Civil Aviation Policy

India's six major airlines employ nearly 14,000 pilots: MoS Murlidhar Mohol

Six major domestic airlines have employed 13,989 pilots, with Air India and its low-cost arm, Air India Express, having 6,350 and 1,592 pilots respectively and IndiGo having 5,085 cockpit crew, Parliament was informed on Monday. The number of pilots at Akasa is 466 and at SpiceJet, it is 385, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. The government-run Alliance Air has employed 111 pilots, he added. The minister said the rate of employment among qualified pilots is dependent on market forces. He said the rationale behind airlines hiring foreign pilots, inter alia, is the requirement of a specific type-rated pilot in light of fleet expansions and time-bound operational requirements. Mohol also said the flying training organisations (FTOs) are continuously upgrading their aircraft fleet by regularly inducting training aircraft fleets. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has facilitated the induction o

Rajnath Singh, Celebi Aviation, Israeli airstrikes, Russia-Ukraine peace talks & more top

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warned Pakistan today that Operation Sindoor isn’t over yet. He said the current ceasefire puts Pakistan on probation, and future actions will depend on its behaviour

Civil aviation minister Naidu holds meeting with airlines' representatives

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, along with senior officials, held a meeting with airlines' representatives on Tuesday, and discussed about flight disruptions due to airport closures, lowering tax on jet fuel and other issues, according to sources. At the meeting, which came in the backdrop of disruptions in flight operations in recent days in the wake of the military conflict between India and Pakistan, the minister also asked the airlines to look at ways of acknowledging the contributions made by the armed forces, including through in-flight announcements, the sources said. The sources also said that some airlines mentioned the loss of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) during the days of the closure of the airports. Some airlines also told the minister and officials that travel sentiment seems to be weak as there have been cancellations, especially with the peak summer travel season around the corner, as per the sources. A total of 32 airports in the northern and western part

Aero Dienst GmbH enters Indian aviation space, to partner with AeroSource

The Germany-based aviation firm will offer a full range of MRO services, while its Indian partner will share its corporate network and help with the regulatory environment

Civil aviation growth, regional connectivity made air travel inclusive: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday highlighted the growth of the Indian civil aviation sector and said air travel has become inclusive with the regional air connectivity scheme. Emphasising that the civil aviation sector has a major role in growth and creates many jobs, Modi said efforts should be made to ensure that the skies remain open for all and that people's dream of flying is fulfilled. The Prime Minister was addressing the Second Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation in the national capital, where he suggested the idea of having an international Buddhist circuit. Under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN, which has helped lower middle-class people to fly, 14 million people have travelled by air, Modi said. According to him, a growing middle class and their demand are driving forces for the civil aviation sector, and UDAN has made air travel inclusive. The government is preparing the country for advanced air mobility, and air taxis will be a reali

Panasonic Avionics opens new software design & development facility in Pune

In-flight Engagement and Connectivity (IFEC) solutions provider Panasonic Avionics on Wednesday opened a new software design and development facility in Pune. The new facility, inaugurated by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, is the first in the country by Panasonic Avionics Corporation dedicated to supporting the development and delivery of IFEC solutions. The facility employs over 200 skilled engineers in the beginning with growth plans in place to scale it up further to support the increasing demand from airlines for these solutions, the company said. Panasonic Avionics said the new facility will accelerate its software development capabilities and help improve the time-to-market for robust, next-generation IFEC and digital solutions. "With its huge number of skilled engineers, and fast-growing aviation sector, India is a natural location for us to invest in for the future of our business, and we look forward to accelerating our software innovation and .

Rajasthan tourism industry optimistic about state's civil aviation policy

Tourism expert Mohan Singh Mertiya says the projects listed under the policy will improve aviation in the state, "which will be a big support to the tourism industry"

'Bright future for air cargo sector, needs faster turnaround time'

To tap the potential of the country's air cargo sector, the focus should be on further improving processes as well as ensuring faster turnaround time, a senior government official said on Thursday. The government is working on developing logistics hubs. Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, said the air cargo sector has a bright future and the number of freighters in the country is expected to rise. Currently, Indian carriers have around 18 freighters. There will be a focus on further improving the ease of doing business and faster turnaround time in the air cargo sector, he said while speaking at the conference organised by the ACFI (Air Cargo Forum India) in the national capital. While passenger traffic has recovered after being hit by the coronavirus pandemic, air cargo is yet to fully recover to the pre-Covid levels. In 2023-24, the air cargo handled in the country was a little over 3.36 million tonnes. Surendra Kumar Ahirwar, Joint ..

JetSetGo signs 280 hybrid-electric aircraft deal worth $1.3-bn with 3 firms

Air services operator JetSetGo has signed a 280 hybrid-electric aircraft deal, including 130 on option, worth over USD 1.3-billion with three global aviation tech firms. These planes can be deployed for airport transfers, regional connectivity, inter-city commute, intra-city shuttles and urban air taxis, JetSetGo said. The strategic collaboration with Electra.aero, Horizon Aircraft and Overair, was unveiled at the on-going mega aviation event Wings India 2024 in Hyderabad. "As part of the agreements signed this week, JetSetGo is set to acquire 150 aircraft for an aggregate deal value of USD 780 million. "The agreements include further options to acquire additional aircrafts for a potential fleet size of 280 to scale its innovative air mobility solutions, raising the overall deal value of above USD 1.3 billion," the company said. Advanced Air Mobility utilizes new aviation technologies like electric and hybrid-electric propulsion to enable air taxi-style services for short distance

Public authorities can't claim relaxation in aviation safety: Bombay HC

Civil aviation safety norms cannot be relaxed even for a project by a public authority, the Bombay High Court held while dismissing the MHADA's petition against an order passed by the Union Ministry denying it permission to construct a 40-storey building near the airport here. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata on January 10 dismissed the petition filed by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) against a decision taken by the appellate authority of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in December 2021 setting a height restriction for a residential building proposed near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The court, in its order, said the MHADA certainly cannot claim a legal, let alone constitutional, right to a taller building. "It cannot contend that civil aviation safety standards should not apply to it. It cannot contend that merely because this is an MHADA project, it exceeding a mandated height poses no danger to civi

US regulators impose additional requirements on Boeing before Max 9 return

Boeing declined to comment on the FAA's additional requirements

Navi Mumbai airport to become operational from this year-end: Scindia

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said the Navi Mumbai international airport will become operational from November or December this year, and also announced that in the next 10 to 15 years, at least 10 cities in India will have two airports each. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of AAR-Indamer MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility at the MIHAN SEZ in Nagpur. "The country had been waiting since the last 60 years to see Mumbai getting connected to Navi Mumba, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is today bringing to reality the dreams of people," he said, referring to the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) scheduled to be inaugurated by the PM later in the day. "The Navi Mumbai international airport will start its operations in November or December this year. This airport's first flight will land in November or December. The airport will pave the way for the big development of Navi Mumbai," the Civil Aviation Minister said. "In the nex

Govt data shows 500 bird hit incidents involving aircraft in Jan-Oct 2023

As many as 500 incidents of bird hits involving aircraft have been reported in various states in the first ten months of this year. The highest number of bird-hit incidents has been recorded at Delhi airport during the last three years, Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday. According to data shared by the minister as part of the written reply, there were 169 bird-hit incidents in Delhi during January-October 2023. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued regulations and guidelines for the management of potential wildlife hazards at licensed airports. "Rule 91 of The Aircraft Rule 1937 prohibits dumping of garbage and slaughter of animals that may attract wildlife within 10 km of Aerodrome Reference Point. Aerodrome Advisory Circular AD AC 06 of 2017 has been issued to aerodrome operator for implementing an effective wildlife control mechanism for their aerodrome to control wildlife strikes. "Civil ..

IIFCL sanctions loans worth Rs 8,800 cr to develop civil aviation infra

India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) has sanctioned loans worth Rs 8,800 crore for airports and civil aviation infrastructure development in the country, its Managing Director PR Jaishankar has said. The government has an ambitious target to develop the civil aviation sector in the country, and to realise the dream, huge investment is required, he noted. "So far, the IIFCL has sanctioned loans of about Rs 8,800 crore with the disbursement of around Rs 4,000 crore for the development of airport projects," he told PTI. The company is one of the major financiers of airports in India and has supported airports with a total project outlay of about Rs 74,000 crore, he said, adding that IIFCL is present in almost all major airports of the country. Over the past few years, India has seen massive growth in the airport sector with increasing investments from both government and private sector, mainly due to a rising proportion of middle-income households, infrastructure build

Indigo fined Rs 30 lakh for tail strikes, DGCA find 'systemic deficiencies'

Airline's reply to show-cause was unsatisfactory, says aviation regulator

DGCA simplifies rules for Indian carriers to fly to new destinations abroad

This has been done to make it easier for airlines to expand their network to destinations that have no airline services in place

With 59 mn travellers, Delhi's airport was 9th busiest in the world in 2022

Dubai was the only other Asian airport in the list with Chinese airports missing completely, given the Covid restrictions in China in 2022

Urination fiasco: Air India fined Rs 30 lakh; pilot grounded for 3 months

DGCA asks director of in-flight services to pay Rs 3 lakh

BS Views of the week: Advanced GDP estimates, on-board unruliness, Kochhargate, and more

Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on advanced GDP estimates, onboard unruliness, Kochhargate, and much more

Seven killed as helicopter ferrying pilgrims crashes near Kedarnath

After the crash, the state civil aviation department suspended all the helicopter flights to Kedarnath