Mumbai: City airport data on our performance is wrong, says IndiGo
Long delays while flying in and out of Mumbai have been a sore point with passengers for years. But now the issue on-time performance (OTP) has become a bone of contention even between the choked airport and airlines operating from there too.Some carriers are alleging that they are being wrongly shown as being less punctual at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport—where all airlines record lowest on time performance (OTP) among the metros (see box)—according to monthly data issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).Budget airline IndiGo has questioned OTP monitoring by Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) and complained to the DGCA on this issue on Tuesday.The airline has accused MIAL of monitoring in a way that shows some ‘competing airlines’ as more punctual than they may be in reality.While IndiGo’s USP for long was its punctuality, in recent months, the regulator’s monthly data for OTP of domestic flights shows that other airlines overtook it on this front many times. For instance, in November, IndiGo was at number four—after SpiceJet, Jet and Vistara. Roman Josi Authentic Jersey
Airports authority of India sets ball rolling on new airport roads
The Airports Authority of India has started working towards developing three new roads to the Lohegaon Airport in a bid to decongest the existing roads. Recently, Sanjay Prakash — the DIG in charge of the western zone of Central Industrial Security Force — visited the airport on an inspection and expressed concerns about the traffic congestion. Last week, airport director Ajay Kumar said the AAI is working towards new road projects. “Currently, the Pune Municipal Corporation is in the process of acquiring land for main approach road — the proposed 30-metre DP Road from Sanjay Park to Airport Parking No.1. Land acquisition is on for another road, connecting Lunkad property to 509 Chowk. This road will act as diversion for the vehicles coming from Vimannagar, and going toward Vishrantwadi, Dhanori and Yerawada, and vice versa,” Kumar added. Demaryius Thomas Jersey
Air passenger traffic rises by 44 per cent in State
The number of air passengers from the State has witnessed a growth of around 44 per cent from April to November this year. While the number of total air passengers stood at 16.91 lakh during the corresponding period last year, it swelled to 24.28 lakh during the same time period. Interestingly, the passenger traffic growth stood at only 19 per cent between April and October this year. Gannavaram airport near Vijayawada witnessed 76 per cent passenger growth with industrialists and eminent persons from different parts of the country as well as abroad coming to Amaravati. While Tirupati airport registered a growth of 43 per cent, Visakhapatnam recorded 39 per cent and Rajahmundry airport witnessed a growth of 21 per cent. The number of passengers to the newly-inaugurated Kadapa airport stood at 65,444. C.J. Anderson Authentic Jersey
Wake-up call for DGCA
The Jet Airways aircraft skidding off the runway in Goa and the near-collision of SpiceJet and Indigo planes at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday is symptomatic of the ills that are plaguing the functioning of the directorate-general of civil aviation, the country’s airline regulator. The DGCA is headed by an officer belonging to the elite Indian Administrative Service, who is usually clueless on aviation, and by the time he get somewhat familiar with his job he is moved out after completing his three-year tenure. The outfit is also grossly understaffed, and given the global boom in aviation, the infrastructure needed for safety and regulation is sorely lagging. Air Traffic Control, the most important link in this sector, is like the DGCA also hugely understaffed. This is a scary situation as ATC staff have to be alpha alert at all times. In the case of the two aircraft literally nose to nose on Tuesday, it were the pilots who realised the near-fatal situation and informed the ATC, that had merrily given both aircraft permission to move on the same runway. Mason Cole Authentic Jersey
2016: High growth, maiden policy propelled aviation sector
A maiden integrated policy and over 20 per cent month-on-month traffic growth gave wings to the country’s civil aviation sector in 2016. The sector reaped benefits out of a rise in domestic disposable income, lower jet fuel prices and enhanced services to the non-metro cities, which accelerated India’s passenger traffic growth in 2016. According to the latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), passenger traffic during January-November 2016 zoomed by 23.10 per cent to 90.36 million. This rise and other contributing factors have led global airlines’ industry body International Air Transport Association (IATA) to estimate that India will displace the UK as the third-largest aviation marketplace by 2026. It is currently at 9th. Recently, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha elaborated that the sector has “dramatic headroom” for growth as India has only 150 million passenger trips a year as compared to China’s 450 million and the US’ 800 million. In the backdrop of such high growth, the sector finally got its maiden integrated National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP). The long-awaited policy envisages a roadmap to support 300 million air travellers in five years and steps to make flying affordable and convenient. Broadly, the policy dwells on upgrade of airports, regional connectivity, easing of norms for flying abroad, liberalisation of the open skies regime, development of cargo hubs, chopper services, attracting investments in maintenance and ground-handling and security. The ambitious policy did away with one of the most contentious rules of the sector known as ‘5/20’ — five-years operation and a 20-aircraft fleet — to qualify for flying abroad. The five-year wait was done away with, but airlines will need 20 aircraft or fly 20 per cent of their capacity on domestic routes. The policy may be far away from achieving its intended target, but its showpiece sub-segment — the ‘UDAN’ (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) — is expected to become a reality from early 2017. According to Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the first flight under the RCS is expected to be operated by January 2017. The Udan scheme, meant to enhance air passenger traffic in the country by stimulating demand on regional routes, will be in operation for a period of 10 years, provide air connectivity to unserved and remote routes with airfare being capped at Rs 2,500 for an hour’s journey of around 500 km. The RCS is expected to support airlines by providing direct financial support namely VGF (viability gap funding), which would be given to the interested airlines to kick off operations to an un-served or underserved airport, and also keep passenger fares affordable. The central government is expected to provide concessions in the form of reduced excise duty and service tax, whereas state governments will have to lower the VAT (value added tax) on ATF (air turbine fuel) to one per cent or less. Besides, the state governments would not charge on security and fire services while electricity, water and other utilities would be provided at concessional rates. Minister of State Sinha elaborated that through Udan, the central government is also working to expand the aviation map of India from 75 to 150 airports, adding that the Kanpur and Bhatinda airports have become operational under the scheme. Among other highlights of 2016 — the government has initiated a trial run for “non-stamping” of passengers’ baggage tags at the time of boarding the aircraft at six airports to facilitate hassle-free movement of passengers with hand baggage. In other major developments, the government appointed B.S. Bhullar as chief of the country’s civil aviation regulator, DGCA. Mario Addison Jersey
New places, newer planes
2017 promises to be action-packed for domestic flyers right from the start. This is mainly because of the government’s ambitious Udey Desh Ka Aam Nagrik, or UDAN scheme, which wants to take aviation to those living in Tier II and Tier III cities. The UDAN scheme is part of the National Civil Aviation policy that was released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in July 2016. One of the main objectives of the policy is to enhance regional air connectivity through fiscal support and infrastructure development. The Centre has fixed January 27, 2017 as D-day for opening the technical bids for players interested in operating under UDAN. While the date for selection has not been announced yet, it is expected to be soon as the proposal has the backing of the who’s who in the government. The Centre and States have come forward to provide subsidies to those operators who are willing to offer an one-hour flight between Tier II and Tier III cities at ?2,500. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttrakhand are among the 11 States and Union Territories that have signed up for UDAN. Needless to say the scheme is expected to see the entry of new players. Analysts feel that for the scheme to be successful and viable a small aircraft having the capacity to seat about 20 passengers per flight is ideal. New operators are expected to induct such aircraft in their fleet for starting operations. Andrew Whitworth Jersey
Delhi: Soon, no entry for airport staff without Aadhaar
Ahead of Republic Day, Central Industrial Security Force has thrown a security blanket in and around Indira Gandhi International Airport. As part of a new initiative, after January 1, all airport entry passes will be issued only on the basis of Aadhaar number. All employees have been asked to carry their Aadhaar cards for access to the building. CISF DG O P Singh said that the step was necessary to avoid unauthorised entry. There has been a spurt in incidents of trespass with people entering the premises using forged passes. When the new rule comes into effect, more than 25,000 employees working at the airport, including porters, housekeeping members, loaders and ground staff, will be under close watch. Singh told TOI: “These passes are renewed every year. The deadline for renewing passes that were expiring this month has been extended to March 31. For others, carrying Aadhaar will be mandatory.” The step has been taken in consultation with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. Mason Foster Authentic Jersey
Aviation in 2016: Flight airborne; ATF price, congestion cloud outlook
Year 2016 could be termed a win-win time for flyers as low airfares allowed more passengers to travel even as a host of passenger-centric measures were taken to enhance the flying experience such as the cap on ticket cancellation charges levied by airlines. Domestic air traffic grew at 23 per cent to a record 9 crore from January-November this year, as per Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) estimates. According to International Air Transport Association (IATA), India’s air traffic grew at a significantly higher rate even in October when air traffic growth moderated in other countries such as China (14.1 per cent), Brazil (-5.5 per cent), Russia (2.5 per cent) and Japan (0.8 per cent). A dip in aviation turbine fuel prices by eight per cent on an average in 2016 allowed airlines to offer fares that were lower by about 14 per cent. Aviation turbine fuel cost contributes about 40 per cent of the total cost of the operations of airlines. Zach Parise Jersey
Aviation safety: Before two close shaves, many compliance violations
Two close calls on Tuesday buttress the need to redouble the focus on safety checks in the country’s aviation sector. For flyers though, the cause of worry is the fact that every third day, on an average, there was a reported irregularity by an airline pilot during the last year and the first ten months of this year. These were largely violations pertaining to breathalyser testing, flight and duty time limitations (FDTL) breaches and violations of cockpit and cabin discipline rules. According to DGCA data, a total of 208 irregularities by pilots of various airlines was reported over the last year and in the current year 2016, alongside a total of 15 irregularities by airlines during the period. Officials indicated that in all these cases, “relevant enforcement action” has been taken against the pilots and the airlines concerned. The bulk of the irregularities last year were related to breathalyser testing violations, with Jet Airways, Indigo and Air India reporting the highest number of cases. This year, till October 31, the bulk of reported cases involved FDTL violations, with Spice Jet logging the highest number of irregularities, alongside violations related to breathalyser testing, where Air India and Jet Airways reported the maximum number of cases. Worrying still is the fact that during the first ten months this year, a total of 38 pilots and 113 cabin crew tested alcohol-positive during the pre-flight medical examination for consumption of alcohol. Data collated over a longer time frame — over the last three years and the first ten months of this year — showed a total of 409 safety violations by the flight crew of Scheduled Operators, Non-scheduled Operators and general aviation that were reported to the DGCA. These include deficiencies in ramp procedures, violations of PPC (Pilot Proficiency Check), non-compliance for FDTL requirements, non-compliance of pre-flight medical requirements, crew over-logging training hours and unauthorised entry into cockpit. The incidents include a recent surveillance carried out by DGCA, where it was found that one of the scheduled airline was not strictly adhering to the regulatory requirements regarding breath analyzer check as laid down in the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR). Officials said that in cases involving crew members testing alcohol-positive, in accordance with the provisions of CAR (Section 5 Series F Part-III, Issue-III), the DGCA had suspended privileges of license of pilots and privileges of authorisation of cabin crew and the airlines have been forced to ground all these pilots and cabin crew. Zach Parise Authentic Jersey
GST, demonetisation may impact aviation market growth: CAPA
The Goods and Services Tax which is expected to be rolled out in 2017 and the on-going demonetisation drive could impact the growth prospects of the domestic aviation industry in the next fiscal, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has warned. “The Government’s demonetisation move could impact the growth of the domestic civil aviation market by as much as 3-5 per cent in 2017 though the next fiscal is expected to be the third consecutive year of domestic growth above 20 per cent,” CAPA Aviation Outlook for Fiscal 2018 says. The report states that the effect of the Government’s demonetisation move “were still unclear although there is no visible impact as yet,” but cautions that the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax next year may have a “ short term negative impact” on economic growth for a couple of years until more positive results emerge. “The introduction of the GST may also reduce growth below projections depending on the tax rates applicable for air travel and inputs,” the report states. Profit outlook Meanwhile, the report estimates that Indian airlines posted a combined profit of $ 122 million in fiscal 2016 returning to the black at an industry level after a gap of a decade and adds that the Indian market is on track to surpass the 100 million passenger mark in 2017. “Based on aircraft deliveries, competitive dynamics and a positive outlook for the economy, growth above 20 per cent could continue for up to a further two years,” the report says adding that Indian carriers are scheduled to induct 60-65 narrow body aircraft and 10-12 regional aircraft in fiscal 2018, the report states. “This ($ 122 million profit) includes record profits at IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet, GoAir and Air India Express,” CAPA states. AirAsia India and Vistara both still in their initial years of operations were however loss making as was Air India though the state owned carrier reported its first operating profit in a decade, the report adds. The report forecasts that India is set to overtake Japan in 2017 to become the world’s third largest domestic aviation market behind United States and China. The report adds that Jet Airways is likely to revive its long haul ambitions and possibly join the SkyTeam in 2017 or 2018. The report cautions that though Air India continues to expand its international foot print primarily using the Boeing 787 aircraft, “viability challenges could start emerging on ultra long haul routes starting from fiscal 2018.” IndiGo’s domestic market share could approach 55-60 per cent in the next two years, according to the report. “The domestic market share of full service carriers could fall to 20-25 per cent within two years; Jet Airways and Air India could each see their hold on the market fall to around 10 per cent or less unless they pursue faster expansion,” the report cautions.