Page 2 - Aircraft Industry

Russia threatened to shoot down aircraft patrolling Black Sea, says France

Russian forces threatened to shoot down French flights patrolling last month in international airspace over the Black Sea, signals of a particularly aggressive posture from Moscow as its invasion of Ukraine struggles to make headway, France's defense minister said Thursday. The minister, Sbastien Lecornu, didn't give specific details about the French flights or aircraft involved in the threatened shootdown. But he said Russia was returning to a particularly aggressive posture reminiscent of the former Soviet Union's behaviour during the Cold War. A month ago, to give you a very concrete example, a Russian air traffic control system threatened to shoot down French aircraft in the Black Sea when we were in a free international zone where we patrol," he said on RTL radio. The behaviour of Russia in 2024 bears no relation to what we saw in 2022 and, obviously, before the aggression in Ukraine, the minister said. It is explained by the fact that Russia is in difficulty on the battlefiel

Laser strikes against aircraft including planes surged to new record: FAA

Laser strikes aimed at aircraft including airline planes surged 41% last year to a record high, according to federal officials. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it received 13,304 reports from pilots about laser strikes last year, erasing a record set in 2021. Aiming a laser at an aircraft is a serious safety hazard that puts everyone on the plane and on the ground at risk, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a video posted by the agency. The FAA said pilots have reported 313 injuries since the agency started keeping records in 2010. Each of the last five months of 2023 surpassed the previous high month, November 2021. The full-year rise over 2022 numbers easily topped the 28% increase in reported incidents from 2016 to 2022. Authorities blame the surge in attacks on factors including the widespread sale of inexpensive lasers in stores and online, stronger devices that can hit planes at higher altitudes, and the increased awareness among pilots to report

SpiceJet gets over Rs 900 cr funding; to focus on fleet upgradation

With more than Rs 900 crore funding coming in this month, SpiceJet will focus on upgradation of its fleet and cost-cutting measures, as the no-frills airline works on ways to come out of turbulent times. In an internal note to the senior staff on Monday, the airline said it now has a substantial bank balance of more than Rs 900 crore, including Rs 160 crore received as an instalment under the government's Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS). The carrier, which had been facing multiple headwinds in recent months, has so far received around Rs 1,000 crore under the ECLGS. The latest instalment came recently after its Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh infused funds into the airline, according to an official in the know. Singh, who has been helming the no-frills carrier, has so far put in Rs 200 crore out of the Rs 500 crore fund infusion that he had announced last year. The official said the airline has garnered a total of more than Rs 1,100 crore funds in three ..

Chorus of Boeing critics mounts as airline CEOs call out planemaker

Alaska Air CEO Ben Minicucci echoed the sentiment, saying the carrier will "hold Boeing's feet to the fire to make sure we get good airplanes"

Airbus Helicopters, Heligo sign HCare services contract for H145 fleet

Airbus on Friday said it has signed an HCare Initial contract, a comprehensive by-the-hour services deal, with Heligo Charter Private Limited for six Airbus H145 helicopters deployed for offshore and onshore operations in India. A press release from the aircraft maker said under this five-year contract, Heligo will benefit from Airbus's HCare Initial programme, which will give the operator the freedom to replace scheduled and unscheduled components within 24 hours and pay a fixed rate per hour of helicopter flown. This will help Heligo bring down its maintenance costs and do away with the need to keep a regular inventory, thereby providing it with enhanced fleet availability for streamlined operations, it said. "We are proud to be the first operator to offer a fleet of Airbus Helicopters' 5-bladed H145 to ONGC for offshore operations in India. Once these helicopters are delivered this year, Heligo will have the largest H145 fleet in India serving both offshore and onshore missions,

JetSetGo signs 280 hybrid-electric aircraft deal worth $1.3-bn with 3 firms

Air services operator JetSetGo has signed a 280 hybrid-electric aircraft deal, including 130 on option, worth over USD 1.3-billion with three global aviation tech firms. These planes can be deployed for airport transfers, regional connectivity, inter-city commute, intra-city shuttles and urban air taxis, JetSetGo said. The strategic collaboration with Electra.aero, Horizon Aircraft and Overair, was unveiled at the on-going mega aviation event Wings India 2024 in Hyderabad. "As part of the agreements signed this week, JetSetGo is set to acquire 150 aircraft for an aggregate deal value of USD 780 million. "The agreements include further options to acquire additional aircrafts for a potential fleet size of 280 to scale its innovative air mobility solutions, raising the overall deal value of above USD 1.3 billion," the company said. Advanced Air Mobility utilizes new aviation technologies like electric and hybrid-electric propulsion to enable air taxi-style services for short distance

Boeing investigation focuses on door panel as carriers find loose parts

The bolts were meant to secure the door panel that suddenly broke loose on Jan. 5, when Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was climbing toward cruising altitude with 171 passengers aboard

Air India to fly wide-body A350 jet from Jan 22 on domestic routes

Aircraft that has three-class cabin configuration will later be used for 'destinations across continents'

MRO service provider StandardAero open to form joint venture in India

India stands out as a major purchaser of aircraft, with major domestic airline operators such as Air India and IndiGo placing two of the world's largest aircraft orders with Airbus and Boeing

European planemaker Airbus looks to support 50% more jobs by 2025

Airbus procures components and services worth $750 million every year from India

Boeing comes out with 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' approach for P-8I aircraft

US aerospace major Boeing on Thursday outlined its plan for enhancing engineering, manufacturing, and sustainment capabilities of the P-8I long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft in India, eyeing an additional order of six planes. At present, the Indian Navy has 12 P-8I aircraft. The company said it had already generated a substantial economic impact, amounting to USD 1.7 billion to support the current P-8I aircraft fleet in service with the Indian Navy. Boeing said it envisions that increasing the P-8I fleet to 18 aircraft will increase investments, approximately USD 1.5 billion, while creating further indigenisation opportunities within India's aerospace and defence sector by 2032. "Boeing's commitment to advancing the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision drives our dedication to the P-8I fleet," said Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India. "As we respond to the Indian Navy's need for more P-8I aircraft, we are actively looking to enhance engineering, ...

Flight to self-sufficiency

IAF orders are increasing domestic production

DGCA permits IndiGo to wet lease 11 Airbus A320 neo family aircraft

Last month, a DGCA official revealed that the aviation regulator was conducting an extensive investigation into two separate incidents involving PW engine malfunctions on IndiGo flights

DGCA to collaborate with European regulator on unmanned aircraft systems

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has entered into a pact with European regulator EASA for cooperation in the areas of unmanned aircraft systems and innovative air mobility. The two watchdogs would cooperate in the areas of development of certification standards, environmental standards and related requirements for the certification and use of unmanned aircraft systems and innovative air mobility operations. This will cover licensing of personnel, training, air traffic management and infrastructure, including Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management standards and services, an official release said on Wednesday. The DGCA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). According to the release, the MoU will ensure regular information sharing between the two authorities on the technological developments and research, and is expected to result in harmonised standards and accelerated growth of Indian unmanned

Pratt & Whitney, Awiros launch AI-based aircraft engine analysis tool

The innovation challenge had seen participation of 60 Indian and global startups in the domain of computer vision, AI and machine learning

Dated seats, IFE in long-haul aircraft to be replaced from '24: A-I CMD

Air India has mandated London-based product design companies JPA Design and Trendworks to assist with the cabin refurbishment exercise

Air India is set to order around 500 planes: AirLease Corp's exec chairman

Industry sources say finalising the proposed deal depends on ongoing negotiations with engine makers

Very tough path ahead for new entrants like Akasa, Jet 2.0: GMR official

Julian Carr, the firm's CMO, says it will be "fascinating" to see how IndiGo's desire to grow further progresses when Air India aims to become a big full-service domestic and international carrier

Air India to spend $400 mn to refurbish Boeing 777s and 787 fleet

Carrier will add new seats and best in-flight entertainment across all classes

Akasa Air to fly with 15 fewer seats due to supply chain woes

The airline expects the issue to be resolved in 6-9 months