Page 18 - Civil Aviation Sector

Single-pilot operations only after thorough investigation, EASA says

European Aviation Safety Agency's proposal draws flak from pilots who say it is too risky

AirAsia partners with Sugarbox to provide in-flight wi-fi service

AirAsia India in partnership with cloud technology firm Sugarbox has started providing in-flight wi-fi service on all its aircraft, according to a joint statement. The service will enable travellers on AirAsia India flights to access over 1,000 international and Indian movies, short movies, web series episodes and stream buffer-free content from OTT apps from the system installed in the flight. "We are delighted to partner with AirAsia India to launch a multi-feature in-flight experience hub - 'AirFlix'. This service will be pivotal in enhancing the in-flight experience for passengers and generating ancillary revenue for the airline, by unlocking an in-air digital economy through commerce and Ads. 'AirFlix' is available across the AirAsia India fleet of 28 aircraft," Sugarbox co-founder Rohit Paranjpe said. He said AirFlix will be available to all fliers through a local in-flight wi-fi at no extra cost. According to the statement, the service has launched with storage capacity of 8

BCAS withdraws accreditation of Jet Airways' training facilities

Aviation security agency BCAS has withdrawn the accreditation given to Jet Airways' aviation security training facilities amid continuing uncertainty over the recommencement of the airline's operations, according to sources. Jalan Kalrock consortium has emerged as the winning bidder for the bankrupt airline through an insolvency resolution process. A spokesperson for the Jalan Kalrock Consortium on Tuesday claimed that the accreditation was surrendered voluntarily. On November 18, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) informed the airline about the withdrawal of the accreditation, the sources said. "The competent authority has revoked the accreditation granted to both the Aviation Security Training Institutes (ASTIs) of Jet Airways at Gurugram and Mumbai. The airline may apply afresh for approval of its ASTIs as and when it is ready for inspection," BCAS said in a communication. Under current regulations, it is mandatory for all scheduled airlines to impart aviation securit

Domestic air traffic increased by 10% in October, shows DGCA data

Indian airlines carried 1.14 crore passengers in October, 10 per cent higher than the number of people flown in September. Data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday showed that domestic air traffic jumped nearly 27 per cent to 114.07 lakh last month compared to the year-ago period when it was 89.85 lakh. In September, the air traffic number stood at 103.55 lakh. Air traffic has been picking up in recent months after the airline industry was significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The country's largest airline IndiGo's market share declined to 56.7 per cent in October compared to the previous month when it stood at 58 per cent. The market share of Vistara also fell to 9.2 per cent last month from 9.6 per cent in September, as per the data. Akasa Air, which started operations in August, had a market share of 1.4 per cent in October compared to 0.9 per cent in September. In October, Air India's market share stood at 9.1 per cent while

Calicut-bound Air India flight returns to Mumbai due to technical glitch

Air India flight AI 581 was carrying more than 110 passengers, according to an official

India's aviation safety rank to improve after UN agency audit: DGCA

Says country fared well in ICAO audit of Nov 9-16 covering legislation, licensing, operations, airworthiness, among other areas; India was placed below Pakistan and Nepal an earlier exercise

Scindia inaugurates direct Hubli-Delhi flight; to operate 7 days a week

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated the flight on Monday. It will operate on all seven days in a week

Akasa Air to fly with 15 fewer seats due to supply chain woes

The airline expects the issue to be resolved in 6-9 months

GMR Goa International Airport Limited at North Goa unveils its brand logo

GMR Goa International Airport Limited, an upcoming facility at Mopa in North Goa, on Tuesday unveiled its new brand Logo. "We are very happy to announce the launch of our New Goa Airport Brand Identity Logo, as a part of creating a distinct marque amongst our valued customers," GGIAL CEO RV Sheshan said. The company has crafted a logo that has a perfect amalgamation of the key elements of Goa, he said. "It conveys our commitment to serving our customers with the best world-class airport experiences while remaining true to our longstanding reputation." As a prominent representation of the company, people, and brand, the new logo is playful, optimistic and smart. Inspired by the sun, sand, palm trees, sea, sky, earth and fun which define Goa, the logo for New Goa Airport has incorporated each of these attributes, a media release by GGIAL said. "The new Goa airport is about relaxing and also moving, thus unfolding a new and smooth pace of life. The new Goa airport is about the hills,

Civil aviation sector likely to log 400 mn passengers in 7-10 yrs: Scindia

Country's civil aviation sector is likely to log around 400 million passengers over the next 7 to 10 years, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday

Two int'l flights from NE to be operationalised under UDAN scheme: Scindia

Two new international routes under the regional air connectivity scheme will be operationalised, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Sunday after inaugurating three flights that will connect five cities in the North East. Scindia along with Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen (Retd) V K Singh inaugurated the operations of three flights connecting five cities of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Mizoram, according to an official release. The flights connecting Imphal-Aizawl-Imphal and Lilabari-Ziro-Lilabari commenced from Sunday while the services on the Shillong-Lilabari-Shillong route will start from October 31. These flights have been started under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN. Under international UDAN, two new routes Agartala-Chittagong-Agartala and Imphal-Mandalay-Imphal will be operationalised. This will expand the scope of air connectivity in the North Eastern states from national to the international level, Scindia ...

Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram airports switch to EVs to reduce emissions

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had in September said that over 90 per cent airports in the country achieve carbon neutral status by 2024.

Akasa Air plane suffers bird hit; aircraft grounded for inspection

An Akasa Air plane coming from Ahmedabad to Delhi suffered bird hit on Thursday but landed safely in the national capital and the aircraft has been grounded for a detailed inspection. The airline said the Boeing 737 Max aircraft landed safely and all the passengers were deboarded on arrival. This is at least the second incident of bird hit involving an Akasa Air aircraft. On October 15, a Bangalore-bound Akasa Air plane from Mumbai returned to the city airport due to a burning smell in the cabin, which later turned out to be due to bird strike. On Thursday, a senior official at aviation regulator DGCA said the aircraft VT-YAF operating flight QP 1333 had a bird strike during climb out passing 1,900 feet. "Akasa Air flight QP 1333 flying from Ahmedabad to Delhi on October 27 suffered a bird hit. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers were deboarded," the airline said in a statement. However, the airline did not share the number of passengers. The aircraft has been positione

Scindia assures safety of air passengers, approves more post in DGCA

The Ministry has decided to strengthen the DGCA by way of creation of substantial number of posts in DGCA for enhancing its safety oversight function

DGCA lifts 50% cap restrictions on SpiceJet, to operate with full capacity

Scheduled airlines will operate 21,941 flights on domestic routes every week in the winter schedule starting from October 30

Akasa Air partners with RateGain for dynamic allocation of airfares

Newly launched Akasa Air has partnered with RateGain Travel Technologies for gathering real-time air travel information that will help the airline in deciding dynamic fares. In a release on Friday, RateGain said its AI-powered platform AirGain provides the airline's revenue and pricing teams with the most accurate and reliable market insights to build a competitive pricing strategy. It allows the airline access to act upon changing market dynamics and optimise airfares in real-time to provide the best fares to the customers, the release said. "As Akasa grows, our product AirGain will help in maximizing revenues by providing accurate and real-time competitive intelligence," Bhanu Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director of RateGain, said. According to the release, it provides the user with real-time competitor insights across channels to reduce disparity and revenue losses. "AirGain's nimble solution delivering real-time air travel information across channels will help us achieve a .

Air India signs deal with Willis Lease Finance to replace 34 old engines

Air India has 113 planes in its fleet currently. Its narrow-body fleet comprises 70 aircraft, of which 54 are in service

AI Express B737 engine catches fire at Muscat airport, all 141 evacuated

Plane was taxiing towards runway when crew of another aircraft noticed fumes, alerted pilots

Akasa Air operates its maiden flight from Chennai, 5th city in its network

Akasa Air inaugurated its first flight from Chennai, the fifth city in its network, enabling the airline to offer twice-daily flights in each direction on the Chennai-Bengaluru route

Alliance Air pilots go on strike over salary, demad pre-covid level pay

A section of pilots of Alliance Air went on strike on Friday over salary issues, resulting in the cancellation of some flights, according to sources. Alliance Air, which is owned by the government, operates ATR planes. As per its website, Alliance Air connects 48 destinations within India with 100 departures per day. Pre-COVID, the airline was flying to 62 destinations. The sources said a section of the pilots has gone on strike, protesting against salary issues. One of the demands is the restoration of pilots' salaries to the pre-COVID level. In the wake of the pandemic, the salaries were cut by 60 per cent and till now, the pay has not been fully restored, one of the sources said. According to the sources, the management will be soon discussing the issues related to the salaries of pilots. When contacted, an Alliance Air spokesperson said the airline will be issuing a statement soon. The carrier has 18 ATR 72-600 aircraft in service.