Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  -  January 22, 2018, 12:24 PM Low-fare carriers expect to become among the first to offer IFC on Indian domestic services. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) After years of deliberation, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has decided to allow internet and mobile communication on aircraft (MCA) for in-flight connectivity (IFC) in Indian airspace through both satellite and terrestrial networks. India remained one of the few countries left in the world that did not permit IFC. While the implementation could take around six months, domestic carriers may now introduce voice, data, and video in flight. International carriers and overflying flights required to shut down their systems on entry into Indian airspace will now no longer have to do so. IFC represents another source of ancillary revenue for domestic carriers, though the structure and costs for charging passengers remain under discussion. Airline...

https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2017/07/27/indian-carriers-eye-inflight-internet-as-country-mulls-removing-block/

by  Neelam Mathews  -  July 10, 2017, 3:50 AM Honeywell’s “Connected Aircraft” demonstrator reached India last week, after appearing at the Paris Air Show and heading east via Copenhagen, Moscow and Dubai. And while most of the company’s briefings in and around the Boeing 757 testbed have stressed  the advantages to be gained from real-time connectivity  by commercial operators,  and their passengers , the technology has clear military applications. Honeywell invited a large number of senior officials from the Indian Air Force ( IAF ) and Indian Navy ( IN ) on a flight from Delhi on July 4. “ We have had a good response from our aviation customers and we are in talks with Indian carriers for deployment of connected technologies,” said Neelu Khatri, president, aerospace, Honeywell India. However, she refused to comment on the military aspect of the product. But the  IAF  and  IN  are experiencing high  AOG  rates w...

Dubai Air Show By Neelam Mathews  - November 4, 2015, 8:30 AM With a focus on India and Dubai–the latter thanks to a strategic investment it made in Dubai’s Empire Aviation Group–Air Works India Engineering is looking at a new business model with a focus on line maintenance, an area that was until recently a domain handled by airlines. The move follows Airbus India signing comprehensive maintenance-support agreement with full-service startup airline Vistara, the first such agreement in the country. Air Works and Air India Engineering Services will honor the so-called Flight Hour Services Tailored Support Package (FHS-TSP) for Vistara, a joint venture between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Tata Group. Vistara started operations in October last year, and with a current fleet of nine A320s, expects the fleet size to grow to 20 by 2017. The support package will enable Vistara to benefit from the expertise offered by Airbus in airframe maintenance, engineering, reliability and c...

Offers Etihad Wi-Fly” solution By Neelam Mathews   /  February 06, 2015 Inflight connectivity a draw at Etihad. -- -- -- -- Increased demand for onboard mobile services has contributed to a surge in usage for Etihad Airways. 2.6 million devices connected to the airline’s onboard mobile network in 2014. Etihad Airways’ Live TV service has a viewership of 50,000 hours  of live news and sporting events  each month. Inflight texts and mobile phone calls increased by 62 per cent and  61 per cent respectively, compared to the same period in 2013 according  to the carrier.  iOS was the most popular operating system onboard, with 55 per cent  of the airline’s guests connecting to the Internet with their iPads  and iPhones, while 30 per cent used devices running on Android’s operating system. Etihad Airways’ Live TV service has a viewership of 50,000 hours  of live news and sporting events ...