Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  - October 23, 2017, 8:53 AM     New-build private aircraft terminal and hangars at Delhi International Airport have been delayed by two years, following a change in their location in the airport’s master plan. The planned site of the multi-FBO facility that was to be ready by 2018 is now being shifted, because it is near an air force base,  AIN  has learned. The revised location is awaiting the demolition of the India government-owned Centaur Hotel near Runway 29, where the FBO will be constructed, according to airport CEO I. Prabhakara Rao. Two consortiums were awarded 20-year deals in late 2015 for the design, construction, finance, development, operation, and maintenance for the FBOs. Concessionaires Bird Worldwide Flight Services-ExecuJet and Indamer-MJets are mandated to invest around $15 million each in the terminal, lounges, hangars, fuel storage and parking. Meanwhile, inte...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  February 8, 2016, 11:53 AM Making way for two recently announced  FBO s, Delhi International Airport Ltd. (Dial) has evicted some 20 third-party operators and companies from their premises at the airport. The two  FBO concessionaires—Bird Worldwide Flight Services-ExecuJet and Indamer- MJ ets—have until March 31 to sign new contracts with tenants and based operators,  AIN  has learned. India's Business Aircraft Operators Association ( BAOA ) called the move a “monopoly” and took the issue to court. Operators are concerned because the concessionaires are sharing up to 65 percent of revenues with Dial, and this could substantially increase the costs of services rendered to them. Bird Worldwide Flight Services-ExecuJet and Indamer- MJ ets are also mandated to invest around $15 million each on the  FBO  terminal, lounges, hangars, fuel and parking.  “ We are looking for transparency, quality ...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  November 13, 2015, 4:11 PM An award to two consortia to design, construct, finance, develop, operate and maintain   FBO s at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport for 20 years and upgrade the present facility in phases is being called a monopolistic move by the general aviation industry. Airport management company Delhi International Airport Ltd. (Dial) would not comment about the award. Following two earlier canceled tenders, Dial and bid advisor InterVistas released the request for proposal ( RFP ) last year that mandated a partnership of Indian companies with foreign providers. Concessionaires Bird Group with ExecuJet and Indamer Co. with Mjets of Thailand won the bid. Others bidders were Air Works with Turkey’s Celebi and Shaurya Aviation with U.S.-Aurora Aviation. However, the very tenets of the bid are being questioned by India’s Business Aviation Operators Association ( BAOA ). R.K Bali,   BAOA ’s managing...

AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS  »  MARCH 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS  and  CHARLES ALCOCK March 3, 2013, 2:15 AM Though largely overshadowed by a heavy military presence, the business aviation sector made its voice heard at last month’s  Aero India show  in Bangalore (February 6 to 10). Serious obstacles continue to stand in the way of those trying to fulfill bizav’s undoubted potential in this vast emerging market  (see box) , but this has not deterred the major manufacturers from increasing their presence in India. During the show  Embraer  signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mumbai-based  Indamer to provide maintenance support for the Legacy 500 . The midsize jet, which is expected to enter service next year, is currently in the flight-test stage following last year’s  maiden flight of the first prototype . Certification now is expected by the middle of next year, ac...

AIN NEWS LIVE FROM AEROINDIA  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS At this week's Aero India show Embraer exhibited a Lineage large cabin  business  jet and it is also boosting its product support network in India. [Photo: Vladimir Karnozov] February 7, 2013, 5:12 AM Embraer has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mumbai-based Indamer to provide maintenance support for the midsize Legacy 500. The Legacy 500, which is expected to enter service in 2014, is currently in the flight-test stage following the maiden flight of the first prototype late last year. Certification now is expected by mid-2014, according to Jose Eduardo Costas, vice president of sales and marketing with Embraer Executive Jets. To date, the Brazilian manufacturer has delivered 18 of its business jets to India, including three Legacy 650s that arrived in 2013. This represents more than 10 percent of the Indian-registered fleet of just over 160 ...

AIN NEWS LIVE FROM AEROINDIA  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS February 5, 2013, 9:02 AM India is becoming an important market for Embraer, which is promoting its entire line of products at this week’s Aero India show. According to the Brazilian airframer. Its  business  jets comprise just over 10 percent of the current Indian flee, with at least one example of its Phenom, Legacy and Lineage models in service today–all of which are on the Aero India static display. Of the 165 business jets in India, Embraer has 17 in service. Embraer spokesman Shorbani Roy told  AIN  it is hopeful of adding to its market share if Indian customers follow trends previously seen in other developing markets where early adopters ‘graduate’ from smaller to larger aircraft as their needs change. “We definitely hope our customers will consider moving from the smaller, to the larger aircraft in time, as their familiarity with the a...