Page 2 - Aircraft

AAIB to release initial report on Ahmedabad plane crash: Parl panel

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will make public this week its preliminary report on the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad in which at least 260 people were killed on June 12, top Bureau officials told a Parliamentary panel on Wednesday. Sources also said that no report has been finalised so far and investigations are underway in one of the worst air disasters in India. The AAIB officials told the panel that the black box and voice recorder of the aircraft were intact and data was being investigated, the sources said. They said that the help of foreign players, including aircraft manufacturer Boeing, was sought to carry out detailed and thorough investigations. The AAIB had initiated an investigation a day after the crash and had constituted a multi-disciplinary team headed by its Director General GVG Yugandhar in line with globally prescribed norms. The sources said this is the first time such an important investigation is being held in India. The AAIB chief a

UK F-35B awaits repairs after tech issue in Kerala: British High Commission

The aircraft is expected to return to active service after the necessary repairs and safety checks are completed

Wipro Infra to acquire majority stake in French aerospace major Lauak Group

Engineering and manufacturing solutions provider Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN) on Wednesday said it will acquire a majority stake in French aircraft parts manufacturer Lauak Group. Lauak Group is a 50-year-old family-owned company supplying aircraft parts to major global aerospace companies. The company, however, did not divulge the quantum of stake and size of the deal. "Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN), a leading global engineering and manufacturing solutions provider and the Charritton Family, founders and current shareholders of Lauak Group, announced today at the Paris Air Show that they have entered into exclusive negotiations for a majority stake acquisition in the company. "The proposed transaction was submitted to the relevant employee representative bodies for consultation, and all necessary approvals have now been received," a company statement said. The transaction is expected to close in the coming months, it said. Lauak Group and Wipro names would be

China clears world's largest amphibious aircraft AG600 for production

The amphibious aircraft can carry 12 tonnes of water and fly 4,500 km, and is part of China's trio of large home-built planes aimed at reducing dependence on foreign aviation tech

Six missing after Cessna 414 crashes into Pacific off San Diego coast in US

A Cessna 414 carrying six people crashed into the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on Sunday. The US Coast Guard has launched a search operation, while federal agencies probe the cause of the crash

RInfra takes flight with ₹5,000 crore bet on aircraft upgrade business

Reliance Infrastructure is looking to turbocharge its defence vertical with a focus on aircraft upgrade programmes, eyeing an opportunity of Rs 5,000 crore over the next 7-10 years, sources said. This strategic foray positions Reliance Infrastructure as India's first private sector company to independently execute a comprehensive aircraft upgrade programme without being the original manufacturer -- a domain traditionally dominated by public sector units and OEMs. According to a company source, the company has already marked a significant milestone by successfully upgrading 55 Dornier-228 aircraft under a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), in collaboration with US-based avionics firm Genesys. Initially awarded a contract for 37 aircraft, Reliance secured a repeat order for an additional 18 units following the successful execution of an earlier contract. The total value of the Dornier upgrade contract was Rs 350 crore, sources said. The upgraded Dornier fleet is operatio

IATA urges aircraft makers to support airlines facing GPS spoofing risks

As GPS spoofing incidents rise globally, IATA urges aircraft makers to offer guidance and calls for global coordination to protect navigation systems and flight safety

Taiwan detects 35 sorties of Chinese aircraft, 8 vessels in its territory

According to the MND, 25 of the PLA aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ)

Indian Air Force likely to advise Centre to go for stealth aircraft

Need for such a purchase is based on India's threat assessment in its neighbourhood

Delta jet crashes, flips upside down at Toronto's Pearson Airport

A Delta Air Lines jet flipped on its roof while landing Monday at Toronto's Pearson Airport, but all 80 people on board survived and those hurt had relatively minor injuries

Budget 2025: Defence gets Rs 6.81 trn; aircraft, engines, ships in focus

The MoD has designated 2025 as the 'Year of Reforms', announcing in December that the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 is 'expected to undergo a complete revamp' this year

Boeing's aircraft deliveries, orders in 2024 reflect company's rough year

Boeing delivered less than half the number of commercial aircraft to customers than its European rival in 2024 as the American aerospace giant's output suffered under intensified government scrutiny and a factory workers' strike, according to data released Tuesday. Boeing said it supplied 348 jetliners during the year. That was more than a third fewer than the 528 the company finished for airlines and leasing outfits in 2023 and less than half the number of jetliners that Airbus delivered last year. Deliveries are an important source of cash for plane manufacturers since buyers typically pay a large portion of the purchase price when their orders are fulfilled. More than three-quarters of the planes that Boeing furnished were 737 Max jets, a stark reminder of how integral its best-selling airline model has been to the company's fortunes and challenges. Boeing has lost money since 2019 following the crashes of two then-new Max jets that killed 346 people. The company expected to ram

New aviation law 'Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam' to take effect from Jan 1

The new law that seeks to facilitate designing and manufacturing of aircraft in India as well as facilitate the ease of doing business in the aviation space will come into force from January 1, 2025. The new Act -- Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 -- that replaces the 90-year old Aircraft Act, was cleared by the Parliament earlier this month. According to a notification issued on Tuesday, the "central government hereby appoints the 1st day of January, 2025 as the date on which the provisions of the said Act, shall come into force". Among others, the Act provides for regulation and control of the design, manufacture, maintenance, possession, use, operation, sale, export and import of aircraft and connected matters. The legislation will also remove redundancies and replace the Aircraft Act, 1934, which has been amended 21 times. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets.

BluJ Aero, Blade India sign deal for sustainable regional aviation

Blade India will purchase 60 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft as part of agreement

Air India orders 34 trainer craft for cadet pilots at planned flying school

The order includes 31 single-engine aircraft from Piper Aircraft in the United States and 3 twin-engine aircraft from Diamond Aircraft in Austria

Parliament passes 'Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak', replacing 90-yr-old Act

Parliament on Thursday passed a bill to replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act to further improve the ease of doing business in the fast-growing aviation sector. The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 was passed in the Rajya Sabha by a voice vote. It was earlier cleared by the Lok Sabha on August 9. The bill seeks to remove redundancies and replace the Aircraft Act, 1934, which has been amended 21 times. Replying to the debate on the bill in the Upper House, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the change in title of the bill from English to Hindi, to which many members raised objections, was done to "showcase the India's heritage and culture", and "there was no violation of Constitutional rule". It will be difficult to pronounce the name of the bill in Hindi initially but one will get used to it, he added. The bill focuses on enhancing safety, regulatory oversight, and consumer protection while aligning with international standards. The bill also promotes self-reliance in ...

Air India to offer integrated aircraft maintenance engineering programme

Air India on Friday said it will set up a Basic Maintenance Training Organisation (BMTO) that will offer an integrated aircraft maintenance engineering programme and the facility will be operational in mid-2026. The BMTO will be housed close to Air India's new 12-bay Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Bengaluru that will be operational in early 2026. The Tata Group-owned airline has inked an agreement with Bengaluru Airport City Ltd (BACL), a subsidiary of Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), to develop a build-to-suit facility for the programme. "The purpose-built campus, spread over 86,000 square feet at Bengaluru Airport City, is expected to be operational by mid-2026," a release said. The programme will include two years of in-classroom academic course work followed by two years of practical on the job training at the MRO. According to the release, the programme is designed to meet Air India's growing fleet maintenance requirements and provides specialis

PM Modi's aircraft hit by technical snag, delays return to New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Jharkhand today to mark the state's foundation day

Taiwan detects 24 Chinese military aircraft, 6 PLA navy vessels around it

The Taiwanese MND stated that fifteen of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, central southwestern and eastern Air Defense Identification Zone

Air India cancels 60 India-US flights in Nov-Dec citing aircraft shortage

Non-availability of aircraft due to maintenance issues has forced Tata Group-owned Air India to cancel some 60 flights on the India-US routes between November and December this year, according to an airline source. The flights, which have been cancelled during the peak travel period, include services to San Francisco and Chicago, among others, the source said. Air India, in a statement, said it has cancelled a "small" number of flights between November and December on account of delayed return of some aircraft from heavy maintenance and supply chain constraints, without naming the destinations. It also said that affected customers have been "informed" and offered flights on other Air India group services operating on the same or adjacent days. "Air India has cancelled some 60 flights to and from San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Newark and New York between November 15 and December 31, as it does not have adequate wide-body aircraft to operate some of the flights to these ...