Aerospace Diary

B y Neelam Mathews Bangalore puts technology at the core of growth strategy 21-Jan-2019 Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), operator of Kempegowda International Airport, has embarked on a USD2 billion expansion programme that includes a new 255,650 m     2   C hina plans strong growth until 2050 Dec 28 2018...More in JAR Interview: Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman AAI -  Sept 25 2019 Rapid demand growth in recent years poses infrastructure problems for the Indian aviation industry, but Airports Authority of  India  (AAI) Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra is convinced his organisation is rising to the challenge. More in JAR... Muscat International Airport invests in technological enhancements Nov 29, 2018 The new USD5 billion Muscat International Airport project, the largest in  Oman , is leading the way in technological developments. The new USD5 billion Muscat International Airport p...

Neelam Mathews , Delhi 14-May-2018 Artificial intelligence (AI) developers in  China  are competing to offer facial recognition systems for faster airport security checks and improved passenger processing. One system, created by Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology (CIGIT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is being trialled at Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou Baiyun international airports. An upgraded system will be put into use at Changsha Huanghua International Airport in May, followed by Yulin Yuyang Airport in June. "It takes less than one second for the system to match a passenger's face with their ID photo," Shi Yu, head of the smart security centre at CIGIT, told state-run news agency Xinhua. He added that CIGIT is also developing facial recognition technology for self-service check-in, allowing passengers to proceed directly to the security checkpoint....Read more in JAR...

by  Neelam Mathews Dec 4, 2017 As Kazakhstan’s economy starts to bounce back after two years of currency devaluation, GDP declines and suppressed oil prices, Almaty-based Air Astana has resumed expanding its scope of operations in Russia, the Central Asian countries, South Asia and China. Located at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, Kazakhstan stands geographically well positioned to attract transit traffic, which accounts for a growing proportion of Air Astana’s revenues.   Air Astana flies to 46 international and 20 domestic destinations. “We are conscious the domestic market is very limited…That is why we are here [in India],” Air Astana CEO Peter Foster told  AIN  during a recent interview in Delhi. “Because of our geographical location, we can fly from nowhere to anywhere.” Seventeen Airbus A320neos, five Embraer E190s and three Boeing 787s have fueled Air Astana’s fleet expansion. It expects to take delivery of another two A320neos by...

By LHT April 28 2017 It is a German-Chinese success story straight from a textbook: Today, high-ranking guests from politics and public administration joined customers, management and employees to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the Lufthansa Technik Group's high-tech Asia Pacific subsidiary, Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen. The celebration took place at the company's workshops at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen was initially founded for the sole purpose of providing regional repairs of difficult-to-transport thrust reversers. Now the company and its roughly 600 employees support customers throughout the Asia Pacific region with component repairs, Airframe Related Components (ARC®), engine part repairs and many different Airline Support Team (AST®) services that are provided at customer sites. The company has extensive know-how, for example in the repair of complex components made of fiber-reinforced composites. This an...

DEFENCE NOTES 13th February 2016 - 1:47 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  The Indian Navy’s international fleet review, held off the Andhra Pradesh coast and featuring 75 warships plus 24 international warships, sent out a loud message. The force is moving beyond its initial role of protecting coastal waters to expand its role as a world-class blue-water navy. Already, India’s ‘Look East’ policy is gaining ground with Narendra Modi’s government upgrading it to ‘Act East.’ India has viewed with caution China’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean, and its large investments in ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India’s policy has been led in part by a balancing act with China, and a desire for a greater international role following its economic growth.  In recent years, India’s readiness to play a bigger regional strategic role has expanded maritime relations with Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Mari...

Neelam Mathews/Ben Vogel Feb 12, 2016 The biggest airport in  Pakistan  is being built by the  China  Communications Construction Company at Gwadar in Baluchistan as part of the USD46 billion  China - Pakistan  Economic Corridor linking western  China  to the Arabian Sea. Construction of New Gwadar International Airport is set to begin imminently. The USD250 million project is expected to last 30 months on a 4,000-acre site that sits 25 km northeast of the existing airport. The airport is one element of a wider Chinese-backed strategy for Gwadar, including development of the deepwater Gwadar Port and a road-building programme. Chinese Overseas Ports Holding Company Ltd took over the port in October 2015 after signing a 40-year lease for more than 2,000 acres of land. While New Gwadar International International Airport is primarily a Chinese project, the  Pakistan  Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) is upgrading airfield infr...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  OCTOBER 14, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Garuda Indonesia expects to become SkyTeam’s 20th member in March. (Photo: Airbus) October 14, 2013, 1:20 PM SkyTeam reports solid progress in Garuda Indonesia’s preparations to join the alliance in March next year, when it expects the Jakarta-based airline to become the only Indonesian carrier affiliated with a major international grouping. Garuda’s enrollment would make it the 20th SkyTeam member and the tenth from Asia. “The integration is going on well and Garuda has worked hard to meet the membership criteria required to join the alliance, which includes its new  IT platform—Amadeus,” SkyTeam managing director Michael Wisbrun told  AIN . “Garuda’s membership will give SkyTeam a unique advantage…[offering] access to Southeast Asia’s largest economy.” While SkyTeam continues to extend its global reach, Brazil and India remain two “wh...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews July 6, 2013 Sitanshu Kar from Beijing Text of the Joint Statement issued at the end of talks with Chinese leaders by the Defense Minister  AK Antony in Beijing today. Defense Minister  AK Antony visited the 24 Air Division of Chinese Air Force in the outskirts of Beijing  on July 6, 2013. Here he is seen near the cockpit of an J-10 Fighter aircraft. The Indian Minister of Defense,  AK Antony, paid an official visit to China from 4-7 July 2013 at the invitation of the Chinese Defense Minister Gen Chang Wanquan. He held talks with his counterpart Gen Chang Wanquan and also called on Premier Li Keqiang. Raksha Mantri also met State Councillor Yang Jiechi. The two Defense Ministers held talks in a cordial and friendly atmosphere and had an extensive exchange of views on a wide range of defense and security issues. They reaffirmed that defense exchanges were an important facet of the India-China strategic and cooperativ...

Xiamen Selects GEnx PARIS AIR SHOW  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS June 18, 2013, 1:30 PM China’s Xiamen Airlines has signed a letter of intent with  GE  Aviation for  GE nx-1B engines to power its six Boeing 787s, along with a 10-year service agreement for the airline’s  GE nx-powered fleet. The list price of the order and service agreement is valued at more than $560 million. Delivery of the aircraft is to begin incrementally starting in July 2014. Xiamen Airlines is the only airline in China to operate an all-Boeing fleet. It flies to more than 210 routes in 50 cities in Southeast and Northeast Asia and will use the 787 to fly to Europe and the  U.S.  from two Xiamen and Fuzhou. The  GE nx-1B engine has accumulated more than 60,000 flight hours and more than14,000 cycles since it entered service in 2012. Around 850 have been sold to more than 30 customers, according to  GE . ...

PARIS AIR SHOW  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS June 20, 2013, 11:10 AM The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) open-skies agreement, to be implemented by 2015, will open up big business in the region for aircraft  OEM s, according to Dinesh Keskar, Boeing Commercial Airplanes senior v-p of sales Asia-Pacific and India. The agreement is intended to boost connectivity and increase traffic growth by granting open market access to all international airports in Southeast Asia to airlines of the 10 Asean member states. Asia has a 40 percent market share of the airline travel market and with booming economies,  GDP  growing, high disposable incomes and no recession, potential in Indonesia, India and China is big, Keskar said. As budget carriers make their mark in Asia, large carriers such as Lion Air and AirAsia are making the presence of narrowbodies apparent. “The opening of routes and the pace of Asean ...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  APRIL 15, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Thanks to Chinese funding, Sri Lanka now has a second international gateway, Mattala Rajapaska International Airport, and Sri Lankan Airlines is among the first carriers to commit to operating there. (Photo: Sri Lankan Airlines) April 15, 2013, 2:15 PM Sri Lanka’s second international airport–the $200 million China Exim Bank-funded Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport ( MRIA )–opened last month and has already attracted national carrier SriLankan Airlines and its subsidiary, SriLankan Cargo; Sharjah-based budget carrier Air Arabia; and flyDubai. Emirates Airlines, Korean Airways and Sichuan Airlines all plan to start services soon, while British Airways and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways have also “committed” to establish a presence at  MRIA , located in the district of Hambantota, some 100 miles southeast of the capital, Colombo. Looking to attract ...