Aerospace Diary

SITA has the potential to dramatically improve ATC communications through the implementation of IP suites SITA is accelerating innovation in air traffic control (ATC) communications as part of Boeing’s 2019 ecoDemonstrator program, alongside key industry partners including NASA and long-standing airline customer, Etihad. The program tests pioneering and promising technologies that aim to solve air transport industry challenges for airlines and passengers, as well as enhancing sustainability. The most recent program saw the implementation of such technologies onboard a Boeing 777 and tests a total of 50 different projects. SITA’s involvement in the program highlights the strength of its SITA FOR AIRCRAFT portfolio, which delivers the promise of the connected aircraft by providing services that enable communication between aircraft, ground systems, ATC and other operators. SITA is working in collaboration with Honeywell to optimize the transmission of digital infor...

By Emmanuel de Roquefeuil, VP & Country Director, Thales in India. The Indian aviation market is set on a high growth trajectory. Currently the ninth largest civil aviation market in the world, India is also now the fastest growing aviation market in terms of domestic tickets sold. It is expected that in the coming years Indian carriers will increase their fleet strengths while freight traffic will rise, and the number of brown field and green field airports will continue to increase.   While Indian aviation has seen challenges in the form of the demise of a few well-known carriers, the prospects for the future remain strong. UDAN, the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) is an important initiative of the government with a vision of “flying for all”. Another recent initiative of the government is ‘Digi Yatra’. Digi Yatra is promising as it seeks to employ the best of technology to provide a hassle free and paperless airport experience. Imagine an airport where en...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  March 13, 2020, 9:58 AM Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) of India and Pratt & Whitney have jointly released a report titled “Social Impact of General Aviation” to bring attention to benefits that accrue to the general public. The report was released yesterday at the opening of the four-day civil aviation business exhibition and airshow, Wings India 2020, in Hyderabad. The report focuses on the social impact of general aviation in emergency medical services (EMS), remote air connectivity, and disaster management. It points out the need to address EMS due to an aging population, increased healthcare spending, and favorable policies. Further, it said, remote air connectivity “can overcome barriers such as lack of physical infrastructure.” The study suggests how a comprehensive set of policies can help lift social and economic status of remote regions. Meanwhile, disaster management missions—such as firefighting, search ...

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO Dear valued customer, Here at IndiGo, the safety and health of our passengers, and of our employees, has always been our highest priority. I wanted to help you understand everything we're doing as an airline to make sure that the risk for everyone in our care is minimized, and that you can continue to rely on us to help you reach your destinations safely and in good health, while also helping to contain the spread of COVID-19. At every stage of your journey with IndiGo, we're taking every measure possible to ensure compliance with the best advice from medical authorities and the government. The ground staff you meet at our international terminals – at check-in counters and boarding gates – will be wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) appropriate for their role. This gear may include masks, gloves, and shoe covers which are appropriately disposed of at regular intervals. The crew on all aircraft are following personal protectiv...

Mumbai International Airport  has been awarded the Best Airport by Size and Region in over 40 million passenger category, for the fifth consecutive year by the Airport Council International (ACI) World. The Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards represent the highest possible accolades for airport operators. The award lauds CSMIA’s efforts in delivering superior customer experience and providing the best facilities for its passengers.

Embraer’s largest commercial aircraft, the E195-E2, will be making its first appearance at Wings India 2020. Showcasing a stunning ‘TechLion’ livery that covers the entire aircraft’s fuselage, this aircraft is the largest member of the new generation E-Jets family, the E-Jets E2, and is designed to seat up to 146 passengers in its signature two by two seating. “Passenger traffic is growing tremendously in India and with the growth of the regional connectivity scheme, the next frontier for growth are the metro to non-metro markets as well as the non-metro to non-metro markets,” said Cesar Pereira, Asia Pacific Vice President of Embraer Commercial Aviation. “However, most of these routes are not dense enough to fill a 180 seat narrowbody, and that is why we believe that our aircraft size is the sweet spot for airlines to sustainably operate on regional routes.” The ‘TechLion’ livery on Embraer’s E195-E2 reflects the advance technology the aircraft features such as full Fly-By-Wire...

Opening Remarks by Chairman Patrick Healy Thank you for joining us today as Cathay Pacific announces our annual results for 2019. What I’m going to do is to talk first about 2019, and then I’ll say a few words about the impact of the coronavirus on our business in the first few months of this year. And then we’ll take questions. So, 2019 was very much a year of two halves. As you will recall from our mid-year results, what we saw in the first half of 2019 was further evidence that our three-year transformation programme was continuing to deliver solid improvements in profit. We reported a net profit of HK$1.347 billion at the Group level for the first half, including a profit of HK$675 million at the airline level, and both of those figures represented very significant improvements on the first half of the prior year. And that was despite the global trade tensions which adversely impacted cargo revenue in particular. So all in all we were very encouraged by ...

Air Astana has been awarded winner of the MRO Russia & CIS Award for “Aircraft Maintenance achievements in Central Asia”. The award ceremony took place on 10th March at the 15th MRO Russia & CIS exhibition and conference - Shaping The Future, held at the World Trade Centre in Moscow. “It is an honour for Air Astana to receive this award. It demonstrates a high appreciation for the level of our performance in maintenance and we are grateful our efforts have been recognised,” said Keith Wardle, Vice President, Engineering and Maintenance at Air Astana.  “Our primary aim is to expand our maintenance capability and experience, while at the same time achieving financial and quality benefits for the airline.” Last year, Air Astana received its EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) certification to perform C-check maintenance on Airbus A319/A320/A321 aircraft.  Previously, the airline performed only line maintenance on its fleet and the aircraft of other ...

March 12, 2020 In January and February 2020, IndiGo experienced modest impact from the Coronavirus. We cancelled our flights to China and Hong Kong and reduced frequency to certain other South-east Asia markets. This capacity was redeployed in other markets without having a material impact on our revenues. Over the past few days however, week-on-week, we have seen a 15-20% decline in our daily bookings. Please note that the numbers could change from here based on how the situation evolves. We expect our quarterly earnings to be materially impacted because of the above. In addition, the rupee has also depreciated sharply which will have an adverse impact on our dollar denominated liabilities primarily on account of capitalized operating leases.  About IndiGo IndiGo is amongst the fastest growing carriers in the world. IndiGo has a simple philosophy: offer low fares and on-time, courteous, hassle-free serv...

20-year traffic growth 7.7% almost twice the world average 4.3% India domestic traffic growth one of the world’s highest rates 8.2% Every Airbus commercial aircraft is partly ‘Made in India’ India will require 1,880 new passenger and cargo aircraft between now and 2038, in response to strong demand, according to Airbus’ latest India Market Forecast. Of these, up to 20 percent could be wide-bodies. Some 1,440 aircraft are for growth and 440 are needed to replace aircraft that will be retired. Taking into account the 440 retirements, India’s existing domiciled fleet of 510 aircraft will quadruple to 1,950 by 2038. India is set to become one of the world’s largest economies, with some of the world’s fastest growing cities in terms of GDP including Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru. In the next 20 years air transportation is expected to be a key enabler and a beneficiary of this economic growth. Rising wealth and urbanisation, and the Indian Government’s ambitious reg...

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines ( AAPA ) is urging Governments to roll back or refrain from introducing travel restrictions. Reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that the COVID-19 outbreak has now spread to over 100 countries. In the majority of the countries, the spread is now predominantly through local transmission rather than from imported cases. WHO has repeatedly advised against travel or trade restrictions as such measures are generally ineffective.   Furthermore, travel restrictions cause significant disruptions to supply chains, commerce, trade and most importantly to peoples' livelihoods due to the severe economic impact.   Based on the latest situation report [i]  issued by WHO on 10 March 2020, although over 90 countries have introduced some form of travel restrictions, only 45 States have informed WHO of such additional measures and provided the associated public health rationale, as required [ii] under the ...

12 March 2020 – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and its members continue to support governments in their efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. At this time of extreme pressure on the industry, IATA urged governments to: ·         Prepare for the broad economic consequences of these actions, ·         Respond quickly to the financial frailty of airlines, and ·         Follow WHO (World Health Organization) recommendations. These calls come in response to the US government’s banning of non-US citizens, and individuals who are not legal permanent residents of the US, who have been in the Schengen Area in the past 14 days from entry into the United States. “These are extraordinary times and governments are taking unprecedented measures. Safety—including public health—is always a top priority. Airlines are complying with these requirements. G...

The Covid-19 pandemic and disease-containment measures by governments, most drastically the US ban on flights from most of Europe, will shake up the aviation finance sector as airlines struggle to conserve cash amid a collapse in international traffic. Scope Ratings says the rising risk of airlines defaulting on their debt payments – see  Airlines: coronavirus outbreak accelerates industry consolidation; conserving cash key to survival  (5 March) - will lead to a steep decline in aircraft values across the board. “Investors need to brace themselves for a direct hit on aircraft values  which will increase the credit risk of aircraft-financing transactions,” says Helene Spro, aviation finance  analyst at Scope. “Investors exposed to some highly leveraged transactions are likely to see a loss,”  says Spro. One caveat concerns the degree to which governments, particularly in Europe,  will be will...