Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Feb 26, 2014 Press Statement Taking moral responsibility for the accidents and incidents which have taken place during the past few months, the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral DK Joshi today resigned from the post of CNS. The Government has accepted the resignation of Admiral Joshi with immediate effect. The Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral RK Dhowan will be discharging the duties of officiating CNS, pending appointment of regular CNS.

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  FEBRUARY 17, 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS February 10, 2014, 5:20 AM Singapore’s transport minister, Lui Tuck Yew, has called for Asian nations to liberalize air transport policies, and build connectivity and infrastructure in the region. He was speaking at the Aviation Leadership Summit, held on February 9 in Singapore. Southeast Asia’s aviation landscape has undergone a substantial change and transformation with the rise of budget carriers, which now comprise 50 percent of the market. “Low-cost airlines have brought air travel to secondary airports, [with] a focus on short-haul travel, and are code-sharing with legacy carriers. In Asia they have set up affiliates to form interconnecting networks…Governments need to embrace the  LCC  sector,” said Lui. As traffic increases, pressure grows on governments to ensure sufficient capacity at airports. While Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta h...

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW  »  2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Jet Airways is not yet a member of AAPA, but it has expressed an interest in the association, which addresses a wide range of aviation industry issues. February 10, 2014, 5:00 PM The 15-member Association of Asia Pacific Airlines ( AAPA ), which addresses a wide range of issues of common interest to the region’s aviation industry, is focusing its efforts on extending its membership base to South Asia–to include the time zones between  GMT +5 to  GMT +12, extended from the previous  GMT +7 to  GMT +12. “In 2014 we will be approaching more Indian carriers. They are welcome. [While] Jet Airways has shown interest, it has not as yet approached us for membership,” Andrew Herdman, director general of  AAPA , told  AIN . Jet Airways’ recent restructuring, following the establishment of a strategic alliance with Etihad Airways completed last November, is like...

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW  »  2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Jet Aviation’s expanded Seletar hangar triples the size of the original structure at right. February 11, 2014, 3:15 AM Business aviation services group Jet Aviation (Booth E83) is set to significantly boost its maintenance capability in Asia when it completes construction of 79-foot high second hangar at Singapore’s Seletar Aerospace Park in April. The new $25 million facility will triple the size of its present facility adding almost 54,000 sq ft of hangar space. Jet Aviation president Robert Smith told  AIN  that his company’s ability to grow its presence here is in part thanks to the “proactive policies of the Singapore government.” The decision to expand was driven by the growing demand for large, long-range business jets in the Asia Pacific region. “Asia is by far the fastest growing region and Europe is flat,” said Smith. “We expect to fill capacity [in the ne...

FBOs and Product Support Drive BBA’s Growth in Asia SINGAPORE AIR SHOW  »  2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS February 11, 2014, 4:55 AM Looking at organic growth in 2014,  BBA  Aviation (Booth D63), a global provider for support and aftermarket services, is viewing opportunities for acquisitions this year, according to the  UK -based group’s Asia Pacific president David Best. He did not elaborate on possible targets but the group has acknowledged that it would like to add to its already-extensive chain of  FBO s, which includes a new base at Singapore’s Changi Airport. “We will carry on extending scope and scale from our Singapore base,” he told  AIN , adding   “We welcome [economic] recovery in Asia Pacific.” During 2013, the company’s Signature Flight Support  FBO network and its Ontic manufacturing and aftermarket support division both started operations in Singapore alongside its turbine engine repair...

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW  »  2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS February 11, 2014, 5:00 AM The Indian government last week stalled completion of several major military equipment deals until at least the end of the current financial year on March 31. “We have no money,” said defense minister  A. K.  Antony at the Defexpo show in New Dehli on Thursday. Antony said 92 percent of the defense budget had already been used up this year. With around $1.2 billion diverted from the defense capital expenditure budget back to the central government coffers, nothing is left for the advance payments that will need to be made when the contracts are signed–and to make matters worse the Indian rupee has taken a beating in the past year, making imports expensive. Some major deals in the final stages of being signed include 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft ( MMRCA ), the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport Aircraft and a repeat order for s...

by    NEELAM MATHEWS February 12, 2014, 3:44 AM India’s newest domestic startup, full-service Delhi-based Tata SIA  Airlines, could have an advantage over newcomer budget-carrier AirAsia India as the latter is forced to wait for its air operators permit ( AOP ), which has been delayed by the decision of the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) to issue a public notice requesting comments. This could put on hiatus AirAsia’s plans of launching before summer. Tata  SIA , for its part, “expects to start operations by mid-2014,” a spokesman told  AIN . AirAsia India was due to have started operations by the end of 2013; investment company Tata Sons holds a 30-percent share in the budget carrier, while also holding an interest in Tata SIA –a potential conflict of interests it has refused to comment on. Somewhat surprisingly, India’s Competition Commission seems to have no objection to this, saying one carrier is ful...

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW  »  2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Garuda hopes to increase the size of its fleet–which includes 25 ATR72-600s–from the 110 to 128 by year-end. February 12, 2014, 3:55 AM As Indonesia’s national carrier Garuda initiates efforts to enhance service through increased frequencies and destinations, in anticipation of its move to join the SkyTeam global alliance in March and the  ASEAN  Open Skies in 2015, it is looking at adding around 200 to 250 aircraft to its fleet between 2015 and 2025. The carrier, which is to soon finalize its plans for a mix of narrow- and widebody aircraft, is expected to seek board approval this year to increase its fleet to 350 to 400 from its present 133 by 2025,  CEO  Emirsyah Satar told Reuters in Hong Kong. Garuda has 110 aircraft on order, including 50 Airbus A320neos and Classics, 17 Airbus A330-300s, 25  ATR 72-600 turboprops, plus six each of the Bo...