A320neo aircraft of Air India makes an emergency landing in Mumbai after mid-air engine shut down

Radhika Bansal

20 May 2022

An A320neo aircraft of Air India returned to the Mumbai airport just 27 minutes after takeoff as one of its engines shut down mid-air due to a technical issue, sources said on Friday, May 20.

Air India spokesperson said the passengers were flown to the destination Bengaluru after a change of aircraft on Thursday, May 19.

“The aircraft (VT-EXM) operating as AI-639 was involved in an air turn back after engine number 2 had an inflight shutdown (IFSD) due to engine stall and some other snags,” said a person in the know. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing this snag.

A320neo aircraft of Air India makes an emergency landing in Mumbai after mid-air engine shut down

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation is investigating this incident, sources said.

The pilots of the A320neo plane received a warning about high exhaust gas temperatures on one of the engines just minutes after the aircraft’s departure from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 9:43 AM.

With that engine being shut down, the pilot landed back at the Mumbai airport at 10:10 AM, sources said.

"Air India accords top priority to safety and our crew are well adept at handling these situations. Our Engineering and Maintenance teams had immediately started looking into the issue. The scheduled flight had left with passengers to Bengaluru after a change of aircraft."Spokesperson, Air India

Passengers of Air India flight AI-639, which was scheduled to land in Bengaluru at 11 AM, eventually arrived at the destination over three hours late at 2:40 PM.

Air India A320 Neo is powered by CFM LEAP engines and unlike IndiGo and GoAir’s Pratt and Whitney (PW) A320 Neo engines, these haven’t had technical problems.

After induction in 2016, the PW Neo engines faced serious issues such as combustion chamber distress, engine vibration, low-pressure turbine etc, which had led to many inflight engine shutdown incidents.

Air India A320 Neo is powered by CFM LEAP engines

In March, PW announced that the issues with the Neo engines have been addressed. “Since CFM engines have not had technical issues, the focus of the investigation would be maintenance,” said a source.

"In the last two months, there have been one Pratt & Whitney and three CFM engine snags. They all had different issues and were commanded to shut down. It is being investigated closely in consultation with the original equipment manufacturers (PW & CFM),” said senior DGCA officials investigating these snags.

ALSO READ - Spicejet mid-air turbulence – here’s what is known so far

The aircraft (VT-EXM) operating as AI-639 was involved in an air turn back after engine number 2 had an inflight shutdown (IFSD) due to an engine stall and some other snags.

Industry insiders point out this is the fifth CFM engine snag in the last six months. On December 10, 2021, a SpiceJet MAX suffered this snag. Then on April 7, 2022, an Air India A320 and a SpiceJet B737; on May 5 a SpiceJet MAX and on May 19 an Air India A320 neo.

ALSO READ - SpiceJet Boeing 737 MAX safely returns to Mumbai after a mid-air technical glitch

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Almaty - New Delhi flights to be resumed by Air Astana

Radhika Bansal

27 Nov 2021

Air Astana will resume flights between Almaty and New Delhi, the capital of India, on 16 December 2021. The flight will connect Delhi with Almaty three times a week and will start next month.

The airline will operate the route with thrice-weekly flights using Airbus A320 aircraft in a two-class configuration.

The departure from Almaty on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays is scheduled for 07:50 with arrival in New Delhi at 11:10. The return flight from New Delhi is timed for 12:20 with arrival in Almaty at 16:40. The flight time is roughly 3 hours and 50 minutes in each direction.

The timing of the flights enables Air Astana to offer convenient connections for passengers travelling from Kyiv, Bishkek, Istanbul, Tbilisi and Baku.

Air Astana had also announced a second service to India – Mumbai – just a little before COVID-induced lockdown. Air Astana had planned to start flights between Almaty and Mumbai four times a week beginning June 1 2020, the peak of the summer season. Unfortunately, the plan suffered due to the suspension of international flights from India because of the pandemic.

As is the norm while crossing borders these days, this service, too, comes with certain requirements. All passengers, including children flying into New Delhi, will have to fill out an online form that the Indian government mandates for all international arriving passengers.

Anyone over five years of age will need to upload the results of a COVID PCR test with a negative result obtained within 72 hours before arrival. Before boarding on departure and again after arrival, passengers will have to go through a thermometric test procedure.

Those who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated will need to take a COVID-19 test on arrival and repeat it at the end of a seven-day home quarantine period. Fully vaccinated passengers are exempted from PCR test on arrival and home quarantine.

Kazakhstan’s flag carrier has been in recovery mode, reviving many routes in the last couple of months. The airline is keen to expand its network swiftly, from adding London back to its schedule in September using its latest Airbus A321LR to flying to holiday destinations such as Male (Maldives) and Phuket.

Air Astana E190

The airline’s narrowbody fleet is made up of the Airbus A320 family of airplanes and the Embraer E190 aircraft. It also operates the world’s three youngest passenger Boeing 767 aircraft and has an outstanding order of three Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners scheduled for delivery from 2025.

Established in 2001 and operating regular flights since May 2002, Air Astana is the national airline of Kazakhstan and is based in Almaty. Air Astana is a joint venture between Kazakhstan's national wealth fund, Samruk Kazyna (51%) and BAE Systems (49%). From its main bases at Astana and Almaty airports, the carrier operates scheduled domestic service as well as service to international destinations in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

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Saudi Arabia to lift travel restrictions on Indians from December 1

Radhika Bansal

27 Nov 2021

Saudi Arabia has announced that it will lift a travel ban on expats from six countries including India that was introduced to contain the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The directives will allow direct entry of fully vaccinated expatriates without the need to spend 14 days in transit outside their countries before entering the Kingdom.

(Image Courtesy - Outlook India)

The Saudi interior ministry has, however, maintained that a five-day quarantine was a must for the entrants, irrespective of their vaccination status, with all measures subject to constant evaluation by the country’s health authorities. The other five countries it listed are Pakistan, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt and Indonesia.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior issued the directive saying that changes will commence at 1 AM on December 1.

The English-language newspaper said that expats arriving from these countries must spend five days in quarantine regardless of their Coronavirus vaccination status outside the Kingdom.

Earlier in February, the direct entry ban was imposed due to a global spike in Covid-19 cases.

(Image Courtesy - Arabian Business)

The ban covered Lebanon, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, the US, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Pakistan, South Africa, India, Indonesia and Japan.

The travel ban also applied to travellers who transited through any of the 20 countries in the 14 days before a planned visit to the country.

While flights to and from Saudi Arabia were first suspended on March 14, 2020, travel by land, sea and air resumed on January 3, 2021.

Cover Image - Al Arabiya

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India raises the issue of overflight clearances with Pakistan

Radhika Bansal

27 Nov 2021

India has taken up with Pakistan through diplomatic channels regarding Islamabad’s denial of overflight clearance for the newly launched Srinagar-Sharjah flight.

Pakistani authorities had granted overflight clearance to GoFirst flights to operate the Srinagar - Sharjah sector on 23rd, 24th, 26th and 28th of October.

Subsequently, Pakistan put the clearance for the same flight on hold for the period October 31 to November 30, 2021.

Asked about the issue at a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We have taken up the matter with the government of Pakistan for overflight clearances of flights from Srinagar to Sharjah. We have not received a response.”

Asked if India was considering reciprocal measures and stop overflight clearances to PIA flights to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, Bagchi said, “I don’t have any indication of whether we are looking at the kind of steps you had alluded to.”

“This matter was promptly taken up with Pakistan through diplomatic channels and we have requested Pakistan to grant overflight clearance for this flight in the larger interest of the common people who have booked tickets on this route,” sources said.

Pakistan had permitted the flight to operate over its airspace initially. According to flight-tracking service Flightradar24, services up to October 30 crossed Pak airspace but on November 2, the plane had to turn west over the Arabian Sea, increasing flying time by an hour.

Go First said it planned to continue offering the service but adding an hour extra of flying would end up raising fuel and ticket costs.

Former chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed disappointment, reminiscing about a similar initiative in 2009 when the first once a week international flight from Srinagar to Dubai was started but had to be discontinued in a few months.

“Very unfortunate. Pakistan did the same thing with the Air India Express flight from Srinagar to Dubai in 2009-10. I had hoped that Go First Airways being permitted to overfly Pak airspace was indicative of a thaw in relations but alas that wasn’t to be,” Abdullah said.

When Shah had inaugurated the flight in Srinagar, Abdullah had tweeted, “Pakistan had a change of heart and allowed flights originating from Srinagar to use its airspace.”

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At the halfway point, Government's UDAN - RCS is still in works

Radhika Bansal

26 Nov 2021

On October 21, 2016, the government unveiled the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) to connect small towns with aerial routes to give the quintessential common man or 'aam admi' the opportunity to travel by air.

Between 2019 and 2024, 100 new airports, as well as heliports and water aerodromes, will be built to support the UDAN scheme. In addition, after four rounds of bidding, 780 valid routes have been assigned to shortlisted airlines.

The Airports Authority of India has set aside about INR 25,000 crores for five years, from 2019 to 2024, to complete the construction of 100 new airports, heliports, and water dromes.

As of now though, out of 780 valid routes, only 359 routes have been made operational, according to official sources.

The update on airports shows that while in the fiscal year 2019-20, nine airports were developed, 14 airports had been developed till the third quarter of 2020-21 (i.e. December 2020), out of the proposed target of 26 airports which were to be developed during that fiscal.

In the current fiscal (2021-22) and 2022-23, 20 airports apiece are to be developed while 25 airports in 2023-24 are to be developed.

Therefore as per the information provided by the civil aviation ministry itself, till December 2020, only 23 airports had been developed under the UDAN scheme, even as it is halfway through its tenure period.

As far as parameters adopted for identifying airports under the UDAN scheme is concerned, the civil aviation ministry has said that it is a market-driven scheme, under which interested airlines, based on their assessment of demand on particular routes, submit their proposals at the time of bidding.

An airport that is included in the awarded routes of RCS - UDAN and requires up-gradation or development for commencement of RCS operations, is developed under the "revival of unserved and underserved airports" scheme.

The UDAN scheme is funded through an INR 50 levy on flight tickets on major routes. The levy accounts for 80% of the viability gap funding provided to the airlines, with the remaining 20% provided by state governments.

The government’s regional connectivity scheme UDAN celebrated its 4th anniversary on April 27. But it has witnessed slow progress of implementation, as not even 50% of the route have been operationalised and according to a report, the second wave of the pandemic which started from mid of March 2021, may impact it further going forward. Rating agency ICRA in its report said that there is likely to be a further delay of two years in achieving the target of operationalising as many as 100 unserved and underserved airports and starting at least 1000 RCS routes by 2024.

Aimed at enhancing regional connectivity through fiscal support and infrastructure development, the maiden flight under the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Shimla for Delhi on April 27, 2017. As of May 31, only 47% of total routes and 39% of airports (unserved and underserved) have been operationalised under UDAN, according to ICRA.

(With Inputs from NDTV)

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PM Modi lays the foundation of Noida International Airport

Radhika Bansal

26 Nov 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Noida International Airport at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar on November 25.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the airport whose first phase will be completed by 2024. The Noida airport will be India's first net-zero emissions airport. The airport is spread over more than 1300 hectares of land.

The development of the airport is in line with the vision of the Prime Minister towards boosting connectivity and creating a future-ready aviation sector. This airport will be the second international airport to come up in Delhi NCR.

It will help decongest the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. The Prime Minister credited the double engine government -- both state and central government being run by BJP -- for turning Uttar Pradesh into the most connected region.

The airport will provide employment opportunities to the local population and will also boost the local economy. As per PMO, the airport is strategically located and will serve the people of cities including Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Agra, Faridabad and neighbouring areas.

The airport will be the logistics gateway of northern India. Due to its scale and capacity, the airport will be a game-changer for Uttar Pradesh. It will unleash the potential of Uttar Pradesh to the world, and help establish the state on the global logistics map.

It further said that for the first time, an airport in India has been conceptualised with an integrated multi-modal cargo hub, with a focus on reducing the total cost and time for logistics.

"The dedicated cargo terminal will have a capacity of 20 lakh metric tonne, which will be expanded to 80 lakh metric tonnes. By facilitating the seamless movement of industrial products, the airport will play a crucial role in helping the region attract huge investments, boost rapid industrial growth, and enable them to reach local products to national and international markets. This will bring new opportunities for numerous enterprises, and also create tremendous employment opportunities," the statement added.

The Noida International Airport will be implemented in four phases and the work on the first phase is scheduled to be completed in 36 months, said Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal.

The PM is accompanied by CM Yogi Adityanath and Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia.

"The traffic of 12 million passengers per year is expected in the first phase and by the completion of final phase i.e. between 2040-50, the capacity of Jewar airport will be to handle 70 million passengers per year," Bansal said. He also informed that the Uttar Pradesh government is spending INR 4,326 crore on the acquisition of land and rehabilitation and resettlement.

Bansal said that the Prime Minister is personally monitoring the project.

As per PMO, the airport will develop a Ground Transportation Centre that will feature a multimodal transit hub, housing metro and high-speed rail stations, taxi, bus services and private parking. This will enable seamless connectivity of the airport with the road, rail, and metro.

Noida and Delhi will be connected to the airport through hassle-free metro service. All major nearby roads and highways like the Yamuna Expressway, Western Peripheral Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and others will be connected to the airport.

The airport will also be linked to the planned Delhi-Varanasi High-Speed Rail, enabling the journey between Delhi and the airport in only 21 minutes.

The airport will also house a state-of-art Maintenance, Repair and Overhauling (MRO) Service. The design of the airport is focused on low operating costs and seamless and fast transfer processes for passengers.

The airport is introducing a swing aircraft stand concept, providing flexibility for airlines to operate an aircraft for both domestic and international flights from the same contact stand, without having to re-position the aircraft.

This will ensure quick and efficient aircraft turnarounds at the airport while ensuring a smooth and seamless passenger transfer process.

(Image Courtesy - The Quint)

It will be India's first net-zero emissions airport. It has earmarked dedicated land to be developed as a forest park using trees from the project site.

NIA will preserve all native species and be nature positive throughout the development of the airport.

It will be executed by the international bidder Zurich Airport International AG as a concessionaire.

The groundwork for the first phase regarding land acquisition and rehabilitation of the affected families has been completed.

In poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, various development projects have been inaugurated in recent months. On October 20, Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar international airport.

Currently, there are nine operational airports in Uttar Pradesh, including three international aerodromes at Lucknow, Varanasi and Kushinagar. Eight more airports, including the one at Jewar, will be coming up in three years.

The six other operational airports in the state are Agra, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Hindon and Bareilly.

On Wednesday, Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal said five aerodromes are expected to be ready at Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Azamgarh, Moradabad and Shravasti in 2022.

In 2023, two more are expected to come up at Ayodhya and Muirpur. 

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