Page 18 - Dgca

DGCA refuses to extend June 1 deadline to implement new FDTL rules

FDTL norms are important as they ensure adequate rest for pilots so that there is no untoward incident

Domestic air traffic rises 4.8% to 12.64 mn in Feb, 155K faced delays

Domestic air traffic rose 4.8 per cent on an annual basis to 126.48 lakh in February, while more than 1.55 lakh passengers were affected by flight delays during the same period, according to official data released on Friday. In February, Air India's market share rose to 12.8 per cent from 12.2 per cent while that of IndiGo marginally dipped to 60.1 per cent from 60.2 per cent in January. The domestic air traffic climbed to 126.48 lakh in February compared to 120.69 lakh in the year-ago period, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. However, the traffic was less than 1.31 crore reported in January. "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January - February 2024 were 257.78 lakh, as against 246.11 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year thereby registering an annual growth of 4.74 per cent and monthly growth of 4.80 per cent," DGCA said. As many as 1,55,387 passengers were affected due to flight delays in February and scheduled carriers shel

Goa-based airline FLY91 to start commercial services from March 18

Regional airline FLY91 will start commercial services from March 18, with flights connecting Goa to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Besides, it will have flights to Sindhudurg from Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The Goa-based carrier plans to start flights to Lakshadweep from April, its chief Manoj Chacko said on Tuesday. The airline received its air operator permit from aviation regulator DGCA on March 6. At a briefing at the Mopa airport, FLY91 MD and CEO Manoj Chacko said the airline will have a total of six ATR 72-600 planes in six months. Currently, there are two aircraft in its fleet. "We aim to connect Bharat," Chacko said and added that initially, it will connect 13 city pairs. The carrier plans to start flights to Lakshadweep from April. In the next five years, FLY91 plans to have around 35 planes, connect 50 cities and 6 bases, Chacko said. The carrier, operated by Just Udo Aviation Pvt Ltd, seeks to enhance air connectivity across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Chacko said the airli

Several team members resigned as part of strategic restructuring: SpiceJet

SpiceJet on Tuesday said several members of its commercial team have resigned with immediate effect, as part of a strategic restructuring at the airline. On Monday, sources said the airline's Chief Operating Officer Arun Kashyap and Chief Commercial Officer Shilpa Bhatia have put in their papers. "As part of SpiceJet's strategic restructuring, several members of the commercial team including the Chief Commercial Officer have left the company with immediate effect," an airline spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday. With the recent fundraise, the spokesperson said it is speeding up the process of resolution of all past disputes, and continues to see significant growth in revenue and load factor.

Airbus gets DGCA approval for new generation H160 helicopter in India

Airbus has received approval from aviation regulator DGCA for its new generation H160 helicopter in India. More than 100 helicopters of Airbus, including the single-engine H125, are being operated by various entities in the country. In a release on Thursday, Airbus said its H160 helicopter has been granted the letter of type acceptance by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that will pave the way for its entry into the Indian market. A multi-role helicopter, H160 can be used for offshore transportation, emergency medical services, private and business aviation and public services, among others. Sunny Guglani, Head of Airbus Helicopters, Airbus India and South Asia, said the DGCA approval paves the way for the introduction of the world's most modern helicopter in India starting with a corporate customer followed by the potential deployment for other types of missions. "Airbus Helicopters is committed to developing a holistic helicopter ecosystem in India, including ...

Manoj Chacko's Fly 91 gets air operator permit, routes under UDAN scheme

Goa-based regional airline FLY91 on Wednesday received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from aviation regulator DGCA. The carrier has now completed all the compliance requirements and will start commercial operations soon, it said in a release. FLY91 received its first ATR 72-600, one of the two aircraft leased from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, last week. The airline has already been allocated its first set of routes under the government's regional air connectivity scheme UDAN, the release said. Under UDAN, the airline will connect Sindhudurg, Jalgaon, Nanded in Maharashtra and Agatti in Lakshadweep. FLY91 (Just Udo Aviation Pvt Ltd) is headquartered in Goa.

Flight ops from Dehradun to Ayodhya, Varanasi, Amritsar start today

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the flight operations from Dehradun to these three major citiesThe three services were launched from Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport on Wednesday.CM Dhami inaugurated the event by lighting a lamp and cutting a cake.Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, "We endeavour to make moving the people within the entire state of Uttarakhand convenient, simple and easy. For this, we are continuously making efforts and the people of the country are travelling to different places in the state.""Flagged off air services from Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun to Shri Ayodhya Dham, Amritsar, Pantnagar and Varanasi and gave boarding passes to the passengers and wished them a happy journey. As a result of the efforts of the double engine government, the air connectivity of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is continuously getting strengthened. With the start of these air services, while people will get convenience in transportation, tourism in the state will ...

Flyers with special needs share ordeal: Airlines ensure enough wheelchairs

The number of people with disability and reduced mobility travelling by air has gone up over the years

DGCA changes rules, mandates alcohol test for 25% airport employees

A total of 189 people working at 59 Indian airports were found drunk on duty in the first half of 2023, marking a 32 percent year-on-year increase, as per the data from DGCA

DGCA fines Air India Rs 30 lakh over failure to provide wheelchair

The 80-year-old passenger died of heart attack after he walked from plane to the terminal in Mumbai airport

DGCA issues stricter breath analyser norms for air traffic controllers

Aviation regulator DGCA has mandated that at least 25 per cent of the air traffic controllers, aircraft maintenance engineers, and personnel carrying out safety-sensitive work at an airport will have to undergo a breath analyser test daily. The revised Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) in this regard will come into force after three months, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a release on Thursday. Currently, the breath analyser test percentage required is 10 per cent and that has been increased to 25 per cent. It will be applicable for air traffic controllers, ground staff, aircraft maintenance engineers, and ground handling services personnel right. According to the regulator, revisions have been made to the CAR on the procedure for breath analyser examination of the personnel engaged in safety-sensitive work such as aircraft maintenance, air traffic control services, aerodrome operations, and ground handling services for detecting the consumption of ...

Air India fined Rs 30 lakh over man's death after wheelchair unavailability

The man, in his 80s, died on February 12 after collapsing when he decided to walk after being told by Air India that the waiting time for the wheelchair was long due to heavy demand

DGCA unlikely to extend June 1 deadline to implement new FDTL rules

In a bid to ensure better fatigue management, the DGCA on January 8 revamped the FDTL regulations

DGCA gets notice over man's death who had to walk for lack of wheelchair

The NHRC has sent a notice to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over reports that an 80-year-old man died at the Mumbai airport after he was refused a wheelchair despite prior request to an airline and forced to walk. Reportedly, the US-based Indian-origin man collapsed after walking for about 1.5 km on the way to the immigration area, the National Human Rights Commission said in a statement. He was walking alongside his wife, who was in a wheelchair. The elderly couple was travelling from New York to India, the rights panel said, quoting the report. The NHRC said it "has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that an 80-year-old man died at the Mumbai airport as he had to walk when not provided with a wheelchair despite prior request to the airline." The Commission observed that the content of the media report, if true, raises a serious issue of violation of human rights of the victim. It has asked the DGCA for a detail report in four weeks. It should include

Budget carrier SpiceJet's MD Ajay Singh submits bid for bankrupt Go First

SpiceJet shares closed 11.3% higher on Friday

DGCA issues notice to A-I over incident involving 80-year-old passenger

Aviation regulator DGCA on Friday issued a show cause notice to Air India regarding the incident of an 80-year-old passenger who collapsed and later died after walking from a plane to the terminal at the Mumbai airport as he did not get a wheelchair. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had sought a report from Air India on the incident. On Friday, DGCA said it has issued a show cause notice to Air India for not complying with the provisions of the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR). The airline has been asked to give its response in seven days. In the wake of the incident, the regulator has also directed all airlines to ensure that an adequate number of wheelchairs are available for passengers who require assistance during embarking or disembarking from the aircraft during their journey.

Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal seeks interim bail to treat cancer

Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, an accused in a money laundering case, has moved a plea before a special court here seeking interim bail for treatment of malignancy, which was revealed during tests conducted by private doctors. The court passed an initial order for setting up a medical board to examine Goyal's medical reports as ED sought time to respond to his interim bail plea. Last month, special judge for cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) M G Deshpande had allowed Goyal (74) to undergo medical tests by private doctors. In the plea moved on Thursday for interim bail, Jet Airways founder Goyal said malignancy was revealed during the tests undertaken by the private doctors. As per his medical records, Goyal has small tumours in his intestine (common location for small tumours), called 'Neuro Endocrine Tumours' (slow growing cancer). He also has a hiatus hernia of about 35 cm to 40 cm with severe reflux oesophagitis, which is a medical condition that occu

Nearly 500,000 passengers affected due to flight delays in Jan 2024: DGCA

A whopping 4.82 lakh passengers were affected due to delayed flights (beyond two hours) in January this year, forcing the airlines to shell out Rs 3.69 crore towards facilitation, according to the DGCA monthly traffic data released on Thursday. At the same time, domestic passenger traffic grew 4.69 per cent in January to 1.31 crore over the same month of last year, according to the DGCA. The domestic passenger traffic for January 2023 was recorded at 1.25 crore. In addition to delays, some 1,374 passengers were denied boarding in the previous month by the various airlines, resulting in a spend of Rs 1.28 crore in compensation other than providing alternate flights and accommodation, refreshments and meals, according to data. In addition to this, the airlines also coughed up Rs 1.43 crore, along with offering refund and re-bookings to the 68,362 passengers whose flights were cancelled during the month, as per the DGCA data. On the domestic passenger traffic front, no-frills carrier

IndiGo-BOC Aviation sign financing deal for 4 Airbus A320NEO aircraft

Singapore-headquartered BOC Aviation Ltd on Wednesday said it has entered into a finance lease transaction with InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (IndiGo). The deal has been signed for four Airbus A320NEO aircraft. "We are pleased to be closing another four finance leases with IndiGo," said Steven Townend, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, BOC Aviation. "We continue to work closely with our long-time customer to support its expansion strategy as it builds a fleet of the latest technology fuel-efficient aircraft," Townend said in a release. The aircraft are all powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines. All four aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2024. "We are pleased to announce that we have extended our partnership with BOC Aviation through a lease agreement for four Airbus A320NEO aircraft," said Riyaz Peermohamed, Chief Aircraft Acquisition and Financing Officer of IndiGo. He further said that these aircraft will be instrumental in supporting the company's expansion plans and ...

NCLT extends deadline for Go First's insolvency for another 60 days

The National Company Law Tribunal on Tuesday extended the deadline for another 60 days to complete the resolution process of grounded airline Go First. A two-member bench of the Delhi-based NCLT admitted the plea filed by the resolution professional (RP) of Go First seeking an extension of the timeline to complete the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP). Diwakar Maheshwari, appearing for RP, argued that so far three parties have submitted their expression of interest for Go First and deposited the earnest money. These firms are expected to submit resolution plans for Go First which has been undergoing CIRP since May 10, 2023. This is the second such extension granted by the NCLT. The tribunal had on November 23 last year granted an extension of 90 days, which ended on February 4. The three firms, including budget carrier Spicejet, Sharjah-based Sky One, and African continent-focused firm Safrik Investments, have shown interest in buying Go First. The Insolvency & ...