Aerospace Diary

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  APRIL 22, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS The state of Kerala in India plans to use houseboats as terminals for a new seaplane operation due to start in mid-May. April 22, 2013, 12:50 PM The state of Kerala in Southwest India has invested $2.2 million in a seaplane operation to promote major destinations located near its 24 lakes and water bodies known for backwater tourism and houseboats. Kerala Tourism Infrastructure ( KTIL ), the nodal agency for the project, awaits a Directorate General of Civil Aviation no-objection certificate ( NOC ), and plans a launch in mid-May. Of six operators that have shown interest, Kerala Seaplanes and Pinnacle Air, offering a mix of Twin Otters, Cessna Caravans and Cessna 206s, stand ready to start operations once they complete trial flights. As an incentive, the state has waived parking and landing charges for a year for those registered before January 3...

Neelam Mathews Feb 1 2013 Blackstone has announced that a private equity fund managed by it has acquired a controlling interest in two Maldives-based seaplane operators - Maldivian Air Taxi "MAT" and Trans Maldivian Airways "TMA". Following the transaction, Lars Erik Nielsen (Founder, MAT), Lars Petre and Hussain Afeef (majority shareholders, TMA) will retain a substantial shareholding, will continue to play a significant role in the companies, including serving as directors on the board. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. With a unique 'one-island one-resort' concept, Maldives has witnessed a strong increase in tourist arrivals over the last ten years with 2012 witnessing an all-time high tourist arrival of almost one million tourists. Established in 1989, TMA is the oldest air services operator in the Maldives and operates over 20 seaplanes. Established in 1992, Maldivian Air Taxi has grown to become the biggest seaplane operator i...

Neelam Mathews Dec 2, 2012 A Maldivian website reports Indian hackers have taken over the website of the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), following an order to GMR to leave the country within a week.  The hackers, calling themselves the “Indishell Defacers Team”, replaced the MACL homepage with a black background on Nov 29 demanding that the Maldives “stop defaming Indian reputed companies and learn how to run a website and secure it first.”  “If you don’t know how to secure a website, can you run an Airport securely, MACL?” the hackers queried, along with a promise to “do anything for India”. AerospaceDiary found a message on the MACL site that said: "The account has been suspended."  MACL CEO Mohamed Ibrahim is believed to have declined comment. Hot Air Balloon  Former President Mohamed Nasheed said: “Waheed’s government has cynically used xenophobia, nationalism and religious extremism to attack GMR, the country’s largest for...

Press Release-Posted by-Neelam Mathews Sept 17, 2012 Continuing with his dialogue on defense cooperation with the top leadership of Maldives, the Defense Minister AK Antony today called on the President  Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik In Male’ today. The  pictures are by Sitanshu Kar, who we hope, took some time off to dive! The 30-minute meeting was attended among others by the Vice President Mohamed  Waheeduddeen and the Defence Minister Col (Retd) Mohamed Nazim. The Indian delegation included Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, FOC-in-C Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha and  High Commissioner DN Mulay. The meeting ended with the two Defense Ministers exchanging the agreement, in the presence of the President, to station the Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter in Maldives for a further period of two years. Antony, accompanied by his Maldivian counterpart Mohamed Nazim, flew down to the picturesque Maafilaafushi...

Neelam Mathews Dec 30, 2011 Bandhu Ibrahim Saleem has been dismissed as Member of Board of Directors and as Managing Director of Island Aviation Services Limited Board of Directors by President Mohamed Nasheed.   AerospaceDiary learns Saleem was opposed to the government’s bid for privatization. In a letter sent to Bandhu Ibrahim Saleem, President Mohamed Nasheed conveyed his gratitude for services rendered as Member of Board of Directors and as Managing Director of Island Aviation Services Limited Board of Directors. Following his dismissal, Addu Atoll Hithadhoo, Reyalivaage Ahmed Zuhair has been  assigned as Member of the Board of Directors and as Managing Director of Island Aviation Services Limited Board of Directors.

ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS Sea plane operators in The Maldives face plenty of unusual challenges writes Neelam Mathews Even as India struggles to connect the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands for tourism with a lone wetleased seaplane operation, neighbour Maldives is finding innovative solutions for running and maintaining its fleet of over 50 Canadian de Havilland 19-passenger Short Takeoff and Landing DHC-6 Twin Otters. The Maldives has 1190 islands, of which 200 are inhabited, with the largest seaplane fleet after Canada and Alaska. Seaplane operations in the Maldives face many challenges. Flights have to be conducted during the day giving them limited flying time, changes in tides and swell can result in planes getting stuck at resorts, often, no brakes on the plane makes it difficult to taxi on water and with no simulators,  training has to be done in airplanes which is costly and time consuming. Essentials for MRO are constant supply of electrical power; fresh wat...

Aviation Daily Mar 15, 2011   By Neelam Mathews India’s budget carrier SpiceJet by August will receive five of 15 Bombardier Q400s ordered last year. Its Q400 services will start in July. The carrier will soon announce a base for the turboprops, says CEO Neil Raymond Mills, but he declined to give the location. An airline official told Aviation Week it was likely the base would be in Delhi or Hyderabad because parking at these airports is less congested than at other facilities. The airline will also start services to two or three destinations in South Asia this year, “and one of them could be Male in the Maldives,” Mills said. Maldives comprises 1,190 islands, of which 97 are resorts. Last year, SpiceJet announced it would start flights to Male, but then dropped the idea. Kingfisher Airlines this month will start two flights a week from Delhi and Mumbai to Gan Internatio...