Page 11 - Civil Aviation Sector

Global air passenger traffic hit highest number since pandemic on Nov 24

The international air passenger traffic touched 1,06,827 on Friday, the highest level post the coronavirus pandemic, according to union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. This also comes at a time when the country's domestic air passenger traffic scaled a new peak of 4,63,417 on Thursday. In a post on X, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday said international air passenger traffic stood at 1,06,827 on November 24 and it was the "highest post Covid international air traffic". "A landmark day for Indian aviation sector! After reaching the milestone of carrying 4.63 lakh daily domestic passengers, the sector has achieved yet another feat of carrying more than 1 lakh daily international passengers," he said. Meanwhile, so far this month, the domestic air passenger traffic has touched new highs at least four times -- on November 23, 20, 19 and 20. "Post-Covid, India's domestic aviation's turnaround story has not just been overwhelming but inspiring as well. "Positive .

IndiGo to be first airline to start flights from Noida Int'l Airport

IndiGo will be the first airline to start flights from Noida International Airport, which is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2024, according to a statement. Noida International Airport (NIA) on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IndiGo -- the country's largest airline -- which has agreed to become the launch carrier for the airport, the statement said. Under the agreement, signed in Delhi, NIA and IndiGo will work together towards developing and strengthening air connectivity in Uttar Pradesh and beyond. The greenfield airport is located in Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district in western Uttar Pradesh, about 75 km from Delhi. Once operational, it will be the second international and overall third commercial airport in the National Capital Region (NCR). The partnership will explore new and innovative ideas, aimed at gaining operational efficiency and enhanced customer experience, as per the NIA statement. "We are excited to sign this MoU with Ind

Always evaluating options: IndiGo amid reports of inducting premium flights

IndiGo on Thursday said it always evaluates available options amid reports that the budget carrier is likely to have a premium class in its flights. The airline, which has a domestic market share of more than 62 per cent, is expanding its operations. It has a fleet of more than 330 aircraft, and 970 planes are on order. "We are always in the process of evaluating options available. As a policy, we do not comment on speculations and will share any information if and when we have anything to share," IndiGo said in a statement. The statement came in the backdrop of reports that the airline plans to have a premium class in its A321 XLR aircraft and also launch a loyalty programme. IndiGo expects delivery of A321 XLR planes in late 2024 or early 2025. "XLR will help us expand our range... when XLRs come in, that can bring us further into Europe to places like Athens... it can bring further into Asia to places like Seoul...," IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said on November 6.

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

Delhi-Bangkok flights cheaper than air travel to Northeast: Tour operators

Expressing regret that the cost of domestic airfares to pristine destinations in the northeast is costlier than airfares to Thailand, travel agencies and hotel operators urged the government to intervene in the matter. The airfare from Delhi to Bangkok as on December 1 (one-way) is Rs 11,470 whereas flights from Delhi to Shillong cost around Rs 14,974, travel agents claimed. This was discussed at length at the B2B meet at the International Tourism Mart here on Wednesday. Entrepreneurs from the tourism industry from all the NE states agreed that airfares from Delhi/Mumbai to Bangkok is cheaper than those to Shillong or Agartala or any of the state capitals of the region. "We understand this is due to number of travellers going to Bangkok. We want the government of India to intervene and put a cap on this because it is unfair that domestic fares are costlier than international destinations," a Guwahati-based tour operator said. Meanwhile, the Union tourism ministry has sanctioned ov

A-I Express cabin crew raise concerns about room sharing during layovers

Scores of cabin crew members of Air India Express have expressed concerns about the decision on room sharing during layovers, claiming that such a move poses various difficulties in getting uninterrupted rest before flight duty while the airline has said that room sharing is consistent with the market practice followed by many other carriers. Besides, cabin crew members have expressed concerns about curtailment of service contracts of some members as well as about assessment process at the airline, according to sources. Earlier, at profit-making Air India Express, which is in the process of merging loss-making AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) with itself, a cabin crew was given a room at a five-star or a four-star hotel at outstations. Now, one room is shared by two cabin crew members. Currently, Air India Express and AIX Connect together have more than 5,500 employees and around 1,800 cabin crew members. The sources said that scores of cabin crew members have written to the ..

Cricket WC final drives highest-ever single-day air traffic at 460,000

The rise in air traffic comes after the initial days of November registered muted domestic air traffic, which is uncommon for a festive period

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 ..

Domestic air passenger traffic rises 11% to 12.6 mn in Oct: Official data

Domestic air passenger traffic in the country recorded an annual growth of nearly 11 per cent to 1.26 crore in October, according to official data released on Thursday. The traffic stood at 1.14 crore passengers in October 2022 and at 1.22 crore passengers in September this year. The data released by aviation regulator DGCA showed that IndiGo carried 79.07 lakh passengers, garnering a domestic market share of 62.6 per cent in October. The market share was lower compared to 63.4 per cent registered in September. Last month, Air India's domestic market share climbed to 10.5 per cent from 9.8 per cent in September while that of Vistara and AirAsia India (renamed as AIX Connect) declined to 9.7 per cent and 6.6 per cent, respectively, in October. SpiceJet's market share grew to 5 per cent in October from 4.4 per cent in September while that of Akasa Air remained unchanged at 4.2 per cent. "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-October 2023 were 1,254.98 lakhs as again

Airlines in India need to implement Rights of PwD Act provisions: Ruling

All airlines, including foreign companies, operating in the country are responsible for implementing the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the Court of Chief Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities said. The court's ruling came after it took suo motu cognisance of a post on 'X' by Smrithy Rajesh alleging that her son, who has Autism, was ill-treated at the Bangalore airport by SriLankan Airlines employees. The court's findings revealed a lack of awareness and sensitivity towards the needs of individuals with disabilities on the part of the airline's employees and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), it said. The court also highlighted that the SriLankan Airlines' policy, if it necessitates medical clearance for select categories of persons with disabilities before boarding a flight, is inconsistent with the global civil aviation requirements. "All airlines, whether Indian or foreign, operating in the country are responsible for ...

New national policy may turn India's airports into global transit hubs

If enacted, the policy will address challenges such as double security checks and immigration bottlenecks to better streamline travel

Breath analyser: DGCA issues new norms; pilots, crew not to use mouthwash

Pilots and crew members cannot use mouthwash, tooth gel or any such substance that has alcoholic content, as that could result in positive breath analyser test, according to revised norms issued by aviation regulator DGCA. Besides, various changes have been made to the norms pertaining to the procedure for medical examination of aircraft personnel for alcohol consumption. In a release on Wednesday, DGCA said it has revised the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on procedure for medical examination of aircraft personnel for alcohol consumption with the objective of enhancing safety of aircraft operations coupled with streamlining provisions of the existing regulations in line with feedback from industry and stakeholders from time to time for more effective implementation. "No crew member shall consume any drug/formulation or use any substance such as mouthwash/tooth gel or any such product which has alcoholic content. "This may result into positive breath analyser test. Any crew memb

Air India Express will focus on routes with price-sensitive customers: MD

Air India's low-cost subsidiary Air India Express will focus on routes which have a higher component of price-sensitive customers and leisure travellers, airline's Managing Director Aloke Singh has said. Singh also said that Air India Express is not looking at spreading its capacity all over the country in the beginning and instead will first consolidate its presence on the existing routes. A subsidiary of Air India, Air India Express is in the process of merging low-cost domestic carrier AirAsia India with itself, and last week unveiled its new brand identity. Air India Group, comprising Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect and Vistara, is owned by the Tatas, which is also in the process of consolidating its airline business. As part of it, Vistara, which is a 51:49 joint venture airline between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, is also in the process of merging with AI India. "The focus of Air India Express will be on routes which have a higher component of leisure travelle

Akasa Air plans to list on bourses by end of the decade: CEO Vinay Dube

India's newest airline Akasa Air, which is set to soon fly on international routes and will be placing a three-digit aircraft order, plans to list on the bourses by the end of the decade, its Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube told PTI. The 14-month-old Akasa Air, which already operates more than 750 weekly flights across 16 domestic destinations, including Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Delhi, is looking at "gathering a little more history" before launching an initial public offering (IPO), he said. The airline plans to start international services by the end of this fiscal and has placed a firm order for 76 Boeing 737 MAX aeroplanes, all of which will join its fleet by mid-2027. Currently, Akasa Air has a fleet of 20 aircraft and is looking to place an order for three-digit aircraft before the end of 2023, he noted. Dube, the founder and CEO, said the airline is already generating free cash from operations and is well-funded for the new aircraft order it is going to place. Abo

Air India seeks to boost its talent pool with interactive program SOAR

Air India has started an interactive programme to hire students from business schools as the airline expands its fleet and operations. The Tata Group-owned carrier on Thursday said it started SOAR (Spirit of Aviation Reimagined) in August and is a first-of-its-kind student interactive programme in the aviation industry. This unique move to engage fresh talent to the nuances of the aviation sector will go a long way in augmenting Air India's employee pool with the best talent, it said in a release on Thursday. SOAR is the airline's business challenge-based annual nationwide B-school competition and part of its campus outreach programme. The loss-making carrier, which has embarked on a five-year transformation journey under the Tata Group, said its talent augmentation drives over the last one year have been receiving overwhelming response from the market and leading institutes with the initial recruitment drive for management post-graduates drawing response from over 25,000 applicant

Go First extends flight cancellation till Nov 30 citing operational reasons

The airline has approximately 4,200 employees, and it reported total revenue from operations at Rs 4,183 crore in the financial year 2021-22

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

Pilot licence now valid for 10 years, says civil aviation ministry

These licences will be issued to pilots at the time when their pilot's licence is up for renewal

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