9 pilots and 32 cabin crew fail the pre-flight breath analyser test in the last 4 months

9 pilots and 32 cabin crew members failed their pre-flight alcohol tests between January 1 and April 30, India’s aviation regulator DGCA said on Tuesday, May 10.

"Of them, two pilots and two cabin-crew members have been suspended for three years for being positive for the second time,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.

The remaining 7 pilots and 30 cabin crew members were suspended for three months as they tested BA (breathalyser) positive for the first time, it added.

Data - DGCA

According to the DGCA, 4 pilots and 10 cabin-crew members of IndiGo, one pilot and five cabin-crew members of Go First, one pilot and six cabin-crew members of SpiceJet, one pilot of Air India Express and four cabin-crew members of AirAsia India failed the pre-flight alcohol tests in the said period.

One pilot and two cabin crew members of Vistara, one pilot of Alliance Air and five cabin crew members of Air India also failed the test, the aviation regulator said.

ALSO READ - DGCA orders pre-flight alcohol tests for 50% of pilots and cabin crew daily

The DGCA had stated in April that airlines must ensure that 50% of their cockpit and cabin crew members are subjected to pre-flight alcohol tests daily.

The DGCA had stated in April that airlines must ensure that 50% of their cockpit and cabin crew members are subjected to pre-flight alcohol tests daily.

Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, all crew members were required to undergo pre-flight alcohol tests.

When the pandemic struck, the tests were suspended for a couple of months. Subsequently, the tests were resumed but for only a small percentage of crew members.

ALSO READ - A dozen airport and airlines maintenance staff reported working drunk in India

“DGCA strictly enforced the requirements on the Breath Analyzer testing of the crew for the consumption of the alcohol even during the prevailing pandemic conditions. During the period of four months commencing from January 1, the DGCA has carried out 48 enforcement actions for violations of various requirements of the regulation regarding testing of the crew for the consumption of alcohol.During this period, nine pilots and 32 cabin crew were found BA positive. Out of these, two pilots and two cabin crew have been suspended for a period of three years for bring positive for the second time. The remaining 37 crew members were suspended for a period of three months for being tested BA positive for the first time."DGCA

In addition to the action taken against the 41 crew members (nine pilots and 32 cabin crew members), the DGCA has also acted against seven crew members for “missing BA tests or not furnishing the declaration”.

The regulator last year has levied a financial penalty on two pilot training schools for irregular maintenance of breath analyser equipment. This is the first time the regulator has levied a financial penalty on any aviation entity.

Aviation regulators like DGCA and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) have got penalising powers after the Aircraft Amendment Bill was approved by both houses of the parliament last year.

Severe cyclonic storm 'Asani' in the Bay of Bengal has hit flight operations with several airlines cancelling flights in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam and Tamil Nadu's Chennai on Tuesday, May 10.

The Met Department has predicted light to moderate rainfall across parts of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha with the probability of the severe cyclonic storm 'Asani' recurring.

Visakhapatnam International Airport director Srinivas said that IndiGo has cancelled 23 flights, both arrivals, and departures, citing bad weather. "Four Air Asia flights also stand cancelled due to bad weather at Vizag for the day," he added.

our Air Asia flights also stand cancelled due to bad weather at Vizag for the day

At the Chennai airport, 10 flights including those from Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur and Mumbai have been cancelled. As per the Chennai Airport Authority, cancellation information was conveyed to the passengers.

Duty Officer at the Cyclone Warning Centre of Visakhapatnam, Kumar said that severe cyclonic storm Asis over the west-central region and the adjoining southwest region of Bay of Bengal.

"It is 330 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam Likely to move further northwest till tonight, thereafter it'll recurve," he added. Further, Kumar informed that rainfall is likely over northern Andhra Pradesh including Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari.

Rainfall is likely over northern Andhra Pradesh including Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday, May 10 predicted rainfall and strong winds for three states; Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

"It is very likely to move nearly northwestwards till May 10 night and reach Westcentral Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh coast and adjoining Odisha coast. Thereafter, it is very likely to recurve north-northeastwards and move towards Northwest Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts. It is likely to weaken gradually into a Cyclonic Storm during the next the 24 hours.It would gradually decrease becoming 80-90 km per hour gusting to 100 km per hour over Westcentral and adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal from the evening. Squally wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph is likely along and off north Andhra Pradesh coast.During the past six hours, the severe cyclonic storm 'Asani', over Westcentral and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 7 km per hour during past six hours and lay centre today over the west-central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal at 330 km southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 350 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 510 km south-southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha) and 590 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha)."India Meteorological Department (IMD)

The Met department has predicted light to moderate rainfall at a few places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and heavy rainfall at isolated places is likely over coastal Odisha from today evening.

For tomorrow, May 11, the IMD predicted light to moderate rainfall at a few places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and heavy rainfall at isolated places is likely over coastal Odisha and adjoining coastal West Bengal.

Gale wind speed reaching 95-105 km per hour gusting to 115 km per hour is prevailing around the system centre over Westcentral and adjoining the southwest Bay of Bengal.

Air India's Delhi-Vishakhapatnam flight in turbulence due to Asani

Passengers of a Delhi-Visakhapatnam Air India flight on Monday, May 9 had a harrowing experience, with many of them continuing to suffer even 24 hours later.

Air India's Delhi-Vishakhapatnam flight ran into turbulence

The trauma for them began when the flight, AI451, which took off at 3 PM from Delhi, had to be diverted without landing at Visakhapatnam due to inclement weather. They were taken to Hyderabad, where they were reportedly told that those who wanted to alight could do so, but the airlines would not be making any alternative arrangement for them to go to Vizag.

When reports last came in, the particular flight was cancelled, though Air India was yet to respond to the tweets from different passengers or pass on any other information.

Brazil's Embraer is in talks with potential partners in India and elsewhere over proposals for a new turboprop aircraft, which could launch in the middle of 2023, the planemaker's commercial chief said on Tuesday, May 10.

Embraer is also in detailed talks with engine makers about the proposed new regional airplane, which would seek to penetrate a market dominated by Franco-Italian ATR, Embraer Commercial Aviation Chief Executive Arjan Meijer told Reuters at the Airline Economics conference.

With DeHavilland Canada halting production of the Dash 8-400 planes and ATR not having made significant technological advancements in ATR 42 and 72 aircraft, Embraer sees the opportunity for a new advanced product in the regional turboprop segment.

Embraer is in talks with India for collaboration on its upcoming turboprop aircraft

Embraer has been discussing returning to the turboprop sector since 2017 as it looks to expand its portfolio.

It said in 2020 it could opt for a combination of industrial and financial backing, though some analysts expect a more traditional approach based on risk-sharing deals with suppliers.

"We're powering on with that. That's going to be a big decision we have to make. For the launch we are looking at mid-2023," he added. He said that such a plane could enter service in late 2027 or early 2028 in an interview.

Embraer has issued a request for proposals to engine makers and expects to decide by the end of the year.

Embraer sees a total market of 700 such conversions in the next 20 years and aims to capture 20% of that.

The Brazilian planemaker earlier announced the first leasing customer, Nordic Aviation Capital, for a project to convert Embraer E-Jet airliners to freighters NAC and Embraer have reached an agreement on 10 aircraft with the first aircraft in 2024.

Embraer sees a total market for 700 such conversions in the next 20 years and aims to capture 20% of that, Meijer said. "Cargo is the big thing right now. We all order more from home so there are many more deliveries to your front door. The pandemic has accelerated these trends across the world," he added.

Like most manufacturers, Embraer is seeing supply chain problems but expects that to result in supply chains for manufacturing and other industries being shortened overall.

Embraer is seeing supply chain problems but expects that to result in supply chains for manufacturing and other industries being shortened overall.

That, in turn, should boost demand for shorter trips that are suited to the regional market served by Embraer, Meijer said.

In the coming years, India is set to become the manufacturing hub for aerospace technologies. India's Tata Group has already collaborated with Boeing and Airbus for Tata Boeing Space Limited and Indian Air Force respectively.

Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica SA) is based in São José dos Campos, Brazil and was founded in 1969 as a government aerospace initiative and then privatised in December 1994.

If there's anything not-so-pleasing about a drone, it's the sound pollution caused by the propellors rendering the otherwise extremely useful aircraft, noisy.

I am concerned that drones are taking to the air without a lot of thought for the ears of people on the ground. Will there be a weight limit on delivery-drone payloads? Who will monitor the sound levels, and how? Should there be a curfew on hours of operation? There must be a reason companies don’t include the sound of the drone in advertising materials – and it’s probably not because they sound so nice. In this ad, the drone seems silentGarth Paine-Associate Professor of Digital Sound and Interactive Media, Arizona State University

An electric drone with absolutely zero noise levels and emissions might seem to exist in a utopian world, not in ours? Or, can they?

If reports are anything to go by, "Undefined Technologies"- a Florida-based tech startup,  unveiled a new aesthetic design of its silent eVTOL drone last month, dubbed "Silent Ventus". It is unlike any other drone you've seen before and is reportedly powered by ion propulsion- touted to produce a very minimum noise signature.

Auto Evolution

Silent Ventus is a vivid example of our intent of creating a sustainable, progressive, and less-noisy urban environment. The design brings us closer to our final product and enables us to showcase the dual-use of our technology said Tomas Pribanic, Founder and CEO of Undefined Technologies

Tomas Pribanic | Commercial UAV News

Now for the main question- what is ion propulsion and is it practically possible?

Ion Propulsion

What is ion propulsion?

Theoretically, an ion thruster ionizes propellant by adding or removing electrons to produce ions. Most thrusters ionize propellant by electron bombardment-a high-energy electron (negative charge) collides with a propellant atom (neutral charge), releasing electrons from the propellant atom and resulting in a positively charged ion. In simple words, Ion thrusters eject ions instead of combustion gases to create thrust.

Illustrative | Online Star Register

Ideally, Ion thrust engines are practical only in the vacuum of space and cannot take vehicles through the atmosphere because ion engines do not work in the presence of ions outside the engine. Furthermore, the engine's minuscule thrust cannot overcome any significant air resistance.

Illustrative | NASA

Coming back to "Silent Ventus"- this concept vehicle reportedly uses proprietary technology to fully activate the ion cloud surrounding the craft, which is believed to generate high levels of ion thrust in atmospheric air, thereby pushing the flight to a near-silence environment.

According to the stats displayed on the website, commercial delivery drones generate between 85 and 96 dB of noise, while U.S. regulations allow for noise levels of 50 to 70 dB in residential, industrial, and commercial zones.

With the commercialization of this aircraft, the company hopes of achieving noise levels below 70 dB and has already shared footage of its prototypes completing test flight missions of up to two and a half minutes at below 85 dB.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iihprC5Huf4

The company's ultimate goal is to slash the noise levels even further while at the same time, increasing the overall flight time, thereby making it feasible for a variety of applications, from last-mile delivery to civil, military operations and more.

Although, though much is not known about the "proprietary ion propulsion technology" at the moment, what we do know is that it uses “innovative physics, making it viable to use ion propulsion in atmospheric conditions with the superior performance of up to 160% compared to current ion thruster technologies.”

Scientifically, atmospheric ion propulsion usually generates minuscule thrust hence if there's an appreciable amount of thrust generated, this truly would be revolutionary in the world of drone propulsion.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Auto Evolution

On Monday, May 9, the Supreme Court dismissed appeals against a Bombay high court decision upholding the GMR Group's concession rights to Nagpur airport.

In 2021, the Bombay high court's Nagpur bench ordered the multi-modal international cargo hub and airport in Nagpur, or Mihan, to execute the concession agreement with GMR Airports for the upgradation and operation of the city's Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport.

The judgement of the High Court, said a bench of Justices Vineet Saran and J K Maheshwari, is based on sound reasoning and true analysis of facts and does not warrant interference.

The Supreme Court upheld GMR Infra's winning bid to modernise and operate Nagpur Airport

Mahan India, a joint venture between Maharashtra Airport Development Company and Airports Authority of India, had the award to GMR Group cancelled in 2020 because the Maharashtra government was unhappy with the revenue share quoted by GMR in the tender.

Mihan then decided to re-tender the job. GMR Infra will expand the capacity and modernise Nagpur Airport after the Supreme Court dismissed all appeals against the HC verdict on Monday, May 9.

GMR will now operate in Nagpur as well as Delhi, Hyderabad, and the soon-to-open Goa and Bhogapuram (Vizag) airports in India.

“In the present case, global tenders were invited and competitive bidding process was followed. The procedure of issuance of LoA (letter of award) is completely a fair procedure…we are of the considered opinion that the objection regarding non-joinder raised by the appellants is bereft of any merit and the High Court has rightly rejected the same.We are of the considered opinion that the findings recorded by the High Court allowing the Writ Petition are in accordance to the law. Those findings do not suffer from any illegality, warranting interference by this Court.… All these appeals are hereby dismissed."Supreme Court order

In October 2018 the group emerged as the highest bidder for the operation and management of Nagpur airport for thirty years offering 5.7% of its gross revenue to MIHAN

Subsequently, it agreed to share over 14% of gross revenue in post-bid negotiations and will hold a 74% stake in the project. Following that, Mihan issued a letter of award to GMR in March 2019.

GMR Infrastructure's share price gained nearly 3% on May 10 after the Supreme Court upheld a judgment of the Bombay High Court that had quashed a letter dated 19 March 2020 by MIHAN India annulling the bidding process for the Nagpur Airport.

GMR had emerged as the highest bidder in the tender process conducted by MIHAN India for Nagpur Airport in 2019

GMR had emerged as the highest bidder in the tender process conducted by MIHAN India for Nagpur Airport in 2019 and the letter of award was issued to the firm in March of that year.

However, Maharashtra decided to cancel the tender process in March next year and MIHAN India issued a letter annulling the bid process which was set aside by the Bombay High Court in August 2021.

As part of its modernisation plan for Nagpur's Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, GMR said that it will increase the ultimate capacity of the airport to around 30 million passengers annually, representing a capacity increase of over 1,000% in a phased manner. Currently, the airport handled a total of about 3 million passengers.

German mega carrier Lufthansa is planning to enhance its presence in India. And it wants to go beyond just flying its group airlines, that includes Swiss, to the country and is looking at increased cooperation with airlines here.

Both fellow Star Alliance members Air India, recently acquired by the Tatas, and Vistara, a joint venture between Tata and Singapore Airlines, are of special interest to the mega carrier for enhanced partnership opportunities.

Elise Becker, Vice President (Asia Pacific), Lufthansa Group

Elise Becker is responsible for the commercial activities of group airlines that including managing all airline sales JVs and partnerships in the region.

While talking to The Times of India, Industry insiders, say the partnerships could be in the form of tying up for aircraft maintenance and/or metal neutrality where, according to IATA, partner airlines share revenue and costs on a given route no matter which is doing the actual flying. This maximises the opportunity for pro-competitive efficiency gains from density economies.

“India, one of the most important airline markets worldwide, has seen a phenomenal recovery in air travel. We welcome the Tatas taking over Air India. Both Air India and Vistara have been long-term partners of our group and we hope to intensify our partnerships throughout India in the future.Lufthansa is a founding member of Star Alliance. It has always been a pioneer in forming partnerships and has participated in joint ventures in North America and Asia. 2022-23 will be a year when Lufthansa Group will seek to continue its path to increase its partnership scope India.As post-Covid, the world opens up for travel again, almost half of our Asia Pacific flights are to India. We will be adding more flights here operated by Lufthansa and Swiss. India is a very important market for us and we are keen on forging even deeper ties with the country."Elise Becker, Vice President (Asia Pacific), Lufthansa Group

Erstwhile Jet Airways had a metal neutrality pact with Air France-KLM. Having been the global head of partnerships at Lufthansa Group, Becker said it’s very important to be “strong in one’s home region and partner with strong airline partners in other regions” so customers have the best choice to any destination.

Becker told TOI recently on her first trip to India, “I am very impressed by the way India found its way back to normalcy.” She welcomed India’s decision to resume scheduled international flights from this summer schedule as that will “definitely boost India’s continued pandemic recovery.”

Lufthansa and Swiss will “steadily increase” services between India and Europe over the next months. Starting with 22 weekly frequencies between Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru with hubs in Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich, Lufthansa Group plans call to double this to 42 frequencies by July — getting close to pre-pandemic levels.

Lufthansa and Swiss will “steadily increase” services between India and Europe over the next months.

Lufthansa will resume Chennai-Frankfurt flights from April 29. It will operate its top aircraft to India, including the Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A350.

Lufthansa Group is investing billions per year until 2030 in technical state-of-the-aircraft like the A320neo, A350, Boeing 787 and 777-9.

“By 2025, 120 of these aircraft will join our fleet. It means on average, a new aircraft is added every two weeks. 2023 will see new seats in all classes at Lufthansa: first, business, premium economy and economy,” Becker said.