Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Jan 17, 2019 A s aviation infrastructure development lags behind India’s highly competitive and rapidly growing aviation market, the industry is getting a positive response from the international community looking for opportunities to invest in ground, air, and space infrastructure. Such feedback proved particularly evident at the first Global Aviation Summit in Mumbai on January 15 and 16, attended by a mix of more than 1,200 participants from 80 countries, including the chiefs of the International Air Transport Association, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and Airports Council International. “In order for India cope with surging demand in air transport, a clear plan for building critical aviation infrastructure is required,” said Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International (ACI) World. “With that in mind, it is good to see that the Indian government has moved to undertake a second phase of privatization.” Gittens’ call...

Neelam Mathews Nov 8, 2017 JAR Following state cabinet approval to build the delayed USD4 billion Navi Mumbai Airport, GVK-led Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) will soon be issued the Letter of Intent to proceed. However, villagers continue to protest for compensation as land acquisition issues remain. As a result, police protection is to be provided to workers even as the blasting of a hill in the vicinity takes place next week. KPMG partner and head of aerospace Amber Dubey called the exercise a ............Read more in Jane's

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 ...

Indian Medical tourism has emerged as the fastest mounting segment of tourism industry, 13-10-2014   |   By Neelam Mathews Indian Medical tourism has emerged as the fastest mounting segment of tourism industry, says a report by consultancy Research and Markets. Bangladesh is the leading source country with Maldives as a close second. It “is anticipated that Afghanistan will replace Maldives to capture the second spot in Indian medical tourism market,” said the report. Among the emerging source markets for medical tourism, are Russia, Nigeria and Iraq. An apparent trend is the rise in Germany, France and Canada medical tourists’ numbers. India, Thailand and Singapore receive the largest number of medical tourists because of quality treatment, healthcare infrastructure, and availability of highly-skilled doctors. "These three countries together accounted for about 60 percent of the total Asian revenue in 2012," a report, Medical Value Travel in India...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS A KPMG report suggest India needs more service to secondary markets, such as that SpiceJet now provides with its Bombardier Q400s. (Photo: Bombardier) March 18, 2014, 10:33 AM India’s next government needs to press ahead with the development of domestic air routes, according a new report published by consultants  KPMG  last week. India’s Five-Year Plan for the period from 2012 to 2017 included a policy to improve flight connections between second- and third-tier cities, but progress all but stalled due to the political inertia that has gripped government ahead of elections to be held in April and May. At the same time,  the recent downgrading of the country’s aviation authorities to Category 2 by the  U.S.   FAA  has compromised India’s ability to develop further international air service. According to the  KPMG  report, “Enhancing Air Connectivity,” high fixed co...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  AUGUST 5, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Etihad Airways chief executive James Hogan (left) and Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal. (Photo: Etihad Airways) August 5, 2013, 12:10 PM Clearance of Etihad Airways’s $380 million investment in Jet Airways by India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board ( FIPB ) last week has paved the way for completion of the deal. The airlines now await approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs ( CCEA ), which oversees foreign investment proposals of more than $200 million, and security clearances of foreign nationals. Numerous caveats in the shareholder agreement now address concerns about the possibility that Etihad Airways would gain control of Jet Airways, despite the fact that the deal would give Etihad only a 24-percent stake. The restructured airline’s board would consist of 12 members, four appointed by Jet and two by Etihad (compared with the origi...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  MARCH 11, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Air India, which is among the early operators of the Boeing 787, is set to receive a further capital injection of almost $1 billion from its government shareholder, but it is about the only Indian carrier with any grounds for optimism from the country’s new budget. (Photo: Boeing) March 11, 2013, 1:20 PM The Indian government’s new budget, released on February 28, brought little relief for the country’s  ailing air transport sector , although the industry awaits a possible announcement of some reduction in high aviation fuel taxes. In particular, the budget documents made no mention of hoped-for fiscal support for India’s emerging regional airline industry. High fuel prices and other rising operating costs combined with declining passenger traffic have resulted in mounting losses for Indian carriers and represented a severe constraint to the growth ...

Aviation Week Oct 21, 2010   By Neelam Mathews mathews.neelam@gmail.com NEW DELHI U.S. defense companies are now increasingly looking to India to establish partnerships for product design, making the country a part of their global supply chain, according to a new report from consultancy KPMG. Released ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit here in November, the report focuses on the improving landscape for U.S. business and Indo-U.S. commercial enterprises in the Indian defense sector. It also highlights the growing proximity between the defense establishments of the two countries, given the increased warming of political relation. This warming is apparent given recent Indian defense awards to U.S. companies, many of which come under the U.S. foreign military sales (FMS) program. In 2008, India contracted for six Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules aircraft for ...