Page 33 - Dgca

SpiceJet Q3 profit surges five-fold to Rs 107 crore as air travel grows

India's SpiceJet Ltd reported a nearly five-fold surge in third-quarter profit on Friday, as the embattled low-cost carrier benefited from soaring demand for air travel

Aviation regulator DGCA recommends measures to boost mental health of crew

The regulator is of the view that the pressures and stressors at workplace and personal life cannot be addressed through these professional skills, procedures or knowledge

DGCA proposes steps for mental health of crew, air traffic controllers

To ensure mental wellbeing of flight crew and air traffic controllers, civil aviation watchdog DGCA has proposed various measures, including mental health assessment during the medical assessments and peer support programme. A circular will be issued to airlines and Airports Authority of India (AAI) to put in place the necessary provisions to implement the recommendations, a senior DGCA official said on Wednesday. Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) come under AAI. Amid concerns about the mental health of flight crew and ATCOs, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had set up an expert panel. The panel identified three major domains where measures can be taken. They are "mental health assessment during the medical assessments, Peer Support Programme (PSP), and pre-employment psychological assessment," the DGCA said in a release. The expert panel comprised experienced DGCA officers, air safety, clinical aerospace medicine and mental health experts (psychologists). The aim w

SpiceJet board to consider fundraising to cover outstanding liabilities

SpiceJet on Tuesday said its board will meet on Friday to consider options to raise funds as well as to convert certain outstanding liabilities into equity shares of the company. The no-frills airline, which has been grappling with multiple headwinds, including legal woes, is looking to raise fresh capital through issuance of eligible securities to qualified institutional buyers. Besides, the carrier plans to issue equity shares on preferential basis consequent upon conversion of outstanding liabilities into equity shares of the company, subject to applicable regulatory approvals, according to a filing to the BSE. Both plans will be taken up by the board of directors during its meeting scheduled for February 24. Specific details about the proposals could not be immediately ascertained. In December last year, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh told shareholders that the company is engaged with investment bankers to raise up to USD 200 million in order to achieve its

Vistara hikes salaries of pilots, cabin crew by 8% as part of appraisal

Full service carrier Vistara will hike salaries of its pilots and cabin crew by up to 8 per cent from April amid deployment of higher capacities to meet rising travel demand, according to a source. The source also claimed that some 30 pilots have quit the airline in the last six months and are serving notice period after getting job offers mainly from the Gulf carriers. On Thursday, a senior Vistara official confirmed the salary hike for the pilots and cabin crew but denied that 30 pilots have left the airline. The official also said the salary hike decision is part of the annual appraisal exercise and not triggered by any other development, adding that some pilots changed their decision to quit in view of the long-term opportunities at the airline, which is to be merged with Air India. The official did not provide any specific details about the number of pilots who quit or are serving the mandatory six-month notice period. Queries sent to Vistara remained unanswered. "Vistara

HAL receives DGCA approval for indigenously developed 'black boxes'

The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd said on Thursday it has received the Indian Technical Standard Order (ITSO) authorisation from Directorate General of Civil Aviation for its indigenously developed Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR). The ITSO is a minimum performance standard for specified materials, parts, processes, and appliances used on civil aircraft, the Bengaluru-headquartered HAL noted in a statement. CVR and FDR are popularly known as 'black boxes'. However, these recorders are painted in orange colour to help in their recovery following an aircraft accident. CVR and FDR are used to record critical flight parameters and audio environment in a crash proof memory which is later used for investigation of aircraft incident or accident, it was noted.

Air India may find it cheaper to buy jets, thanks to Tata's credit profile

On the strength of its excellent financial track record, Tata Group was able to secure Power-By-Hour (PBH) agreements with engine manufacturers GE and Rolls Royce

State-run HAL to provide maintenance support for GA-ASI's MQ-9B engines

State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will provide maintenance support services for engines of American MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, considered one of the most sophisticated armed drones globally. The HAL will provide the maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the operations of MQ-9B drones in India, officials said on Wednesday. The announcement of the project comes amid India's ongoing talks with the US to procure 30 MQ-9B armed drones at a cost of over USD 3 billion primarily to crank up its surveillance apparatus along the frontier with China as well as in the Indian Ocean region. The HAL and US defence major General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI), the manufacturer of the MQ9Bs,, announced the collaboration on the MRO (maintenance repair and overhaul) services for the drones on the sidelines of Aero India-2023 at the Yelahanka air base complex. In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones fro

Uphold ethical standards or face disciplinary action: AI to cabin crew

Air India has told its cabin crew to uphold ethical standards or face disciplinary action if their actions negatively affect the airline's reputation

Information provided by KSIDC on Sabarimala airport being analysed

The civil aviation ministry on Monday said various information, including about land availability, provided by the Kerala government's KSIDC with respect to the proposed Sabarimala airport are being analysed. In June 2020, the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) had submitted a proposal under Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy to the ministry for grant of site clearance for development of the Sabarimala airport in the state. The KSIDC's proposal was considered in consultation with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Ministry of Defence (MoD) and KSIDC, as per GFA Policy. "Based on the observations of AAI and DGCA, KSIDC was requested to submit a Techno-Economic Feasibility Study (TEFS) Report. The Final TEFS report was submitted by KSIDC in June 2022 and the same was shared with AAI and DGCA," Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. According to the minister, the ..

Air Asia flight grounded by DGCA in Pune after a tyre found cracked

An Air Asia aircraft was "grounded" by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at a runway in Pune on Sunday after one of the flight's tyres was found "cracked", officials said

DGCA imposes Rs 20 lakh fine on Air Asia for failing to discharge duties

It has also asked for removal of the airline's Head of Training from his position for three months

Indian civil aviation system jumps to 55th rank in latest ICAO audit: DGCA

The audit was done in five areas, following which India received an updated overall effective implementation (EI) of 85.65%

846 domestic, 458 international flights delayed at IGI airport in Dec-Jan

20 domestic departures, three international departures, 31 domestic arrivals and three international arrivals were cancelled at IGI Airport in December 2022 and January 2023

Civil aviation ministry says 63 passengers put on 'No Fly List' in 2022

The civil aviation ministry on Monday said three passengers have been put on the 'No Fly List' this year while a total of 63 passengers were placed on the list in 2022. A total of 143 passengers have been put on the list since 2017, according to data provided by the ministry to the Rajya Sabha. These passengers were placed on the list as recommended by airlines' internal committees set up as per aviation regulator DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) pertaining to the handling of unruly/disruptive passengers. The CAR was notified in September 2017 as a measure to deal with the issue related to the handling of unruly/disruptive passengers. "As on date, there are 143 passengers who have been placed in 'No Fly List' for such period, as per the recommendations of airline's internal committee... since 2017," Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. As per the data, Air India has put three passengers on the list in 2023. In 2022, IndiG

DGCA orders probe as IndiGo passenger enroute to Udaipur reaches Patna

Director General of Civil Aviation has sought a report from IndiGo airline on a bizarre instance in which an air passenger reached Rajasthan's Udaipur while he was supposed to reach Patna

Airlines faced 546 technical snags during aircraft operations in 2022: Govt

The government on Thursday said domestic airlines faced a total of 546 technical snags during operation of planes last year. Out of them, the country's largest airline IndiGo faced 215 snags while SpiceJet saw 143 snags and Vistara had 97 snags. Air India faced 64 snags while those reported by Go First and Akasa Air stood at 7 and 6, respectively, according to data provided by the civil aviation ministry in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. In 2022, Air Asia (India) witnessed 8 snags, Alliance Air reported 3 snags, Fly Big (1), TrueJet (1) and BlueDart Aviation (1). A total of 1,090 snags were faced by airlines in the last two years. Last year, the number of snags was slightly higher at 546 compared to 544 in 2021. To a query on whether more technical snags are reported in the country due to low cost airlines, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh replied in the negative. "No Sir, Technical snags are experienced during operation of aircraft. These may be due to improper

Indian aviation industry suffers over Rs 24,000 cr loss in 2020-22

India's aviation industry suffered a loss of over Rs 24,000 crore in the last two financial years during 2020-22

DGCA imposes Rs 10-lakh penalty on Go First for 9 January incident

This is the third case of an airline getting penalised for lapses

DGCA slaps Rs 10 lakh fine on Go First for Bangalore airport incident

Aviation regulator DGCA on Friday imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on Go First for the incident wherein 55 passengers were left behind in a passenger coach at Bangalore airport on January 9. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a show-cause notice to the airline following the incident. "Perusal of (the) reply of Go First reveals that there was improper communication, coordination between terminal coordinator, commercial staff and crew regarding (the) boarding of passengers in the aircraft. "The airline failed to ensure adequate arrangement for ground handling, preparation of load and trim sheet, flight dispatch and passenger/cargo handling," DGCA said in a statement. For these lapses, the watchdog has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on the airline.