Aerospace Diary

ROTORHUB 26th November 2015 - 16:40 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  Aiming at more strategic tie-ups between OEMs and Indian manufacturers under its Make in India mantra, India’s Ministry of Defence is in the process of identifying a helicopter manufacturer to feed its voracious appetite for helicopters. The MoD has a need for some 1000 light utility helicopters (LUH) required by the military and parapublic forces within the next 15-20 years. Airbus Helicopters, AgustaWestland and Sikorsky are likely contenders for a possible tie-up.  An MoD official revealed to Shephard that Sikorsky was in discussion with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for a potential joint venture, although for this to work HAL would ‘need to buckle up’. Sikorsky is understood to be in discussion for the manufacture of components for the  S-97 Raider , as it explores possible civil applications for the coaxial compound, such as transporting personnel between offshore oil pl...

Neelam Mathews Nov 20, 2015 NEW DELHI: In 1998 India released a stamp to celebrate woman in aviation, an important recognition for this ofttimes invisible force. Today, there is a storm of motivation brewing to do more to educate, train and recognize women in aviation, as this journalist recently learned in the green environs of the Dusit Devarana Hotel on the outskirts of New Delhi. There, a group of women has launched the India chapter of Women in Aviation, International (WAI). CJ Collins, who serves as the FAA senior representative in New Delhi covering South Asia, is the brainchild behind WAI’s launch in India. “I was at a WAI event and what hit me was India’s neighbor UAE had a chapter. Why not here?” A couple of chance meetings with Radha Bhatia, chairperson at Indian travel and technology services provider Bird Group, “where we were two lone women” in an all-male crowd, led to their mutual resolve to launch WAI’s 147th Ch...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  November 13, 2015, 4:11 PM An award to two consortia to design, construct, finance, develop, operate and maintain   FBO s at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport for 20 years and upgrade the present facility in phases is being called a monopolistic move by the general aviation industry. Airport management company Delhi International Airport Ltd. (Dial) would not comment about the award. Following two earlier canceled tenders, Dial and bid advisor InterVistas released the request for proposal ( RFP ) last year that mandated a partnership of Indian companies with foreign providers. Concessionaires Bird Group with ExecuJet and Indamer Co. with Mjets of Thailand won the bid. Others bidders were Air Works with Turkey’s Celebi and Shaurya Aviation with U.S.-Aurora Aviation. However, the very tenets of the bid are being questioned by India’s Business Aviation Operators Association ( BAOA ). R.K Bali,   BAOA ’s managing...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  November 11, 2015, 3:30 PM Business aircraft like these jets at Mumbai International Airport invariably are overshadowed by commercial airliners in India, including at a regulatory level. [Photo: Neelam Mathews] I ndia’s general aviation sector has expressed disappointment following the October 30 release of the country’s draft civil aviation policy. The public comment period for this long-awaited draft legislation is set to end on November 20, and India’s Business Aviation Operators Association ( BAOA ) is requesting changes to various proposed rules that it believes will further disadvantage an industry already held back by a flawed regulatory environment. “ We will be asking for rollback of the ill-conceived import duty on business aircraft imposed since 2007 that has throttled the growth of a booming industry,”   BAOA   managing director R.K Bali told   AIN . He claimed that in the past three years the governme...

By  Neelam Mathews   Nov 5, 2015 India’s own MALE UAV is shown during recent taxi trials. It is named Rustom-2 after an Indian aeronautical scientist. (Photo: HAL) The Rustom-2 medium altitude long endurance (MALE) unmanned air vehicle (UAV) designed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization   (DRDO) will make its first flight by early next month. Delayed by around two years, Rustom-2 “is at an advanced state of readiness,” according to Ashok Rangan, the program director at the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a DRDO laboratory that develops and transfers technology to a production agency. The project was   first shown   as a full-scale model at the Aero India show in 2010. Rangan told   AIN   that Rustom-2 is benefiting from experience gained with the Rustom-1, also known as the Light Canard Research Aircraft (LCRA). This project of the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) developed a small UAV tha...

Neelam Mathews Nov 5 2015 Dubai Air Show (AIN) In 2013, Boeing placed its first CH-47 Chinook helicopter contract in India with Bangalore-based Dynamatic for aft-pylon and cargo ramp assemblies. India’s aerospace design and manufacturing industry is finally coming home to roost. Boeing (Stand 900) chairman James McNerney echoed confidence in the industry and the new government during a global summit, “India’s Time to Fly,” held in Delhi last month [October] when he announced that Boeing was “much closer to having final assembly [of] Apache or Chinook helicopters here.” McNerney added: “That will play out, and that is our strategy. Companies like Boeing are always on the lookout for competitive advantages that come with innovative new technologies and long-term partnerships.” He said India, with its broad, deep engineering capability and skilled workforce, was a natural partner “that offers us the long-term opportunities…” The statement came on the heels of India finalizi...

Dubai Air Show By Neelam Mathews  - November 4, 2015, 8:30 AM With a focus on India and Dubai–the latter thanks to a strategic investment it made in Dubai’s Empire Aviation Group–Air Works India Engineering is looking at a new business model with a focus on line maintenance, an area that was until recently a domain handled by airlines. The move follows Airbus India signing comprehensive maintenance-support agreement with full-service startup airline Vistara, the first such agreement in the country. Air Works and Air India Engineering Services will honor the so-called Flight Hour Services Tailored Support Package (FHS-TSP) for Vistara, a joint venture between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Tata Group. Vistara started operations in October last year, and with a current fleet of nine A320s, expects the fleet size to grow to 20 by 2017. The support package will enable Vistara to benefit from the expertise offered by Airbus in airframe maintenance, engineering, reliability and c...

Neelam Mathews Nov 4, 2015 Indian domestic carrier Vistara wants to expand its existing fleet of nine A320s to begin international services. A report by the Center for Aviation (CAPA) commissioned by Indian domestic carrier Vistara has called on India’s government to take a long-term view of the air transport industry’s needs as it finalizes long awaited  new legislation. “The report, we hope, will form one of the significant inputs the government will take on board before it finalizes what is currently a draft civil aviation policy,” said Dr. Mukund Rajan, a board director with Vistara’s parent company Tata-SIA Airlines at a press conference in Mumbai on October 30. Vistara’s main concern is that its expansion plans will be undermined if the government does not abolish the so-called 5/20 rule, which obliges airlines to have a minimum of 20 aircraft and five years of domestic operational experience before they can launch international routes. This rule has been in place s...

Story published before release of draft aviation policy, though issues remain http://asianaviation.realviewtechnologies.com/#folio=44