Sky is the limit for women, says British aviator Tracey Taylor

For contemporary women who want to achieve their dreams irrespective of their chosen vocation, the sky is the limit, according to British Aviator Tracey Curtis Taylor. The female aviator from Britain was here as part of achieving a unique feat — completing a 13,000 mile journey from the United Kingdom to Australia over 23 countries in three months. Flying the Boeing Stearman, an open-cockpit biplane, Taylor says she wants to not just replicate the inspiring story of legend Amy Jonson, who pioneered the first solo flight by a woman from Britain to Australia, but also engage with young women in the field of aviation and promote the achievements of women in all spheres of the world. “The main ethos of my flight is to celebrate not only women’s achievements in aviation past, present and future, but also women’s roles in engineering and beyond. The sky holds no limit for women,” Taylor told PTI. Emulating Amy Johnson’s aerial odyssey in a restored open-cockpit 1942 Boeing Stearman, christened ‘Spirit of Artemis’, Taylor is calling herself a ‘bird in a bi-plane’. Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia in 1930 and prepared the way for air travel as we know it today

Hand-written passport becomes invalid for travelling abroad

Hand-written passports of Indian citizens are no longer valid as per government’s directive. The government had asked those having hand-written passports to get machine-readable ones having bar codes by November 24. The government had decided to discontinue hand-written passports in accordance with recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to incorporate biometric data in the machine readable travel documents

Rafale deal to be signed on eve of Hollande’s India visit

India and France are set to sign the deal for 36 Rafale fighter aircraft on the eve of French President François Hollande’s visit to India for the Republic Day celebrations. The draft contract, which envisages supply of the first fighter within 36 months of signing the deal, has been finalised. The supply of full complement of 36 fighters to the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be completed within seven years of signing the deal. The induction of the 36 fighters will add to the IAF squadron strength which is now down to 34. At least 44 fighter squadrons are needed to be comfortable against China and Pakistan. The proposal for buying 36 Rafale fighters from France in a government-to-government deal was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris in April.

Vistara's Sanjiv Kapoor

When Spicejet was in a tough spot last year, the airline's then COO Sanjiv Kapoor often recalled a line from one of John Lennon's tracks, "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." A Lennon fan, Kapoor and his team steered the airline out of trouble. In the process, Kapoor and his employees developed a bond, which only a crisis can bring about. After further steadying Spicejet with two good quarters, Kapoor quit his job and joined the Indian airline industry's latest entrant, Vistara. Currently, he is on gardening leave, recharging his batteries before his new assignment. ETPanache caught up with the Delhi-based Kapoor when he was in Mumbai for a day. He flew to the city on Vistara. "They (cabin and ground staff) treated me like I was family," Kapoor says. "I was pleasantly surprised because I didn't think they would know I was on board. They really made me feel warm and welcome." He was to return to Delhi on Spicejet, where he's still treated as one of their own. "I am grateful to have not just my family at home but two airlines out there who are both my families. I find that very nice. I will enjoy it as much as I can," says Kapoor, who grew up in Kolkata

FinMin okays 2% fee on metro air routes for regional fund

The Ministry of Finance has given its nod for levying a two per cent fee on air tickets on metro routes and setting up a regional connectivity fund (RCF) to subsidise air travel between identified non-metro destinations. The FinMin has also consented to waive central excise duty on jet fuel and service tax on tickets on regional routes to cap fares at about Rs 2500 per flying hour and give wing to the civil aviation ministry’s proposal to air link remote and regional areas under the revised regional connectivity scheme (RCS). Sources in the ministry of civil aviation informed a charge of 2 per cent on all domestic and international flight tickets sold within the country is being considered for levy from Jan 1, 2016. The move will help generate around Rs 1,500 crore per annum in Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF) and will be utilised to provide viability gap funding (VGF) to airlines for capping fares at about Rs 2,500 per flying hour between non-metro destinations come April 1, 2016.

AAI recommends GAGAN receivers for all aircraft by 2017

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has recommended to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to ensure that the airlines install GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) receivers on all aircraft flying in Indian airspace from April 1, 2017. GAGAN has been jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation and the AAI. P. Laxminarayana, Director, Research and Training Unit for Navigational Electronics, Osmania University, said that GAGAN has been certified and will make airline operations more efficient and reduce costs. “The system is already being used by the Railways, Forest Department and other departments,” he said speaking at the Disha annual seminar organised by the CNS Engineers of Indian Air Navigation Service Provider here on Wednesday.

Zero baggage’ fares may not fly

Any drop in fare is generally welcomed whole-heartedly by travelers but the new hand luggage-only, or ‘zero baggage’, fares have neither airlines nor flyers excited. At present, only budget carrier SpiceJet is offering zero baggage fares, wherein passengers get a ₹200 discount for not carrying check-in baggage. But does that really flying cheaper? Probably not. “In the present context the zero baggage charge does not benefit the flyer. There are times when fares on carriers that allow free baggage are much cheaper than airlines that have a zero baggage charge,” said John Nair, Head - Corporate Travel, Cox & Kings. “It would only make a difference if the fares vary by a wide margin. A small drop in charges will not act as an incentive for customers to switch to airlines that have a zero baggage charge.” At present all domestic airlines except national carrier Air India allow a flyer to carry up to 15 kg of check-in baggage without any cost — Air India allows up to 23 kg. In some cases, Air India still turns out cheaper than the zero baggage fares. While allowing these fares, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) clarified that it has to be an opt-in facility, which means if a traveller doesn’t want to go for zero baggage, the regular fare, which will be only ₹200 more, will be available for him. Airlines can’t even fix the number of seats for zero-baggage flyers, limiting the impact of the new fares.

ICAO organizes symposium

The fourth edition of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Regional Aviation Training symposium was organised in Delhi on Tuesday. The four-day event is being hosted by the GMR Aviation Academy and the objective of the symposium is to provide ICAO member states international fora to share the latest trends, technologies and tools currently available world-wide. About 200 delegates from 40 countries gathered at this event, in which Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju was the chief guest.

Honeywell Aerospace to deliver 9,200 business jets by 2025

More than 9,200 new business jets are expected to be delivered in the next ten years at a cost of USD 270 billion, an annual global business aviation outlook report said. The deliveries, worth about USD 270 billion are a 3 to 5 per cent reduction over the value noted in the 2014 forecast, Honeywell Aerospace Asia-Pacific's Shanghai headquarters said. According to the report, slow growth means that only about 700 new business jets are expected to be delivered in 2015. Brazil, Russia, India and China retain a very strong near-term demand profile with 48 per cent of new purchases scheduled for the next two years, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today. Brazil recorded the strongest new aircraft purchase plans, while China and Russia are expected to show slight improvements compared with 2014. "While emerging markets like Brazil continue to be a bright spot for business aviation over the medium term, we have seen weaker demand across other key growth markets

Signing of revised Air Services Agreement between India and New Zealand approved

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing of revised Air Services Agreement between India and New Zealand. The Air Services Agreement signifies an important landmark in the civil aviation relations between India and New Zealand and has the potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Deadline for submission of response to draft civil aviation policy extended

The Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday extended the deadline for submission of stakeholders response to its draft Civil Aviation Policy by more than a week. The Ministry had earlier given time for receiving response from stakeholders on the draft policy till November 21. "The Ministry of Civil Aviation has extended the last date for receiving response from stakeholders on the draft Civil Aviation Policy to November 30," an official release said on Wednesday. The revised draft Civil Aviation Policy was unveiled on October 30 by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju to provide a conducive environment and a level playing field to all stakeholders. Private carriers, under the banner of Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), however, had reportedly sought more time to state their views on the grounds that deadline was "too short" and more time was required because the proposals under the draft policy were "far reaching ramifications on the sector." Jet Airways, SpiceJet and GoAir are the members of FIA. Two new airline - AirAsia India and Vistara-have not yet been given its membership.

Aided by a turnaround in fortunes, SpiceJet in talks to buy 150 planes

Emboldened by a quick turnaround in fortunes under its new promoters, budget airline SpiceJetBSE 9.48 % has initiated talks with aircraft manufacturers to place orders for at least 150 planes, said Ajay Singh, chairman of India's fourth largest carrier. "It will be a significant sized order. And it will be placed soon," SpiceJet is in talks to buy 100 narrow-bodied aircraft (Boeing 737 MAX or Airbus 320 Neo) and 50 turboprop aircraft. "We have two businesses here. Large aircraft for metros and larger towns and small aircraft for smaller regional towns. We see a potential in the regional aircraft business," Singh said. He is hopeful of placing the order by the end of this financial year. "The order size for bigger aircraft would be in excess of 100 and smaller ones again would be a large-sized order and could be in the range of 50 aircraft," he said. Currently, SpiceJet operates a fleet of 25 Boeing, two Airbus (on wet lease) and 14 Bombardier aircraft.

Isro launches GSAT-15 to help civil aviation sector

There could not have been a more appropriate Diwali gift for Isro than the successful launch early on Wednesday of the 3,164 kg GSAT-15, India's latest communication satellite by Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket from the European spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana. With 24 transponders in the ku band, GSAT-15's primary role will be to boost direct-to-home broadcasting as well as enhance the GPS-aided augmented navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands. This will mainly help the civil aviation sector. GSAT-15 is the 19th payload launched by Arianespace for Isro. It will replace the ageing Insat 3A and 4B spacecraft when they retire. Isro Satellite Centre director Mylswamy Annadurai announced in Kourou that GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 will be launched by Arianespace next year. Following a countdown of 11 hours and 30 minutes, Ariane 5 lifted off at 3.04 am (IST) on Wednesday. Then after a flight of 43 minutes and 24 seconds, GSAT-15 separated from the Ariane 5 upper stage in an elliptical geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) with a perigee (nearest point to earth) of 250 km and an apogee (farthest point from earth) of 35,819 km.

Human error' behind AI plane's fuselage panel falling off in 2013

Aviation regulator DGCA has found "human error", among others, as the cause of an incident at the Bengaluru airport two years ago involving an Air India Dreamliner plane, in which the aircraft's fuselage panel had fallen off at runway during landing. The Boeing 787-800 aircraft, bearing registration no VT-ANK, was carrying 146 passengers and seven crew members from Delhi at the time of incident on October 12, 2013. "The RH heat exchanger access panel detached at the time of landing on runway as the panel was remaining on the aircraft with only four screws instead of 47 screws which were not fully tight. "The cause of the incident was due to human error and not adopting Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)," Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) concluded in its nine-page final investigation report on the incident. The report was made public this week. According to the investigation report, prior to flying to Bengaluru, the aircraft had operated Frankfurt-Delhi flight and was scheduled to fly to Melbourne.

End safety area constructed for runway

Adding a new dimension to the safety precautions at the Trivandrum International Airport, the 3,373-meter-long runway at the airport is now equipped with runway end safety area (RESA), a mandatory facility at airports. Complying with the guidelines of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the work of the RESA at the Vallakkadavu side was completed two weeks ago. RESA is constructed as a safety measure at both ends of the runway which limits the impact when an aircraft over-runs the end of the runway during landing or take-off. A new 90x90 meter RESA was added to the end of runway 32 (in the direction of Vallakkadavu) in a project worth Rs 1.5 crore. The 3,373-meter runway at the airport already has a RESA at the end of runway 14 (in the direction of All Saints' College). The RESA could not be installed at the Vallakkadavu end because of shortage of land. An area of 39 cents was allotted to the airport by the state government last year and the work for RESA began in March.

Tata-Boeing Tie up

After UK-France joint venture Air Bus Industries decision to enter India under the ‘Make in India’ policy of the Modi Government the US civilian Aircraft making giant Boeing company has also decided to come to India to develop aero structures in India to make passenger aircraft's in the civilian sector with tie up with the Tata House of India. During the recent visit to France the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi visited the aeroplane making plant of the Air Bus Companies. At that time the Air Bus Company declared its decision to come to India under the ‘Make in India’ policy make planes for civil aviation in India. The Air Bus and the Boeing are two international giant in the field of plane making. At one time India was purchasing all the planes for civil aviation from Boeing company. But during the Nixon- Dulles- Kissinger period of US Administration US relations with India soured and India shifted it plane purchases to Air Bus Company. But now there is a make change and improvement in India-US relations. India has started buying US military transport planes, Helicopter and other military armaments. In civil aviation the Tata House of India is a pioneer in field. Its Supremo Late Mr JRD Tata started civil aviation in India by flying the first mail carrying planes from Karachi to Bombay way back in 1931. At also started it profit earning Tata Airlines but during Nehru period the Tata Airlines along with Birla’s Bharat Airways were nationalized in a Government undertaking Air India. Now the private sector has come back in India in all the segments of the industries. Tata is again in civil aviation service in association with a Singapore based airline carrier.

India enhances air services agreement with Oman

India has enhanced the bilateral seat entitlement with Oman, allowing additional flights between the two countries. The move will enable Oman Air to launch extra flights to India and offer better onward connections. The revision took place at International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) negotiations in Turkey last month. The Indian government held discussions with Qatar at the event but did not negotiate for additional seats with the Gulf state. According to the revised agreement between India and Oman, carriers from both countries can fly 5,131 additional seats per week between the two countries taking the total capacity entitlement to 21,149 seats per week. “A MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed with Oman whereby, additional 5,131 seats were granted taking the total capacity entitlements from 16,018 seats per week to 21,149 seats per week for both sides,” said a press statement issued by the Union civil aviation ministry here on Thursday. At present, only Oman Air flies 15 daily flights to 11 destinations in India. It has double daily frequencies to Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai and plans to increase flights to Bengaluru, Kochi and Kozhikode. Indian carriers too could benefit with the expansion of traffic rights and IndiGo is planning to launch a flight between Kochi-Muscat. At present Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Jet Airways and SpiceJet fly to Muscat. The decision to increase traffic rights will help Oman Air’s demand to expand its operations to India. The airline recently introduced service between Muscat and Goa and does fly passengers from India to Europe and also to Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. For Oman Air, around 26 per cent of its business comes from the Indian sub-continent.

India Inks Civil Aviation MoUs With Six Countries

India has inked memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with six nations during the International Civil Aviation Negotiations held in Turkey, the central government announced on Thursday. The negotiations would enhance the international air connectivity from India and would offer the passengers wider choice and seamless connectivity, a civil aviation ministry statement said. The negotiations were held from October 19-23 in Turkey's Antalya and attended by 106 countries.

Qatar Airways keen on 49% stake in India’s low-cost carrier Indigo

Dubai: Qatar Airways said it’s keen to take a stake in Indian discount carrier Indigo once shares start trading following an initial public offering (IPO), after plans for a direct investment were frustrated by local regulations. The second-biggest Gulf carrier could seek a maximum 49 per cent of Indigo — valued at $2 billion based on the IPO price — to boost its exposure to one of the world’s fastest-growing travel markets, chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said on Sunday in an interview at the Dubai Air Show. The sale of a 10 per cent Indigo stake in October’s IPO raised about Rs30 billion ($456 million), valuing the airline at $4.2 billion and making it the third-largest low-cost carrier in Asia, with a value five times that of Jet Airways and nine times that of SpiceJet, the other two listed Indian airlines. “I couldn’t take a stake in Indigo because the Indian authorities have restrictions on airlines taking part in IPOs of an airline,” Al Baker said. “The process to do it would have taken a long time and they were in a hurry. If we can go up to the 49 per cent that’s allowed, we’d like to go as much as that.”

Emerging biggest aircraft market

For years, plane makers Airbus and Boeing have made optimistic forecasts about growth of aviation in India - a rising middle class, growth in gross domestic product and under penetration of airlines making it a relevant market. Earlier this year, Boeing projected India's demand for aircraft to touch 1,740, valued at $240 billion, over the next 20 years in India. This would account for 4.3 per cent of global volumes. The optimism is getting translated into orders, with Indian carriers placing multi-billion contracts to cater to growth plans. In August, IndiGo signed up with Airbus for a $25.7-billion order for 250 A320neo planes, largest ever order for the European plane maker. Previously the biggest single order in terms of planes was for 234 planes from Lion Air of Indonesia in 2013. Boeing's latest market forecast claims it will deliver 38,050 planes till 2034 with the highest share (38 per cent) in the Asian market. India will require 1,740 planes over the same period.

Jet Airways confirms order for 75 Boeing 737 Max aircraft

Jet Airways on Monday announced placing an order for 75 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft at the Dubai Airshow. The order includes options and purchase rights for an additional 50 aircraft. This is the airline’s largest ever fleet order valued at $8.7 billion at list price. The deliveries will start from 2018 and transaction will be completely financed and managed through a sale and leaseback arrangement, Jet Airways said. The new aircraft will support the airline’s replacement strategy and ensure it maintains a modern, environmentally friendly fleet, the airline said. Currently, Jet Airways has a fleet of 115 aircraft. “This order is an endorsement of our confidence in the long-term prospects of the Indian aviation sector, which reflects the positive forecast for the country’s economy, and offers tremendous potential for growth and development,” Naresh Goyal, Chairman, Jet Airways said in a statement.

US-INDIA aviation summit closes in Bangalore

The US-India Aviation Summit closed on November 5 following two days of high level meetings and discussions between public and private sector leaders from both nations to discuss ways to strengthen the bilateral aviation partnership. The Summit was co-hosted by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and India's Ministry of Civil Aviation with the support of the US-India Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP). "The dedication of India's government to the expansion of their aviation sector has fostered continued growth and created opportunities for U.S. businesses to provide their technology and expertise," said USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak. "USTDA is pleased to support our Indian partners' goals and to have convened US and Indian stakeholders from this critical sector." "The government is making all efforts to promote the growth of the Indian aviation sector in a significant manner," said Minister of Civil Aviation Raju. "Systems and processes which affect this sector will be simplified and made more transparent with greater use of technology without compromising on safety and security." India's aviation sector has continued to grow rapidly since the last biennial event was held in 2013. Building on this success, the country's civil aviation market, currently the world's ninth largest, is anticipated to require an additional USD 110 billion in financing to continue to advance India's diverse aviation expansion and modernization projects through 2020

Tata, Boeing to jointly manufacture aircraft parts in India

American aviation company Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems on Monday announced a joint venture to manufacture airframe parts for the AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, which were recently ordered by India. The joint venture will also collaborate on development and selling of integrated systems in India, reported the Press Trust of India. Chris Chadwick, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, said, "This partnership will capitalise on India's industrial capability, innovation and talent to contribute to Boeing's long-term competitiveness and position us for future growth in the global marketplace.” Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar said that the company has doubled its sourcing from India over the last 12 months

Top scientist wants pvt airlines to set up MRO facilities in India

Chandigarh: A member of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, Dr VK Saraswat, today called upon private airlines to set up maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in India as it has a large scope for employment generation in the aviation sector. Delivering the presidential address at a two-day national symposium on “Careers and Opportunities in Aerospace Defence Technology” organised jointly by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI), he pointed out that most private airlines had MRO facilities in Sri Lanka or Dubai, which was unfortunate. “We have MROs for Air India and Indian Airlines. If we set up MROs here, we have a large scope to generate employment. For that, we need to change our system of taxation. Repairs in India are not done as our tax structure is not competitive,” Saraswat, who was earlier Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and head of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, said.

Air India to report operational profit this fiscal

New Delhi: Air India will report an operating profit in fiscal 2015-16. Aviation secretary R N Choubey said the airline will have an operating profit of about Rs 6 crore, two years ahead of the target year set for it as per the turnaround plan under which it is getting a Rs 30,000 crore package from the government. The airline has mainly benefitted from benign oil prices and an improved operational parameters, including enhanced aircraft usage. "Better on-time performance and increased availability of passenger aircraft have helped in improving operational efficiency," Choubey said.

Jet Airways says Brussels flights unviable, begins employee dialogue on future of European hub

Mumbai: Jet Airways has said it is reviewing its operations in Brussels, now “unviable due to significant changes in the competitive scenario” in Europe. Brussels is capital of Belgium, a country in western Europe. The airline has initiated a consultative process with its 25 Belgian employees, as required under local laws, to determine the future of its operations there. Jet is likely to make Amsterdam (Netherlands’ capital) its gateway for flights to the US and Canada, replacing Brussels. It has slots at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport and is in talks with Air France-KLM and Delta Airlines for commercial partnerships and code-sharing on European and North American routes. Code-sharing is an agreement between two or more airlines to carry each other’s passengers and use their own set of letters and numbers for flights provided by another airline. “No decision on the Brussels operations has been taken,” a spokesperson said.

Boeing Helping Indian Manufacturing to Fly

India’s aerospace design and manufacturing industry is finally coming home to roost. Boeing (Stand 900) chairman James McNerney echoed confidence in the industry and the new government during a global summit, “India’s Time to Fly,” held in Delhi last month [October] when he announced that Boeing was “much closer to having final assembly [of] Apache or Chinook helicopters here.” McNerney added: “That will play out, and that is our strategy. Companies like Boeing are always on the lookout for competitive advantages that come withinnovativenew technologies and long-term partnerships.” He said India, with its broad, deep engineering capability and skilled workforce, was a natural partner “that offers us the long-term opportunities…” The statement came on the heels of India finalizing an order with Boeing in September for production, training, and support of 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. It is the 14th nation to select the Apache and the 19th to select the Chinook. “All capabilities are here in programs I want to make sure get done, even assembling entire airplanes–wings fuselages, systems, avionics and software that is in some ways are more sophisticated than structures. We are committed to taking Indian capability to that level–I see an opportunity to help India to move up by bringing technology,” McNerney said. He cautioned, however, the two governments had to agree to “what technology they will share or not. Generally speaking, the more cutting edge the technology, the less sharing there will be.”

IndiGo raises Rs 3,008 crore from IPO

IndiGo's parent InterGlobe Aviation has raised Rs 3,008.5 crore at the issue price of Rs 765 per share from its recently concluded over-subscribed IPO. The public issue closed on October 29 after three days of bidding in a price band of Rs 700-765. The company has now fixed the issue price at Rs 765 per share, the upper end of the price band. The public offer of InterGlobe Aviation, the biggest IPO in nearly three years, elicited robust response as the issue got over-subscribed 6.15 times. The quota reserved for qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) saw tremendous response with over-subscription of 17.80 times. Non-institutional investors category was over-subscribed 3.57 times. In contrast, the portion set aside for retail investors witnessed 92 per cent subscription, while the employees category was subscribed 13 per cent. This is the biggest IPO in the Indian market since Bharti Infratel's over Rs 4,000-crore public offer in December, 2012.

Major disaster averted

The airspace over the Arabian sea might have been the scene of a great disaster on Saturday. According to the Mumbai Mirror, the Indian Navy conducted defence exercises with surface-to-surface missiles on Saturday even as the airspace remained open for civilian flights. The Mumbai Mirror reports that the Navy had requested closing of airspace for three hours between 12:30 and 3:30 pm on Saturday. However it did not convey to to aviation authorities whether this meant IST or GMT. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) Mumbai assumed it to be GMT. Consequently, airspace remained open for three hours after the exercises had begun. While the Navy had sought a NOTAM - notice to airmen - from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm, ATC kept the airspace open during this period and shut it from 6 pm to 9 pm, by which time the exercises were over.

No handwritten passports after Nov 24

Pune: Indian citizens with handwritten passports will have to get them replaced with machine-readable ones. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has set a deadline of November 24 for the global phase-out of all non-Machine Readable Passports (MRPs). Thereafter, foreign governments may deny a visa or entry to a person travelling on a non-Machine Readable Passport, a circular from the ministry of external affairs said. The government has been issuing MRPs since 2001. Those issued before 2001 and particularly those issued during the mid-1990s with a validity of 20 years fall into the non-MRPs.

Air India Express to get first dry leased aircraft in March next

The first of the six Next Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft to be taken on “dry lease’’(A dry lease is a leasing arrangement whereby an aircraft financing entity (lessor), such as GECAS or Aercap, provides an aircraft without insurance, crew, ground staff, supporting equipment, maintenance, etc) by Air India Express (AIE), the low cost carrier of the national carrier, is to join the fleet in March next. All the remaining Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft will join the fleet by December 2016 and will be deployed to increase frequencies, strengthen the existing network and to expand operations to the Tier II and III cities. Once the six aircraft are inducted, the strength of fleet of the Kochi-headquartered Air India Express will go up from the present 17 to 23. The director board of the AIE that met this week in Delhi has given the nod for dry lease. “The routes and deployment of the aircraft is under discussion,” airline sources told The Hindu. At present, the airline operated 175 weekly flights from various ports in the country to 12 international destinations. The flight from Varanasi, a Tier-II city in the North, to Sharjah was the latest addition in the AIE network.