Aerospace Diary

ABACE CONVENTION NEWS  »  2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS With the lack of fixed-base operators in the country, general aviation aircraft experience congested parking at Delhi International Airport. April 10, 2014, 3:15 PM With general aviation regulations in India caught up in a web of complex rules, the industry has expressed a need for a stable regulatory framework that would allow it to grow in a sound, more straightforward regulatory regime. Addressing this, an  ICAO -led group drafted a set of recommendations for a policy on general aviation–including fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and seaplanes–and submitted them to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in April 2012. While no action has been takenas a consequence of changes in leadership over the past few months, 2014 could bring in good tidings, Rohit Kapur, president, Business Aviation Operators Association ( BAOA ) told  AIN . In addition, hopes are high, he said, that...

Neelam Mathews March 23, 2014 It is now nearing two years since the ICAO team alongwith Indian General Aviation (GA) experts sat down and through 3 months of painstaking work, worked on a draft of the GA policy. Where is it? The 45-day model code of conduct seems to have become an excuse for putting down pen and paper or rather laptops. AerospaceDiary addressed the buried policy at the Hyderabad air show to a senior government official. The question was not even understood, giving an inkling on how little focus there is. And, that in the background of the FAA downgrade, which sadly started with issues related to GA. The answer, we got, by the way, related to the draft aviation policy- which is another issue festering in the cobwebs of India's aviation history. As a nation we should by now, matured enough to understand that, yes GA is for those who can afford it, but, it also helps in productivity and efficiency of industry that gives employment to thousands who are ultimat...

AINALERTS  »  MARCH 26, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS March 26, 2013, 3:15 PM A statement by India’s ministry of civil aviation on Thursday has eased norms for import of all aircraft into the country. The government’s Aircraft Acquisition Committee ( AAC )–which was set up some five months ago, headed by the minister of civil aviation and responsible for clearance of every aircraft imported into the country–has also been abolished, “as it is no [longer] relevant,” said the statement. The   now-ditched policy   required civil aviation minister Ajit Singh to approve each aircraft import request personally, leading to serious delays for operators. In January, approximately 50 requests for aircraft purchases were on hold, awaiting approval by the minister. “An initial no objection certificate ( NOC ) and in-principle approval for acquisition of aircraft will still be required from the [ministry of civil aviation], as this...

AIN NEWS LIVE FROM AEROINDIA  »  2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Business  jets were on display at this week's Aero India show in Bangalore but buyers there still have to get permission from the country's aviation authorities for each individual acquisition, representing a significant obstacle to fleet growth. [Photo: Vladimir Karnozov]. February 4, 2013, 11:09 AM “The government treats business aviation like a rich man’s toy,” said an Indian business jet operator speaking to  AIN  on condition of anonymity. The comment neatly summarizes the context for the continuing obstacles to business aviation growth in a country where largely positive economic conditions should be driving a major uptick in expansion of the industry. But with no clear policy framework, India’s business and general aviation community is being stifled by limited infrastructure, regulatory hurdles and high taxation. The latest trends indicate owners ar...

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  NOVEMBER 12, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS China has stood at the forefront of an increasingly bitter dispute over Europe’s insistence on imposing its emissions trading scheme on non-European carriers such as China Eastern Airlines, but now the European Commission has backed off. (Photo: Airbus) November 12, 2012, 12:05 PM The European Commission has suspended the implementation of its emissions trading scheme ( ETS ) for international flights in and out of the European Union for 12 months on the grounds that it now expects to see a deal on a multilateral global alternative at the next  ICAO  Assembly in September/October 2013.  EU  climate action commissioner Connie Hedegaard announced the move on November 12 in response to a November 9 decision by the  ICAO  Council to press ahead with plans for a globally agreed version of the  ETS . Non- EU  operators now won...