Aerospace Diary

Aviation Week May 28, 2010 By Frances Fiorino, Neelam Mathews Washington, New Delhi The Air India Express accident that took the lives of 158 people raises concerns about Indian airlines and underlines the need to make runways safer as traffic grows in fast-developing aviation ­regions. The May 22 accident is classified as the overrun type of runway excursion, which is defined as what happens when an aircraft either departs the end or the side of a runway surface during takeoff or landing in the Flight Safety Foundation’s Runway Safety Initiative (RSI) study. When an aircraft leaves the side of a runway, it is sometimes called a “veer-off,” and when it travels past a runway end, it is called an “overrun.” The study, launched in late 2006 and published in 2009, aimed to identify high-risk areas and find ways to reduce runway hazards. India’s aviation authorities provided preliminary details about the accident. At about 6:00 a.m. (local time) on May 22, Air India Express Boei...

: Budget international arm of Air India, an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 aircraft ¬ FltIX-812 inducted in Jan 2008- carrying 160 passengers and six crew from Dubai overshot the runway (May 22) and burst into flames in Mangalore in the state of Karnataka in south India. This is the worst accident in India in the past 10 years. Four passengers escaped with minor injuries, three with major injuries and one unhurt. The Director General of Civil Aviation is conducting an inquiry into the cause of the crash. “India has had a long unblemished record for several years. Unfortunately, this incident has saddened all of us and we are deeply shocked and pained,” Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said in a press conference after visiting the crash site in Mangalore. Patel announced compensation will be paid to deceased passengers according to the Montreal Convention to which Indian is a signatory. 146 bodies recovered include that of Serbian commander, Zlatko Glusica - with 10,200 ho...

Europe Aviation Daily May 20 , 2010 , p. 14 Neelam Mathews Kazakhstan-based Air Astana is expanding its central Asian hub in Almaty with new services planned to China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan Three Embraer E-190s were selected last year to operate on Air Astana's expanding Central Asia network, with the first of three leased aircraft scheduled for delivery in early 2011. Airbus A320 family aircraft will operate these services in the interim. Air Astana will launch services to Urumchi, in western China; Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, and Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, during the second half of 2010. Regional services already operate from Almaty to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan and Novosibirsk in southern Russia. Additional new routes to other cities in southern Russia, including Omsk and Yekaterinburg are also under consideration. "Services launched from Almaty to Central Asian destinations in 2008-09 have proved enormously popul...

Funding and Policy Aerospace Daily & Defense Report May 19 , 2010 , p. 09 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — The Indian navy is changing its planning strategy to an emphasis on capabilities rather than focusing on the number of platforms, according to naval chief Adm. Nirmal Verma, and will be a lean, fully networked force by 2022. “There is a change from the old ‘bean-counting’ philosophy to one that concentrates upon ‘capabilities’,” Verma says. Keeping pace with the navy’s current Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP), there are currently 34 ships and submarines on order from Indian shipyards. It has been said the Indian navy lacks a power projection capability. However, the Indian navy of 2022, Verma says, would be appropriately balanced between “blue-water” forces, “brown-water” offensive and defensive forces, and “auxiliary” forces that would enhance sustainability and reach, apart from providing hydrographic, training and rescue capability. Coastal security measures...

Low-Cost carriers Aviation Daily May 21 , 2010 , p. 16 Neelam Mathews Azul Brazilian Airlines, which operates a fleet of 15 Embraer 190/195s, is set to receive six more this year of the 78 aircraft ordered at the end of 2008, when it launched operations. "Aviation in Brazil has grown at a two-digit rate last year and this year, and revenues are expected to grow 18-24%," says Marketing Director Gianfranco Beting. There has been a dramatic decrease in yields brought about by the arrival of Azul in markets where the carrier competes with established carriers, such as TAM and Ocean Air, says Beting. "Azul has national ambitions. We plan to grow internally and add four to five domestic destinations this year." Choice of an all-Embraer fleet was justified because smaller aircraft can take off without paying penalties, unlike the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, which cannot fly without payload constraints. "Embraers give us flexibility, and we are able to fly...

Funding and Policy Aerospace Daily & Defense Report May 19 , 2010 , p. 09 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — The Indian navy is changing its planning strategy to an emphasis on capabilities rather than focusing on the number of platforms, according to naval chief Adm. Nirmal Verma, and will be a lean, fully networked force by 2022. “There is a change from the old ‘bean-counting’ philosophy to one that concentrates upon ‘capabilities’,” Verma says. Keeping pace with the navy’s current Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP), there are currently 34 ships and submarines on order from Indian shipyards. It has been said the Indian navy lacks a power projection capability. However, the Indian navy of 2022, Verma says, would be appropriately balanced between “blue-water” forces, “brown-water” offensive and defensive forces, and “auxiliary” forces that would enhance sustainability and reach, apart from providing hydrographic, training and rescue capability. Coastal security measures ...

Travel/Distribution Systems Aviation Daily May 17 , 2010 , p. 08 Neelam Mathews Air India will become a member of the Star Alliance by March 2011, Arvind Jadhav, chairman and managing director of AI told The DAILY at the joining ceremony of TAM Airlines in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Air India was invited by Lufthansa to join the alliance in late 2007 as merger issues between its two airlines pushed the carrier to join earlier than planned. “Information technology integration has been a major challenge. Star has over 80 requirements, most of which have been fulfilled. We expect to get a single code by October,” says Jadhav. Integration of systems between Delhi and Mumbai will follow. "Implementation of the Passenger Services System will complete the merger of Air India with former domestic carrier Indian Airlines and enable us to align processes and systems to meet Star Alliance standards," says Jadhav. Last month, the National Aviation Company of India (NACIL), parent of...

Travel/Distribution Systems Aviation Daily May 14 , 2010 , p. 04 Neelam Mathews TAM Technic, Brazilian TAM Airline’s maintenance, repair and overhaul business unit, is awaiting a decision by its board of shareholders in the second quarter on spinning off the company as an independent body. TAM is also looking at a partnership with a third-party provider and is in talks with about eight companies, including TAP Technic, Lufthansa Technik, Iberia and Singapore Technologies, Ruy Amparo, MRO VP told The DAILY in Sao Paulo. The company has been in talks with Airbus about linking to its maintenance network, “But they are slow to make a decision,” laments Amparo. The Airbus initiative is designed to ensure availability of competitive maintenance services and solutions to Airbus customers worldwide. “An intensive study has been done on the development of fleet, taxation …. We are ready to spin off if the decision is made,” says Amparo. On TAM joining Star Alliance, Amparo says, “W...

Travel/Distribution Systems Aviation Daily May 11 , 2010 , p. 12 Neelam Mathews Kazakhstan’s national carrier Air Astana is adopting a long-term training strategy as it grows in Central Asia. Through its new partnership with U.S-based Aerosim Technologies, the airline will soon establish a Pilot Training Centre in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Air Astana says it will save about $400,000 a year on training costs. Through this tie-up, Air Astana will become the first airline from Asia and Europe to acquire Aerosim’s Enhanced Virtual Procedures Trainer (EVPT) for training and developing flight operations of Airbus A320 pilots. Aerosim’s Enhanced Virtual Procedure Trainer is designed to optimize training time and improve the learning process for pilots and maintenance personnel. The airline has also launched a pilot instructor program in cooperation with Delta Air Lines in Atlanta. Thirteen Air Astana pilots are already certified as instructors, and another 30 are taking part in the prog...

Aviation Week & Space Technology May 10, 2010 By Douglas Barrie, Neelam Mathews London, New Delhi India intends to integrate a variant of its Nirbhay long-range cruise missile on the Suhkoi Su-30MKI Flanker strike aircraft, following the weapon’s initial development in the ground-launch configuration. The addition of the Nirbhay to the Flanker’s weapons inventory would give the platform a long-range—and potentially strategic—strike capability. While details on the Nirbhay program remain scant, Indian officials have suggested the weapon will have a range of 800-1,000 km. (500-620 mi.). An air-launched derivative of the Nirbhay would be a candidate platform for the air force element of India’s strategic nuclear triad ambitions. Packaging of a warhead in the constrained space of a cruise-missile body is a key technical challenge. The current Indian air force nuclear weapon capability consists almost certainly only of free-fall weapons. The Nirbhay project is being led by I...

MRO Aviation Daily May 10 , 2010 , p. 26 Neelam Mathews Honeywell has selected Air Works as its first authorized service and support center for India. The company will be Honeywell's regional forward-stocking location partner for major mechanical and avionics parts, Honeywell announced at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition last week in Geneva. Business jets are growing at a pace of 20% per year in India, and Air Works has been in business for 50 years. Increasingly, clients need local support. As an authorized Honeywell Service Center, Air Works will now have the capability to support Falcon 2000, Falcon 900 and Falcon F7X aircraft, as well as Gulfstream IV, GV, G450 and G550 aircraft. The agreement enables Honeywell to expand its support capabilities for Gulfstream and Dassault operators in India and the Middle East regions by positioning line-replaceable units intended for aircraft on ground support in Bangalore, India," said Paolo Carmassi...

Air Transport Aviation Week & Space Technology May 10 , 2010 , p. 50 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Printed headline: Updating Indian ATM ITT Defense & Information Systems is proposing to play the same systems integration role for automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) radar in India that it is fulfilling in the U.S., but even as the Indians recognize ADS-B’s superior ability to track and control aircraft, they worry about its costs. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is pursuing an ITT system that would cover the entire subcontinent plus the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. As Indian skies become more crowded, AAI says ADS-B’s ability to precisely locate one aircraft’s position in relation to others will greatly enhance the Indian air traffic controllers’ management of takeoff, landing and transit operations. “We are actively considering this [option],” says V. Somasundaram, executive director of AAI air traffic management. “However, the final decision depen...

OPERATIONS Aerospace Daily & Defense Report May 07 , 2010 , p. 10 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — The joint naval exercise Spitting Cobra 2010 concluded in Guam April 22 after two weeks of training and simulations between the U.S. and Indian navies. The annual joint exercise—in its seventh year—was between U.S. sailors of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit (Eodmu) 5 and members of the Indian navy. The numerous training activities included demolition exercises, helicopter operations and hostage threat simulations. Eodmu 5 is a forward-deployed mobile command providing EOD detachments along with a fly-away recompression chamber detachment to the U.S. 7th Fleet. The primary mission is to enable access for carrier and expeditionary strike groups, mine countermeasures operations and special operations forces. “I believe joint-exercise Spitting Cobra is the first step toward building a stronger partnership between our nations’ navies, and more specifically, our EOD for...

FUNDING & POLICY NEWS May 6, 2010 DELHI — Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony says the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is working to expedite its numerous delayed programs. DRDO will use a consortium approach for design, development and fabrication of critical components, Project Monitoring Reviews and joint funding by the military services to try to overcome delays, Antony said. Some of the many DRDO projects that have missed their original timelines include: • The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Full Scale Engineering Development (FSED) Program – Phase II was approved in 2001 and overshot its budget by almost 100%. It was to be completed by 2008; the latest probable completion date is 2012. • The Full Scale Engineering Development Program for the Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA-Navy) also overshot its budget and timeline by four years, from 2010 to 2014. • The Interception, Monitoring, Direction Finding and Analysis System (IMDFAS) – Divyadrishti. Started...

Defense Technology International May 01 , 2010 , p. 32 Paul McLeary Washington Neelam Mathews New Delhi Naval forces disrupt Somali pirates Printed headline: Fighting Back Just after dawn on March 23, as the Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel MV Almezaan was churning toward the port of Mogadishu, Somalia, the ship’s lookouts spotted three boats approaching at high speed. In the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden off the eastern coast of Africa, it was a scene that has played out all too often over the past several years, but this time things would be different. The plan of the two small skiffs manned by seven Somalis and the larger “mother ship,” one surmises, was to board the Almezaan and take its crew hostage. But there was something different about the cargo vessel the pirates would discover too late. EU boarding party approaches a skiff suspected of being used for piracy.Credit: U.S. NAVY In the curt language of a press release put out by the European Union Naval F...

Airframers/Suppliers Aviation Daily May 05 , 2010 , p. 12 Neelam Mathews India's largest budget airline, IndiGo, has been given government approval to purchase 150 aircraft, which it says it will do between 2015 and 2025. The aircraft order could be made official at the Farnborough International Air Show July 19-25. The order will be a mix of firm orders and options, depending on the negotiations done with the OEM, which will be an all-Airbus order, officials tell The DAILY, to achieve fleet commonality. While the order is presently expected to be A320s, some analysts have speculated that with Indigo being allowed to fly internationally starting in 2011, it may switch some orders to the A330. Indigo has a sale and lease-back strategy, and as it accepts new aircraft, it likely will return older ones, says Kapil Kaul, head of India and the Middle East for Sydney-based think-tank Center for Asia Pacific Aviation. Indigo’s lease this time around is expected to be seven yea...

Travel/Distribution Systems Aviation Daily May 05 , 2010 , p. 14 Neelam Mathews The battle for business between Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and budget carrier AirAsia is getting fiercer on the Vietnam route. “As an airline, we have transformed and we are fighting for our rights, as are AirAsia and AirAsia X,” Azmil Zahruddin, MAS managing director and CEO, told a local daily. AirAsia has purchased a 30% stake in VietJet Aviation and plans to launch a new low-cost carrier in Vietnam that will fly both local and international routes in August. MAS, in anticipation, has added five flights from Kuala Lumpur to Ho Chi Minh City, bringing total weekly flights to 19. MAS says average passenger load factors on the sector are 75%. MAS also offers daily flights to Hanoi. “We are committed to the Vietnamese market. These additional frequencies will provide more options to our customers to suit their travel plans,” said Amin Khan, MAS senior general manager, network and revenue management.

PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — The U.S. Navy on April 30 transferred the first two of eight P-3C Orions to Pakistan as part of its Foreign Military Sales program. The Pakistan navy will have received all eight aircraft by 2012. The aircraft will provide Pakistan with the capability to conduct maritime patrol in littoral and deep-water environments, the U.S. Navy says. “This represents the expanding strategic partnership between Pakistan and the U.S. and will fill an important gap in our country’s maritime security by helping us more effectively monitor sea lanes and provide for maritime traffic in the Arabian Sea,” Pakistan Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani said during a ceremony at NAS Jacksonville, Fla. Brig. Gen. Thomas Masiello, deputy assistant secretary of state for plans, programs and operations at the U.S. Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, praised the non-NATO ally, saying, “Pakistan commands the multinational coalition of Combined Task Force 150 in its maritime security ...

May 5, 2010 PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — Ongoing flight trials of new Colored Multifunctional Displays (CMFDs) for Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighters are expected to be over by mid-May. The CMFDs were produced by Samtel HAL Display Systems. They were cleared for flight testing by the Regional Center for Military Airworthiness in 2008 and flights began in April of this year. Ground testing and 10 sorties — during the day and night — have been carried out. LDP (laser designated pod) and gunfire testing is complete. This is the first time Indian-made MFDs are being integrated on Su-30 MKI aircraft in India. “Integration of these indigenously developed MFDs on Su-30MKI aircraft is in line with the thrust by the [Indian defense ministry] on manufacturing indigenous products for defense requirements,” says Puneet Kaura, executive director of Samtel Display Systems. The MFDs will be integrated on Block III, Block IV and the upcoming Block V aircraft. Integration with 53 Block III aircraft will end by n...

News AWIN First May 03 , 2010 Neelam Mathews mathews.neelam@gmail.com New Delhi The Indian government has cleared the air operator’s certificate for AirAsia’s subsidiary Thai AirAsia. The carrier will start direct flights to Bangkok from Delhi and Kolkata in July once it receives remaining clearances, The DAILY has learned. Malaysia-based AirAsia, Asia’s largest budget carrier, has become the only carrier to serve the Chennai-Penang route, with flights that started April 28. On May 6, its long-haul arm Air Asia X will begin offering Airbus A330 service four times a week to Mumbai. The carrier also plans to start flying to the Maldives soon. The first five routes AirAsia started in India are not operated by any other airline. Air Asia will have 148 weekly flights to India by year-end. “We have just scratched the surface. I should be doing 600 flights to India. Look at Trichy [South India]...Now we are planning a thrice-daily. It just shows what a tremendous opportunity there is...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report May 4, 2010 BUSINESS NEW DELHI — Indian engineering and manufacturing company Quality Engineering & Software Technologies (Quest Global) is looking to raise $50 million as part of its ambitious plans to grow at 40% annually for the next five years. As the company looks at strengthening its supply base, it will consolidate its position in Europe through mergers and acquisitions in the fields of aerospace and defense, power generation and engines, CEO Ajit Prabhu says. “We are a company that survived the recession through cash and courage. As a global company, we adopt a local-global approach. The acquisition gives us capability and an opportunity to have close access to our customers,” Prabhu adds. In a major move, the company is consolidating its global operations and setting up a key engineering center of excellence at its new global headquarters in Singapore. “A large number of our customers are based in Singapore and we want to be ...

Tony Fernandes AGE: 46 EDUCATION: Joined Epsom College, UK in 1977. Graduated from the London School of Economics in 1987. CAREER:  Starting 1987, became Financial Controller, Warner Music International London  In 1989, moved to Virgin Communications London as Senior Financial Analyst  Became the youngest Managing Director at Warner Music Malaysia in 1992  Vice President, Asean, Warner Music South East Asia in 1999  Bought ailing AirAsia in 2001 for 25 cents to pursue his dream of starting a budget airline Did you know: In 1997, Fernandes was conferred the Darjah Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (DSAP) which carries the title Dato’ as recognition of his services rendered to the betterment of the nation and community . AirAsia is a sponsor of Oakland Raiders NFL Fernandes has established five budget Tune Hotels offering "5 star bedding at 1 star prices" – with more to be launched. Face-To-Face With Tony Fernandes Group CEO AirAsia On the Fast...

Defense Aviation Week & Space Technology May 03 , 2010 , p. 42 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Slow flight-test pace pushes out schedule for India’s multirole fighter Printed headline: Trials Delayed India has proved once again that it cannot push the pedal too hard for speedy procurement of a major weapon system. It has been forced to notify vendors seeking the coveted 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) award that they will need to rebid, prompting a schedule delay that might drive up costs. The bidders represent the industry’s biggest fighter manufacturers—MiG Russian Aircraft Corp., Dassault, Eurofighter, Saab, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The vendors were expected to complete flight trials early last month, giving the Indian defense ministry time to complete its bid evaluation by April 28. Contract rules called for rebidding if that deadline was missed, pushing the start of the winnowing process to April 2011. Downselect will probably name three finalists, alt...

Face to Face Aviation Week & Space Technology May 03 , 2010 , p. 52 Neelam Mathews Sakhir, Bahrain Printed headline: On the Fast Track Tony Fernandes Age: 46 Education: Educated at Epsom College; graduated from the London School of Economics in 1987. Career: Became financial controller of Warner Music International in 1987; worked as an auditor at Virgin Atlantic and as the financial auditor for Virgin Records. Named managing director at Warner Music Malaysia in 1992. Became vice president of Warner Music-Southeast Asia in 1999 and left in 2001 to buy the ailing AirAsia. With a background in the music business, Tony Fernandes did not seem a perfect candidate to take on the legacy carrier establishment when he acquired Air­Asia. Just weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Fernandes paid a token 25 cents for the airline, which was backed by the Malaysian government and carried a $12-million debt. He retired the debt in two years and since then, Fernandes and his par...

News AWIN First Apr 30 , 2010 Neelam Mathews mathews.neelam@gmail.com NEW DELHI As Sri Lanka comes to grips with the vestiges of its violent past, India is stepping up to help with the resettlement program in the North of the country, including assistance with the development of Palali Airport, near Jaffna, following the end of a three-decade civil war. The nature of the assistance has not been announced. It is likely the private sector also may become involved, an official tells The DAILY. A strategic plan outlined by the Sri Lankan government says Palali should be developed as a regional and international hub with a cargo center and a light aircraft flying club. Jaffna is the northern capital of Sri Lanka. Palali, a small town near Jaffna, is one of the main transport connections from Jaffna Peninsula with the rest of the country, and its airport is the second-busiest in Sri Lanka. Palali served as the main lifeline to the Jaffna Peninsula, as there was no land supply route ...