Aerospace Diary

Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 30, 2012 There are no plans for moving the command systems of the Armed Forces entirely on Integrated Satellite platforms, defense minister AK Antony said. India's Naval Satellite is planned to be launched in 2012-13. While, a dedicated communication satellite for Air Force is planned to be launched in 2013-2014. A Tri-services Defense Communication Network (DCN) is progressing as per the Defence Procurement Procedure. The DCN envisages a network of optical fibre cables, satellite earth stations and transportable and portable satellite terminals with high security features, Antony said. The design of these systems have features that enable conduct of simultaneous real time networked operations from multiple sites to cater for contingencies and failures, as well as hardware redundancies for fail safe operations

Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 30, 2012 Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) have been signed with the Government of the United States (USG) for the procurement of C-17 Globemaster aircraft as well as six C-130J aircraft along with associated equipment for the Indian Air Force (IAF) The estimated cost of the procurement of the C-17 aircraft is US $ 4.116 billion while the cost of the procurement of the C-130-J 30 aircraft is US $962.4 million, says defense minister AK Antony in parliament. . The cost of an aircraft depends on its specifications, configurations and equipment on-board. The cost at which the aircraft is being supplied to India is commensurate with the cost at which C-17 aircraft is supplied to the United States Air Force and its allies. All ten C-17 aircraft and their associated equipment are expected to be delivered to the IAF between June 2013 and June 2015. The induction of the C-130 J30 aircraft commenced in February 2011 and five aircraft have been induc...

Suzanne Rab, a partner at King & Spalding in London, has experience in proceedings before the UK’s  competition and regulatory authorities, and the European Commission.  Excerpts from China Business Law Journal April 30, 2012 Comparisons between the stellar growth and potential of two of the world’s biggest economies, China and India, become increasingly irresistible as both these Asian super-giants compete internationally and are prospects for foreign investment. Against this background, it’s timely to examine where the two countries stand on their recent adoption and enforcement of modernised competition laws. China introduced its Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) on 31 August 2007, with effect from 1 August 2008. India’s new competition law  under the Competition Act 2002 (Indian Competition Act) has been implemented in two stages with powers to regulate agreements and commercial practices effective from 20 May 2009, while me...

Neelam Mathews April 30, 2012 Starting early July, Malaysia Airlines’ first A380 aircraft will be inducted  into commercial service on the Kuala Lumpur – London daily route. Sporting its own blue wau logo and a new livery, the 494-seat aircraft will have a 3-class configuration. The Main Deck will have 8 First seats and 350 Economy Class seats, whilst the Upper Deck will have 66 Business seats and 70 Economy seats. First and Busines class will have full-flat seats.

Posted by - Neelam Mathews Following the accidents of Mirage 2000 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Feb 24 and March 5 , all routine training flying on the Mirage 2000 fleet has been temporarily stopped as a precautionary measure, said AK Antony in Parliament on friday. Based on the results of the initial investigations of the accidents, certain checks have been instituted by the IAF. Commencement of flying of the Mirage 2000 fleet is being undertaken in stages post completion of checks, he added. During the last two years (2010-11 and 2011-12) and current financial year 2012-13 (upto 19.4.2012), two Mirage 2000 aircraft have crashed. Technical defect was the cause of both accidents. IAF has simulators for Kiran Mkl/IA, Hawk Mk-32, An-32 and Dornier aircraft which are being used as trainer aircraft. All these simulators are serviceable and the training syllabus includes flying training on these simulators. Further, simulators are being procured along with new induction o...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Defense Minister AK Antony said in Rajya Sabha on friday the artillery equipment procured / upgraded in the past two decades includes Pinaka Rocket System; Smerch Rocket System; BrahMos Missile System and Upgradation of 130mm gun to 155mm/45 calibre. "Procurement of new generation artillery is in consonance with Artillery Profile 2027. This profile has a mix of 155mm/39 calibre, 155mm/45 calibre and 155mm/52 calibre gun system." "Modernization is an ongoing process. ....The guns presently held are not of World War II vintage nor the ammunition levels are low to the levels reported in media. However, some deficiencies do exist in some categories of ammunition. Divulging further details would not be in the interest of national security. Modernisation of Army is undertaken on a continuous basis which entails the replacement/upgradation of equipments of older technology. Presently, a number of proposals for upgradation of the existing air d...

Press Release Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 29, 2012 The indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft Tejas LCA Navy NP1 made its maiden flight in Bangalore when Commodore JA Maolankar, Test Pilot and Wg Cdr Prabhu, Flight Test Engineer completed a 22 minutes flight.  During the flight the aircraft was put through various manoeuvers including low speed handling and even undertook a close formation flying at slow speed with another aircraft. Earlier the LCA Navy NP1 had completed various intensive Ground testing regimen including Low Speed Taxi Trials (LSD), High Speed Taxi Trials (HSD), Ground Vibration Test (GVT), Structural Coupling Test (SCT) and extensive system integration tests with power plant using State-of-the-Art facilities at Bangalore HAL airport. With this India has crossed a major milestone in Design, Development, Manufacturing and Testing of a “four plus” generation Carrier Borne Fly-by-Wire STOBAR aircraft, says MoD. LCA Navy aircraft is the first attem...

Neelam Mathews April 27, 2012 Air India is the first customer of the first Boeing 787 assembled at the company’s Charleston facility to be rolled out on April 27. The Charleston second assembly building is spread across 642,720 sq. ft.Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Jim Albaugh  and Boeing’s South Carolina VP and GM Jack Jones will be present.

Neelam Mathews April 26, 2012 As I began pondering on the state of the defense offsets policy that was to be released last year and still hasn’t been officially released despite major guidelines worked out and given recently to the media, I was informed by an official “they were ironing out issues on the transfer of technology.” What makes us the way we are, I asked a doyen of the industry much loved by all and very experienced in the ways of the world. He told me calmly in a state of attained nirvana, the vacillating and inconsistent ways of the government would also come to pass. Quoting the Bible, “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die….. a time to be silent and a time to speak….. Has the time come to speak, one wonders. Or is this a policy paralysis –to borrow from the words of the economic advisor- that will take its own time to heal? Or will we continue to cut a sorry figure against the gaze of the w...

Neelam Mathews April 25, 2012 One man's food is another's poison. Even as Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) welcomed the revision in aeronautical charges promulgated by AERA, IATA cried foul. The revised tariffs will be charged in the form of an enhanced Landing and Parking fee for aircraft and a User Development Fee (UDF) for passengers and will be applicable from May 15. “The increase approved by AERA is extremely disappointing.  This will make Delhi the world’s most expensive airport.  It will also have a larger impact on India and its economy, with an expected 5-8% decrease in demand at Delhi as a result of higher costs, a fall in tourist arrivals and further damage to local and international airline connectivity. This is a big step backwards for Delhi’s ambition to be an aviation hub,” says Albert Tjoeng, IATA’s spokesman for Asia Pacific. However DIAL has another point of view. It says considering that the charges were stagnant for the last decade (since 2001), “th...

April 24, 2012 Rolls-Royce has appointed Kishore Jayaraman, President of Rolls-Royce in India and South Asia.  Kishore joins Rolls-Royce after a 23 year career at General Electric, CEO, GE Energy- India Region. Michael Shipster, Rolls-Royce, Director - International, said in a statement: “Kishore is an experienced industry professional .....India is an important market for Rolls-Royce, with great potential built on a long and distinguished history across all of our business sectors. He takes over from Anil Shrikhande, whom we thank for his commitment and contribution during his time with Rolls-Royce in India. In appointing a leader with Kishore’s experience in India we are reinforcing our commitment to this important region and I am very pleased to welcome him to Rolls-Royce.” Kishore Jayaraman, Rolls-Royce, President - India, said:  "Rolls-Royce is a great company with a fantastic brand underpinned by a track record for innovation and excellent products.  I look f...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 2012 Commission imposes fines totalling €169 million on freight forwarders in relation to four price fixing cartels On 28 March 2012, the European Commission (the “Commission”) fined 14 international groups of freight forwarding companies (“the forwarders”) a total of €169 million for their participation in four distinct cartels. Each cartel sought to fix the price of a specific surcharge related to the provision of international air freight forwarding services between 2002 and 2007 (when dawn raids were carried out by antitrust authorities in the United States and EU). The four cartels, according to the Commission’s findings, were as follows:     The New Export System (NES) cartel - after the introduction of electronic declaration for UK exports in 2003, a group of forwarders agreed to establish a surcharge on this service and to fix its amount depending on the size of the customer.     The Advance Manifest System...

AIN Defense Perspective » April 20, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews Indian Air Force Jaguars will carry the Sensor Fuzed Weapon. (Photo: Textron Defense Systems) April 20, 2012, 2:00 PM Textron Defense Systems will start production of India’s order for 512 CBU-105 sensor fuzed weapons (SFW) soon. The $257.7 million sale was contracted via the U.S. Foreign Military Sales mechanism in November 2010. Encouraged by India’s continuing move away from reliance on Russian weapons, Textron is now marketing other defense systems in the country. Ellen Lord, senior vice president of Textron Defense Systems, told AIN that the company will meet an offset commitment of some $110 million for the SFW. Bharat Forge has signed an agreement to provide parts for Bell Helicopter, another Textron subsidiary. “We are now listing 20 companies for components for global requirements, including thermal batteries,” Lord added. The SFW will be carried by Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguar strike aircraft. Textr...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 23, 2012 The Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C19)/Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1) mission, which met on April 21, 2012 at Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota has cleared the launch of PSLV-C19/RISAT-1 mission at 05:47 hrs (IST) on Thursday, April 26, 2012, ISRO says. The 71-hour countdown commenced at 06:47 hours today (April 23, 2012). During the Countdown, propellant-filling operations of the liquid propellant second stage (PS2) and fourth stage (PS4) of the launch vehicle will be carried out. Besides, mandatory checks on the launch vehicle and spacecraft will be carried out. Also, charging of batteries and pressurisation of propellant tanks onboard the satellite will be performed. Readiness of various ground systems such as tracking radar systems and communication networks will also be checked. PSLV-C19 will inject RISAT-1 satellite into an orbit of 480 km altitude at an inclination of...

  Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 23, 2012 An Airbus Military A330 MRTT multi role tanker transport of the Royal Australian Air Force, designated the KC-30A, has flown the highest number of passengers ever carried by the service in a single flight. The aircraft of 33 Sqn, RAAF carried 220 passengers from the Australian Defence Force Academy as well as its 14 crew, on a two-hour flight from Defense Establishment Fairbairn last month. Photo copyright Commonwealth of Australia

A Boeing 737-200 127 people on board crashed while trying to land in bad weather near Islamabad today evening. There were nine crew members and 118 passengers onboard. The Bhoja Air flight from Karachi, B4-213, was the airline’s maiden flight to the Islamabad sector after 12 years. It departed Karachi’s Jinnah Terminal at 5 p.m. and was proceeding on schedule when it lost contact with air traffic control at 6:40 p.m., approximately 10 minutes before its estimated time of arrival at Benazir Bhutto International Airport. According to airport sources, the plane crashed shortly afterward. “There is no chance of any survivors," said an official.

April 19, 2012 Following a European Parliament Approves Passenger Name Record Agreement with U.S plenary vote on the Passenger Name Record (PNR) Agreement with the US, European Union Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström issued the following statement:  “I welcome today’s vote of the European Parliament giving its consent to the new Passenger Name Record Agreement with the United States of America. This is an agreement the three EU institutions can be proud of: it provides stronger protection of EU citizens’ right to privacy and more legal certainty for air carriers than the existing EU-U.S. PNR Agreement from 2007. At the same time, it fully meets the security needs of the United States of America and the EU. Under the new agreement, data of passengers travelling to the United States of America will be used to fight serious transnational crime and terrorism. It will be made anonymous six months after a passengers’ flight. EU citizens will be informed about the use of t...

Posted by Neelam Mathews April 19, 2012 DRDO test launched the Agni V intercontinental ballistic missile designed to hit a target of up to 5,000 km this morning at 8.05am. The three-stage Agni-V missile performance were demonstrated. DRDO says Agni V was developed indigenously at a cost of $48 million.The three-stage missile is 17.5-meter tall with launch weight of 50 tons, powered by solid rocket propellants, was test-fired from a mobile launcher of the Integrated Test Range in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.

DRDO has just sent a message: Due to heavy lightening in region, The AGNI 5 LAUNCH is postponed for SAFETY REASONS.

Neelam Mathews April 18, 2012 For a change, the government has put its words where its mouth is. SpiceJet today said it has received approval from the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for importing aviation turbine fuel (ATF) directly from the overseas market. In doing this, it has become the first airline in the country to apply for approval for import of ATF and to get clearance for it. The airline says it is presently negotiating with leading oil marketing companies and is hopeful to start importing fuel in due course. This is going to make a big change in the way distribution is presently done in the country . Aerospace Diary learns discussions are already on with Reliance who may agree to take care of logistics of import and sale of ATF through their present facilities. It is likely the other oil companies will not stand and watch their business dry out. So, now the cost-cutting war will be on the apron front! How the ...

Neelam Mathews April 17, 2012 Cathay Pacific Airways today announced that it will further expand its presence in India with a new twice-weekly freighter service to Hyderabad, making it the first airline to offer an air cargo service linking India’s fourth most populous city with East and North Asia, says a press release.  In addition, a third weekly freighter flight to Bengaluru will be added to meet high demand to and from India’s leading information technology hub. Both services will commence on 17 May 2012. The launch of the new Hyderabad service and the added frequency to Bengaluru will give shippers more choice and flexibility for connecting to the airline’s international cargo network through the Hong Kong hub. Cathay Pacific Director Cargo Nick Rhodes said: “India is an increasingly important market for our cargo business. Hyderabad is one of the major hubs for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals in India, accounting for around one-third of the country’s drug production...

By:   Neelam Mathews  New Delhi 10 hours ago  Source: Flight Global India's air force could outsource some of its MRO requirements to privately-owned companies in the country. This comes as defence procurement begins to lean toward western suppliers, with a large number of contracts in the pipeline, amid frustration with the level of support available for the Russian aircraft that are the mainstay of the air force. Potential areas of cooperation with third-party MRO firms include issues with obsolescence in avionics for regular upgrades in software, training, calibration of test set-ups, ageing studies and radio frequency identification (RFID), say industry sources. The air force has a large mixed fleet, inadequate spares and support, high attrition of skilled manpower and issues of obsolete equipment. Lessons have been learnt from the unavailability of spares for Ind...

Neelam Mathews April 17, 2012 With the largest Routes Asia event coming to a close in Chengdu, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CDIA) have officially handed over to Mumbai, the official host destination of Routes Asia 2013. The forum for the entire Asia region will take place on 17-19 March 2013 in Mumbai hosted by Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd, GVK managed, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). This status will be further enhanced upon the completion of the new state-of-the-art integrated passenger terminal T2 which will coincide with the hosting of Routes Asia 2013 opening later in the same year. The choice of CSIA as a host airport also helps to reinforce its position as India’s foremost airport at the cutting edge of comfort, technology and design. CSIA is a standing participant of the Route Development Forums (World & Asia). With a total of 44 international airlines, and 7 domestic passenger airlines currently operating more than 687 fligh...

Message to India Prior to her arrival in New Delhi later this week U.S. Ambassador-designate to India Nancy Powell arrives in New Delhi later this week, and introduces herself to the Indian people for the first time in this special video, now available for downloading, broadcasting and viewing. To capture the embed code for posting the video on your website, please go to the U.S. Embassy’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/USEmbassyNewDelhi To simply view the video, go to the Embassy’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/India.usembassy

Neelam Mathews April 14, 2012 An application has been filed with the Ministry of Civil Aviation by the tsar of low cost airlines, Capt Gopinath of Deccan Charters Ltd., to start a scheduled carrier with Airbus 320s and ATR-72s, Aerospace Diary learns. Having sold Air Deccan to Kingfisher, the no-compete clause will end by the end of 2012, giving him enough time to get his finances and infrastructure in order. Not disputing this, Gopinath chose to talk to Aerospace Diary on the vacuum created by the “sudden collapse of Kingfisher” likely to leave a big hole in the market. “Air India is in a mess and Jet is in losses and is not expanding. Even IndiGo is not doing what RyanAir did…..” says Gopinath, not willing to expand the statement further. We hear Gopinath wants to fly to destinations with a large base in the south.  A presentation to MOCA  is said to include 21 destinations including Mumbai, Delhi, Coimbatore, Madurai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Goa. Times...

Neelam Mathews April 14, 2012 Even as a decision on FDI by foreign carriers in Indian airlines draws nearer, Aerospace Diary has learnt Asia’s most successful budget carrier, AirAsia might want to enter the Indian market. A message to AirAsia Chief Tony Fernandes remained unanswered. However, this could be because of the weekend having already started in Malaysia- two and a half hours ahead of India. We do understand, even a Chief of an airline has got to get some rest! we shall report his answer when we get it. “Tony is always fishing,” an official told Aerospace Diary. But that ofcourse, does not mean a yes or no. Two years ago, when Aerospace Diary had met up with Tony in Bahrain during the Formula One for a long interview and asked, should the Indian rules allow, would he consider setting up an AirAsia India? “Yes, one day. For the moment I have my work cut out,” said Tony. Could that day have arrived? There is little doubt that India’s domestic market is growing and if ...

Neelam Mathews Hyderabad April 13, 2012 Dupont's fully-owned subsidiary Dupont India's first integrated ballistics facility at the DuPont Knowledge Center in Hyderabad, is also Asia Pacific’s first. The ballistics testing range, a 600-ton helmet press and stab testing equipment, all housed in a single location, are part of the company’s strategic expansion into India. Locating a facility in India has big advantages to the company including proximity to its customers, tapping a large skill base, economics and a quick turnaround time in developing solutions. The facility has the capability to upgrade and test performance and can conduct tests based on international standards to test arms, ammunition, bulletproof vests and helmets, all of which, India needs on an emergency basis. As India’s market gets ready to adapt hi-technology and leaps into new technology, compromises cannot be made. With threat perceptions changing, the end-users such as the police and military, prov...

US EMBASSY PRESS RELEASE New Delhi April 13, 2012 Thank you for coming to the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi evening.  My name is Peter Vrooman, Spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy.  Before I make my statement, I would just like to say that many Americans are great fans of Indian movies, and respect the work of the great actor, Shah Rukh Khan.  My own daughter always asks to see SRK’s Chammak Challo video song.  I am thrilled that he was recognized by Yale University yesterday as a Chubb Fellow. BEGIN STATEMENT: Please allow me on behalf of our diplomatic mission in India to apologize if Mr. Shah Rukh Khan experienced an inconvenience or delay yesterday in White Plains, New York, on his way to Yale University. The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol is tasked with protecting our Nation’s borders. Most international travelers enter the U.S. via large, international airports, but U.S. authorities also facilitate travel to domestic airports, like White Plains. My messa...

Dear All, This is an update. There has been confusion in government circles on the offset guidelines policy validity. We are now hearing- India's new revised defense-offset guidelines will be applied to all RFPs released after 1 January 2011. As reported earlier, the MMRCA,  MMRT, army helicopters, as of now, remain under the RFP they were notified on.

By:   Neelam Mathews New Delhi 53 minutes ago Source: FlightGlobal India's new revised defence-offset guidelines will be applied to all contracts awarded after 1 January 2011. They reinforce the nation's focus on augmenting capacity for research and development, fostering the development of internationally-competitive enterprises and also give a boost to the civil aviation and homeland security sectors. However, the roughly $16 billion medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal to be covered under India's restrictive 2006 policy will not reap any advantage. Disappointment expressed by a French analyst says it all: "Imagine you were condemned to death for whatever reason. Then a new legislation in your country abolishes the death penalty. Would you be happy if the new rule was not retroactive?" There is good news for international original equipment manufacturers (OEM) eyeing India's penchant for arms that include 197 light helicopters for the army,...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 10, 2012 Bombardier Aerospace celebrated the next step in support of its growing activities in China with the inauguration of a new office in Shanghai. In addition to being the primary location for Li and Solem, the Shanghai office is home to the Bombardier Commercial Aircraft teams working with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC), Bombardier Aerospace's Supply Chain organization in China, and is the headquarters for the Bombardier Commercial Aircraft sales and marketing team for China and North Asia. The Shanghai Regional Support Office team, supporting Q-Series and CRJ aircraft operators, will also be based at this new office and will expand to include support personnel for Bombardier's Learjet, Challenger and Global business jet operators. "China is a critically important region for Bombardier Aerospace, and the inauguration of our new office in Shanghai further testifies to our long-term commitment to the Chi...

Neelam Mathews April 10, 2012 Even as India procrastinates and continues to be on an insular mode on granting permission to permit the A380, Singapore Airlines’ three daily services on the Singapore-London route will all be operated with the Airbus A380 from 1 June 2012. Currently, two of the services are operated with the superjumbo while one is operated with the Boeing 777-300ER. From 1 June 2012, the third daily service, departing Singapore as flight SQ308 and returning from London as SQ319, will be operated with an A380 as well. The switch to the larger A380 will increase seat capacity on the route by 17% a day. London was Singapore Airlines’ first destination in Europe to receive the superjumbo, in March 2008. This was increased to double-daily A380 operations six months later. Singapore Airlines currently operates the A380 to 10 destinations: Sydney, London, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Zurich, Los Angeles, Frankfurt and New York. The world’s first carrier to o...

Neelam Mathews April 10, 2012 One had barely got used to the new tongue twister names of Bengaluru and Thiruvanthapuram, and now Bangalore International Airport will soon be getting a name "to reflect the aspirations of the local populace," says a daily. The airport will be named after Kempegowda, the founder of Bangalore, or shall we say Bengaluru?. The approval for change has come even as the city celebrates the 502nd birth anniversary of its founder. The ICAO code of KEM  (now for a short and sweet history lesson) - belongs to Kemi (Northern Sami: Giepma), airport, a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio. It was founded in 1869 by royal decree, because of its proximity to a deep water harbour. So for the moment Kempegowda airport will have the code of BLR. Mumbai airport has the code BOM! We really should stick to names we are familiar with!

Posted by- Neelam Mathews April 10, 2012 UAEs RAK Airways has selected Horizon, the passenger service solution from IT provider SITA for the air transport industry. The airline says Horizon will facilitate interlining with other carriers as well as enable exponential growth in the airline’s business in the coming years. Omar Jahameh, CEO of RAK Airways, said: “Signing up with SITA Horizon will meet all of RAK Airways’ passenger management needs as well as enable exponential growth in the airline’s business in the coming years...The SITA solution is very comprehensive and is backed by an investment program at RAK Airways. The solution will give us the ability to operate interline partnerships and we are now ready to sign our first interline agreement with a partner carrier.” The six-year, multi-million dollar deal will provide fare pricing, ticketing, reservations, revenue integrity, passenger revenue accounting, online booking and shopping services. In addition, it will include ...

Embraer 190 takes over on short haul domestic and international sectors Posted by -Neelam Mathews April 10, 2012 Press Release- After almost eight years of reliable service with Air Astana, the first of six Fokker 50s in the fleet was retired earlier this month. Since entering into operation on 27th April 2004, the aircraft had completed almost 34,000 flights during its lifetime with airline, serving short haul destinations. Three further Fokker 50s will be removed from service between June and August this year, with the last two aircraft remaining in service until spring 2013. The new generation Embraer 190 is gradually taking over on domestic and international routes previously operated by the Fokker 50 fleet. By comparison to the Fokker 50 configuration of 50 economy class seats, the Embraer 190 is configured with 97 seats in a two class layout (nine in business and 88 in economy). The twin engine jet is optimised for medium range flights, with a maximum range of 4,500 km at...

Neelam Mathews April 9, 2012 Jet Airways will increase its international flights to 518 flights per week from the current 370 by winter 2012. The 35 new flights will include destinations in Germany, France, Gulf and Vietnam, Aerospace Diary learns. .

Neelam Mathews April 9, 2012 AirAsia is offering more connectivity and convenience through its enhanced Fly-Thru service between China and Indonesia. Fly-Thru eases flight connections with no transit visa requirement, baggage check-through and quick transit. The major convenience factor that Fly-Thru offers would be the ease of having their check-in baggage tagged to final destinations, which would mean guests no longer need to pick up their bags and check-in again to their onward destination. This ultimately saves time as guests can skip the immigration clearance process as well. The service was introduced by AirAsia last year with connecting flight options from selected destinations in the AirAsia route network which spans across 150 routes, 76 destinations and 22 countries. Guests are also able to enjoy the Fly-Thru service from Chennai, India to Singapore with the Fly-Thru connection via Kuala Lumpur as well.           ...

The first night refueling in the history of the Lockheed Martin F-35 program was completed Thursday at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Piloted by U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Peter Vitt, AF-4, an F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant, rendezvoused with an Air Force KC-135 tanker and successfully received fuel through the F-35’s boom receptacle. Vitt’s sortie lasted more than three hours. In addition to qualifying with the KC-135, the F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards AFB will also conduct night refueling tests with the KC-10.

ABACE Convention News » March 28, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews March 27, 2012, India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has slapped a $3.3 million penalty and fine on New Delhi-based Bharat Hotels for not paying customs duty on the Embraer Legacy 600 it imported for charter services in 2009. The Reserve Bank of India allows six months to provide proof of import from the time money is sent out of the country for payment. Bharat Hotels flaunted this rule with a foreign-registered aircraft that was imported with duty and continued to fly around India. Customs duty for private use of aircraft in India is 18 percent and for charter operations 2.5 percent. “This gives general aviation a bad name,” an Indian government official told AIN. He added however, there are too many rules with loopholes bordering on grey areas. “Unfortunately, violations bring in more stringent checks and knee-jerk reactions by the government,” he said. For instance, new rules announced in the latest India...

ABACE Convention News » March 29, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews Invision Air is seeking to bring economies of scale to kick-start India’s executive charter sector. For the most part, the industry consists of small operators with no more than two or three aircraft each. But the Mumbai-based startup has placed an order with Embraer for 12 aircraft, a mix of Phenom 100 and 300 light jets. Vinit Phatak plans to develop Invision Air as a large, networked operator of Embraer’s Phenom 100 and 300 light jets. It expects to have six bases throughout India by year-end. Invision Air is seeking to bring economies of scale to kick-start India’s executive charter sector. For the most part, the industry consists of small operators with no more than two or three aircraft each. But the Mumbai-based startup has placed an order with Embraer for 12 aircraft, a mix of Phenom 100 and 300 light jets. Last year, Invision tested the market with two Phenom 100s and the results were sufficiently encourag...