Egypt says no survivors from Russian plane crash

More than 200 passengers and crew aboard a Russian airliner flying from the popular tourist resort Sharm el-Sheikh have died after it crashed in the Sinai desert.The flight, operated by Metrojet and bound for St Petersburg, lost contact with air traffic control 23 minutes after departure. Its wreckage was found about 100km (60 miles) south of the north Sinai town of El-Arish, Egyptian officials said. A north Sinai security source said a technical fault was the initial explanation for the crash, adding that the plane had landed in a “vertical fashion”. The first rescue workers at the scene described the plane as “completely destroyed” and an Egyptian security officer told Reuters that many passengers had died strapped in to their seats. “The plane split into two, a small part on the tail end that burned and a larger part that crashed into a rock. We have extracted at least 100 bodies and the rest are still inside,” he said. The Russian embassy in Cairo said it had been told by Egyptian officials the pilot had been trying to make an emergency landing at El-Arish. Conflicting reports had earlier emerged, with suggestions that there had been some survivors after voices were heard in the wreckage of the plane’s cabin. Egyptian search and rescue officials said later that all 224 on board, including 17 children, had died. The plane lost contact with air traffic control 23 minutes after departing Sharm el-Sheikh Airbus said the A321-200 that crashed was 18 years old, had made almost 21,000 flights and accrued about 56,000 flight hours. It had been operated by the Russian airline since 2012. Kogalymavia, which owns Metrojet, said there were “no grounds” to blame the incident on human error. Russian state media reported that the crew had complained to officials earlier this week about the state of the plane, claiming it should not be flown due to technical issues. “This aircraft appealed to the technical service in connection with engine start failure several times over the past week before this,” a source told the RIA agency.The plane, which had a tail number of EI-ETJ, lost contact 23 minutes after takeoff while flying at more than 30,000 feet above sea level, according to the plane tracker website Flight Radar. It had begun to make a steep descent at a rate of 6,000 feet per minute shortly before communications were lost. Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said flight 7K9268 failed to make scheduled contact with Cyprus air traffic control and disappeared from the radar

15 key takeaways from draft aviation policy

In a big first step to making flying affordable for the masses, the Centre announced a slew of measures in its draft aviation policy that aims to incentivise flights to smaller towns and allows creation of no-frill airports to boost regional numbers. Here are 15 key takeaways from the draft aviation policy that was released on Friday for inputs from stakeholders before finalisation. 1. Flying for masses Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) that will come into effect from 1 April 2016, the Centre will target an all-inclusive airfare not exceeding Rs 2,500 per passenger, indexed to inflation for a one-hour flight on RCS routes. This will be implemented by way of: i) Concessions by different stakeholders ii) Viability gap funding for scheduled commuter airlines iii) Put nearly 300-odd airports to use. These will be upgraded no-frills airport at cost of Rs 50 crore each. Besides, to make operations in such airports feasible, the security will be aircraft-based, so that the airport is sanitised just around an hour or two before the flight. iv) Centre has mooted 2 per cent levy on all air tickets to fund regional connectivity scheme. 2. Bilateral traffic rights The government plans to liberalize the regime of bilateral rights leading to greater ease of doing business and wider choice to passengers. It will enter into an 'Open sky' ASA on a reciprocal basis with SAARC countries and countries with territory located beyond 5000 km. 3. Plan to increase FDI The Centre has proposed to increase FDI in airlines from 49% to above 50% if it decides to go in for open skies for countries lying within 5,000 km radius 4. 5/20 Rule Under this rule for Indian carriers to fly abroad, the Centre has invited suggestions on three possible policy options: i) 5/20 Rule may continue as it is, or ii) 5/20 Rule will be abolished with immediate effect, or iii) Domestic airlines will need to accumulate 300 domestic flying credits before commencing flights to SAARC countries and countries with territory located entirely beyond a 5,000 km radius from New Delhi. The rest: 5. Secure skies 6. Code Share Agreements (CSA) 7. Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) 8. Route Dispersal Guidelines 9. Ease for helicopters 10. Scheduled commuter airlines 11. More airports 12. Prod for AAI 13. Push for cargo 14. Aeronautical 'Make in India' 15. Charter operations

Now, GoAir Comes Up With Rs 601 Offer

Budget carrier GoAir has joined the fare-war bandwagon, announcing fares as low as Rs 601 (excluding taxes and surcharges) in a new offer. GoAir said the bookings for this offer are open till November 1 and it is applicable on travel between November 23 and December 16, 2015. GoAir also said that tickets booked this scheme are not refundable. SpiceJet had earlier launched a promotional scheme, called 'Diwali Sale', offering tickets as low as Rs 749 base fare (excluding taxes) for domestic sector and from Rs 3,999 (all-inclusive) on international sectors.

Government plans all-inclusive airfare at Rs 2500 for 1-hour flight

The Union Civil Aviation Ministry on Friday released a "dynamic" draft aviation policy that can "keep pace with the ever changing demands of the sector". The highlight of the draft policy was a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), under which the airfare has been capped at Rs 2500 per passenger for a one-hour flight. However, the Rs 2500 cap for one hour doesn’t specify if the limit is on the schedule timing of flight or the on-air time. According to a ministry release, the scheme will come into effect from April 1, 2016. While the government has put a cap on the airfare, it has also mentioned the ways by which the cost can be compensated for the stakeholders. The most significant of the steps to be taken, as per the draft policy, is a levy of 2% on all domestic and international tickets on all routes. In addition to this, it has been proposed that the state governments will provide free land and multi-modal hinterland connectivity. The state governments will also be required to provide concessional rates of power, water and other utilities. Also, they would be required to impose VAT on ATF 1% or less on airports coming under the regional connectivity scheme. The excise duty on ATF drawn by SCAs from RCS airports will also be exempted. The draft policy also talks about looking at cost effective security solutions. The draft policy further talks about building no-frills airports at a cost of Rs 50 crore. Pointing that at least 75 out of 476 airstrips and airports have scheduled operations, the ministry has called for revival of the rest on the basis of demand. It also mentions that the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for scheduled commuter airlines will be shared between the Centre and the states in 80:20 ratio. Presenting the revised draft national aviation policy, Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey said the ministry has proposed 2 per cent levy on all domestic and international tickets for regional connectivity scheme

IndiGo to induct ten A-320 Neos this fiscal

No-frills airline IndiGo will induct 10 fuel-efficient A-320 Neos this fiscal to its aircraft fleet and expects the company’s low-cost structure to deliver improved profitability in the coming years. Preparing to hit the capital market with nearly Rs 3,000 crore IPO next week, IndiGo’s parent InterGlobe Aviation is bullish on the airline’s growth prospects in the highly under penetrated domestic aviation market. As per the latest set of financial results disclosed by the company, it posted a net profit of Rs 640.44 crore in the quarter ended June 30, 2015. During the same period, total revenues stood at Rs 4,317.19 crore. For the year ended March 2015, it recorded a net profit of Rs 1,295.58 crore on revenues of Rs 14,309.14 crore. The low-cost carrier, which has remained profitable for the last seven years, would be inducting 10 A-320 Neos in the current fiscal ending March 2016

A Life And Love Of Aviation Journalism

Dozens of colleagues, friends and family members gathered at Le Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace in Le Bourget, France, on Oct. 9 to celebrate the life and career of legendary Aviation Week editor, bureau chief and columnist Pierre Sparaco, who died on Aug. 3 at the age of 75 after a battle with leukemia. The event was held in the museum's Concorde Hall, in the shadow of an Air France Concorde, a fitting venue for Sparaco, who had covered the supersonic passenger jet from its inception to its retirement in 2003. Aviation Week Editor-in-Chief Joe Anselmo — who attended the memorial service along with Executive Editor James R. Asker, Managing Editor Jens Flottau, Paris Bureau Chief Amy Svitak and Copy Editor Patricia Parmalee — noted Sparaco's pivotal role in transforming Aviation Week from a U.S.-centric publication into one with a diverse international staff and outlook. A highlight of the memorial was a slideshow put together with photographs from Sparaco's wife, Danielle, and colleagues at Aviation Week and French publications he worked at before joining Aviation Week in 1992, such as Air Revue and Aviation.

GoAir Plans IPO This Fiscal Year: Report

Budget carrier GoAir is planning to go for an initial public offer in the current fiscal year, ahead of the scheduled delivery of 72 new Airbus A-320 aircraft starting April next year. Wadia Group-promoted GoAir would be the second domestic carrier to come out with an IPO after rival IndiGo, which is all set for little over Rs 3,200-crore initial share sale on October 27 amid the season of companies queueing up to tap the capital market. (Also read: IPO-bound profitable IndiGo has negative net worth) As of now, only two private domestic carriers - Jet Airways and SpiceJet - of the four are listed ones. Sources said GoAir is firming up plans for the IPO in this financial year that ends on March 31, 2016. The airline is likely to file the preliminary papers for the share sale soon, they added.

Air India offers 25% discount for women flyers

Rolling out freebies to its domestic flyers and business class passengers, national carrier Air India on Saturday offered four schemes, including 25 per cent flat discount to women travellers, due to high air travel demand during the festive season. Air India offers four schemes to the executive class passengers flying the domestic sectors as part of the super festival bonanza, the airline said in a statement. The validity of the offer stands between November 1 to December 31, it said.

Big wins in flight efficiency analytics

Last month, GE customers and partners convened at the annual Minds + Machines event for one of the defining moments of the Industrial Internet – General Electric CEO, Jeff Immelt, projected that revenue from GE’s software services would nearly triple, to $15 billion, by 2020. As software continues to ‘eat the world’ GE is positioned at the nexus with its industrial domain expertise and industrial software capability. This unique position will provide exceptional outcomes for the next generation of customers. GE Aviation made announcements during the conference, including further growth of the digital flight efficiency business with Southwest Airlines and Qantas. GE’s Flight Efficiency will support Southwest’s fleet of nearly 700 Boeing 737 aircraft. For Qantas, the agreement will support one of the Asia-Pacific region’s largest airline groupings, which includes Qantas, Qantas Freight, QantasLink and the Jetstar Group, operating almost 300 aircraft to 85 destinations. “Optimizing the performance of a fleet the size of Southwest’s requires smart technology that delivers big data in a consumable way. The GE Aviation Flight Analytics System will allow Southwest to continuously improve the reliability and efficiency of our operation,” said Mike Van de Ven, Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. ”We’re delighted to be expanding the long-standing relationship between Qantas and GE with a renewed focus on fuel efficiency,” said Alan Milne, Qantas’ Head of Fuel & Environment. “Greater fuel efficiency is an operational, financial and environmental priority for the Qantas Group, and at the heart of the biggest transformation of our business for two decades. We’re big admirers of GE’s innovation in this area and we look forward to working even more closely together in years to come.” These advancements in data and analytic technologies are examples of where GE is taking Predix, the cloud-based platform for creating innovative, Industrial Internet applications that turn real-time operational data into actionable insights. “GE’s Flight Efficiency collects data generated by the aircraft and applies proprietary techniques that use historic intelligence to help drive airline business strategies,” said Alan Caslavka, president of Avionics & Digital Systems for GE Aviation. “Aircraft performance analytics are used to reveal patterns, transforming data into actionable insights that improve operations.”

What’s common between Tirupati airport and garuda

Garuda, the celestial carrier of Lord Venkateswara has an inseparable link to Tirupati. The favourite bird has established yet another link with the newly-developed Tirupati airport building, which is all set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 22 (Thursday). The front view of the imposing terminal gives a clear indication that the building plan has drawn inspiration from Garuda. The overall view of structure carries an impression that the Garuda, with his wings wide open is ready to take a flight. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) is apparently leaving no stone unturned to highlight the ‘Garuda angle’ behind the design of the building. Further, nobody can miss the statue installed in the airport lounge, which is again of ‘Garuda’, but shown as a structure resembling a man. The image shows that soul is trying to get out of a body. With its twelve hands placed away from the body, the soul is indicated to be ready to take flight. Meaning: Philosophically, a man is trying to wriggle out of the mundane worldly pleasures to reach ‘Moksha’ (salvation).

Mangaluru airport chosen for World Quality Commitment Award

Mangaluru lnternational Airport has been chosen to receive the 'World Quality Commitment' (WOC) Award in Paris, France on Sunday, October 25. The decision to present this prestigious award is the result of research and analysis carried out through quality hunters, leaders, entrepreneurs and experts in quality, directed by Business initiative Directions (BlD), to recognize the contribution of Mangaluru lnternational Airport Ltd in terms of leadership, quality and excellence, stated a press release by airport director J T Radhakrishna. "The World Quality Commitment (WOC) Award in the gold category to Mangaluru lnternational Airport has been made by the WQC selection committee on the basis of the criteria of total quality management, QC 100 principles, ISO 9000, customer satisfaction, and business results," the press release said.

Boeing not to take over Air India MRO

in a major jolt to Nagpur and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Boeing has turned down the proposal to take over Air India's maintenance repair and overhaul depot (MRO). Fadnavis had requested the company to take it over jointly with Singapore Airlines. Addressing a press conference on Friday, Boeing vice-president Dinesh Keskar said that there was cut-throat competition in MRO business and Boeing's taking over the MRO would prove counterproductive. "The salary of Boeing's American employees is very high and it will increase the cost of servicing of the aircraft. It is better that Air India runs it. We have provided a state-of-the-art facility to them. They should now recruit more manpower and market the MRO," he added. The Boeing vice-president said that his company had given the proposal due consideration. "We plan for five to ten years for an MRO. Other than manpower cost, there are other factors too. The new aircraft Boeing is making will require overhaul after ten years instead of eight," he said, adding that this factor would not affect MRO business because the number of aircraft would go up across the world. "According to our estimates,

Boeing boost for Make in India

'Make in India' campaign got a major boost on Friday with American aviation major Boeing joining the bandwagon. Boeing chairman James McNerney said here that the company could assemble fighter planes and either the Apache or Chinook defense helicopter in India. "Even (building a commercial aircraft wing or fuselage in India) is closer than you think," McNerney said, making Boeing the biggest global company to commit to the 'Make in India' programme. Last month, Boeing had got a $3-billion contract for supplying 22 Apaches and 15 Chinooks to India. While finalizing the chopper order, the defence ministry had said that contract will have a 30% offset clause and bring in business worth $1 billion for the Indian defense industry. "Make in India is a very important mission for the country. Over the last two to three decades, the capability of the Indian people has been obvious and clear. Modi's initiative takes up those capabilities two to three levels," McNerney, who met Modi on Thursday, said. "Make in India is not just someone handing you a blueprint and you make it. It can't be that way. I think the vision of the Prime Minister is more than that. India will get technology that can be used elsewhere in manufacturing ... Make in India is for India and globally. Given the global nature of our products, we can play at the centre of that," he said.

Fireproof Jet Fuel

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology say they have discovered a fuel additive that could reduce the intensity of jet-fuel-fed explosions when airplanes crash. The additive has no adverse affect on fuel performance, according to the team’s preliminary results. The additive, created by a team headed by Julia Kornfield, professor of chemical engineering, is a polymer — a long molecule made up of many repeating subunits. The substance has “an unprecedented combination of properties,” according to the CalTech news release, that enables it “to control fuel misting, improve the flow of fuel through pipelines, and reduce soot formation.” The substance inhibits misting under crash conditions, but permits it during normal fuel-injection operations. Tests with similar substances have been tried in the past, with mixed results. This time, it was the “integration of science and engineering [that] was the key to success,” according to CalTech. Collaborators on the research team included Simon Jones, an industrial chemist now at JPL, and Ming-Hsin "Jeremy" Wei, a recent CalTech graduate, who worked with chemistry professor Robert Grubbs — winner of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry — to develop a method to precisely control the structure of the polymer. Wei says he is ready to move ahead with finding a way to produce mass quantities of the substance. “My goal is to develop a reactor that will continuously produce the polymer,” he said, “and I plan to achieve it less than a year from now." The work was published in the Oct. 2 issue of the journal Science.

Microlattice-Strongest & Lightest material known to Science

​Microlattice is the lightest metal ever made. The entire structure is 99.99% air and is comparable to the hollow honeycomb architecture of bone. The structure is composed of a network of super thin, hollow struts. The struts are around 100 micrometers in diameter and have walls just 100 nanometers thick. It's this design that makes Microlattice 10 times lighter than Styrofoam. However, despite it being insanely light, it is also extremely strong. Microlattice was first announced in 2011 when a nickel-phosphorous alloy prototype was developed in collaboration between University of California, Caltech and HRL Laboratories – the Boeing-owned lab that built the first laser in 1960. As the video explains, this development has many possibilities, ranging from use in aerospace, high-performance vehicles, as well as shock absorption and vibration insulation. Watch the Video: http://bcove.me/zx6n29tn​

Air India to offer 'Incredible India' holiday packages from Dec 1

Air India will launch holiday packages from December 1 under the Incredible India programme in collaboration with state tourism departments. According the statement released by the airline, the states which have tied up with the airline are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Sikkim, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. Tourists will be able to choosing from three-four packages in each state. The two nights and three day packages will be attractively priced and will be available for direct purchase from the Air India website, The packages will cover a wide range of interests like wildlife reserves, religious places, adventure sports like skiing in Gulmarg and Srinagar, paragliding in Kangra, forts, museums, festivities & fairs like Pushkar in Rajasthan.

Tata hands over first air-to-air refuelling structure

Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) on Wednesday handed over first air-to-air refueling pod structure to Cobham Mission Systems (CMS) for use on Airbus A400M. The product has been developed at TASL facility here under a relationship between the two companies. CMS had selected TASL in May last year as a strategic partner for the manufacture and assembly of Air-to-Air Refueling (AAR) pod and centreline structures. "Today marks the official handover ceremony of the first two 908E pod structures assembled by TASL and destined for use on the Airbus A400M," said a statement by TASL. The ceremony held at TASL facility was attended by officials from both the companies and a contingent from the British High Commission in India. Russ Bradley, senior vice president, strategic sourcing, Cobham Plc, Alan Ephgrave, VP, general manager, Cobham Mission Systems, Sukaran Singh, CEO & MD, TASL and Masood Hussainy, vice president & head aerostructures, TASL attended the ceremony.

Govt may provide sops to airline MRO industry

The government is considering providing sops to boost the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry in the aviation sector. Sources have told CNBC-TV18 that the Prime Minister's Office has sent a note to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) last month, following consultations with the industry, asking it to consider viability of allowing concessions for the MRO industry. The MRO industry is estimated at USD 700 million in India but only 5-10 percent of MRO work is carried out in India as the current tax structure renders operations about 50 percent costlier than in neighboring countries -- Indian carriers usually send their aircraft to countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia or Singapore.

ISRO eyes a global role in satellite navigation

The Indian Space Research Organisation has unveiled plans to gradually make its regional satellite navigation system global — akin to powerful position-telling systems such as the U.S.’ GPS and the Russian GLONASS. ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said four of the seven Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) satellites are in orbit and the last three spacecraft would be added in orbit by March 2016. The IRNSS would provide self-reliance in the strategically important area of position-related information, he said at a users’ conference on global navigation satellite systems on Thursday. The focus now was on completing the regional constellation and extending it to South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries. “After that we will look at taking it gradually over the entire globe, may be in less than a decade. It could be done by adding a set of regional satellites over adjoining countries. We are working towards this with other countries – [South] Korea and the Gulf nations, to name a few,” Mr. Kiran Kumar said.

Solar Power_Airports

India’s commitment towards climate change is not just verbal or literal, but practical. Recently, the Cochin International Airport became the world’s first completely solar-powered airport. The 46,000 solar panels installed at the airport make it an absolutely power neutral facility. The idea of powering entire airports through solar energy was ridiculed a few years back. But various advancements and achievements in the field of solar energy have made it possible. But India Inc. is not willing to stop at Kochi. More airports across the country are taking the greener route. The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport in Kolkata is set to have a 15 to 20 MW solar energy capacity unit soon. The project will take care of 60% of the airport’s power needs. The funding for the same has been approved and allocated. In addition to this, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has announced that major airports in the state of Rajasthan will also set up solar power plants which will account for a part of their daily power needs. The Jaipur airport, where a 100kW rooftop solar project is already up and running, is planning to install a 1.8 MW ground-based power project. Similarly, airports at Bikaner, Jaisalmer, and Jodhpur are also mulling over the idea of switching to solar energy.

Airbus officially opens U.S. Manufacturing Facility

14 SEPTEMBER 2015 PRESS RELEASE In a much-anticipated ceremony today in Mobile, Alabama, Airbus inaugurated operations at its first ever U.S. Manufacturing Facility. The plant – which assembles the industry-leading family of A319s, A320s and A321s – is officially open for business, with a skilled team of more than 250 Airbus manufacturing employees now at work on the first U.S.-made Airbus aircraft. “Our commercial aircraft production in Mobile signifies two things: that Airbus has become the first truly global aircraft manufacturer, and that Airbus is now also a truly American manufacturer,” said Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Brégier. “With the addition of our U.S. facility to our production network in Europe and Asia, we have strategically expanded our worldwide industrial base.” “The Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility is an important step forward in Airbus’ strategy, strengthening our position as a leader and competitor in all of our key markets,” Fabrice Brégier continued. “It enables us to grow our already significant presence in America – the largest single-aisle aircraft market in the world – and to be closer to our U.S. customers and key supplier partners. At the same time, the expanded industrial capacity gives us more flexibility to increase production across Airbus to meet global demand. The U.S. facility is good news for the overall Airbus enterprise, as this greater production capacity creates global growth opportunities across the company and throughout our supply chain.” Airbus announced plans for the $600 million U.S. Manufacturing Facility in 2012, and construction began at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley the following year. The first U.S.-made Airbus commercial aircraft – an A321 – is scheduled for delivery next spring. By 2018, the facility will produce between 40 and 50 single-aisle aircraft per year. Airbus’ market forecast indicates a demand over the next 20 years (from all manufacturers) for some 4,700 single-aisle aircraft in North America alone. Fabrice Brégier and members of the new Airbus workforce in Mobile were joined at the inaugural ceremony today by Airbus Group CEO Tom Enders, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, Senator Jeff Sessions, Congressman Bradley Byrne, and scores of other dignitaries, airline and aerospace executives, and local leaders. The industry- and community-wide event convened under the theme, “Let’s Get to Work – Together!” and culminated in the ceremonial placement of a placard on a component of the first aircraft to be produced in Mobile. The placard reads, “This aircraft proudly made in the U.S.A. by the worldwide team from Airbus.” The Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility joins several other Airbus and Airbus Group operations across the United States, including for example Airbus engineering offices in Alabama (Mobile) and Kansas (Wichita); an Airbus training centre in Florida (Miami); Airbus Defence & Space Military Aircraft facility in Alabama (Mobile); Airbus Helicopters factories and operations in Mississippi (Columbus) and Texas (Grand Prairie); and aircraft spares facilities in Georgia (Atlanta), Florida (Miami) and Virginia (Ashburn). The U.S. headquarters of Airbus, Airbus Defence & Space, and Airbus Group are located in Herndon, Virginia, while Airbus’ Latin America headquarters is located in Miami. Airbus and Airbus Group are major customers of other U.S. aerospace companies as well, having purchased $16.5 billion of components and materials from American suppliers last year alone. The establishment of the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility doubles the number of manufacturers of large commercial aircraft in the United States, creating jobs, expanding skills, and establishing a new aerospace centre of competence on the U.S. Gulf Coast. In addition to the new Alabama manufacturing site, Airbus assembles commercial aircraft at modern facilities in Hamburg (Germany), Tianjin (China) and Toulouse (France). Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive family of airliners on the market, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. Airbus champions innovative technologies and offers some of the world’s most fuel efficient and quiet aircraft. Airbus has sold more than 15,900 aircraft to some 400 customers worldwide.

The man who came from nowhere

A few decades may have passed, but BVR Mohan Reddy still remembers every single word that his structural engineering professor said during a particular class. Not surprising, as they have helped him build a world-class engineering solutions business. “The professor started his class by saying, ‘Money lost can be earned back with effort; health, when lost, can be earned back with a lot of effort; but values, when lost, can never come back.’ Hence, I place a lot of emphasis on values, and this has translated into Cyient’s culture,” says 64-year-old Reddy, whose company is involved in almost every major aircraft design programme. But having the right set of values is one thing, breaking into the almost impenetrable world of aeronautics altogether another. “When I started an engineering services company in 1991, many global companies were not ready to outsource engineering at that time,” says Reddy, who is also the chairman of software industry body Nasscom.

Reddy founded Hyderabad-based Cyient (formerly Infotech Enterprises) in 1991 after stints in the DCM Group, Mico Bosch, Hindustan Computers Ltd and the Voltas-promoted OMC Computers, where he was managing director. “I discovered a niche area in geospatial information systems, where we (Cyient) could offer our services. Our first offering was to convert physical maps into the digital format,” reminisces Reddy, who holds a graduate degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering, Kakinada, and postgraduate degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and the University of Michigan in the US.

Taxiing system lauded-Honeywell Aerospace electric

Honeywell Aerospace's (NYSE: HON) SmartPath® Ground-Based Augmentation System and EGTS™ electric taxiing system technologies have been recognized by the Air Transport Action Group as solutions that can help support the aviation industry's goal to reduce CO2 emissions from 2005 in half by 2050. The two technologies were included in the Aviation Climate Solutions report, a collection of 100 examples of how the aviation industry is collaborating to cut carbon dioxide emissions and help reduce its impact on climate change, released at the Global Sustainable Aviation Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. "We are committed to helping the aviation industry reduce its effect on climate change and are continuing to develop innovative technologies that pave the way for cleaner air travel," said Aileen M. McDowall, vice president, Air Transport and Regional, Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, Honeywell Aerospace. "EGTS electric taxiing system and SmartPath Ground-Based Augmentation System (GBAS) are two game-changing technologies that can help the industry reduce emissions and improve air traffic management." "The aviation industry has proactively taken a lead reducing the impact of climate change, putting in place a framework of goals to reduce emissions from air transport," said Michael Gill, executive director of the Air Transport Action Group. "Through our case studies, it is evident how different parts of the industry globally, including Honeywell, are working together to support a greener environment." About SmartPath Honeywell's SmartPath GBAS system augments GPS signals so they can be used for precision navigation in the approach and landing phases of flight. The flexibility provided by GBAS may produce a significant reduction of carbon emissions, increase airport capacity, decrease air traffic noise, reduce weather-related delays, and reduce operating costs for aircraft operators and air navigation service providers. The project is a component of the Federal Aviation Administration's Next Generation Air Transportation System and changes today's ground-based air navigation system to a much more efficient satellite-based navigation system that uses the same GPS technology used in cars today. The Aviation Climate Solutions report was released at the Global Sustainable Aviation Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, to reaffirm the industry's commitment to climate action, and calls on governments to support it with the development of a global market-based measure for aviation emissions, improved efficiency in air traffic management, and accelerating research for alternative fuels and new technology. About EGTS The EGTS electric taxiing system, developed by Honeywell and Safran, enables aircraft to avoid using their main engines during taxiing and instead taxi autonomously under their own electrical power. Similar to a hybrid car using electrical power at slow speeds, EGTS will improve airline operating efficiency during taxi operations and cut fuel consumption by up to 4 percent per flight cycle. EGTS will reduce noise, eliminate up to 61 percent of carbon dioxide and up to 51 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions during taxi operations, and relieve apron area congestion. It also will improve on-time departure, and allow passengers to deplane faster as a result of smoother ground handling operations.

Higher Cost of ATF in India compared to other countries

Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) currently comprises around 50% of the cost of carriers. “Cost of ATF in India is highest in the world. It is 35% of a carrier’s operating cost, but because of taxation it becomes 50% more expensive than most other countries,” said Mukund Rajan, director of board at Tata SIA Airlines, which operates Vistara.

$250-Bn industry by 2025

If certain policy measures are undertaken in a time-bound manner, the domestic aviation industry has the potential to grow from its current level of $23-25 billion to $250 billion by 2025. Measures like: 1. removing the 5/20 clause, 2. better regulatory framework like simplifying route-disbursement-guidelines, 3. reducing fuel taxes, and investment in airport infrastructure, as necessary to give a fillip to the aviation industry. Such measures would lead the domestic air traffic to increase three-fold and contribute up to 5% of the country’s GDP. The industry would have the potential to generate employment for more than 2.3 million people.

ATF tax rationalization may push traffic by 9%

Rationalization of taxes on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) can stimulate air travel by about nine per cent, Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has said in its report titled ‘Maximizing the contribution of aviation to the Indian Economy’. The report, commissioned by Tata-SIA Airlines Ltd, holds that abolition of sales tax will reduce ATF cost by 20 per cent and operating costs of an airline by seven per cent. Assuming that the reduction in cost is transferred to consumers, the consequent reduction in air fares can stimulate air travel demand by around 8-9 per cent, the report states

Third largest airline market

The draft civil aviation policy, which is due to be released next month, will be geared to catapult India into becoming the third largest civil aviation market in the world, from its current place as the tenth largest. Addressing delegates at the curtain-raiser of the Fifth International Exhibition and Conference on Civil Aviation — India Aviation 2016 — in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Civil Aviation Secretary, Government of India, R.N Choubey said, “We are embarking on an interesting journey with the new policy, which will catapult India to become the third largest market the world over.” The Indian skies saw 19 per cent growth in passengers from January to August this year, thanks to reasons such as dip in crude oil prices, among others. This was at a time when the global market itself was contending with problems of its own.

Civil Aviation Industry Meet

As the pre-launch programme of India Aviation is the largest event in this part of the world on civil and business Aviation sectors jointly organized by ministry of civil aviation along with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) with the active support of Airport Authority of India(AAI), an industry meet was held at Hotel laith Ashok on Tuesday. The 5th edition of India Aviation series of event is scheduled from 16 - 20 March, 2016 at Begumpet Airport, Sardar Patel Road, Hyderabad. The Theme of the event India Aviation 2016 has been decided as "India's Civil Aviation Sector: Potential as Global Manufacturing & MRO Hub". This is the most comprehensive event on Civil Aviation Industry that includes Exhibition, Conference, Chalets, Demonstration flights, CEOS' Forum ,Static Display, Aerobatics, Media Conferences, one-to-one business meetings etc

GAGAN Navigation system-Plane makers to use GN

The civil aviation ministry is in talks with aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus to implement the new GAGAN GPS-aided navigation system. “All new aircraft might come with the GAGAN navigation system, but before that the instrument needs to be standardized..the work is going on,” said officials. Though aircraft manufacturers are tight-lipped about the discussions, government officials said that if the talks go through, the new aircraft will do away with the radar-based navigation system. Each aircraft will cost at least a couple of crores extra with the new navigation system implemented in it. However, officials said that mandating implementation of GAGAN in the existing planes owned and operated by carriers might not happen, as it would require grounding of aircraft for quite a long period of time. It would also require supplemental type certificate (which is required if any new instrument is introduced to an already running aircraft), which would further delay the process of

implementation in existing aircraft.

Air India has abandoned plans to convert its remaining B777-300(ER) order slots into narrowbody aircraft

Air India has abandoned plans to convert its remaining B777-300(ER) order slots into narrowbody aircraft instead. News of the plan first emerged in February this year when the carrier held talks with Boeing about converting the three slots into ten B737 MAXs for its Air India Express subsidiary.

Happy Tuesdays-GoAir offer slashes airfares by up to 20%

With festival season around,airlines are looking to draw attention to themselves and the latest GoAir offer looks to do the same, except it has been suitably tailored to apply only on Tuesdays. The so-called GoAir ‘Happy Tuesdays’ offer cuts the price of tickets by up to 20%. This low fare offer is valid only till 13th October 2015. ‘Traveling on Tuesdays just got better’, claims GoAir. With a tagline ‘Fares are less, Tuesdays are the best’, GoAir is allowing users to use the promo code for a particular date to avail this offer. The promo code discount will be applicable on one-way fares only (GoSmart). Check this out: So, if you want to travel on let’s say 8th Sept (just for explanatory purpose), use promo code GOTUE8SEP to get the discount.

AI flight makes emergency landing in Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport witnessed tense moments on Thursday evening when Air India’s Varanasi to Delhi flight (AI 433) with 133 passengers on board had to make an emergency landing reportedly due to a snag in one engine. On September 7, another Airbus A320 aircraft on the same Varanasi-Delhi sector (AI 405) had to make an emergency landing at Delhi airport following a hydraulic leak. The passengers of the aircraft had to be evacuated through emergency chutes after smoke was detected in the rear tyres and a few passengers got injured in the process. On Thursday, the pilot of the flight (Registration number VTEPJ) detected a warning for engine failure and informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC), requesting a priority landing. The Delhi ATC declared full emergency at 7.50 pm and all precautionary measures were taken at the airport. Fire tenders, medical aid and security personnel were deployed near the tarmac as precaution. The flight landed safely at 8.10 pm on the runway 29 of the airport and none of the passengers or cabin crew were injured in the incident.

Air India launches offer for its maiden Delhi-San Francisco flight

New Delhi: Air India will give an inaugural offer exclusively for its First and Business Class passengers who would be travelling on the soon to be launched direct flight to San Francisco from Delhi. Under the scheme, any First or Business Class passenger travelling to-and-fro on Air India’s direct flight from Delhi to San Francisco shall be entitled to one Return Ticket (2 Flight Coupons) in Executive class on Air India’s domestic network, the airline said in a statemen

Airfare Offers Galore: All-Inclusive Rs 1,290 Tickets, 20% Discount

Budget carrier GoAir is offering 20 per cent discount on base fares as part of a promotional offer. The offer is applicable on travel between April 1, 2016, and June 30, 2016. Meanwhile, another budget carrier AirAsia India is offering tickets as low as Rs 1,290 for travel between January 4, 2016 and June 30, 2016. The booking for the AirAsia offer is open till October 4 while the GoAir scheme closes later today. Rival Jet Airways is also offering 15 per cent discount (base fare) on select domestic flights for passengers travelling for Tuesdays.

Good News for Indians: Flight tickets to be fixed between Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 only Read more at: http://www.oneindia.com/india/good-news-for-indians-flight-tickets-to-be-fixed-between-rs-2000-to-rs-2500-1887436.html

New Delhi, Oct 2: Government of India is planning to bring a new scheme following which it may fix price of flight tickets between Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500. The aviation ministry has been trying to match the air fares with rail fares in the country. However, the above mentioned scheme might be applicable only in small towns and cities. Plane Mahesh Sharma, the junior minister of aviation, was quoted as saying, "We have a 300-million-strong middle class population and most desire to fly at least once in their lifetime. It is possible if we make the fare in a bracket of Rs. 2500 for an hour-long flight." "Our airport charges will be reduced, we will ask the states to reduce value added taxes (VAT) and other taxes on such flights. We will ask the airlines to take a fare cut," he added. If approved, the new scheme will come into effect from April 2016. However, airlines officials refused to comment on the government's proposed plans. It has been reported that all airlines operating in the country would be asked to bid for routes that connect small towns to cities. Prices of flight tickets would be fixed between Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500. Government of the country would pay the extra amount, i.e. the difference between actual cost per ticket and the fare. However, the extra money, which the government will pay, will be collected from passengers on profitable routes. Passengers, who will fly in profitable routes, would be charged a 2 per cent cess. OneIndia News