Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews June 4 2015   Psychologist: “How will you handle a pax if he is unruly inflight?’ Trainee Pilot: “I will follow all Standard Operating Procedures.” Psy: “What if the airline has no SOPs?” TP: “I’ll then ask the lead crew to be assertive.” Psy: “What if the unruly pax is a VIP?” TP: “I will warn him and ask male crew to help me isolate him in the cabin. Psy: “Suppose if there is no male crew…?” And the psychologist went on to ask the trainee not only the rules regarding the alcohol limit for passengers, but under what section/page it appears in the regulator’s rule book. Frankly, if an airline has no SOPs  to handle unruly passengers , it has no business being in business. But that’s beside the point. The conversation above is a snippet from a recent 10-20 minute “psychometric test” carried out for the first time by national carrier Air India and an Indian Air Force psychologist on young aspirant pilots applying for jobs at t...

Mehair flies its Cessna 208 in the Andaman Islands and recently started services in Mumbai and nearby cities in the state of Maharashtra. (Photo: Mehair) Neelam Mathews Nov 14, 2014 In an effort to encourage regional airline connectivity, a new aviation policy in India set for release in January will no longer distinguish commercial airlines from charter services operating under Non Scheduled Operators Permits ( NSOP s). According to the new guidelines,   NSOP   operators will have the option to convert themselves into Scheduled Commuter Airlines ( SCA ), allowing them access to tax exemptions enjoyed by the country’s commercial airlines. Those that do not opt for   SCA   status will now fly under the category called Air Charter Operators. Already, state governments have sought to benefit from the policy. While Madhya Pradesh in central India became the first to appoint an operator for air-taxi services three years ago, the western state of Gujarat recent...

Neelam Mathews Jan 10, 2013 AI has started a 787 daily flight to Paris. The flight AI-143 will leave Delhi Airport, Terminal-3 at 1310 hrs and arrive at Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport (also known as Roissy Airport) at 1805 hrs. The return flight, AI-142, will depart from Charles de Gaulle at 2130 hrs and arrive at Delhi’s T-3 at 1010 hrs next day.  Air India is gradually expanding operations of its B-787 aircraft to more international destinations. Presently, the Dreamliners fly from Delhi to Dubai and Frankfurt, in addition to some domestic sectors.  Air India has received six B787 aircraft so far, with the last aircraft having arrived in Delhi on January 4, 2013. The aircraft is configured to accommodate 256 seats - 18 full flat Business Class seats, with flat-bed recline and 238 Economy Class seats.  The In-Flight Entertainment system (Top Series i8000) is supplied by M/s Thales – US.

Travel/Distribution Systems Aviation Daily Apr 09 , 2010 , p. 10 Neelam Mathews The National Aviation Company of India (NACIL), parent company of Air India, awarded a $190 million contract over 10 years to IT specialist Sita to provide its hosted Horizon Passenger Services System (PSS) on a turnkey basis. The contract, which stipulates setting up a single airline code for Indian Airlines and Air India in 300 days, will help the carrier enter the Star Alliance as a full-time member. This moves the approximate timeline for Air India's Star membership to beyond April 2011, compared with the first deadline of March 2009, which was extended to the end of 2010. "Implementation of the Passenger Services System will complete the merger of Air India with former domestic carrier Indian Airlines and enable us to align processes and systems to meet Star Alliance standards," said Arvind Jadhav, NACIL chairman and managing director. In addition to the core PSS suite, Sita wi...