Page 14 - Aviation

Air India relaxes privilege leave norm for staff approaching retirement

Air India has relaxed the new norm related to the accumulation of privilege leaves for those employees retiring in the current and next financial years. In March, the Tata Group-owned carrier revised its policy with respect to privilege leaves for both permanent and full-term contract staff to align the policy with prevailing market conditions. From April 1 onwards, Privilege Leaves (PLs) accumulation limit for all employees is 60 days in a particular financial year. Against this backdrop, the airline has made a relaxation for staff approaching retirement. In his message to the staff on Friday, Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson mentioned the airline deciding in March that all PLs beyond 60 days would be encashed. "Subsequently, many of you approaching retirement asked whether this could be deferred until your superannuation. "Our HR team followed up with the external tax authorities and happily were able to reach an agreement that, for those superannuating in th

NCLAT asks 3 more Go First lessors to approach NCLT for recovery of planes

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Wednesday directed three aircraft lessors of Go First to approach NCLT over their claims for possession of aircraft, whose leases were terminated by them prior to initiation of insolvency proceedings against the Wadia group entity. The appellate tribunal directed Accipiter Investments Aircraft 2, Eos Aviation 12 (Ireland) and ACG Aircraft Leasing Ireland to go to NCLT over the applicability of the moratorium on their aircraft. "The facts and submissions raised in these appeals are same as has been considered and decided by our judgment and order dated May 22, 2023" hence these "also deserve to be decided in the same terms". On May 22, the NCLAT upheld the order of the Delhi-based Principal bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), which had earlier this month admitted the plea of Go First to initiate voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings and appointed an interim resolution professional (IRP) to suspend the company

DGCA to conduct audit of Go First's preparedness before allowing flights

Aviation regulator DGCA will conduct an audit of Go First's preparedness before approving resumption of flights by the crisis-hit carrier, according to a communication. Cash-strapped Go First stopped flying from May 3 and is undergoing voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings. On Tuesday, a senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the airline has submitted its response to the regulator's show cause notice indicating that it is working on the details of a plan to resume flights at the earliest. In a communication to the staff on Tuesday, the airline said, "DGCA will be conducting an audit to check our preparedness in the coming days. Once approved by the regulator, we would be soon commencing operations". The government has been very supportive and has asked the airline to commence operations as soon as possible, it added. Besides, the communication, sent out on Tuesday night to the staff, said the CEO has assured that salaries for the month of Ap

Go First's suspended board files caveats before SC against aircraft lessors

The suspended board of Go First on Tuesday filed caveats before the Supreme Court against four aircraft lessors of the crisis-hit airline. Four caveats have been filed by Varun Berry, the Chairman of the suspended board of Go First through his counsel advocate Pranjal Kishore, as per the information available on the website of the Supreme Court of India. The lessors are - SMBC Aviation Capital Ltd, GY Aviation, SFV Aircraft Holdings and Engine Leasing Finance BV (ELFC) - owning around 22 aeroplanes. The caveat has been filed against the order passed by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Monday, which upheld the order passed by the Delhi bench of the NCLT on May 10. The Principal Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted the plea of Go First to initiate voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings. It appointed an interim resolution professional (IRP) to suspend the company's board. A Caveat application is filed by a litigant to ensure that no order is .

Domestic airline travel sets a new record, crosses 50 million passengers

Air traffic data shows an increase in domestic air travel by 42.85%, showing rapid post pandemic recovery of airlines

BOC Aviation files NCLT application to secure aircraft leased to Go First

Appellate court has upheld NCLT order admitting Go First's insolvency petition, hurting lessors' plans to secure plans

Scindia discusses manpower planning for peak season with airport operators

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday held a follow-up meeting with representatives of airlines and airport operators to discuss airport-wise infrastructure and manpower planning for the upcoming peak travel season. "All players are committed towards ensuring smooth processing for passengers at all 5 touchpoints at major metro airports. The seamless point-to-point operations exercise, along with the usage of #DigiYatra, will be key in ensuring minimum queues & maximum efficiency at airports," he said in a series of tweets. The discussions with the stakeholders also focused on airport-wise infrastructure and manpower planning for the long term as well. Representatives from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) also participated in the meeting. "...held a follow-up meeting with airlines, airport operators, @AAI_Official, & BCAS to discuss airport-wise infrastructure & manpower planning for the upcoming peak ...

Uncertainty remains over revival of Jet Airways as certificate expires

Uncertainty continues over the revival of grounded Jet Airways as the validity of the airline's air operator's certificate expires on Friday. There was no word from the Jalan Kalrock Consortium (JKC), which emerged as the winning bidder for the carrier under the insolvency resolution proceedings, on the status of the airline's flying permit. The Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) of the airline, which has not flown since April 18, 2019, was revalidated on May 20 last year for a one-year period and the validity ended on Friday. However, it could not be immediately ascertained whether the consortium has sought any relaxation from aviation regulator DGCA with respect to the AOC, which is the most crucial requirement for operating an airline. A query sent to Ankit Jalan, a board member of the JKC, on whether the consortium has sought renewal of the AOC remained unanswered. The ownership transfer of Jet Airways to the JKC is yet to happen amid continuing differences with the lenders of t

Scindia voices concern over Go First, says committed to support airlines

The Principal Bench of NCLT, New Delhi also declared a moratorium for the company and directed the suspended Board of Directors to cooperate with the IRP

EasyJet has sufficient planes on order for growth targets, says CEO

Supply chain issues mean both plane manufacturers are struggling to deliver new jets on time, but the CEO said that as one of the world's largest A320 family customers, easyJet was well-placed

Engine Leasing Finance moves to NCLAT against Go First's insolvency

After three aircraft lessors, Engine Leasing Finance BV has moved the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), opposing the insolvency resolution proceedings initiated against Go First. Ireland-based Engine Leasing Finance is a leading engine financing and leasing company. It is a group entity of Japan-based Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc. A two-member NCLAT bench on Tuesday heard the plea of Engine Leasing Finance and reserved its order. The appellate tribunal said it will pass the order on May 22 along with the other three petitions. "Orders on 22.05.2023. Short written notes may be filed within two days by both the parties," it said. Three aircraft lessors -- SMBC Aviation Capital Ltd, GY Aviation and SFV Aircraft Holdings -- have moved the NCLAT against Go First's insolvency resolution proceedings. These lessors have leased out around 21 aircraft to Go First. On May 10, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) allowed the voluntary insolvency resolution plea by Go First.

Banks tighten rules around lending money to airlines after Go Air crisis

Repeated company failures dent the entire aviation industry's creditworthiness, the chief financial officer of an airline said

Akasa Air expands its training centre, can train over 700 professionals

Akasa Air has expanded its training and development centre, which can train more than 700 aviation professionals, including pilots, cabin crew, engineers and airport services and security personnel. As the less-than-a-year-old carrier, which has more than 2,500 staff, announced its expansion on Monday, Founder and CEO Vinay Dube said, "we are confident about our future and continue to invest in it. Nothing we do at Akasa is short term in nature". In recent days, the country's fast-growing civil aviation sector has witnessed turbulence with budget carrier Go First suspending flights since May 3 and later going into resolution proceedings under the insolvency law. According to a release, Akasa Air has inaugurated the second phase of the Akasa Air Learning Academy (AALA) in Gurugram. In July 2022, Akasa Air had invested in a 14,000 sq feet, dedicated learning academy. "This new facility adds another 20,000 square feet of world-class, technologically forward, learning capabilities fo

Concerned about aircraft lease rates if NCLT order stands: Boeing

India introduced a Bill in 2018 and a new Bill in 2022 to implement the CTC, but it has not yet been passed by Parliament

Air India looks to operationalise engineering warehouse in Delhi next month

Air India on Friday said it aims to operationalise an engineering warehouse near Delhi airport next month which will help resolve aircraft defects at a faster pace, and also indicated that pilots from Go First are looking to join the airline. Under the ownership of Tata Group, loss-making Air India is working on reviving the airline and among others, is aggressively hiring pilots and cabin crew as well as making various technological upgrades. In a message to employees on Friday, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said the airline has finalised an agreement for setting up a 57,000 square feet engineering warehouse near the airport in the national capital. "An agreement for a new 57,000 sq ft engineering warehouse near Delhi Airport was reached. It aims to be operational next month, giving us more proximate access to and better control over our aircraft spares so we can resolve defects faster," he said. Details about the investment for the facility could not be immediately ...

Govt to re-allocate Go First's Haj flights to IndiGo, two Saudi carriers

The government has decided to re-allocate the Haj flights that were to be operated by crisis-hit Go First from 10 Indian cities to IndiGo and two Saudi Arabian airlines, a senior official said on Thursday. The decision comes against the backdrop of the uncertainty over cash-starved Go First, which has cancelled all flights since May 3. The budget airline's plea for voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings has also been admitted by the National Company Law Tribunal. After discussions in the wake of the Go First crisis, the civil aviation ministry has decided to reallocate the flights for the Haj pilgrimage that was to be operated by the carrier. Go First is scheduled to operate the flights from 10 embarkation points in different parts of the country and now those flights will be operated by IndiGo and two Saudi carriers -- Saudia and flyadeal, the official told PTI. For this year's Haj pilgrimage, the official said there will be a total of 22 embarkation points. Out of them, Go .

Voluntary insolvency by Go First a fraudulent exercise: SMBC to NCLAT

Initiation of insolvency by Go First was a "fraudulent exercise", alleged one of the aircraft lessors of the Wadia group firm SMBC Aviation Capital Ltd before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). SMBC Aviation Capital through its counsel Arun Kathpalia submitted that it has already terminated its lease with Go First before the moratorium and it now wants to repossess those aircraft through insolvency. "Go First has no rights over the planes, which it does not own," he said. Moreover, he also questioned the proceedings at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), which completed its hearing over Go First's plea to voluntarily initiate insolvency proceedings against itself in one day only. Lessors opposing Go First's plea wanted to file a reply under Section 65 of IBC, which deals with fraudulent or malicious initiation of proceedings. However "Instead of giving an opportunity, we were denied," Kathpalia added. He further said prior to insolvency, the lease with Go

Go First's bank loans to be classified as 'bad', but has strong collaterals

The Indian central bank's rules for handling substandard assets says banks have to provision for at least 15% of total outstanding loans on secured assets in the first 12 months

NCLT admits Go First's insolvency plea, puts it under moratorium

Order prevents a viable airline from becoming an unviable one, says airline's CEO

Lessors approaches regulator DGCA to deregister three planes of SpiceJet

In further headwinds for struggling SpiceJet, lessors have approached aviation regulator DGCA for deregistration of three planes of the airline. Many aircraft of the budget carrier are grounded due to various reasons. The airline's three lessors -- Wilmington Trust SP Services, Sabarmati Aviation Leasing and Falgu Aviation Leasing -- have sought deregistration of one aircraft each, according to an update on the regulator's website. The latest development comes a day after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) issued a notice to the Ajay Singh-promoted private carrier on a petition filed by an aircraft lessor seeking initiation of insolvency resolution proceedings against it. "Two of the three planes are grounded for a long period now and the same doesn't affect our operations," a SpiceJet spokesperson said in a statement. "We are in discussion to resolve the matter. We have been working to bring back our grounded fleet basis the loan sanctioned under the ECLGS (Emergency Credit