National Civil Aviation Sector

[Prashant12]

Centre's green nod to Rs 1,400 cr airport project in Kutch


The Centre has given its green nod for developing a commercial airport in Kutch, Gujarat, entailing an investment of about Rs 1,400 crore, according to an official document.

The proposed project to be developed by Mundra International Airport Pvt Ltd was recently approved by the Union Environment Ministry after taking into consideration the views of an expert panel.

The environment clearance has been given to Mundra International Airport's proposed project subject to the compliance of certain conditions, the document added. The company has been asked to obtain the clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for safety and project facilities.

The project, which is estimated to generate employment for over 8,000 persons, is proposed to be commissioned in 2021-22. The proposal is to develop the existing airstrip in Mundra into a full-fledged commercial airport serving Boeing 747-400 category aircraft. A dedicated aerospace manufacturing facility will also be a part of the project.

Besides improved air connectivity in the region and employment for local people, Mundra International said the proposed project is expected to bring improvement in education, community health, sustainable livelihood and rural infrastructural fronts.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...m_medium=HPTN&utm_campaign=AL1&utm_content=23

 

[cobra commando]

India's first app-based inter- city helicopter service to start ops by October-end

 

[Armand2REP]

India's IndiGo places historic order for 300 Airbus planes
OCTOBER 29, 2019
Aditi Shah, Tim Hepher

NEW DELHI/PARIS (Reuters) - Indian budget carrier IndiGo has placed an order for 300 Airbus (AIR.PA) A320neo-family jets worth at least $33 billion at recent catalog prices, handing the European planemaker what could be its biggest ever order from a single carrier.

The mammoth deal includes Airbus’s newest jet, a long-range version of the single-aisle A320neo family called the A321XLR, the country’s biggest airline said in a statement on Tuesday.

This will take IndiGo’s total A320neo family aircraft ordersto 730 making it the world’s biggest customer for these planes.

“This order is an important milestone, as it reiterates our mission of strengthening air connectivity in India,” said Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo.


The deal follows a fierce contest between Airbus and Boeing, which is seeking a new endorsement for its competing 737 MAX, grounded following two fatal accidents. Airbus’ A320neo family competes directly with the 737 MAX and the European planemaker has a strong grip on the Indian market. IndiGo’s announcement came hours after Reuters first exclusively reported the deal.

It also came days after IndiGo’s biggest quarterly loss, with the company hurt by issues surrounding engines from a former supplier on A320neo-family jets already in the airline’s fleet.

In June, IndiGo dropped its original engine supplier, UnitedTechnologies (UTX.N) unit Pratt & Whitney, in favor of French-U.S. engine venture CFM by agreeing a record $20 billion deal for more than 600 engines to power Airbus jets already on order.

CFM is jointly owned by France’s Safran (SAF.PA) and GeneralElectric (GE.N) of the United States.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...h-300-plane-airbus-deal-sources-idUSKBN1X80XC

 

[Kunal Biswas]

HAL plans to make Ilyushin IL-114s for regional flights

Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

 

[Prashant12]

Centre gives green signal for Mandi airport

Shimla: The Union government has given its nod for the construction of an airport in Mandi district. The upcoming airport will be a joint venture of the Himachal Pradesh government and Airports Authority of India (AAI). Sources said AAI will prepare a detailed project report in a week while the state government will speed up land acquisition process.

Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur made the announcement after his meeting with Union minister for civil aviation, housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi on Wednesday. The international-standard airport is proposed to come up in Balh area of Mandi district.

The project will not only boost tourism activities in the area, but will also be of utmost importance from defence point of view as the state’s tribal districts of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur share boundary with China.
In May last year, a four-member AAI team had conducted a pre-feasibility survey of five sites in Mandi district — at Ner Dhangu of Balh subdivision, Basadhar and Gogradhar of Padhar subdivision, Moviseri in Gohar subdisivion and Nandgarh in Sadar Mandi. However, as these sites did not have enough land, the team had found a Balh near Ner Chowk suitable. Around 698 acres of land will be acquired for the airport.

During the meeting with the Union minister, Thakur also discussed expansion of other airports in the state and requested for exploring possibilities of landing of A320 aircraft at Gaggal and ATR74 aircraft in Shimla and Bhuntar airports without load bottlenecks. He requested for expansion of runways of existing airports as to provide good connectivity and also boost tourism in the state. He said air ambulance services needed to be strengthened and that it was vital for the state due to its rough geographical and inclement weather conditions.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...al-for-mandi-airport/articleshow/72176205.cms

 

[Prashant12]

Centre plans to build 11 new airports in Jammu and Kashmir, 2 in Ladakh

The Centre has decided to build 11 new airports in Jammu and Kashmir and two in Ladakh under the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik( UDAN)-Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS).

In an apparent effort to launch big-ticket infrastructure projects in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh after the abrogation of Article 370, the Centre has decided to build 11 new airports in Jammu and Kashmir and two in Ladakh.

These airports will be developed under the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik( UDAN)-Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of the BJP-led government at the Centre. The bidding process for the development of these new airports started on December 3, 2019.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the new airports will be built in Akhnoor, Udhampur, Chambh, Gurez, Fukche, Jhanghar, Miran Sahib, Poonch, Rajouri, Panjgam and Chusal. On the other hand, Ladakh is set to get new airports at Kargil and Thoise.

On December 3, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had invited the 4th round of bidding of its regional connectivity scheme for the selection of airline operators under the UDAN scheme. The interested firms can submit their proposals for the RCS routes through the e-bidding portal at AAI.

It is learnt that the AAI has decided to give priority to air connectivity to North Eastern Region, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh among others.

Sources claimed the difficult terrains are being given utmost priority under UDAN 4.0 to increase connectivity and cut down the travel time considerably for the people residing in these areas.

Under the UDAN scheme, financial incentives in terms of concessions from the Centre, state governments and airport operators are extended to selected airlines to encourage operations from unserved and underserved airports and keep airfares affordable.


https://zeenews.india.com/india/cen...in-jammu-and-kashmir-2-in-ladakh-2250486.html

 

[Prashant12]

Supreme Court allows new terminal construction in Agra but says no new flights

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/sto...n-flights-aai-dgca-tourism-1625535-2019-12-05

 

[Prashant12]

Turbo Aviation to launch low-cost airline next year

Hyderabad-based Turbo Aviation plans to launch a new low-cost airline, TruStar, by mid-2020.

The TruStar fleet will induct 10 ATRs, 10 Airbus A320 and 4 Dorniers.
Hyderabad-based Turbo Aviation plans to launch a new low-cost airline, TruStar, by mid-2020. Turbo Aviation has secured a £100-million ($133.64 million) investment from a UK Business Group for the proposed launch of TruStar — a commuter air service under the UDAN scheme. The TruStar fleet will induct 10 ATRs, 10 Airbus A320 and 4 Dorniers. The company plans to expand its fleet organically with new flying routes in operation.

The aviation company was founded by V Umesh in 2003 and has been steadily growing with its services in aircraft maintenance, ground handling and charter services. Umesh was also instrumental in launching no-frills airliner TruJet in 2015, which is currently the most successful airline operator under UDAN scheme. “We have influential partners now on board who will help us drive the high-demand air-taxi market in India, by connecting new UDAN routes. We are looking to transform the connectivity in the North and Southern sectors to begin with.” Umesh said in a statement.


Turbo Aviation has already signed the partnership deal with the UK Group to speedup TruStar’s launch process. With its countrywide network in both air service and aircraft maintenance, Turbo Aviation possess a huge skillset to make seamless operations around their facilities. “Our new strategic investors will not only bring more firepower and credibility to an emerging market, but also can influence in their respective domain to uplift the under-invested part, ” Umesh said.

TruStar is also adding commercial amphibious aircraft (seaplane) to its fleet.

The Dornier aircraft, which are completely manufactured in India’s HAL facility, will be put into commuter service for the first time in the country. “TruStar will be the first commercial airliner to introduce Made in India ‘Dronier aircraft’ which is a highly versatile light commuter commercial aircraft manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Kanpur,” Umesh added.

Turbo Aviation plans to focus on low operating costs, both due to its new, fuel efficient fleet and high-density cabin configurations. The airline plans to initially connect passengers under already-secured UDAN routes, with future plans to connect passengers all over India and eventually overseas destinations.

https://www.financialexpress.com/in...to-launch-low-cost-airline-next-year/1795872/

 

[Armand2REP]

France's Safran considers $150-mn aircraft engine repair unit in India

Aneesh Phadnis | Mumbai Last Updated at December 26, 2019 03:31 IST

France-based Safran Group is considering a $150-million investment in a new aircraft engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) unit in India to cater for its airline customers, according to the company.

Safran and GE Aviation own a 50 per cent stake each in the US-based CFM International, which manufactures engines for the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 types of aircraft. Currently, around 220 Airbus and Boeing planes in India are fitted with CFM engines. Additionally, there are 485 planes on order from IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Vistara, which will be equipped with these engines and are expected to be delivered over the next five years.

CFM International, which competes with engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, won a $20-billion order from IndiGo to supply engines for 280 Airbus A320neo in June. Plans to set up an MRO unit in India are being evaluated following the big order win.

To a query from Business Standard about its plans, Safran said, “As a long-standing partner of the Indian aerospace industry, Safran is committed to supporting growth in the Indian market.”

“Given the fast expansion of the CFM fleet in Asia and in India specifically, we are considering the possibility of building a new Safran shop in this region of the world to address the growing MRO needs. This new shop will represent an investment of more than $150 million," adds Safran.

Currently, only Air India has capabilities for in-house maintenance of aircraft engines, while all other carriers send their engines overseas for overhaul and major repairs. A domestic MRO will help Indian airlines to reduce costs and save on foreign exchange, besides generating employment for engineers and technicians.

A team of Safran executives visited Air India's MRO facilities in Mumbai a few months ago to check the airline's capabilities. An Air India executive said labour costs in India were half of those in Europe or the US and that would make a maintenance unit attractive for other airlines.

Safran Group is discussing issues related to tax and regulatory framework for MROs with the civil aviation ministry. In India, an 18 per cent goods and services tax is applicable to aircraft maintenance jobs and airport operators charge high royalties on units, making the MRO business in India unattractive. An investment decision will depend on favourable policy decisions, it is learnt. Safran declined comment on the issue of tax structure in India.

According to the MRO Association of India, the size of Indian repair and overhaul market is $1-1.2 billion. "More than 90 per cent of business generated by Indian commercial airlines is being carried out overseas by large MRO companies in Singapore, Germany, Turkey, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia," the association said.

https://www.business-standard.com/a...gine-repair-unit-in-india-119122500852_1.html

 

[nrj]

So which airlines are going belly up? And which ones will be saved ?

---

Air India sale to be delayed as govt mulls extending last date for EOI

This comes even as potential bidders are having second thoughts about the airline, taking into account the changed economic environment. Bidders, who are communicating with the Indian government, say bankruptcies announced by several airlines globally due to the travel ban has hit investor sentiment hard.

“Airlines are now filing for bankruptcies on a daily basis and the new corporate mantra is to conserve cash. In this background, the sale of Air India looks difficult,” said a potential bidder.

“The airline will need a bailout from the government in terms of capital infusion and its loans need to be restructured.”

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More Indian airlines could be facing collapse as travel curbs worsen headwinds

Barely a year after the grounding of Jet Airways (India) Ltd, more airlines in India are staring at a potential collapse in the aftermath of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to industry officials.

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India’s Ban on Flying to Stay Until Virus No Longer a Danger

(Bloomberg) -- India won’t allow commercial flights to operate until it is confident that the coronavirus outbreak is under control, the aviation minister said, piling further pressure....

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Airlines dismiss proposal to keep middle seat vacant

“It is absolutely impossible to operate with restriction on one-third of the seats unless fares see a threefold increase,” said an executive of IndiGo. Passengers would not be ready to pay that much," he added.

A government official, however, cited global aviation examples on social distancing measures. Chinese regulator CAAC, for instance, has advised that airlines must seat only one passenger per three seats.

The impact of such measures could be felt more keenly by low-cost airlines like IndiGo, SpiceJet and Go Air whose business models rely on squeezing productivity from aircraft by installing more seats than traditional airlines and keeping them as full as possible. In a cut-throat market like India driven by low fares, airlines found it difficult to make money even when their aircraft were 90 per cent full, according to analysts.

Short-haul domestic flights depend on volume. Estimates by global airline group IATA suggest that such flights generally need about 80 per cent occupancy to break even. “If I was flying 180 seats between Delhi and Mumbai charging a minimum fare of Rs 5,000, reduction of one-third capacity will mean the minimum fare should be Rs 10,000. Who is going to pay that?” the IndiGo executive asked. “If that is literally impossible to achieve, the consequences are enormous.”

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India told airlines to stop selling tickets, but they still are

India ordered airlines this week to stop selling tickets. Hardly any listened

Market leader IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., is selling tickets from June 1, as is Vistara, the local affiliate of Singapore Airlines Ltd., searches showed. SpiceJet Ltd., the nation’s second-biggest airline, and Go Airlines India Ltd., which has furloughed 90% of its staff, are selling tickets

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My guess, we will see volume contraction in aviation sector altogether. Corporate sector had started squeezing travel budgets much before Covid-19 outbreak. Tourism has no beat with everyone opting to preserve cash. We will see a spurt as people rush to things they 'missed' once everyone is 'unlocked' but it'd be overall service sector phenomenon and won't be sustained feature for aviation. International travel will be limited to 'essential' activity for at least an year to come.

Contraction will see smaller players exit. We could have monopolistic situation in full-service airlines. Low cost carriers will be chasing crumbs, and without the right 'influence', they'll starve out only to be picked up by vultures.

Spiecejet will be taken care of by the lords up above high. If you have money lying around, its time to put it here (for 5-7yrs horizon). How lucrative is Air India in current situation if you are an investor ? International travel is unlikely to pick up in couple of years. Hope Air India doesn't get sold off for pennies in desperation. Typical routine to devalue the firm & pick it up for peanuts is quite probable.

Indigo's expansion plans are in cold storage. Smart yield management (read cheap service fleecing helpless flyers) could keep it up, but external investors (read shady money) upsetting current promoter control is all but likely. Hope they don't go that route, Jet Airways did all that in different time (US was still bombing in middle east then) and faced its reckoning afterall.

What do you think ?

 

[nrj]

The announcement, made through internal emails, came after a series of flip-flops on the matter as India’s largest domestic airline struggled to stay afloat amid grounding of all commercial passenger flights due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.In the emails accessed by PTI, the airline said the salary cut will be effected from May till the end of the 2020-21 financial year.

After flip-flops, IndiGo clarifies pay cut for senior employees will be for entire 2020-21

The country's largest domestic airlines had on Friday announced pay cut ranging between 5 and 25 per cent, in addition to its leave-without-pay programme for May, June and July, for senior employees.

www.financialexpress.com

 

[nrj]

Somebody tell these guys Ab ki baar, kis ki sarkaar ?

With no bailout from government, only hope for SpiceJet is a buyout

Smaller airlines such as SpiceJet Ltd will be under far greater pressure.Not operating for two months this quarter would mean the June quarter, which is a slightly better quarter for airlines, is a washout

www.livemint.com

 

[nrj]

Fourth and possibly final round. Jet Airways headed for total liquidation.

 

[Suryavanshi]

Adani signs concession agreement with AAI for taking over of three more airports

After taking management control at Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangalore airports, Adani group has signed concession agreements for Guwahati, Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram airports

The concession period is 50 years from the commercial operation date

Subsequent to approval received from the government during August 2020, Letters of Awards were issued to AEL for Guwahati, Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram airports and after getting security clearance by AEL, Concession Agreements were signed. The concessionaire of Guwahati airport shall pay AAI a per passenger fee of Rs 160.00 for domestic passenger and Rs 320 for international passenger. Similarly, the concessionaires for Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram airports will pay AAI per passenger fee of Rs 174 and Rs 168 respectively for domestic passenger and Rs 348 and Rs 336 respectively for the international passenger. Per passenger domestic fee will be revised annually taking into account of the variation in the CPI (IW).

 

[Suryavanshi]

IOC submits EoI for developing 2.5 MTPA common carrier ATF pipeline for Jewar airport

 

[KurtisBrian]

Those brilliant Science Fiction authors seem to believe that women will account for many of the pilots of the future.
Do you feel that female pilots are or can be as capable a pilot as any male pilot?
The airlines of one nation certainly believe that to be the case.

You'll Never Guess Which Country Has The Most Female Pilots

You'll Never Guess Which Country Has The Most Female Pilots

Only 5% of airline pilots worldwide are female, but one surprising country is leading the charge with more than double the global average. Where is it? Take a look to find out.

www.forbes.com

And that nation is India with 12-13% (some online data suggests 20%) of airline pilots being women.

 

[Tshering22]

Adani signs concession agreement with AAI for taking over of three more airports

After taking management control at Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangalore airports, Adani group has signed concession agreements for Guwahati, Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram airports

The concession period is 50 years from the commercial operation date

Subsequent to approval received from the government during August 2020, Letters of Awards were issued to AEL for Guwahati, Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram airports and after getting security clearance by AEL, Concession Agreements were signed. The concessionaire of Guwahati airport shall pay AAI a per passenger fee of Rs 160.00 for domestic passenger and Rs 320 for international passenger. Similarly, the concessionaires for Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram airports will pay AAI per passenger fee of Rs 174 and Rs 168 respectively for domestic passenger and Rs 348 and Rs 336 respectively for the international passenger. Per passenger domestic fee will be revised annually taking into account of the variation in the CPI (IW).

The civil aviation sector could do with more concessionaires. Handing everything to GMR, GVK and Adani isn't going to be good for passengers. Even with AERA that regulates the charges, there is only as much they can do. Push private investors too far and they will start selling stakes, impacting the markets. Only more competition in the airport sector can change that.

Our concept of airports needs to change a bit when it comes to mass aviation infra creation. Pakyong Airport and Cochin Airports are the ideal examples. These are small but practical airports. There is little material fluff, but it is attractive enough to make it look decent and earn decent revenues. Outside of the top 20 airports by pax/cargo volumes, any airport construction should be a low-cost airport terminal model, with environmentally-friendly sourcing of power.

Seaplane airports have also not picked up as much as they should have. To think that we don't have a credible seaplane aviation ecosystem with over 7,500 Km of coastline (and a population to match it) is beyond ridiculous. The cost of operations are only complicated due to political interventionism. SpiceJet's publicity stunt eroded whatever little trust Jal Hans had cultivated among the masses over the years.

Always wondered this; since India is also keen to move into biofuels for aviation, then why not experiment with seaplanes? Tie up with a manufacturer and commit orders to him for different new operators (that have applied for AoC with the DGCA), after getting the latters' buy-in. This would reduce the cost of acquisition and ease the asset induction & utilization process, driving operating costs down. Seaplane airports cost a fraction of the normal airports due to their limited infrastructure needs; piers, terminal shed, maintenance areas, aircraft parking bays (just wooden structures), 3-4 lifeboats, and a booth for customs officials. Any decent sized seaport can allot spare area to do this experiment.

Some ideal candidates:

Canadian DHC-6:

Russian Beriev BE-200:

Indo-Swiss HAL-RUAG Dornier Do-228 seaplane variant:

Japanese ShinMaywa US-2 (it's strategic airlift but Japanese won't mind supplying a civilian variant with decent orders):

 

[Butter Chicken]

Dornier Do-228 in civil sector

 

[Tshering22]

Dornier Do-228 in civil sector

Dornier are multirole planes. What are the chances that HAL could add floats to them and use them as amphibious passenger planes?

I once took a Jal Hans flight in Andaman (DHC-6) and it was quite pleasant. Dornier aircraft wold do well as seaplanes.

 

[Varoon2]

First time use of Gagan navigation system for civil airline landing

IndiGo Becomes First Airline To Land Aircraft Using Indigenous Navigation System 'GAGAN'

New Delhi, Apr 28 (PTI) IndiGo became the first airline in the country to land aircraft using the indigenous navigation system GAGAN, according to a statement issued on Thursday

swarajyamag.com