Indian-Aviation

The Air India senior executive commander who put the lives of over 200 passengers onboard a Delhi-Paris flight at risk by making a Boeing 787 aircraft climb beyond its safe limits had got into trouble in the past too with the authorities over his behaviour. The case has highlighted the need for airlines to develop an approach where such behaviour patterns among its pilots or even engineers and other employees whose jobs could have an impact on air safety are not overlooked. Dr Harish Shetty , a psychiatrist, revealed that pilots seek help from psychologists and psychiatrists who are not empaneled with their airlines. "They avoid their official doctors. Quite a few are on psychotropic medications without the knowledge of their employers," Dr Shetty said, making a case for mandatory testing. "The DGCA should make urine or blood testing mandatory for psychotropic medications and addictive drugs apart from alcohol screening. Surprise random urine tests should be carried...

No-frills airline IndiGo has seen the exit of nearly 25 Indian pilots in the last six months amid the domestic aviation sector witnessing intense competition aided by lower fares and higher passenger growth. With domestic airlines embarking on ambitious expansion plans, the demand for pilots and cabin crew across various levels is on the rise. Against this backdrop, various airlines, including IndiGo, are also pitching for increasing the mandatory notice period for pilots to one year from six months. IndiGo is the country's largest airline in terms of market share which stood at 39.8% in July. While there are rumours that a significant number of pilots are leaving IndiGo, the carrier put the quantum at nearly 25 for the last six-month period. When contacted, an IndiGo spokesperson said less than 25 Indian pilots have left in the last six months. "As per the internal records, in the last six months, we have seen the exit of less than 25 Indian pilots from IndiGo...

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday prohibited passengers from carrying Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 smartphone on board an aircraft following reports of the device catching fire. The government has also advised passengers not to put the phone in their check-in baggage. “This has been done in light of several incidents globally, involving the battery of Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Passengers have also been advised not to stow them in their checked in baggage,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday. The government’s order came hours after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issuing a directive in this regard. “In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage,” the US FAA order said. The South Korean manufacturer announced last week it was recalling all Galaxy Note ...

Close on the heels of DGCA launching probe against six pilots of IndiGo airlines for allegedly taking pictures in the cockpit of aircraft with family members, four more pilots of the budget carrier have come under the scanner of the aviation regulator for posing with a alcohol bottle on board a flight.  The airline has already grounded the four pilots and set up an internal probe into the incident, which took place about four years ago but was brought to the notice of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) only this week.  "IndiGo has informed DGCA of grounding of the four pilots and setting up of an internal enquiry. We will seek their investigation report first before mulling an action against them," DGCA sources said.  However, IndiGo, while confirming that it has put these pilots off duty, said they were travelling as regular passenger on one of its international flights.  "It is learnt that our four pilots who were travelling (in Oct...

Investments worth USD 6 billion are expected in the country's airport sector in five years with around USD 1 billion to be utilised for reviving aerodromes, a senior government official said today.  Bullish on future prospects of the domestic aviation sector, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said passenger growth is anticipated to be more than 30 per cent in the coming years.  In the new civil aviation policy, unveiled in June, the government has come out with various measures for improving regional air connectivity and developing airports, among others.  Speaking at the inauguration of the GAD Asia conference here, he said India would see investments of "USD 6 billion in five years in airports (sector)".  At current exchange rates, USD 6 billion would translate to nearly Rs 40,000 crore.  Out of the estimated total amount, around USD 1 billion would be used for reviving airports while about USD 3 billion would be for upgrading aerodro...

Global airport traffic grew at its fastest rate last year since 2010, rising 6.4 percent to 7.2 billion passengers, according to data published on Friday by an international trade association representing airports.  But passenger growth this year could be tempered by the threat of militant attacks, geopolitical unrest and potential bottlenecks for passengers lining up to clear security checks, said the report by Montreal-headquartered Airports Council International, or ACI.  "It is important to maintain cautious optimism as we navigate through 2016," ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said in a news release. "There are several impediments that could curtail the continued rise in demand, which could potentially encumber growth prospects over the short and medium terms."  While the highest number of passengers, 2.46 billion, went through the Asia-Pacific region in 2015, up 8.6 percent from a year earlier, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson remained...

Malaysian no-frills carrier AirAsia Berhad which runs a joint venture airline with Tata Sons in India, today prohibited the use of Samsung Galaxy Note7 mobile devices on its flight as well as some of the subsidiary airlines, including AirAsia India.  The decision to prohibit the use of the Samsung Galaxy Note7 mobile devices was taken in the wake of its recall due to safety concerns over the battery issue, AirAsia said in a travel advisory, issued today.  "Following the recall of the Galaxy Note 7 mobile device by Samsung due to safety concerns over its battery, AirAsia and AirAsia X would like to inform all guests that the usage and charging of the device onboard all our flights are prohibited with immediate effect until further notice," it said.  The advisory is applicable to all flights operated by AirAsia and its subsidiaries including AirAsia India, an airline spokesperson said.  Source:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

The airline industry is flying high again, and so is the job market for cabin crew.  Indian carriers are in the market to hire flight attendants en mass, as they add planes and fly to more destinations to meet increasing demand for air travel. After being in the red for several years, most airlines are reporting profits now, giving them confidence to expand.  India's top two carriers, IndiGo and Jet Airways, are each recruiting more than 1,000 cabin crew over the next one year, senior executives at the airlines told ET. At state-run Air India, the plan is to get 800 on board.  SpiceJet will be hiring 100 flight attendants a month for the next three months and thereafter 75 every month. Go Air is inducting 50 each month, CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said in a recent interview. Based on their expansion plans, Tata Sons' two ventures, AirAsia India and Vistara, are expected to recruit at least 300 cabin crew members between them over the next 12 months.  ...

Delhi  High Court on Friday asked the  Civil Aviation Ministry  to file its response to a plea by  Federation of Indian Airlines  (FIA) alleging that certain agreements were not considered by the government while granting flying licence to AirAsia. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Pradeep Nandrajog also asked the   Directorate General of Civil Aviation  and   Foreign Investment Promotion Board  to file their replies to the FIA's application. FIA  in its plea has said that   AirAsia  while applying for the licence had allegedly not disclosed its brand equity agreement according to which the effective control of the airline would remain with the foreign party. For grant of flying licence the rules stipulated that effective control should be with the Indian player,   FIA  has said in his plea. Meanwhile,   Bharatiya Janata Party  leader   Subramanian Swamy  on Friday urged...

With this, Gujarat has become the third state after Maharashtra and Jharkhand to have signed such agreement with the Centre to boost regional connectivity. With an aim to boost regional air connectivity by developing small airports and airstrips in the state thereby attracting domestic airlines, the Gujarat government on Thursday signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed here in presence of Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. With this, Gujarat has become the third state after Maharashtra and Jharkhand to have signed such agreement with the Centre to boost regional connectivity. As per the agreement signed between both the parties, 11 airports/airstrips in Gujarat will be developed as per RCS scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, said Raju after meeting Rupani. These 11 airports/airstrips include Bhavnagar, Bhuj,...

In a bid to incentivise Indian carriers to fly to far-flung areas of the north-eastern states, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government plans to relax norms wherein an airline can stop operations to these states by giving a three-month notice, said government officials. The ease of doing business exercise will also be applicable to Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The initiative, separate from the regional connectivity scheme (RCS), is to attract airlines. RCS is an ambitious project that aims to connect remote areas by putting unserved and underserved airports to optimum use. As per the current norms, carriers operating flights to north-eastern states cannot withdraw them without the government’s permission even though air connectivity to the region is relatively poor. “The government is moving ahead towards easing restrictions wherein airlines can either withdraw or revise domestic operations to and within these identif...

The high court has dismissed a plea of the  Delhi Flying Club  challenging its eviction from  Safdarjung airport , saying that in any case, the place is known more as a wedding venue than for aeronautical activities. Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw's decision came on the pleas of Aero Club of India Pvt Ltd (ACIPL) and Delhi Flying Club (DFC) challenging the Airport Authority of India's (AAI) eviction order, directives regarding licence fee and show-cause notices issued to the club for non-payment of licence fee dues of over Rs 8.3 crore. During the hearing, the court came to know that only simulation training was being imparted at DFC and observed that "said training certainly does not need such kind of valuable land and property in its occupation and qua which I as a resident of the city can say is known more now for the last at least ten years as a wedding and party venue than for its aeronautical activities." The court said DFC has not been meted out any...

Thirty terrified passengers on a SpiceJet coach at Jabalpur airport on Saturday reportedly jumped off their bus as an Air India aircraft came too close and they feared getting hit by the same. Luckily for them, the AI subsidiary alliance air's plane wing passed very close to the stationary bus without hitting it.  The aviation regulator has issued a warning to Air India as the ATR-72 aircraft was allegedly not being marshalled to the parking bay by a trained personnel but by a helper.  The unprecedented sight of flyers fleeing from a bus to avoid being hit by a plane was witnessed at Jabalpur's Dumna airport when an Alliance Air (AA) ATR landed into the city 15 minutes ahead of the schedule time and was taxiing to its parking bay. At the same time, SpiceJet passengers had flown in from Delhi on another turboprop (Q-400) and were boarding a coach to be taken to the terminal.  "At 11.58 am, SpiceJet ramp staff noticed that AI flight is passing by our co...

Scoot, Singapore based low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has decided dedicate its 12th Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to India by naming it 'Kamascootra'.  "To commemorate our India services we have decided to name the aircraft after an ancient Indian art form. The name expresses desire. The desire to fly (which Scoot represents)," said Bharath Mahadevan, Country Head - India, Scoot.  "The newest name was picked through a contest with `Thaliavar' (Tamil for leader, boss and very often used for superstar Rajnikanth) being in the running along with something connected with Sachin Tendulkar, be it his birthday or jersey number," said Mahadevan.  Mahadevan further said that 'this is the first time that Scoot has named an aircraft after a country other than our home base Singapore.'  The aircraft, which will be first used from October 2 this year to launch the flight between Jaipur and Singapore, will be delivered to the ...

The first set of regional flights may come from Air India and SpiceJet, as the aviation ministry feels these two already have suitable aircraft in their fleet to be the launch airlines for its project to provide air connectivity to towns and small cities.  "Bigger jets will not be able to fly these regional routes, but airlines with smaller aircraft can... If Air India increases utilisation of its smaller aircraft, they can surely fly these routes. SpiceJet has also made inquiries about the scheme. Both these airlines will get exclusive rights on that particular route for a period of three years," Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju told ET, when asked about the participation by these carriers.  While Alliance Air, the regional subsidiary of Air India, operates a fleet of 70-seat ATRs, SpiceJet has similar-sized Bombardier Q400 aircraft. Aneed for support from these airlines was felt after the government realised that it would be difficult for any new carrier to ...