Aerospace Diary

Delhi airport proposes “noise” tax on old aircraft (Lead) December 23rd, 2009 - 5:13 pm ICT by IANS By Neelam Mathews Frankfurt, Dec 23 (IANS) The consortium running the Indian capital’s airport proposes a new tax on older aircraft by 2012, especially on those landing late evenings and early mornings, to curb noise pollution and encourage efficient engines, officials said. “Our plan envisages noise-monitoring and encouraging the use of new generation, low-noise aircraft by tying landing charges to actual noise emission levels,” an official of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) told IANS. The official also indicated that the environmental cue would be taken from their joint venture partner, Fraport, that is already implementing a similar programme at Frankfurt airport for the past few years. “We are committed to active noise abatement measures by taxing carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide components. This will encourage new generation aircraft to fly to Frankfurt airport,” said Stefan...

News Lufthansa To Optimize Network, May Be First A380 Operator To India Aviation Daily Dec 23 , 2009 , p. 14 Neelam Mathews Lufthansa, which is due to receive three Airbus A380s in May 2010 of 15 on order, expects to start flying the plane in the summer schedule configured for 526 passengers and first- and business-class seats on the upper deck. Tokyo, Shanghai and New York are likely to be the initial destinations, Axel Hilgers, the carrier’s South Asia director, told The DAILY. There are two scenarios being discussed, at the moment, said Hilgers. The Aviation Authority of Germany last week formally sought a clearance from the Ministry of Civil Aviation in India to fly the A380 to Delhi. This will make Lufthansa the first carrier to fly the A380 to India. Asked whether he thought there would be some objections to the clearance, Hilgers said, “I don’t think [there’s] any reason why [India] will not give permission. Maybe we shall wait till Terminal 3 is ready to handle to the A380. We ...

ST Kinetics Howitzers Approved For Indian Trials Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, Dec 23, 2009 NEW DELHI — India’s defense ministry has approved Singapore Technologies (ST) Kinetics to go ahead with the trials for 39 155mm caliber ultra-light howitzers that were postponed from June. The delay in trials followed ST Kinetics being implicated in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s probe of the ministry’s former Ordnance Factory Board chairman. The investigation resulted in a temporary ban on procurements from ST and six other companies (Aerospace DAILY, June 23, 29). The government now has said that while the investigations will carry on, tests of the Howitzers should move ahead. In June, India received a consignment of ST 155s to participate in the trials. The request for proposals (RFP) for 155mm ultra-light Howitzers was first issued by the defense ministry in January 2008 with an original deadline of April 7, 2008.The submission deadline was extended twice and the final d...

News LH Sees Alliance With Air India A Restraint To Gulf Carriers Aviation Daily Dec 21 , 2009 , p. 18 Neelam Mathews Lufthansa views its partnership with Air India as a line of attack against the hasty growth of Gulf carriers that are fast eating up market share of Indian and European carriers by offering cut-throat fares and using the Dubai hub successfully to divert onward traffic to the East Coast of the U.S. and Europe. “We will not be able to push them [Gulf carriers] out of the market. We’re maintaining our market share [for the moment]. Also, there are limits to growth of the Gulf carriers. However, we not underestimate their power,” Karl Ulrich Garnadt, member of the Lufthansa Board told The DAILY. Garnadt was responsible for Network Management at Lufthansa for five years up to 2004. He was also group representative and head of hub management in Munich and instrumental in signing an agreement with Air India in 2004 that resulted in code sharing and Lufthansa’s agreeing to prov...

News Delhi Airport Considers Taxing Aircraft Noise Emissions Aviation Daily Dec 16 , 2009 , p. 14 Neelam Mathews Delhi International Airport Ltd. is expected to operate an environmental management system similar to the European Eco Audit Directive (EMAS — Eco- Management and Audit Scheme) and the internationally applicable ISO 14001 standard, within the next three years, The DAILY has learned. The system, which relates to noise-monitoring by encouraging the use of low-noise aircraft by tying landing charges to actual noise emissions, is being advocated by various activist groups and “persons of political importance” who live on the flight descent zone. Noise from aircraft taking off and landing is the most significant source of noise at an airport, but by no means the only one. In addition, there is the noise of aircraft on taxiways and aprons, the noise made by tow trucks and buses used airside and the noise from maintenance and airfreight operations. The cue is expected to be taken f...

News India’s Navy Ordering More MiG-29Ks Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Dec 04 , 2009 , p. 12 Neelam Mathews India’s navy has decided to order 29 additional MiG-29K aircraft, Adm. Nirmal Verma says. The Phase Two purchase will come under an options clause of a previous order of 16 of the aircraft that will delivered soon. That would bring the total number of MiG-29Ks ordered to 45. Aerospace Daily spoke to Verma recently during his first news conference after becoming Chief of Naval Staff. The first four of the aircraft from the initial 16 ordered will be delivered by the end of this year, Verma confirmed. Two of the aircraft will be trainers and the other two single seaters. They are for the controversial Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier. Some aircraft parts have already started to arrive, with assembly expected by the end of January 2010. Delivery of the rest will be made by 2011. Virtually all trials have been completed, with the last trial conducted Dec. 2. Firing trials are...

News EADS Opening Innovation Center In India Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Dec 04 , 2009 , p. 11 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI – European aerospace giant EADS on Dec. 4 will formally open EADS Innovation Works India, part of the EADS research and development network, in Bengaluru. The center, in the city formerly known as Bangalore, is the third such Asian branch for EADS after sites in Russia and Singapore. The new center will look at developing software and also develop technology for homeland security. It will be a good fit for India and EADS, Chief Technology Officer Jean Botti told Aviation Week. Biofuels and nanotechnology are other areas the company will start working on at its wholly owned facility. EADS is said to be working on algae-related fuels, and there is a possibility that India’s large water-based bodies would be fertile growth tanks. EADS is also looking at working with the Indian Space Research Organization on very fast planes. Botti said the expected freeze on the...

ews Embraer Executive Jets Strike Gold In India Aviation Daily Dec 02 , 2009 , p. 10 Neelam Mathews Embraer has increased its marketing initiative in India, one of the fastest emerging growth markets in the Asia/Pacific region. Its entry level jet, the Phenom 100, which it brought to Asia for the first time this month, made its foray into seven Indian cities, including two smaller ones – Indore and Madurai. “The market here is very broad-based. It includes training schools, fractional ownership, charters and business houses,” said José Eduardo Costas, Embraer’s VP-marketing and sales, Asia/Pacific, executive jets. Embraer said it has decided to be a strong player in the Asia/Pacific market with its spectrum of aircraft that will enable customers to move up brand levels. “The beauty of our aircraft is it can hover around India,” added Costas. Two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F-E engines power the jet, with 1,695 lbs. of thrust each. Its range with four occupants is 1,178 nautical mil...

Global Dispatches India Beefs Up Security Budget Defense Technology International Dec 01 , 2009 , p. 21 Neelam Mathews New Delhi India makes big investment in homeland security Printed headline: Futures Market The November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai exposed shortfalls in India’s homeland security spending (DTI February, p. 44). While the $26.5-billion defense budget for fiscal 2008-09 (ended Mar. 31) represented a 10% hike over the previous year, it was only 1.9% of GDP—not enough, experts assert, for a country whose economic and regional responsibilities have grown in recent years, and which faces threatening neighbors and insurgents. The government, as a result, increased security spending 25% in the current fiscal year. This money is funding a massive shopping spree by homeland security agencies. These include the paramilitary forces, state and central police, and intelligence agencies, all of which are part of the Home Affairs Ministry. Indian soldiers of the 7th Mechanized I...