Page 26 - Aviation Industry

Air India to open second hub in south India in a bid to improve operations

The hub may come up in Bengaluru or Hyderabad and will work primarily to strengthen its operation in Mumbai

COAI demands deadline for airlines to phase out radios, seeks 5G services

Telecom industry body COAI has written to the civil aviation ministry seeking a strict deadline for phasing out old altimeters used by Indian airlines as that will help in rolling out 5G service in areas around airports. Aviation regulator DGCA has imposed restrictions on the rollout of 5G services in mid-frequency range of 3.3 GHz band due to apprehensions that the wireless signals may interfere with those of the radio altimeters used by aircraft. Altimeters determine altitude of aircraft and any interference could lead to wrong readings that could also jeopardise the movement of a plane. Against this backdrop, the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI), whose members include BhartiAirtel and Reliance Jio, has written to Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam seeking his intervention with respect to the curbs imposed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The industry body has said the DGCA should mandate all airlines to phase out non-conforming radio .

Airbus names sales chief Scherer CEO of core planemaking operation

The appointment of Scherer, 61, heralds broad continuity inside the main commercial arm, which competes with Boeing and makes up about 70% of the company's revenues

3 new air routes to become operationalise in Arunachal in October: Scindia

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday announced that three new air routes would be operationalised in Arunachal Pradesh by October this year. Inaugurating the newly-developed infrastructure at the Tezu Airport in Lohit district of the northeastern state, Scindia said that under the Centre's UDAN-5 scheme, new flight services would begin between Itanagar and New Delhi from Donyi Polo Airport at Hollongi near here, besides a service between Itanagar and Jorhat in Assam and between Ruksin in East Siang district and Itanagar. Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik (UDAAN) is a regional connectivity scheme aimed at developing smaller regional airports to allow common citizens easier access to aviation services. Tezu airport is the fourth in the state after Donyi Polo, Pasighat and Ziro airports and 17th in the northeast. The minister said that in the last 65 years, there were only 74 airports in the country but in the last nine years of BJP government rule at the Centre, 75 new airpor

DGCA suspends Air India's chief of flight safety, alleges lapses

Regulator takes action against Rajeev Gupta after two major safety violations at the airline in the last couple of months

DGCA suspends approval of AI's flight safety chief for a month for lapses

Aviation watchdog DGCA on Thursday said it has suspended the approval of Air India's Flight Safety Chief for one month for certain lapses. On July 25 and 26, the regulator's team carried out the surveillance of Air India in the areas of internal audit, accident prevention work and availability of required technical manpower. The surveillance found deficiencies in the accident prevention work carried out by the organisation and the availability of the requisite technical man power as required in the approved Flight Safety Manual and the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements, DGCA said in a release. "The approval of Chief of Flight Safety of Air India has been suspended for a period of one month for the lapses established," it said.

In crisis, may shut down: Akasa Air SOS to Delhi HC after pilots' exit

The airline, which operates about 120 flights per day, is expecting to cancel a total of approximately 600-700 flights in September if the spate of resignations continue

Dubai Aerospace flags corrosion in plane leased to bankrupt Go First

Foreign lessors have been engaged in a legal tussle to repossess their aircraft after the Indian airline was granted bankruptcy protection in May

Inadequate inspection of fan blades led to breaking of United jet engine

An engine on a United Airlines jet broke up over Denver in 2021 because of wear and tear on a fan blade that was not adequately inspected for signs of cracking, federal investigators said Friday. The National Transportation Safety Board said manufacturer Pratt & Whitney did not call for inspections to be done frequently enough, which allowed tiny cracks to grow undetected, until the fan blade broke. The NTSB said the design and testing of the engine inlet contributed to the severity of the situation, and other factors made the engine fire worse than it should have been. The right-side engine of the Boeing 777 broke apart shortly after takeoff from Denver International Airport, raining parts over suburban neighbourhoods. The pilots declared an emergency and landed the plane safely 24 minutes after takeoff. Pieces of the engine inlet, fan cowls and thrust reversers broke off and fell on a public park and residential areas. There were no reports of injuries on the plane or on the ...

Go First lessor seeks parts replacement 'robbed' from grounded planes

Go First has been locked in legal disputes with many of its foreign lessors since being granted bankruptcy protection in India in May

Qantas CEO to depart early as airline looks to rebuild reputation

Over a decade and a half Joyce faced regular criticism for cutting jobs, including a 2011 decision to ground the entire Qantas fleet over an industrial dispute

Settle issues with creditor Celestial Aviation Services: NCLT asks SpiceJet

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Tuesday suggested that SpiceJet settle the issues with lessors that have sought initiation of insolvency proceedings against it. The tribunal's suggestion came against the backdrop of the crisis-hit carrier issuing shares in lieu of dues to nine aircraft lessors. On Tuesday, the NCLT was hearing a plea filed by Celestial Aviation Services Ltd, an operational creditor that had filed a plea to initiate insolvency proceedings against the airline. A two-member NCLT bench observed that the airline is settling with some of aeroplane lessors by converting debt into equity. "SpiceJet seems to be settling with other lessors by giving shares, Why don't you settle with these lessors as well?," the bench, comprising M M Khandelwal and Rahul Prasad Bhatnagar, said. This was in reference to Celestial Aviation Services and four other lessors who have filed pleas against the airline. Further, the bench said that in its opinion, it is in its best intere

India offers 'tremendous possibilities' for aerospace players, says Scindia

Highlighting the growth potential of India's aviation sector, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said now is the time for aerospace players to look at leveraging the opportunities in the country. Amid the global aviation segment facing headwinds of geopolitical issues and supply chain woes, the civil aviation minister also said India is the "promised land" that can help offset the risks. The minister was speaking at the International Aerospace Conference on the theme 'Moving Towards Inclusive Global Value Chain' in Gwalior, which is also his home constituency. The country is one of the fastest aviation markets in the world, Scindia said adding that the number of air passengers is expected to reach 42.5 crore by 2035 from the current level of 14.5 crore. "India has tremendous capabilities, possibilities for all of you (aerospace players)... Time has come for all of you to think afresh," he emphasised. "Now, it is time for aerospace industry players to supplant themselves

Bargain flight prices disappear as airline industry transforms into duopoly

The higher prices come at a time when two domestic carriers - IndiGo and Air India Ltd. - are set to control the bulk of one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets

JKC gets time till Sept-end to pay Jet Airways lenders Rs 350 crore dues

The date for the payment was earlier set for 31 August, but JKC had sought an extension

Pilot's death brings focus back on industry norms to handle fatigue

Rules in 2019 allowed pilot to fly commercial passenger flights for two consecutive nights

Jet Airways revival: Lenders likely to give JKC an extension to pay dues

On Monday, however, the lenders argued that the Performance Bank Guarantee of Rs 150 crore is a backup and cannot be invoked at this stage

DGCA renews air operator certificate of cash-strapped Jet Airways

The airline had stopped flying on April 17, 2019, and its AOC expired over two months ago on May 19 this year

Lenders impeding Jet Airways revival: Jalan Kalrock Consortium to NCLAT

JKC also raised concerns that the slots allocated to it to begin operations would be reassigned to others if it did not commence flights soon

Global aviation will need 2.3 mn new personnel in 20 years: Boeing study

Commercial aircraft fleets will double in 20 years, says US plane manufacturer in forecast