Page 5 - Civil Aviation Sector

AAI spents Rs 796 cr for repairs, maintenance works of 101 airports last FY

Airports Authority of India (AAI) shelled out nearly 20 per cent higher amount of Rs 796 crore towards repairs and maintenance works of 101 airports in the last financial year, according to official data. Since the fiscal 2021-22, AAI's expenditure towards these activities at the airports has been on the rise. The amount rose to Rs 795.72 crore in the last financial year ended March 2024, from Rs 663.42 crore in 2022-23. In 2021-22, the expenditure towards repairs and maintenance works was Rs 535.02 crore, as per the data shared by the civil aviation ministry with the Rajya Sabha. The expenditure figures have been provided for 121 AAI airports, and out of them, no money in this regard was spent for 20 airports, according to the data. Concerns regarding maintenance of airport buildings came to the fore following the collapse of the forecourt canopy at Terminal 1D of the Delhi airport amid rains on June 28. Also, the kerb area canopy made of tensile fabric got torn at Jabalpur Airp

FIP grouping flags pilot fatigue; urges for revised norms implementation

Raising concerns about pilot fatigue, pilots' grouping FIP has urged the civil aviation ministry to take steps for implementation of revised norms on flight duty and rest period at the earliest. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), which has more than 6,000 members, had earlier also written to the civil aviation ministry on the revised CAR (Civil Aviation Requirement) for pilots after DGCA postponed their implementation. The revised CAR related to flight duty time limitation seeks to provide more rest time for pilots amid rising concerns over pilot fatigue. In March, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) decided to postpone its implementation. In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, FIP President CS Randhawa has requested him to direct DGCA to implement the revised CAR at the earliest. "...the action of the DGCA not only endangers pilot safety but also undermines the safety of passengers, which the implementation of the revised CAR could prevent," the

Travel tales: Airlines line up flights as Saudi woos Indian tourists

India has added 443,000 seats in CY2024, according to OAG, an aviation research agency

Airlines sensitised to exercise moderation in pricing of air tickets: Govt

Airlines have been advised to self-regulate as well as sensitised to exercise moderation in pricing of air tickets, the civil aviation ministry told the Rajya Sabha on Monday. There have been persisting concerns over high airfares, especially during peak and festival seasons. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said the ministry holds consultation with airlines and the representatives are advised to self-regulate and keep passengers' interest in mind while fixing the airfares. "Airlines have also been sensitised to exercise moderation in pricing and to keep passengers' interest in mind. The airlines have committed to ensure that airfares do not surge during events such as natural disasters, calamities, etc," he said in a written reply. Under current regulations, airfares are neither established nor regulated by the government after the repeal of the Air Corporation Act in March 1994. "Globally, most countries have deregulated their aviation sector, i.e., removing

Video shows moment when plane crashed at Kathmandu airport killing 18

Kathmandu plane crash: The 17 technicians and two crew members onboard the plane were headed to Pokhara city when the aircraft crashed during take off at Kathmandu airport

SpiceJet airline's board approves raising Rs 3,000 crore through QIP

Five years back, SpiceJet was operating about 4,000 flights per week. Currently, the airline is operating just about 1,154 flights per week, according to Cirium

Civil aviation ministry gets Rs 2,357 cr budgetary allocation for 2024-25

The budgetary allocation for the civil aviation ministry has been reduced to Rs 2,357.14 crore for the current fiscal ending next March, with regional air connectivity scheme set to get Rs 502 crore during the same period. In the revised budgetary allocation for 2023-24, the amount for the ministry was at Rs 2,922.12 crore. As per documents of the Union Budget 2024-25 that was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on Tuesday, the ministry will get an allocation of Rs 2,357.14 crore. The money set aside for the regional air connectivity scheme has been cut to Rs 502 crore from Rs 850 crore in the revised budgetary allocation for 2023-24. The amount is for revival of 22 airports as well as commencement of 124 RCS routes and Viability Gap Funding for North East Connectivity. To improve connectivity in the northeast region, a new scheme has also been formulated for providing air connectivity and aviation infrastructure, as per a document. However, the Product

Heavy rainfall and technology outage aftermath delay 1,129 flights

IndiGo on Monday morning said that Mumbai is going to see increased rainfall, particularly until Monday night, with more anticipated in the coming days

16,000 remote pilot certificates issued for operating drones in India: Govt

As many as 16,000 Remote Pilot Certificates (RPCs) have been issued for operating drones in the country, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Rajya Sabha on Monday. The certificates have been issued by the DGCA-approved Remote Pilot Training Organisations (RPTOs). In a written reply, Mohol also said that 48 drone companies are producing DGCA type-certified Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) models in the country and 70 models have been type certified by the regulator. "The drone industry is witnessing growth in India. Till date, 16,000 Remote Pilot Certificates (RPC) have been issued by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved RPTOs," he said. There are 116-DGCA-approved RPTOs.

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 .

Tripura min writes to Civil Aviation Minister for BCAS office in Agartala

Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury has asked Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu to sanction a new regional office of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security in Agartala. In a letter to Naidu, the Tripura transport minister said MBB Airport in Agartala is the second busiest airport in the northeast after Guwahati's Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. "It is reliably learnt that 17 new offices of BCAS will be set up across the country shortly. MBB Airport in Agartala, Tripura, is the second busiest airport in the entire Northeast of India after Guwahati's Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. The annual traffic at MBB Airport is about 13 lakh," Chowdhury said in a letter to the Union minister on Saturday. Chowdhury stated, "The new terminal building of MBB Airport which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2022 is a modern and international category. Infrastructure for international flight operations between Agartala 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 ..

IndiGo, Garuda Aviation Academy to train fresh pilots as junior officers

No-frills carrier IndiGo on Thursday said it has partnered with Garuda Aviation Academy to train fresh pilots as future junior first officers, under the airline's Cadet Pilot Program. The 21-month course includes a three-month ground schooling at Garuda Aviation Academy training centre in Gurugram, followed by 12 months of training at 43 Air School in South Africa, which has a track record of training over 6,000 ab-initio pilots over the years, IndiGo said. Over the last 13 years, the airline said, it has formed eight such partnerships and inducted over 1,000 pilots through these full training programmes, including commercial pilot licence and A320 type rating, the airline said. These courses start right from cadet selection to induction into the airline as a pilot, according to the airline. "The partnership with Garuda Aviation Academy will bolster our Cadet Pilot Programme. We believe that this 21-month course will successfully foster the next generation of skilled pilots who wil

IndiGo flight from Chennai to Mumbai receives bomb threat; lands safely

IndiGo, in its statement, said that all the passengers were safely disembarked from the aeroplane

Boeing's CEO to face questions about plane safety from US senators

US lawmakers are expected to press Boeing's chief executive on Tuesday about the company's latest plan to fix its manufacturing problems, and relatives of people who died in two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jetliners plan to be in the room, watching him. CEO David Calhoun is scheduled to appear before the Senate investigations subcommittee, which is chaired by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a Boeing critic. The hearing will mark the first appearance before Congress by Calhoun or any other high-ranking Boeing official since a panel blew out of a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. No one was seriously injured in the incident, but it raised fresh concerns about the company's best-selling commercial aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are conducting separate investigations. From the beginning, we took responsibility and cooperated transparently with the NTSB and the FAA, Calhoun said in remarks prepared for the

Global airlines bet big on India, expect it to be hottest travel market

The domestic air travel market in India is expected to double to 300 million passengers from a record 152 million in 2023, according to government data

TDP MP Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu takes charge of civil aviation ministry

Telugu Desam Party MP Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Thursday assumed the charge of Civil Aviation Minister, succeeding Jyotiraditya Scindia in the new Narendra Modi-led NDA government. The 36-year-old three-time MP is the youngest Cabinet Minister in the Modi 3.0 government. "I am feeling extremely happy to be given this responsibility of leading a very important ministry, not only in the country but also in the entire world. First of all, I would like to thank TDP (Telugu Desam Party) chief and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu for giving me the opportunity to join the Cabinet and PM Modi for assigning me this ministry," he said. Naidu further said that one of the most important priorities will be to create an "ease of flying" scenario in civil aviation as air travel is becoming more and more approachable to the common man, and that has always been the motto of this government. "...we will make civil aviation or the air travel in this country more approachable to the common man of

British Airways to start New Delhi-London daily flight from April 20

Expanding its services to India, British Airways will start a new daily flight between the national capital and London Heathrow from April 20, 2025. "This will increase the airline's schedule across India to 63 flights a week across five cities," the airline said in a release. Currently, the carrier operates 56 weekly flights to India. These include daily services from Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The new flight, starting from April 20, will be operated with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Neil Chernoff, British Airways' Chief Planning and Strategy Officer said the airline is celebrating 100 years of flying to India. "We eagerly anticipate welcoming passengers on board our new flights and continuing our legacy of excellence in the skies," Moran Birger, Head of Sales Asia Pacific and Middle East at British Airways, said.

Increasing flights, more observations of clear air amid turbulence scare

As more and more flights criss-cross the skies, there are more observations of clear air turbulence, which has increased over the decades very likely due to climate change, and airlines are continuing with efforts to mitigate the impact of turbulence. Though rare, a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore experienced severe turbulence on May 20 that caused the death of a passenger and left more than 70 people injured. While investigation is still on, the incident has also brought the focus on turbulence, especially the factors of climate change and Clear Air Turbulence (CAT). In recent weeks, there have also been other incidents of turbulence. Generally, CAT is defined as any turbulence where there is no cloudiness, and is invisible, which also makes detection difficult by pilots and radars in an aircraft. "While variations in climate can cause variations in CAT, a robust increase in CAT over decades is very likely to be because of climate change," Manoj Joshi, a Profess