Indian Civil Aviation : News , Updates & Discussions

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India Proposes Flight Delay Compensation on Par With Global Peers

The draft passenger charter envisages a full ticket refund in the event of flight cancellation, relaxation in ticket cancellation penalties, compensation to passengers missing connecting flights, free and adequate food and beverages and hotel accommodation to passengers of delayed flights.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Taking a cue from global practices, India's aviation regulator has proposed heavy compensation to air passengers who face flight delays or cancellations due to the shortcoming on the airlines' part. In a draft passenger charter, India's Ministry of Civil Aviation has also proposed relaxing cancellation penalties for air travelers who wish to cancel their ticket within 24 hours of booking but four days ahead of departure.

"If the airline is found to be at fault, passengers will be entitled to full refund if the delay is more than four hours while airline has to offer free of charge hotel accommodation in case the flight is to fly on the next day," the draft charter, that is to be implemented in the next two months reads.

Airlines will also have to pay up to INR 20,000 ($295) to passengers who miss their connecting flights. When the flight is stationed on the tarmac for more than 60 minutes, sufficient and free-of-charge hot snacks and beverages are to be provided to the passengers. However, this compensation is minuscule in comparison to similar tarmac delay in the US wherein airlines have to pay $27,500 per passenger on board.

"In case of flight cancellation and when a passenger is informed of the flight cancellation less than two weeks before and up to 24 hrs of the scheduled departure time, the airline must offer an alternate flight allowing the passenger to depart within two hours of the booked scheduled departure time or refund the ticket, as acceptable to the passenger," according to the draft charter.

The ministry has also ensured that passengers are not discriminated on the basis of their nationality (domestic or international) in case of death or injuries onboard an aircraft. As per the draft, in both the cases, liability to be paid by the airline must be same for both international and domestic passengers.
Indian passengers will also enjoy Internet facilities soon after the planes take off, but mobile service will only be allowed when aircraft is over an altitude of 3,000 meters.

According to a recent report published by India's aviation regulator, the average on-time performance of the best-performing airlines, IndiGo and Vistara, was 83.4%, while Air India's stood at 71.9%.

Earlier this month, a person stabbed himself following an argument with airline officials over the delay of an Air India flight for more than three hours.
 
World’s cheapest airlines: Two Indian airlines named in top five – here’s the full list
The data was analysed by taking into account the economy class airfares displayed by Rome2rio during the first two months of this year, totalling some 1.5mn price points. The report compared 200 major airlines across continents.
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Rome2rio – a Melbourne-based multimodal travel planning site – has come out with its Global Flight Price Ranking report. This year, Indian carriers IndiGo and Air India Express have featured among the top five most affordable airlines in the world. Along with this, Rome2rio has also given some tips about booking air tickets. The full list is available at Rome2rio.com’s blog Here we list the world’s top 10 cheapest airlines as per the report.


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No. 10 | Virgin Australia | Virgin Australia is at the tenth spot on the list. The report suggests that there’s no point being loyal to any one airline anymore. One should shop around for deals


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No. 9 | WOW Air | Iceland’s low-cost carrier WOW Air took the ninth spot. The airline announced its entry earlier this month and it will start operating from December by offering direct flights to Reykjavik from Delhi.


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No. 8 | Qantas | Another Australian airline Qantas is placed eighth. The third-oldest airline in the world is the also largest in Australia as per fleet size. The report tips that one should consider new or charter airlines over established carriers to secure the best fares.


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No. 7 | Ryanair | Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair is at seventh spot. In 2014, the airline ‘carried more international passengers last year than any other airline in the world’ – as per IATA data. The report says that Ryanair is the best value airline for travel within Europe, given its extensive route network.


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No. 6 | Etihad Airways | UAE’s second largest airline is at number six in the rankings. Middle-Eastern airlines and Asian airlines are giving a tough fight to their European counterparts, says the report. It adds that ‘travel to and around Asia is more affordable than ever’ which makes it a hot destination for this year.


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No. 5 | IndiGo Airlines | Despite its share of controversies, India’s IndiGo remains affordable for most passengers around the world and occupies the fifth spot this year.


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No. 4 | Primera Air | Another airline from Iceland - Primera Air – is the fourth cheapest airline around the world. Primera Air along with WOW Air and Ryanair are the only ones giving tough competition to Middle Eastern and Asian airlines. Nevertheless, now you know which airline to pick if you’re travelling to Europe.


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No. 3 | Indonesia AirAsia | Indonesia-based airline is the third cheapest airline in the world. As per the report, for US/transatlantic travel, travellers should consider WOW Air, Norwegian Air and Virgin Atlantic for low-cost flights.


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No. 2 | Air India Express | India’s Air India Express is the second most affordable airline in the world. Air India Express is Air India’s subsidiary with headquarters in Kochi. It operates around 550 flights every week to 29 destinations mostly in Asia and Middle East. The report suggests that for travel especially within Europe one should consider other modes of transport as flying can be more expensive and can take longer.


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No. 1 | AirAsia X | Malaysia-based AirAsia X takes the cake as the cheapest airline in the world. It is a sister company of AirAsia. AirAsia taking the top spot cements Asia’s hold on the crown of cheapest airlines in the world as the top three ranks belong to Asia-based airlines.


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Air India & Jet Airways | India’s state-owned carrier Air India doesn’t make the cut in the top 10 but it gets the 13th place in the world among the most affordable airlines. Jet Airways is on the 12th spot. (Pictures: Reuters and Wikimedia Commons)
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Mumbai airport handles 1,003 flights in a day, breaks own record
The Mumbai international airport handled 1,003 flights on Tuesday June 5, breaking its previous record of 980 flights in February 2018.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is one of the world's busiest single-runway airports.

The sudden surge was because several flights that had been diverted on Monday were accommodated on Tuesday. The flights had been diverted due to heavy rainfall.

Around 20 flights had been diverted to surrounding airports on Monday, The Economic Times reports.

"Due to heavy rainfall, the aircraft were diverted to the nearby airports and were later accommodated immediately as the rain stopped, which lead to increase in flight movements," Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said in a statement.

MIAL is a joint venture between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and GVK Industries.

The Mumbai airport has two runways, but since they cross each other, only one can be used at a time.

The airport had also handled the record number of flights in a single day in November 2017, managing 969 take-offs and landings in a 24-hour period.

The airport recorded passenger traffic of 48.5 million in 2017-2018, according to data on the website of the Association of Private Airport Operators.
Mumbai airport handles 1,003 flights in a day, breaks own record
 
Bastar opens up: 6-hour drive from Raipur is now a 40-minute flight
For close to a decade, Ved Prakash Ram has set up his tea stall a few hundred metres away from the boundary wall of the airstrip in Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district in Chhattisgarh. For him, an aircraft usually means the thump of a helicopter. But around 1 pm Thursday, Ved Prakash heard an engine he didn’t recognise. It was the low hum of a twin-engine, 19-seater Beechcraft 1900 D. “The new sound was unfamiliar, it sounded different,” he said.

As the Air Odisha plane passed through the celebratory water cannon salute in Jagdalpur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi waved a green flag in Bhilai, 300 km away, in a symbolic gesture to mark the beginning of commercial flights linking Bastar under the UDAAN regional air connectivity scheme.

Inside the new Bastar terminal, constructed at a cost of Rs 39.58 crore, reporters and officials watched and waved as the flight took off on its 40-minute hop to Raipur – a journey that takes six-seven hours by road. “For many years in India, all the talk about Bastar was about bombs, guns, pistols and violence. Today, the talk about Bastar is linked to the airport in Jagdalpur,” said Modi.

Rajat Kumar, Special Secretary (Civil Aviation), Chhattisgarh, told The Indian Express that the airport was important for Bastar to shed the image that it is “an island”.

“The socio economic benefits are there, of course. Tourism, with all the avenues Bastar has, will get an impetus. But this also helps people’s day-to-day lives in terms of businessmen and service providers travelling to and fro, and common people using the air services. Officers monitoring projects in Bastar can now do that more efficiently. It opens up the world,” he said.

Kumar said that under the UDAAN scheme, three other airports in the state — Bilaspur, Ambikapur and Raigarh — will get similar daily services. “We are looking to open up the Bilaspur and Ambikapur airports in 45 days. Raigarh will take a little time. We are also looking at ways to keep the prices subsidised. Presently, of the 18 seats, nine seats are between Rs 1,600 and Rs 1,700, making it affordable. The other nine seats are at the company’s cost, which could be between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000. Currently, for the first nine seats, the central government pays the difference. We are looking at whether the Chhattisgarh government can do something for the other nine,” he said.

On Friday morning, a day after the inauguration, there were signs of teething trouble. All around the compound, flowers were strewn around, with airport officials making calls to the Nagar Nigam, asking their cleaners to arrive. Around 8 am, a group of five passengers argued loudly with two flustered Air Odisha officials. Under the full schedule, the flight was to arrive in Bastar at 8.55, proceed to Vishakhapatnam, return to Bastar, finally moving to Raipur. But the passengers were told that clearance for the Vishakhapatnam leg had still not been given despite tickets having been sold online. “We didn’t get a single message or phone call to intimate us,” an irate passenger said.

A few kilometres away, at the Maharana Pratap Chowk, one of Jagdalpur’s busiest traffic junctions, the mood around the commencement of the airport, was brighter. And political. With crucial assembly elections towards the end of the year, massive hoardings found their place in the chowk with prominent BJP symbols, thanking Chief Minister Raman Singh and Prime Minister Modi.

The Maoist-affected Bastar region is a Congress stronghold, with eight seats out of 12 in an area that is larger than the state of Kerala. “These are mostly rural tribal seats, and have issues of their own. But one of those 12 seats is Jagdalpur, which is currently held by the BJP. This is one of the biggest cities in Chhattisgarh, and has a urban population. Here, the fact that an airport has come up will be a sign that we have brought development,” a BJP leader said.

One of the four passengers who took the flight back from Raipur to Jagdalpur Thursday was Manish Gupta, editor of the Bastar edition of Navbharat and a veteran of the region. “It could be a turning point in the Bastar narrative. For so long, Bastar has been treated as if its entire area is conflict-ridden. This will tell people that there are parts of Bastar that have become normal, and are open to visit and invest,” he said.

At 9.10 am Friday, as the flight from Raipur landed, the four passengers who alighted were given roses at the entry gate by airport officials. One of the passengers said: “In the morning, someone in Raipur asked me if I wanted breakfast. I told him I would have breakfast at home, in Bastar.”
Bastar opens up: 6-hour drive from Raipur is now a 40-minute flight
 
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Air India Delhi-Tel Aviv flight registers over 80% occupancy; to become a daily service
State-run carrier Air India's Delhi-Tel Aviv non-stop will become a daily flight shortly, with the airline giving its seal of approval to the proposal, encouraged by the 80 per cent and above occupancy rate, sources in the airline said.

"The success of the service is a testament to the strengthening of diplomatic ties between India and Israel and growing people to people contact between the two countries. We are working on the last minute details before announcing the increase in frequency to all days from thrice a week," they said.

The move is part of Air India's ongoing efforts to reevaluate its route network, increase services to economically viable routes and cut down frequency and withdraw services from some sectors. The airline could soon withdraw flights from a few European destinations with low occupancy and engage its fleet to far east and neighbouring countries that have seen a steady rise in demand, said a source.

Private carriers such as Jet Airways and IndiGo are already firming up plans to fly to more international destinations along with Vistara which is poised to announce international services later this year. "In such a scenario, we ought to remain competitive in the market as revenue generation is key to the survival of the airline now," the source said. The airline currently has a 17-per cent market share on international routes.

Air India's board of directors is set to meet soon to prepare a revival plan for consideration of the government.

The Delhi-Tel Aviv AI 139 flight made its maiden journey on March 22 this year and since then the occupancy rate has gone up from 60 per cent to over 80 to 83 per cent, making it a profitable route for Air India, sources said. It has engaged its 256-seater Boeing 787 Dreamliner on this route.

What has went behind the success of this flight is the shorter route and the less time it takes to cover the distance, thanks to Saudi Arabia's decision to permit Air India to use its airspace to fly over the country, sources said. The airline covers the distance in 7.25 hours, 2.10 hours less than the time taken by the only other airline that flies between the two countries -- Israel's national carrier El Al from Mumbai to Tel Aviv.

Many Arab and Islamic nations do not recognise Israel and, therefore, disallow airlines from using their airspace for flight services to that country.
Air India Delhi-Tel Aviv flight registers over 80% occupancy; to become a daily service - Times of India
 
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In-flight connectivity in a year, says telecom minister
In-flight connectivity is expected to be available within a year, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said today even as a joint meeting of DoT and civil aviation officials to discuss "operational details" is to be held in about 10 days.

Telecom firms, airlines and in-flight connectivity providers are expected to attend the meeting, the date for which is yet to be finalised.

In-flight connectivity aims to enable calls and internet services during flights in the Indian airspace.

"There will a meeting with the Secretary Civil Aviation Ministry, me, and the operators. We are fixing the date...maybe in another 10 days or so, we will meet," Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters here.

Earlier, while speaking at the conference on four years of the government, Sinha said that 'in-flight services' could become operational in one year.

"The Telecom Commission has already decided on in-flight connectivity, and in the next one year, we may be in a position to provide in-flight connectivity," he said.

The Telecom Commission -- the highest policy making body of Department of Telecom -- had on May 1 cleared a proposal for allowing in-flight connectivity, already available in most of the developed markets.

While giving its nod, the Telecom Commission had agreed with most of the recommendations of the sector regulator on 'in-flight services' except one pertaining to foreign satellites and gateways.

While telecom regulator Trai had recommended permitting use of foreign satellites and foreign gateways for mobile communication on aircraft too, the Telecom Commission went by the view of Committee of Secretaries (CoS) that only Indian Satellites and Indian gateways be allowed.

Sundararajan said that the operational aspects still needed to be discussed in detail and the upcoming meeting will deliberate on the same.

"The discussions on the operational model will entail questions like who will be investing in infrastructure, who will be providing the services. There is no standard model...we will have to see what is suitable in the Indian context," Sundararajan said.

Last week, Trai had stuck to its stance that foreign satellites and gateways should be used to provide such services.

Sundararajan said that since CoS have favoured only Indian Satellites and Indian gateway, any change or review of the decision will have to be taken back to CoS.

"We will have to take a view," she said.

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. Availability of wi-fi is also expected to provide local airlines an additional source of revenues amid stiff competition in the fast-growing Indian aviation market.

AirAsia, Air France, British Airways, Egypt Air, Emirates, Air New Zealand, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic are among 30 airlines that already allow mobile phone use on aircraft.

A separate category of licensees - in-flight service providers - will be created for offering such services, and licence fee for such niche providers will be pegged at Re 1.
In-flight connectivity in a year, says telecom minister - Times of India
 
Vistara signs pact for planes worth $3.1 billion
By
Anirban Chowdhury

2714072.jpg

Airbus A320-232

Vistara, the joint venture carrier between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, Wednesday said it has signed a preliminary pact with Airbus and Boeing for firm orders of 19 narrow and widebodied planes valued at $3.1 billion at list prices.

The actual deal value of the ordered Airbus A320 family planes and Boeing 787 Dreamlimer aircraft would be lower. Airlines usually get hefty volume discounts on list prices.

Added to the firm purchases are leases, options and purchase rights that will see the airline adding a total of 67 planes from both makers to its fleet in the next half decade, it said in a statement. It currently has a fleet of 21 aircraft and will end this year with 22.

The orders are Vistara’s first strong step in its ambition to become a global carrier. The Airbus planes will be deployed on domestic and neighbouring international routes while the Boeing aircraft will be deployed on medium to long haul overseas destinations.

Vistara’s orders for widebodied planes are the first since 2009 when Jet Airways had bought Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The order sharpens Boeing’s edge in India’s still small widebodied plane market over Airbus, but keeps the European plane-maker ahead in terms of sheer order numbers.

ET had on June 17, 2016 first written about Vistara’s plans of buying widebodied planes and of launching long haul international routes, citing its first CEO Phee Teik Yeoh in an interview. In April this year, it wrote about the plans being in their final stages. It had mentioned Dreamliners as one of the options being looked at. Vistara’s parent Tata Sons had been said to be interested in buying national carrier Air India, which had been put on the block by the government. However Vistara’s firmed up plane purchase plans indicated its independent, ambitious expansion blueprint irrespective of whether the planned Air India deal happened. The Tatas subsequently didn’t opt for the deal. Air India didn’t get a single bid.

“India’s position as the world’s fastest growing domestic aviation market and its impressive growth in air passenger traffic that has more than doubled over the last decade, makes us confident of our aggressive plans for domestic expansion and international foray,” said Leslie Thng, CEO of Vistara in a statement announcing the orders.

In a separate interview to ET, he called it the “best possible mix” for the airline’s plans.

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Airbus A320-251N

The letter of intent signed with Airbus comprises 13 firm-ordered A320neo and A321neo aircraft, as well as options for 7 more aircraft from the A320neo family. In addition, Vistara will lease another 37 new A320neo-family aircraft, the statement said, making a total of 57 Airbus planes. The airline will get 8-10 of the leased Airbus planes in 2019, while deliveries from the purchases start a year after and continue till 2023, Thng said in the interview. The lease agreements are in the final stages of signing, he added.

The letter signed with Boeing comprises 6 firm-ordered 787-9 Dreamliners and purchase rights for 4 more aircraft from the 787 Dreamliner family. The Dreamliners deliveries are due to start in 2020–which is when Vistara starts its medium to long haul international operations—and continue till 2021.

The airline has an existing fleet of 13 Airbus A320ceo and 8 A320neo aircraft. It has an impending delivery for one A320neo due in September 2018.

Thng said there are no sale and leaseback agreements planned yet for the purchased planes.

Vistara has selected the LEAP 1-A engines from CFM International to power the A320neo and A321neoaircraft and the General Electric GEnx-1B engines to power the Dreamliners.

Vistara started operations in 2015 and currently operates 800 weekly flights to 22 destinations.

Vistara signs pact for planes worth $3.1 billion

Thanks to @Abingdonboy for the news!
 
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India to construct 100 airports worth $60 billion
India plans to construct 100 new airports with an investment of close to USD 60 billion (about Rs 4.2 lakh crore) in the next 10-15 years, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said Tuesday.

Amid the country's domestic aviation sector recording double-digit growth for more than three years on the back of rising demand, the government is working on ways to bolster the infrastructure for the sector.

"We have plans for 100 new airports to be built in India in the next 10 to 15 years with investments of almost close to USD 60 billion," the minister said at a conference here.

Currently, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is managing more than 120 aerodromes.

"We plan to put it in the public domain for anyone interested in building infrastructure or airports will get an advanced intimation on where it is going to happen... Our strategy is clear. We have to do it in a PPP mode. We need to have private sector participation," Prabhu said.

He also said that the government is working on a cargo policy.

The government plans to have a pre-determined tariff structure linked to inflation for greenfield airports.

Currently, there is cost plus tariff structure wherein the rates for an airport are determined every five years, which is known as the concession period.


Against the backdrop of the government proposing a new tariff structure for greenfield airports, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has raised concerns about it.

The IATA is a global grouping of more than 280 airlines.

"We believe that it makes no sense to fix a per passenger yield at the outset of a concession contract that is set to run for four decades.

"Flexible parameters should be set that are regularly reviewed by a regulator. As we know from bitter experiences in Brazil, Australia and elsewhere that selecting the company that simply proposes the highest concession fee does not yield good long term results," IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said Tuesday.

The IATA has projected that by 2037, there would be almost 520 million passengers flying to, from and within India each year.

"In 2010, 79 million people travelled to/ from/ or within India. By 2017 that doubled to 158 million. That number is expected to treble to 520 million by 2037," it noted.

The country is also expected to overtake Germany, Japan, Spain and the UK within the next ten years to become the world's third largest air passenger market.
India to construct 100 airports worth $60 billion
 
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Can’t have an airline completely owned by Qataris, says Aviation Ministry
The central government has indicated that it could turn down Qatar Airways’ plan to launch an airline in India in its current investment format, with RN Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation saying that as per the current rules it was not possible to have an airline entirely owned by Qataris.

“Current policy of the government is that the substantial ownership and effective control should remain with Indian nationals and they will have to comply. You cannot have substantial ownership of more than 50 per cent because then you are violating the policy,” Choubey said, on the sidelines of the International Aviation Summit organised by International Air Transport Association (IATA) here on Tuesday. He also pointed out that so far no formal proposal had been made by Qatar Airways.

Also on the sidelines of the event, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al-Baker is learnt to have told reporters that the airlines that the rules of allowing a foreign entity to own 100 per cent domestic carrier were not clear. “What we are given to understand is that an airline cannot own 100 per cent. A foreigner can but not an airline. I don’t know what is the difference between a foreigner and an airline. If Qatar Investment Authority own 51 and I own 49 that is not allowed. Again, this is very ambiguous. The rule is not very clear,” Al Baker said.

In reply to reporters seeking response on Al Baker’s comments, Choubey said: “If he thinks that he should have an airline that is entirely owned by Qataris, presently it is not possible. If he thinks that he can run an airline that is 49 per cent foreign owned 51 per cent Indian owned, that is possible. They will have to find an Indian partner and it is possible.”

The Qatar Airways chief executive also told reporters that the airline didn’t have any problem in forming a partnership, but needs to find the right partner. “We have shown our interest to IndiGo many times. They didn’t refuse but they are not ready to. We at Qatar Airways don’t want to take a 2-3 per cent stake, we want substantial…at least 10-15 per cent stake,” Al Baker said.

As per the current foreign direct investment (FDI) rules for civil aviation sector, scheduled air transport service or domestic scheduled passenger airlines can have 100 per cent FDI through the automatic route as long as the investment is made by non-resident Indians (NRIs). For other entities or persons, 49 per cent FDI through automatic route is allowed and beyond that government approval is required.
Can’t have an airline completely owned by Qataris, says Aviation Ministry
 
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Hyderabad's RGIA becomes first airport to initiate facial recognition in India
GMR-operated Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) has successfully tested facial recognition for staff entry at the passenger terminal building.

Once GHIAL obtains clearance from regulatory agencies to extend the facility for passengers, it will start live trials for passengers. It is expected to initiate this by end of 2018.

How to avail face recognition services?

Following a simple one-time enrollment process, passengers can avail seamless and non-intrusive pass through across all the touch points for all future departures from the Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport.

How to enroll yourself?

For enrollment, a registration kiosk will be placed at the terminal entry for registering the passenger's Face ID along with specified government-issued photo Identification proof.

How will face recognition work?

At the terminal entry, a registered passenger has to scan the boarding pass (electronic or printed) at the designated E-Gate. The System will automatically verify the boarding pass information with Airline DCS (Departure Control System) and map the passenger's face to airline ticket upon successful verification.

Further, at other touch points (security, boarding gate) kiosks/E-Gates with face recognition devices will be positioned to identify the passenger's face and display the flight details to CISF/Airlines in a non-intrusive manner.

How useful is face recognition?

With the inception of this new system, passengers can certainly expect an improvement both in terms of throughput as well as convenience.

Hyderabad has already been offering barcode/QR Code based E-Boarding for end-to-end stamp-less, seamless and a paperless journey to domestic passengers for the past two years. Facial recognition is an extension to the existing modular E-Boarding framework developed in-house and needs little additional infrastructure and process changes. With staff trials having already concluded, GHIAL is expecting to be the first in India to go live with the facility.

GHIAL's E-Boarding solution was certified by BCAS and rolled out in the year 2015. Aadhaar integration will be done in future as part of the DIGI YATRA program driven by MOCA.

A GHIAL spokesperson said, "In the coming days, we will be rolling out a pilot project to enable completely paperless travel through our airport, using the biometric identification of a passenger to replace both the ticket as well as the boarding card."
Hyderabad's RGIA becomes first airport to initiate facial recognition in India
 
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Arunachal’s new Hollongi airport to have better facilities than Sikkim’s Pakyong airport
The proposed greenfield airport at Hollongi in Arunachal Pradesh, when completed, would have better facilities than the recently inaugurated Pakyong Airport in Sikkim, union minister Jayant Sinha said. The benefits to come would be beyond one’s imagination, the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation said while addressing the valedictory function of the 3-day ATAL (Arunachal Transformational and Aspirational Leaders) conclave here on Sunday.

Citing the advantages of the proposed airport at Hollongi, near here, he said, it has better topography and a larger runway. “The proposed 2,200 metre runway at the greenfield airport can handle jet aircraft that can provide direct flight service to metro cities.

On demand, flight services can also be extended to international destinations,” Sinha said. A greenfield airport is an aviation facility that is planned, commissioned and built from scratch without destroying an existing structure. About Rs 1,200 crore would be spent for the project, the ‘bhoomi pujan of which will be held in December.

Asked about air connectivity plans in Arunachal Pradesh, Sinha said the entire state would be linked with aviation services in the next 10 years. The minister said that under UDAAN Scheme, small and big towns in Arunachal would be connected with helicopter, seaplanes and passenger drone services.

He also informed that government is providing subsidy on helicopter services with Rs 2,500 for half an hour air travel. Under the Chief Ministers Air Connectivity Scheme, all Advanced Landing Ground (ALG)s in the state will be made operational for air services connecting it with Itanagar, Tezu and Pasighat airport, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said.

The chief minister said that tender for operating of air services in the state has been completed and will be finalized soon. The DoNER Ministry would spend about Rs 350 crore for the initial phase of work in the Hollongi airport.
Arunachal’s new Hollongi airport to have better facilities than Sikkim’s Pakyong airport
 
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India's September domestic air traffic up 20%: IATA
India's domestic air passenger traffic grew in double digits for the 49th consecutive month in September, a global airline association said on Monday.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said India's domestic air passenger volume measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) was highest among major aviation markets like Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Russia and the US.

As per the data, India's domestic RPK in the month under review rose by 19.8 per cent compared to the corresponding month of the previous year.

India's domestic passenger traffic growth was followed by that of the Russian Federation at 11.1 per cent and China at 9.3 per cent.

In terms of capacity, India's domestic available seat kilometres (ASK) -- which measures available passenger capacity -- was higher by 18.8 per cent in September, that of China's 10.3 per cent and the US saw a 8.6 per cent rise.
India's September domestic air traffic up 20%: IATA
 
India revives its dream of manufacturing passenger aircraft
It was March 6, 2009. A 14-seater prototype aircraft called Saras Prototype 2 crashed during a trial flight in the outskirts of Bengaluru, killing all three crew members — two pilots of the Indian Air Force and a flight engineer.
During the investigation, the cockpit voice recorder disclosed the commander calling out, “aircraft has departed”, just 10 seconds before the crash, indicating that the plane had gone out of control as soon as it took off.

The 75-page investigation report pinpointed human errors, but did not spare the manufacturer of the plane, Bengaluru-based National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), for devising engine relight procedures — a midair test that involves switching off an engine before switching it on again — without consulting the propeller manufacturer MT-Propeller of Germany.

The plane had lost altitude and crashed, but the tragedy had a direct fallout: India’s dream project of manufacturing a small civilian plane, the Saras — the Sanskrit word for crane — was stuck in limbo.
By 2016, NAL, the agency that comes under the administrative control of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), announced that its Rs 300 crore fund for the project had dried up, forcing it to suspend Saras for the time being.

It was a project that began in 1991. In fact, there was another prototype — the Saras PT, which flew successfully many times since 2004. It has been modified as the 14-seater Saras PT1N and flown again earlier this year, for a surprise trial.

Something much bigger than Saras is in the offing now. Nine years after the PT-2 crash, the Centre is thinking of indigenously manufacturing aeroplanes for civilian use.

Earlier this week, a 21-member jumbo expert committee, headed by the civil aviation secretary, was set up to look into the various aspects of manufacturing planes and helicopters in India, apart from finding ways to upscale and diversify production of aero-components.

Significantly, this is the second panel being set up in the last two and a half months; the first was headed by the ministry’s economic adviser, Vandana Aggarwal, with a mandate to give a roadmap for creating a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to develop what it calls regional transport aircraft, or RTA.

The need for such a segment has been increasingly felt after the government rolled out its UDAN scheme for regional connectivity a couple of years ago.

“What’s being discussed is the feasibility of manufacturing aircraft of 19- to 100-seater,” an official connected to the panel told ET Magazine, adding that its recommendations would be ready by the end of this month.
This panel, constituted on August 30, has four members — a general manager-ranked officer from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HALNSE -1.52 %), a group director of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and senior scientists Abhay Pashilkar and RV Venkatesh, both belonging to NAL, the creator of Saras. Rs 80 crore is earmarked for the purpose of designing the regional transport aircraft manufacturing project.

“The Government of India is fully committed to the development of commercial aerorelated manufacturing in India,” Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu told ET Magazine, adding how two committees would engage in deliberations simultaneously. “Both the Government of India and Indian industry are serious (in manufacturing civilian planes),” he says.

Bigger Planes
Though information on a likely road map for manufacturing aeroplanes in India is still sketchy, two things are amply clear. First, unlike the earlier avatar Saras, which was a small, 14-seater, this round of manufacturing may embark on building relatively bigger aircraft, up to 100-seater and even more.

There are 1,358 aircraft in India, including private ones and those used for training purposes, as on July 12, 2018. There are 620 aircraft of scheduled Indian operators. Of these 79 planes have less than 100 seats. In that category, 70 aircraft have 70 seats and above.

The smaller ones include three 50-seater CRJ-200 aircraft flown by Zoom Air, two 48-seater ATR 42-300 of Alliance Air and four 18-seater Beechcraft 1900D planes of Air Deccan and Air Odisha. The data, compiled by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), throws up the question whether there will be any demand for a 14-seater, Saras-type aircraft — something that was conceived back in the 1990s, even though the government tries to revive the project.

Airlines in India, which foresee growing air connectivity to smaller cities, may prefer 50-to-70-seater planes rather than smaller ones. However, state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is scouting for buyers for its 19-seater Dornier-228, hitherto flown only for military use, saying the aircraft is cheaper and has low maintenance costs. It was in December last year that HAL obtained licences for the use of Dornier for civilian purposes.
Second, unlike in the past, the government may engage private players — either foreign or Indian — for manufacturing aeroplanes. It’s unlikely that the aircraft will be a pure NAL-CSIR venture like the Saras, says an official in the know. That could propel the government into a turbulent zone. Already, the partnership of Dassault Aviation and the novice in the field, Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence, in the Rafale fighter jets deal has become a political hot potato. “We will follow due diligence. The decisions of both the expert committees will go for inter-ministerial consultations and also the approval of the cabinet,” a civil aviation ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

Founder of Air Deccan, Captain GR Gopinath, bats for the involvement of private sector, saying the government must not get into the manufacturing of civilian aircraft. “India must create a global aircraft brand with great quality and at a good price point. The idea is to tap the global market, like Brazil’s Embraer and Canada’s Bombardier have demonstrated.”

Already, pressure is mounting on India to plunge into the manufacturing of civilian aeroplanes after China came out with models such as COMAC C919, a 168-seater, narrow-body jet, which many aviation experts happily compare to AirBus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX. The aircraft is likely to be used by China Eastern Airlines by 2021, according to various news reports. In India, sarkari hurdles are more complex.

Even after the crash of Saras PT-2 in 2009, the Government of India continued its dream project for some time. By then, various stakeholders such as CSIR, Department of Defence Production and the Civil Aviation Ministry were not on the same page, resulting in a further

Even after the crash of Saras prototype aircraft, we continued our efforts under a regional civil aviation project. It can now be reignited only if there¡¦s a clear ownership of it, with no turf war between government departments, says Nasim Zaidi, who first served as DGCA (2008-10) before getting elevated as secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation (2010-12).

Maybe there will be less confusion now on who would pilot the new aeroplane project, after the government, in July last year, changed the allocation of business rules, allowing the Civil Aviation Ministry to pursue the development of commercial aero-related manufacturing and its ecosystem, a subject that was handled by the Department of Defence Production.

There's no doubt now who the pilot is. The only uncertainly is whether there will be a clear sky ahead.
India revives its dream of manufacturing passenger aircraft
 
Drone flying becomes reality from today
From today, individuals and companies can fly drones in the country. However, there are some rules and regulations that people need to keep in mind while operating remotely piloted aircraft system. As per the regulation, there are five categories of drones categorized by weight, namely nano, micro, small, medium and large. All drones except nano and those owned by NTRO, ARC and central intelligence agencies are to be registered and issued with Unique Identification Number.

Dos & Don’ts by DGCA

What you need to do

  • Obtain Unique Identification Number from DGCA for operating in controlled airspace and affix it on your drone.
  • Ensure your drone is Digital Sky “No Permission- No Take off” compliant and take permission before each flight through Digital Sky Platform.
  • Ensure drone is in good condition and fit for flying safely. Keep an eye on interference — which can be from mobile devices or blockage of signals.
  • Fly your drones only during daylight — after sunrise to before sunset. Fly in good weather which lets you not only operate your drone better but also keep track of it in the air.
  • Always be within visual range of your drone and be aware of airspace restrictions/ no drone areas. Keep local police informed about your drone flying activity and if you are ever approached by police provide all requisite information.
What you can’t do

  • Don’t fly Nano drones above 50ft and Micro above 200ft from the ground level. The maximum limit for all drones is 400ft.
  • Ensure your drone is not near other aircraft (manned or unmanned). Don’t fly drones near airports and heliports.
  • Don’t fly drones over groups of people, public events or stadiums full of people without permission. You are also advised to keep your drones away from government facilities, military bases or over/ near any no-drone zones.
  • Don’t fly drones over private property unless permission is given. Don’t drop or carry hazardous material
    Users are advised to not fly drone under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Drones should not be operated from a moving vehicle, ship or aircraft.
Drone operations through Digital Platform: Drone operations will be enabled through Digital Sky Platform. The operations will be based on No Permission, No Take-off. The details including links for the digital sky platform shall are available on DGCA website.

No Drone Zones: Drone flying is restricted in some areas under ‘No Drone Zones’. Among the places where drones are not allowed are airports, near an international border, Vijay Chowk in Delhi, state secretariat complex in state capitals, and strategic locations/vital and military installations.
Drone flying becomes reality from today: Here’s all you need to know
 
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