Page 7 - Aviation Sector

Australia backs Virgin-Qatar Airways tie-up, cites improved air services

Virgin Australia is the biggest domestic rival to Qantas Airways, which has ties with Dubai-based Emirates and an arrangement with Finnair to operate flights between Sydney, Bangkok and Singapore

Southwest Airlines to cut 15% of corporate jobs, remove about 1,750 roles

Layoffs, to be completed substantially by the end of the second quarter, are estimated to net $210 million in savings this year and full-year savings of $300 million in 2026

Airbus struggles to raise A350 output on delays in fuselage parts arrival

The delays have cast doubt on Airbus' ability to increase production above current rates of around six jets a month for at least the rest of this year

Rolls-Royce to double sourcing from India over the next five years

Aerospace major Rolls-Royce on Monday said it intends to double its supply chain sourcing from India over the next five years. The company will seek to increase its sourcing of complex parts for advanced aerospace engines, naval propulsion systems, diesel engines and gas turbine engines as part of its plans to grow presence and participation in India's defence sector, Rolls-Royce said in a statement. Currently, the company said it sources a wide range of high-precision parts and engine components for its civil aerospace, defence and power systems businesses from a variety of Indian partners, without disclosing the overall value of the sourced products. "India is fast emerging as a preferred hub for global sourcing, and we are looking to broaden our partnerships here to support both our business growth and the government of India's vision to 'Make in India for the world'," Rolls-Royce Chief Transformation Officer Nicola Grady-Smith said. Stating that over the years, Rolls-Royce has

Boeing signals more orders needed before setting up assembly line in India

The country's civil aviation minister told Reuters in 2023 that the time had come for Boeing and Airbus to make civil aircraft in India

Search underway in western Alaska as plane with 10 people goes 'missing'

An aircraft carrying 10 people across Alaska's Norton Sound south of the Arctic Circle went missing Thursday afternoon and rescuers searched into the night for any sign of the aircraft. The Bering Air Caravan was heading from Unalakleet to Nome with nine passengers and a pilot, according to Alaska's Department of Public Safety. Authorities were working to determine its last known coordinates. Unalakleet is a community of about 690 people in western Alaska, about 150 miles (about 240 kilometers) southeast of Nome and 395 miles (about 640 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage. The disappearance marks the third major incident in US aviation in eight days. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter collided near the nation's capital on January 29, killing 67 people. A medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, killing the six people onboard and another person on the ground. The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., and officials lost contact with it less

Approach lenders for acquisition of Go First: NCLAT to Busy Bee Airways

Busy Bee Airways, backed by travel portal EaseMyTrip's co-founder and CEO Nishant Pitti, challenged the liquidation of the airline last week

Govt to ratify Cape Town Convention to boost aircraft leasing activities

The Cape Town Convention that mainly pertains to leasing of aircraft will soon get legal backing in the country with the Union Cabinet recently approving a bill in this regard, according to a senior official. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets and domestic carriers have placed orders for more than 1,200 planes. The bill to ratify the Cape Town Convention to promote the leasing business of aircraft has been approved by the Union Cabinet, Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam said on Tuesday and added that it will go to the Parliament for approval. "We are hopeful that sooner than later Cape Town Convention will have the legal backing in India and become enforceable greatly supporting leasing and acquiring of aircraft," he said at a conference in Greater Noida. He was speaking at the International Conference on Air Mobility organised by industry body CII along with the civil aviation ministry. Last week, the Cabinet cleared the Protection and ..

JetSetGo partners with SkyDrive, Eve Air for urban air mobility services

Chartered aircraft and fleet services operator JetSetGo on Tuesday said it has entered into strategic partnerships with EVTOL technology firm SkyDrive and Eve Air Mobility for the development and deployment of urban air mobility (UAM) services in the country. As part of these partnerships, announced at the on-going Urban Air Mobility Expo and Conference, which is a part of the CII-organised Bharat Global Mobility Show, JetSetGo signed an initial pact with SkyDrive to explore deployment opportunities for its three-seat fully electric multi-copter 'SKYDRIVE'. Along with this, a Letter of Intent (LOI) was also finalised for a pre-order of up to 50 aircraft. The collaboration will validate use cases and market demand, with initial projects starting in Gujarat and with possible future expansion to other regions across the country, JetSetGo said. Besides, JetSetGo also signed a letter of intent with Eve Air Mobility to integrate Eve's advanced urban air traffic management (UATM) solution

Bird feathers, blood likely found in engines of South Korea's crashed jet

About four minutes before the fatal crash, one of the pilots had reported a bird strike and declared an emergency before initiating a go-around and attempting to land on the opposite end of the runway

Boeing resumes 777X test flights after grounding in Aug due to engine issue

The grounding came just five weeks after it had started certification flights for the 777-9 with officials from the US aviation regulator onboard

Haveus Aerotech gets DGCA approval for cargo handling-related maintenance

Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services operator services provider Haveus Aerotech Ltd on Wednesday announced that it has received aviation safety regulator DGCA's nod for offering maintenance services for certain aircraft parts that hold cargo and baggage. The MRO operator has received approval for Unit Load Devices and pallet maintenance services for its recently expanded Delhi facility, the company said in a statement. We have achieved a major milestone by becoming the first MRO in India to receive Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) CAR 145 approval for Unit Load Devices (ULD) and Pallets, the statement said. HaveUs AeroTech MD and CEO Anshul Bhargava said, We have received this approval for our recently-expanded Delhi facility as of now, very soon we will try and get the DGCA approval for the Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkatta facilities too. A ULD is a removable aircraft part, such as a pallet and net combination or a container, that holds cargo, baggage

Projected air travel growth runs counter to climate goals, says study

Steps to tame fast-growing air travel could include limiting airport infrastructure growth and corporate travel while increasing taxation on the sector

Thiruvananthapuram airport to undertake runway upgradation work from Jan 14

The international airport here will be carrying out a significant upgrade of its main runway in order to prioritise passenger safety and enhance its overall operational efficiency. The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL), managed by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) which is a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, will carry out the recarpeting project from January 14, 2025. The work will be carried out between 9 am and 6 pm everyday with the project scheduled to be completed by March 29, TIAL said in a release on Wednesday. During the project work, airlines operating from the airport will schedule flights prior to 9am and after 6pm, it added. "During this period, the airport will implement a comprehensive plan to ensure the continuity of services and to mitigate any potential inconveniences to passengers and airlines," TIAL said. The existing runway -- which is 3,374 meter long and 60 metre wide -- was last recarpeted in 2017 and was due for an upgrade to maintain

Air India to increase global coverage in years ahead: CEO Wilson

Air India has covered a lot of ground since privatisation and its global coverage will further increase in the years ahead, the airline's chief Campbell Wilson said on Wednesday. He also said the interior refit of the single-aisle fleet, serving domestic and short-haul international destinations, is underway, and will be completed by mid-2025. Loss-making Air India was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022, and is undergoing an ambitious five-year transformation plan. In 2024, Air India completed the merger of Vistara with itself as well as integration of Air India Express and AIX Connect was also done. In his New Year message, Wilson said these mergers and new aircraft deliveries have taken Air India Group's fleet to 300 aircraft, allowing it to expand to over 100 domestic and international destinations. "Air India's global coverage will further increase in the years ahead, not least because of the recent addition of 100 aircraft to our order book, augmen

SpiceJet shareholders discuss funding and expansion plans during AGM

SpiceJet shareholders on Monday sought to know about the airline's funding and expansion plans during the annual general meeting. At the 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM), members also transacted various businesses, including adoption of audited financial statements for the financial year ended March 31, 2024, together with the reports of the board of directors and the statutory auditors, and increasing the company's authorised share capital, according to a regulatory filing. The budget carrier, whose Chairman is Ajay Singh, recently raised Rs 3,000 crore and since then, has been settling pending dues and various disputes. At the AGM, the airline said questions were raised by the members, inter-alia, on future expansion, raising of funds, operating expenses of the company, accounts of the company and addition of new flights. "The Chairman replied the questions of the members and also apprised about the operational highlights of the company, fund-raising efforts, future outlook etc,

Airlines to mandatorily share int'l passenger data with customs from Apr 1

Airlines will have to mandatorily share details of foreign travellers with the Indian Customs authorities from April 1, 2025, and non-compliance can attract penalties. All air transport service providers operating flights to/from India will have to register with the National Customs Targeting Centre-Passenger (NCTC-Pax) by January 10, 2025, in order to comply with the requirement, according to a communication issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). Details ranging from mobile number, and payment mode to travel itinerary need to be shared with the authorities 24 hours before the departure of an international flight. On August 8, 2022, the CBIC notified the 'Passenger Name Record Information Regulations, 2022' under which airlines were required to share passenger name record (PNR) details of foreign travellers with the Customs department. This system is intended to enhance interdiction capabilities of authorities as well as risk analysis of passengers. In c

With 318 fatalities, commercial aviation suffers deadliest year since 2018

Onboard passenger plane fatalities this year jumped to 318 with the two recent crashes. That's by far the highest death toll since more than 500 people died in 2018

IndiGo expects to carry 112 million passengers in 2024: CEO Pieter Elbers

IndiGo expects to carry 112 million passengers in 2024 and is on the way to become a leading player in global aviation, its chief Pieter Elbers has said. In 2023, the country's largest airline has flown over 100 million passengers. India is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets and IndiGo, which has a domestic market share of 63.6 per cent, is also expanding its international network. In a statement to PTI on the outlook for 2025, CEO Elbers said A321 XLRs will be arriving next year. These narrow-body planes have a longer range and will help the airline to start longer-duration direct international flights. IndiGo, flying for the last 18 years, has a fleet of over 400 aircraft and also placed an order for 30 wide body A350-900 widebodies. "An airline so young expects to welcome over 112 million customers in 2024, after crossing the 100 million annual customers bar last year," Elbers said. Aligning with India's vision to establish itself as an aviation hub, he

American Airlines lifts ground stop after unspecified technical issue

A notice on the US Federal Aviation Administration website merely said the company had requested a nationwide groundstop, without giving a reason