Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Janes Airports  Aug 30, 2017 s Indian domestic traffic surges, overtaking projected air traffic and resulting in constraints from congestion in the air and on the ground, airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) is seeking to add capacity at Indira Gandhi International airport with a revised masterplan. Low-cost carrier (LCC) growth, changes in airline fleet mixes, and increases in transit traffic and belly hold cargo are primarily responsible for the incremental change since 2006, when Delhi processed 10.4 million passengers, said I Prabhakara Rao, CEO of DIAL. "Keeping in....Read more in Janes 

Jane's Airport Review Aug 29 Neelam Mathews  Ben Vogel A global tender for the development and trial of a remote air traffic control (ATC) tower at Changi Airport is approaching the deadline for bids. On 28 February, the Civil Aviation Authority of  Singapore  (CAAS) issued an invitation to tender for industry on development and trials of a Smart Tower prototype. “The tender is currently .....Read more in Janes Airports Review....

RH - Rotorhub 29th August 2017 - 03:08 GMT |  by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi There is reassuring news for India’s fledgling helicopter industry with the Ministry of Civil Aviation .........

RotorHub 24th August 2017 - 3:54 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  India’s MoD has released an RfI to procure 111 naval utility helicopters (NUH) along with two flight simulators and one maintenance simulator under the ‘strategic partnership’ plan that focuses on ‘Make in India’.  ..More on Shephardmedia

by  Neelam Mathews  -  August 22, 2017, 9:42 AM Gama Aviation will build a new $30 million business aviation terminal, as well as two large-capacity hangars, at the UAE's Sharjah International Airport. Capacity restrictions and congestion at Dubai International and proximity to the financial districts of Dubai have triggered a 45-percent rise in business aviation traffic to Sharjah in the first quarter of 2017. (Photo: Gama Aviation) Farnborough,  UK -based Gama Aviation has signed commercial agreements with Sharjah Airport Authority to build and operate a $30 million, 430,600-sq-ft (40,000-sq-m) private jet terminal as the sole provider of ground services to the general aviation sector at Sharjah International Airport in the  UAE . Capacity restrictions and congestion at Dubai International and proximity to the financial districts of Dubai have triggered a rise in business aviation traffic to Sharjah. “In the first quarter, our Sharjah Int...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  August 22, 2017, 10:13 AM As the International Civil Aviation Organization prepares to start its latest audit of India under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program on November 6, the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA ) is working hard to resolve copious anomalies in its systems and processes. The 10-day proactive audit includes analysis of flight safety, training and licensing and flight- and duty-time limitations of the  DGCA , airports, and airlines. The  DGCA  has completed the first step, which includes submission of protocol questions ( PQ ) to  ICAO  for compliance timelines.  ICAO  will also check Civil Aviation Requirements ( CAR ) to ensure India exercises good practices. The  DGCA  meanwhile, has revised all  CAR s to incorporate the latest  ICAO  amendments. In 2012  ICAO  ranked India as the world’s 13th worst performer in safety...

Neelam Mathews Aug 18, 2017 Construction is under way on the new Bugesera International Airport in  Rwanda , 25 km southeast of the capital Kigali. Portugal -based Mota-Engil, Engenharia e Construção África holds a 25-year concession plus a 15-year optional extension from the Rwandan government .....more in Janes Airports...

Jane's Airport Review Neelam Mathews 15-Aug-2017 India 's ground-handling market is poised for change. After nine years of uncertainty, in May 2017 the Supreme Court of  India  cleared the way for liberalisation – confirming calls for reform in the 2016 National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP). "The Directorate General of Civil Aviation needs to come out with a Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) soon now," ...read more in Janes Airports

Rotorhub 11th August 2017 - 12:07 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  Government disinvestment of India’s only state-owned helicopter company Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) is moving to fruition with transaction and legal advisors and asset valuers chosen, Junior Minister for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha confirmed in parliament on 10 August.  Reports are to be submitted in ....More on Shephardmedia

Airports Neelam Mathews  - IHS Jane's Airport Review 08 August 2017    Guwahati Airport in northeast  India  is being expanded, as operator AAI aims to develop regional air connectivity. (Neelam Mathews) The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has selected the small airport in Guwahati, northeast India, to be upgraded into a regional hub serving Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. These five countries all lie within a flying time of 45-60 minutes from Guwahati. The airport (also known as Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport) is already the busiest in northeast India but it requires “robust infrastructure” to serve destinations in Southeast Asia and the rest of India, AAI chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said on 1 August during a conference on strengthening northeast Indian aviation connectivity, held in Guwahati. The AAI appointed US-based AECOM as project management consultant for the Guwahati development programm...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  August 3, 2017, 1:40 PM Budget carrier SpiceJet is using some of its Q400s for India's Regional Connectivity Scheme. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) Boeing’s 20-year market outlook for India, released on July 31, reflects the manufacturer’s optimism that the Indian economy will remain strong and grow from the world’s seventh to third largest by 2037. But that outlook may underestimate the need for smaller regional jets identified during a conference the following day in India’s northeast region. Based on the expected economic underpinning, Boeing forecast a demand for 2,100 new airplanes valued at $290 billion over the next two decades, increasing from the 1,850 new airplanes it predicted last year. “This is the highest-ever forecast we have presented for India,” Dinesh Keskar, Boeing senior vice president of sales for Asia-Pacific and India, said during a briefing in Delhi. The bullish Boeing forecast, however, calls for only 10 new delive...

Neelam Mathews Aug 1 2017 Major redevelopments are underway at Gan International Airport to exploit the tourism potential of Addu Atoll in the  Maldives . In line with its privatisation policy, in 2012 the government set up a joint venture called Addu International Airport Ltd (AIA), in which the state holds a 70% stake.  Jane’s   understands that AIA is about to release tenders worth an estimated USD10 million for air traffic control systems and ground-handling equipment. Work in progress includes new aircraft parking bays and apron resurfacing, said Ibrahim Fazil, chairman of the  Maldives  Civil Aviation Authority. “The main issue for Gan is lack of flights,” he told  Jane’s   . Read more..... Gulf Cobla Tennssor began dredging in 201 3........