Page 11 - Civil Aviation Sector

DGCA renews Jet Airways Air Operator Certificate with conditions: Official

Aviation safety regulator DGCA has renewed with conditions the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of Jet Airways until September 3, a senior official said on Monday. Cash-strapped Jet Airways stopped flying on April 17, 2019. The AOC was re-issued on May 20, 2022. However, since the airline did not start operations, it expired on May 19 this year. "DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has extended the AOC in respect of Jet Airways for a period up to 03.09.2023 only for the limited purpose of completing the ongoing CIRP," said the official. The extension of AOC, however, is subject to certain conditions, he said. Earlier in the day, Jalan-Kalrock Consortium, the winning bidder for the bankrupt airline said in a statement that the DGCA has renewed the airline's AOC. Last week, JKC announced the appointment of Jatinderpal Singh Dhillon as the airline's accountable manager. Earlier this month, two whole-time directors and a non-executive director were appointed at Jet Airways.

No unruly passenger onboard flights should go unpunished: BCAS chief

Unruly passengers should face the law of the land, and no such passenger should go unpunished, aviation security watchdog BCAS chief Zulfiquar Hasan said on Monday. In recent times, there have been incidents of unruly passenger behaviour onboard flights. At a briefing here, Hasan said unruly passengers are a serious issue and that FIRs should be filed against them. "They (unruly passengers) should face the law of the land.... no unruly passenger should go unpunished," he said. Regulatory actions with respect to unruly passengers are done by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). According to official data, a total of 63 passengers were placed on the 'No Fly List' during the year 2022 for varying periods as recommended by an airline's internal committee. "In 2023, 37 passengers have been placed on 'No Fly List' up to 15.07.2023. The majority of the passengers placed on 'No Fly List' were for the violation related to not wearing masks or not obeying the instructions of t

25,000 prohibited items removed from air passengers' bag every day: BCAS

From lighters to scissors to knives, around 25,000 prohibited items are taken out from the baggage of air passengers at airports in a day in the country and handling each of these items takes around three minutes, according to aviation security agency BCAS. As the air traffic in the country continues to rise, BCAS chief Zulfiquar Hasan on Monday stressed that time diverted for such prohibited items in the hand and check-in baggage can be otherwise utilised by the agency to deal with other graver threats. "We screen about 8 lakh bags which are hand baggage and about 5 lakh items that are checked in by passengers. This is a huge number," he said and added that on a daily basis, an average of around 25,000 prohibited items are found. In the hand baggage, 26 per cent of the prohibited items found are cigarette lighters, 22 per cent are scissors, 16 per cent are knives and 14 per cent liquids/ aerosols. When it comes to check-in baggage, Hasan said that around 44 per cent of the ...

BCAS to launch aviation 'security culture week' for 1st time from July 31

All the aviation stakeholders like the Airports Authority of India, airlines, CISF and passengers will take part in security awareness week

Air India to start Delhi-Dhaka direct flights from Sep 15 using Airbus A320

Air India on Thursday said it will start direct flights between Delhi and Dhaka from September 15. The airline already operates flights between Kolkata and Dhaka. According to a statement, the flights between Delhi and Dhaka will be operated four times a week, using narrow body Airbus A320 aircraft. The bookings for the flights commenced on Thursday. Air India said the additional frequencies will help serve the increased demand for international travel to and from Dhaka on the back of Bangladesh's rapid economic growth and overall development. With four additional weekly flights from Delhi, Air India offers enhanced frequency to Dhaka, enabling convenient connections via Delhi to and/or from 14 destinations in India and 14 destinations across North America, UK, Australia, the Middle East, and the Far East, the airline said.

AIX Connect gets regulatory nod to operate flights under Air India Express

Air India subsidiary AIX Connect has received regulatory approval to operate its flights under 'Air India Express' brand name. AIX Connect, earlier known as AirAsia India, is being merged with Air India Express as Tata Group is consolidating its airline business. Air India and Vistara, a joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines, are also part of the group. According to a statement on Thursday, the approval from the regulator allows both Air India Express Ltd and AIX Connect flights to be marketed, distributed and operated under a common brand name 'Air India Express', prior to the subsequent scheduled legal merger of the two entities. This development marks a significant fast-tracking of the integration efforts, including harmonisation of customer touch points, products, and services across both airlines, it added. Currently, Air India Express connects 20 domestic destinations and 14 international destinations while AIX Connect serves 19 domestic destinations. The propo

JKC appoints Jatinderpal Dhillon as accountable manager for Jet Airways

Jalan-Kalrock Consortium, the winning bidder for bankrupt Jet Airways, on Wednesday announced the appointment of Jatinderpal Singh Dhillon as the airline's accountable manager. The appointment of Dhillon, a seasoned pilot who has also served in the Indian Navy, is effective from July, JKC said in a statement. Jet Airways, which has not flown since April 17, 2019 due to financial crunch, went through lengthy insolvency proceedings and the Jalan-Kalrock Consortium (JKC)emerged as the winning bidder. However, the transfer of ownership to JKC is yet to happen amid persisting differences with the airline's lenders. "The Jalan-Kalrock Consortium announces the appointment of Jatinderpal Singh Dhillon as the Accountable Manager for Jet Airways. "The consortium is confident that Dhillon would play a crucial role in the operational preparedness of Jet Airways along with JKC," it said in a statement. Further, the statement said the step reinforces JKC's cohesive commitment to revive Jet Air

CAT tells Centre to reconsider DGCA ex-officer's claim for promotion to DG

The Central Administrative Tribunal has questioned the decision of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to deny J S Rawat, now retired, promotion to the post of Director General of Civil Aviation since 2013. The tribunal has directed the ministry, under which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) functions, to place Rawat's case before the selection committee for consideration from the date when he became eligible for promotion. In its order dated July 14, the tribunal stated, "If he is otherwise found suitable...he shall be given promotion along with all consequential benefits. It is clarified that since the applicant has not shouldered the responsibility of the next higher post, he is not entitled for monetary benefits. His benefits shall be calculated on notional basis." After his retirement in 2019 as a Joint DG, Rawat approached the tribunal alleging that the government flouted norms to deny him promotion to the post of DG, which is a highly technical post, since 2013 and

Centre says 37 passengers placed on 'No Fly List' this year till July 15

The civil aviation ministry on Thursday said 37 passengers have been placed in the 'No Fly List' this year till July 15, and the action was taken mainly for not wearing masks or for not obeying the instructions of crew members. In recent times, there has been an increase in the number of incidents involving unruly air passengers. Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh told the Lok Sabha that a total of 63 passengers were placed in the 'No Fly List' during the year 2022 for varying periods as recommended by an airline's internal committee. "In 2023, 37 passengers have been placed in "No Fly List" upto 15.07.2023. The majority of the passengers placed in 'No Fly List' were for violation related to not wearing masks or not obeying the instructions of the crew members," he said in a written reply. To a query on whether the government plans to widen the ambit of the powers of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to tackle such incidents, the minister replied in the ..

Vistara prepares to merge staff into Air India as two carriers merge

Vistara, now co-owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines Ltd., will be folded into Air India under a deal announced in November, giving the Tatas more heft to go up against dominant IndiGo

More than 500 crew members to join Air India in each of coming months: CEO

More than 500 crew members will be joining Air India in each of the coming months and the airline will be rolling out the new crew rostering project soon, according to its chief Campbell Wilson. In his weekly message to employees on Friday, he said the crew rostering project is about to start rolling out in the earnest. "As the system settles in, crew should see earlier roster publication, more stable rosters, better integrity of 'golden offs' and better standby provisioning to reduce last-minute call-ups. "Also, when averaged over a few months, there will also be more equitable earnings," he said. Air India has embarked on an ambitious transformation plan under the ownership of the Tata Group. "Additionally, with more than 500 new crew being released into service in each of the coming months, we will be able to reinstate full crew complements and accelerate training," Wilson said. Air India's MD and CEO also said the project will be a complete transformation of the way the airl

Civil aviation sector witnessing growth phase: Jyotiraditya Scindia

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said the country's civil aviation sector is witnessing the beginning of the growth phase and that the number of planes with domestic airlines will increase to 1,500 from 720 at present. The civil aviation sector is contributing to the rise of the economic power of India, he said and highlighted the aircraft orders placed by airlines, including Air India. "India is aiming high... This is beginning of the growth phase (of civil aviation sector)," the minister said ahead of the inauguration of the fourth runway and the Eastern Cross Taxiways (ECT) at the Delhi airport. Scindia also said that he has asked the Delhi airport operator DIAL to have the fourth terminal by October. G M Rao, Group Chairman of GMR Group, said the ECT and the fourth runway will help enhance operational efficiency and increase capacity. He was speaking at the inauguration of the fourth runway and the ECT at the airport.

Last flight: British carrier Virgin Atlantic says goodbye to Pakistan skies

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said that the final flight left from Islamabad International Airport to London's Heathrow Airport at 8 am (local time)

Indian airlines' IT spend to be much higher than global average: SITA Asia

Between 2014 and 2023, the number of airports in India have increased from 74 to 148, as per the Union civil aviation ministry. This number is expected to go up to 220 by 2025

375 A321neo, 125 A320neo: Airbus reveals IndiGo's 500-plane order

The A320neo has a range of 6,300 kilometers, whereas the A321neo aircraft type has a range of up to 8,700 kilometers

SC directs SpiceJet to pay entire arbitration award of Rs 380 cr to Maran

The court had made it clear in its order that if SpiceJet failed to pay, the entire award would become payable to Kal Airways and Maran

Delhi airport's 4th runway, elevated taxiway to be operational from July 13

The new facilities will reduce the time flights take to taxi, help in reducing emissions

IndiGo cancels Istanbul-Mumbai flight due to tech issue in aircraft

IndiGo on Monday said it cancelled a flight from Istanbul to Mumbai on Sunday due to a technical issue in the Boeing aircraft. Since the aircraft was not available, the flight scheduled from Mumbai to Istanbul on Monday was also cancelled. A source in the know said the Boeing 777 aircraft had some fuel imbalance issue. Some passengers took to social media to complain about the flight cancellation from Istanbul to Mumbai on Sunday. Details about the number of passengers who were booked on the two flights could not be immediately ascertained. "IndiGo flight 6E 18 operating Istanbul-Mumbai-Istanbul on 2nd/3rd July was cancelled due to a technical issue. Passengers had been offered alternate options. The aircraft is back in operation after necessary maintenance," the airline said in a statement.

Airline travel delays pick up early, expected to grow steadily worse

Travellers are getting hit with delays at US airports again early on Wednesday, an ominous sign heading into the long July 4 holiday weekend, which is shaping up as the biggest test yet for airlines that are struggling to keep up with surging numbers of passengers. As of early morning, more than 900 flights have been delayed in the US, according to FlightAware. Cancellations topped more than 670 flights. Cancellations and delays were most severe along the East Coast early and were growing worse rapidly. Disruptions are expected to spread West. The delays are being compounded by thunderstorms that raked the Northeast on Tuesday. At various times, the Federal Aviation Administration held up flights bound for LaGuardia Airport in New York and Reagan Washington National and Baltimore-Washington airports near the nation's capital. About 6,500 flights were delayed and about 1,900 cancelled on the East Coast on Tuesday. United Airlines, with a major hub in Newark, New Jersey, cancelled ab

India will be 'Vishwaguru' to world on monopolistic capitalism: Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday took a swipe at the government over rising airfares, saying that in free markets, when demand increases, supply will increase, but in India's free market, when demand increases, prices will increase. The Congress has been attacking the government, demanding concrete action over rising airfares. In a tweet, Chidambaram said, "Delhi-Chennai Business Class air tickets on Vistara and Air India have been set at a 'reasonable' price of Rs 6300 and Rs 5700 respectively. Oops, sorry, they are set at a 'very reasonable' Rs 63,000 and Rs 57,000 respectively." "In free markets, when demand increases, supply will increase. In India's free market, when demand increases, prices will increase," he said. Airlines will expand their routes, curtail flights on old routes and jack up prices, the former finance minister said. "India will be the Vishwaguru to the world on monopolistic capitalism," he said. In another tweet after many criticised him for qu