Russia to enter Indian Civilian Aircraft Market

US and European aviation companies are likely to face major competition in India as Russia has proposed to set up a production line for India’s civil aviation sector. A Russian delegation headed by Alexander Potapov, Deputy Minister of Industry & Trade of the Russian Federation, put forward this proposal before Indian officials of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion in New Delhi. A statement released by India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry says, “In the civil Aviation sector, the Russian side declared its readiness to participate in the “Make in India” program in order to develop technological and production capabilities of the Indian side in this field and potential supplies of the jointly produced equipment to third countries.” Russia wants to introduce Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) civilian aircraft in India and has a target set to put out at least 50 SSJ100 in the next three to five years. Sukhoi expects to sign a deal this year with Tata Advanced System to manufacture key airplane parts in India

‘Communication failure likely cause of engineer death’

The civil aviation ministry’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is probing the death of an Air India (AI) engineer who was sucked into an aircraft engine in Mumbai last year, said in its initial findings that a miscommunication, probably caused by the aircraft’s pilot who was exhausted due to continuous assignments, could have led to the fatal accident. The probe is still underway but one of the sources said, “After examining circumstances related to the incident, it was found that the pilot of the aircraft was operating the said flight immediately after having flown in another flight. Thus, the pilot was tired and there are chances that due to the same, some miscommunication occurred and the technician, Ravi Subramanian, got sucked into the engine of the Mumbai-Hyderabad flight AI 619 and died instantly.” Following the death of Mr Subramaniam, an investigation was ordered and the pilot and co-pilot of the aircraft were grounded by the airline. The source said that the investigation team realised that there should be at least mandatory half-an-hour rest for pilots and co-pilots after an assignment. “After flying in and before flying out again, a half-an-hour gap should be a must,” said the AAIB source. He said that AAIB may also recommend to the airline that it “cross-utilise crew” while flying different types of aircraft the same day. “The airline should work in the direction of cross utilisation of crew for the airbus A320 family when the crew is going to fly two aircraft in a day, in order to avoid confusion between them,” he added. Sources in the bureau said they were working on the recommendations and would soon forward the draft to authorities concerned.

Domestic air traffic: How IndiGo, Jet Airways, Air India, Go Air, AirAsia India, Vistara performed in July

India, currently the fastest-growing civil aviation market in the world, reported yet another month of double-digit growth in passenger volumes in July. The country's low-cost and full-service carriers such as IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Go Air, AirAsia India, Vistara and state-run Air India, and few smaller players, flew 85.08 lakh (8.5 million) passengers during the month, an increase of 25.82 percent, YoY. The carriers had flown 67.62 lakh (6.7 million) passengers in July 2015, according to data released by India's civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The corresponding number was 79.75 lakh (7.9 million) during June 2016. IndiGo maintained its lead as the largest carrier by market share at 39.8 percent, its highest in the past seven months, followed by Jet Airways at 16.3 percent. Air India saw its share decline to 14.8 percent in July 2016 from 15.5 percent in the preceding month. Some of the carriers saw their passenger load factor (PLF) go up during the month as compared to June while others reported a fall. Go Air, belonging to the Nusli Wadia Group, posted a sharp rise in PLF to 90.3 percent for July in comparison to 84.6 percent in June 2016. SpiceJet, which had consistently maintained the highest PLF among all carriers for the past few months, witnessed a decline to 92 percent during the month from 93 percent in June 2016. Low-cost carrier IndiGo stayed ahead of the competition in July as well, carrying 33.84 lakh passengers, or 39.8 percent of the 85.08 lakh passengers flown. Jet Airways, a full-service carrier in which Etihad Airways also has a stake, did not see any change in its market share at 16.3 percent on a sequential basis; the carrier flew 13.90 lakh passengers. National carrier Air India, which is also a full-service carrier, saw its market share dip to 14.8 percent in July from 15.5 percent in the preceding month. SpiceJet's market share also dropped, to 11.7 percent in July from 12.7 percent in June 2016. Other carriers and their market share in July include Go Air (8.4 percent), AirAsia India (2.2 percent) and Vistara (2.6 percent).

Three pilots of IndiGo airlines grounded for taking mid-air selfies

Three pilots of the IndiGo airlines were grounded for a week by the aviation safety regulator of the country. The pilots were reportedly taking selfies on their phones in mid-air in the airplane's cockpit. The trend of taking selfies is indeed increasing day by day in India but doing so while airborne is highly dangerous. Such an action by someone as responsible as the Captain of the plane is condemnable as it may endanger lives. A spokesperson of IndiGo airlines mentioned that the pilots have been de-rostered for seven days for the selfies taken nearly 1.5 years ago. "This is not the only such case. Facebook and other social media profiles are full of pilots beaming in their seats while flying aircraft," TOI quoted a source as saying.

Sector impact: GST and the aviation sector

The goods and service tax (GST) once implemented will increase the cost of air tickets and other services such as cargo transportation and aircraft maintenance. The Indian aviation industry believes that the exclusion of petroleum and aviation fuel from its ambit will continue to impact the aviation sector. The central government will continue to impose excise duty on five petroleum products—crude oil, diesel, petrol, natural gas and aviation turbine fuel (ATF), while the state governments will continue to impose value-added tax on these petroleum products. ATF contributes over 40% of an airlines’ operating cost. Jet fuel prices in India are among the highest in the world. ATF prices for domestic carriers vary at different airports across the country due to different rates of sales tax and value-added tax. The various tax components before arriving at the final price include import duty on ATF. While petroleum and petroleum products are technically under GST, the GST council comprising of the Union and state finance ministers will decide upon their induction after the final GST regime is in place. Experts believe that the proposition shall be discussed.

Emirates 777 sent flight data after crash landing

The crashed Emirates 777 wirelessly transmitted critical flight data within minutes of the accident to airline officials, the supplier of the data storage and transmission device says. Raul Segredo, president and chief executive of Avionica, says the device spared safety investigators a search through the wreckage for the flight data recorder to recover immediate data about the last seconds of the landing sequence. Miami-based Avionica supplies the miniQAR Mk III quick access recorder for the Emirates 777 fleet. The device receives flight information from the same databus that feeds the flight data recorder, Segredo says. The device is linked to a 3G wireless transmitter. A key feature of Avionica’s design may have made the speedy data transmission possible despite the crash landing. Similar devices are programmed to begin transmitting data after the landing gear have touched the runway, Segredo says. The miniQAR MK III uses a proprietary algorithm that uses a mixture of parameters to determine when to activate the data transmission on the ground, he says. Emirates officials have confirmed to Avionica that the device worked on the crashed 777. Flight EK521 crashed shortly after confirming landing clearance on runway 12L. The 777 came to a halt on its belly.

Air Costa halts flight operations

Regional airline Air Costa halted its flight operations on Thursday, following financial issues with its leasing companies. Raising questions over the financial viability of regional airlines in India, the operational halt comes days after Bengaluru-based Air Pegasus grounded its operations. “We had some financial issues with the leasing company and we are in the process of re-negotiation. We are very much in business and have only temporarily suspended operations for today. We will resume our flights tomorrow,” said Kavi Chaurasia, vice president, Marketing and Communications at Air Costa told The Hindu. He added that payment dues to leasing companies are “one of the core reasons” for halting operations. Air Costa, which will complete three years in October, operates three Embraer 190 aircraft and flies to nine destinations — Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore, Tirupati and Vijayawada.

KTR wants 10 un-served airports to be made operational

Information Technology Minister K. Tarakarama Rao has welcomed the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of Central Government under the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016. Addressing the national conference on Civil Aviation in New Delhi on Friday, KTR said that the RCS would bring ease in travel ensure all round development of Telangana State. KTR informed that the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the designated implementing agency for RCS, was already in touch with the state government for Warangal and Adilabad airports. “The indicated requirement by the AAI for 195 acres for terminal building (& total requirement of 438 acres) for Warangal airport may be examined afresh as it seems to be on the higher side. While the pre-feasibility study undertaken by AAI in Adilabad indicates land requirement of 347 acres and 554 acres in two phases, I may also point out that the Indian Air Force has sought NOC from the State Government to set up a full-fledged Air Force station in Adilabad which will also be used for civil aircrafts and commercial usage,” he said. The minister said that Basant Nagar was is a useful location and would cater to the need of Ramagundem, Jaypore and other towns of Karimnagar district. He said Dundigal, Hakimpet and Nadirgul are located in the outskirts of Hyderabad and might not serve any significant purpose, since the city already has two full fledged airports. Nagarjuna Sagar, being a important point in the Buddhist tourism circuit, will be a very useful RCS point in view of its potential of religious tourism as well as general tourism. Nalgonda will get increasing flow because of the proposed power projects in Damarcherla, he said.

India eyes direct purchase of six refuelling aircraft

India is now planning "a direct strategic purchase" of six flight refuelling aircraft (FRA) or tankers to enhance the reach of its fighter jets, bombers and surveillance aircraft after the bid to acquire them through global tenders failed twice over the last decade. Consequently, the defence ministry (MoD)+ has scrapped the proposed Rs 9,000 crore contract for acquisition of six Airbus-330 MRTT (multi-role tanker transport) aircraft, which was hanging fire for several years due to high costs as well as old CBI cases and change in the manufacturer's name from EADS Cassidian to Airbus Group. "Airbus was told towards end-June that the RFP (request for proposal or tender), under which the A-330 MRTT was selected as L-1 (lowest bidder), has been withdrawn. A decision will now be taken for direct acquisition of FRA, a critical operational necessity for IAF

Keeping the noise down at airports in India

In a first in India, Mumbai’s international airport, the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), will now be able to identify aircraft that are the noisiest during take-offs, landing and during parking, round-the-clock. To reduce the impact of noise on nearby residential areas, the CSIA has installed NoiseDesk, a web-based noise-monitoring system, which is replicated from London’s Southend Airport. The move comes after India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), issued a Civil Aviation Requirement in January to contain noise around airports and conduct noise-mapping on the premises because of the increase in new airlines that has led to high noise levels. Unlike some international airports, India has no safety limits set for noise during take-offs and landings.At the CSIA, two stationary noise-monitoring terminals have now been installed under take-off and landing flight paths; together with a mobile unit on the airfield, this allows the airport to respond to noise pollution issues and reduce impact through noise abatement procedures.

CaseBank Technologies to Attend India Aviation 2016

CaseBank Technologies Inc., the leading provider of software solutions for equipment fault isolation and defect trend analysis, has announced that it will be exhibiting in partnership with the International Trade Commission, Government of Canada, at The 5th International Exhibition & Conference on Civil Aviation - India Aviation 2016, March 16-20, at the Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad, India. CaseBank will be located in the Government of Canada’s, Ontario Pavilion, Booth #33 with other Canadian companies such as Air Canada, Bell Helicopter, Bombardier and Pratt & Whitney. CaseBank’s technology has been selected by Gulfstream for the G550, G650 aircraft. Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce have also selected CaseBank technology to support their families of engines. “CaseBank is pleased to attend India Aviation to share how our interactive fault isolation, defect tracking and reliability solutions, help technicians, call centers and support engineers provide best in class service, while capturing field experience,” said Tony O’Hara, CEO of CaseBank Technologies, Inc. He added, “By troubleshooting problems accurately, our technology is improving aircraft safety and uptime for some of the most advanced aircraft in the world.” India Aviation is one of the largest and most important events in the international aerospace calendar. The conference brings together airport infrastructure developers/operators, airlines, major manufacturers, suppliers and technology providers to discuss manufacturing capabilities, processes, best practices, advances and innovations, automation, industry trends and forecasts.

IndiGo to Get its First A320 Neo Aircraft Today

IndiGo will get its first Airbus A320 Neo aircraft today. This will be the 103rd airplane for the airline and its first much awaited Neo. Investors of Interglobe Aviation, the parent company of India's largest airline by market share, have been nervous about the delay in the delivery of A320 Neo aircraft. Airbus had warned about the delay in December when IndiGo was due to receive its first A320 Neo. The airline will receive its first Neo jet 3 months later than the original scheduled delivery. The company confirmed the same through a tweet, ''Big moment! IndiGo is accepting delivery of Asia's first #ecofriendly @Airbus #A320neo today! #soproud #greenskies."

Government not to force Air India to fly to unconnected cities

The government on Thursday said it will not "force" Air India to flying to unconnected cities after a Congress member in Lok Sabha said it should ask the state-run carrier to do so if it was unable to push private airlines into it. Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said Air India is coming out of losses because of the government's "non-interference" policy and maintained that its job was to "facilitate and not compel" airline operations. Raju made the remarks during question hour after a number of members raised the issue of lack of air connectivity to the regions they came from and Rajiv Satav (Congress) urged him to ask Air India to connect places like Nanded, a pilgrimage centre of the Sikhs. "Air India is coming out of losses because of our non-interference. We won't force them," the minister said. Raju, however, said the government from time to time gave suggestions to airlines and noted that in the draft civil aviation policy there is a proposal to connect unserved and unconnected airports under the Regional Connectivity Scheme.

Jet Airways signs codeshare agreement with Korean Air

Jet Airways has entered into a codeshare agreement and a reciprocal frequent flyer programme partnership with Korean Air. Guests travelling on both the airlines will be able to connect from multiple points in India to Seoul over various gateway points in Asia. Under the codeshare arrangement, Jet Airways will place its marketing code on Korean Air operated non-stop flight between Incheon, Seoul and Mumbai, as well as flights between Incheon, Seoul, Bangkok and Singapore. Similarly, Korean Air will place its marketing code on Jet Airways’ operations between Singapore and Mumbai, and between Bangkok, Mumbai and Delhi. The codeshare is expected to strengthen the global network of both airlines and provide more choice for customers travelling between India and South Korea, with seamless and convenient connections over the international gateways, Singapore and Bangkok. The codeshare flights are now open for sale for travel effective March 1, 2016. Additionally, JetPrivilege programme of Jet Airways has entered into a reciprocal frequent flyer partnership with Korean Air’s SKYPASS Frequent Flyer programme. Members of both programmes will now benefit from frequent flyer mileage accrual and redemption opportunities across the entire network of Korean Air and on Jet Airways’ pan-India domestic and international networks. With the codeshare and frequently flyer partnerships going live, Korean Air becomes Jet Airways’ 23rd codeshare partner and 30th frequent flyer programme partner airline.

Vistara to induct four more aircraft in fleet in 2016

Vistara Airline will induct four more aircraft in its fleet this year as it plans to operate nearly 25% more flights with the addition of three new destinations - Srinagar, Jammu and Kochi - in its network besides enhancing frequencies on the existing routes in coming summer schedule. The joint venture carrier, in which Tata Sons holds 51% stake while the rest is held by Singapore Airlines, currently operates 317 services per week with a fleet of nine Airbus A320 planes.

Singapore Airlines-backed Vistara increases weekly flight ops by 26%

Full-service carrier Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA) with the former holding a majority stake of 51 percent in the airline, is increasing its weekly flight operations by 26 percent from March 27, 2014. In a statement on Wednesday the airline said it would offer “almost 400 weekly flights to 15 destinations in India”, up from 317 weekly flights and 12 destinations it services at present. The airline’s current destinations are Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Goa, Guwahati, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, and Varanasi. From April onwards, the airline will fly to Srinagar, Jammu and Kochi. And, with the induction of four new Airbus 320 aircraft during the course of this year, Vistara has plans to increase its weekly flight frequency by 85 percent by the end of October. “We plan to double our domestic capacity this year by offering more flights, destinations and increased frequencies,” said Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara.

India’s First Female Fighter Pilots to Take to the Skies in the Summer

India’s first female fighter pilots will be able to take to the skies this summer, the force’s chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said Tuesday. Women have been inducted as pilots in the world’s fourth-largest air force for over two decades, but have so far only found their way in non-combat roles flying transport aircraft and helicopters. “The floodgates have opened for women to prove their mettle in all streams,” Air Chief Marshal Raha said at an event on International Women’s Day, adding that the first batch of women fighter pilots will be commissioned on June 18. Avani Chaturvedi, Mohana Singh and Bhawana Kanth, who are currently training at an air force base in the southern Indian state of Telangana, are the three women who will qualify to fly fighter planes this summer. The air force’s fighter jet fleets consist of the Russian Sukhoi Su-30 MKIs, the MiG-21 and 27s and the French Mirage-2000s. “It’s a dream for everybody to fly. When you walk you only look at the sky, at the birds, and you want to fly,” Ms. Chaturvedi said in an interview with English news channel NDTV. “Flying at the speed of sound, and more than that, is something everyone dreams of,” she added.

Bad news for AirAsia, Vistara: Govt says no decision yet on fate of 5/20 rule

Caught in a bind over the '5/20 norms' for domestic carriers to fly overseas, the government today conceded the demand of the promoters of old airlines for a "patient" hearing on the issue even as it said no decision has been taken on the fate of the regulation. At a meeting, chaired by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the promoters contended that relaxing of the norms will have negative impact on domestic connectivity and services and may lead to rise in airfares. The meeting comes at a time the Civil Aviation Ministry is preparing a draft note on the new aviation policy to take it to the Cabinet for its approval. The Ministry also has to take a call on the 5/20 norm.