DGCA reveals 1.08 crore domestic passengers travelled in April, 2022

Around 1.08 crore domestic passengers travelled by air in April, approximately 2 per cent more than 1.06 crore who flew in March, Indian aviation regulator DGCA stated on Friday. The passenger load factors were above 78 per cent for all major Indian private carriers in April, the DGCA stated in its monthly statement.

The load factors of SpiceJet, IndiGo, Vistara, Go First, Air India and AirAsia India were 85.9 per cent, 78.7 per cent, 82.9 per cent, 80.3 per cent, 79.5 per cent and 79.6 per cent, respectively, in April 2022, it mentioned. This comes as a great relief as in the past two years, the aviation sector has been drastically impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries due to the pandemic.

IndiGo carried 64.11 lakh passengers in April, a 58.9 per cent share of the domestic market, the DGCA said. Go First was in the number two position as it carried 11.09 lakh passengers in April, the aviation regulator mentioned. SpiceJet flew 10.01 lakh passengers and Air India flew 8.26 lakh passengers in April, according to the data shared by the DGCA. Vistara and IndiGo were at the second and third positions at the aforementioned four airports in April with 90.9 percent and 90.1 percent on-time performance respectively, the DGCA said.

31/05/22 Business Traveller

Read More

International Flight Attendant Day: Why I fly? An account by Cabin Crew

A dear friend had once told me, your true calling is not the job you have always wanted, but the job that you stumble upon! I believe her. After an education appropriate for a job I thought was destined for me, I found myself stuck in a rut, unable to break out of a cycle of increasingly meaningless work. Aviation was nowhere close to where I thought I would be growing up. One interview later, I found myself, quite literally, with my head in the clouds. Read >>

Read More

Uttarakhand: IAF helicopters rescue missing trekkers stranded in Rudraprayag

Rudraprayag: At least seven people, along with three trekkers, were safely rescued with the help of Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district, reported news agency PTI. The trekkers had gone missing on the Pandav Shera trek route in Prayagraj due to sudden snowfall at a height of around 4,500 metres two days back.

They were brought to Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) hospital in Chamoli for a medical examination.

Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajvar told news agency PTI that the rescue operation began at 5.30 am and all the seven stranded people were brought to the Gauchar helipad by 6:45 am.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched a search and rescue operation after trekkers went missing and a chopper was also arranged by the Civil Aviation Department for quick rescue.

After the SDRF team received information from the District Control room in Rudraprayag, a high altitude team was deployed for rescue work. Also, Deputy Inspector General of Police, SDRF, Riddhim Agarwal had ordered a quick rescue, reported ANI.

30/05/22 India Today

Read More

India scouts for aircraft manufacturers through G2G route for 26 aircraft for INS Vikrant

INS Vikrant was launched with much fanfare last year, as it happened to be the first indigenous aircraft carrier to sail NSE 0.33 % with the Indian Navy. Currently, it is undergoing sea trials in Karwar near Gujarat. The Prime Minister will be commissioning this maiden aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy on the 15th of August 2022, commemorating the 75th Anniversary of India's independence.

The US manufacturer, Boeing, will be sending two F-18 Super Hornet fighters that are to be undergoing aerial trials onboard the INS Hansa. The pair of Hornets are to be ultimately considered the main fighting flying machines for INS Vikrant.

Dassault Aviation of France has also completed their trials with the Rafael-M fighter for Vikrant in Goa, and initial reports received says that the tests were successful. The Navy plans to presently deck INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya (2 aircraft carriers India owns) with MiG 29K aircraft for the time being. INS Vikramaditya, the largest carrier owned by India, has undergone various modifications and has been under intense sea trials to check its tenacity in modern warfare. INS Vikramaditya is of Russian make and was commissioned in 1987.

The aircraft, a total of 26 in number, must be received through a G2G deal (government to government). This idea is primarily to bolster the Atmanirbhar Bharat program, as the manufacturers are expected to construct the aircraft on Indian soil. Boeing and Dassault have their manufacturing plants in India and hence could be the current favourites to be selected. India's defence demands have been rising since 2014 after the Modi government came into power. The government's strategy has been to woo manufacturers to construct their factories and make their products in India.

30/05/22 Economic Times

Read More

Jyotiraditya Scindia: My job is to ensure that everyone who buys an air ticket flies with a smile

New Delhi: It’s under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India has really seen the democratisation of a service earlier meant for only a select few. The broadening and deepening of the availability of civil aviation facilities to the 1.4 billion people of our country have occurred in the last eight years, and more so in the past three years.

This is despite the last three years being a very trying time for the civil aviation industry because of the Covid pandemic. The industry has endured loses of $370 billion (Rs 28.7 lakh crore) globally and $2.9 billion (Rs 22,496 crore) in India. Before the pandemic hit, there were roughly 144 million domestic fliers in 2020, more than double the 67 million passengers in 2013-14. At the peak of the pandemic, air traffic crashed to almost zero as all planes were on the tarmac. With the gradual reopening of the sector, India recorded around 50 million discreet fliers in 2021. In the past one year, we have seen their number go up to 85-90 million.

Several airlines have shut down in the last two decades, driven by various factors. This year, we will see the birth of a new airline—Akasa Air—and the rebirth of another—the erstwhile Jet Airways. Both airlines will add nearly 50-70 aircraft in the first couple of years. India already has a decent fleet strength of 715 aircraft, up from 415 in 2013-14. We are now looking at adding around 100-125 planes every year.

When there is growth in both number of passengers and airlines, it’s natural that it will propel the growth of airports. India had 74 airports in 2013-14. Over the last eight years, we have added 67 airports, waterdromes and heliports, taking the total number to 141—almost double of what it was in 2013-14. We intend to take this number to over 200 by 2025. Certainly, civil aviation infrastructure is going to witness tremendous growth over the next three to four years.

However, the story of civil aviation is not just about airlines and airports. It’s about creating a sustainable ecosystem. My thrust has been on flying training organisations (FTOs) because we will require close to 8,000-9,000 pilots over the next 5-10 years. We have 34 FTOs in India at present. Almost 40 per cent of our pilots are trained abroad, which means forex outflow of around Rs 500 crore per annum. To implement the Make in India policy, in terms of skilling and training, the civil aviation ministry has sanctioned the setting up of nine FTOs. These include the first FTO in the Northeast, which I inaugurated at Lilabari in Assam. All these FTOs will be operational in the next two to three months. In the second round, we have bid out 15 FTOs across the country. So, the total number of FTOs is expected to go up to 58 in the next one year. We are also increasing the intake capacity of existing FTOs.

29/05/22 Jyotiraditya Scindia/India Today

Read More

Celebi Aviation to focus on technology led growth eyes Air India ground handling unit

Ground handling company Celebi Aviation will focus on technology-led growth for its warehouse and cargo services and is hopeful of complete recovery in its ground handling business once international flights reach pre-covid level in India.

The company has so far invested over $220 million in India with investments catering to upgrading infrastructure to handle more than 700,000 tons per year, increasing perishable cargo capacity to 65,000 tons per year, undertaking security initiatives and adding additional handling equipment and a dedicated transshipment centre. Specifically over the last two years, the company said that it has dedicated its energy towards investment in technology and digitising the workspace.

Going forward, Celebi aims to enhance its warehouse management system to include new features to bring in more productivity and also wants to enable extensive digitisation.

“We shall be exploring technologies like IOT, AI, Blockchain in different areas like temperature monitoring, data integration with airport systems, routine tasks automation etc. Adopting tools for digitisation of manual paper-based processes for improved efficiency would be actively pursued,” Mr Kamesh Peri, CEO-India, Çelebi Delhi Cargo told CNBC-TV18 in an e-mail interview.

26/05/22 Anu Sharma/CNBC TV18

Read More

How will Jet Airways, Akasa Air's entry impact aviation industry

The entry of Jet Airways and Akasa Air into the aviation sector in India along with the revamped Air India has created a lot of buzz. The development means a lot for the existing players as it will increase the competition, which is good for customers because it may lead to lower prices in the aviation industry and there will be more airlines to choose from. However, airlines may have to cut down on expenses in order to offer cheaper flight tickets. 

What will be the other impacts? Read >>

Read More

'No decision on cut in tax on ATF'

The finance ministry has not yet taken a view on the civil aviation ministry's plea for tax cuts on jet fuel (ATF) to bring down prices, a top source said on Wednesday.

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has been making a case for lowering the high taxes on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) even as most states have already moved to significantly reduce the value-added tax (VAT).

"They (civil aviation ministry) have approached us with a plea to moderate the prices. However, no decision has been taken yet," the source said.

The civil aviation ministry continues to be in discussion with the finance minister over the issue, the source added.

As many as 23 states have lowered VAT on jet fuel from highs of 20-30 per cent. And now it wants the central government to cut excise duty.

ATF makes up for about 40 per cent of the operating cost of an airline. Jet fuel prices are at a record high in line with the global surge in energy prices. And since India is 85 per cent dependent on imports to meet its oil needs, the only way to cut jet fuel prices is to reduce taxes.

While BJP-ruled states have reduced VAT, the states housing the country's busiest airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata have not done so yet.

ATF presently is chargeable at an 11 per cent ad valorem rate of excise duty. A concessional rate of 2 per cent is applicable for ATF sold under the Regional Connectivity Scheme.

Ad valorem rate means the incidence of taxation rises whenever there is an increase in the base price.

Some in the industry have demanded that the government bring specific excise duty expressed in Rs per kilolitre to insulate airlines from such volatility.

Petrol and diesel already attract a specific rate of excise duty.

ATF attracts both excise duty of the central government and sales tax or VAT of states. This because when the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced on July 1, 2017, amalgamating 17 central and state levies, five commodities -- namely crude oil, natural gas, petrol, diesel, and ATF -- were kept out of its purview given the revenue dependence of state governments on this sector.

26/05/22 PTI/Times of India

Read More

Meet Captain Abhilasha Barak, First Woman Combat Pilot In Army Aviation

New Delhi: Captain Abhilasha Barak has created history by becoming the first woman officer to join the Army Aviation Corps as Combat Aviator. The announcement was made on the official social media page of the Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army) on Wednesday.

Captain Barak's achievement has been described as a "Golden Letter Day" in the history of Indian Army Aviation. Upon successful completion of her training, Captain Barak was awarded the Coveted Wings along with 36 Army pilots, the post said.

The post, shared on Instagram, also features a set of pictures from the ceremony. The note, attached to the social media upload, read, "Golden letter day in the history of Indian Army aviation. Captain Abhilasha Barak becomes the first woman officer to join Army Aviation Corps as Combat Aviator after successful completion of training."

"Captain Abhilasha Barak has been awarded the Coveted Wings along with 36 Army Pilots by Director General and Colonel Commandant Army Aviation. Young Aviators are now ready to spread their wings in Combat Aviation Squadrons," it read.

According to the official website, the inception of the Army Aviation wing of the RAF in India took place in 1942. However, it was only in August 1947 that the first Indian Air Observation Post-flight was raised. The Army Aviation Corps, in particular, was established on November 1, 1986. It was “immediately inducted into Operation Pawan,” which has been described as a “crucial test” for the Corps that had been newly formed.

25/05/22 NDTV

Read More

Uttar Pradesh Govt to operate helicopter taxi services on Agra-Mathura route

The Uttar Pradesh government has come up with a solution to avoid traffic jams from Agra to Mathura. The Yogi Adityanath government has decided to start helicopter taxis for tourists in Agra and Mathura. The UP government has invited tenders for the construction, operation, and maintenance of heliport in both cities. The government has further issued a notification and the pre-bid is to be organised at the office of the tourism department in Lucknow on May 31 at 12 noon. The last date for submission of Request for Qualification (RFQs) is June 23. 

This initiative is being taken to reduce traffic congestion on roads. The tourists will soon be able to enjoy the helicopter taxi services as initially, this helicopter service will run in a few cities which are rich in terms of tourism. 

As per the notification issued, the helipads in Agra and Mathura will be constructed under Public-Private-Partnership (PPP). Many bids are expected for the Heli taxi service and the lowest bidder will be entrusted with the operation, maintenance, and construction of the helipad. Applications for Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) can be submitted online at etender.up.nic.in along with the requisite fee on June 23 by 2 pm. Any updates or changes will be updated on the website and uptourism.gov.in. 

23/05/22 Zee News

Read More