National Civil Aviation Sector

[sorcerer]

HAL hawks Dornier 228s for connecting non-metro routes



State-run defence aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) may start selling planes for civilian use in India.

HAL has so far been producing 19-seater Dornier 228 planes for the Indian Air Force and the Coast Guard and exporting it to other countries.


It has sought the permission of the civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to sell these planes to domestic airlines.

“The application was submitted (a) few months back and the certification process is on,” said a government official who declined to be named.

HAL manufactures the Dornier 228 planes in Kanpur.

“They have expressed interest if they can get some sort of a firm commitment (aircraft orders) for these planes. We are looking into it,” said a second government official, who also declined to be named.

Dornier planes were being used widely by Vayudoot airline in the 1980s and ’90s to connect smaller cities such as Raebareli and Lucknow. Vayudoot was grounded in 1997.

HAL has since made modifications to the plane and its equipment and it needs to go through a fresh certification process overseen by the DGCA.

The history of the Dornier aircraft goes back to 1983, when India signed a licence-production and phased technology-transfer agreement with Germany’s Dornier GmbH.

The agreement allowed HAL to set up a separate production line in India.

The first aircraft was manufactured in 1985.

By 2014, a total of 125 Dornier 228s had been produced in India. While the original production line in Germany was shut down in 1998, HAL continued to manufacture the planes in Kanpur and defence became the focus for the company.


With the civil aviation ministry unveiling a new regional aviation policy, HAL sees huge potential for its planes.

The new policy envisages giving subsidy on new routes started by airlines that are either not served or underserved.

Under the new policy, airlines will be given a subsidy on some of the seats on such flights from a annual corpus of Rs.500 crore.

“HAL is getting two Dornier 228s, which the company will make available to interested carriers to run regional flights,” a HAL spokesman said.

HAL also said that it is keen to manufacture aircraft for regional operations with a larger seating capacity.

A request for information was floated in April and six responses from global aircraft manufacturers have been received for partnerships.

However, no time-frame has been set for the next step.

In stakeholder consultations last month, the civil aviation ministry debated as to what kind of planes are likely to make commercial sense for regional flights.

An expert said airlines need to do a cost-benefit analysis of the routes that Dornier planes can run profitably.

“When Vayudoot operated the Dornier, they were losing money even if they had full occupancy on the Madras-Pondichery leg,” said Mohan Ranganathan, a Chennai-based analyst.

“So, they have to figure out the ideal load factor and ideal trip length before venturing into this. The best way would be to get operating cost figures from airlines in Nepal, who have been using them widely.”


http://www.livemint.com/Companies/x...nier-228s-for-connecting-nonmetro-routes.html

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Karnataka amends aerospace policy to boost aviation projects
The state government has already approved 33 proposals in the aviation sector totalling Rs14,520 crore signed during Invest Karnataka 2016.

The Karnataka govt is trying to attract investments into maintenance and repair organisation (MRO), designs, components, research and development areas.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has amended specific rules in the aerospace policy of the state to ensure clarity for recently approved projects in the space which has a potential to provide over 10,000 jobs.

The state government has already approved 33 proposals in the aviation sector totalling Rs.14,520 crore-signed during Invest Karnataka 2016 (earlier known as Global Investors Meet)-the biennial summit held in February.

“We wanted to have a policy projection. There were some things that were getting clubbed into the industrial policy, so we have clarified things here. People wanting to look at investment into aerospace sector in the state need not look into industrial policy; they can have a look at our aerospace policy,” T.B.Jayachandra, law and parliamentary minister said that the changes were required to bring clarity that companies operating in aerospace.

The cabinet meeting held on Wednesday has also proposed to bring in investment promotion subsidy, reimbursement of land conversion fees, interest subsidy, water harvesting subsidy and technical upgradation subsidy under the existing policy.

Most of the investments into Aerospace in Karnataka is in and around Bengaluru. Jayachandra said that the reason for providing incentives will be to encourage setting up of more such units in the state but said that the incentives will be in line with concessions to other sectors.

With almost 65% share of all aviation related investments in the country and home to some of the biggest aerospace companies, Karnataka’s move to fast track approvals and provide incentives comes in the wake of criticism over long gestation period between signing and approvals of the projects as well policy bottlenecks.

The Karnataka aviation policy 2013-2023 was announced in February 2013 to attract investments in the space and develop the ecosystem which already has established players like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Airbus and Boeing among others.

“All concessions given under industrial policy will be given to aviation policy,” Jayachandra said.

He added that other districts like Mysore and Belgaum have also been identified for aviation projects. The state has also developed an 1,000 acre aerospace park in Devanahalli, in the outskirts of Bengaluru to attract investments.

He said that the government is trying to attract investments into maintenance and repair organisation (MRO), designs, components, research and development areas.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

First plane to be Made in India may fly out of Maharashtra

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Mumbai to Lonavala, the Sea plane Service

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Air India & SpiceJet may be first to fly to smaller towns

Both these airlines will get exclusive rights on that particular route for a period of three years,” Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju told ET, when asked about the participation by these carriers.

NEW DELHI: The first set of regional flights may come from Air India and SpiceJet, as the aviation ministry feels these two already have suitable aircraft in their fleet to be the launch airlines for its project to provide air connectivity to towns and small cities.

"Bigger jets will not be able to fly these regional routes, but airlines with smaller aircraft can... If Air India increases utilisation of its smaller aircraft, they can surely fly these routes. SpiceJet has also made inquiries about the scheme. Both these airlines will get exclusive rights on that particular route for a period of three years," Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju told ET, when asked about the participation by these carriers.

While Alliance Air, the regional subsidiary of Air India, operates a fleet of 70-seat ATRs, SpiceJet has similar-sized Bombardier Q400 aircraft. Aneed for support from these airlines was felt after the government realised that it would be difficult for any new carrier to lease aircraft due to problems with airlines in India. "Leasing costs for Indian carriers were pushed up due to the Kingfisher issue.

So, we need to provide a comfort level to lessors in terms of allowing them to deregister aircraft (and repossess them) when the payments are not coming. They cannot be held at ransom," said Raju.

Analysts, though, don't agree with the plan to use 70-seat aircraft to make the regional connectivity scheme a success. "Regional connectivity can only be successful with 15-or 20-seater aircraft and it does not make sense for a 70-seater aircraft to be used for regional connectivity.

There are various airstrips within the northeastern states where 70-seater aircraft cannot even land," said Mark Martin, founder and CEO of Martin Consulting, an aviation consultancy firm. Raju said it will not be difficult for the scheme to work, as there are 'low-hanging fruits' to pick.

The airports are ready and there are aircraft with staff to man them, he said. "I hope it should work". The regional connectivity scheme aims at connecting unserved airports.

READ MORE:
SpiceJet|regional routes|Mark Martin|Ashok Gajapati Raju|Air India

 

[kstriya]

Only if NAL Saras project is revived we could have a very cost effective local air transport to connect tier 2 and 3 cities with rest of India on air connectivity front. Usually the tier 2 & 3 cities are well connected by train or Bus to move away traffic from rail and road we need to give price competitive fares and that cannot happen with imported crafts which come with a IPR price attached. Hope Modi gets this basic project flying for civilian needs and not let it be scuttled.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

As Indian economy soars, business class flight bookings see a sharp rise

Out of all international carriers operating in India, Jet has increased capacity at the fastest clip on overseas routes.

MUMBAI: More wealthy Indians are buying business class seats on international flights, primarily as corporates expand their business interests globally and spend on premium air travel for their senior management.

A year-on-year comparison done for every month since January by some travel firms for ET revealed bookings in the segment jumped by up to 75 per cent.

The growth in popularity in the front end of the cabin is testimony to India's economic growth — the fastest among major economies — and increased corporate activity that has directly led to a spurt in corporate travel.

"The number of people who travel business class has gone up and this is a reflection of business confidence in the corporate sector," said John Nair, head of business travel at Cox & Kings.

"As a result, companies are more flexible and have permitted more senior management to travel business class.

Second, in the past couple of years, the capacity from India has not gone up but the number of people who travel in the premium cabin has and, therefore, there is a supply-demand mismatch," he added.

Nair of Cox & Kings said the mid- and long-haul sectors with travel times of five to nine hours are the most popular for business class travel.

India has an annual international air passenger traffic of about 55 million. About 60 domestic and foreign airlines ferry international flyers in and out of the country. Of India's seven major local carriers, four fly international and only Jet Airways and Air India sell business class seats. Out of all international carriers operating in India, Jet has increased capacity at the fastest clip on overseas routes.

Industry data showed that Indian passengers are opting more for foreign carriers that have a wider global air network than their Indian counterparts.

Data compiled by MakeMyTrip, India's biggest online travel portal, showed business class bookings on foreign carriers grew by 37 per cent to 88 per cent year-on-year every month from January to August. For example, bookings in August 2016 grew by 88 per cent over August 2015. For Indian carriers, they declined every month except in March and June.

The portal compiled data on the basis of an average of spot and prior bookings. Manoj Samuel, executive director of Riya Travels, one of India's biggest offline travel portals, said there has been an increase in bookings on carriers such as UAE's Emirates andEtihad Airways, UK's flag carrier British Airways and German airline Lufthansa, among others.

Foreign carriers gain

Data also showed that while foreign carriers have been enticing fliers by cutting fares on business class by up to 24 per cent, their Indian counterparts have increased fares by between 19 per cent and 59 per cent, something that may have led to a decline in demand for the latter.

Indian carriers have also been facing slower growth rates on the business class segment in domestic flights, as corporates decide not to spend on premium fares on short distance air travel. Local flights in India take less than three hours. Jet Airways, Air India and Vistara sell business class seats on the domestic sector.

That segment for carriers grew in the first three months of the year but fell in the subsequent months, data showed.

"Actually, demand for sub-four hour flights is falling as people don't see enough value. The growth is in longer flights," said Manoj Chacko, chief executive officer at SOTC Business Travel.

ET View: Enhance bilateral rights

The increase in both seats and fares suggests firm and rising demand. We need to shore up both out-bound and in-bound passenger capacity, including in business class. In many high-demand routes, Indian carriers have not been able to utilise bilateral flying rights adequately. In other instances, domestic carriers have yet to get the go-ahead to fly to specific destinations abroad. These need sorting out. We need transparent policy to augment bilateral rights going forward, including beyond 5,000 km in the broader region and neighbourhood.

READ MORE:
Jet Airways|Etihad airways|Business Class|British Airways|Air India
Good to see that living standards are rising but worried over security of domestic industry.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Air India Express turns profitable for the first time

The airline reported a profit of Rs 362 crore during the 2015-16 fiscal, helped by lower fuel prices and improved revenues over the past year on the back of flying more people per flight.

NEW DELHI: Air India is likely to enjoy acche din, as its low-cost international subsidiary Air India Express has turned the corner by reporting net profits for the first time since it started operations in April 2005.

The airline reported a profit of Rs 362 crore during the 2015-16 fiscal, helped by lower fuel prices and improved revenues over the past year on the back of flying more people per flight. The airline had incurred losses of Rs 62 crore during the 2014-15 fiscal.

Profits of AI express has come during the fiscal, when its parent Air India is also expected to make operational profit. The airline also found a mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech, where he complimented the national carrier for improved financial performance.

The airline's board approved the audited financial results on Wednesday. K Shyam Sundar, chief executive officer of Air India Charters Ltd, the subsidiary that operates Air India Express, told ET that the turnaround could be achieved on the back of improved operations.

"This turnaround should be attributed to the sustained efforts of all the Air India Express employees and the tremendous trust placed on us by our valued passengers. In purely business terms, the positive net outcome may be attributed to record levels of aircraft utilisation, PLF (Passenger Load Factors) and yields achieved in the year. Of course, low ATF rates also helped," Sundar to ET.

Analysts said a government company turning profitable is laudable. "When a private sector company turns profitable in today's time, you compliment it once. But when a government company takes advantage of the situation and turns profitable, it has to be doubly lauded. I say that because any government company has its own systemic disadvantages, which a private company will never have," said Jitendra Bhargava, former executive director of Air India. He said that the moment a company turns profitable from a long period of loss, the company started thinking positive and 'that will be the biggest achievement of these improved numbers'.

The financial results show that the airline's biggest benefit came from reduced oil prices that led to a 28.6% reduction in fuel during the FY16 fiscal from FY15. The overall reduction in cost was to the tune of 4.7%. The low-cost carrier, which operates a large part of its flights on the Gulf routes, also saw 11.3% increase in revenues.

The increase in revenues came by flying more people per flight and all so utilising its aircraft more to operate more flight with the same fleet. An airline official, who did not wish to be identified, said that the airline has registered such huge profits after paying about Rs 240 crore as revenue share to its parent Air India. According to the agreement between the two, AI Express has to share about 11% of its revenues with Air India for using its brand name.

"The major addition to the revenues came from earnings of Rs 56 crore from ancillary revenues, which were almost zero in FY15. We earned Rs 46 crore from excess baggage charges and Rs 10 crore from advance seat selection charges," said the official, who requested anonymity.

READ MORE:
Narendra Modi|K Shyam Sundar|Air India Express|AI Express

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Published on May 29, 2016
Antonov An-3T / RA-05882
KrasAvia / K9 780
Departure: Vanavara Airport (UNIW), Russia
Arrival: Tura Gorny Airport (UNIT), Russia

The second rarest Antonov in scheduled services, the An-3. Only 25 built and an attempt to mordernize the An-2 with a Glushenkov TVD-20-03 Turboprop engine. The engine is derived from the Il-86 APU and there are a few structural modifications over the An-2 (e.g. different tail). This flight was originally planned for one day earlier but delayed by 24h on short notice, letting us stuck in Tura for 2 days. Thanks to the friendly KrasAvia staff for permission to film onboard (albeit not outside!). The deafening noise inside the cabin was the auxiliary heater which came on every 5 mins and made us sweat, only freeze a few minutes later when it was switched off again. The An-3 has (like the An-2) a pneumatic braking and steering system on the ground, which is easy to hear during taxi.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Indian Domestic Flights Are the Cheapest in the World

 

[Indx TechStyle]

IndiGo, Jet Airways, Air India recruiting more as they expand fleet and fly to more destinations

After being in the red for several years, most airlines are reporting profits now, giving them confidence to expand.

MUMBAI: The airline industry is flying high again, and so is the job market for cabin crew.

Indian carriers are in the market to hire flight attendants en mass, as they add planes and fly to more destinations to meet increasing demand for air travel. After being in the red for several years, most airlines are reporting profits now, giving them confidence to expand.

India's top two carriers, IndiGo and Jet Airways, are each recruiting more than 1,000 cabin crew over the next one year, senior executives at the airlines told ET. At state-run Air India, the plan is to get 800 on board.

SpiceJet will be hiring 100 flight attendants a month for the next three months and thereafter 75 every month. Go Air is inducting 50 each month, CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said in a recent interview. Based on their expansion plans, Tata Sons' two ventures, AirAsia India and Vistara, are expected to recruit at least 300 cabin crew members between them over the next 12 months.

This hiring spree is backed by the Indian market's fastest expansion in several years. Domestic air traffic grew 18% in 2015 over 2014, the fastest annualised growth rate in the world, figures from global lobbying body International Air Transport Association show. This year, India has been outpacing the world every month in demand growth, IATA has said. India's fleet size is about 63% of the entire South Asia, but its outstanding orders for planes account for 95% of those from the region, global consultant CAPA-Centre for Aviation wrote in a recent note. Airbus has said it will deliver one plane every week to Indian carriers for the next ten years.

While the rosy industry fundamentals are likely to keep the job market hot, a chunk of the new recruitments at airlines is to replenish vacancies created by attrition. Pilots and crew constitute a job segment which sees the maximum churn in the industry. For example, of the 1,200 hires that IndiGo made last year, about 900 were net additions while the rest were replacements.

Meanwhile, the recruitment process for cabin crew has undergone a major shift over the years, say industry executives.

Summi Sharma, vice president of corporate learning at IndiGo, said the number of freshers — high school graduates — as a chunk of total cabin crew recruits has steadily increased in the past few years.

Many also join from other professions. "We get applicants from various walks of life. We get call-centre employees, hotel executives and even nurses and lawyers and teachers and national level sportspersons," she said.

Airlines say they are investing significant money and time in new recruits to train them to suit their demands. This is leading to a declining relevance of cabin crew training institutes.

"The training such institutes impart is extremely generic," said Kamal Hingorani, head of in-flight services and customer experience at SpiceJet. "They are taught for the hospitality industry as well as for airlines: things like how to serve meals in proper order, etc. There is no training imparted which is specific to regulatory mandates on how an airline should be operated. Also different airlines have different operations manuals and styles. And what we are primarily looking at is the basic attitude to provide service."

Until a few years ago, a quarter of SpiceJet's total cabin crew from the six metro cities came from flight attendant training academies. Now that number has shrunk to below 10%.

"No matter which institute a new recruit comes from or for that matter how many years of flying experience a candidate comes with, we invest 99-100 days of rigorous training for them all to turn them into IndiGo cabin crew," said Sharma from IndiGo.

Gloria Shroff, vice president of training academy Aptech Aviation, acknowledged the generic nature of the training imparted to its students in these institutes, but defended them saying the grooming provided would put graduates at an advantage over freshers. These institutes assume more relevance in these small towns, as youngsters there have less exposure to the kind of grooming that airlines look for in their cabin attendants, Shroff said.

Another change in trend is the number of applicants from small cities, Sharma said, as there is higher awareness, openness, encouragement and family support for women to choose this career option.

Also, career progression opportunities aren't limited to just flight attendance, said airline executives. Five former IndiGo cabin crew are now pilots. Many others have joined the operations team or have moved to the HR department as instructors and facilitators.

READ MORE:
Vistara|Jet Airways|Indigo|AirAsia India|Air India

 

[kstriya]

Th

Indian Domestic Flights Are the Cheapest in the World

This is acche din ... NAMO NAMO

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Air India announces discounts for war disabled officers
Air India offers 75 per cent discount on basic fare on select classes for the War Disabled officer while their family members would get a discount of 50 per cent on basic fare, said Air India in a tweet.
BY: PTI | NEW DELHI |Published On:September 10, 2016 8:16 PM

National carrier Air India announced discounts up to 75 per cent on base fares to the war disabled officers and their family members for flights across its domestic network.

“We respect & honor our Heroes. Concessions for War Disabled Officers & their families,” Air India said in a tweet.

Air India offers 75 per cent discount on basic fare on select classes for the War Disabled officer while their family members would get a discount of 50 per cent on basic fare on select classes across the airline’s domestic network, it said.

Meanwhile, in another development, Air India has extended the waiver on ticket cancellation charges, rescheduling fee for travel on its flights to and from Kashmir till September 19.

“Waiver on applicable penalties of re-issuance, date change, no-show, cancellation & refund charges has been extended for travel from/to Srinagar for both dom & intnl flts, on all tickets issued on/before 9th Sept for trvl till 19th Sept,2016,” Air India tweeted.

The tickets under the discount offer can be purchased any time with their validity one year from the date of booking.

The family includes spouse, dependent children between 12 and 26 years of age and dependent parents, the national carrier said adding married children are not considered as part of family.

Earlier in June this year, in a novel gesture to honour armed forces personnel, Air India had announced free upgrade to the business class for the recipients of war and peace time gallantry awards.

The soldiers who have been bestowed with military honours such Param Vir Chakra (PVC), Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), Vir Chakra (VC), Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, would get an upgrade to business class from economy at the time of boarding in case seats are available in the aircraft from this month, Air India had said.

The Indian Armed Forces are eligible for various military decorations, which are awarded for extraordinary bravery and courage, as well as distinguished service during times of war and peace.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

What Air India should do to retain its lost glory

Air India has spoken to banks to restructure its Rs 10,000 crore of debt, which may entail them picking up some stake in the airline.

It takes one to know one.

Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju in his inimitable way is attempting to bring back the glory that Air India once commanded. But more interesting is the kinship that Raju, a scion of the royal family of Vizianagram, finds with the airline's iconic mascot: The Maharaja.

Raju, in a nostalgic mood, has been regularly tweeting classic pictures of the Maharaja from times when Air India was in all its glory — the sole Indian airline that was a symbol of the luxuries that only the rich and eminent were able to afford.

In the last week of August, Raju tweeted a 1960s promotional poster of the airline done in the style of a Mughal painting. It showed the Maharaja, with his turban and twirly moustache, proudly seated atop an elephant. His entourage includes attendants on foot and horseback, some of them playing Indian musical instruments. The entourage even has two flying peacocks overhead. The caption said: There is an Air about India.

The Maharaja was most ingeniously used when the carrier introduced a new route. One of the posters from the "retro Air India" collection, as Raju calls it, shows the Maharaja as a Russian Kalinka dancer when the airline started flying to Moscow. Another shows him speed boat surfing in Australia with the boat replaced by two mermaids. In yet another, the Maharaja is being carried like a prey, hands and feet tied, by two lions in the jungles of Nairobi.

"See, the fact is that I love Air India. I have told it to Parliament, too. I have said that I will not be the one to bash Air India ever. Air India is a good airline and has done us proud a lot of times in the past," Raju told ET Friday. "Having said that, the airline's future will depend a lot on how it manages its books and not the way it is projected on social media."

Raju's incessant promotion of the Air India mascot speaks of a two-pronged approach in the government's efforts to restore the airline's fortunes: attack the operational and financial problems but also revive the brand identity.

The Narendra Modi government has, unlike its predecessors, made a clean breast of the problems plaguing the airline. Raju has himself said the government can only do so much and it is up to the carrier to shake itself off the debris of losses and debt. Cash handouts to the airline have lessened while lower fuel prices have helped it cut losses. Its Gulf-operating unit, Air India Express, has become profitable.

The government had appointed a chief, Ashwin Lohani, who has shown much-needed toughness towards employee troubles. The airline has been historically plagued by union problems and strikes. Lohani wrote to employees in a recent example of a protest, and said those found not reporting to work would face disciplinary action. Most recently, Air India has spoken to banks to restructure its Rs 10,000 crore of debt, which may entail them picking up some stake in the airline.

But the softer issues are important too, like marketing and advertising.

"I am an Air India fan. And I have always hoped the airline would use the Maharaja better," said Rahul Da Cunha, the ad man behind the iconic Amul India campaign.

"That Amul girl and the Air India Maharaja are the most brilliant characters ever created," he said. "The Maharaja encapsulates everything Air India should be: Indian luxury, hospitality, services and above all, royalty. It is royalty combined with humility. What can be a more iconic symbol for an Indian carrier?"

But Da Cunha said the airline has as yet failed to utilise a fraction of the mascot's potential. "I see only flight timings on Air India posters. Air India advertising should have been about India. The entire Incredible India campaign could have come from the mouth of the Maharaja."

Air India adopted the Maharaja as its mascot in 1946. A cross between an Indian king and a traditional bearer, he wears a red turban and a red and yellow tunic. The Maharaja is often shown in the position of a bow, one hand on his chest, his eyes closed, face smiling and moustache atwirl.

Created by the airline's commercial director Bobby Kooka and Umesh Rao, an artist with J Walter Thompson, the figure was first meant to be a design for memo-pads on board Air India's flights. It later was used in all promotional campaigns, growing in stature over the years to become the identity of the airline.

Air India has over the years buckled under fierce competition from Indian and international rivals, especially low fare carriers such as IndiGo. Among India's top carriers, it figures at the top for flight cancellations and complaints and at the bottom for online performance, ET has found from DGCA data.

"They need to fix the real issues on ground before they go on branding. People still wonder whether the f lights will leave on time," said V Sunil, former head of Wieden+Kennedy, who was responsible for IndiGo's ad campaigns.

"I think it's time for the Maharaja to stand straight," he added.

READ MORE:
Narendra Modi|Indigo|DGCA|Ashwin Lohani|Ashok Gajapati Raju|Air India

 

[Indx TechStyle]

IndiGo adds capacity, to operate 883 daily flights

NEW DELHI: In a major expansion, low cost carrier IndiGo is introducing 47 new flights on its existing route network during October 2016. With this and the induction of five new Airbus A320 aircraft during the month, the airline's frequency will increase to 883 flights daily. Additionally, to further extend connectivity, IndiGo will operate more flights connecting the metros to the key cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow, Guwahati and Patna.

With maiden flights connecting Port Blair to Delhi and Kolkata from September 28, 2016, and Hyderabad and Chennai from September 30, 2016, IndiGo will introduce its first daily return flights connecting Bengaluru to Patna, Varanasi and Imphal. IndiGo is India's largest airline in terms of domestic market share. It has almost 40% share in the Indian domestic market.

IndiGo president and whole time director Aditya Ghosh said: "It gives me immense pleasure to announce our plans to further strengthen connectivity in India by offering more flights and increased frequencies to our growing customer base. With the continuously increasing presence and phenomenal customer uptake, we are hopeful that these flights will prove to be popular and convenient for our passengers, across our network."

"With 883 daily flights connecting 41 destinations, these new flights will enable both corporate and leisure travellers to experience IndiGo's on-time performance," the airline said.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India needs to develop own civilian aircraft: ex-HAL chairman RK Tyagi

"There will be a lot of expansion in activities related to civil and military MROs and skill development. It is at this juncture that India needs to develop its own aircraft," said Tyagi.

BENGALURU: Former chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) RK Tyagi has stressed on the need for India to develop its own civilian aircraft.

India, which is the ninth largest civil aviation user in the world, is likely to emerge as the third largest one by 2020, an Aeronautical Society of India release, quoting Tyagi, said today.

"There will be a lot of expansion in activities related to civil and military MROs and skill development. It is at this juncture that India needs to develop its own aircraft," said Tyagi.

He was speaking after receiving the degree of Doctor of Science (honorary) from Hindustan University for his contribution to HAL and its various activities at the convocation held at Chennai on Saturday.

Tyagi said preliminary studies have already been completed and it was estimated that such an aircraft could be developed in 5-7 years at a cost of about USD 1 billion which is much less than one per cent of the acquisition cost "we will be incurring in aerospace and defence sectors in the next 10 years".

Speaking about the emerging opportunities in aerospace and defence sectors, he said in the next 10 years, more than 1,600 aircraft are expected to be added in the Indian skies with an approximate investment of USD 200 billion plus.

Tyagi said in the defence sector, in the last two years, 110 contracts, valued at Rs 1,13,995 crore, had been signed and acceptance of necessity (AoN) granted to 201 projects worth Rs 2,39,000 crore.

The overall investment in aerospace and defence is expected to be more than USD 400 billion in the next 10 years, he added.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

http://www.nal.res.in/pdf/ch1dir.pdf
Related Thread about an Indian Airliner:
NAL Saras

 

[Indx TechStyle]

http://nal.res.in/pdf/hansa2015.pdf

 

[kstriya]

http://nal.res.in/pdf/hansa2015.pdf
View attachment 10948 View attachment 10949 View attachment 10950

What are the military application of Saras apart from transport of troops or carrying VIP's?

 

[IndianHawk]

What are the military application of Saras apart from transport of troops or carrying VIP's?

Perhaps it can be converted for maritime Patrol and anti submarine role kind of like a smaller p8 I . It can also carry mini AWACS .