Page 9 - Aircrafts

Defence Secretary Aramane urges HAL to partner with private players

Hailing the important work being done by HAL, Aramane said, "HAL has received applause at the highest levels and the government trusts your capability to deliver and make the country self-reliant "

French judge to decide on extending stay of 303 passengers, mostly Indians

The 303 passengers, mostly Indians, of a plane detained by French authorities since Thursday over suspected "human trafficking", are set to appear before a judge on Sunday at the airport to decide on their continued detention. The plane that took off from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates carrying 303 passengers and bound for Nicaragua was grounded at the Chalons-Vatry airport in Marne on Thursday over suspected "human trafficking. Hearings before a judge of freedoms and detention will begin this Sunday to decide whether or not to keep in the waiting area of the airport the passengers of the flight, BFM TV, a French news broadcast television and radio network, reported. Francois Procureur, lawyer and president of Chalons-en-Champagne, said: I don't know if this has already been done in France. Vatry airport, in Marne, 150 km east of Paris, is preparing to become a courtroom. The airport mostly serves budget airlines. The 303 passengers must appear before the judge from 9 am this .

Air India's first wide-body A350-900 aircraft lands in national capital

Air India's first wide-body A350-900 aircraft, sporting new brand livery, arrived here from European aviation major Airbus' Toulouse facility in France. The aircraft, registered as VT-JRA, touched down at the national capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport at 1346 hrs, making the Tata Group-owned airline the first aircraft operator in India to have this type of aircraft in its fleet, a statement said. The delivery flight is operated using a special call sign AI350, it said. The aircraft is the first of Air India's 20 Airbus A350-900 on order, with five more scheduled for delivery through March 2024, the airline said. As part of its now rejigged 250 aircraft order with Airbus, Air India will acquire 40 A350s, comprising 20 each A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft, along with 140 narrow-body A321neo and 70 A320neo planes. The arrival of the first Airbus A350-900 is, in many ways, "a declaration of Indian aviation's resurgence on the world stage," Air India Chief Executive Officer

Pentagon orders US aircraft carrier to remain in Mediterranean near Israel

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier and one other warship to remain in the Mediterranean Sea for several more weeks to maintain a two-carrier presence near Israel as its war with Hamas grinds on, US officials said. It would be the third time the Ford's deployment has been extended, underscoring the continued concerns about volatility in the region during Israel's war in Gaza. The US has two aircraft carriers in the region, a rarity in recent years. Multiple US officials confirmed the longer deployments approved this week for the Ford and the USS Normandy cruiser on condition of anonymity because they have not yet been made public. Other ships in the Ford's strike group had already had their deployments extended. The Pentagon ramped up its military presence in the region after Hamas' October 7 attacks to deter Iran from widening the war into a regional conflict. In the months since, Iranian-backed militants in Iraq and Syria have seized o

Police headquarter comes under attack in Pakistan; 2 policemen killed

At least two policemen were killed and as many as injured after militants attacked a regional police headquarters in a former Taliban stronghold in northwest Pakistan on Friday, three days after terrorists killed 23 soldiers in the same region. The attack occurred at the Police Lines in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Tank district, the Dawn newspaper reported. A terrorist blew himself up in a suicide bomb and that the huge attack was thwarted, the newspaper quoted Tank District Police Officer Iftikhar Shah as saying. He said that all contingents present in the Police Lines were evacuated safely and that a search operation was underway after alerts of the presence of more militants in the area. The attack was claimed by a new militant group, Ansarul Jihad. The attack comes days after at least 23 soldiers were killed and more than 30 others injured after militants belonging to the Tehreek-i-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), a newly formed militant group that is an affiliate of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliba

CEO Wilson explains why competition doesn't faze Air India in new avatar

As the airline prepares for takeoff in a new avatar, Campbell gives Nivedita Mookerji & Deepak Patel a view from the cockpit

Aequs bags contract from Airbus for supply of critical aircraft components

Aerospace components maker Aequs on Wednesday said it has secured a contract with European aircraft major Airbus for the supply of critical components for A320 family, A330neo and A350 aircraft for over a period of 10 years. Under the terms of the agreement, Aequs will make detailed parts, parts with bench assembly for wings, fuselage, and pylons for these planes, Aequs said. Aequs has been a longstanding supplier to Airbus which was its first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customer and has consistently been a preferred Detailed Parts Partner (D2P) to it for well over a decade. The mandate is a significant milestone not only for Aequs, but also for the Indian aerospace industry, amid the country's growing significance as a global aerospace manufacturing hub, deepening Airbus' Make-in-India drive, Aequs said. "This contract is a significant moment in Aequs' journey with Airbus. We are proud to stand alongside the world's largest aircraft maker as a long-term strategic ...

Airbus edges towards 2023 delivery goal after 18% increase in October

Orders so far this year have reached 1,399 aircraft or a net total of 1,334 units after cancellations, Airbus said.

SpiceJet records lowest OTP at 60.11% among all major Indian carriers

SpiceJet's operations in October were also affected due to its involvement in repatriation operations from Tel Aviv

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers says not happy with number of grounded planes

The company carried 26.3 million passengers in the September quarter, observing a 33.4 per cent year-on-year growth

P&W engine issues to lead to more aircraft grounding in March qtr: IndiGo

The country's largest airline IndiGo on Friday said there will be more grounding of aircraft due to the Pratt & Whitney engine issues in the fourth quarter and is taking a range of mitigating measures. Currently, around 40 planes of the airline are grounded due to the engine issues, according to a senior airline official. IndiGo, which had a fleet of 334 aircraft at the end of September, is taking various measures, including taking planes on wet lease, retaining ceo aircraft and also leasing additional ceo planes from the secondary market. Against the backdrop of powder metal issues flagged by P&W, IndiGo's Chief Financial Officer Gaurav M Negi said globally, the airline understands that a large number of incremental engines are being removed for shop visits between 2023 and 2026, and a majority of incremental engine removals are planned for 2023 and early 2024. "Our current estimate is that these accelerated inspections and incremental shop visits will further adversely ...

Scoot to start of daily flights between Chennai and Singapore from Nov 5

The addition of this direct flight on the airline's Airbus A320 aircraft will enhance the international accessibility of Chennai and connect domestic business

UDAN generating demand for new aircraft, 499 routes operationalised: Govt

The government on Thursday said 499 routes have been operationalised so far under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN, which was launched six years ago, and has facilitated the travel of more than 1.3 crore people. The scheme, also known as UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), is contributing to the growth of the civil aviation industry, as four new airlines have come up in the last six years and has generated demand for new aircraft, an official release said. It is providing opportunities to small regional airlines -- FlyBig, Star Air, and IndiaOne Air -- to scale up their businesses and is also creating an amiable ecosystem conducive to airline business, the release added. The first UDAN flight was on April 27, 2017, connecting Shimla and Delhi. According to the release issued by the civil aviation ministry, 499 routes have been operationalised under UDAN, which has also facilitated the travel of more than 1.3 crore people. Further, it said the scheme's incremental expansion has

A-I to take delivery of 1 aircraft every 6 days on avg till 2024-end: CEO

Air India Group, which has embarked on ambitious expansion plans, is expected to take delivery of a new aircraft every six days on average till the end of 2024, according to a top official. The group, comprising Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect and Vistara, is owned by the Tatas, which is also in the process of consolidating its airline business. "Air India Group to take delivery of one new aircraft every six days on an average till the end of 2024," Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said on Wednesday. Speaking at a function here for the unveiling of Air India Express' new brand identity, Wilson also said that it is an exciting day for the group. Tata Group took control of loss-making Air India in January 2022. Earlier this year, Air India placed orders for 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing at USD 70 billion (based on published list prices). The deliveries of the new planes will start from November this year. Air India Express is i

Pilot licence now valid for 10 years, says civil aviation ministry

These licences will be issued to pilots at the time when their pilot's licence is up for renewal

Indian aviation has scope for 130-150 more wide-body aircraft: GE Aerospace

India's fast-growing civil aviation market has the scope to have 130-150 more wide-body planes as airlines expand their operations and there is also the potential for more such aircraft to be deployed in dense domestic routes, GE Aerospace South Asia CEO Vikram Rai said. GE Aerospace, a leading aircraft engine maker, sees a "great potential" in India, which is also the world's third largest aviation market and domestic airlines have nearly 1,500 aircraft on order. While emphasising that "India is a focus market and a priority market for GE Aerospace", Rai said that in his view, domestic airlines would consider having more wide-body planes in their fleet and also deploy them in dense domestic routes. "I see wide-body aircraft as a growth path for us and the airlines which is a win-win (scenario)," he told PTI in a recent interview. Currently, India has around 700 commercial planes in operation and out of them, there are only about 50 wide-body aircraft. Air India has around 49 ...

IAF considering induction of six additional Netra early-warning aircraft

The Netra Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&CS) aircraft is a multi-sensor platform developed by DRDO in collaboration with the laboratory under it - the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS)

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, ...

Aircraft skids-off at Mumbai airport during landing, no casualties reported

The VSR Ventures Learjet-45 aircraft VT-DBL's flight originated from Vizag (Visakhapatnam) and had its destination in Mumbai

Airbus hands over first C-295 aircraft to IAF at ceremony in Spain

The Airbus Defence and Space on Wednesday handed over to the Indian Air Force the first of the 56 C295 transport aircraft kick-starting the delivery of the planes under a Rs 21,935-crore project that was sealed two year's back as part of an overall aim to modernise India's air assets. Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari received the aircraft at the aerospace major's production facility in the southern Spanish city of Seville. Under the deal, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in 'fly-away' condition from its final assembly line in Seville by 2025 and the subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies. In October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the manufacturing facility for 295 planes in Vadodara. It will be the first military aircraft to be manufactured in India by a private consortium. The Indian Air Force (IA