Air India wants to rejoin lobby group
Two years after government-owned Air India (AI) walked out of the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), citing differences in opinion, it has approached the lobby group to return, said three sources. They say chairman Ashwini Lohani feels it will give more muscle to AI’s demands when it approaches the government as part of a group. FIA is now a lobby group of the country’s private airlines, which presses for change in public policy and regulations. At present, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet Airways and GoAir are members, together almost 80 per cent market share. AI’s joining will give a shot in the arm to the group, which has been strongly opposing the move for relaxing the 5/20 rule for plying abroad. The rule, described by aviation minister Ashok Gajapathy Raju as anti-business, made it mandatory for an airline to have plied for at least five years and having 20 aircraft before being allowed to fly abroad. It was partially diluted in June, with the norm of five years being removed. According to a senior AI executive, Lohani has written to the group, “expressing interest to join the group”. “Air India is facing similar issues as the FIA members are, such as high airport charges or oil companies increasing the price of air turbine fuel arbitrarily,” the official said. However, the official added, AI would be cautious against becoming a party to any case which the lobby group files against the government. FIA is currently engaged in a legal tussle with the government against the decision on reducing charges for extra baggage allowance. A senior executive of a private airline which belongs to FIA confirmed the AI development. “The FIA board will decide on the request in a special meeting this month,” he said. AI left FIA in November 2014, citing discomfort on taking a stance against the government and differences among member carriers on policy issues. Rohit Nandan, then chairman of AI, felt they were unnecessarily being dragged to court against the government. Blaine Gabbert Jersey
GoAir-IndiGo legal battle: Bombay HC judge questions use of generic word during hearing
The Bombay High Court has questioned the claim to right over using generic terms after domestic carrier GoAir and IndiGo have been involved in a legal dispute. GoAir had alleged ‘similarity’ in domain names used by rival carrier IndiGo airlines. In 2014, GoAir had filed a lawsuit against InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (which manages IndiGo airlines). It had asked the Bombay High Court to direct the rival carrier to remove “Go” from its web address “GoIndigo.in”. The Wadia-group airlines claimed that the similarity in the portal domain of both the carriers was causing confusion in passengers, who wanted to book air tickets online. It also claimed that passengers were getting diverted to Indigo’s website, which led to revenue loss to GoAir. Dion Jordan Womens Jersey
Centre mulls aviation emission offsets
India is examining possible mechanisms to offset higher emissions from rising civil aviation traffic, even as it has firmly opposed a global pact for curbing aviation emissions proposed by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that is currently being negotiated in Montreal. “India’s aviation sector is growing at 22 per cent to 23 per cent over the last year and we expect it to continue to grow very rapidly over the next decade and a half, so emissions would rise,” said Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said at the World Sustainable Development Summit on Wednesday. “We have begun consultations in the ministry to see what we can do to offset the emissions,” he said. India has ratified the COP21 accord on climate change this Sunday, but while approving its ratification, the Union Cabinet had last week empowered the civil aviation ministry to flag India’s concerns about the proposed aviation emissions pact, including the move to cap aviation emissions at 2020 levels. Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar had pointed out, while briefing about the cabinet’s decisions, that capping emissions from aviation would be unfair for developing countries where the civil aviation market is not mature and the number of airlines is limited compared to the developed world. Bobby Wagner Authentic Jersey
Air Costa in stake sale talks
Air Costa is in advanced stages of discussions with foreign carriers, including those from the Gulf, for a possible stake sale, as the Vijayawada-based airline seeks to spread its wings after securing a flying permit for pan-India operations. The carrier is also in the process of sealing a deal for the leasing of six aircraft from GE Capital Aviation Services of Singapore, which is expected to be in place by this month, CEO Vivek Choudhary said. The airline operates from eight airports, mainly in southern India, as a regional carrier with a fleet of three Embraer 190 aircraft. Air Costa plans to induct a fourth Embraer this month. On Monday, the airline secured a pan-India operator permit from aviation regulator DGCA, putting it in the league of budget carriers such as SpiceJet, IndiGo, GoAir and AirAsia India. “We are in talks for (stake sale), which are in advanced stages, with carriers from the Gulf and an airline from Southeast Asia,” Choudhary said, adding the quantum of stake to be diluted has not been decided yet. The top Air Costa official said securing a national flying permit would boost the airline’s prospects of taking a foreign partner on board. Chris Wormley Womens Jersey
Pune to get new greenfield international airport at Purandar
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has approved land at Purandar for a new greenfield international airport for Pune. The proposed airport will be spread over 2,400 hectares and the site has already been approved by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai on Thursday after attending a meeting of the Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC). The airport would commence in three years, he said. Fadnavis announced that the new airport would be named after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje as Purandar was his birthplace. “We decided to grant permissions for carry ing out a detailed project report (DPR) as well as an obstacle limitation surface survey for the proposed site,“ the chief minister said. “The site is around 15-20 km away from Pune city . Located on the south of the city, the proposed airport will be connected with six different routes including national highways 4 and 17. There will be a special ring-road connecting major industrial establishments with the proposed airport from Hadapsar. The proposed airport will have two airstrips, each having a length of 4 km. It will handle cargo along with passenger traffic,“ Fadnavis said. Asked about earlier proposed sites like Chakan and Rajgurunagar, Fadnavis said except Purandar, no other site has been approved by the AAI.“Most of the farmers have expressed their willingness for the project (at Purandar). The farmers whose land will be acquired for the project will become partners in the airport developing company which will ensure some steady inco me source for them. This model has been used in the state earlier for land acquisition of the (proposed) Navi Mumbai International Airport,“ Fadnavis said. Asked about the proposed airport in Kolhapur, Fadnavis said “The state government is spending Rs 40 crore for this airport and it will be a domestic one.“ A new airport for Pune was proposed more than a decade ago but the project has been delayed for want of suitable land. Two weeks back, a 15-member team comprising revenue officials and representatives from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and MADC had conducted a review of the Purandar site in villages Pargaon Memane, Ikhatpur, Rajewadi and Waghapur. The team had found the site most appropriate for the airport. The AAI has since given its in-principle approval to the site and the state now has to initiate the process for land acquisition. Keanu Neal Jersey
DGCA unearths major scam; maintenance violations found in personal, charter planes
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has unearthed a major scam that would have certain top industrialists, corporates and chief ministers worry about the airworthiness or safety of the private or charter aircraft they fly in. After investigations revealed several aircraft maintena-nce violations, the DGCA, last week, suspended the licences of three aircraft maintenance engineers of Indamer Aviation Pvt Ltd, an aircraft maintenance and repair overhaul (MRO) firm. It also initiated action against the director and CEO of Indamer and four other officials belonging to the said MRO and two aircraft charter firms. Indamer did not respond to calls. “The general aviation industry has about 250 aircraft that belong to private individuals, charter firms and flying clubs, and Indamer carries out MRO work for about 70 of these. The violations, some of which were blatant, could not have been carried out for without the tacit support of the top management and even some DGCA officials,” claimed an industry insider. The MRO, which is headquartered in Juhu airport’s hangar no 1, occupies another hangar in Mumbai airport and has a nationwide presence with operations in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Chennai. Amo-ng its board of directors is Kanu Gohain, a former director general of civil aviation. The DGCA probe revealed that signatures of engineers were forged in a number of documents, including the entries made in the flight report books, all of which bring to question the quality of work carried out by the MRO.A flight report book contains serially numbered pages on which an operator has to mandatorily document in indelible ink the engineering record of the life of the aircraft concerned, its engines, propellors, etc. It should have full particulars of all the accidents, overhauls, replacements, repairs and modifications, along with the date, location and signature of the aircraft maintenance engineer who certified the work. Among the violations found was that under the same date, Indamer’s base maintenance manager, an aircraft maintenance engineer, had signed and certified the work carried out on two Sikorsky S76C helicopters, one belonging to the state government (VT-CMM) and the other to Eon Aviation (VT-DBH). “Though on that day, one helicopter was in Surat and the other in Raipur, the manager has signed the flight report books of both the aircraft,” said a source. Both places are located about 1,000 kms apart and are not linked by direct flights. Adrian Kempe Womens Jersey
Avoid emergency landings in Pakistan: Indian airlines issue advisory
Indian carriers have asked their pilots operating flights that overfly Pakistan to avoid landing there in an emergency situation. Unless there is an “extreme emergency”, like fire on board, airlines have ‘informally’ told pilots to opt for Muscat or UAE flight information region on westbound flights, or head to Delhi, Mumbai or Ahmedabad on India-bound flights. “Flight despatchers are asking that Pakistani airports be avoided for emergency landings if possible. These instructions have not come in writing but verbally. Making an emergency landing in Pakistan is the last resort for us in an extreme emergency,” said a senior pilot with a leading Indian carrier who regularly operates international flights. Confirming this, a senior commander of another big Indian airline said that such ‘informal’ instructions have been issued in the past too whenever relations with Pakistan have deteriorated, like after the Kandahar hijacking, 9/11 and 26/11. Sources said that for west-bound flights, the closest ‘preferable’ emergency landing airports are in Muscat and UAE, like Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi. “Iran and Afghanistan, though the immediate neighbours of Pakistan, are considered ‘less of an alternative’,” said a route planner with a leading Indian carrier. In case of the common occurrence of pressurisation failure, for instance, overhead oxygen masks drop.These have oxygen to allow passengers to breathe for 1015 minutes. That is sufficient time for aircraft to descend from their cruising altitude, which is about 30,000ft, to 10,000ft, where oxygen is available and can be pumped into the plane through the AC ducts and “Ram air”. Such planes can then keep flying at the lower altitude to make their way to an alternative airport. Almost all flights from northcentral and east India to and from Gulf, Europe and America fly over Pakistan. While even in aviation ties, the Narendra Modi government has been showing utmost restraint, Pakistan has been constantly imposing restrictions on its airspace and increasing the scope of the same, which has now required Indian carriers overflying it to make changes on some of their international flights. Peter Budaj Womens Jersey
Andhra Pradesh government to ink MoU for improving regional connectivity with AAI
After securing nod for setting up three new airports in Andhra Pradesh, the state government will soon sign an agreement with the Centre and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for enhancing air connectivity under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) envisaged in National Civil Aviation Policy 2016. The Union Civil Aviation Ministry recently accorded in principle approval to the state government for setting up a greenfield international airport at Bhogapuram, 40-km from Visakhapatnam, and two low-cost domestic airports at Dagadarti in SPS Nellore district and Orvakallu in Kurnool district. The Andhra Pradesh government has floated Bhogapuram International Airport Company Limited (BIACL) as a special purpose vehicle for development of these airports. “The BIACL will enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of India and the Airports Authority of India for enhancing regional connectivity through fiscal support, infrastructure development and also for establishing an integrated eco-system that will lead to significant growth of civil aviation sector,” Principal Secretary (Energy, Infrastructure and Investment) Ajay Jain has said. He said these developments, in turn, will promote tourism, increase employment and lead to a balanced regional growth. “The primary objective of the RCS is to facilitate and stimulate regional air connectivity by making it affordable through concessions from both central and state governments to reduce the cost of airline operations on regional routes. “Besides, financial support will also be extended by means of Viability Gap Funding to meet the gap, if any, between the cost of airline operations and expected revenues on such routes,” Jain said. While the international airport at Bhogapuram would be developed on a 5311-acre site in public-private partnership mode, those in SPS Nellore and Kurnool districts would be developed as low-cost airports by BIACL. “Tenders have been floated for selection of developers of these three airports and will be finalised soon,” the Principal Secretary added. Y.A. Tittle Authentic Jersey
DGCA studying proposal on providing Wi-Fi in flights: Jayant Sinha
The Civil aviation regulator DGCA is examining a proposal to introduce Wi-Fi service onboard flights to adequately address all the related issues, Union Minister Jayant Sinha said today. Civil Aviation Ministry, in August, had said that security issues were being sorted out for allowing use of Wi-Fi facility in the Indian airspace. “The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is studying the matter to make sure that all considerations are adequately addressed and as soon as that is done, we will issue a statement,” the Minister of State for Civil Aviation said on the sidelines of e India Economic Summit here. Asked about the possible timeline, he said “I don’t have a timeline. The matter is under consideration”. Once approved, the Wi-Fi facility would be available for domestic as well as foreign carriers flying in Indian skies. Currently, Wi-Fi services and phone calls are not allowed on flights flying over the Indian airspace. Globally, many airlines are already offering Wi-Fi for passengers, but they currently have to switch off the facility when they enter the Indian airspace. The Ministry has been pursuing the proposal of permitting use of Wi-Fi in flights on-board for quite some time and various security issues were holding up a final decision on the matter. On August 24, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey had said the ministries of Civil Aviation, Telecommunications and Home Affairs have been working on allowing Wi-Fi use in flights. Generally, Wi-Fi facility for fliers can be provided either through air-to-ground technology or satellite connectivity and the latter will be expensive. Availability of Wi-Fi is also expected to provide local airlines with an additional source of revenues amid stiff competition in the Indian aviation market, which has been witnessing one of the highest passenger traffic growth rates in the world. Jeff Driskel Womens Jersey
Dubai airport sets new record
Dubai International Airport has set a record of 7.7 million passengers in August, with India being the top destination country accounting for over 9 lakh travellers, according to a monthly traffic report. It has surpassed the previous record achieved in July. India remained the top destination country (9,24,256 passengers), followed by the UK (584,508 passengers) and Saudi Arabia (535,280 passengers). Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport (DXB) reached 7,727,105 compared to 7,282,256 in the corresponding month last year, an increase of 6.1 per cent. The year to date traffic totalled 55,850,353 passengers, up 6.9 per cent compared to 52,264,223 in first eight months of 2015. Nick Castellanos Jersey