Page 9 - Civil Aviation Sector

No adverse findings in Boeing 737 Max planes, says Akasa post-inspection

Akasa Air on Monday said it has completed a thorough inspection of its entire fleet of in-service Boeing 737 Max planes and that there are no adverse findings. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on January 5, directed domestic airlines to immediately carry out inspection of emergency exits of all Boeing 737-8 Max planes in their fleets as an "abundant precautionary measure" in the wake of the Alaska Airlines incident. On January 4, an Alaska Airlines plane's outer section, including a window, fell off mid-air and the aircraft involved was Boeing 737-9 Max. In a statement on Monday, Akasa Air said subsequent to the guideline issued by DGCA, it has completed a thorough inspection of its entire fleet of in-service Boeing 737 Max aircraft. "We can confirm that there are no adverse findings. We can also confirm that there was no disruption to our operations during this time," it said. Akasa Air has 22 Max planes in its fleet. Currently, there are more than 40 Boeing 737-

Runway at Tokyo's Haneda airport reopens a week after fatal collision

Tokyo's Haneda airport is almost back to its normal operation Monday as it reopened the runway a week after a fatal collision between a Japan Airlines airliner and a coast guard aircraft seen to have been caused by human error. The collision occurred Tuesday evening when JAL Flight 516 carrying 379 passengers and flight crew landed right behind the coast guard aircraft preparing for a take off on the same runway, both engulfed in flames. All occupants of the JAL's Airbus A350-900 airliner safely evacuated in 18 minutes. The captain of the coast guard's much smaller Bombardier Dash-8 escaped with burns but his five crew members died. At the coast guard Haneda base, colleagues of the five flight crew lined up and saluted to mourn for their deaths as a black vehicle carrying their bodies drove past them. The victims' bodies were to return to their families Sunday after police autopsies as part of their separate investigation of possible professional negligence. Haneda reopened three ..

Alaska Air grounds Boeing 737 Max-9 fleet after window, fuselage blowout

The airline is taking the "precautionary step" to temporarily ground the fleet of 65 planes until the completion of full maintenance and inspection, Chief Executive Officer Ben Minicucci said

Time-consuming training, pilot shortages causing fog-related flight delays

During the pandemic, only a few pilots could train on these simulators as these enclosed spaces carried a high risk of transmission, exacerbating the challenge with simulator availability today

Air travel favourable option during new year, no festival surge in fare

This adjustment in airfares can be attributed to airlines' efforts to rectify the missteps observed prior to Diwali, according to aviation industry officials

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to go 'silent' from Jan 1

The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport here will be going 'silent' from January 1, 2024. In a 'silent airport', passengers will be provided a noise-free and peaceful travel experience, an airport statement here said on Wednesday. "The Silent Airport initiative is to ensure that passengers can enjoy a relaxed auditory experience while they utilise their wait time enjoying their favorite activities without disturbance," a TRV (Kerala) International Airport Limited (TIAL) spokesperson said. As part of the initiative, the airport will ensure that no vital information for passengers is missed and that TIAL will display flight information in all Flight Information Display Screens across Terminal-1 and Terminal-2, it said. Only announcements related to change in boarding gate as well as Inline Baggage Screening System will be made at the airport, it added. Emergency and security related announcements will continue on the public announcement systems as per the requirements. A campa

Eight out of ten fliers faced issues with Indian airlines, says survey

Major challenges identified include issues with in-flight services, boarding, check-in, baggage procedures, and poor aircraft interiors, including seats

Grounding 200 aircraft to have minimal impact on passenger traffic: Report

The likely grounding of 200 aircraft by March next year will have minimal impact on air passenger traffic, according to a report. Air passenger traffic is expected to reach about 375 million passengers, 1.09 times of pre-pandemic levels, in the current fiscal, the report by credit ratings agency CareEdge said. Research and advisory firm CAPA India had late last month said Indian airlines fleet continues to be severely constrained and close to 200 aircraft may go out of operations by the end of FY24 due to supply chain issues and maintenance purposes. "Despite the projection of around 200 aircraft being grounded by March 2024, the impact on traffic is expected to be minimal, at 3-4 per cent," CareEdge Ratings Director Maulesh Desai said. This is attributed to the extension of wet leases and an increase in passenger load, he said. Noting that passenger traffic will reach new heights in the next fiscal, with a healthy Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14 per cent from FY23 to F

London-bound British Airways flight returns to Delhi due to technical issue

A British Airways plane enroute to London returned to the national capital on Friday morning due to a technical issue, according to sources. The aircraft, which took off at around 0945 hours, returned soon due to fire indication lights. There were more than 200 people onboard, one of the sources said. As per information on flight tracking website Flightradar24, the flight BA 142 was operated with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The source also said the flight was cancelled for the day. Further details could not be immediately ascertained.

New surveillance tech to reduce midair gap between aircraft from Jan 1

A reduction in lateral separation of aircraft will enable flight operators to take more direct routes, saving fuel in the process

Govt asks airport operators to explore biometric models for smooth travel

The civil aviation ministry, which is taking measures to prevent congestion at airport in the upcoming festive season, has asked airport operators to look at the successful biometric models being used in other countries for smooth travel of air passengers. During a meeting with an advisory group, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia asked airport operators to promote Digi Yatra, which provides for contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various check points at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). Currently, Digi Yatra is available for domestic passengers at 13 airports, including Delhi, Mumbai and Varanasi. At the meeting on Tuesday, the airport operators were also tasked with presenting biometric enabled models being successfully used in other countries, according to an official release. On December 15, Scindia said the Digi Yatra facility will be available at 25 more airports in 2024. The release said that a suggestion at the meeting was to ...

Aviation industry expected to see 10-15% revenue growth in FY25: ICRA

The pace of recovery in the industry earnings will be gradual owing to the high fixed cost nature of the business

Airlines likely to prune losses to Rs 3,000-5,000 cr in FY24: ICRA

Indian airline industry is expecting to prune its net losses to Rs 3,000-5,000 crore in this fiscal from an estimated Rs 17,000-17,500 crore in FY2023 on the back of improved yields and stable cost environment, credit ratings agency ICRA said on Tuesday. At the same time, ICRA also estimated that domestic air passenger traffic will expand by 8-13 per cent each in FY2024 and FY2025. The rating agency has also maintained its stable outlook on the industry in view of healthy passenger traffic growth, improved yields and a stable cost environment. Building on the fast-paced recovery in FY2023, ICRA at a webinar on Tuesday said it is expecting the domestic air passenger traffic to grow by 8-13 per cent in the ongoing financial year, thereby reaching 150-155 million and surpassing the pre-Covid levels of 141.2 million seen in FY2020. The Industry's net loss (is expected) to shrink to Rs 30-50 billion in FY2024 from an estimated Rs 170-175 billion in FY2023, aided by improved yields and .

IndiGo becomes first Indian airline to carry 100 mn pax in a single year

IndiGo operates over 2,000 flights per day. It flies to 86 domestic and 32 international destinations

Go First lessors propose MRO agency to maintain aircraft, RP tells HC

The RP said that it is surprising that the lessors who have participated in the discussions have chosen not to place the above facts on record

Vistara inducts 50th Airbus A320 neo plane in its fleet of 66 aircraft

Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines jointly run airline Vistara on Friday inducted the 50th Airbus A320 neo plane in its fleet. With this latest addition, Vistara now has 66 aircraft, including 50 Airbus A320 neo, 10 Airbus A321, and six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline plans to have 70 aircraft in its fleet by March next year. Vistara had in January this year said it was looking at a fleet of 70 planes by mid-2024. "In line with the focus to expand its domestic and international footprint, Vistara is on course to have 70 aircraft by the end of FY2024, thereby providing better connectivity and a wider network to its customers," the airline said in a statement. Vistara currently operates over 300 daily flights, connecting 32 domestic and 18 international destinations.

Air India gets DGCA's approval for maintenance of A350, A320 aircraft

Private carrier Air India said on Friday it has received the DGCA approval for engineering line maintenance of A350 and A320 aircraft. The Gurugram-based full-service airline is expecting to induct its first wide-body Airbus 350-900 plane in the fleet by year-end, which will make it the first air services operator in the country to have this type of aircraft. The airline plans to induct a total of six such planes in the first phase. The regulatory approval for engineering line maintenance of A350 is a major step forward in ensuring the smooth operation and maintenance of six A350 aircraft which is set to join the Air India fleet, Air India said in a statement. The first of these six planes is expected to land by the month end, it said. Along with this key approval, Air India engineers also received the DGCA certification for attending to any work related to the maintenance of A350 aircraft, it said. The airline said its engineering team has been gearing up to receive the A350 air

Cabinet clears plan to declare Surat airport as international one

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the proposal to declare Surat airport as an international airport. "This strategic move promises to unlock unprecedented economic potential, making Surat a key player in the international aviation landscape and fostering a new era of prosperity for the region," an official release said. The decision was taken by the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Elevating Surat airport to international status is paramount for enhancing economic growth, attracting foreign investment, and bolstering diplomatic ties. With a surge in passenger traffic and cargo operations, the airport's international designation will provide a crucial impetus for regional development," the release said.

Domestic air passenger traffic rose by 9% in November; crosses 1.27 cr

Domestic air passenger traffic rose 9 per cent to more than 1.27 crore in November, according to official data released on Friday. Last month also saw daily air traffic touching new highs multiple times. IndiGo remained the country's largest domestic carrier but its market share declined to 61.8 per cent in November from 62.6 per cent in October. However, none of the scheduled carriers had an On-Time Performance (OTP) score of more than 80 per cent in November. Official data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday showed that airlines flew 1.27 crore passengers in November compared to 1.17 crore in the year-ago period. This marks a growth of 9.06 per cent on an annual basis. "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-November 2023 were 1,382.34 lakhs as against 1,105.10 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering annual growth of 25.09 per cent and monthly growth of 9.06 per cent," DGCA said. The domestic

Digi Yatra facility to be available at 25 more airports in 2024: Scindia

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said Digi Yatra facility will be available at 25 more airports in 2024. Currently, the facility is available at 13 airports for domestic passengers. Digi Yatra provides for contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various check points at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). At a briefing in the national capital, Scindia said Digi Yatra will be introduced at 14 airports in the first phase and another 11 airports in the second phase next year. By the end of 2024, Digi Yatra will be available at 25 more airports and the total number of airports that will have the facility will increase to 38, he said. Currently, Digi Yatra facility is available at 13 airports that handle around 85 per cent of the country's domestic air passenger traffic. Next year, the facility will be available at a total of 38 airports that handle around 95 per cent of the traffic. The data shared by a passenger for Digi Yatra is store