Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Dec 17, 2018 Air Astana's first Embraer E190-E2 features a special snow leopard livery. (Photo: Air Astana) As Kazakhstan’s national carrier Air Astana awaits delivery of its delayed A321LRs to replace its to-be-retired Boeing 757-200s, having become the second operator after Norway’s Wideroe to take delivery of the first of its five Embraer E-190 E2s, it is moving on its sizeable plans  corporate business,” he said. The first E2 will enter commercial service from Astana to Almaty on Wednesday and four more examples are set to join its fleet next year. The E2s are part of the airline’s short-/medium-haul fleet renewal and growth to support expansion from its Astana and Almaty hubs into Central Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and China. All five E2s are leased from AerCap and will replace older first generation E190s in the fleet.   With the leases of its nine E190s expiring by 2021, “we are keen to get into the E2 program,”...

by  Neelam Mathews  - June 29, 2016, 3:00 AM New Indian carrier Vistara stands to be a beneficiary of the long-delayed reforms of the country's air transport policy. [Photo: Neelam Mathews] India released a national civil aviation policy on June 17 after two decades of fits and starts, as the country works to properly develop its fledgling infrastructure and prepare for a forecast 20 percent annual traffic growth until 2020. Within three days of the announcement, India radically liberalized its restrictive foreign direct investment regime by opening ten sectors, including defense and aviation. Ministry of Civil Aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey called June “a fun month,” while admitting challenges of implementation lay ahead and that “nuts and bolts” of the policy still required fine-tuning. “We are concerned that if we fall behind our growth curve, we will face civil aviation slumps,” he said. “We have told OEMs to bring in ...

by  Neelam Mathews  - March 27, 2015, 7:42 AM India has bought three EMB-145s and equipped them with an indigenous AEW&C system but will not acquire any more Credit-Neelam Mathews India is seeking a joint-venture deal with Embraer to export the EMB-145 AEW&C system, now that it has decided on a larger platform to meet Indian Air Force (IAF) requirements. The country has acquired three of the Brazilian aircraft  and equipped them with an indigenous radar system . They are now undergoing trials, and two will enter service with the IAF. But the service will not exercised an option to acquire more such aircraft. Meanwhile, however, India is evaluating responses to the  RFP that was issued last year  for six larger platforms. S. Christopher, director of the Center for AirBorne Systems (CABS) within the government’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), told AIN that the...

SINGAPORE: As Asia-Pacific’s middle class continues to grow rapidly, and is projected to account for over 40% of global middle class spend by 2030, Embraer is positioning its  re-engined E-Jet E2 family with new interiors  as being an ideal fit to meet the needs of increasingly savvy passengers in the region. “Consumers are highly brand driven and brands that lead the Asian market sit at the top end of the consumer curve. This [E2 cabin] represents an opportunity for airlines to position the exact image they wish to capture,” Embraer Commercial Aviation VP, Asia -Pacific Mark Dunnachie told  RGN  in Singapore. Treated bamboo flooring One can be forgiven for overlooking the subtleties in design of the E2 cabin; after all, it is becoming an increasingly common sight to see deeper overhead bins, slimline economy class seats and LED lighting on both new-design and refurbished aircraft. But look a little closer, and you’ll see there is m...

Open Skies Open Opportunities for Embraer in Asia by  Neelam Mathews  - January 14, 2015, 3:44 PM The Embraer E195 found its first operator in Indonesia when Kalstar Aviation agreed to lease two of the narrowbodies from Aldus Aviation. (Image: Embraer) As the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) prepares to partially implement an  Open Skies policy  by the end of the year, airlines in the region increasingly eye expansion in low- and mid-density cities. Indonesian operator Kalstar Aviation did its part on Tuesday, when it announced a lease deal covering two Embraer E195s with Dublin-based Aldus Aviation. It plans soon to announce routes from Kalimantan, its base. “We are proud to be the first Embraer operator in Indonesia and we look forward to enhancing our operations,” said Kalstar CEO Andi Masyhur. “The E195 gives us an opportunity to open new routes and provide better connectivity, freque...

by   Neelam Mathews  -  December 18, 2014, 3:06 AM                      The VIP-configured Superjet 100 offers room for 19 passengers. Photo: Sukhoi Sukhoi Civil Aircraft ( SCAC ) showcased its 19-seat  VIP -configured Sukhoi Superjet 100 in India in December, making use of the opportunity presented when the aircraft transported Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and United Aircraft ( UAC ) president Mikhail Pogosyan to the Russia-India Summit in Delhi. The Russian interstate aviation committee aviation register issued approval, equivalent to certification, for the aircraft in November. The Russian government is the first customer for the airplane. The company recently announced the sale of three  VIP  versions to the King of Thailand and plans to roll out five VIP  versions annually starting in late 2015. According to the  OEM ’s in...

Engine teardown is a complex issue. Owners must consider the value of the engine, its parts, and the market for each. Choosing when to tear down an engine can feel like playing Russian roulette. Neelam Mathews reports . The decision whether to tear down an engine is a tough one as teardowns come at a price; labour and skills are the same as required in an overhaul. How does one decide to do a complete overhaul if the engine is over halfway towards its time between overhaul (TBO)? Among the many considerations, the owner must look at the availability of that aircraft type and its parts, and whether repair would be more cost-effective than reaping gains from serviceable parts. There is no generic answer to determine the right time for engine teardown, as each engine must be treated on its individual merits Jon Sharp, president and CEO of Engine Lease Finance Corporation (ELFC), explains his company's ‘hold or sell’ analysis: "On the one hand, we take into accou...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS Now leasing a pair of Embraer E170s, Air Costa became Embraer’s largest-ever Indian customer in February, when it placed an order for 50 of the company’s planned E2s. (Photo: Air Costa) March 24, 2014, 3:15 PM Five-month-old Indian regional airline Air Costa plans to start international operations once India lifts its rule that limits new carriers to domestic services during their first five years of operation. Ahead of that revision, the carrier, which  ordered a mix of 50 Embraer E190-E2s and E195-E2s at the Singapore Air Show  in February, has applied for a national permit to fly pan-India, Vivek Choudhary, chief commercial officer and vice president of corporate finance of parent company  LEPL  Projects Ltd., told  AIN . He noted that the range of the E2s would allow the carrier to fly to neighboring Southeast Asia and Middle East countries. “We will also look at code shares with [...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS March 12, 2014, 2:25 PM Embraer says the slowdown in the Indian economy has done little to stop its strong business aircraft sales in the country. India is the first country from the Asia-Pacific region to have a complete portfolio of Embraer aircraft, ranging from the Phenom 100 very light jet to the large-cabin Lineage 1000. According to Embraer Executive Jets market intelligence vice president Jose Eduardo Costas, the Brazilian airframer now has 20 business aircraft based in India, which he said represents a 15-percent market share. In January 2014, a Phenom 300 was delivered to Kerala-based charter operator Joy Jets, which also operates a Phenom 100. “Such repeat orders reflect the broad acceptance of our portfolio in the market,” Costas told  AIN   at the India Aviation show in Hyderabad. Now Kalyan Jewellers, also based in the southern state of Kerala, is acquiring a Legacy 650 executive ...