Defence airports need DGCA certificate for scheduled flights
From next year onwards, scheduled flight operations will be allowed from defence airports only if they have been certified by DGCA, according to the civil aviation ministry. With certain issues still to be sorted out between civil aviation and defence ministries, the deadline has been extended to December 31, 2017, a senior DGCA official said. The initial deadline lapsed on December 31, 2016. In a notification issued earlier this month, the civil aviation ministry said scheduled flight operations will not be permitted from any airport, including defence aerodromes, from December 31, 2017, unless such aerodromes have been certified by the DGCA. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the regulatory body governing safety aspects of civil aviation and approves flight schedules, among others. “… no person shall operate scheduled air transport services to and from an aerodrome, including defence aerodromes, with effect from December 31, 2017 unless it has been either licensed (aerodrome) or certified (defence aerodrome) by the director general of civil aviation,” the notification said. For certification, DGCA will have to check and ensure the safety of airstrips and related facilities, including air traffic control (ATC), at defence aerodromes. Besides, the regulator should have access to areas and aspects related to scheduled carrier services. Discussions are going on among officials of the ministries to sort out the issues and hence the deadline has been extended, the DGCA official reasoned. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) manages 125 aerodromes, including 25 civil enclaves at defence airfields, as per its website. Christine Michael Sr Authentic Jersey
SoBo to get direct connect to new airport via MTHL
The road route through the 22-km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) will provide direct connectivity to passengers from south Mumbai to the upcoming international airport. The SoBo motorists can take a left turn from Shivaji Nagar, Ulwe to head for the western side of the airport. Cidco chief engineer, K K Varkhedkar said, “The MTHL will drop in Ulwe at Shivaji Nagar from where one arm of the coastal road, via an interchange, will directly connect to the airport. The other arm will connect JNPT.” Total length of the two arms of the coastal road is 10. 1 km. The airport connectivity via Ulwe will be done under phase I and the JNPT connect in phase II. A 5.7-km stretch of the coastal road will connect MTHL to Aamra Marg, that will help motorist to access Palm Beach Road at Kille junction. Just before the coastal road connects to Aamra Marg, there will be a bifurcation near the upcoming Targhar railway station, which is described as airport link. Targhar is one of the several railway stations on the upcoming Nerul-Uran railway corridor. Wes Horton Womens Jersey
PM Modi’s single election trip causes crores in losses and wastes approx 40,000 tax paying Indians’ time
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been the biggest star campaigner for the BJP in the ongoing assembly polls in five states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. And, just like in the past, the ‘hard-working’ prime minister has been spending most of his time on campaign trail than in Delhi. Experts say that Modi leaving Delhi so frequently from Delhi causes huge losses to the exchequer as well as putting the lives of thousands of people at risk. Former Air Force Officer and Janta Ka Reporter’s resident aviation expert, Squadron Leader (retired) Khalid Ehsan, said, “When an Indian VIP leaves for airport, traffic blockage and diversion begins on road at least 30 minutes in advance. All aircraft stop to land or take-off or start or taxi, approximately 20 minutes prior to the planned departure. “And if the VIP in question gets delayed, which is pretty common, thousands of passengers in aircrafts are forced to wait both in the air and on ground for him or her to arrive at the airport and then takeoff. Many aircrafts hold 100 nm away from Delhi for 15 to 30 minutes, for VIP to clear 100 nm air zone.” Explaining further, Squadron Leader Ehsan said that that such paraphernalia posed huge safety risk to passengers and added unnecessary costs to exchequer. “Because the VIP, in this case is the PM, there is stricter security protocol, with vehicles running on both sides of the VIP aircraft escorting it till the takeoff point. Cost of this delay is borne by the airlines; with the in-flight holding charge amounting to Rs 10 lakh per aircraft for a 30 minute wait. This delay also has a telescopic effect on commercial aviation for at least four to five hours. “Consider 20 arrival and 20 departure from Delhi delayed by 30 minutes for 5 hours. This is equivalent to 100 hours lost in serving Super Ego VIP. And the financial cost reaches a whopping Rs 10 Cr. The same drama is repeated when the VIP returns. In other words, Modi’s each visit to election rally and return costs Indian taxpayers Rs 20 Cr. This has a knock on effect on 200 flights and if we were to assume that each flight has 100 passengers, such VIP visit has just wasted the time of 20,000 tax paying Indians. And what did he do? He made public speeches for his political party in the election. And who suffered? 40,000 Indians in airport and many more on roads.” Sqn Ldr Ehsan said that it was time these ‘VIPs were banned from Indian roads and using public airports” adding that the important leaders such as Modi ought to have used the Hindon air base than Delhi Airport. Peyton Manning Authentic Jersey
AAI pays Rs 560 Crore interim dividend to government for 2016-17
Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is 100% owned by the government, today announced an Interim Dividend payment of Rs 560 crore for the year 2016-17 to its promoter. “AAI has earned a Revenue of Rs 10,824 crore and a profit before tax of Rs 3,697 crores and Profit after tax of Rs 2,537 Crores for the year 2015-16,” said a release from the airport operator. AAI said that it has spent an amount Rs 4,315 crores during the last three years [2013-14 to 2015-16] on modernization of Airport terminals, passenger facilities and Air Traffic and Navigational Aids at its Airports. AAI has paid Rs 1,106 crore as dividend in the last three years [2013-14 – 2015-16] and has also contributed to the Central Exchequer Rs 6,253 Crores in different forms during the same period, apart from paying Dividend, added the relelase. Francisco Lindor Jersey
Airbus says profit hit by military plane woes
European airplane maker Airbus said today that its profits nosedived last year as charges related to problems with its A400M military cargo transport plane sent earnings into a tailspin. Airbus said in a statement that its bottom-line net profit plummeted by 63 per cent to 995 million euros (USD 1.0 billion) last year, shot down by a 2.2-billion-euro hit on the A400M. Revenues grew by three per cent to 66.6 billion euros. “We have delivered on the commitments that we gave a year ago and achieved our guidance and objectives, with one exception, the A400M, where we had to take another significant charge totalling 2.2 billion euros in 2016,” said chief executive Tom Enders. “De-risking the programme and strengthening programme execution are our top priorities for this aircraft in 2017.” The A400M was commissioned jointly in 2003 by the governments of Germany, Belgium, France, Britain, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey. Originally planned for launch in 2011, its delivery was substantially delayed by a string of technical problems and different requests from the governments. And new faults were discovered in the propellor engines last year. Airbus delivered 17 A400M in 2016, compared with 11 in 2015 and has delivered two of the military transport planes so far this year. “Cash retentions by customers will continue to weigh significantly in 2017 and 2018 in particular,” Airbus warned. “Challenges remain on meeting contractual capabilities, securing sufficient export orders in time, cost reduction and commercial exposure, which could be significant. Given the size of the cumulative A400M programme loss, the board of directors has mandated management to re-engage with customers to cap the remaining exposure.” Airbus said that its new orders amounted to 134 billion euros in 2016, down from 159 billion euros in 2015. The total value of the group’s order book stood at 1.06 trillion euros at the end of December, up from 1.0 trillion euros a year earlier. Total deliveries of commercial aircraft rose to 688 in 2016 from 635 a year earlier and helicopter deliveries were up at 418 compared with 395. Adam Graves Authentic Jersey
Jet Airways, HongKong Airlines ink codeshare agreement
As part of the reciprocal agreement, Jet Airways will place its marketing code “9W” on Hong Kong Airlines’ flights operating between Hong Kong and Okinawa and Tokyo in Japan; Denpasar in Indonesia; Hanoi in Vietnam; Bangkok in Thailand; and Auckland in New Zealand. Hong Kong Airlines in turn, will place its marketing code “HX” on Jet Airways’ flights between Hong Kong and Mumbai as well as Delhi in India. The agreement will allow Hong Kong Airlines to offer its guests a daily service connecting the key business cities of Hong Kong, Mumbai and Delhi. The codeshare will provide opportunities for both airlines to expand their reach and cater to guests across the region. It will also enhance connectivity for Jet Airways guests from Mumbai and Delhi via Hong Kong to multiple destinations in the Asia-Pacific region including to first time codeshare destinations – Okinawa in Japan and Auckland in New Zealand thus enhancing the proposition for travelers who are increasingly seeking newer and more varied travel experiences.Guest can also enjoy the multi-gateway travel flexibility of travelling to/from India to Hong Kong in one direction and via Bangkok in the other direction. Additionally, Jet Airways’ Jet Privilege members will also be able to earn frequent flyer miles when they travel on Jet Airways marketed flights on these codeshare routes, which will not only be available for redemption but also count towards their tier status in the programme. Teez Tabor Authentic Jersey
Indian Aviation Industry’s Profitability At Risk, Pricing Holds The Key
A year after posting first profits in a decade, India’s aviation industry is expected to slip back into the red in the ongoing and the next fiscal. Limited ability to hike fares, rising crude oil prices and aggressive borrowing plans to buy planes may eat into the profitability of Indian carriers in the financial years (FY) 2016-17 and 2017-18, a report by aviation adviser and researcher CAPA India said. IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet, GoAir and Air India Express are expected to remain profitable in FY17, but at a level lower than in FY16. Losses will increase at Air India, AirAsia India and Vistara, which is expected to pull the industry into the red with combined losses of $250-300 million, CAPA said. The industry’s losses could widen to $380-450 million in FY18 with fuel prices estimated to be around $55-60 a barrel and exchange rate in range of Rs 73-75 a dollar, the report said. Indian carriers have ordered 880 aircraft, of which 600-650 are expected to be delivered over the next 10 years. Financing these orders, which have an estimated value of $30 billion, may become challenging, according CAPA India’s outlook for financial year 2017-18. The industry is scheduled to induct 60-65 narrow-body planes and 10-12 small aircraft in FY18, according to CAPA estimates. The airlines are expected to raise close to $1 billion in FY18, led by Jet Airways at $300-400 million. Any delay in raising funds may cost Indian carriers and market conditions are “expected to turn” in the near term, the report said. Fuel expenses are a substantial part of an airline’s operating costs. The sharp fall in global crude oil prices had resulted in steep cuts in airfares in FY16. Crude prices have started rising again, helped by production cuts since January by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia. U.S. crude, or the generic WTI benchmark, has risen to $55 a barrel in February 2017 from below $30 a year ago. There is uncertainty on where the fuel prices are headed. It largely depends on whether the OPEC bloc continues to cut production to boost prices. Mike Wallace Womens Jersey
Panel against auctioning of flying rights to neighbouring countries
A panel that includes India’s top federal official did not favour a proposal that had sought auctioning of flying rights to airlines flying to the country from its immediate neighbourhood. The Committee of Secretaries (CoS), which met in the second week of February, did not favour the Civil Aviation Ministry’s proposal on the ground that bilateral flying rights are treaties signed between two countries on the basis of equality and are not candidates to go under the hammer. The Prime Minister’s Office and the federal cabinet had asked the specially constituted CoS to examine the proposal made in June. “Barring the aviation secretary, all other members, including the cabinet secretary, were of the view that bilateral entitlements are signed between two countries on the basis of equality and that auctioning them may not be the right idea,” said a government official, who was aware of this issue. The aviation secretary, however, differed, citing European precedence to back the rights auction proposal. The announcement was part of the civil aviation policy the Cabinet had cleared in June. It required designated carriers of countries within 5,000 km flying radius and seeking flying rights beyond those already agreed to bid for bilateral privileges. Both Indian and overseas carriers said the policy militates against universally-applied principles of bilateral entitlements. Aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju and his then junior Mahesh Sharma had divergent views on the issue too. To further examine the proposal, the Prime Minister’s Office and the cabinet ordered the constitution of the CoS: It is headed by the cabinet secretary. Members of the CoS are secretaries of the Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy and of the aviation, and foreign ministries and chief executive of planning think-tank, the NITI Aayog. “The CoS has asked us to examine the issue again and we are discussing it internally and with stakeholders, including airlines,” said an aviation ministry official, who did not want to be identified. Analysts welcomed the initial rejection by the CoS. “The decision to auction bilateral (entitlements) is legally and strategically unwise and I am happy that this decision is likely to be changed,” said Kapil Kaul, CEO for Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation in India. “India needs a clear bilateral strategy, which is well balanced, equitable and not driven in one direction. Instead of auctions, we need a new framework for bilateral allocation,which is in national economic interests and one which can be defended later against any audits.” Jonathan Schoop Jersey
SpiceJet says India’s $85 billion plane orders still not enough
ndia’s airlines have ordered about 850 planes valued at about $85 billion in recent years. SpiceJet Ltd, a budget carrier, says that’s still not enough to meet demand. SpiceJet, which last month ordered as many as 205 Boeing Co. jets worth $22 billion, is being rather conservative with its purchases, the carrier’s chairman Ajay Singh told Rishaad Salamat in a Bloomberg Television interview in Singapore on Wednesday. Demand will surge with more Indians starting to fly, fuelled by economic growth in smaller towns, he said. “With all the orders that all the Indian airlines have placed, counting for replacements, we will have 800 planes in 10 years from now,” Singh said. “That’s not a lot of planes. That’s the same number of planes that Southwest Airlines has today.” India — the world’s fastest growing major aviation market –is among battlegrounds in emerging markets for planemakers like Boeing and Airbus Group SE, as a rising middle class flies for the first time. The potential has made Singapore Airlines Ltd. and AirAsia Bhd. set up local units that are grappling with poor infrastructure, cut-throat fare wars and taxes that make jet fuel the costliest in Asia. “We have to keep on developing the infrastructure,” Singh said. “A lot of the growth in India is not happening in Mumbai and Delhi, it’s happening in tier-2, tier-3 towns.” Stoking Demand Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered to fund some of the airlines’ losses and to subsidize landing and parking charges if they fly to remote parts of the country as part of a recent policy. Modi has also vowed to cap airfares to stimulate demand in unserved airports, which constitute about 80 percent of the country’s total airports and airstrips. SpiceJet, which was forced to shut down briefly in 2014 after running out of money, has many options to finance its plane orders, said Singh, an original co-founder who returned to run the carrier again. Those include potential funding by the Export-Import Bank of the US as well as sale-and-leaseback arrangements, he said. IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, has ordered 430 Airbus A320neo jets on top of a previous order for 100 planes, making it the model’s biggest customer in the world. Go Airlines India Pvt has ordered 144 of the same model, while Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons Ltd. and Singapore Airlines, said it is looking to order narrow- and wide-body planes. Bruce Irvin Womens Jersey
Qatar Airways looking at potential Indian carriers for collaboration
Qatar Airways, which is interested in partnering with Indian carrier for expanding its air operations to India is looking at potential Indian carriers for collaboration, as it is eyeing to tap India’s civil aviation space. Sources said the airline is exploring for an opportunity to tie-up with existing Indian carrier, both regional and airlines’ having pan India presence. A senior official with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said that the Indian government had discussed the issue with the Qatar government – Qatar Airways is a state-owned airline – and the latter has evinced interested. MoCA has reciprocated Qatar government’s plan and has written to the Qatar government to start an airline in India. Qatar government had evinced interest during bilateral negotiations between the two countries for increased number of flights and expanding its aviation market to India recently. Government sources said it has also suggested Qatar Airways to explore for partnering with Indian carriers for the regional connectivity scheme (RCS), which is aimed at connecting the remote airports of the country. Quandre Diggs Jersey