Aerospace Diary

https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2017/07/27/indian-carriers-eye-inflight-internet-as-country-mulls-removing-block/

ATC Neelam Mathews  - IHS Jane's Airport Review 24 July 2017     Air traffic in the Middle East will have an additional 244 million passengers a year on routes to, from, and within the region by 2035, according to an IATA 20-Year Air Passenger Forecast. In anticipation, air navigation service provider (ANSP) Saudi Air Navigation Services (SANS) will begin assessing the safety and efficiency benefits of deploying the Aireon space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) service in Saudi airspace. The two parties announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 14 July 2017. SANS is to develop and analyse a concept of operations for ADS-B as an additional layer of surveillance.

ATC Neelam Mathews  - IHS Jane's Airport Review 24 July 2017     The ground station for the pilot SmartPath ground-based augmentation system (GBAS) at Chennai International Airport, which was damaged and submerged in floods in 2015, has been reinstalled at a higher level to prevent future waterlogging. SmartPath manufacturer Honeywell has also upgraded software on the system.  Jane’s   understands that tests of the GBAS ground infrastructure are under way, with flight trials to follow with a Cessna aircraft. Chennai is the first airport in India to adopt GBAS, and only the second site in Asia to adopt SmartPath after Shanghai Pudong in China. Cat I certification is pending at both these airports, and installation is also planned in South Korea at Seoul Gimpo. More in Janes Airports Review 

Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI: National carrier Air India is pursuing a mobile, social strategy aimed at strengthening its interface with passengers.The airline, which has been battling negative perceptions for quite some time, last year introduced  a mobile app  that enables passengers to manage every step of their journey on their smart phone or tablet. Delivered by SITA, the so-called iTravel app serves as an appendage to Air India’s GDS-neutral next generation passenger service system, the SITA Horizon Passenger Management and Distribution solution. When Air India joined the Star Alliance in 2014, Horizon made the airline technically compliant with alliance requirements for reservations, departure control services, ticketing, e-commerce, loyalty, fares, and revenue integrity.“This new app is an extension of that relationship…opening up new opportunities in the fast-changing market here in India,” explained Maneesh Jaikrishna, VP for India a...Read on ...

by  Neelam Mathews  - July 13, 2017, 1:26 PM Premature wear of carbon air-seals and combustor liners have plagued IndiGo's A320neos. (Photo: Airbus) Indian low-fare carrier IndiGo, one of Airbus’s biggest  A320  family customers and the first  A320 neo operator in India and Asia, now has at least seven neos sitting idle following technical hitches with the airplanes’ Pratt  &  Whitney  PW1100  geared turbofan engines. Since IndiGo’s contract includes replacement of the full engine, slow deliveries from Pratt  & Whitney continue to hamper its efforts to place the airplanes into service while the engine maker concentrates on deliveries for newly parked neos in queue for the powerplants at Airbus’s plant in Toulouse. IndiGo’s present fleet of 137 Airbus  A320  family includes 22 neos. To date, the airline has ordered 530 aircraft, including 430  A320 neos. Deliverie...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  July 10, 2017, 3:50 AM Honeywell’s “Connected Aircraft” demonstrator reached India last week, after appearing at the Paris Air Show and heading east via Copenhagen, Moscow and Dubai. And while most of the company’s briefings in and around the Boeing 757 testbed have stressed  the advantages to be gained from real-time connectivity  by commercial operators,  and their passengers , the technology has clear military applications. Honeywell invited a large number of senior officials from the Indian Air Force ( IAF ) and Indian Navy ( IN ) on a flight from Delhi on July 4. “ We have had a good response from our aviation customers and we are in talks with Indian carriers for deployment of connected technologies,” said Neelu Khatri, president, aerospace, Honeywell India. However, she refused to comment on the military aspect of the product. But the  IAF  and  IN  are experiencing high  AOG  rates w...

Neelam Mathews, Delhi  - IHS Jane's Airport Review 05 July 2017     International consortia are pursuing a 25-year operating concession for Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. Source: ANT The deadline for submitting binding bids for Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport has been pushed back to 4 September 2017, Serbian transport Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said on 22 June. The contract is expected to be signed by the end of 2017 "depending on the binding bids", Mihajlovic told Serbian state news agency Tanjug. The government - which owns 83% of Nikola Tesla - and operator Aerodrom Nikola Tesla (ANT) aim to award a 25-year concession for financing, upgrading, expanding, and managing the airport, which is a hub for flag carrier Air Serbia. "If there is intent and people are serious, the decision can be made as announced," a representative from one bidder told  Jane's  . An initial 27 bids were received, narrowed down in Phase 2 to the followin...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  July 6, 2017, 10:54 AM IndiGo has become India's dominant domestic airline. Credit pix Neelam Mathews The Indian ministry of civil aviation’s decision to divest Air India and its subsidiaries late last month found a suitor in the country’s largest and most successful budget carrier, IndiGo, within hours of the announcement. However, the news met with mixed reactions from industry, ranging from doubts about IndiGo’s real intent to optimism that a takeover could finally give India a strong and vibrant international flag carrier.  “ Our interest in Air India is primarily in its international operations,” wrote Indigo president and director Aditya Ghosh in a letter to his employees. “ Once non-aircraft debts are taken off, Air India will be a valuable asset since it will get slots and access to bilaterals,” noted the Center for Asia-Pacific Aviation’s India director Kapil Kaul. However, he acknowledged he was surprised by “this kin...