Page 19 - Aviation Industry

Govt to develop more airstrips, calibrate airport rules, says official

The civil aviation ministry is looking at developing more airstrips as well as calibrating regulations for major and small airports to boost air connectivity, a senior official said on Wednesday. India is one of the fastest growing civil aviation markets in the world, with domestic air traffic on the rise and airlines expanding their fleet as well as operations. Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam said the number of airports in the country has increased to 157 from 74 in the last ten years. The ministry has reviewed the full list of 453 airstrips in the country and around 157 of them are operational, he said and added that more airstrips would be developed as brownfield projects. Also, efforts will be made to jointly develop more defence airfields for civil aircraft operations. Speaking at the CAPA India Aviation Summit 2024 in the national capital, the secretary said the ministry would look at calibrating regulations for major and small airports. These are steps aimed at

India to host IATA's annual global airlines summit after 42 years

IndiGo, India's largest airline by market share, will be the host airline of the AGM and the World Air Transport Summit, which will take place in Delhi between June 8-10, 2025

Global airlines on track for $30 billion profit in 2024, predicts IATA

The outlook compares with the $27.4 billion in profit achieved last year, IATA said at its annual general meeting in Dubai

Current, former Boeing execs unlikely to be charged for 737 Max crashes

The department's decision about what to do next will advance just one of the multiple legal threats Boeing now faces after a fuselage panel blew off a 737 Max mid-flight in January

Air India failing 'time and again' in taking care of passengers: DGCA

Regulator issues show cause notice to airline as passengers suffer on "inordinately delayed" flights

FAA to not allow Boeing to boost 737 MAX production due to safety issues

The FAA's enhanced oversight of Boeing will continue in the coming months, with weekly meetings and quarterly exchanges between the heads of the company and the US regulator

Simaero to invest $100 million over five years to train 5,000 pilots

Last month, IndiGo placed an order with Airbus for 30 A350-900 widebody aircraft at a deal size estimated to be between $4-5 billion

Boeing due to tell regulators how it will fix aircraft safety, quality

Boeing is due to tell federal regulators Thursday how it plans to fix the safety and quality problems that have plagued its aircraft-manufacturing work in recent years. The Federal Aviation Administration required the company to produce a turnaround plan after one of its jetliners suffered a blowout of a fuselage panel during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. Nobody was hurt during the midair incident. Accident investigators determined that bolts that helped secure the panel to the frame of the Boeing 737 Max 9 were missing before the piece blew off. The mishap has further battered Boeing's reputation and led to multiple civil and criminal investigations. Whistleblowers have accused the company of taking shortcuts that endanger passengers, a claim that Boeing disputes. A panel convened by the FAA found shortcomings in the aircraft maker's safety culture. In late February, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker gave Boeing 90 days to come up with a plan to improve quality and ease the

Universal Vulkaan to bring 30 Leonardo helicopters to India in next 3 years

Bullish on the Indian market which is "ready for expansion", Universal Vulkaan Aviation on Wednesday said it will bring 30 Leonardo helicopters into the country over the next three years. Universal Vulkaan Aviation Pte Ltd (UVA) is the distributor in India for Italy-based Leonardo Helicopters. The company, which is based in New Delhi, will bring a total of 30 helicopters -- 16 new and 14 from the pre-owned market -- over the next three years. "After signing the pre-sales contract for 5 units of AW09 machines in January 2024, UVA has ordered 11 units from types AW109 Trekker, AW139, AW169, from the Leonardo Helicopters... This is in addition to the 14 helicopters that were purchased by the Vulkaan Group from the pre-owned market, which include the AW 119Kx and AW 109 Trekker," a release said. The models have seating capacities varying from 5 to 15. Karan Sethi, Sales Director at UVA, told PTI that the current Indian market is ready for expansion, and its product portfolio in both .

Claims of KAL Airways, Maran on damages 'legally untenable': SpiceJet

In an escalation of the ongoing dispute, SpiceJet on Tuesday said the claims made by KAL Airways and Kalanithi Maran for more than Rs 1,323 crore in damages are baseless and legally untenable. On Monday, KAL Airways and Kalanithi Maran said they will seek more than Rs 1,323 core in damages from SpiceJet and its chief Ajay Singh as well as challenge the recent Delhi High Court order in the ongoing dispute between the two sides. In a regulatory filing, SpiceJet said it strongly refutes the claims made by KAL Airways and Maran regarding seeking damages of Rs 1,323 crore. "These assertions are not only legally untenable but also a regurgitation of previously rejected claims by the arbitral tribunal and then the Delhi High Court," the airline said in the filing on Tuesday. According to the carrier, KAL Airways and Maran initially sought damages of more than Rs 1,300 crore during the arbitration proceedings. "This claim was thoroughly examined and subsequently rejected by a panel of thr

'Domestic airfares on northward trajectory; still among lowest globally'

Domestic airfares are sailing northwards, surging up to 40 per cent in key routes on higher traffic and capacity constraints in the last six quarters. Still, ticket prices are among the lowest in the world, according to experts. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets and on average, 4.5 lakh passengers travel on domestic flights daily. While only a small percentage of the country's population travels by air, capacity constraints are a key challenge as many aircraft are grounded mainly due to supply chain issues. Aviation consultancy firm CAPA India said that average fares on the top 20 domestic routes had not moved significantly in nominal terms for the last two decades, until the last six quarters during which they have been up by close to 40 per cent. The routes include Mumbai-Delhi, Bengaluru-Delhi, Bengaluru-Mumbai and Delhi-Hyderabad. The trend has been driven by serious capacity shortages with an average of 150 aircraft on the ground due to supply

SIA passengers endured 62 sec of extreme turbulence on May 21 flight

The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Flight SQ321 that was rocked by severe turbulence on Tuesday climbed and descended rapidly twice in 62 seconds, stunning the passengers with one dying of heart attack, as the aircraft flew over the Irrawaddy Delta region of Myanmar, it emerged on Saturday. One passenger -- 73-year-old Briton Geoffrey Kitchen -- died, and dozens were injured in the incident. It is the first SIA aviation accident involving a fatality since the SQ006 crash in Taiwan in October 2000. As the flight, which was heading to Singapore from London, experienced sudden severe turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin during the breakfast service, the pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the plane carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, where the plane made an emergency landing at 3.45 pm (4.45 pm Singapore time). Granular flight data from flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows that the Boeing 777-300ER climbed and descended rapidly twi

Air India's Mumbai-San Francisco flight delayed by 5 hours; rescheduled

Passengers of a San Francisco-bound Air India flight from the city had a tough time on Friday as they had to wait inside the aircraft for more than five hours. The flight was later rescheduled for Saturday. An airline official said the Boeing 777 plane, which was scheduled to take off at 1600 hours, was first delayed due to a technical glitch, then some passengers deboarded and subsequently, another passenger fell ill. After deboarding the passenger who started feeling unwell at around 1917 hours, it was noticed that by the time the flight AI 179 would have reached San Francisco, there would be night-landing restrictions and also, the crew would have crossed the flight-duty limitations. The official said the flight has been rescheduled for Saturday and would take off at 1030 hours. The number of passengers onboard the aircraft could not be immediately ascertained. According to the official, AI 179 from Mumbai to San Francisco, scheduled to depart at 1600 hours, was delayed due to

Singapore Airlines changes seatbelt sign rules after fatal turbulence

Singapore Air "will continue to review our processes" to prioritise the safety of crew and passengers, the airline said

Boeing, Singapore mishaps spur surge in web searches on flight safety

A spate of high-profile airline accidents this year have left a lasting impression on the public

Air India Express struggles with roster software, over 50 flights affected

The Tata-owned airline has been compelled to manually assign duties and organise schedules for its staff, affecting around 50 out of the 300 daily flights operated by the airline

Bengaluru airport suspends entry fee for vehicles amid public outrage

Cabs and other commercial vehicles were subjected to an entry fee of Rs 150 for up to seven minutes, and after seven minutes, the fee would have increased to Rs 300

Boeing whistleblower suicide: Police conclude investigation in case

A former Boeing manager who raised safety questions about the aircraft maker and was found dead after several days of depositions in South Carolina took his own life, police said on Friday after concluding their investigation. John Barnett, 62, of Louisiana, was found dead March 9, and police had said earlier that his injuries were self-inflicted. Barnett was a longtime Boeing employee and worked as a quality-control manager before he retired in 2017. In the years after that, he shared his concerns with journalists. Barnett said he saw discarded metal shavings near wiring for the flight controls that could have cut the wiring and caused a catastrophe. He also noted problems with up to a quarter of the oxygen systems on Boeing's 787 planes. Information and records reviewed during the investigation uncovered Mr Barnett's longstanding mental health challenges, which had intensified in connection with ongoing legal proceedings related to his whistleblower case, police said in a ...

Chinese biofuel firms invest in 'green' jet fuel, eye new blending rule

The world's second-largest aviation market, with about 11 per cent of global jet fuel use, China is expected to unveil this year its policy on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use for 2030

Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems to fire 450 after 737 production slows

A key Boeing supplier that makes the fuselages for its popular 737 Max airplanes is laying off about 450 workers because production has slowed down ever since a panel flew off one of those airplanes operated by Alaska Airlines in midair in January. A spokesman for Spirit AeroSystems confirmed the layoffs at its Wichita, Kansas, plant on Thursday that would trim its workforce of just over 13,000 people. Spirit is Boeing's most important supplier on the 737s because it makes fuselages and installs door plugs like the one that flew off the plane. But it's not clear whether Spirit or Boeing employees were the last ones to touch that panel. The recent slowdown in the delivery rate on commercial programs compels a reduction to our workforce in Wichita," Spirit spokesman Joe Buccino said. Boeing confirmed this spring that it is in talks to buy Spirit, which was once a part of the plane-maker before it was spun off. Buying Spirit back would reverse a longtime Boeing strategy of outsourcing