After IndiGo, SpiceJet to launch IATA Travel Pass for international travel

SpiceJet on August 19 said it will conduct the trial of the IATA Travel Pass mobile application that allows travellers to store and manage their verified certificates regarding COVID-19 tests or vaccines.

"The trial will be conducted on flights out of Mumbai to Male effective August 23, 2021," the airline said in a statement. IATA Travel Pass offers a secure and efficient alternative to current paper processes used to manage health requirements in the wake of enormous testing and vaccine verifications, the budget carrier stated.

After IndiGo, SpiceJet has announced the trial of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) travel pass mobile app, a digital passport of sorts for health verification.

The app manages and verifies the traveller's COVID-19 status in line with the governments' health and border requirements, SpiceJet noted. The mobile app has been built by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is a global airlines body that has around 290 airlines as its members.

The statement said SpiceHealth has been onboarded by IATA as a lab partner for the Travel Pass trial. SpiceHealth is a healthcare company founded by SpiceJet's promoters Ajay Singh and Avani Singh.

SpiceHealth is a healthcare company founded by SpiceJet's promoters Ajay Singh and Avani Singh.

IATA has confirmed SpiceHealth as a lab partner for the Travel Pass trial, which is a healthcare company founded by promoters of SpiceJet. SpiceHealth currently operates 21 labs and collection centres for RT-PCR and rapid antigen testing spread across eleven cities in India.

“Passenger safety and comfort has always been our top priority and the introduction of the Travel Pass will make the verification process absolutely simple and hassle-free, boost both passenger and government confidence and make international travel more efficient and secure.”Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet

SpiceJet had earlier introduced a COVID insurance cover including tests, medication and consultations upon testing positive for COVID-19. With the Travel Pass, the airline will provide accurate information to passengers on test requirements and verify if a passenger meets the requirements for travel.

“Adding SpiceJet to the growing list of airlines trialling IATA Travel Pass is another step towards demonstrating to governments how digital solutions can effectively manage both COVID-19 vaccine and test certificates for travel. IATA Travel Pass will simplify and enhance compliance with health requirements for SpiceJet’s passengers, facilitating a more seamless experience.”Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security.

More than 45 airlines across the world, including Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad have partnered with IATA for carrying out a pilot for the travel pass.

IndiGo's travel pass is already under process

Earlier in August, IndiGo announced that it had partnered with IATA to become the first Indian airline to launch a pilot for IATA Travel Pass.

"It is more secure and efficient than current paper processes used to manage health requirements. This is important given the potentially enormous scale of testing or vaccine verifications that will need to be securely managed."IndiGo

The pass will enable IndiGo passengers to create a ‘digital passport’ to verify their pre-travel test or vaccination status to meet the SOPs of the destination, it said adding that passengers will be able to share the test and vaccination certificates with authorities as well as airlines to facilitate travel.

The pass will enable IndiGo passengers to create a ‘digital passport’ to verify their pre-travel test or vaccination status to meet the SOPs of the destination

Meanwhile, IATA on August 19 announced that the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has accepted IATA Travel Pass to confirm pre-departure Covid-19 test results for departing and arriving passengers starting 30 September. Eventually, this acceptance will be expanded to vaccine certification, said IATA.

Frankly speaking, there is no one-size-fits-all scheme that can be said about fleet repainting. It all depends on how ambitious the airline is about repainting the entire fleet in a brand new livery. There are so many variables involved in this entire process- no of aircrafts, their size, which company would be undertaking the repainting, the maintenance schedule of the fleet etc. This is just to name a few.

At times, it also boils down to whether it is simply a "re-branding" of the former livery or maybe a merging with a new airline altogether or even possibly both. Either way, ultimately it all comes down to the financial factor as obviously, the planes will have to be grounded and put out of service for an indefinite period of time, which could burn a hole in the company's pockets.

Go-Air rebrands itself as Go-First

With the official re-branding of Go-Air to Go-first, adopting a ULCC model,  Go Air had announced the rebranding via a front-page advertisement in The Times of India. The ad floated is as follows.

GoAir is now GoFirst

Ironically none of the aircrafts in the fleet have been spotted with the new logo, yet, and it remains to be seen if the company decides to continue with the old logo or perhaps go with the new one. It is to be kept in mind that repainting means the entire fleet would have to be grounded and that would only add to further economical woes for the company, now that it's operating as an ULCC. Even if it does plan to go with the new one, it will take a lot of time before we see any of the company aircrafts with the re-branded logo.

Why is it important?

An airline's livery acts as its brand ambassador wherever it flies-which means free advertising. The paint job also acts as a protective layer acting as the first layer of defense against physical elements. Thereby, it becomes very important to get this job done right and in a timely manner.

Additionally, it also has a significant impact on the overall weight of the aircraft. According to FlightRadar24, a single layer of paint on an A380 weights between 600-1000 kgs. Now that's massive.

It's a general practise for airlines to adopt  a white paintjob as this reflects most of the suns' radiation. Overtime, this paintjob wears off and has to be re-painted again.

Methodology

Mask and seal: All the sensitive probes and sensors are safely closed. This includes the windows as well, thereby making sure the entire aircraft is safely sealed up. This process takes about 2-3 days.Sand the aircraft: The plane has to be stripped off its existing layer of paint for which the fuselage is stripped of the airplane. This is done using a peroxide-based stripper which basically ensures the entire paint job just falls off. The wings get a "scuff sand"- The entire process takes about 24 hours while sanding can go up to 3-5 days.

Wash and decontaminate: Water is run through the fuselage and the wings to rid the aircraft of any residual impurities and this could take anywhere from 24-36 hours. Post washing, experts conduct a "water break" test to fully ensure there are no decontaminants left.Prime and paint: The primer is now poured all through the fuselage, over the wings, and the tail and allowed to sit for 3-5 hours.Once the primer is set, the painting can be commenced which is in itself a highly intricate process. The painting company takes care of the process as accelerators are added to the paint to Fastrack the drying process.

Aeroreport.de

lacing all technical markings: Now that the painting is done, all the technical markings and devices that were pulled out initially have to be replaced in the exact same order, as mandated by FAA. A thorough inspection is done to make sure there are no deviations from actual markings.Application of final clear coat: Applying this final layer of clear coat can take up to 16 hours and it is made sure that all pre-existing blemishes are dealt with prior to this. Once this is done, it takes about 48 hours to dry before the aircraft can fly again.

How long do you think will Go-Air take to refurbish and paint the new logo ?Comment in the section below...

Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and MoS, Civil Aviation, General (Dr.) VK Singh (Retd.) along with Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Shri Pradeep Kharola, virtually flagged off the IndiGo flight for Jabalpur – Delhi sector on August 20. Chief Minister, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan graced the event virtually as the Guest of Honor. Other dignitaries including, Shri. Tulsiram Silavat Minister of Water Resources, Fisheries Welfare and Fisheries Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh and Smt. Usha Thakur, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Adyatam, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Rakesh Singh, Member of Parliament, Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shankar Lalwani, Member of Parliament, Madhya Pradesh along with other important stakeholders also joined the event virtually from Madhya Pradesh. 

PTI

Shri Jyotiraditya scindia further added, “Today, we are not only starting new routes and new flights from Jabalpur, but we have also approved an INR 421 crore scheme for the development of Jabalpur airport. The new developments include construction of a new 10,000 sq ft terminal building, a new ATC tower, and extension of runway from 1950m to 2750 m to make it feasible for bigger aircraft operations.”

Identified as the cultural capital of Madhya Pradesh, Jabalpur is the divisional headquarters for eight districts: Jabalpur, Seoni, Mandla, Chhindwara, Narsinghpur, Katni, Dindori and Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the most valuable as well as developed cities of the state. Hanumantal Bada Jain Mandir, Jabalpur Madan Mahal, Dhuandhar Falls, Chausta -Yogini, Marble Rocks in Bhedaghat, Balancing rock near Madan Mahal Fort, Shiv Statue at Kachnar City, tiger reserves like Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, and Pench National Park invite visitors from all over the world. The city features rich history & also offers a sneak-peek into India’s heritage.

Jabalpur is the 69th domestic destination connected by M/s IndiGo airlines under RCS-UDAN.

Jabalpur is the 69th domestic destination connected by M/s IndiGo airlines. These direct connections are aimed to enhance trade and commerce while also boost tourism in Jabalpur, especially at this time when Indians are increasingly looking towards domestic vacations and unexplored gems in the country.

The flight schedule is mentioned below:

FROMTOFREQUENCYDEPARTURE TIMEEFFECTIVE FROMDELJLRDaily9:0020-AUG-21JLRDELDaily10:5020-AUG-21BOMJLRDaily6:2520-AUG-21JLRBOMDaily8:4520-AUG-21IDRJLRDaily7:4528-AUG-21JLRHYDDaily9:4028-AUG-21HYDJLRDaily12:3028-AUG-21JLRIDRDaily15:0528-AUG-21

IndiGo is a low-cost carrier based in Gurgaon, India that commenced operations in Aug-2006. The carrier, which is owned by Rahul Bhatia’s InterGlobe Enterprises, operates an extensive domestic network and international services to South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Gulf.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, MoS, Civil Aviation, General Dr. V K Singh (Retd.) along with Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Shri Pradeep Kharola virtually flagged off the Spicejet’s first direct flight for Bhavnagar (Gujarat) - Delhi sector on August 20. Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri. Vijay Rupani virtually embellished the event as the Chief Guest.

Jyotiradity Scindia with SpiceJet's CEO Ajay Singh

Several other dignitaries including Shri Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Minister, (Cabinet) Civil Aviation, Gujarat, Dr. Bharatiben Dhirubhai Shiyal Member of Parliament, Bhavnagar & National Vice President, Bharatiya Janata Party, Smt. Vibhavariben Vijaybhai Dave, Member of Legislative Assembly (East) Bhavnagar & Minister Women and Child Welfare Education and Pilgrimage, Shri Parsottambhai Odhavjibhai Solanki, Member of Legislative Assembly (Rural) Bhavnagar & Minister-Fisheries, and Shri. Jitendrabhai Savjibhai Vaghani Member of Legislative Assembly (West) Bhavnagar joined the inauguration virtually from Bhavnagar. Smt.  Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation along with other senior officials of MoCA & AAI were also present during the ceremony held at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, New Delhi.

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1428738966296023046

Tweet by Jotiraditya Scindia

“I feel honoured to flag off the first direct flight operations on the heritage city of Bhavnagar to Delhi route. The city has played a vital role in the economic activities of entire Gujarat since ancient times. The city is an important centre for the diamond cutting, polishing, and shipbreaking industry not only for India but for the entire world. Bhavnagar is the prominent city of India where a blend of the symbolic initiatives of ‘Vocal for Local’ & ‘Local to Global’ started by our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, is found. Furthermore, the Vehicle Scrappage Policy will also benefit the people of Bhavnagar. Apart from economic activities, the city has its own rich cultural and historical significance. These new flights will act as a catalyst for the tourism sector of the region while aiding the trade and commerce sector of Bhavnagar.”Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation

Bhavnagar will now get six new flight routes. Due to the non-connectivity of direct flights from Bhavnagar to Delhi & Bhavnagar to Surat, people had to travel to Ahmedabad to board a flight, now, they can travel at ease by opting for the newly inaugurated direct flight services on these sectors. Flights from Bhavnagar to Delhi and Mumbai will be operational on all days except on Tuesdays and Saturdays, flights from Bhavnagar to Surat will operate on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays starting from August 21, 2021.

The flight schedule is mentioned below:

 SECTOR DEPARTURE FREQUENCY Bhavnagar-Delhi 15:45Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday Delhi-Bhavnagar 6:40Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday Bhavnagar-Mumbai 9:05Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday Mumbai-Bhavnagar 14:20Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday Bhavnagar-Surat 14:40Thursday, Saturday &Sunday Surat-Bhavnagar 13:35Thursday, Saturday & Sunday Flight schedule

SpiceJet is an Indian low-cost carrier based at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. SpiceJet is one of India's largest airlines, serving domestic destinations across India. The airline commenced international operations in Oct-2010 and now provides services to overseas destinations including cities in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

SpiceJet's new generation Bombardier Q400 is a twin-engined, medium-range, turboprop aircraft. The aircraft, Introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984, is now produced by Bombardier Aerospace. The seating arrangement is a comfortable 2-2 Economy Class setting.

Aquaplaning(or hydroplaning) is a condition in which the moving wheels of an aircraft loses contact with the load bearing surface on which it is rolling primarily due to the presence of contaminants on the runway like slush, snow or standing water.This adversely affects the reduction of the ground speed of the aircraft and renders the braking action highly ineffective.

When does it occur?

Aquaplaning, or hydroplaning is said to occur when the wheels are running on water or wet snow or occasionally a combination of both.Chances of occurrence of aquaplaning on runways with normal frictional-characteristics with water depths 3mm and lower is considerably less and is unlikely. Hence this has been adopted as a standard of detection of runway contamination(Europe) which could possibly hamper an aircraft's safe performance characteristics.

Mechanism

In the event of aquaplaning, a layer of water builds up beneath the wheels as a function of increasing resistance to displacement caused by the pressure of the wheel. As a result, this leads to a formation of a "wedge" between the runway surface and the wheel. The vertical component of resistance to water displacement is what makes the situation dangerous. This vertical component lifts the wheel gradually, reducing the area between the runway and the wheel, until the aircraft becomes completely water-borne.Consequently, now the wheels are rendered totally ineffective in providing directional control as the drag forces are massively low. This makes it imperative for the flight crew to make their runway performance calculations based on "slippery runway" data or as how the situation demands. Aquaplaning often involves reduced directional control hence crosswind components are also accounted for while calculating the runway performance.

Types

1.Viscous aquaplaning: Occurs due to the apparent viscous properties of water. When the depth of fluid is 0.025 mm or less, the wheels cannot penetrate the fluid and hence rolls on top of the fluid. They are more prevalent on smooth runway surfaces coated with asphalt or accumulated rubber from previous landings.

Boldmethod

2.Dynamic  aquaplaning: A high speed phenomenon when compared to viscous aquaplaning, this occurs when the fluid depth is 2.5 mm and more. With increasing aircraft speed and water depth, the water layer increases resistance to displacement. This renders the brakes completely ineffective as the tires are lifted off the runway and no longer provide directional stability.

Avfacts.Com

3.Reverted rubber aquaplaning: Heavy braking often lead to prolonged locked-wheel skid which together with the presence of just a thin film of water on the runway, facilitates reverted rubber aquaplaning. The skidding tyres generate sufficient heat to convert  water into steam which keeps the tires off the runway. Reverted rubber aquaplaning often follows a dynamic aquaplaning scenario during which the crew may have  had the brakes locked in an attempt to stop the aircraft. This is the only type which actually leaves behind physical imprint on the runway.

Boldmethod

How to mitigate the risks?

The friction co-efficient of a dry runway must always be periodically assessed following ICAO mandates.It is common knowledge that the TDZ( runway touchdown zone) may be contaminated with rubber deposits from previous landings. These accumulations should be frequently removed to maintain a minimum dry friction level.The surface state of wet runways should be evaluated by the depth of water pool and/or observed braking reaction by aircrafts.

Once into aquaplaning, there is no definite way of regaining directional control and deceleration hence it is to be best avoided at all costs if possible.

The employees of Jet Airways on August 19 moved National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) seeking to quash the approval of the Kalrock-Jalan resolution plan by the National Company Law Tribunal.

Jet Airways employees cited concerns about continuity and unpaid salary dues in their plea.

The Mumbai bench of NCLT had on June 22 approved the Kalrock-Jalan resolution plan for the airline. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) were given 90 days from June 22 to allot slots to Jet Airways.

Jet Airways employees cited concerns about continuity and unpaid salary dues in their plea.

The plea by the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (BKS) and the Jet Airways Cabin Crew Association have cited concerns on unpaid salary dues and continuity. In the voting process of employees, only 35.1% approved the plan while 3.2 rejected it, and 61.6% abstained from the voting. As such, the proposal for ex-employees and workmen of Jet Airways (India) Ltd, put forward by Murari Lal Jalan and Florian Fritsch, has lapsed, the consortium informed employees on Thursday (August 19).

According to employees, the airline owes at least INR 3 lakh to each employee which may well go up to INR 85 lakh, while now each employee is being offered a total of around INR 23,000, which one employee, who did not want to be named, described as "peanuts".

The plan proposes to pay each workman of the corporate debtor INR 11,000 cash, INR 5,100 cash as medical expense reimbursement for the parents of the workmen, INR 5,100 cash as school fee reimbursement for children of the staff, INR 1,100 for stationery for children of the staff and one-time mobile phone recharge of INR 500. This cash payment will be made out of the contingency fund (INR 8 crores). Additional amounts, if required, will be utilised out of the proceeds of the sale of assets received by the corporate debtor.

The consortium of Kalrock Capital and Murari Lal Jalan emerged as the successful bidder for the airline in October 2020.

In April 2019, Jet Airways was grounded and insolvency proceedings against it began in June 2019. The consortium of Kalrock Capital and Murari Lal Jalan emerged as the successful bidder for the airline in October 2020. As of October 3, 2020, Jet Airways' financial creditors had claimed INR 11,344.71 crore, of which the resolution professional admitted claims worth INR 7,453.63 crore.

The airline’s employees had filed claims worth INR 569.21 crores, of which claims worth INR 359.29 crores were admitted. Operational creditors other than employees had filed claims to the tune of INR 28,466.13 crore, of which INR 6,658.37 crore were admitted.