Page 7 - Civil Aviation Sector

London-bound British Airways flight returns to Delhi due to technical issue

A British Airways plane enroute to London returned to the national capital on Friday morning due to a technical issue, according to sources. The aircraft, which took off at around 0945 hours, returned soon due to fire indication lights. There were more than 200 people onboard, one of the sources said. As per information on flight tracking website Flightradar24, the flight BA 142 was operated with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The source also said the flight was cancelled for the day. Further details could not be immediately ascertained.

New surveillance tech to reduce midair gap between aircraft from Jan 1

A reduction in lateral separation of aircraft will enable flight operators to take more direct routes, saving fuel in the process

Govt asks airport operators to explore biometric models for smooth travel

The civil aviation ministry, which is taking measures to prevent congestion at airport in the upcoming festive season, has asked airport operators to look at the successful biometric models being used in other countries for smooth travel of air passengers. During a meeting with an advisory group, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia asked airport operators to promote Digi Yatra, which provides for contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various check points at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). Currently, Digi Yatra is available for domestic passengers at 13 airports, including Delhi, Mumbai and Varanasi. At the meeting on Tuesday, the airport operators were also tasked with presenting biometric enabled models being successfully used in other countries, according to an official release. On December 15, Scindia said the Digi Yatra facility will be available at 25 more airports in 2024. The release said that a suggestion at the meeting was to ...

Aviation industry expected to see 10-15% revenue growth in FY25: ICRA

The pace of recovery in the industry earnings will be gradual owing to the high fixed cost nature of the business

Airlines likely to prune losses to Rs 3,000-5,000 cr in FY24: ICRA

Indian airline industry is expecting to prune its net losses to Rs 3,000-5,000 crore in this fiscal from an estimated Rs 17,000-17,500 crore in FY2023 on the back of improved yields and stable cost environment, credit ratings agency ICRA said on Tuesday. At the same time, ICRA also estimated that domestic air passenger traffic will expand by 8-13 per cent each in FY2024 and FY2025. The rating agency has also maintained its stable outlook on the industry in view of healthy passenger traffic growth, improved yields and a stable cost environment. Building on the fast-paced recovery in FY2023, ICRA at a webinar on Tuesday said it is expecting the domestic air passenger traffic to grow by 8-13 per cent in the ongoing financial year, thereby reaching 150-155 million and surpassing the pre-Covid levels of 141.2 million seen in FY2020. The Industry's net loss (is expected) to shrink to Rs 30-50 billion in FY2024 from an estimated Rs 170-175 billion in FY2023, aided by improved yields and .

IndiGo becomes first Indian airline to carry 100 mn pax in a single year

IndiGo operates over 2,000 flights per day. It flies to 86 domestic and 32 international destinations

Go First lessors propose MRO agency to maintain aircraft, RP tells HC

The RP said that it is surprising that the lessors who have participated in the discussions have chosen not to place the above facts on record

Vistara inducts 50th Airbus A320 neo plane in its fleet of 66 aircraft

Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines jointly run airline Vistara on Friday inducted the 50th Airbus A320 neo plane in its fleet. With this latest addition, Vistara now has 66 aircraft, including 50 Airbus A320 neo, 10 Airbus A321, and six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline plans to have 70 aircraft in its fleet by March next year. Vistara had in January this year said it was looking at a fleet of 70 planes by mid-2024. "In line with the focus to expand its domestic and international footprint, Vistara is on course to have 70 aircraft by the end of FY2024, thereby providing better connectivity and a wider network to its customers," the airline said in a statement. Vistara currently operates over 300 daily flights, connecting 32 domestic and 18 international destinations.

Air India gets DGCA's approval for maintenance of A350, A320 aircraft

Private carrier Air India said on Friday it has received the DGCA approval for engineering line maintenance of A350 and A320 aircraft. The Gurugram-based full-service airline is expecting to induct its first wide-body Airbus 350-900 plane in the fleet by year-end, which will make it the first air services operator in the country to have this type of aircraft. The airline plans to induct a total of six such planes in the first phase. The regulatory approval for engineering line maintenance of A350 is a major step forward in ensuring the smooth operation and maintenance of six A350 aircraft which is set to join the Air India fleet, Air India said in a statement. The first of these six planes is expected to land by the month end, it said. Along with this key approval, Air India engineers also received the DGCA certification for attending to any work related to the maintenance of A350 aircraft, it said. The airline said its engineering team has been gearing up to receive the A350 air

Cabinet clears plan to declare Surat airport as international one

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the proposal to declare Surat airport as an international airport. "This strategic move promises to unlock unprecedented economic potential, making Surat a key player in the international aviation landscape and fostering a new era of prosperity for the region," an official release said. The decision was taken by the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Elevating Surat airport to international status is paramount for enhancing economic growth, attracting foreign investment, and bolstering diplomatic ties. With a surge in passenger traffic and cargo operations, the airport's international designation will provide a crucial impetus for regional development," the release said.

Domestic air passenger traffic rose by 9% in November; crosses 1.27 cr

Domestic air passenger traffic rose 9 per cent to more than 1.27 crore in November, according to official data released on Friday. Last month also saw daily air traffic touching new highs multiple times. IndiGo remained the country's largest domestic carrier but its market share declined to 61.8 per cent in November from 62.6 per cent in October. However, none of the scheduled carriers had an On-Time Performance (OTP) score of more than 80 per cent in November. Official data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday showed that airlines flew 1.27 crore passengers in November compared to 1.17 crore in the year-ago period. This marks a growth of 9.06 per cent on an annual basis. "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-November 2023 were 1,382.34 lakhs as against 1,105.10 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering annual growth of 25.09 per cent and monthly growth of 9.06 per cent," DGCA said. The domestic

Digi Yatra facility to be available at 25 more airports in 2024: Scindia

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said Digi Yatra facility will be available at 25 more airports in 2024. Currently, the facility is available at 13 airports for domestic passengers. Digi Yatra provides for contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various check points at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). At a briefing in the national capital, Scindia said Digi Yatra will be introduced at 14 airports in the first phase and another 11 airports in the second phase next year. By the end of 2024, Digi Yatra will be available at 25 more airports and the total number of airports that will have the facility will increase to 38, he said. Currently, Digi Yatra facility is available at 13 airports that handle around 85 per cent of the country's domestic air passenger traffic. Next year, the facility will be available at a total of 38 airports that handle around 95 per cent of the traffic. The data shared by a passenger for Digi Yatra is store

Delhi airport to have full body scanners by May 2024, says BCAS chief

Full body scanners are expected to be installed at the Delhi airport by May 2024, a senior official said on Friday. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) Director General Zulfiquar Hasan also said that due to some provisioning issues, the deadline for installing full-body scanners and CTX scanners at certain airports will be extended. The deadline is to end on December 31. Once CTX (Computer Tomography X-ray) scanners are in place, passengers will not have to remove their electronic gadgets from baggage during security checks at airports.

IndiGo occupies sixth position in global mcap, surpassing United Airlines

On Wednesday, shares of InterGlobe Aviation, the parent company of IndiGo, ended 1.73 per cent higher at Rs 2,982.50 on BSE

Air India unveils new uniform collection designed by Manish Malhotra

Private carrier Air India on Tuesday unveiled its new collection of uniforms, designed by Manish Malhotra, for its cabin and cockpit crew. The new uniforms will be introduced in a phased manner over the next few months, starting with the entry of service of Air India's first Airbus A350 aircraft, the company said in a statement. "Air India's crew uniforms are amongst the world's most storied in aviation history, and we firmly believe that Manish Malhotra's innovative ensemble will script an exciting new chapter for Air India's future narrative," said Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Air India. The crew's new uniform perfectly captures the essence of the airline's new identity, among others, he said. The female cabin crew attire features a ready-to-wear ombre saree with intricate patterns reminiscent of Indian heritage architecture (jharokha) and the Vista (new Air India logo icon), paired with a comfortable blouse and blazer, Air India said. "My ai

SpiceJet board okays Rs 2,250 crore fundraising from 64 investors

Airline slips back to loss in second qtr

SpiceJet-Wilmington Trust SP Services in deadlock over rental agreement

Spicejet said that as per the repayment schedule of arrears they received, the total amount due from February to December alone was $1,560,011

Scindia discusses airfares, ways to improve airlines' on-time performance

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday reviewed the self-monitoring mechanism for airfares put in place by individual airlines and emphasised keeping fares in check on select routes. During an advisory group meeting, there were discussions on airlines' on-time performance (OTP), and the minister instructed the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to relook technical specifications at VFR-equipped (Visual Flight Rules) airports to help enhance OTP, according to an official release. Scindia held a meeting with the airline advisory group that was attended by representatives of various carriers, including Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan. In a post on social media platform X, Scindia said that he met the advisory group to discuss solutions to enhance on-time performance and "airfares on a few sectors, and in-house practices followed by each airline". Specific details about the discussion on airfares and the particular routes could not be immediately ascertained. There have been

Domestic airlines reported 406 instances of malfunctioning in Jan-Nov 2023

Domestic airlines reported 406 instances of aircraft malfunctioning in the first 11 months of this year, according to the government. Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh shared the data in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday. From January to November 2023, IndiGo reported 233 instances of aircraft malfunctioning, while SpiceJet reported 44 such cases. Air India reported 52 instances of malfunctioning of aircraft, followed by the now-grounded Go First (22), Akasa Air (20), AirAsia (India) Ltd (15), Vistara (13), Fly Big (5) and BlueDart Aviation (2). In 2022, these airlines had reported 542 instances of malfunctioning of aircraft. "Technical snags in aircraft are caused due to improper function/malfunction of components/accessories fitted on the aircraft," the minister said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has laid down regulations under Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), which requires that the aircraft is maintained in accordance with the ...

SpiceJet, IndiGo among seven airlines owing more than Rs 95 crore to AAI

Seven airlines, including Alliance Air, SpiceJet, IndiGo and Emirates, together have pending dues of more than Rs 95 crore to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), according to the government. Other foreign airlines that have pending dues are Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd, British Airways Plc and Qatar Airways, as per data provided to the Rajya Sabha on Monday. The figures exclude interest and take into account only dues that are over Rs 1 crore pending for more than one year as of November 30, 2023. As per the data provided by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in a written reply, three domestic carriers -- Alliance Air, SpiceJet and IndiGo together owe Rs 86.89 crore to the AAI. Out of them, the maximum dues amount is that of Alliance Air at Rs 83.38 crore, followed by SpiceJet (Rs 2.13 crore) and IndiGo (Rs 1.38 crore). Among the four foreign airlines, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has the highest dues of Rs 4.02 crore, followed by British Airways (Rs 1.85 crore), Emirat