Aerospace Diary

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...

Jane's Airport Review Neelam Mathews , New Delhi Section: ATC Last posted: 2015-07-21 Images: 1 image The Airports Authority of  India  (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have officially implemented the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) navigation system for Indian airspace - but airlines must still be convinced to adopt it. Two satellites (GSAT-8 and GSAT-10) in geostationary earth orbit are broadcasting signals for the Indian Flight Information Region (FIR). A second backup satellite called GSAT-15 will be launched in early 2016,  IHS Jane's  understands. The system is interoperable with other satellite-based augmentation systems (SBASs) to deliver precise positional data for airspace users: the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) in the  United States ; the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS); and the MTSAT Satellite Au...

Japanese golfers could be teeing off in Almaty By Neelam Mathews   /  December 15, 2014 With business to Asian destinations like Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh and Seoul collecting good yields, Kazakhstan’s largest carrier, Air Astana, is looking at servicing Tokyo from Almaty in 2016, the airline's president Peter Foster told Travel Weekly. Peter Foster, president Air Astana “We are in talks with the two main carriers (ANA and JAL) to enter into partnership with one of them. Japan is a different market. We joined the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) recently to give us exposure to that market,” Foster said.   “We are in talks with the two main carriers (ANA and JAL) to enter into partnership with one of them. Japan is a different market. We joined the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) recently to give us exposure to that market,” Foster said. "Almaty would be of interest to the Japanese market. They can also play a game of golf there,” Foster...

Neelam Mathews July 25, 2012 IATA DG and CEO Tony Tyler - on a rushed visit to India- made it clear the world beyond the sub-continent sees Indian aviation in crisis. Airline losses were around $2 billion in the year ended March 2012, following a loss of $3.5 billion over the previous three years. “(As far as Air India goes), a long-term state-aid has not rehabilitated the business and in the meantime it is having a destructive impact on the market. Governments must lay the foundations for fair competition and regulate safety, security and sustainability,” said Tyler.  He suggested the carrier could follow the example of the restructuring of Japan Airlines (JAL), which made a profit last year. The JAL case has some parallels with Air India. Both merged with a primarily domestic partner - JAL with Japan Air System in 2002 and Air India with Indian Airlines starting in 2007. The 2008 fuel price spike, global financial crisis and subsequent recession hit both carriers...