Indian-Aviation

The civil aviation ministry has flagged its concerns over the impact on domestic air connectivity if Vistara and AirAsia India are allowed to fly international post abolition of the five-year, 20 aircraft rule.  The upcoming aviation policy is expected to abolish the rule, which requires Indian carriers to fly five years locally and have a fleet of 20 aircraft to be eligible to fly international. The concerns were raised in a meeting of airlines called by the ministry on Wednesday. The country's leading carriers, such as Indigo and Jet Airways, didn't attend the meeting.  The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), the industry body that represents these carriers, on Tuesday wrote to Aviation Secretary RN Choubey, seeking a postponement of the meeting as the top executives of its member airlines had prior commitments or were away on vacation.  The ministry didn't accede to it. The meeting was attended by representatives of AirAsia, Vistara and Air India, none

Civil aviation ministry plans to put up the draft  civil aviation policy  for  cabinet  approval by third week of January. “We met airlines today and have taken their inputs. We will be holding discussions internally on the policy on Thursday and hope to put up the policy before cabinet by third week of January,” a senior civil aviation ministry official said. The ministry has received over 450 comments from various stake holders on the draft policy. The meeting at the civil aviation ministry was attended by representatives of Air India,  AirAsia  and Vistara.  Other airlines – GoAir,  JetAirways  and IndiGo  who are part of the  Federation of Indian Airlines  did not attend the meeting. While FIA is against the relaxation of 5/20 rule restricts new airlines from launching overseas flights AirAsia and  Vistara  are lobbying for easing of the rule. The policy also  seeks to improve regional connectivity, bring down fares for short-haul flights and facilitate higher foreign in

Many highs and lows marked the 2015 trajectory of domestic aviation space with three airlines taking off, one coming back after a near-collapse, a no-frills carrier getting listed and India again securing top safety ranking even as the draft aviation policy remained in limbo. All said and done, fliers might have to shell out more from next year with the Government proposing two per cent levy on all tickets to fund regional connectivity plans even as the draft policy promises various tax sops for the sector. At the same time, Civil Aviation Ministry saw a change of Secretary while the two ministers -- Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Mahesh Sharma -- found themselves at different ends on various policy issues including on the idea of regulating airfares. Besides, M Sathiyavathy took over as the first woman head of regulatory body DGCA. Towards the end of the year, a freak accident that saw a service engineer being sucked by an Air India aircraft engine at Mumbai airport, once again brou

No-frills airline SpiceJet on Monday announced a four-day sale, offering one-way base fares as low as Rs 716 for the journey period between January 15 and April 12 next year for domestic fliers. The special fares under "Happy New Year Sale" are available for flying on domestic routes, SpiceJet said in a release. As a part of this sale launched, for which bookings will remain open till midnight of December 31, one-way base fares start at Rs 716 (excluding taxes) for domestic network, the release said. The travel period for tickets availed under this offer stands between January 15 and April 12, 2016 and only for flying on direct flights on the domestic network, it said. Tickets under this offer are refundable (only taxes and fees) and changeable with a change fee and payment of fare difference, the airline added. SpiceJet operates 293 daily flights to 40 destinations, including six international routes, with a fleet of 25 Boeing 737s, 14 Bombardier Q-400s and two Airb

An Air India flight that was scheduled to depart from Amritsar to Dubai on Wednesday was delayed by 4 hours after a stray dog crept into the runway. Amritsar’s International airport director, Venkateshwar Rao told that the flight which was ready to take off halted after the pilot saw a stray dog on the runway. The flight scheduled to depart at 3.15 PM, left the airport only at 7.10 PM in the evening. The reportedly aborted the flight as a precautionary measure to check if any damage was incurred on the flight. The aborted flight underwent inspection by technicians and the pilot, and after receiving the permission from the civil aviation DG, the flight departed. Previously today, a suspected rat sighting in an Air India aircraft from Mumbai to London caused the plane to return midway and an investigation was launched into the rodent incident. "AI 131, Mumbai to London returned to Mumbai today due to suspected rat sighting. Though the presence of the rodent was not conf

The co-pilot of a Jet Airways flight that plunged 2,251 feet over Turkey before correcting course last year "inadvertently manipulated" the controls, resulting in the incident, according to an inquiry by aviation regulator DGCA. The Mumbai-Brussels flight, with 280 passengers aboard, suddenly lost altitude on August 8, 2014, when the 46-year-old co-pilot was in charge. The 40-year-old flight captain was sleeping as permitted under cockpit rules. The Air Traffic Control in the Turkish capital of Ankara cautioned the co-pilot when the plane began to drop altitude, flying below 32,000 feet. Most passenger planes cruise at an altitude in the range of 30,000 feet to 40,000 feet, and the Jet flight was cleared to fly at 34,000 feet. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-300 ER, had flown 4 hours and 43 minutes when the incident took place. Initial reports after the incident had said that the plane plunged 5,000 feet, but investigations showed that it fell 2,251 feet before correcti

At a time when India is witnessing an increase in air accidents, the country's aviation safety regulator, the DGCA, is facing uncertainty over who will head it. M Sathiyavathy, the current DGCA head and the first woman to hold this post, had been waiting for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency, to complete its audit of Indian aviation. The inspection ended last week.  "Sathiyavathy is going to move on any time now. But there is no clarity on who will succeed her," an official said. Sathiyavathy, a IAS officer, was previously empanelled as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Chief Secretary in Pondicherry.  The DGCA has had seven chiefs in the past eight years. During the ICAO audit, questions were raised about the lack of continuity in this vital agency, which was, only last year, downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) wasn'

IndiGo Airlines has taken its fleet size to a 100 Airbus A320 aircraft. IndiGo took delivery of the ‘VT – IDR’ aircraft to join its fleet. The aircraft puja was done at Terminal 1D Delhi. With 653 daily flights connecting 39 destinations, IndiGo promises to offer its customers one of the best experience in the aviation industry. These new flights will allow travellers to experience an on-time performance, thus further consolidating the airline’s position as the fastest growing airline in India. At a small ceremony surrounded by his team members, Aditya Ghosh, president, IndiGo said, “10 years ago we had dreamed of one day being a part of 100 aircraft airline. Our sincere gratitude to over a hundred million customers who have chosen IndiGo and are the reason for us to have reached this milestone. Today, it is difficult to describe all the emotions running through us but as we look at our 100th aircraft it gives us the quiet confidence and courage to dream bigger dreams of establis

Baron Aviation recently launched ‘BookMyCharters’, an online booking platform for private jets in India. The platform has pooled in more than 12 private jet operators with a combined fleet of over 40 aircraft. Five private jet operators and 10 aircraft are expected to be added to this portfolio by end of 2015. BookMyCharters is an air charter marketplace which is integrated with the operator’s dashboard giving real time information to the customers. Speaking about this launch, Rajeev Wadhwa, chairman and CEO, Baron Aviation stated, “BookMyCharters was registered on September 28, 2012 and went live on December 2015. The idea was to create an auction platform where a private jet operator on ground can quote the lowest price to attract customers. Through BookMyCharters, we plan to integrate over 60 per cent of the Indian private aircraft over the next eight-12 weeks and also bring 30 per cent new customers to the Indian charter market.” Elaborating on this platform, Wadhwa added, “Boo

The Government has rejected the proposal of airlines to charge passengers for check-in baggage on flights which is currently free upto 15 kg, minister of state for civil aviation Dr Mahesh Sharma said on Saturday. The minister’s comment brought much cheer to passengers, but gave a jolt to domestic scheduled airlines, which were hoping to boost their revenues. He said the government did not want to put a burden on passengers.    In another important development on Saturday, senior DGCA sources have rejected as “false and misleading” the argument put forth by top executives of a low-cost carrier, who on Saturday cited a DGCA circular in March this year to claim that airlines have already been allowed by the aviation regulator to charge passengers for check-in baggage. Senior DGCA sources said the mention of check-in baggage as an “unbundled” service (a service for which a separate charge on passengers can be levied) in the circular concerned should not be “misinterpreted” as an appr

Domestic air traffic logged a robust of nearly 25 per cent growth in November with 11 Indian carriers together flying 7.32 million passengers as compared to 5.82 million passengers in the same period last year, driven by the demand in the tourist season. Domestic air traffic grew by 24.65 per cent in the month of November, according to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), an aviation watchdog, monthly traffic data. However, the growth during the January-November period stood at 20.41 per cent for flying 73.38 million passengers as against 60.94 million passengers transported by the domestic carriers in the same period of 2014, the data said. In the month of November, budget carrier IndiGo lost market share by a few notches despite carrying more number of passengers and continued recording the highest load factor. According to the data, IndiGo carried 25.98 lakh passengers in the reporting month against 25.90 lakh passengers flown by it in October 2015. The airline's

When Spicejet was in a tough spot last year, the airline's then COO Sanjiv Kapoor often recalled a line from one of John Lennon's tracks, "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." A Lennon fan, Kapoor and his team steered the airline out of trouble. In the process, Kapoor and his employees developed a bond, which only a crisis can bring about.  After further steadying Spicejet with two good quarters, Kapoor quit his job and joined the Indian airline industry's latest entrant, Vistara. Currently, he is on gardening leave, recharging his batteries before his new assignment. ETPanache caught up with the Delhi-based Kapoor when he was in Mumbai for a day. He flew to the city on Vistara.  "They (cabin and ground staff) treated me like I was family," Kapoor says. "I was pleasantly surprised because I didn't think they would know I was on board. They really made me feel warm and welcome." He was to return to D

Launched this January, the Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines JV full service carrier Vistara on Monday inducted its ninth aircraft in the fleet. Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh said, "We are delighted to announce the arrival of our ninth aircraft. The new aircraft will allow us to further enhance our capacity on our key routes and allow many more customers to fly a new feeling with Vistara. With this addition, our fleet induction for the year is complete." Vistara currently flies to 12 destinations and has 297 weekly frequencies. The Airbus A-320s in its fleet have 148 seats — 16 in business; 36 in premium economy and 96 in economy. The new aircraft has advanced technologies including weight-saving composites and the 'sharklets' that reduce fuel consumption by 4% and increases payload-range performance by 100nm corresponding to an annual reduction in carbon-di-oxide emissions by around 900 tonnes per aircraft. Vistara is a joint venture between Tata

Not just better connectivity, many airlines are also promising increased frequency of flights in 2016, writes Ashwini Phadnis It looks like domestic air travellers will be spoilt for choice in 2016. From the over six-decade-old Air India to the new kid on the block Vistara, all have plans to not only add more aircraft but also offer passengers increased frequency and connectivity. Also, a lot more in-flight entertainment choices are expected to come onboard this year. Air India plans to induct over 30 aircraft into its fleet, a mix of narrow body aircraft and turboprops for the domestic market. Senior AI officials said the new inductions are meant to ensure that the carrier is able to enhance regional connectivity and improve the quality of in-flight experience for passengers. The Maharaja, which started a three-times-a-week flight linking Mumbai with Surat and Gwalior, now plans to link Delhi with Gorakhpur with six flights a week from January 15. Vistara has plans to ad

If the revival of an airline and return to profitability of some others marked the highlights in 2015 in Indian aviation, the year also went by without the government spelling out its long-awaited policy for the sector. All that the civil aviation ministry managed in the last 19 months was to come up with a draft national civil aviation policy (NCAP) which, nonetheless, has some far-reaching implications. Among the proposals is one to scrap the 5/20 norm, which stipulates a minimum five years of operations and a fleet of 20 aircraft for oversees flying rights, and to peg a minimum tariff of no more than Rs.2,500 per ticket for each flying-hour. The grand scheme, however, still hangs in the balance and awaits the union cabinet's approval. "Draft NCAP has contemplated many interesting proposals to promote growth in the aviation sector," Amber Dubey, partner and head of aerospace and defence at global consultancy KPMG, told IANS. "Its vision to enabl

सिविल एविएशन मिनिस्‍ट्री ने चार ग्रीनफील्‍ड एयरपोर्ट को मंजूरी देने का फैसला किया है। इसमें गुजरात के ढोलेरा स्थित 1378 करोड़ इंटरनेशनल एयरपोर्ट भी शामिल है।  इस एयरपोर्ट के बनने से अहमदाबाद एयरपोर्ट पर बोझ कम होगा।  तीन अन्‍य ग्रीनफील्‍ड एयरपोर्ट आंध्र प्रदेश  तीन अन्‍य ग्रीनफील्‍ड एयरपोर्ट की स्‍थापना आंध्र प्रदेश में होगी। इनमें दो नो-फ्रिल होंगे।  एनवायरमेंट मिनिस्‍ट्री ने ढोलेरा एयरपोर्ट की मंजूरी पहले ही दे दी है।  नेल्‍लोर और कुर्नूल ग्रीनफील्‍ड एयरपोर्ट  आंध्र प्रदेश में आने वाले एयरपोर्ट में भोगापुरम एयरपोर्ट प्रमुख है। यह विजाग से लगभग 40 किलोमीटर दूर है।  मिनिस्‍ट्री ने आंध्र प्रदेश के नेल्‍लोर और कुर्नूल ग्रीनफील्‍ड एयरपोर्ट के विकास को भी मंजूरी दे दी है। इनका निर्माण पीपीपी के तहत होगा। Read more at:  http://money.bhaskar.com

The airport, which is being fiercely opposed by the locals, has already received necessary clearances from the Defence Ministry. The stage is all set for the commencement of works on the proposed international airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram District. The airport, according to senior officials, received the Union Civil Aviation Ministry’s site clearance at a meeting held at New Delhi on Monday. The airport, which is being fiercely opposed by the locals, has already received necessary clearances from the Defence Ministry. “The project received in principle nod from the Union Government. We will receive a written order in a week,” a senior official who made a power-point presentation on the benefits of the project to the Union Ministry said. The Government had initially proposed the Bhogapuram aerotropolis comprising the international airport, maintenance, repair and overhaul facility and aviation academy in a sprawling 15,000 acre site. Bhogapuram international airpo

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Tuesday that the state government had no objection to naming the Chandigarh international airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh. “However, the airport’s name should carry the word ‘Chandigarh’. Anyway, it’s for the central government to decide on the name,” the CM said in reply to a question. Khattar had written to the Centre, requesting that the international civil terminal be named as Dr Mangal Sein International Airport, Chandigarh, according to a reply by Union minister of state for civil aviation Mahesh Sharma in the Lok Sabha. Sein was a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who also remained Haryana’s deputy chief minister in 1987. Replying to an un-starred question by Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu, the Union minister of state had told the Lok Sabha on December 3: “A proposal was received from the Punjab government for naming the international civil air terminal, Chandigarh, as Shaheed-e-Azam Sarda