Page 3 - Aircraft

Airbus unveils concept of unmanned wingman protecting manned fighter jets

It answers increasing need to augment capabilities of manned aircraft with unmanned platforms

FAA to probe Boeing after workers in US falsified 787 inspection records

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it has opened an investigation into Boeing after the beleaguered company reported that workers at a South Carolina plant falsified inspection records on certain 787 planes. Boeing said its engineers have determined that misconduct did not create "an immediate safety of flight issue". In an email to Boeing's South Carolina employees on April 29, Scott Stocker, who leads the 787 program, said a worker observed an irregularity in a required test of the wing-to-body join and reported it to his manager. After receiving the report, we quickly reviewed the matter and learned that several people had been violating Company policies by not performing a required test, but recording the work as having been completed, Stocker wrote. Boeing notified the FAA and is taking swift and serious corrective action with multiple teammates, Stocker said. No planes have been taken out of service, but having to perform the test out of order on planes will slow

Go First won't move against Delhi High Court order, set for liquidation

Go First filed for bankruptcy in May 2023. Since then, the lessors of these aircraft have been locked in a battle with the former owner of the airline and others to take control of their aircraft

NCLT seeks MCA views on aircraft lessor moratorium exemption in IBC

The Civil Aviation ministry's interpretation of the MCA notification, might be a deterrent for the airlines which end up in insolvency but give a leg up to lessors business

EC asks political parties to share details of aircrafts used in campaigning

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked parties to furnish details about aircraft and helicopters being used for political campaigning, including their origin and destination and details of people ferried in them. A letter by Tejas Samel, Deputy Election Officer of Mumbai Suburban district, dated April 12, said such information has to be furnished three days before the journey to the District Election Office, but that duration has now been reduced to 24 hours. "We are sending a revised letter tomorrow (April 17). Instead of three days, they have to inform us 24 hours in advance," Samel told PTI on Tuesday night. The details should also include the make of the aircraft/helicopter and people travelling in them. The letter said this information has to be furnished under the Model Code of Conduct in force for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, which has to be sent to the ECI. Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, which has 48 seats, will be held in five phases between April 19 and .

Indian carriers' focus is now on international market to boost revenues

According to Joshi of Network Thoughts, during next few years share of Indian carriers in itn'l traffic will rise, because Air India will induct more capacity and so will IndiGo, with XLR aircraft

Air India Express to operate non-stop flights to Kochi, Imphal from Kolkata

Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, is all set to begin non-stop flights to Imphal and Kochi from Kolkata this April, an airline official said. "The flights to Imphal will operate daily, while those to Kochi will fly six days a week," he said. The flight from Kolkata to Imphal will depart at 7 am and will reach in Manipur capital at 8.05 am. The return flight will depart at 8.35 am and arrive in Kolkata at 10.20 am, he said. The Kolkata-Kochi flight will take off at 11.25am and reach the destination at 2.35pm, while the return flight will leave at 3.05pm and land here at 6.10pm. The airline through route integration will be operating more flights on various domestic routes, sources said. Meanwhile, the airline has recently announced introduction of four fare products - Xpress Lite (cabin baggage only fares), Xpress Value (15 kg check-in bag fares), Xpress Flex (unlimited changes with no change fees), and Xpress Biz (business class seating with complimentary Gourmair meal

MoD inks Rs 2,890-cr contract with HAL for upgrade of 25 Dornier aircraft

The defence ministry on Friday inked a contract worth over Rs 2,890 crore with state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for mid-life upgrade of 25 Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy. Under the project, the HAL will incorporate state-of-the-art avionics systems and sensors onboard the aircraft. The defence ministry said the project will be implemented within six and half years. "The ministry of defence signed a contract with the HAL on March 15 for mid-life upgrade (MLU) of 25 Dornier aircraft along with associated equipment for the Indian Navy at a cost of Rs 2,890 crore," an official readout said. "The MLU for Dornier aircraft includes an upgrade to incorporate state-of-the-art avionics systems and primary role sensors," the ministry said. It said the upgrade would significantly enhance the operational capability of the Dornier aircraft. "The upgrade would significantly enhance the operational capability of the Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy to perform pri

Go First resolution professional not able to maintain aircraft: Delhi HC

The court warned the RP that it may issue him a notice in the contempt petition if a consensus is not reached on the issue

Must acquire three Jet Airways planes in six months, says Ace Aviation

"Needless to say if we missed our conversion slots we would have to pay penalties and could potentially lose our slots altogether," Koish said

Flying high: Big spike in airfares, demand for hotels during Holi week

Holi falls on March 25 this year, whereas it was celebrated on March 8 last year

Ensure timely arrival of baggage at airports after aircraft landing: BCAS

Regulator BCAS has directed airlines to ensure that all baggage of passengers are delivered within 30 minutes of landing of a flight at an airport. The directive from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to seven scheduled airlines also comes against the backdrop of delays in passengers getting their baggage after landing of a flight. An official statement on Sunday said that BCAS has asked the airlines to implement the required measures to ensure timely delivery of baggage by February 26. The directive was issued on February 16 to seven airlines -- Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Vistara, AIX Connect and Air India Express. Airlines have to ensure that delivery of the last baggage is made within 30 minutes as per the Service Quality Requirements of Operation, Management and Delivery Agreement (OMDA). BCAS has been monitoring the arrival of baggage at belts of six major airports in January 2024 under the instructions of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya ...

India sends nearly 3.5 tonnes of aid to Zambia following cholera outbreak

India on Tuesday sent around 3.5 tonnes of aid, including medicines, to Zambia to help the country deal with an outbreak of cholera. Officials said the aid was sent in commercial cargo aircraft. "Following an outbreak of cholera in Zambia, India today sent humanitarian aid on commercial cargo aircraft," an official said. "The aid weighing approximately 3.5 tonnes comprises water purification supplies, chlorine tablets, and hydration in the form of ORS sachets," he said.

India's aviation sector needs to clarify insolvency laws, says ACG

India amended its insolvency laws last October to exclude leased aircraft from assets that can be frozen in a bid to address discrepancies between local and global rules

Laser strikes against aircrafts have surged to new record, says FAA

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

Boeing delivers 737 Max aircraft to China, ending five-year drought

A China Southern Airlines Co. Max took off from Boeing Field in Seattle Wednesday at 11:55 a.m. local time bound for Honolulu, according to tracking service FlightRadar24

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

HAL to showcase its Hindustan-228 aircraft, Dhruv chopper in Wings India

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will showcase its indigenously built Hindustan-228 aircraft and Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv during Wings India 2024, a civil aviation conclave and exhibition, which will be held from January 18-21 at Begumpet Airport here. A press release from the HAL said they will hold business meetings with OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and customers besides signing agreements with its business partners for various projects. C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD (Additional Charge), HAL, said that they are propelling the initiative of 'Made in India' fixed wing civil aircraft to boost regional connectivity in India. "The company is leveraging its strengths in manufacturing aircraft like Dornier-228 and HS-748 (a turboprop airliner) and extending its capabilities to civil aircraft programmes like the Regional Transport Aircraft. HAL is also actively pursuing collaborations for undertaking civil MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) activities," he said. The HAL .

FAA to boost oversight of Boeing, sees more manufacturing problems

The incident was the latest in a series of events that have shaken confidence in the aircraft manufacturer as it tries to recover from a pair of MAX 9 crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 350 people