Page 6 - Aviation

IGRUA lost four trainer planes in accidents over eight years, says govt

The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) lost four of its trainer aircraft due to accidents in the last eight years, according to the government. Currently, IGRUA, located in Uttar Pradesh, has 13 trainer planes. "There has been a reduction in the number of aircraft from 24 in the year 2017 to 13 at present. This reduction is attributable to the completion of the prescribed service life of seven aircraft and the loss of four aircraft due to accidents," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday. He said a budgetary allocation of Rs 25 crore was made to IGRUA for FY 2024-25 toward the acquisition of new trainer aircraft. "To cater the requirement of pilots in the country, IGRUA has started all seven days flying in a week. In addition to its main base IGRUA has also started additional base for round the year detachment flying at Birsi Airport, Gondia (Maharashtra) and plan to fly at other places," the minister ...

Air Canada to cancel flights from Thursday amid looming cabin crew strike

Air Canada said Wednesday it will begin a gradual suspension of flights to allow an orderly shutdown of the country's largest airline as it faces a potential work stoppage by its flight attendants on Saturday. The airline said the first flights will be cancelled Thursday, with more on Friday and a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge by the weekend. The union representing around 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants issued a 72-hour strike notice Wednesday. In response, the airline issued a lockout notice. Air Canada said customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and they will be eligible for a full refund. The company also said it has made arrangements with other Canadian and foreign carriers to provide customers with alternative travel options to the extent possible. We regret the impact a disruption will have on our customers, our stakeholders and the communities we serve, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau said in a statement. On Tuesday, Air

SpiceJet inks damp-lease deal for 5 Boeing 737s ahead of winter schedule

While most of these aircraft will join the fleet in October, a few are scheduled to arrive a couple of weeks earlier, the airline said in a company statement

Air India Express launches 'freedom sale' with fares starting from ₹1,279

Passengers can avail of 25% off Xpress Biz fares and 20% off extra baggage with Air India Express, as part of their special Freedom Sale to celebrate India's 79th Independence Day

Air India raises pilots' retirement age to 65, non-flying staff to 60

Air India has decided to increase the retirement age for pilots to 65 years and for non-flying staff to 60 years, sources said on Friday. At present, the retirement age for both pilots and non-flying staff at the airline is 58 years. The announcement about increasing the superannuation age was made at the airline's townhall addressed by CEO and MD Campbell Wilson, the sources said. Air India pilots' retirement age will be increased to 65 years and that of non-flying staff will be raised to 60 years, a move that will also bring their superannuation age at par with erstwhile Vistara. There was no official comment from Air India. Tata Group-owned Air India has around 24,000 staff, including about 3,600 pilots and nearly 9,500 cabin crew members It could not be immediately ascertained whether the retirement age for cabin crew, which is currently 58 years at Air India, has been increased or not. In recent times, some pilots and cabin crew members have quit the airline. According to

United Airlines outage grounds US flights, disrupts India-bound travel

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that United requested a nationwide ground stop, which has since been lifted

US slams use of AI to personalise airline ticket prices, would investigate

Delta Air Lines told lawmakers it will not and has not used AI to set prices for individual consumers

IndiGo commences construction work for new MRO facility in Bengaluru

Domestic carrier IndiGo has commenced construction work on its new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility here, with the groundbreaking ceremony taking place at the Kempegowda International Airport on Tuesday. To be built on 31 acres of land, theO with a capacity of up to 12 bays and the capability to handle both narrow and wide-body aircraft will be fully functional by 2028, IndiGo said. The ceremony was attended by the Commissioner for Industries in the Karnataka Government, Gunjan Krishna, IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers, Bangalore International Airport Ltd's CEO Hari Marar, among others. IndiGo had signed a memorandum of understanding with BIAL for the allocation of land in May. This facility will also create over a thousand jobs across engineers, technicians and several more, further contributing towards nation building, IndiGo said. "We are very excited as we commence the project to build this grandO facility in Bengaluru. This also strengthens our ...

FAA finds no fuel system fault in Air India Dreamliner crash probe

US aviation regulator rules out mechanical failure in June 12 Air India 787 crash that killed 260 people, as probe continues into cause of fuel cutoff

'Serious' safety violations: DGCA issues 4 show cause notices to Air India

The DGCA issues four show-cause notices to Air India for safety violations, including cabin crew deployment lapses and training deficiencies, following multiple incidents

Boeing projects global demand for 2.4 million aviation personnel by 2044

The forecast estimates the industry will require 660,000 pilots, 710,000 maintenance technicians, and 1,000,000 cabin crew members by 2044.

Air India A320neo skids off Mumbai runway; all passengers disembark safely

Flight AI2744 from Kochi veered into unpaved area during landing amid heavy rain; aircraft returned to taxiway, prompting use of Mumbai airport's secondary runway

Alaska Airlines resumes operations after tech outage grounds all flights

Alaska Airlines has resumed operations following an undisclosed technical error affecting its entire system for approximately three hours, the company announced. The carrier experienced an IT outage that resulted in a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights" around 8 pm Pacific time Sunday. The stop was lifted at 11 pm, the Seattle-based company said in a social media post. As we reposition our aircraft and crews, there will most likely be residual impacts to our flights. It will take some time to get our overall operations back to normal, the post said. The Federal Aviation Administration website had confirmed a ground stop for all Alaska Airlines mainline and Horizon aircraft, referring to an Alaska Airlines subsidiary. The National Transportation Board last month credited the crew of Alaska Airlines flight 1282 with the survival of passengers when a door plug panel flew off the plane shortly after takeoff on Jan 5, 2024, leaving a hole that

Air India Express cites safety, offers reschedule after flight cancellation

Air India Express on Monday regretted the inconvenience to passengers of a Delhi-bound flight that was cancelled due to a technical snag a day ago and said it prioritises the safety of operations. The cancellation of the flight on the Ranchi-Delhi route caused a chaotic situation at the airport here on Sunday evening, and the passengers were seen arguing with the airline's staff about rescheduling. The low-cost carrier said it offered all possible options to passengers, including complimentary rescheduling on preferred dates. "One of our flights from Ranchi was cancelled shortly after boarding due to a technical issue. Guests have been offered options, including re-accommodation on the next available flight with a hotel stay, complimentary rescheduling to a preferred date, or cancellation with a full refund. We regret the inconvenience while prioritising safety in every aspect of our operations," a spokesperson of the airline said. Ranchi Airport Director RR Maurya had said that th

Passenger tries to open exit midair, forces emergency landing in Iowa

A regional airline flight heading to Detroit had to make an emergency landing in eastern Iowa after a passenger fought with a flight attendant and tried to open an exit door midair, according to the pilot's communication with air traffic controllers. The pilot of the SkyWest Airlines Flight 3612 contacted the tower at Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids shortly after 6 pm Thursday requesting to land because of a passenger causing a disturbance. He's in a fight with our flight attendant right now, trying to open the emergency exit, the pilot said, according to audio captured by LiveATC. The disturbance happened shortly after the SkyWest flight departed from Omaha, Nebraska, around 5.30 pm Thursday, according to police. The flight was diverted to and landed safely at the Cedar Rapids airport, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration. Once on the ground, local police boarded and arrested the 23-year-old Omaha man, Cedar Rapids police said. The flight was abl

AI171 crash: Boeing 787 had similar fuel switch issue in 2019, says expert

According to US aviation expert Mary Schiavo, a 2019 All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight in Japan experienced a similar issue, with the fuel switch transitioning on its own during final approach, without

IndiGo flight makes emergency landing in Mumbai after engine failure

ChatGPT said: An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Goa made an emergency landing in Mumbai after mid-air engine failure; Airbus A320neo landed safely at 9:52 pm on Tuesday

Ambit sees 20% upside in IndiGo stock as aviation sector gains altitude

Between financial year 2013-14 (FY14) and FY24, domestic passenger traffic in India grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.7 per cent,

DGCA orders all airlines to check fuel switches on Boeing 737, 787 aircraft

A month after Air India crash, DGCA has asked all airlines to inspect Boeing 737 and 787 fuel switches for locking faults

Air India crash: Pilots Sabharwal, Kunder remembered as calm, skilled men

Seconds before Air India flight 171 crashed while ascending from Ahmedabad, the fuel control switches of both its engines were cut off, a preliminary investigation report said on Saturday, suggesting a catastrophic pilot error. The Airlines Pilots Association of India disagreed with the report, saying the investigation is "shrouded in secrecy" appears to be biased against the pilot and has come to a conclusion hastily. The report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB) neither concluded any reason for the switches moving nor apportioned explicit blame for the crash. It also did not identify the pilots in the voice recording. At the controls was First Officer Clive Kunder, 32, while Sumeet Sabharwal, a veteran with 30 years of experience at Air India, was the senior cockpit occupant in command monitoring the flight. Below are brief profiles of the two pilots: Captain Sumeet Sabharwal: The 56-year-old veteran with 30 years of experience at Air India had logged 15,638 fl