Page 15 - Aviation Industry

Airbus launches cost cutting measures to 'save 2024' after output troubles

An Airbus spokesperson declined to comment on internal memos but confirmed the existence of a performance-improvement plan

DGCA issues safety rules for ground handling service providers at airports

Aviation watchdog DGCA has come out with safety standards for ground handling service providers at airports, including the compulsory safety clearance requirement, as part of efforts to ensure safe ground operations amid rising air traffic. The norms also come against the backdrop of ground incidents at some airports that have resulted in damage to aircraft. The new Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), prepared after detailed consultations, will strengthen the oversight mechanism, DGCA said in a release on Wednesday. It also specifies the training and competency requirements of ground personnel who are part of ground operations at the airports. Ground Handling Service Providers (GHSPs) are required to obtain safety clearance within six months from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The six-month time period is from July 8, when the CAR was issued by the regulator. "The robust safety mechanism to be implemented prospectively by GHSPs would help in prevention and mitig

Cebu Air signs $24 billion preliminary pact with Airbus for over 150 Jets

The order by Philippines low-cost carrier will be the biggest jet purchase in the country's history, the airline said in a stock exchange filing

Airbus delivers 67 planes in first half of June, up 2% from last year

On a quarterly basis, the preliminary figure implies a 4 per cent drop since the second quarter of last year

Air India to set up flying training organisation in Maharashtra's Amravati

To meet the growing demand in the country's air travel market, Indian carriers have made four significant aircraft orders since last year

Paris Olympics likely to impact Air France KLM ticket sales this summer

France will host the Olympic Games from July 26 to Aug. 11, which has caused some people to rethink their travel plans, the company said in a statement

Canada's WestJet's union ends strike after reaching deal with carrier

Canadian labour minister had urged the union and the airline to resolve their differences and reach an agreement

Boeing agrees to purchase Spirit Aero for $4.7 billion in stock deal

Boeing plans to take control of the Spirit's manufacturing that supports its commercial jet line-up, including building frames for its cash-cow 737 Max

US justice dept wants Boeing to plead guilty to fraud over fatal crashes

The US Justice Department plans to propose that Boeing plead guilty to fraud in connection with two deadly plane crashes involving its 737 Max jetliners, according to two people who heard prosecutors detail the offer Sunday. Boeing will have until the end of the coming week to accept or reject the offer, which includes the giant aerospace company agreeing to an independent monitor who would oversee its compliance with anti-fraud laws, they said. The Justice Department told families of some of the 346 people who died in the 2018 and 2019 crashes about the plea offer during a video meeting, according to Mark Lindquist, one of the lawyers representing families who are suing Boeing, and another person who heard the call with prosecutors. Prosecutors told the families that if Boeing rejects the plea offer, the Justice Department would seek a trial in the matter, they said. Boeing declined to comment. The meeting came weeks after prosecutors told a federal judge that the American aerosp

A-I Express union alleges unfair labour practices; seeks govt intervention

Air India Express' cabin crew union has alleged unfair labour practices by the airline, including in issuance of charge sheets to its members, and sought the intervention of the labour commissioner to resolve the issues. The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), which is affiliated with the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, has written a letter to the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) in this regard. The communication also comes at a time when conciliation proceedings are going on before the CLC (C) on the disputes between the cabin crew members and the airline management. The union has alleged that the management is adopting various measures that are not conducive to creating good industrial relations. "... their actions are spoiling the industrial relations already affected by their unfair labour practices and violations of labour legislation," it claimed in the letter dated June 28. There was no comment from Air India Express. Among other issues, the union has claimed that charg

Boeing in talks with US justice dept to resolve charges over safety lapses

The settlement could be announced as soon as next week and is expected to include imposing a corporate monitor on the world's second-largest planemaker

Aviation market big enough for Akasa Air to succeed: CEO Vinay Dube

As Akasa Air spreads its wings on domestic and international routes, the less-than-two-year-old airline's chief Vinay Dube has said he does not think about competition in encouraging or discouraging terms, as the aviation market is "big enough for us to succeed". The carrier, which took to the skies in August 2022, currently has a fleet of 24 Boeing 737 MAX planes and operates more than 900 flights weekly. While emphasising that the focus is on service excellence and cost leadership, Dube said the airline is looking for network and international expansion. "I don't think about competition and certainly don't think about it in encouraging or discouraging terms. If we focus on ourselves, the market is big enough for us to succeed," he told PTI in a recent interview. In response to the query on whether current competition is encouraging, Dube said, "We don't spend so much time focused on what competition is doing unless we have things we can learn from... what can be improved upon...

Canada's WestJet cancels over 400 flights after surprise strike by union

Canada's second largest airline, WestJet, said it canceled 407 flights affecting 49,000 passengers after the maintenance workers union announced it went on strike. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association said its members started to strike Friday evening because the airline's unwillingness to negotiate with the union made it inevitable. The surprise strike affecting international and domestic flights came after the federal government issued a ministerial order for binding arbitration on Thursday. That followed two weeks of turbulent discussions with the union on a new deal. WestJet said it will continue to park aircraft through Sunday for the long weekend culminating in Canada Day on Monday. The airline has about 200 aircraft and says they'll operate approximately 30 by Sunday evening. The airline's CEO, Alexis von Hoensbroech, put the blame for the situation squarely on what he said was a rogue union from the U.S. that was trying to make inroads in Canada. Von Hoensbroech sai

Boeing offers to buy 737 supplier Spirit AeroSystems for $35 per share

Spirit posted a net loss of $617 million and burned through $444 million in the first quarter, far more than analysts had expected

Airbus cuts key industrial, financial targets, takes hefty space charge

Yielding to growing scepticism among suppliers over its plans for jet output, Airbus lowered its widely watched forecast for deliveries this year to around 770 jets from around 800

Post-pandemic travel boom to sustain high airfares, says new AirAsia boss

The global aviation industry has been transformed as the post-pandemic reopening unleashed a wave of pent-up travel demand that's sent ticket prices surging faster than inflation

Boeing expected to evade criminal charges for violating settlement: Report

The agreement included money to compensate victims' relatives and required Boeing to overhaul its compliance practices

DGCA revises regulations to boost seaplane operations under UDAN scheme

These collaborative efforts have ensured that the new regulations address key stakeholder concerns and pave the way for growth in this niche area

EU Commission plan may exempt long-haul flights from new emissions rules

The EU is developing plans to require airlines to track and report their contribution to climate change from January 2025

Boeing CEO Calhoun apologises to relatives of 737 Max crash victims

US lawmakers prepared to press Boeing's chief executive Tuesday about the company's latest plan to fix its manufacturing problems, and relatives of people who died in two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jetliners were in the room to remind him of what was at stake. CEO David Calhoun appeared before the Senate investigations subcommittee, which is chaired by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a Boeing critic. Blumenthal opened the hearing by recognising the relatives of the crash victims and the family of a Boeing whistleblower who died by suicide earlier this year. This hearing is a moment of reckoning, the senator said. "It's about a company, a once iconic company, that somehow lost its way." Calhoun's appearance before Congress was the first by a high-ranking Boeing official since a panel blew out of a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. No one was seriously injured in the incident, but it raised fresh concerns about the company's best-selling commercial aircraft. Calho