Indian start-up Zoom Air adds first aircraft

Zoom Air has added its first aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ-200, to its fleet. According to the start-up, the jet will enter into service this month. The airline plans to maintain operations with five CRJ-200LRs out of Delhi Int'l.

Under its previous incarnation as Zexus Air (Delhi Int'l), the full-service start-up was able to secure its No Objection Certificates (NOC) from the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation but reportedly failed in its attempt to secure an Air Operators Permit (AOP) from the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
21/09/16 chn-aviation

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Mopa: GMR gets letter of award

Panaji: GMR Airports Limited that won the bid to build the international greenfield airport at Mopa, was issued the letter of award by the state government on Saturday.While the project is likely to cost over 4,500 crore, the first phase of the project is estimated at 3,100 crore, including escalations.Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Saturday said he has cleared the Mopa airport file.Director of civil aviation Suresh Shanbhogue told TOI that the cabinet approved the letter of award on Saturday. It was issued to GMR on the same day. "The firm has to convey its acceptance within seven days of the date of issue of letter of award," he said and added that within 45 days of the issue of the letter, the firm has to sign a concession agreement with the government."GMR has to form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to take the construction of the Mopa airport forward, after which the government will sign the concession agreement," Shanbhogue said.
20/09/16 Times of India

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NAL feels time is ripe to inject funds into its 70-90 seater aircraft

New Delhi: The Bengaluru-based National Aerospace Laboratories’ (NAL) efforts to make a 70-90 seater aircraft in India has got a new impetus with the emphasis that the new civil aviation policy lays on enhancing regional air connectivity and the Modi government’s emphasis on ‘Make in India’.

NAL has already done the paper design and other analysis for the creation of such an aircraft. However, the project was shelved about three years ago because the government declined its request for close to ?9,000 crore for the project to be brought to fruition.

When asked whether this was the right time to pump in funds into this project, Jitendra Jadhav, Director, NAL, told BusinessLine that he thought so as the new civil aviation policy is looking to revive 550 air fields. The aircraft that NAL is developing will be a short take-off aircraft which should be able to land on many of these airfields.
“The new civil aviation policy is talking about regional connectivity. Rather than having a foreign aircraft, we can have a private partnership with some foreign partner and NAL’s design which will be a good Make in India. NAL is good in design. We need a manufacturing partner,” he added .

Senior NAL officials told BusinessLine that if the funds were sanctioned, the project could become a reality by 2023. “We are targeting connectivity between 250 and 500-600 km. The efficiency of turbo prop aircraft allows for short distance flying for which you really do not need to fly very high,” Jadhav pointed out when asked as to why NAL was looking at a turbo prop aircraft and limiting it to 70-90 seats.
19/09/16 Business Line

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Jet fuel could be produced from trees, study claims

Melbourne: Australia’s iconic gum trees may be used to produce enough low-carbon renewable jet fuel to power five per cent of the world’s aviation industry, a new study has claimed.
Renewable fuels that could power commercial aeroplanes are limited and expensive but a solution could be growing all around us, according to lead researcher Carsten Kulheim from The Australian National University (ANU).
“If we could plant 20 million hectares of eucalyptus species worldwide, which is currently the same amount that is planted for pulp and paper, we would be able to produce enough jet fuel for five per cent of the aviation industry,” he said.
The aviation sector globally produces about two per cent of all human-caused carbon dioxide emissions.
Eucalyptus-based fuel would initially be more expensive than fossil fuels to make on a mass scale, but would produce significantly less net carbon emissions, researchers said.
Kulheim said powering a modern jet aircraft with anything other than fossil fuels was difficult, due to the high energy required.
19/09/16 PTI/Indian Express

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Air Arabia Introduces EMI Option For Indians

Air Arabia, one of the largest low-cost carriers in the Middle East & North Africa, is offering a comprehensive Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) payment options for Indian travellers. Staying in-line with the airline’s philosophy of offering value-for-money options to their customers, this facility offers passengers an easy and seamless booking experience.

The EMI option allows travellers to carefully budget their expenses while allowing them to travel to a host of destinations connected by the Air Arabia network. Currently, the EMI facility is available for Credit Card Holders of eight leading Indian banks viz; ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank, HSBC, State Bank of India, HDFC and Central Bank of India.
16/09/16 Travel News Today

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Pentagon clears proposal to make F-18, F-16 frontline fighter jets in India

In a goodwill gesture of defence co-operation between India and the U.S., the Pentagon has endorsed a proposal to produce F-18 and F-16s fighter jets in India. The proposal was forwarded by the respective defence giants -- Boeing, which manufactures F-18s, and Lockheed Martin, which manufactures F-16s -- as part of their "Make in India" initiative.
Pentagon's endorsement to have a production line in India for F-18 and F-16 frontline fighter jets, along with the requisite transfer of technology and licences, was communicated during the recent meeting between Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter in Washington D.C., the Hindustan Times reported.
In view of India being designated as a major defence partner of the U.S., an India non-paper on broader export controls was reportedly accepted by the U.S. side.
"Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's visit to the US had significant outcomes with Pentagon agreeing to work on the Indian non-paper for easier export controls," the news outlet quoted a senior official as saying.
It makes sense for Boeing and Lockheed Martin to open production lines in India as they would have to invest back 50 percent of the total value of the deal. A single piece of the twin engine, twin seater F-18 fighter jets cost about $100 million and the single engine, single seater F-16's cost comes around $70 million.
05/09/16 Aditya Aditya Bhat/International Business Times

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Mahindra May Start Plane Sales, Manufacturing in India This Year

New Delhi: The aerospace unit of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd plans to sell planes built by its Australian unit in India this year, a top company executive said. Mahindra may also consider manufacturing the planes in India if sales pick up.

"We are hoping that (regulatory) approvals will come this year; so once approvals come this year, we will start selling the planes in India," said S.P. Shukla, chairman, Mahindra Aerospace Pvt. Ltd, part of the $17.8-billion Mahindra Group, at an aerospace summit on Wednesday.

In 2008, Mahindra bought Australia's GippsAero, which makes the eight-seater GA8 Airvan close to Melbourne. About 220 of these planes are flying in 30 countries.

Shukla explained why the plane continues to be made in Melbourne. "In Australia, there was a standard of CASA (Australian aviation regulator); CASA has a reciprocal arrangement with FAA (US aviation regulator) in the US, which has a reciprocal arrangement with Europe. And therefore, it makes sense if you have approvals in Australia to continue assembling in Australia," he said.

The next step could be to make in India.

"After we start selling the plane in India, we will definitely look at the possibility of making also," he said, adding some parts of the plane were already made in Bengaluru and supplied to the Melbourne facility.

Aircraft certifications are tough to get and without them, it's difficult to find buyers.
02/09/16 Tarun Shukla/Mcclatchy/AviationPros

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UP polls in sight, Greater Noida airport gets central push

New Delhi: With the UP assembly elections approaching, the Modi administration has fast-tracked the groundwork for NCR's second airport in Greater Noida's Jewar district. The UP government is also pushing for early clearance of the airport apart from having international operations at Agra Airport.

Aviation secretary R N Choubey told TOI on Thursday that the ministry had asked the state government to submit location maps for the proposed airport as the next step in the clearance process involved giving site approval."Once that is given, the state will prepare the detailed project report. Then the aviation ministry will give in-principle approval following which the project will be executed," he said.

Execution means acquiring land and then bidding the project out. Choubey clarified that the airport's construction won't require amending the `150km rule'. According to this, an airport should not be built in vicinity of an existing one till the latter's capacity falls short of meeting the requirements of its catchment area.

"In Delhi's case, the only condition is that the airport operator of the existing facility (GMR Group for IGI Airport) will have the right of first refusal (ROFR)," Choubey said, removing all fears over the 150km rule being a stumbling block for the NCR getting a second airport. Under ROFR, the GMR-backed Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) can bid for any such airport and will get the right to match the highest bid if its own quotation is within 10% of the same.
02/09/16 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

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