. Minister for Urban Development and president of the Bir Billing Paragliding Association Sudhir Sharma organised a yajna at Billing to seek divine blessing for successful conduct of the World Cup.
24/10/15 Lalit Mohan/Tribune

Read More

Pilots from 35 countries were participating in the World Paragliding Championship at Bir Billing

Dharmshala: Himachal Pradesh Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma today said pilots from 35 countries were participating in the World Paragliding Championship being hosted at Bir Billing from October 23. Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Sharma said 129 registered pilots have confirmed their participation and have arrived here and 400 to 500 free flyers will also be participating in the event. He said from all over the world people connected with paragliding, hand gliding and ballooning best top eight acropilots will also perform during the championship. He said that after the pilots take off there will be enough space at takeoff site after 1400 hrs for the tender flights. The Minister said that this sport will not only boost the economy of this valley but will also boost the tourism in this hill state. He said as this sport has enough potential of its expansion with the top most paragliding take off site being in this valley at billing was a gift for this state. He said that during the entire year 400 to 700 flights take off from Billing. He said that lo of people wereconnected with this business besides some youths have made paragliding as their profession. He said that efforts were on to create awareness among the people about the safety of the sport.
23/10/15 Vijyender Sharma/Orissadiary

Read More

Delhi Police uses choppers to monitor Durga Puja immersions

New Delhi: In an attempt to meet the standards of policing of New York or London, Delhi Police is using choppers for monitoring traffic during the immersion of Durga Puja idols at specific spots across the national capital.

However, the Delhi has no plans to acquire them as of now but to use hired helicopters only.

It is worth a note that police departments of major cities around the word have specialised air unit. New York Police Department Aviation Division is one of the best Air units of any police department around the world.

London’s Metropolitan Police (famously known as Scotland Yard) also has an air surveillance division.

Although Delhi police has a long way to go to equate itself with NYPD or Scotland Yard, it has made a start.
23/10/15 India TV News 

Read More

What the number of choppers hired by the BJP says about its Bihar campaign

Even as campaigning is at its peak with two-thirds of the 243 seats in the Bihar assembly yet to go to the polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party appears to be reducing the intensity of its push – at least, if the number of helicopters it hired for the operation is any indication.

Out of 16 private helicopters that the BJP had hired for the campaign, it returned five after the second phase of polling on October 16, an official at Patna airport said. “Four helicopters have already been returned while the fifth one will be laid off today [Friday],” the official said.

Confirming the development, a senior leader of the BJP’s Bihar unit said the decision to reduce the number of choppers was taken after the second phase of polling. He did not give a reason for the decision.

Helicopters are frequently used to ferry senior leaders to far-flung venues in states with bad road networks.
24/10/15 Dhirendra K Jha/Scroll.in

Read More

Airline losses to come down 35 pc to Rs 5,500cr this FY: Icra

Mumbai: Low crude prices, increasing efficiency and rising air traffic will help the domestic airlines bring down their losses massively this fiscal to around Rs 5,500 crore from around Rs 8,500 crore last year, says an analyst report.

Operating performance of the domestic airlines is likely to improve even though concerns on their structural viability still remain, adds the report by domestic rating agency Icra.

"We expect the domestic airlines to continue to improve their performance in FY16 given the favourable jet fuel pricing environment. We expect their aggregate losses to further come down to around Rs 5,500 crore in FY16 from around Rs 8,500 crore in FY15," Icra said in a report.

As per the report, lower fuel cost, which accounts for about 50 per cent of operating expenditure for airlines, has resulted in 12-13 per cent reduction in operating cost. Between June 2014 and June 2015, crude prices fell nearly 55 per cent though it has since inched back to USD 50-55 a barrel.
22/10/15 PTI/Business Standard

Read More

Army choppers to fly VIPs

Vijayawada: The Airports of Authority of India (AAI) will fly in VVIPs to the venue on Thursday using Army helicopters. In addition, private choppers will be also used, according to officials.

The authorities have set up seven temporary helipads at the airport which witnessed a flurry of activity on Wednesday as a galaxy of VIPs, including Union Ministers and industrialists, started arriving. While two industrialists came in a private aircraft, a few politicians and dignitaries from New Delhi arrived in an Air India flight.
22/10/15 M. Srinivas/The Hindu

Read More

Army's aircraft crash lands in Shillong, injures two

A micro-light aircraft of the Indian Army crash landed on Wednesday in Shillong injuring two soldiers.

Defence PRO in a statement said that two personnel of Indian Army were on a routine training sortie from Advanced Landing Ground in a Microlight aircraft. The aircraft force landed at about 0915h on a hillock close to Shillong ALG. Both the jawans were recovered safely by the search and rescue team".

While there was no loss of life, curiously, even as the incident happened in morning, it took officials the whole day to clarify if it were an Army aircraft or the Indian Air Force's.
22/10/15 dna india

Read More

IndiGo maintains lead in domestic aviation market in September

Mumbai: Gurgaon-based low-cost airline IndiGo maintained its leadership position in the domestic aviation sector by carrying 24.30 lakh passengers in September. As a consequence, the market share of the company during the period stood at 36.5%, the latest monthly data made available by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) showed.
Mumbai-based Jet Airways and national air carrier Air India came a distant second and third by flying 12.78 lakh and 10.59 lakh passengers, respectively, within the country. The market share of the two carriers in September stood at 19.2% and 15.9%, respectively. The market share of another low-cost carrier, SpiceJet, stood at 12.3%, while the same for Mumbai-based GoAir stood at 8.7% in September.
Overall, the number of passengers carried by airlines within the country increased by 20.10% y-o-y to 590.21 lakh, from 491.44 lakh passengers in the corresponding period last year. The increasing number of passengers in September is indicative of the trend where airlines are emerging as the preferred mode of transport.
21/10/15 Financial Express

Read More

Air India leads list of flight delays, cancellations in September

Mumbai: As many as 463 air passengers were denied boarding while 4,837 were affected due to flight cancellations and another 30,712 faced flight delays in September, according to the data released by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The airlines claimed to have paid Rs 97.52 lakh as compensation for it as per the law.

Jet Airways reported denied boarding to maximum number of 382 passengers, while that figure was 79 for Air India. In terms of flight cancellations, Air India topped the list with 1,929 passengers affected and Jet Airways came second at 1,129 passengers. Similarly, 415 passengers from SpiceJet, 610 from Air Costa, 151 passengers from AirAsia, 485 from Air Pegasus, and 70 from GoAir also faced flight cancellations.
For flights delays of more than two hours, Air India, which has one of the worst on-time performance among airlines, once again topped the list, with 19,755 passengers affected. Low-cost carrier IndiGo came a distant second with 3,992 passengers getting affected. Rival low-cost carrier SpiceJet with 1,825 passengers affected was at number three. Jet Airways was at number four with 1,542, followed by GoAir 1,156, Air Costa 592, AirAsia 856, Vistara 108 and Air Pegasus 864.
21/10/15 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

Read More

From Jan to July, air passengers had 6,897 reasons to be unhappy

Mumbai: If one goes by figures, it seems that domestic passengers haven’t had a good flying experience in the first half of the year. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has received a total of 6,897 complaints from January to July from passengers all over the country.
Of the complaints, almost 31 per cent were about flight delays, and 25 per cent were about customer services. Almost 22 per cent of passengers complained about delays in baggage delivery. Other reasons comprised of staff behaviour, catering, refund and fare.
Flight delays are always a matter of concern for airlines. However, while a large percentage of complaints were about delays, they have been on the decline every month on the domestic sector. Almost 19 per cent of these complaints were about Spicejet, 9 per cent about national carrier Air India, whereas Jet Airways, Indigo Airlines and Go Air had about to 5 to 6 per cent complaints each registered against them.
Technical glitches were behind 24 per cent of delayed flights this year. Weather was also an important reason for delaying almost 20 per cent flights. While explaining what is constituted as flight delay, an official from the Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC) said, “A flight has two types of arrival time.
21/10/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

Read More

India to buy 194 Slovenian trainer aircraft

For 15 years, India’s defence ministry had dithered over purchasing a light trainer aircraft much required by the services for flight safety and training. In 2011, when India first issued a Request for Proposal for a micro-light trainer aircraft, it more or less remained in the LBW (let the blighter wait) tray till the UPA government was voted out.
On October 12, 2015, India signed a contract with Slovenian aircraft manufacturing company, Pipistrel, which emerged as the winner to supply 194 aircraft for the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and National Cadet Corps. The deal, according to defence sources valued at Rs 105.5 crore in 2011, is for a two-seater trainer, capable of take-off and landing on prepared and semi-prepared surfaces. Made of advanced carbon fibre material, with a carrying capacity for two crew members and their equipment, this aircraft is powered by an 80 HP aviation certified engine and can reach a maximum speed of more than 220 km/h, fly for more than 3 hours and climb to altitudes in excess of 6000 meters. While 110 of these aircrafts are for NCC for training cadets, IAF and the Indian Navy will receive 72 and 12 respectively, for carrying out bird reconnaissance of air fields and thereby give a big boost to flight safety. The delivery of the aircraft is expected to commence in the next one year.
21/10/15 AsianAge

Read More

Airlines bring fasting food for fliers on board flights

Those fasting during Navratri need not fret over availability of abstinence food on a flight. Airlines are making efforts to provide fliers with food fit for consuming during the auspicious festival.

Navratri, a festival of dance and revelry, also requires devotees to fast for nine days with only selected food items allowed to be eaten.

National carrier Air India is offering its fasting passengers, who are flying from Mumbai to Delhi, Lucknow and Varanasi a special menu that includes fruits, sabudana wadas and potato dishes.
Similarly, low-cost carrier SpiceJet has started offering 'Navratra Special Thali' which is available for pre-booking on Boeing flights of over 75 minutes. "You can pre-book SpiceJet's Navratra Special Thali 48 hours before the scheduled departure time of your flight. The food that is served as part of the special thali will be perfect for those fasting. It will be prepared using Sendha namak," said a SpiceJet spokesperson.
21/10/15 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

Read More

Construction of US Presidential Helo Starts in India

Lockheed Martin has begun construction of the first lot of six new-generation U.S. presidential transport helicopters in India, according to a report by India Strategic. Construction of the VH 92 Superhawks' cabins began recently in collaboration with India's Tata Advanced Systems Ltd., which also will exclusively develop components such as wire harnesses. The VH 92 is a variant of Sikorsky’s S-92, selected by the U.S. Defense Department in May 2014 to replace the current presidential fleet of Sikorsky VH-69s and VH-3Ds.
21/10/15 Aviation Today

Read More

We're making private jets more accessible: JetSetGo

JetSetGo, which recently received funding from cricketer Yuvraj Singh-backed YouWeCan Ventures, is an aggregator of private aviation business. Kanika Tekriwal, the co-founder and CEO, and a cancer survivor, has worked for close to a decade in the aviation industry with companies like Indiabulls Aviation and Aerospace Resources Ltd (UK). She shared with Shahkar Abidi that the company is creating market place that joins the dots between charter customers and operators on one hand and service providers with operators on the other.
I have been working in the aviation industry for the past 9 years from a time when private jets in the country were far and few. Besides India, I have worked in the UK and have seen the industry grow (and shrink, of course) and learnt a thing or two about the industry.
21/10/15 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

Read More

This winter fly a lesser known airline and save on fare

Are you planning that long overdue winter vacation? “Maybe somewhere abroad this year,” you tell yourself as you key in the destination, timings, class and dates into the travel meta-search engine.

It throws up a list of flight options and routes: most familiar, some not. The names of the big carriers make an appearance but there are also some you've never heard of.

“But the fares of these smaller airlines look so tempting,” you tell yourself. While planning a recent trip abroad, this writer took the plunge.

After returning home safely despite dreading the worst, she is glad to have flown with the lesser-known national carrier.

She paid ?42,000 per head for round-trip economy tickets (?5,000 less than the bigger carriers), with a stop-over of an hour (both ways), and a baggage allowance of 40 kg for check-in.

Not only was the baggage allowance more and fare cheaper than some of the larger carriers, the service offered was on par. The meal served on-board was tastier and the quality of in-flight entertainment and accessories such as blankets and earphones met international standards.
20/10/15 Pradipti Jayaram/Business Line

Read More

Wego backs key aviation event in Dubai

Wego.com, a leading travel search site in the Middle East and Asia Pacific, will be a participating sponsor at this year’s Aviation Festival Middle East in Dubai, UAE.

The Middle East’s premier aviation conference, which takes place on October 25 and 26, will be held at the Ritz Carlton DIFC.

“We’re looking forward to attending the festival and meeting with airlines and airport representatives who are keen to join Wego’s vast network of local and international partners, and extend their reach with travellers online,” said Mamoun Hmedan, managing director of Wego Middle East, North Africa and India.
21/10/15  TradeArabia

Read More

September air passenger traffic up 14 percent

New Delhi: Domestic air passenger traffic rose 14.56 percent in September to 66.66 lakh from 58.19 lakh registered during the corresponding month of last year.

During August, the air passenger traffic had surged by 18.66 percent to 67.60 lakh.

Data furnished by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) showed that passenger traffic during the January-September period grew by 20.10 percent.

"Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-September 2015 were 590.21 lakh as against 491.44 lakh during the corresponding period of previous year, thereby registering a growth of 20.10 percent," the DGCA said in its statistical analysis.

Earlier, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had said that India's domestic demand had soared owing to significant increases in service frequencies and improvements in economic growth.
20/10/15 IANS/Business Standard

Read More

Helicopters draw more crowds than leaders in rural Bihar

Patna/Jehanabad: At 2.30 pm, about 500 people began gathering in a large open ground, next to a river, in Buknari village to welcome their sitting legislator and former Bihar chief minister, Jiten Ram Manjhi, who is contesting election from the Makhdumpur constituency. Manjhi was schedule to arrive at 3 pm.

In the meantime, Manjhi's supporters, mostly women and children, formed a circle around the barricaded helipad. Their eyes kept scanning the sky for their leader. Their wait was short as Manjhi arrived 3.15 pm, leaving the crowd enthralled.

Manjhi's helicopter deliberately circled the village for some seconds before landing in the middle of the crowd, which braved the dust storm kicked up by the rotators. Manjhi began addressing the crowd from a distant stage but to his chagrin, most of the people gathered were more interested in the machine. Manjhi was also upset with the low turnout. "If it was some other place, I would not have even landed my helicopter. But since it is my home, I am letting this feeling go. Now, you ensure that I win in the elections," he told the gathering.
20/10/15 Sahil Makka/Business Standard

Read More

Ashok lauds AP’s aviation-friendly steps

Vijayawada: Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapati Raju has said Andhra Pradesh took aviation friendly measures by reducing the tax on turbine fuel to 1 per cent. It was expected to give a boost to air traffic in the State, he said.

The Union Minister, who visited Kanaka Durga temple here on Monday, said foundation stone was laid for the new terminal building at the Gannavaram airport near here. More air traffic was expected at the airport once the new terminal was ready. The airport needs 700 acres for expansion. A modern runway would be constructed to facilitate movement of all kinds of aircrafts, he said.

The farmers were requested to cooperate with the government and part their lands for airport expansion. The airport would have a cargo facility etc once the airport expansion and new terminal were completed, he said.
20/10/15 The Hindu

Read More

DGCA revises rules to check 'bias' in training

Mumbai: The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revised its rules governing assessment of co-pilots by senior pilots, designated as training captains. The move comes after the aviation regulator discovered that some of the trainer pilots could have shown bias while training juniors.

Training captains, who are from the industry, are engaged for assessing the skills of co-pilots and train the juniors before clearing them for flying. But an audit of training facilities came across instances of senior pilots giving preferential treatment to their favourites while imparting training.

The results of this partisan intention are alarming, found the audit. For instance, some co-pilots were given the go-ahead despite not completing mandatory hours of training, or having involved in an accident or failed breathalyser tests.

The audit revealed that the maximum number of violations were committed by Jet Airways, with 130 of its pilots flying without the mandatory check, followed by Air India (101 pilots), Air India Express (70), SpiceJet (10) and IndiGo with nine.
19/10/15 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

Read More

Etihad will be urged to join Air India for Nagpur MRO: Devendra Fadnavis

Nagpur:  Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to request Etihad Airways to form a joint venture with Air India to run the Nagpur maintenance, repair and overhaul depot (MRO). Gulf-based Etihad, 24% owner of Jet Airways, is planning airline cargo operations from the city. The airline will be urged to service its and that of Jet aircraft in the city MRO.

Fadnavis held a meeting with Boeing vice president Dinesh Keskar on Sunday evening over the Nagpur MRO, which was built by Boeing. Keskar gave him some suggestions to expand the MRO operations.

"Keskar said it was important for Air India to find a local or international partner to run the MRO. Till a partner is found, Air India should service large number of its aircraft. This will market the MRO. Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) should be asked to offer aeronautical engineering course, which has sanction from Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)," Fadnavis told TOI.
19/10/15 Ashish Roy/Times of India

Read More

To run MRO efficiently will be a challenge: Dr Keskar

Nagpur: “The world class Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) at Mihan built by Boeing has been transferred to Air India as per the MoU between Boeing and Air India. This MRO now needs to create skill manpower for its operation. Actually, let alone world class, people from Mumbai are reluctant to come to Nagpur and work here. Hence, to run MRO Depot would be a challenge,” said vice-president of Sales Asia-Pacific, Boeing Dr Dinesh Keskar here on Sunday.

Dr Keskar was speaking at the guest lecture on the topic ‘Global outlook and changing scenario for aviation’ organised by ‘Friends International’ at Chitnavis Centre.

Keskar further said that there are ups and downs happening in the aviation industry all over the world. However, considering the rapid progress happpening in the entire world, there would be a need of 37,000 more aircraft in the world. Out of these Asia will have the largest demand of aircraft that is more than 14,000 aircraft. Comparing this demand America and Europe will be haf behind in terms of demand.
In the last one year there is a 6 per cent increase in the air travelling by passengers world over and 900 new planes have been added in the services. informed Keskar.
19/10/15 Nagpur Today

Read More

Wee hour domestic flights take off

New Delhi: Domestic passengers, pressed for time and scouting for bargain options, can look forward to early-morning flights now.

These flights between 12am and 5am are commonly called "red-eye" in the West in reference to the sleep-deprived passengers who get off them. They are substantially cheaper than daytime flights.

Airlines such as Jet Airways, SpiceJet and IndiGo are launching the flights as they enable business and budget fliers to save on travel costs.

SpiceJet will operate its first red-eye flight on the Delhi-Bangalore and Delhi-Nanded routes from November 2. Last week, low-cost airline IndiGo started these flights to Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai from Delhi. Jet Airways, which operates eight late night/early morning flights, announced additional flights to Calcutta and Mumbai from Chennai.

According to analysts, red-eye flights increase asset utilisation because aircraft can be used for more hours. This helps the airline to lower its cost per available seat kilometre. Airlines will also be able to add capacity during the upcoming peak travel season without having to fight for daytime slots at prime airports.
19/10/15 Jayati Ghose/Telegraph

Read More

Let’s open up the skies for drones

Unmanned aerial vehicles are flying robots that provide some of the benefits of manned flight without its attendant risks and inconveniences. Commonly known as drones, they proved their worth on the battlefield during the 1973 Yom Kippur and 1982 Lebanon wars, after which numerous military forces began implementation of their surveillance and weaponised drone programmes. Today, India is reported to have some 200 Israeli-made drones in service, and is in the process of developing indigenous ones for military use. Civilians, however, are banned from flying drones.

Drones are not just used for military purposes; they have also been used by civilians around the world for a diverse set of non-conflict use cases. These include assisting aid agencies during humanitarian crises, helping farmers with their fields, providing a new perspective to journalists, letting conservationists rapidly monitor wildlife and conduct anti-poaching patrols, as well as simple recreational activity; flying a drone can be a lot of fun.
Drones, thus, have commercial value; they provide a much cheaper alternative to manned flight, and enable applications that were impossible earlier. Unfortunately, most new technologies come with their own dangers, and drones are no exception. They can occasionally crash. This matters most when the drone being flown is large and heavy, as a crash can damage property and harm people. Drones also occupy airspace that is used by manned aircraft, and an in-air collision or even a near-miss, could be disastrous. These are dangers that could occur unintentionally. However, there is also the fear that drones could be used to intentionally cause harm.
19/10/15 Shashank Srinivasan/Business Line

Read More

US hopes that India will take part in air force exercises

Chennai:  After enhancing interoperability of its navies through regular exercises, the United States is looking at a possibility of joint air force exercises.

US Ambassador to India Richard R Verma said that United States would like India to take part in the US air force's Exercise Red Flag and that India and US coming together in the region would only enhance peace.

Talking to the media in the city, after returning from a visit to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt to observe Exercise Malabar in the Bay of Bengal, on Sunday, Richard Verma said that the level of cooperation demonstrated by the navies could be replicated by the air forces too.

Reacting to a question on the concern raised by Pakistan on the India, US and Japan partnership for naval exercises, Verma said that "India-US defence relationship stands by itself. The real impact of the US and India, which share democratic values, coming together will be an increase in peace and prosperity."
18/10/15 V Ayyappan/Times of India

Read More

Dassault Not Attaching Time Limit to Indian Rafale Deal

France’s Dassault Aviation is not attaching any firm time limit to the conclusion of negotiation and the signing of a contract with India on the purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft.

Dassault Aviation chief Eric Trappier said on Friday that the signing of the Indian order could happen “in the weeks or months ahead.” He was speaking at a Dassault Aviation facility for Falcon jets in Gironde, France, French media reported.

He however sounded optimistic about increasing the hiring of staff for the Rafale project stating that there would be hundreds of hires in the coming months to enable the company to treble production of the fighter aircraft which has firm orders from France, Egypt and Qatar and expected orders from India and the UAE.

Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Arup Raha had said earlier this month that he hoped that the contract signing would happen by this year end.
18/10/15 Defense World.net

Read More

Aero model contest underway at Pinjore’s aviation club

Kalka: The Aero Model Association Delhi, in association with Boing International and Wings India, Mumbai, started the 6th National Aero Model Competition at the Civil Aviation Club in Pinjore. Competitors from Ludhiana, Patiala, Chandigarh, Allahabad, Bengluru, Nagpur, Mumbai, Delhi and Pune are taking part in the competition.

Various aero models of jet and gas planes and gliders are being showcased in the competition. The models of a radio control plane, soldier winger and high winger remained the main attraction of the programme.

HK Verma of the Aero Model Association said participants between the age group of 6 and 60 years can take part in the competition. Some of the models equipped with tiny engines having the capacity capacity of 150cc are operated with fuel. The first aero model competition was conducted in Gurgaon in 2010 in Noida, Delhi.
17/10/15 Tribune

Read More

Recertification of carriers to be completed in a month, says DGCA

Aviation regulator DGCA today said recertification of all scheduled airlines would be completed in the next month and so far 10 carriers have been recertified.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) began the recertification process for the scheduled carriers earlier this year.
DGCA chief M Sathiyavathy said that recertification of 10 airlines have been completed. "Out of 14 airlines, we have completed 10 and only four are remaining. We will be completing that in the next one month," she said here.
The recertification is being done to ensure that the carriers meet the global standards, especially after the US watchdog Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) upgraded India's safety rating this April.
16/10/15 PTI/Business Today

Read More

Boeing boost for Make in India

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' campaign got a major boost on Friday with American aviation major Boeing joining the bandwagon. Boeing chairman James McNerney said here that the company could assemble fighter planes and either the Apache or Chinook defence helicopter in India. "Even (building a commercial aircraft wing or fuselage in India) is closer than you think," McNerney said, making Boeing the biggest global company to commit to the 'Make in India' programme.

Last month, Boeing had got a $3-billion contract for supplying 22 Apaches and 15 Chinooks to India. While finalizing the chopper order, the defence ministry had said that contract will have a 30% offset clause and bring in business worth $1 billion for the Indian defence industry. "Make in India is a very important mission for the country. Over the last two to three decades, the capability of the Indian people has been obvious and clear. Modi's initiative takes up those capabilities two to three levels," McNerney, who met Modi on Thursday, said.
"Make in India is not just someone handing you a blueprint and you make it. It can't be that way. I think the vision of the Prime Minister is more than that. India will get technology that can be used elsewhere in manufacturing ... Make in India is for India and globally. Given the global nature of our products, we can play at the centre of that," he said.
17/10/15 The Times Of India

Read More