Page 22 - Aviation

Airlines must devise mechanism for reasonable pricing of air tickets: Govt

The government on Monday asked airlines to devise a mechanism to ensure reasonable airfares amid a surge in air ticket prices, particularly on certain routes that were earlier served by Go First. During an hour-long meeting of the airlines advisory group, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia shared his concerns about the steep rise in airfares on certain routes. Airlines have been asked to self-monitor airfares on routes that have seen considerable rise in ticket prices, particularly those that were served by Go First earlier. Go First stopped flying from May 3 and the reduction of capacity due to the crisis at the budget airline has come at a time when peak domestic air travel period is round the corner. A mechanism should be devised by airlines to ensure reasonable pricing within the high RBDs (Reservation Booking Designator) and the same would be monitored by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the ministry said in a statement. Airfares are deregulated und

Lufthansa seeks deeper partnership with Air India, plans to expand flights

Lufthansa's CEO, Carsten Spohr speaks about the expansion plans of the airline and partnership with Air India that could make it the largest airline group connecting India and Europe

Unruly passenger behaviour on rise; 1 incident in every 568 flights: IATA

One unruly passenger incident was reported for every 568 flights last year compared to one such incident per 835 flights in 2021, according to international airlines' grouping IATA. In recent times, there has been a steep rise in unruly passenger behaviour incidents, including in India. As it released an analysis of such incidents on Sunday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) also urged more states to take the necessary authority to prosecute passengers under Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14). "Latest figures show that there was one unruly incident reported for every 568 flights in 2022, up from one per 835 flights in 2021. The most common categorisations of incidents in 2022 were non-compliance, verbal abuse and intoxication. "Physical abuse incidents remain very rare, but these had an alarming increase of 61 per cent over 2021, occurring once every 17,200 flights," IATA said in a release. Although non-compliance incidents initially fell after the mask mandates were .

India is an opportunity, looking to expand operations: Lufthansa CEO

Bullish on the Indian market, Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr on Sunday said the airline group is working closer with Air India as well as expanding its own operations into the country. "We have strengthened our position in the Indian market. We think we can do more... flying more, new partnership with Air India which is a different company than it was before to grow our market share," he said. The group has a two-fold strategy for India and one pillar is to expand the operations to the country, he said during a media briefing on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit here. "We have just announced reopening Frankfurt-Hyderabad (service) which we had to close a few years ago. We will also be for the first time serving Bangalore from Munich... "We are using our own aeroplanes, operations to expand into India," he said. The second pillar is working closer with Air India, he said, adding that no

AI sends out questionnaires to assess customer satisfaction levels: CEO

As it works on improving services, Air India on Friday said it is sending out questionnaires to customers to every day and has received good response through its digitalised customer feedback mechanism. Air India, which was taken over by Tata Group in January last year, started sending questionnaires to travellers to identify areas for improvement to meet customer expectations in March. The Net Promoter Score (NPS)-based customer feedback mechanism has received more than 1,40,000 responses in three months, the airline said in a release. In his message to staff on Friday, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said that over the last three months, the airline has expanded NPS to cover the entire physical customer journey, from check-in, through to lounges, in-flight experience and the arrival process, and will be extended to the online and call centre experiences. "Questionnaires are sent every single day, and so far we've had more than 1,40,000 responses. "Pleasingly,

India conducts Asia's 1st performance-based helicopter navigation: Scindia

India conducted Asia's first demonstration of performance-based navigation for helicopters for a flight from Juhu to Pune using GAGAN satellite technology. In a tweet on Wednesday, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said it is a fine example of the "Indian aviation sector blazing a trail in innovation!". "India conducts Asia's first demonstration for Performance-Based Navigation for helicopters. "The flight from Juhu to Pune made use of the #GAGAN satellite technology that enhances accuracy, allowing for high quality air traffic management. Congratulations @AAI_Official," the minister said. GAGAN refers to GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation. It is a space-based augmentation system for providing the best possible navigational services over the Indian FIR (Flight Information Region) with the capability of expanding to neighbouring FIRs. It was jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

'Common but differentiated responsibility' must guide ICAO towards net zero

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) should continue to be guided by "common but differentiated responsibilities" in the efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions for the aviation sector, India said on Wednesday. India is one of the fastest-growing and the third largest civil aviation market in the world. At an ICAO symposium in Seoul on Wednesday, Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal said that based on "realities and infrastructure constraints", India has set a target of achieving net zero emissions by 2070. "In achieving the net zero goal, ICAO should continue to be guided by common but differentiated responsibilities," Bansal said. In an official statement issued at the Global Implementation Support Symposium 2023, the secretary said the transition towards a lower carbon and Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) will be fundamental to achieving the net zero target by 2050. "The process of SAF legislation, regulation, production, and deployment is external to civi

Angshumali Rastogi India's representative to global civil aviation org

Senior bureaucrat Angshumali Rastogi was on Tuesday appointed India's representative to the council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada, according to a Personnel Ministry order. Rastogi, a 1995 batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), has been appointed in place of Shefali Juneja for three years, it said. Hemang Jani, Secretary of the Capacity Building Commission, has been named Senior Adviser to the Executive Director, World Bank, Washington DC, for three years. Jani, who has earlier worked as a senior private sector specialist at the World Bank headquarters in Washington DC, has been appointed in place of Ritesh Kumar Singh, according to the order. Sai Venkata Ramana Anil Das will be an adviser to the Executive Director, World Bank, Washington DC, in place of Suresh Yadav, for three years, it said. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved 12 appointmen

Aviation regulator DGCA simplifies application process for heliport license

Aviation regulator DGCA has simplified the application process for heliport licenses, and applicants can now seek clearances through a single window on the regulator's portal. Earlier, applicants had to seek NOC (No Objection Certificate)/ clearance from five entities before submitting online applications for heliport licenses. The entities are the home ministry, defence ministry, environment and forest ministry, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the local administration concerned. Now, the applications for NOC/ clearance can be routed to the five entities through a single window provided on the eGCA portal, an official release said on Tuesday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) grants heliport license/ operational authorisation to the heliports at the surface level as well as at elevated/rooftop of buildings. Applicants are required to submit an online application through the regulator's eGCA portal.

Unruly passenger behaviour incidents not helpful, says Air India CEO

Air India needed to and has taken a firm line on unruly passenger behaviour onboard aircraft, which is also an international airline industry problem, and it is clearly not helpful when such incidents happen, according to Air India chief Campbell Wilson. There have been multiple incidents of unruly passenger behaviour, including abusing and assaulting of cabin crew, onboard planes in recent months. In various cases, the aviation regulator DGCA has also taken action against airlines for certain lapses in reporting and not taking appropriate measures with respect to such incidents. In an incident of unruly passenger behaviour, a male passenger onboard an Air India flight from Goa to Delhi on Monday physically assaulted a crew member. Wilson, who is the CEO and Managing Director of Air India, said that unruly passengers are an international industry problem and that such incidents continue to happen. "As an airline, we needed to and have taken a firm line on unruly behaviour onboard .

Air India passenger abuses, assaults crew member on flight on May 29

In a statement issued by Air India, the airline said that a passenger on their flight AI882 on May 29 behaved in an unruly manner

China's first domestically built plane successfully makes commercial flight

China's first indigenously built passenger aircraft C919 on Sunday successfully completed its first commercial flight, marking its official entry into the civil aviation market as part of the country's effort to compete with Western rivals like Boeing and Airbus. The first commercial flight of C919 from Shanghai to Beijing is carried out by the state-run China Eastern Airlines. The plane carried 128 passengers on board. The flight time between Shanghai and Beijing was about two hours and twenty-five minutes, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The plane was greeted with a water salute after touching down at Beijing Capital International Airport at 12:31 pm on Sunday, the report said. The water salute ceremony is performed as a symbol of respect and honour for the aircraft, its crew, and passengers. The C919 is China's first self-developed trunk jetliner in accordance with international airworthiness standards and owns independent intellectual property rights. The C919 is .

Air India relaxes privilege leave norm for staff approaching retirement

Air India has relaxed the new norm related to the accumulation of privilege leaves for those employees retiring in the current and next financial years. In March, the Tata Group-owned carrier revised its policy with respect to privilege leaves for both permanent and full-term contract staff to align the policy with prevailing market conditions. From April 1 onwards, Privilege Leaves (PLs) accumulation limit for all employees is 60 days in a particular financial year. Against this backdrop, the airline has made a relaxation for staff approaching retirement. In his message to the staff on Friday, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson mentioned the airline deciding in March that all PLs beyond 60 days would be encashed. "Subsequently, many of you approaching retirement asked whether this could be deferred until your superannuation. "Our HR team followed up with the external tax authorities and happily were able to reach an agreement that, for those superannuating in th

NCLAT asks 3 more Go First lessors to approach NCLT for recovery of planes

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Wednesday directed three aircraft lessors of Go First to approach NCLT over their claims for possession of aircraft, whose leases were terminated by them prior to initiation of insolvency proceedings against the Wadia group entity. The appellate tribunal directed Accipiter Investments Aircraft 2, Eos Aviation 12 (Ireland) and ACG Aircraft Leasing Ireland to go to NCLT over the applicability of the moratorium on their aircraft. "The facts and submissions raised in these appeals are same as has been considered and decided by our judgment and order dated May 22, 2023" hence these "also deserve to be decided in the same terms". On May 22, the NCLAT upheld the order of the Delhi-based Principal bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), which had earlier this month admitted the plea of Go First to initiate voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings and appointed an interim resolution professional (IRP) to suspend the company

DGCA to conduct audit of Go First's preparedness before allowing flights

Aviation regulator DGCA will conduct an audit of Go First's preparedness before approving resumption of flights by the crisis-hit carrier, according to a communication. Cash-strapped Go First stopped flying from May 3 and is undergoing voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings. On Tuesday, a senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the airline has submitted its response to the regulator's show cause notice indicating that it is working on the details of a plan to resume flights at the earliest. In a communication to the staff on Tuesday, the airline said, "DGCA will be conducting an audit to check our preparedness in the coming days. Once approved by the regulator, we would be soon commencing operations". The government has been very supportive and has asked the airline to commence operations as soon as possible, it added. Besides, the communication, sent out on Tuesday night to the staff, said the CEO has assured that salaries for the month of Ap

Go First's suspended board files caveats before SC against aircraft lessors

The suspended board of Go First on Tuesday filed caveats before the Supreme Court against four aircraft lessors of the crisis-hit airline. Four caveats have been filed by Varun Berry, the Chairman of the suspended board of Go First through his counsel advocate Pranjal Kishore, as per the information available on the website of the Supreme Court of India. The lessors are - SMBC Aviation Capital Ltd, GY Aviation, SFV Aircraft Holdings and Engine Leasing Finance BV (ELFC) - owning around 22 aeroplanes. The caveat has been filed against the order passed by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Monday, which upheld the order passed by the Delhi bench of the NCLT on May 10. The Principal Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted the plea of Go First to initiate voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings. It appointed an interim resolution professional (IRP) to suspend the company's board. A Caveat application is filed by a litigant to ensure that no order is .

Domestic airline travel sets a new record, crosses 50 million passengers

Air traffic data shows an increase in domestic air travel by 42.85%, showing rapid post pandemic recovery of airlines

BOC Aviation files NCLT application to secure aircraft leased to Go First

Appellate court has upheld NCLT order admitting Go First's insolvency petition, hurting lessors' plans to secure plans

Scindia discusses manpower planning for peak season with airport operators

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday held a follow-up meeting with representatives of airlines and airport operators to discuss airport-wise infrastructure and manpower planning for the upcoming peak travel season. "All players are committed towards ensuring smooth processing for passengers at all 5 touchpoints at major metro airports. The seamless point-to-point operations exercise, along with the usage of #DigiYatra, will be key in ensuring minimum queues & maximum efficiency at airports," he said in a series of tweets. The discussions with the stakeholders also focused on airport-wise infrastructure and manpower planning for the long term as well. Representatives from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) also participated in the meeting. "...held a follow-up meeting with airlines, airport operators, @AAI_Official, & BCAS to discuss airport-wise infrastructure & manpower planning for the upcoming peak ...

Uncertainty remains over revival of Jet Airways as certificate expires

Uncertainty continues over the revival of grounded Jet Airways as the validity of the airline's air operator's certificate expires on Friday. There was no word from the Jalan Kalrock Consortium (JKC), which emerged as the winning bidder for the carrier under the insolvency resolution proceedings, on the status of the airline's flying permit. The Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) of the airline, which has not flown since April 18, 2019, was revalidated on May 20 last year for a one-year period and the validity ended on Friday. However, it could not be immediately ascertained whether the consortium has sought any relaxation from aviation regulator DGCA with respect to the AOC, which is the most crucial requirement for operating an airline. A query sent to Ankit Jalan, a board member of the JKC, on whether the consortium has sought renewal of the AOC remained unanswered. The ownership transfer of Jet Airways to the JKC is yet to happen amid continuing differences with the lenders of t