Indian-Aviation

Strong tailwinds are blowing for the scrapping of the restrictive overseas flying rule that does not let Indian carriers with less than five years of operation and 20 aircraft fly on international routes.  Apparently, it is being backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Even the civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathy Raju, who spoke on the sidelines of an Airports Authority of India (AAI) event on Friday in Delhi, batted for doing away with the 5/20 norm, which he feels, was "pulling down Indians". Kapil Kaul, CEO – South Asia and Middle East (ME), Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa), has no doubt that 5/20 rule would be removed in the latest National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2015, which has been in the making for over a year now. "I believe that 5/20 will go, irrespective of what riders they (those opposed to it) bring in. It will not stand any merit in the Prime Minister's court," he told dna.  The aviation minister also forcefully advocated for ...

CHENNAI: A Malaysia-bound flight, carrying 160 passengers on board, failed to take off from here today following a technical problem, airport officials said.  The Malaysian Airlines was moving on the runway when the pilots detected the problem, they said.  The passengers were safely offloaded and provided with accommodation in various hotels in the city, they said.  The aircraft was expected to resume its flight tomorrow, they added.  Read more at:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

International airlines have flooded the Indian market with discounted tickets as plunging oil prices have lowered their operating costs, despite the rupee's fall. Indian carriers, which pay for substantial costs in dollars, are also trying to match the offers. In the last one month, big global players like Qatar, Emirates, Etihad, British Airways, Jet and Air India had come out with special offers. According to travel portal Yatra, BA's special return fares for Delhi-New York start at Rs 64,000 against their usual Rs 88,000. Qatar Airways was offering return fares of about Rs 54,000 on this route. Similarly, Yatra said Etihad was offering Delhi-London-Delhi for about Rs 29,000 instead of the usual Rs 41,000. Qatar Airways recently concluded a travel fest where it was offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on its entire network. Similarly, Emirates was offering fares starting at Rs 19,000, Rs 34,000 and Rs 52,550 to the Gulf, Europe and Americas, respectively, till re...

GoAir said it has become the first airline in India to commercially operate night flights to Port Blair. The airline's maiden commercial charter flight G8 1291 took off from Bengaluru at 11.15 pm on January 20, 2016 and landed at Port Blair airport at 1:50 am.  As a part of its charter operations, GoAir will operate three night flights in this sector in January, five night flights in February and six night flights in March. All flights will arrive at Port Blair from Bengaluru at 1.50 am (past midnight) and depart for Bengaluru from Port Blair at 2.20 am. Effective March 27, 2016 and as per its new summer schedule, GoAir will also start operating its first ever daily direct flights to Port Blair from Bengaluru.  The flights will take off from Bengaluru at 2:40 pm and arrive in Port Blair at 5:15 pm while the return flights will take off from Port Blair at 11:25 am and arrive at Bengaluru at 2:05 am.  Read more at:  http://economictimes.indiatimes...

Union Minister of Civil Aviation P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Friday called upon various stakeholders to come up with new ideas for improved air services delivery in India.  "India is on the path of growth providing immense economic opportunities. Growth of air passenger traffic and air cargo traffic also needs to be given due importance. "There is a need to plan for the future while deriving inspiration from the past," Raju said in a statement.  Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman R.K. Srivastava said India continues to remain one of the least air services penetrated market in the world with 0.4 trips per capita per annum compared to two in the US despite the projected growth. "India has strong 300 million middle income group with disposable income to travel at least once in a year by air," said Srivastava in the statement. Srivastava said India's airport terminals capacity as on date is 250 million while only 190 is being utilized. India needs...

The Civil Aviation Ministry today concluded consultations on the draft aviation policy with the stakeholders and the keenly awaited document will go for Cabinet approval as soon as some "minor issues" are resolved.  At a meeting held here, all the stake holders including the airlines, public and airport operators put across their "final views" on the policy, paving the way for the Ministry to prepare the draft note for Union Cabinet's approval.  "The idea was to get their views (of stakeholders). And we got the views," Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajpathi Raju said after the meeting.  The draft civil aviation policy was unveiled on October 30 last year. Comments on the draft policy were sought till November 30, 2015. The meeting, which lasted for more than two hours, was also attended by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma, aviation secretary R N Choubey and other senior ministry officials besides representatives ...

At least 70 passengers were offloaded from a Raipur-bound Indigo flight at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Friday night for "unruly behaviour", following which the fliers lodged a complaint with the airport police, alleging they were harassed by the airline staff. The passengers, who as a group were travelling to Raipur from Hyderabad, were trying to exchange seats among themselves. An altercation erupted between the cabin crew and two to three members of the group over this. The airline in a statement said the passengers were offloaded "on the grounds of unruly behaviour" and an FIR has been lodged with local police in this regard. "Indigo confirms offloading of 70 passengers who were scheduled to fly on 6E-466 from Hyderabad to Raipur on the grounds of unruly behaviour," the statement said.  Read more at:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Hoping to make extra revenue, airlines like Jet airways, Spicejet, Indigo and national carrier Air India have renewed their business strategies in last few weeks. The airlines are offering travel packages to passengers, including air travel, hotel bookings, sight seeing, car booking, customised tour packages, etc, a role that is traditionally done by the travel agents. Jet airways, on Wednesday, introduced holiday packages for popular destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, etc. The packages includes return economy airfare (inclusive of all taxes), airport transfers, star hotel accommodation with breakfast and sightseeing. "The packages are exceptionally convenient, affordable and ideal getaway options this winter," said Gaurang Shetty, senior vice president – commercial, Jet airways. Low cost carrier SpiceJet, last month rolled out an end-to-end travel solutions platform, offering customised travel packages. The officials said that customers need to simply...

Jet Airways is the second-largest airline in India, after IndiGo — both in terms of market share and passengers carried. For Jet Airways, 2015 has been an eventful year in which it not only posted profits in successive quarters, but announced the expansion of its international services. Of course, the company, which has been making news for frequent changes to its top management, continued with the trend when its current chief executive officer Cramer Bell stepped down after being in office for little over a year. Jet operates over 300 flights everyday to 74 destinations worldwide from its main hub at Mumbai and secondary hubs at Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Pune. Posting Profits A continued slide in oil prices helped the airline post profit for the first quarter ended June to the tune of Rs 222 crore as opposed to a net loss of Rs 218 crore in the same quarter a year ago. It also saw a 21 per cent jump in passengers carried in the first quarter. Naresh Goyal, ...

Passengers flying Air India can expect lesser flight delays in future, as the national carrier has introduced penal provision for pilots who report sick two hours before the flight time.  "Any pilot reporting sick to duty about two hours before the departure time of the flight will be penalised by deducting duration (in terms of hours) of the flight the pilot was to operate for his/her total flying hours," said a senior civil aviation ministry official, who did not want to be identified. Moreover, pilots will not be eligible for their flying allowance based on 72 hours if they do not fly for a minimum 45 hours a month, the official explained.  He further said that these rules are part of the wage settlement agreement between the national carrier and its pilots and has been approved by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju. An Air India official said the idea is to discourage any sort of indiscipline and improve utilisation of pilots and the aircraft....

The New Year has not started on a particularly good note for the Air India Dreamliners. In the first four days of this year, two aircraft had to be grounded due to snags. The troubles have erupted after a while as Boeing had sent a big technical team to resolve the issues with AI's Dreamliners and carried out reliability modifications on them.  According to sources, a Boeing 787 was grounded in Chennai on Monday when it was to fly to Chennai after a snag in the aircraft's spoiler — speed retardation devices on the wings that move up and down to alter drag and during landing to increase rate of descent. Without this important device perfectly functional, an airplane can't be allowed to get airborne.  "Earlier spoiler problems were very common with our Dreamliners. Now this problem has resurfaced after a long time. We hope it is not a trend and just a one-off issue," said the official.  On Sunday night, AI's Mumbai-London flight had taxied out to fly to...

A tyre of an Air India aircraft arriving here from Delhi with 75 passengers on board was found deflated after landing at the airport here this morning.  All passengers are safe, an Air India spokesperson said in Delhi.  Reduced pressure was found in one of the tyres of the Airbus 320 aircraft, operating on Delhi-Bhopal-Delhi route after it landed at Raja Bhoj Airport and was taxiing to the terminal building, the spokesperson said.  The flight landed at around 0720 hours, the spokesperson said.  Source:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Government today cleared a pact which will pave the way for a Singapore government agency to operate and maintain Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports.  Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) had, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Singapore last November, signed the MoU to co-operate in planning and development of Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports besides other aspects including traffic and commercial development, service quality and operations and management.  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has today given its ex-post facto approval to the MoU between the AAI and SCE, an official statement said.  Singapore has nominated Changi Airport for the project and a team is expected to visit the two airports sometime this month.  The visit would follow discussions on terms and conditions for the two parties to work together, AAI Chairman R K Srivastava had said late last month.  The cit...

After SpiceJet, IndiGo announced the launch of 24 new flights connecting key cities within the country. "Effective 07 January, 2016, IndiGo is launching twelve flights connecting Delhi to Trivandrum, Bengaluru to Vishakhapatnam, Bengaluru to Bhubaneshwar, Ahmedabad to Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar to Kolkata and Chennai to Trivandrum. With effect from January 14, 2016, IndiGo will launch its sixth daily non-stop flight between Chennai and Hyderabad. Additionally, IndiGo is also launching 10 flights on January 15, 2016, connecting Bengaluru to Kolkata, Delhi to Ahmedabad, Delhi to Bengaluru, Delhi to Kolkata and Hyderabad to Mumbai;" the airline said in a release. SpiceJet had announced yesterday that it has increased capacity on the Delhi-Kabul route as well as on domestic routes such as Chennai- Kochi, Bengaluru-Vijaywada, Kochi-Chennai and Hyderabad-Vijaywada. Read more at:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

A Jet Airways flight to Vietnam from here with 184 passengers on board had to make an emergency landing at Myanmar's Yangon airport after the Boeing 737 aircraft developed a technical problem.  The flight 9W-070 to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam via Bangkok was diverted to Yangon yesterday due to technical reasons, an airline statement said today, amid reports that oxygen masks were dropped down from the overhead cabins for the passengers' relief after they faced difficulty in breathing due to drop in cabin pressure mid-air.  A Jet Airways spokesperson did not offer any details about the technical problem and also declined to comment on the reports of drop in cabin pressure that triggered panic.  The aircraft landed safely at 1410 hours in Yangon(local time) the statement said. Sources said the Boeing 737, which usually has a crew of eight including two pilots, landed in emergency conditions.  Read more at:  http://economictimes.indiatimes....

Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) which has a fleet of 46 helicopters (plus seven on a lease agreement), plans to acquire two seaplanes and 13 aircraft at the cost of INR 900 crore and will target politicians, reports Mumbai Mirror. In what is obviously its most ambitious plan, the company is banking on the political parties to fill its coffers.  "We are looking at politicians and Central ministries as prospective clients. Currently, only private operators cater to this segment," a senior Pawan Hans official said. The PHL, in which the government holds 51% stake and the rest are with the public sector unit Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), has also said that it is looking at setting up maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business under the 'Make in India' project.  A senior PHL official told Mumbai Mirror that the company has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to expand its fleet, even as it prepares to launch an initial public offering (IPO). T...

Union Tourism Ministry has recommended “upgradation” of Srinagar ‘International’ Airport stating that failure to upgrade its facilities would lead to bad publicity of Kashmir tourism sector, reported Muker Akmali in Greater Kashmir.  A report by Union Tourism Ministry titled ‘20 years of Perspective and Sustainable Tourism in JK’ states that “there is need for expansion of Srinagar airport, state airline service (19 routes), helicopter taxi service and developing the Srinagar Airport as an international hub of air traffic in order to connect and attract tourists from gulf countries.”  “The highest number of passengers this Airport has handled is nearly 700,000 in 1988. Old timers remember the chaotic conditions of passing through this airport, delayed flights, extra flights and the congestion on the road due to heavy traffic on the Airport road,” the report states.  The report recommends that Ministry of Civil Aviation, supported by the JK government and the Minist...

Hyderabad-based TruJet and Bengaluru-centered Air Pegasus bid to operate flights Hyderabad-based TruJet and Bengaluru-centered Air Pegasus are reported to be strongly bidding for operating flight services through Puducherry. The Puducherry Government had launched a rejigged subsidy scheme to woo airline operators after Air India's budget arm, Alliance Air, abruptly suspended its flights to Bengaluru after six months of operations, following a dispute over payments under the Viability Gap Funding scheme. Proposals processed "We're processing the proposals submitted by the operators and are negotiating with them over some changes in their offers," Chief Secretary Manoj Parida said. What the Government is anxious about is entering into any sort of arrangement where an assured subsidy turns out to be a disincentive to the operator for aggressively pushing for ticket sales. The Government is offering a subsidy of Rs. 2,500 per unsold seat with an annual cap...

Terminal 2 of Mumbai airport ground handling agency blames staff crunch for mixing up baggage of passengers flying to Singapore, Shanghai and Abu Dhabi Travelling abroad anytime soon? You might have a reason to worry. A ground handling agency mixed up check-in baggage of passengers of Air China, Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways flights, thus delaying the three international flights by up to two hours early on Sunday morning. The mix-up happened at the Baggage Makeup Area (BMA). This, according to sources, has been happening for the last few days due to shortage of ground staff at Terminal 2. A few employees are awaiting the renewal of their Airport Entry Pass (AEP), without which they can't work at the terminal. While Singapore Airlines' SQ 423 to Singapore and Etihad Airways' EY 203 to Abu Dhabi were delayed by 20 minutes, Air China's CA 430 to Shanghai was late by 2.15 hours.  The error occurred after the in-line screening of the baggage; the loade...

The  Supreme Court  on Monday said that while private airlines were prospering,  Air India  was running into losses and wondered who should be held accountable for the mess inflicting the national carrier.  "While private airlines are prospering, Air India is going into red. Who should be held responsible for Air India mess? There are so many stories going around," observed a bench of Chief Justice T.S.Thakur, Justice A.K.Sikri and Justice R. Banumathi.  The court's observation came in the course of the hearing of a plea by Air India against the Himachal Pradesh High Court's December 7 order asking it to commence flights on trial basis connecting Shimla with Delhi by air.  Appearing for the national carrier, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the court that the flight connecting Shimla with Delhi was not economical as there were 12 to 15 one way passengers only, and that Shimla airport did not have refuelling facilities.  Apparently un...

The aviation industry in India has evolved significantly over the last couple of decades. Industry reports indicate that the Indian aviation sector is presently ranked among the top ten aviation markets in the world. The reports further suggest that the Indian aviation industry is on a high growth trajectory and could be at the top position in the foreseeable future. Placed perfectly between the western and the eastern hemisphere, India has the opportunity to take advantage of its geographical location to become the hub of the global aviation industry. Other factors such as large scale collaborations between international and domestic airlines, emergence of world class airports and liberal Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms are also playing a vital role in pitching India as an upcoming leader in the global aviation sector. However, despite the presence of such driving forces the Indian aviation industry has not tasted its due share of success yet. Exceptions apart, a majority ...

Air India  today faced some searching questions from the  Supreme Court  which wanted to know from the loss-making airline about its "ultimate plan" to connect Shimla with New Delhi and Chandigarh.  "You file a status report as to the feasibility of air service connecting Shimla with Chandigarh and Delhi," a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur said while asking Air India's Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) to place the report within six weeks.  The bench, also comprising Justices A K Sikri and R Banumathi, ordered maintainance of status quo on the December 7, 2015 direction passed by the Himachal Pradesh High Court asking Air India, Airports Authority of India and others concerned to start scheduled flights on trial basis from Jubbar-Hatti airport, 22 km from Shimla.  Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for Air India's CMD, submitted that the loss-making airline is examining the suggestions to at least connect Shimla and Chandigarh wi...

Budget carrier GoAir, whose fleet expansion plans were affected after European aircraft maker  Airbus  recently indicated a potential delay in the delivery schedule for A320 Neos, is likely to get a clarity on the matter in two weeks, airline sources said today.  The Wadia-promoted airline was to induct these fuel- efficient aircraft from the next fiscal, but due to some "industrial reasons" the aircraft maker had indicated a potential delay in the delivery of these planes.  "Airbus is expected to get back to us on the issue of A320 Neo(new engine option) plane this month, which will clear the air about its delivery schedule," the sources said here, expressing hope that some firm communication from Airbus in this regard would come around January 15.  The budget carrier was supposed to have 26 Airbus A320 Neos by end of 2017.  GoAir   had, in June 2011, placed order for 72 new A320 neos, valued at about Rs 32,400 crore on list price, with Airbu...

SpiceJet, which has activated plans to place orders for new planes to expand its fleet strength, is considering  Embraer  jets for its fleet among others.  The Brazilian aircraft maker had late last year given a presentation on its aircraft to the  SpiceJet  management, which is exploring all options before taking a final call on the purchase order, top airline sources said here, adding at present, "all options are on the table".  If the budget carrier opts for Embraers along with other types of aircraft, it will become the second domestic carrier to have such planes, after regional airline Air Costa.  The now-defunct  Paramount Airways  also had an all-Embraer fleet when it was operational.  SpiceJet currently has a total of 41 aircraft in its fleet comprising 25 Boeing 737s, 14  Bombardier Q400s  and two leased A320 family Airbus planes.  "SpiceJet is evaluating all option before placing order for new aircra...

IndiGo, India's most profitable airline, is reportedly planning to start operating flights on the New Delhi-Doha route this year, which could take the number of international destinations covered by the airline to six. However, the exact date of launch is yet to be finalised by the airline even though it has already obtained slots at the Doha airport. The service will not be started by the airline any time soon, as its share in the domestic aviation market expands fast, a senior executive of IndiGo told  Business Standard , confirming plans to run flights to Doha. The addition of Doha to IndiGo's international destinations is interesting, given the underutilisation of traffic rights to Qatar by domestic airlines. Air India Express and Jet Airways are the only two carriers currently operating flights to Doha. "Delivery of Airbus A320neo has been delayed and IndiGo may be waiting for a revised delivery schedule before taking a decision regarding the Doha flight. D...