Page 9 - Civil Aviation Ministry

Parl panel advice to start process of approval of 2nd airport in Chennai

As per the report, the Tamil Nadu government has identified two locations Mamandur and Parandur for the development of a second airport in Chennai

Indian carriers' on-time performance plummets in November, shows data

AIX Connect's OTP dropped from 83.33 per cent in October to 73.63 per cent

DGCA suspends RedBird's authorisation to carry out maintenance of planes

Aviation regulator DGCA on Wednesday said it has suspended the authorisation of RedBird Flight Training Academy for carrying out maintenance of its aircraft after finding deficiencies in an audit carried out in the wake of two incidents of crash landing last month. After the two incidents of aircraft crash landing within a span of one week in October, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had suspended the operations of Redbird Flight Training Academy at all its bases. A special maintenance audit was carried out at the training academy's main base in Baramati, Maharashtra and at four sub-bases in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh; Kalburgi and Belgavi in Karnataka; and Lilabari, Assam. "The findings from the special maintenance audit revealed deficiencies in personnel training, maintenance schedules and records, internal audit practices, tool and store management and fuel storage and handling," DGCA said in a release. Subsequently, the regulator initiated enforcement action against

DGCA slaps Rs 10 lakh penalty on Air India for CAR non-compliance

Aviation watchdog DGCA has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Air India for its failure to comply with norms pertaining to facilities that are required to be provided to passengers. After carrying out inspections of airlines at Delhi, Kochi and Bangalore airports, the regulator observed that Air India was not complying with the provisions of the relevant Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR). Later, a show-cause notice was issued to Air India on November 3. In a release on Wednesday, DGCA said that based on Air India's reply to the show-cause notice, it was found that the airline did not comply with the provisions of the CAR. These pertain to "not providing hotel accommodation for passengers affected by delayed flights, non-training of some of their ground personnel as per the stipulations and non-payment of compensation to international business class passengers who were made to travel on unserviceable seats", it said. For these lapses, the regulator has imposed a financial penalty of

DGCA transfers some officials to different centres amid graft allegations

Amid allegations of graft involving some of its officials, aviation watchdog DGCA is carrying out a reshuffle of duties of various officials, and transferring them to different centres, according to sources. A preliminary enquiry against a senior DGCA official for alleged corruption has been completed, and the report has been submitted to the civil aviation ministry, sources added. As part of the reshuffle, some officials have been transferred from Mumbai and Chennai, while some others have been shifted to other departments within the DGCA. There have been complaints of graft, the sources said. There was no comment from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on the transfer of officials amid graft allegations. The preliminary enquiry was conducted as per the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) norms against the official concerned. Depending on the initial findings, authorities will decide on whether to have a detailed investigation into the matter. As per reports, the ..

Aviation ministry unlikely to take hasty call on 5G altimeter's replacement

Telcos remain confident that 5G signals in C-band won't impact flights

Aviation ministry, DGCA to look into ex-pilot's complaint against Air India

The civil aviation ministry and the DGCA will look into a complaint filed against Air India by a former senior pilot alleging that the airline operated Boeing 777 planes to the US without having the required system of emergency oxygen supply, according to sources. The pilot, who had served as a B777 commander, complained about the practice to the ministry and the DGCA on October 29. According to the sources, the pilot, in the complaint, said Air India has been operating flights with leased B777 aircraft that carry a chemically-generated oxygen system which lasts around 12 minutes, and hence should not be used for the airline's direct flights to and from San Francisco. The airline has to factor in that in case of an emergency situation of depressurisation, there should be sufficient oxygen supply to all the crew and the passengers for any period that is more than 12 minutes, the complaint said and also referred to the DGCA norms. A senior government official on Friday said the minis

House panel again asks aviation min about value of A-I disinvestment

A Parliamentary panel on Thursday again asked the civil aviation ministry to explain about how the enterprise valuation of Rs 18,000 crore was arrived for the disinvestment of Air India that was completed in January last year. The matter has been mentioned by the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture in its report tabled in the Rajya Sabha. The report pertains to the action taken by the government on the recommendations/observations of the committee in the report on Demands for Grants (2023-24) of the civil aviation ministry. Tata Group's Talace Pvt Ltd has acquired Air India, Air India Express and a 50 per cent stake in Air India Airport Services Pvt Ltd (AISATS) through the disinvestment process. "The committee notes that the Enterprise Valuation method was adopted for inviting bids for disinvestment of Air India, which afforded the prospective bidders an opportunity to resize the balance sheet. The committee would like to know as t

DGCA implements new rules for powered hang gliders to enhance safety

On October 7, an infiltrator of Hamas, a terror group, used a motorised hang glider to enter Israel

Govt amends aircraft rules; commercial pilot license to be valid for 10 yrs

Commercial pilot licenses will now be valid for ten years, with the government amending rules as part of efforts to further improve ease of doing business in the aviation sector. Till now, the validity of Commercial Pilot License (CPL) was for five years and after completion of that period, it had to be renewed. The civil aviation ministry amended the Aircraft Rules, 1937. Among various changes made, the validity of licenses in relation to Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) and CPL holders has been increased from five years to ten years. "This change is expected to reduce administrative burden on pilots and aviation authorities like DGCA, promoting a more streamlined and efficient licensing process," the ministry said in a statement on Monday. Besides, rules have been amended to address concerns related to the display of lights in the vicinity of an aerodrome. It has also been clarified that the term 'light' encompasses lantern lights, wish kites, and laser lights. Also, the

On-time performance of all Indian carriers falls in September, shows data

An airline executive mentioned that key cities like Delhi and Mumbai experienced heavy rainfall on certain days in September, compelling the airlines to either cancel or postpone flights

90% of our MRO expenses directed to foreign firms: IndiGo to MoCA

Reach out to aircraft equipment makers to set up MROs in India: IndiGo to govt

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

Not against DGCA or MoCA, want clarity on pilots' notice period: Akasa Air

The airline has faced heat following the abrupt exit of its 43 pilots who did not serve their mandatory notice periods

Resignations have no impact on expansion, more pilots joining: Akasa CEO

Promoted by family of the late investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Akasa is planning to add more aircraft to its fleet and take it to 28 by March 2024 and add 10-12 planes every year for the next few years

DGCA is issuing pilot licenses within indicative timeline, MoCA clarifies

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Wednesday said the DGCA is meeting the indicative timelines for the issuance of pilot licences despite an increase in the number of applications. "It is clarified that the application processing time may vary depending upon the complexity and completeness of the application submitted. The indicative timelines published for Issue & Conversion of Commercial Pilot License (CPL) by DGCA is 20 & 30 working days respectively," it said in a statement. According to the ministry, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been meeting the indicative timelines despite an increase in number of applications. "Average timelines achieved for applications during 2023 for CPL Issue & Conversion is 22 and 31 working days". The total number of CPLs issued in 2022 was the highest in the last decade and this number has already been surpassed in September 2023, it added. Further, the statement said the number of CPLs issued is likely to be the ...

Aviation ministry permits Akasa Air to launch international flights

The young airline, which is facing pilot exits, is yet to announce its first international destination

Private jet veers off runway in Mumbai causing more than 100 flight delays

The runway was closed for almost two hours and reopened after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation gave clearance following safety checks, a representative for the airport said

Amid lean season, average daily domestic air traffic rises 2.25% in August

After Go First suspended all flights from 3 May onwards, its passenger traffic shifted to other carriers, helping them achieve load factors of 90 per cent or higher in May and June

India to have 425 million air passengers by 2035: Jyotiraditya Scindia

India is expected to have 42.5 crore air passengers by 2035 from the current level of 14.5 crore and that is the growth potential that international players can look at, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday. The minister also said that the regional air connectivity has democratised civil aviation and has spawned four regional carriers. He highlighted the growth potential of the country's civil aviation sector and urged international players to "look at India". He was speaking at the International Aerospace Conference in Gwalior organised by industry body CII. According to him, the country is expected to have 42.5 crore air passengers by 2035 from the current 14.5 crore passengers. In July, domestic air traffic surged 25 per cent to 1.21 crore passengers compared to the year-ago period, as per official data. It is "imperative" to grow civil aviation as a service as well as a product, Scindia said and stressed that it is time for aerospace players to supplant