Aerospace Diary

India will now give business visa for member countries By Neelam Mathews   /  November 28, 2014 Visitors from member countries can now attain a 3-5 years business visa Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced at the SAARC Summit held in Nepal, that India will now give business visa for 3-5 years for member countries. “Let's make it even easier for our businesses through a SAARC Business Traveller Card,” he added. Visitors from member countries can now attain a 3-5 years business visa Visitors from over 40 countries, including Germany, US, Israel and Palestine, will also, starting Nov 27, be able to avail the e-visa facility.   Visitors from over 40 countries, including Germany, US, Israel and Palestine, will also, starting Nov 27, be able to avail the e-visa facility. “The facility needs some tweaking, a business traveller told Travel Weekly. We still need to go to the embassy to submit papers. But this is a great step in the right direction.” With roa...

LandWarfare 26th November 2014 - 10:31 by  Neelam Mathews  in New Delhi  The Indian Army’s  long-delayed  artillery modernisation programme finally got a boost with new defence minister Manohar Parrikar clearing a more than $2 billion procurement for 155mm/52-calibre mounted gun systems.  The decision to procure 814 artillery gun systems comes after three decades of procurement malpractices and as Pakistan and China both induct 155mm/52-calibre artillery guns. The Indian Army’s last major acquisition was in 1987 for 410 39-calibre 155mm FH-77B howitzers from Sweden’s AB Bofors, in a scandal over illegal commissions that contributed to the defeat of the government the following election. The army’s aging artillery presently consists of a mix of 105mm field guns, and 130mm and 155mm howitzers. A request for proposal for the new systems is expected be released in the first quarter of 2015, Shephard understand. One hundred guns are to be bo...

By  Neelam Mathews  -  November 26, 2014, 6:00 AM Indian defense ground radar requirements have driven the creation of a new Franco-Indian joint venture between Thales and Bharat Electronics ( BEL ), after a two-year delay.  BEL -Thales Systems will enable the French company to meet Indian offset and technology transfer commitments associated with an Indian Air Force ( IAF ) order for 19 radars. Thales holds 26 percent of the new company, and state-owned Bharat Electronics the other 74 percent. It has been created to design, develop, market, supply and support ground-based civilian and military radars. While Thales’s main strengths are in systems engineering, integration and testing,  BEL  has manufactured radars for the military. Thales will supply six of the 19 Ground Smarter ( GS 100) low level transportable radars ( LLTR ) that the  IAF  has ordered from France, with the other 13 to be assembled in  BEL 's facility nea...

Abu Dhabi enjoys the big race spotlight By Neelam Mathews   /  November 24, 2014 Etihad Airways has become the longest title sponsors in Formula One history through its recent extension of title sponsorship of the FORMULA 1 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX .  Sealing the deal..Etihad Airways chief James Hogan and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone The airline has been the title sponsor of the Middle East’s biggest sporting event since the inaugural race in 2009.   The airline has been the title sponsor of the Middle East’s biggest sporting event since the inaugural race in 2009. The partnership extension was finalised between James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive, and Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of the Formula One group of companies. Hogan said the event showcased the airline and Abu Dhabi "to a global audience of more than 500 million people".  “The F1 event is now firmly established as one of the major highlights of the Formula 1 calendar, with Yas ...

Neelam Mathews Nov 19, 2014 The AAPA 2014 Annual Assembly of Presidents in Tokyo was a delight in more ways than one- am referring to the Sake ofcourse! But seriously, following a host of mostly useful sessions, come night and added to the fantastic Imperial Hotel food and drink was a brilliant performance by Japanese artistes who then asked IATA DG to come and try his hand. Tony Tyler is a great sport-have seen him dancing to the beat of the Beach Boys in Hong Kong , to playing a guitar in Astana and now this! His talents seem to know no bounds. Nice to see CEOs- ANA and Garuda CEOS also followed him exhibit the spirit of our industry. Enjoy!

by  Neelam Mathews  -  November 18, 2014, 9:23 AM Association of Asia Pacific Airlines members hope to see some relief from downward yield pressures next year. (Photo: Flickr:  Creative Commons (BY-NC)  by  Pieter v Marion ) Profitability remains elusive for Asian carriers facing challenges of surplus capacity even though most economies across the Asia-Pacific region continue to grow. “This is likely to continue in 2015…We hope it will stabilize next year,” said Association of Asia Pacific Airlines ( AAPA ) director general Andrew Herdman in Tokyo at a press briefing on the first day of group’s November 18 to 19 annual Assembly of Presidents.  Already, anecdotal evidence suggests deferment of delivery and reduction in staff as aggressive pricing intensifies, Herdman added.  However, after years of no growth, air cargo volumes have accelerated, a positive note for Asian airlines that account for 38 per...

Mehair flies its Cessna 208 in the Andaman Islands and recently started services in Mumbai and nearby cities in the state of Maharashtra. (Photo: Mehair) Neelam Mathews Nov 14, 2014 In an effort to encourage regional airline connectivity, a new aviation policy in India set for release in January will no longer distinguish commercial airlines from charter services operating under Non Scheduled Operators Permits ( NSOP s). According to the new guidelines,   NSOP   operators will have the option to convert themselves into Scheduled Commuter Airlines ( SCA ), allowing them access to tax exemptions enjoyed by the country’s commercial airlines. Those that do not opt for   SCA   status will now fly under the category called Air Charter Operators. Already, state governments have sought to benefit from the policy. While Madhya Pradesh in central India became the first to appoint an operator for air-taxi services three years ago, the western state of Gujarat recent...

ROTORHUB 12th November 2014 - 12:28 by  Neelam Mathews  in New Delhi  India’s long-delayed quest for a new military surveillance helicopter has hit a fresh snag, with domestic venders concerned the acquisition strategy of the relaunched project gives an unfair advantage to HAL. The Indian Ministry of Defence recently issued a  request for information (RfI)  for 197 Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopters (RSH) for the Army Aviation Corps (AAC) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) following the scrapping in August of the programme’s request for proposal.  Issued for a third time on 31 October, the RFI calling for the replacement of aging  Chetaks  (Aerospatiale SA316 Alouette III) and Cheetahs (SA315B Alouette II/III mix) had sought responses from interested Indian vendors by 11 November but has already been extended to 23 December.  Vendors have expressed reservations about  Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s  (HAL’s) part...

AVIATION Operator keen to trial new service By Neelam Mathews   /  November 10, 2014 Splash landing. Goa to have seaplane connections Seaplane flights from Goa International Airport to Mandovi River will launch by the end of December to tap the ongoing tourist season.  Splash landing. Goa to have seaplane connections Mehair is expected to start Goa services by December 22. Bookings can be made on hummingbird.com  Trials will be held soon. They will be operated by Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt. Ltd. (Mehair), which was recently awarded a contract by the Gujarat government to start intra-regional air services in the western state of India.  Mehair is expected to start Goa services by December 22. Bookings can be made on hummingbird.com  The company already runs a similar service in the Andamans and in the state of Maharashtra, and has no issue with airstrips in India.  “The main challenge is to get the market to try out the se...

Opinion Neelam Mathews Nov 6, 2014 Theoretically, it’s a great concept. Let Indian companies be the prime bidders in partnership with OEMs for mega defense projects like the Avro replacement and now Army/IAF helicopters for which an RFI has been released. However, the practical aspect is far behind. The feeling I’m getting is there isn’t too much enthusiasm by the Indian industry that had opposed the higher FDI limit in defense. Reasons? Unless there is accountability by an OEM, how can the industry take responsibility for the quality of the end-product? As far as the OEM goes, how will it feel comfortable in committing delivery to its partner with little say in the supply chain if it has no ownership and zero confidence in the capability of an industry that is in its infant stage? So, is there a solution? Many are advocating a return to DPP 2011, that allows bids to go to OEMs despite unattractive offsets. By the way, the new government really needs to ensure offs...

ROTORHUB 3rd November 2014 - 11:08 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  The turmoil between the Indian Army Aviation Corps (AAC) and Air Force (IAF), locked in a spat for years over who will operate attack helicopters, is on the boil again. The tension was apparent at a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of IAF rotary operations in New Delhi at the end of October, with the army making it clear it will yield control over attack helicopters. ‘In years to come, the IAF will be ensconced in strategic domain of air power and heavy lift, while the army will tend to the tactical needs of the environment… the domains are not in conflict but in concert,’ said Lt Gen PR Kumar, director general of military operations for the army. Though the Ministry of Defence assigned ownership, operation and maintenance of attack helicopters to the AAC in Nov 2012, the IAF continues to express its unwillingness to give up control, more so with the recent clearance of the offsets pr...

MARITIME SECURITY 30th October 2014 - 8:50 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  The The delivery of the first P-75 submarines for the Indian Navy has been delayed by at least another year, bringing the delay to four years in total. Shephard  has learned that the first boat, built by Mazagon Docks in Mumbai to a Scorpene-class design from French Shipbuilder DCNS will not be delivered until late-2016. This is at least a year later than expected. At Defexpo in Delhi in  February , DCNS told  Shephard  that the first boat would be commissioned in 2015. Originally when the programme was conceived the first boat had been due to enter service in 2012. The P-75 programme has faced considerable delays due to bureaucratic issues and problems with the local sourcing. The hulls for all six boats have been completed and are waiting outfitting. Meanwhile a Request for Proposal (RFP) for six more new diesel-electric attack submarines (SSKs) is expected in ...