Page 12 - Civil Aviation Sector

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

Air India commissions mega warehouse facility in Delhi for engg spares

Air India on Friday said it has commissioned a mega warehouse facility in Delhi for storing over 1,000,000 engineering spares for aircraft maintenance. Spread across 54,000 sq ft and located near Terminal 3, at Delhi Airport's cargo complex, the centralised warehousing facility will improve the turnaround time of flights operating out of Delhi, the company said. The facility will offer a one-stop solution for storing aircraft spares, tools and ground support equipment ranging from hardware to sophisticated and complex avionics, hydraulics, structural, pneumatic, and mechanical components, it said. "This facility will not only boost Air India's fleet and operational efficiency but will also strengthen India's aviation ecosystem. The warehouse will offer us more proximate access to and better control over our aircraft spares enabling us to meet any engineering requirement promptly -- leading to improved punctuality of flights," Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said. The warehouse

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

Pilot exodus: Akasa stops flights on 8 routes, reduces service on 10 others

The airline's spokesperson said that the airline is poised to take delivery of additional aircraft from Boeing in the remainder of 2023-24

Indian aviation has scope for 130-150 more wide-body aircraft: GE Aerospace

India's fast-growing civil aviation market has the scope to have 130-150 more wide-body planes as airlines expand their operations and there is also the potential for more such aircraft to be deployed in dense domestic routes, GE Aerospace South Asia CEO Vikram Rai said. GE Aerospace, a leading aircraft engine maker, sees a "great potential" in India, which is also the world's third largest aviation market and domestic airlines have nearly 1,500 aircraft on order. While emphasising that "India is a focus market and a priority market for GE Aerospace", Rai said that in his view, domestic airlines would consider having more wide-body planes in their fleet and also deploy them in dense domestic routes. "I see wide-body aircraft as a growth path for us and the airlines which is a win-win (scenario)," he told PTI in a recent interview. Currently, India has around 700 commercial planes in operation and out of them, there are only about 50 wide-body aircraft. Air India has around 49 ...

Bomb threat triggers emergency landing of Akasa flight in Varanasi

The aircraft landed on a separate runway and passengers were disembarked immediately. CISF personnel conducted a thorough search of the plane for about an hour. Nothing was found during checking

DGCA can act against noncompliance of pilots to aviation rules: Delhi HC

The court clarified that pilots who are resigning without serving their notice periods during the pendency of the current case do so at their own risk

No proof of flight cancellations due to Akasa pilot exits: DGCA to HC

Akasa had told the court that they have cancelled 24 flights per day and they operate 120 flights per day

Can't interfere in dispute between Akasa Air and its pilots: DGCA

The DGCA "does not have any power or delegated authority to interfere in any employment contract," it said

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 ...

Akasa's future: CEO Dube seeks to douse fire lit by lawyers' closure claims

Akasa's lawyers had said in the Delhi HC on Tuesday that the airline was in a "state of crises" and might "shut down" due to the abrupt resignation of 43 pilots to join rival airlines

Akasa flying less after some pilots quit abruptly: CEO Vinay Dube

The company has initiated legal action against the pilots that have quit without serving their mandatory contractual notice period, Dube said

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

Growth fundamentals of aviation sector strong, no slowdown: Boeing India

Asserting that the Indian aviation sector's growth fundamentals are strong, aircraft maker Boeing has said that significant skilling of people to meet demand, rationalisation of fuel taxes and continued infrastructure investments will keep the growth going. Boeing, which has hundreds of aircraft on order from Indian carriers, has also announced various investments, including USD 100 million for training pilots in the country. Besides, it has maintenance training partnerships with partners for having enough skilled mechanics in India. "We see no slowdown (in India) and we continue to see very high load factors, extremely high rates of profitability amongst the airlines and we see extremely strong demand for aeroplanes as we have seen in some of the largest orders ever placed in the world. "Overall, we see that demand grows. We are also seeing significant advancements in infrastructure as new terminals come up... new greenfield airports come up...That is going to be a boon to Indian .

G20 Summit: IndiGo notifies passengers about flight cancellations

IndiGo on Wednesday said passengers have been notified about flight cancellations at the Delhi airport in connection with G20 Summit. "Due to the G20 Summit 2023 taking place in New Delhi, IndiGo is offering one-time waivers for passengers travelling to and from Delhi between September 8 to 11, 2023," the airline said in a statement. It did not provide details about the number of flights that are likely to be affected. G20 Summit will be held in the national capital on September 9 and 10. "Customers are being offered the option of rescheduling or cancelling their flights with refunds. Passengers have been notified about flight cancellations and to schedule changes in advance," the statement said. Scores of flights are likely to be affected at the Delhi airport and airlines are offering waiver of charges for customers planning to reschedule their travel dates. On Tuesday, officials in the know said airlines are making adjustments to their flight operations and select flights are b