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 los

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 that they

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 Haque  

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 reviewed in Januar

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