Indian-Aviation

The Indian government is keen to buy Embraer’s commercial aircraft division, said a top ranking government official, reports Subhomoy Bhattacharjee in Business Standard. “We are very interested. We are exploring alternatives,” the official said, confirming a development reported earlier by Reuters on Brazil’s plans to reach out to India and China as possible new partners.  One of the arrangements the government is considering is a tie-up with a sovereign fund to finance the deal. This is the first time the Indian government has expressed clear willingness to enter the deal. The official said India’s interest has been conveyed to the Brazilian government. While Embraer is a listed company with diversified shareholding, the Brazilian government holds veto rights over the company through a golden share. The company, which ranks after Airbus and Boeing in the commercial aircraft market globally, has lost value rapidly, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and has reported a...

Lenders to Jet Airways (India) Ltd have set Wednesday as the final deadline for two shortlisted bidders to submit revised offers to acquire the bankrupt airline, two people said, requesting anonymity. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee of Creditors (CoC) led by State Bank of India on Monday which found the initial bids as unsatisfactory. The revised offers will be taken up next week when the CoC meets again, said the first person cited above. “Negotiations with bidders are on and we are hoping they improve their offer," the person said. Jet Airways had received bids from two consortiums—one comprising UK-based Kalrock Capital and UAE-based entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan, and the other by Haryana-based Flight Simulation Technique Centre, Mumbai-based Big Charter and Abu Dhabi’s Imperial Capital Investments LLC. The carrier was admitted to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in June 2019. The CoC has since then met 16 times. The insolvency process for Jet, whic...

The Ministry of Civil Aviation in a move to increase ancillary revenue of airlines revised its guideline in terms of baggage limitation, allowing carriers to set respective policies as per their internal practices. In an order dated September 23, 2020, the ministry said the "baggage limitation would be as per airlines' policies". The new amendments kick in to reset the check-in baggage limit to 15 kg, as per the pre-Covid norms. The limit was previously increased to 20 kg during the redemption of flights in a calibrated manner from 25 May, in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic. The earlier guidelines also allowed only one check-in baggage during travelling. "The matter with regard to check-in baggage has been reviewed based on the feedback/inputs received from the concerned stakeholders," the ministry noted. As per the SoPs shared on 21 May, the guideline was: "The airlines shall inform the passenger that only one check-in baggage is allowed apart from ...

Two new air operators are in the final stages of certification by aviation regulator  Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)  and once that’s done, they may foray in the regional airlines space. With the government putting focus on regional connectivity scheme (RCS) under its Udey Desh ka Aam Naagarik (UDAN) scheme, the two operators are also likely to fly on regional routes only. Top ministry sources told HT that these two airlines are Indian airlines and are expected to be able to commence their operations soon. A senior ministry official said, “Two scheduled commuter airlines, Big Charter and Aviation Connectivity, are in the final certification stage.” The official also said, “These airlines are eyeing the RCS routes.” An Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said that except Bengaluru-based Star Air that commenced its operations in January last year, currently no airline in service has dedicated UDAN operations. Director general of DGCA, Arun Kumar, confirmed t...

The chopper crashed in an agricultural field in Sanjaypur area in the outskirts of the Azamgarh city. Locals were the first to reach the crash site. Authorities will investigate the cause of the crash and the company to which the private chopper belonged. One  person died and another one was injured in a helicopter crash in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh around 12 pm on Monday. Only two people were on board the private chopper. The injured has been rushed to a hospital, locals said. The police are reaching the spot in Sanjaypur area on the outskirts of the Azamgarh city to take stock of the situation. The local people were the first to reach the crash site. The copter crashed in an agricultural field,  Times Now's Amir Haque  reported. The police are reaching the spot in Sanjaypur area on the outskirts of the Azamgarh city to take stock of the situation. The local people were the first to reach the crash site. The copter crashed in an agricultural field,  Times Now's Amir ...

Vistara,  which has implemented various cost-saving measures amid the  coronavirus pandemic, will review salary cuts in January but has not laid off any of its nearly 4,000 employees, according to the airline's chief. Domestic airlines industry has been significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent suspension of local and international flight services. Vistara's chief executive officer Leslie Thng told PTI that there have been no job cuts at the airline in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. "There have been no job cuts at Vistara, and therefore, the    staff  strength  remains the same as earlier – nearly 4,000 employees," he said in an e-mail interview. Many airlines globally as well as some domestic carriers have resorted to salary cuts as well as layoffs and furloughs in efforts to reduce expenses due to challenging business conditions. When asked about future plans regarding employees, Leslie Thng said salary cuts will be reviewe...

Budget carrier GoAir continues to see the exodus of senior management level personnel with two more executives, including its head of flight operations Nikhil Ved, parting ways with the Nusli Wadia-promoted no-frills airline, sources familiar with the development have said. Their departure comes close on the heels of half-a-dozen other senior executives, including the then CEO Vinay Dube quitting the carrier last month, whose majority of the employees are on "leave without pay" mode for the last many months. COVID-19 has impacted the aviation sector globally due to suspension of visa and travel services by many countries, including India, to combat the pandemic, with airlines struggling for survival in a low demand environment. The revenue of domestic airlines dropped by 85.7 per cent to Rs 3,651 crore in the June quarter from Rs 25,517 crore during April-June period 2019, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday. After the resignation of some six senior executives in ...

In a first for Indian carriers, Vistara will from Friday (Sept 18) offer inflight Wi-Fi internet connectivity onboard its Boeing 787 Dreamliners that currently operate Delhi-London route. Initially, as an introductory offer for some time the service will be free for all passengers. The airline will later announce tariff plans for the service. Vistara plans to introduce the service on its Airbus A321neo aircraft also. Powered by by Panasonic Avionics, Vistara onboard WiFi will allow passengers to access internet on WiFi enabled mobile phones, tablets and laptops for sending emails, accessing information, using social media and other purposes. Vistara at present has two Dreamliners. So far, only big foreign airlines from the Gulf, Europe, US and Southeast Asia have been offering onboard internet on their flights to and from India. Among Indian carriers, Air India and erstwhile Jet Airways wanted to have this facility but did not have the funds to implement it. Cash-strapped SpiceJet plan...

Lenders to Jet Airways will meet on Thursday to take a call on the revised resolution plan submitted by two suitors, sources close to the developments told FE. The first bidder is a consortium comprising Haryana-based Flight Simulation Technique Centre, Mumbai-based Big Charter and Abu Dhabi’s Imperial Capital Investments. Similarly, the second consortium consists of Kalrock Capital and entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan. FE had reported earlier that two bidders had submitted “revised” resolution plans, as lenders were unhappy with the earlier proposals. “We will evaluate revised resolution plan submitted by the bidders during committee of creditors (CoC) meeting on Thursday,” a senior bank official told FE. “We have been trying to negotiate with bidders to maximise value and avoid liquidation,” he further added. Jet Airways had earlier attracted 12 expressions of interest (EoIs) from suitors, which was further narrowed down to two prospective applicants. The deadline for completion of the ...

Boeing  Co. found “two distinct manufacturing issues" affecting the fuselage of eight 787 Dreamliner jets and said the planes must be removed from service for repair. The flaws were found in the joint of sections toward the rear of the wide-body aircraft, the company said by email Friday. The jets, all of which have been grounded, “must be inspected and repaired prior to continued operation," Boeing said. The company said it has notified the Federal Aviation Administration and is “conducting a thorough review into the root cause." Air Canada, United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Singapore Airlines Ltd. said they each had one of the affected planes. The problems add to a series of woes for Boeing, most notably for its workhorse 737 Max, which hasn’t flown since March 2019 after two crashes killed 346 people. Changes to the narrow-body’s flight control system are being testing by regulators, and the plane is expected to be cleared for flight by year-end. Air travel, particula...

The government has permitted airlines to serve pre-packed snacks, meals and beverages on domestic flights and hot meals on international flights, according to an official order. Moreover, any passenger who refuses to wear a face mask in a flight can be put on the no-fly list by the airline, said a senior official of the aviation regulator DGCA. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, in-flight meal service was not permitted on domestic flights since their resumption on May 25. On international flights, only pre-packed cold meals and snacks were being served depending on the flight duration since May this year. In an order issued on Thursday, the Civil Aviation Ministry said, "Airlines may serve pre-packed snacks/meals/pre-packed beverages on domestic flights depending on the duration of flight." Airlines and charter flight operators can "serve hot meals and limited beverages" on international flights "as per the standard practices", it added. The ministry said on...

In October 2019, IndiGo placed a massive order for 300 A320neo family of aircraft, including the A321XLR. IndiGo plans to use the A321XLR to expand its market coverage and start long-haul operations. Now that it has been nearly a year since the order, has there been any change? What have we learned? The A321XLR is expected to drastically reshape long-haul flying, especially  after the current crisis . With its 4,700nm range, the plane can fly high-frequency, trans-Atlantic flights and even open up new routes to underserved markets. Full service carriers such as  United ,  Qantas , and  American  have all ordered the plane along with low-cost carriers such as IndiGo. New destinations The A321XLR might play a pivotal role in the IndiGo fleet when it comes into service in 2023. IndiGo has long wanted an aircraft that can fly popular long-haul routes in Europe and East Asia and has even considered  wet leasing aircraft  for the same. However, it can now do...

Eighteen people, including both pilots, died on August 7 when an Air India Express flight carrying 190 people crashed at Kozhikode airport in Kerala. With this, the number of people to have died in commercial airline accidents in independent India has reached 2,173, a Hindustan Times analysis found. An overwhelming 80% of them have died in accidents caused by pilot error – an action or decision taken by the pilot which was the cause or a contributing factor in an accident. The analysis is based on data compiled by the Aviation Safety Network, a privately run initiative that keeps track of aviation accidents, incidents and hijackings. The cause of most accidents has been sourced from accident investigation reports by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and of remaining from the Aviation Safety Network. The analysis has looked at only passenger flights and only those accidents in which at least one passenger or crew member died. Chartered flights, training flights, cargo flights a...