Page 3 - Civil Aviation Ministry

Average daily international traffic dropped by 4.81% to 196,050 in March

In March, each Indian carrier's load factor (occupancy) experienced a M-o-M decline

Akasa Air regains top spot in on-time performance chart in March

In March, the new airline maintained an average daily OTP of 85.21 per cent. AIX Connect, which held the top position in February, recorded an OTP of 85.07 per cent in March

Pilots body flags deferment of revised duty norms; writes to ministry

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has raised concerns about aviation regulator DGCA deferring the implementation of the revised flight duty norms for pilots, saying the health of pilots cannot be prejudiced for the commercial benefit of operators. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on March 26, deferred the implementation of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms that were to be effective from June 1. The new framework, which would provide more rest hours for pilots, was proposed amid concerns about pilot fatigue. In a letter dated March 28 to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the FIP has flagged concerns about the DGCA decision. "The action of the DGCA not only endangers pilot safety but also undermines the safety of passengers which the implementation of the revised CAR (Civil Aviation Requirements) could prevent. "Furthermore, the health and safety of the pilots cannot be prejudiced for the commercial benefit of the operators," the

DGCA defers June 1 deadline for new pilot rest norms; airlines relieved

The regulator on Tue said airlines can continue to comply with the old FDTL norms, issued in 2019, 'till approval of their respective scheme in compliance with this CAR (civil aviation requirement)'

Ombudsman or not? Ministry to call meet with airlines and airports

Move to address flier grievances

PM Narendra Modi likely to inaugurate 15 airport projects on Sunday

The PM is likely to lay the foundation of new terminals in Hubli, Kadappa, Belgavi in Karnataka, Adampur in Punjab, and Pune in Maharashtra

Haneda airport incident: DGCA issues notice to prevent runway incursions

To prevent instances of runway incursions at airports, aviation watchdog DGCA has asked stakeholders to put in place a runway safety team at all airports and adopt technologies to improve situational awareness, among other measures. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a circular in view of the collision of planes due to runway incursion at the Haneda airport in Japan last month. Apart from establishing a runway safety team at all aerodromes and ensuring their effective functioning, the regulator has emphasised on comprehensive training for pilots, air traffic controllers, aircraft maintenance engineers, and drivers operating inside an airport. Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) should ensure that stop bars are switched on to signal a stop and switched off to indicate traffic may proceed. In no case, aircraft or vehicles be instructed to cross illuminated red stop bars, DGCA said in a release on Monday. Further, the watchdog said that aerodromes, ATCs and airline

Domestic air traffic down 5%, international traffic up 1% in January

Average daily international air traffic increased by 1.28 per cent MoM to 212,479 in January as foreign tourists continue to come amid the peak travel season that is expected to go on till March

Does govt-backed DigiYatra store passengers' personal data? Centre explains

Digi Yatra uses facial recognition technology for entry and security clearance at various airports in India. The air travel online platform is voluntary

Unruly passengers on no-fly list soared 78% last year, shows data

Whenever a passenger indulges in unruly behaviour, the incident must be investigated by the airline's internal committee to decide the duration for which the passenger will be banned from

Civil aviation ministry to get Rs 2,300 cr budgetary allocation for 2024-25

The budgetary allocation for the civil aviation ministry has come down to Rs 2,300 crore for the next financial year. For the ministry, the allocation in the revised budgetary estimate for the current fiscal ending March 2024 stood at Rs 2,922.12 crore. According to the documents of the interim Budget for 2024-25, the ministry will get an allocation of Rs 2,300 crore, including the revenue component of Rs 2,257.79 crore. Out of the total amount, Air India Asset Holding Ltd (AIAHL) will get Rs 1,158.79 crore in the next fiscal, higher than Rs 713.92 crore allocated for 2023-24. The provision is kept for servicing of loans transferred to AIAHL as a result of financial restructuring of Air India, as per the Budget document. AIAHL is a special purpose vehicle formed by the government that holds various assets of the national carrier Air India. The allocation for Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Drone and Drone Component has been hiked to Rs 57 crore for 2024-25, from Rs 3

Noida, Navi Mumbai airports to initially have flights to 26-28 cities: CAPA

The Navi Mumbai airport, which is expected to start by March next year, is likely to handle 8.8-10.8 million passengers in 2025-26

India has huge potential to be aircraft mfg hub: Scindia to Airbus CEO

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday met Airbus Global CEO Guillaume Faury and discussed collaboration opportunities for manufacturing and designing of aircraft. India is one of the key markets for Airbus, which received orders for more than 700 planes from IndiGo and Air India last year. Also, IndiGo, the country's largest airline, has only Airbus aircraft in its fleet. In a post on X, Scindia said he met "Guillaume Faury, Global CEO, Airbus today and discussed further opportunities of collaboration for aircraft manufacturing and designing". As one of the fastest growing economies and with a focus on Make In India, the country has huge potential to become a global aircraft manufacturing hub, he said. India is one of the fastest growing civil aviation markets in the world.

'Strict' action if airlines violate new rules, says Jyotiraditya Scindia

On Tuesday, the minister had asked the airlines to set up war rooms to address issues of affected passengers immediately

Akasa Air, IndiGo, Air India order 1,120 planes in less than one year

With Akasa Air announcing an order for 150 aircraft on Thursday, three Indian carriers together have ordered a total of 1,120 planes in less than one year as they expand their presence in the country's fast growing civil aviation market. The less than two-year-old Akasa Air has placed a firm order for 150 Boeing 737 Max planes, comprising 737 Max 10 and 737 Max 8-200 jets. In 2023, which also saw domestic air traffic climbing new highs, Air India and IndiGo together placed orders for 970 planes with Boeing and Airbus. Tata Group-owned Air India ordered 470 planes -- 250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing -- in February last year. Later in June, the country's largest airline IndiGo announced an order with Airbus to buy 500 narrow-body planes. Now, Akasa Air, Air India and IndiGo together have placed orders for 1,120 planes since February last year. Besides these orders, Indian carriers are set to take deliveries of new planes that were ordered earlier. IndiGo alone has an order book o

As passengers eat on airport tarmac, BCAS issues notice to IndiGo, MIAL

Aviation security watchdog BCAS has issued show cause notices to IndiGo and Mumbai airport operator MIAL over the incident of passengers having food on the airport tarmac on Sunday, according to official sources. Many passengers rushed out of an IndiGo aircraft at the Mumbai airport, sat on the tarmac, and some were also seen having food there as soon as their diverted Goa-Delhi flight landed after a long delay on Sunday. Both IndiGo and MIAL were not proactive in anticipating the situation and making the appropriate facilitation arrangements for passengers at the airport, as per the notices issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The sources said the aircraft was allotted a remote bay C-33 instead of a Contact Stand, an aircraft parking stand that is suitable for walking passengers to and from an aircraft from an allocated boarding gate. This further added to passenger woes and deprived them the opportunity to avail basic facilities like rest rooms and refreshments

Public authorities can't claim relaxation in aviation safety: Bombay HC

Civil aviation safety norms cannot be relaxed even for a project by a public authority, the Bombay High Court held while dismissing the MHADA's petition against an order passed by the Union Ministry denying it permission to construct a 40-storey building near the airport here. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata on January 10 dismissed the petition filed by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) against a decision taken by the appellate authority of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in December 2021 setting a height restriction for a residential building proposed near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The court, in its order, said the MHADA certainly cannot claim a legal, let alone constitutional, right to a taller building. "It cannot contend that civil aviation safety standards should not apply to it. It cannot contend that merely because this is an MHADA project, it exceeding a mandated height poses no danger to civi

Civil aviation sector on upswing, 75 airports built in 10 years: Scindia

Earlier people only heard about airlines getting shut down in India, but now things have changed and new air carriers are being established to make flying accessible to citizens, Scindia said

Navi Mumbai airport to become operational from this year-end: Scindia

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said the Navi Mumbai international airport will become operational from November or December this year, and also announced that in the next 10 to 15 years, at least 10 cities in India will have two airports each. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of AAR-Indamer MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility at the MIHAN SEZ in Nagpur. "The country had been waiting since the last 60 years to see Mumbai getting connected to Navi Mumba, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is today bringing to reality the dreams of people," he said, referring to the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) scheduled to be inaugurated by the PM later in the day. "The Navi Mumbai international airport will start its operations in November or December this year. This airport's first flight will land in November or December. The airport will pave the way for the big development of Navi Mumbai," the Civil Aviation Minister said. "In the nex

UP to get 5 more airports: Scindia after flagging off Ayodhya-A'bad flight

Uttar Pradesh will have five more airports in the next one month that will take the total number of airports in the state to 19, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday as he flagged off direct flight from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad. The Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30. Scindia said that five new airports will be inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh in one month. The airports will be at Azamgarh, Aligarh, Moradabad, Chitrakoot and Shravasti, taking the total number of airports in the state to 19. IndiGo, which has started services between Ayodhya and Delhi from January 11, will operate flights between Ayodhya and Ahmedabad thrice a week. The carrier will commence operations on the Mumbai-Ayodhya route from January 15. Scindia flagged off the flight from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad virtually from the national capital. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state's Tourism and Culture