Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews The U.S. extended the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) signed with India in 2005 by another decade, to 2025. The move came during this week’s visit to India by President Obama, the first U.S. president to be chief guest for India’s 66th Republic Day celebrations. He was accompanied by a large defense-related delegation. The visit came barely a week after Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu was in the country for the 14th meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Technical Cooperation. The DTTI covers potential partnership in U.S.-India military-industrial matters. From a list about 17 technologies permitted for transfer, the two sides have identified four “Pathfinder projects” for co-development and co-production. They are the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven B UAV; roll-on roll-off cargo modules for disaster-relief operations worldwide by Lockheed Martin C...

SINGAPORE: As Asia-Pacific’s middle class continues to grow rapidly, and is projected to account for over 40% of global middle class spend by 2030, Embraer is positioning its  re-engined E-Jet E2 family with new interiors  as being an ideal fit to meet the needs of increasingly savvy passengers in the region. “Consumers are highly brand driven and brands that lead the Asian market sit at the top end of the consumer curve. This [E2 cabin] represents an opportunity for airlines to position the exact image they wish to capture,” Embraer Commercial Aviation VP, Asia -Pacific Mark Dunnachie told  RGN  in Singapore. Treated bamboo flooring One can be forgiven for overlooking the subtleties in design of the E2 cabin; after all, it is becoming an increasingly common sight to see deeper overhead bins, slimline economy class seats and LED lighting on both new-design and refurbished aircraft. But look a little closer, and you’ll see there is m...

Neelam Mathews Jan 17, 2015   My past writings have shown a definite leaning towards quality and efficiency of military equipment whether it be bought from home or abroad and most would agree that would stand us in good stead in time of crisis. Something India has learnt bitter lessons from. Yes, waiting for the LCA and engines for many a project has delayed many a procurement. Now with ‘Make in India’ a slogan and the practice being adopted and implemented, one might have to revisit some clauses before we jump in to manufacture basic foreign equipment that could perhaps have its strength in India. Take for example the US mini UAV- an agreement for manufacture that could be announced at President Obama’s visit to India with US AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven, a small hand-launched remote-controlled UAV that can fly upto 10km. One does know of a similar model designed in India by Kadet Defence Systems, SilverBee. So what makes us rush into the arms of the Amer...

by  Neelam Mathews  - January 15, 2015, 12:21 PM Only 17 of 35 Boeing 737-800s delivered to SpiceJet still operate with the ailing carrier. (Photo: Boeing) The co-founder of Indian budget airline SpiceJet has agreed to take control of the airline as part of an effort to stem the  struggling carrier’s losses . Crippled by a fiercely competitive environment, rising costs and burdensome taxes, the airline informed the Bombay Stock Exchange on Thursday that the board had agreed to the proposal of the principal shareholder, Kalanithi Maran, to transfer the ownership, management and control of the company to original promoter Ajay Singh and a consortium consisting of two or three private equity fund companies, including JP Morgan. Singh will hold the controlling stake in the company with 26 percent of the shares. Under the plan to transfer ownership, SpiceJet, which owes $32 million to the Airports Authority of India, would get an ...

Open Skies Open Opportunities for Embraer in Asia by  Neelam Mathews  - January 14, 2015, 3:44 PM The Embraer E195 found its first operator in Indonesia when Kalstar Aviation agreed to lease two of the narrowbodies from Aldus Aviation. (Image: Embraer) As the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) prepares to partially implement an  Open Skies policy  by the end of the year, airlines in the region increasingly eye expansion in low- and mid-density cities. Indonesian operator Kalstar Aviation did its part on Tuesday, when it announced a lease deal covering two Embraer E195s with Dublin-based Aldus Aviation. It plans soon to announce routes from Kalimantan, its base. “We are proud to be the first Embraer operator in Indonesia and we look forward to enhancing our operations,” said Kalstar CEO Andi Masyhur. “The E195 gives us an opportunity to open new routes and provide better connectivity, freque...

By Arijit Ghosh, President, Honeywell Aerospace India India’s Prominence as an Air Traffic Market Grows The IATA published a report placing India as the third largest aviation market by 2031, jumping six places and overtaking the United Kingdom. This surge in air traffic will bring positives such as increased tourism, more jobs and economic stimulation, but it will also put added pressure on India’s already challenged air traffic management system, potentially leading to delays and higher costs for airports and airlines. With the unpredictability of India’s weather, especially during monsoon season, delays can make travelling in India a headache for passengers and a money pit for airlines.  The weather problem is not limited to India. Around the world, airlines continue to struggle with challenges due to shifting weather conditions. In fact, inclement weather is the single largest contributor to delays and a major risk to passengers and personnel on board, as well a...

Neelam Mathews A lot of water has flown with speculations galore since the unfortunate crash of AirAsia A320-200 QZ8501, an airline with a decade-old accident-free record. However, it has stirred up long-standing issues that are unfortunately only raked up when attention is drawn by tragedies such as this. One such issue is the urgent need for tracking guidelines that seem to be caught in a quagmire of vacillation by world bodies responsible for aviation health. This nightmare has also exposed the insularity and arrogance of governments. Why, for instance, were SAR operations not started immediately once the plane went off the radar? Yes, the weather was bad and still is. As an aviation safety expert said,this attitude “is unpardonable.” Having faced the nightmare of MH370, one would have thought that as soon as contact was lost with the aircraft, there would be alarm bells ringing. Call it geo-politics or egos, everybody seemed to be waiting for the other to ask or offer hel...