Civil Aviation Development & Discussion

somnath · Post by **somnath** » 19 Aug 2015 22:09

Indigo, like most airlines keeps its fleet young. By the time the 250th plane is delivered most of the current fleet would have been leased out to other airlines. Hence these numbers are not necessarily to be taken ontopline basis

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 21 Aug 2015 01:23

How is it that Airbus is not manufacturing planes in India?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Aug 2015 08:05

airbus does not manufacture anywhere except in EU.

in tianjin they have a assembly line for a320 because the chinese govt on the back of huge orders in the past (from state owned airlines) got that concession. not sure if those assembled are meant for only for china or for export also. in india the GOI does not seem to lever these pvt deals to wring concessions at all. atleast we need to wring benefits like manufacture of some major modules.

to be fair the number of civilian narrowbodies in china is around 3-4X of india.

hanumadu · Post by **hanumadu** » 21 Aug 2015 08:10

When Modi visited France, Airbus promised to outsource/manufacture 2 billion per year from India.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Aug 2015 08:11

china is using the wide engagement with airbus to absorb technology on all fronts and get ready to use that in their C919 passenger project which will compete with embraer and bombardier. as you can see below the degree of airbus engagement is very wide and getting deeper.

http://www.airbus.com/company/worldwide ... -in-china/

According to Airbus’ market forecast, China is poised to become the world’s leading country for passenger air traffic, and it already is a major geographical region for the company.

Airbus has seen tremendous growth in the nation, with over 1,150 of the company’s aircraft in operation with Chinese airlines as of mid-2015, which represents a 50 percent market share. This underscores the company’s progress in China, where the in-service Airbus fleet has expanded by 50 times in less than two decades.

The country also is home to a growing number of Airbus manufacturing and support operations – including its first assembly line outside of Europe. The A320 final assembly line in Tianjin began operations during September 2008 as a joint venture between Airbus and a Chinese consortium of Tianjin Free Trade Zone (TJFTZ) and China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC).

In March 2014, Airbus and its Chinese partners announced the extension of this successful joint venture for an additional 10 years covering the 2016-2025 timeframe. During this second phase, the facility’s capabilities will be further increased with expanded deliveries in the Asian region, assembly of the A320neo (new engine option) from 2017 onwards, and invitation of major suppliers to develop projects in Tianjin.

This facility’s first completed jetliner made its maiden flight in May 2009, and was delivered the following month to Dragon Aviation Leasing for operation by Chengu-based carrier Sichuan Airlines – marking the first customer handover of an Airbus jetliner produced outside of Europe.

Airbus delivered the 200th A320 Family jetliner from its Tianjin facility in late 2014 with a Sharklet-equipped A319, which was provided to China Eastern Airlines. This same carrier also had received the initial Sharklet-equipped A320 aircraft from Tianjin in May 2013.
A successful cooperation continues

Airbus, TJFTZ and AVIC are expanding their successful cooperation with an agreement to set up an A330 completion and delivery centre in Tianjin – taking into account the need to support Chinese air traffic’s rapid growth with larger aircraft.

Signed in 2015, the agreement establishes the framework for a new facility in China that will cover such activities as aircraft reception, cabin installation, painting, engine runs and flight testing, as well as aircraft delivery and customer acceptance.

Structural assembly for these A330 jetliners will occur at Airbus’ final assembly line in Toulouse, France, before the aircraft are flown to China for completion at the Tianjin facility, which is to be located near the existing A320 Family final assembly line at the site.

In Beijing, the Airbus customer support centre stocks some 25,000 spare parts for dispatch to airlines in the Asia-Pacific region and was the first Chinese organisation to earn EN9100 approval. Additionally, more than 20 European and American vendors supporting Airbus customers operate from the centre, which also has a dedicated avionics repair workshop.

Airbus and its Chinese partners inaugurated the Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre in February 2011 – an eco-efficient joint venture located in Harbin. This 33,000-square foot facility features highly advanced equipment and technology – including automated-tape-laying, autoclave, automated trimming, and non-destructive test equipment.

Airbus not only values its relationship with airlines in China, it also appreciates the enormous potential offered by Chinese industry. Currently, over half the Airbus fleet in service worldwide has parts produced by Chinese companies with whom Airbus already enjoys strong relations. The total value of Airbus and the Chinese aviation industry’s cooperation is expected to be near $500 million in 2015.

The industrial ties in China include: the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, which supplies the A320’s rear passenger door and parts of its nose section; the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, producing and assembling the A320’s emergency exit doors, and manufacturing fixed leading edges, wing interspar ribs, cargo doors and skin plates, as well as A330/A340 cargo doors.

In addition, the Xi’an Aircraft Company manufactures electronic bay doors for the A320 and A330/A340 Families, as well as the fixed trailing edges on wings for the A320 Family and the brake blades and medium air ducts for the A330/A340 Family; the Hong Yuan Aviation Forging & Casting (HYFC) supplies titanium forged parts used in mounting powerplants on wings; and the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory produces A320 Family aircraft cargo door frames.

Airbus also seeks to form new industrial partnerships whenever possible. For example, the A318 is the first new Airbus aircraft developed with support from a Chinese engineering team.

Also, the specially-commissioned roll-on, roll-off ship that transports A380 components within the Airbus production network was built at the country’s Jinling shipyard.

In addition, Airbus has several major technology transfer programmes underway in China, including one that will enable the complete wing of the A320 Family to be manufactured in China. The success of such projects means that as Airbus increases production, it can continue to expand in the region.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Aug 2015 09:59

kochi airport gets 12mw solar plant
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/tech/photos ... 48115.html

on sunny days that would make it grid neutral

Bob V · Post by **Bob V** » 21 Aug 2015 11:58

nachiket wrote:We desperately need more private Indian carriers to start Intl. ops. IndiGo, is the only one with enough cash to do it. But they seem to be completely ignoring the intl. market even over the long term.

Indigo does fly international, albeit to few destinations. Have flown on the MAA-DXB & SIN-MAA routes. I guess they fly to KTM too.
As of last month, their fleet strength is ~ 95.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 21 Aug 2015 12:14

hanumadu wrote:When Modi visited France, Airbus promised to outsource/manufacture 2 billion per year from India.

A not so subtle hint for the rafale??

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 21 Aug 2015 16:38

We missed this I think. Cochin has become the first Airport to be fully solar-powered

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/ ... rnational/

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 21 Aug 2015 20:22

^^^
I liked Kochi airport. Nice club house atmosphere inside and outside.

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 21 Aug 2015 22:16

Bob V wrote:
nachiket wrote:We desperately need more private Indian carriers to start Intl. ops. IndiGo, is the only one with enough cash to do it. But they seem to be completely ignoring the intl. market even over the long term.
Indigo does fly international, albeit to few destinations. Have flown on the MAA-DXB & SIN-MAA routes. I guess they fly to KTM too.
As of last month, their fleet strength is ~ 95.

Their entire current fleet is A320s. The new 250 aircraft order is also for A320s. No widebodies at all. They can't be a true Intl. carrier without a single widebody in their fleet. A320s are severely restricted by range and capacity. They can fly to SL and nearby east Asian destinations and perhaps a few mid-east destinations. All low capacity flights. That's all. meanwhile, Emirates is flying A380's between BOM and DXB.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 27 Aug 2015 11:54

A-350 At MAKS , Note the Huge Engine Dia

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5635/206 ... 1c79_o.jpg

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 28 Aug 2015 05:37

India launches world’s first solar airport

LONDON( Web Desk ) – Indian government launched the world’s first ever fully solar-powered airport in Kochi the southern Indian state of Kerala, BBC Urdu reported on Wednesday.

Chief minister Kerala inaugurated the airport.

Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) told BBC that international airport will now run completely on solar power from 46,150 panels laid across 45 acres and 40-50 thousand units power will be generated. This is the first ever solar powered airport in the world.

The CM also stated solar power project will save 300,000 tons worth of carbon emissions over the next 25 years. That’s the equivalent of planting three million trees or not driving 750 million miles.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 29 Aug 2015 06:02

Flew air parasite after lord knows how long. Until you get to the plane, they are utterly clueless. Cant check in online for international flights, cant buy upgrades except at the airport ticketing counter (gate people have no ability to take money), and in general their are six useless idiots standing around just to be unhelpful. They make it damn near impossible to get on one of their planes.

In the plane the hostesses have to perform the maharaja mudra at the gate for two hours and its mandatory for them to tell you where your seat is. The boarding is longer than an hour! Not 30 minutes, but 1+ hour. And then they get who is on the plane and who isnt wrong. So they ask xyz to press call button if they are onboard. Dont recall how this resolved, but it did upset the policeman who proceeded to manhandle the gate agent right there at the plane entrance.

The plane itself is ugly. I dont mean gulf carriers gold everywhere ugly. I mean blood and vomit color ugly. Impossible to see what is clean. IFE is hopeless, even the "about us" content is not legible. Food is passed around, and I must say has also gone to the dogs. A packet of biryani constitutes dinner. Pretty much same whether you eat meat or not.

They were on time. And the bathrooms didnt entirely become useless on this 6 hour flight. Just sticky floors.

Having said this, united is worse.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 01 Sep 2015 05:15

Having said this, United is worse.

Absolutely. That I can attest to.

Deans · Post by **Deans** » 01 Sep 2015 11:04

somnath wrote:Indigo, like most airlines keeps its fleet young. By the time the 250th plane is delivered most of the current fleet would have been leased out to other airlines. Hence these numbers are not necessarily to be taken ontopline basis

That's correct. (As commercial head, I was part of the negotiation for Go Air's acquisition of 72 A-320 NEO's back in 2011).
Indigo takes a 6 year lease on all its aircraft (reducing maintenance expenditure incurred on aircraft that are older),while the
contract for 250 aircraft would typically be spread over 10 years.

The problem the airline will almost certainly face is not parking capacity, but slot availability. A structural problem in Indian aviation is that 50% of all Indian domestic flights still depart from Delhi + Mumbai airports. Both airports are saturated in terms of slot availability. You can still get a slot in Delhi, but only during non peak hours. Going forward, inability to build new airports in both cities will affect the industry's future growth. (Building a new terminal to share the same runway, is not the same as a new airport - a fact that successive Govt's have not grasped). However, since the slots are granted on a `first come' basis, Indigo, who is building capacity faster, will gain more than newer airlines.

Another problem is several of our leading airports (by no of pax) are still owned by the IAF & Navy which affects both their ability to expand, as well as defence. Examples include all 3 civil airports in J&K, Pune, Goa, Bagdogra, Chandigarh, Vizag, Port Blair.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Sep 2015 13:26

i think etihad has taken over alitalia now. veterans claim alitalia was plenty worse than the american ones ppl love to bash.

manju · Post by **manju** » 05 Sep 2015 09:51

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-bo ... ax-2122070

Two of my friends were on the AirFrance Flight from Blr to Paris (on way to USA). They were told it was a technical snag and so they had to return to Blore. They got to know the real reason after they deplaned.....

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 08 Sep 2015 15:30

instead of replacing its 30 year old A320 fleet, AI splurged and went for 787, 777 and A330 purchases using govt funds now this fleet is always is news for the wrong reasons
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/william- ... or-1215263

ManjaM · Post by **ManjaM** » 08 Sep 2015 17:13

Not just AI, this is a major error in judgement by the Pilot in Command if he took off despite knowing of issues with the airplane. An airplane can fly while not a 100% as long as it is in compliance with the Minimum Equipment List. I am certain that hydraulics problems will not be covered though. IF this report is true (This is rNDTV news and article by Billy Dalrympile), atleast the PIC should have his pilot privileges revoked.

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 13 Sep 2015 05:40

Air India set to ground 'overweight' cabin crew

New Delhi, Sept. 12: Air India has decided to ground about 130 flight attendants, mostly women, who have failed to meet government-imposed weight standards, angering cabin crew and aviation experts who see the move as "sexist".

The state-owned airline had last year asked 600 flight attendants to lose weight within six months. It now plans to assign over a fifth of them to ground jobs because their body mass index or BMI levels are still above prescribed limits.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Sep 2015 08:56

a fair way would be to put them periodically through a physical test like doing a obstacle course. those who fail be given some time to improve strength, flexibility, endurance. those who are not having these attributes would not be of much help in a emergency.

weight and look should not be the end criteria.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 13 Sep 2015 12:48

Singha wrote:a fair way would be to put them periodically through a physical test like doing a obstacle course. those who fail be given some time to improve strength, flexibility, endurance. those who are not having these attributes would not be of much help in a emergency.

weight and look should not be the end criteria.

what else is left?? It's a bad airline, cumbersome booking procedures, tedious boarding process, dirty aircraft, bad food, indifferent employees and finally, are the bored passengers then to be deprived of some meagre eye candy too??

fat hostesses are the final straw that broke the camel's back, no??

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Sep 2015 13:17

negi · Post by **negi** » 13 Sep 2015 20:35

The 3 services are supposed to onlee fly Air parasite come what may ; my bro flies via the national carrier even if the tickets are twice as much on say Indigo or some other budget airline. I think it is time that forces outsource the relevant process (like corporates use Amex) get similar processes in the fauj let the men and their family travel by what they want , it would be efficient, cheaper and for everyone's good.

Air parasite btw is used by many haram khor gobmint employees to smuggle stuff into India.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 13 Sep 2015 20:40

negi wrote:The 3 services are supposed to onlee fly Air parasite come what may ; my bro flies via the national carrier even if the tickets are twice as much on say Indigo or some other budget airline. I think it is time that forces outsource the relevant process (like corporates use Amex) get similar processes in the fauj let the men and their family travel by what they want , it would be efficient, cheaper and for everyone's good.

Air parasite btw is used by many haram khor gobmint employees to smuggle stuff into India.

some local airlines give fare concessions to ex service guys too. Jet is one, for sure.

negi · Post by **negi** » 13 Sep 2015 20:43

^ Yes but when still serving the once in a year leave allowance is applicable only if one travels via Indian Railways or Air India , other private carriers are not covered.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 14 Sep 2015 06:23

went to BIAL yesterday after 3 months. the curving roof on the verandah has been a disaster on the underside. work continues to remove the panels on the underside piece by piece and do repairs. the equipment to lift people up high to work has been parked in the driveway just like it was in may.

it started raining as we started back at 6:30pm....and a truck loaded with sacks had overturned on ORR manyata eastbound already in the afternoon leading to a huge backup toward hebbal, so we came via MG road. everything looked darker than usual....then we realized all streetlights in the city had been switched off by the govt due to power shortage!

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 14 Sep 2015 07:46

Maybe they need to switch to solar powered LED lights. One of the largest industrialized city being in this mess is a very unhealthy sign.

negi · Post by **negi** » 14 Sep 2015 13:13

^ Forget that, that is bleeding edge stuff; here we do not even have standard light detector diode setup for street lighting , that is why street lights remain on even during the day time. BBMP has a helpline for citizens to call and inform them about street lights which stay on during the day time.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 24 Sep 2015 17:25

China Inks Deals Worth $38 Billion to Buy 300 Boeing Jets

HONG KONG — Boeing said Wednesday that Chinese companies have agreed to buy 300 jets and build an aircraft assembly plant in China. The deals, worth about $38 billion, were signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States.

China Aviation Supplies Holding Company, ICBC Financial Leasing and China Development Bank Leasing inked the jet purchase agreement after Xi's arrival in Seattle. Boeing said the orders were mostly for its 737 models.

State-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, which is better known as Comac, also signed a cooperation agreement with the U.S. plane maker to build a 737 aircraft assembly center in China. Boeing said the new facility will paint the jets and finish their interiors.

Xi visited Boeing's Paine Field assembly plant during the Seattle leg of his trip before moving on to Washington, D.C., to meet President Barack Obama.

The assembly plant would be Boeing's first in China and signals its attempt to match its European rival Airbus's Chinese presence as the two rivals step up their efforts to win more business in the country's lucrative aircraft market. Boeing said the Chinese facility won't reduce employment levels at its plants in Washington state.

Airbus opened its first assembly line outside of Europe in 2008 with a Tianjin facility that turns out four A320 aircraft per month. In July, Airbus signed a deal for a second completion and delivery center for A330 jets.

Boeing, based in Chicago, sold a record 155 airplanes last year to customers in China, and so far this year, a quarter of its jets have been delivered there. The company predicts that over the next two decades China will overtake the U.S. as the world's biggest plane market with demand for 6,330 new airplanes worth an estimated $950 billion.

Shares of Boeing Co. fell $2.32, or 1.7 percent, to close at $131.67 Wednesday.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 24 Sep 2015 18:17

negi wrote:^ Forget that, that is bleeding edge stuff; here we do not even have standard light detector diode setup for street lighting , that is why street lights remain on even during the day time. BBMP has a helpline for citizens to call and inform them about street lights which stay on during the day time.

Yes , it is there. And more or less failed . Once dust accumulate detection goes for a toss. Needs cleaning. And if municipal workers were good for anything at all.....

LED street lights are holding some promise in this regard and many pilots are ongoing to see how it functions. One , the first one in India is going strong without any maintenance issue while saving on power consumption. Even in California and SF some pilots are underway.

unfortunately LED tech is currently expansive and mostly centralised with few companies.. osram, nichia, philips, Cree,TG etc. India is mostly taking chipanda maal and assembling here which is cheap and of uneven quality.

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 17 Oct 2015 22:35

Government may ask Gulf carriers to share their traffic gain

NEW DELHI: India may soon ask Gulf carriers to share a part of the offsets of their huge aircraft purchase orders with it. The aviation ministry is of the view that passengers flying between India and the rest of the world through hubs in the Gulf account for a substantial part of the overall traffic carried by the Gulf carriers and is a significant reason why they place massive aircraft orders.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 30 Oct 2015 12:10

China signs for 130 Airbus jets in a deal worth $17 billion.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... ts-418340/

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 30 Oct 2015 12:19

Centre to release draft civil aviation policy today

After much delay, the National Democratic Alliance government is finally going to release the draft civil aviation policy today.

The uncertainty over relaxing the international flying norm is likely to remain as the Union government may ask for public opinion over the issue stating all the options in hand. However, the policy may address critical issues such as ground handling of aircraft, regional connectivity, airport charges and bilateral traffic rights.

The policy will touch upon issues such as the route dispersal guidelines, maintenance, repair and overhaul service, code-share agreement, Airports Authority of India's new projects, the helicopter policy and aeronautical Make In India.

On the present 5/20 rule (an airline has to have five years of operations and at least 20 aircraft to fly on international routes), the ministry will likely state all the four available options - retaining the current norm, scrapping it, moving to a credit-based system linked to route dispersal guidelines, and allowing airlines to fly abroad immediately, on an assurance that they would attain the required credits. The issue has divided the domestic aviation sector, with all the existing airlines opposing any move to scrap the present norms and new players in favour of relaxing it.

In a major relief, the airlines may be allowed to self-handle the services at airports, which include check-in, luggage handling, aircraft cleaning and servicing, loading and unloading of food and beverages. The airlines would be permitted to hire contract workers to perform the job. The present rule states only permanent employees handle ground operations but private airlines mostly either hire contract workers or use external agencies.

Centre wants to create an ecosystem to tap into the tier II and tier III city traffic where 300 million middle-class people reside. The draft policy may talk about ensuring at least one flight for every middle class passenger per year so that there is a multifold rise in the traffic from the present 70 million passengers. India's air traffic growth is mainly driven by the metro routes at present.

The civil aviation policy will attempt to revive the ambitious low-cost airports project which was junked earlier this year by doing away with the requirement of maintaining a minimum rate of return for developing regional airports. Currently, the finance ministry's public investment board appraises projects with an internal rate of return of at least 12 per cent.

Earlier this year, the Union government had scrapped a proposal to build 50 low-cost airports, as most were found unviable. A regional connectivity scheme will be framed to incentivise states to identify potential regional airports. According to the scheme, a regional connectivity fund will be formed by charging two per cent cess on air tickets. The state government concerned will identify potential airports on which the Centre will provide viability gap funding on air tickets from 80 per cent of the regional connectivity fund and the rest will come from the state.

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 31 Oct 2015 05:41

Draft aviation policy for better regional connectivity

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 30:
Indians will have to shell out more for domestic and international air travel if a proposal in the draft aviation policy to levy a 2 per cent cess on flight tickets is accepted. The funds are to be spent for improving regional air travel infrastructure.

However, the proposal seeks to exempt flights operating on CAT IIA routes and under the regional connectivity scheme. Routes connecting airports within the North-East, Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep are termed CAT IIA.

The ₹1,500 crore collected annually from the cess will be used for viability gap funding (VGF) to operate flights in remote areas. The draft policy proposes to create a Regional Connectivity Fund for VGF. It wants the VGF shared by the Centre and the States in the 80:20 ratio. The draft policy, which will be in public domain for the next three weeks for stakeholders’ comments, has also suggested creating a regional connectivity scheme from next April, with fares capped at ₹2,500 for flights of about one hour in remote areas.

Boost to MRO sector

To give a boost to the domestic maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector, the draft policy says MRO services will be service tax exempt. It adds that States will be persuaded not to levy VAT.

It also proposes that MRO, ground handling, cargo and ATF infrastructure at an airport get infrastructure status, with benefits under Section 80-IA of the Income-Tax Act.

The draft policy proposes ‘open skies’ for countries within a 5,000-km radius with effect from April 1, 2020.

Further, it suggests increasing FDI in the domestic aviation sector to above 50 per cent if the government decides to go in for open skies.

The draft also talks of adding more routes, and plans to bring in greater operational efficiencies by allowing airlines to change routes between CAT II and CAT III airports by intimating the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation 30 days in advance.

The draft says the permission of the Ministry will be required for withdrawing operations to and within the North-East region, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Ladakh.

5/20 rule

The draft policy has come up with three alternatives to the 5/20 rule — retain it, scrap it, or allow airlines to fly to SAARC nations if they have earned 300 domestic flying credits.

For flying to other international destinations, 600 domestic flying credits are required.

A final decision on the 5/20 rule will be taken by the Cabinet.

An airline earns more domestic flying credits if it operates to remote areas than what it earns if it operates between metro cities or between tier II cities.

What do the Gurus think?

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 31 Oct 2015 06:06

Sky's limit for airlines - Free-for-all regime in the air

New Delhi. Oct. 29: The government today drew the contours of an "open skies" regime in civil aviation that theoretically unfurls the possibility of unlimited flights to Europe and the US even as it raises the prospects for rock-bottom tickets on regional flights to remote parts of the country.

The idea of an open skies regime was unveiled in a draft civil aviation policy that was placed in the public domain for comment.

The paper proposes to liberalise the existing regime of bilateral rights under the air services agreements that India signs with countries that are located beyond a radius of 5000 km from Delhi - an arc that will extend to countries in Europe, the US and Australia.

"Unlimited flights above the existing bilateral rights will be allowed directly to and from major international airports within the country," the paper said if the countries were prepared to extend similar concessions.

The existing bilateral rights - there are 109 agreements at present - cover aspects like number of flights, seats, landing points and code share arrangements.

The paper was, however, silent on ways to enhance landing slots at home, assuming there is a sudden burst of interest among foreign airlines to fly into India or even on how to find these coveted slots at some of the world's busiest airports for local airlines hoping to go there.

The government said it might consider allowing foreign companies to raise their stake in India airlines above 50 per cent from the current limit of 49 per cent if they could usher in an open skies regime.

An open skies regime for short haul destinations - those within a radius of less than 5000 km from Delhi - will be considered after April 1, 2020.

The paper proposed to slap a 2 per cent levy on domestic and international flights to create a fund that would be used to subsidize regional flights to remote areas. Typically, ticket prices for one-hour flights to no-frills airports will be capped at Rs 2,500 per seat. The prices will be indexed to inflation.

The paper calls for a host of concessions from the Centre and state governments to help the regional airlines - labelled as scheduled commuter airlines -- to get off the ground.

The idea behind the plan is to crank up the number of domestic air passengers from the current level of 70 million a year to 300 million by 2022 and 500 million by 2027. International ticketing is projected to surge to 200 million by 2027.

However, the paper failed to break the deadlock over the contentious 5/20 restriction, which was imposed in October 2004, that bars an airline from flying to overseas destination unless it has five years of experience and a fleet of 20 planes.

Instead, it came up with a third option of conferring a graded system of domestic flying credits (DFCs) to win rights to fly to short-haul and long-haul overseas destinations. Airlines will be free to trade their DFCs but the paper did not say how they would be priced.

A quick back-of-the-book calculation revealed that Jet Airways would earn 1600 DFCs under the complicated formula. It would then be free to trade as many as 1000 credit points since the proposed rules suggest that an airline can win the right to fly to long-haul destinations if it has 600 DFCs.

"It was surprising to see the lack of clarity or progress on the 5/20 rule. This is one significant, archaic and regressive policy that would have unbridled the entire sector," said Mittu Chandilya, CEO of Air Asia, which got its operating licence only in May last year.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 31 Oct 2015 09:24

10 things to know about the draft civil aviation policy

1) The Union civil aviation ministry has kept all the options open on international flying norms, known as the ‘5/20 rule’. Three options stated in the draft policy are: continuing the present norms, complete abolition from immediate effect and a credit-based system to replace it. At present, an airline requires five years of operations and 20 aircrafts in its fleet to go on international routes.

2) The government has decided not to scrap the route dispersal guidelines which mandate airlines to fly to remote areas. More routes will be added up in the Category I (metro) routes as destinations more than 700 km away domestically with annual traffic of 500,000 passengers will also become a part of it. As is the case presently, the airlines will need to deploy at least 10% of the capacity on the metro routes in the North Eastern region, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep (Category-II routes). The airlines will need to take the permission of the civil aviation ministry to withdraw existing operations in “north east region, Islands and Ladakh.”

3) The Union government has opened up the skies for destinations 5,000 km away from New Delhi thereby helping Europe, Australia, South America among others to operate flights to and from India without any restriction on the number of flights and seats.

4) The government announced giving foreign airlines traffic rights to key destinations within seven hours of flying away from India (Gulf region, Middle East and South East Asia) through auction as one of the ways. At present, countries sign an agreement to decide the flights or seats per week that can fly into each other’s country. “For countries within 5,000 km where domestic airlines have not fully utilised their quota, additional seats above existing rights would be allotted by bidding for a three year period,” said the draft policy.

5) The government will “consider” opening up the skies for these short-haul destinations from 1 April 2020. “If the government decides to go in for open skies”, there will be an increase in FDI in airlines from 49% at present to above 50%, the policy said.

6) A regional connectivity scheme, which will come into effect from 1 April 2016, has been framed wherein airfares for a one-hour flight will be capped at Rs 2,500. This will happen through revival of un-served or under-served airstrips. According to the scheme, a regional connectivity fund will be formed by charging 2% cess on air tickets on international and domestic routes excluding the intra-remote areas. The Centre will provide viability gap funding on air tickets from 80% of the regional connectivity fund and the rest will come from the state.

7) The state government concerned will identify potential airstrip on which a low-cost airport can be developed. It will have to provide a slew of incentives such as free land, concessional power, water and other tariffs, reduce value added tax (VAT) on aviation fuel to 1% or less on these airports. Additionally, the Centre will exempt service tax on air tickets under this scheme and the aviation fuel will be exempt from excise duty.

Union civil aviation secretary RN Choubey said the government wanted to make India a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub in Asia. The service tax on output services of MRO will be zero, aircraft maintenance tools will be exempted from custom duty, tax-free storage period of spare parts imported by MROs will be extended for three years and procedure for custom clearance will be simplified. MRO, ground handling, cargo and ATF at the airport will get the benefit of ‘infrastructure’ sector, the policy said. This move may irk private airlines which have been demanding an infrastructure status for a long time.

9) Also, Indian carriers will be free to enter into code-share agreements with foreign carriers for any destination within the country on a reciprocal basis, the policy noted. No prior approval of the ministry will be required and the airlines will only have to inform the ministry 30 days prior to starting the code-share flights.

10) In a major relief, the airlines may be allowed to self handle the services at airports, which include check-in, luggage handling, aircraft cleaning and servicing, loading and unloading of food and beverages. The airlines would be permitted to hire workers with at least one year of contract to perform the job. The present rule states only permanent employees handle ground operations but private airlines mostly either hire contract workers or use external agencies.

Nick_S · Post by **Nick_S** » 02 Nov 2015 12:37

Indian Air Force Put On High Alert After Multiple UFO Sightings At Delhi Airport
http://allindiaroundup.com/news/indian- ... i-airport/

The pilot of an Air Vistara flight from Bhubaneswar had complained of being distracted by a laser beam right while landing at IGI’s runway 29 on Wednesday night. He also said that he was 6 nautical miles away from the runway when the laser beam distracted him.

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 02 Nov 2015 13:17

Is someone trying to down a AC deliberately???