Aerospace Diary

FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW  »  2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS July 14, 2014, 7:00 AM A slowdown in reforms in India over the past five years–and a virtual pause in procurement–may be about to change following renewed optimism and confidence as the new government shows, for the moment at least, that it is serious. As hectic activity takes place in the ministries of commerce, finance and defense, increasing manufacturing, exports and foreign direct investment ( FDI ) are focus areas of the new regime. A proposal to increase  FDI  levels from the present 26 percent to 49 percent, and possibly later, 74 percent for transfer of production (build to print) and 100 percent in the case of a single-source-hub transfer, including transfer of technology, is being viewed with interest. While India has moved steadily in automobile and automotive components manufacturing, with auto giants leveraging the country’s strengths in  I...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  OCTOBER 7, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS The Bangladeshi government has tasked Biman Bangladesh Airlines CEO Kevin Steele with returning the carrier to profitability and preparing it for an initial public offering in 2014 or 2015. October 7, 2013, 3:05 PM Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which has operated at a loss since 2008, expects to break even in the current 2013/14 financial year and to return to profitability the following year after cutting its losses from $75 million in 2010/11 to $25 million in 2011/12. At a press briefing in New Delhi last week, the Asian carrier’s  CEO , Kevin Steele, announced plans to rationalize and double the size of its fleet from eight to 16 aircraft to allow it to expand its route network with new services such as Dhaka-New York starting next April. The Bangladeshi flag carrier has issued a request for proposal to wet-lease a pair of Boeing 777s to add to the...

Neelam Mathews Oct 2, 2012 Myanmar Airways International (MAI), has said it is  exploring the introduction of SITA’s advanced technology for its planned expansion.  The new systems will improve efficiencies in passenger and baggage management, airport operations, aircraft communications and advanced communications. Ilya Gutlin, SITA President, Asia Pacific, said: “After ten successful years of cooperation with MAI, SITA is delighted to build on this firm foundation as the airline looks to major international expansion. I’m confident that SITA’s advanced IT solutions will contribute significantly to widespread efficiency improvements and help MAI become one of the Asia’s leading carriers over the next decade.”