Air India Pilots Union seeks conciliation proceedings with the management to sort out issues

Air India Pilots Union has petitioned the labour department for conciliation proceedings with the Airline's management to alter their working conditions.

Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) & Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), the Pilots' Union for Air India, has written to the airline to raise awareness of the pilot shortage and the difficulties pilots are encountering, including extended work hours, salary cuts, and a deteriorating work-life balance.

The airline, which is now owned by the Tata group, was informed by IPG-ICPA that pilots have flown more than 90 hours per month on all fleets, above the industry standard of 70 hours per month. Pilot weariness, which has occurred before in the history of commercial aviation, raises concerns about the safety of the passengers.

The Pilots' Union for Air India, Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) & Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), has written to the airline to bring attention to the pilot shortage and the challenges pilots are facing.

Also read: Air India pilot unions claim shortage of flying crew; slam work schedule

The Air India Pilots Union made note of their displeasure at not receiving the pre-COVID pay structure as the airline hires foreign pilots for its 777 fleets at a CTC that is 80% higher than that of current long-serving pilots. Indian pilots are allegedly the target of "discrimination," according to the IPG-ICPA union.

The group has warned that, in addition to problems with service conditions, the airline's ambitions to engage captains for its A320 fleet under fixed-term contracts may put the current Air India pilots in an unusual predicament. 

The union has issued a warning, stating that in addition to issues with service conditions, the airline's plans to hire captains for its A320 fleet under fixed-term contracts may put the current Air India pilots in an unusual situation.

Also read: Air India’s plan to hire new captains gets no support from the pilots’ union

A letter was submitted earlier this week to the Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC), Deputy CLC, and Assistant Labour Commissioner in New Delhi by the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which claims to represent about 900 pilots who operate Air India's narrow-body aircraft.

The grouping requested in the letter that the management of the airline begin conciliation proceedings to resolve a number of issues. Air India didn't respond right away with a response.

The Air India management is reportedly considering making some modifications to the service conditions for its pilots, and the ICPA has urged that its members be contacted before any changes are made.

“The Indian Commercial Pilots Association requests you to take urgent note of the escalating situation, and immediately and without any further delay, restrain the management of Air India Ltd from changing the conditions of service of its pilots... especially since the management continues to remain unresponsive to the pleas of its pilots.”

–the letter stated.

According to ICPA, Section 9-A of the Industrial Dispute Act (read with the Fourth Schedule of the ID Act) requires that an employer give reasonable notice (as prescribed) before making any changes to a worker's terms of employment, such as their salary, allowances, concessions, or privileges.

Campbell Wilson, the Managing Director and CEO of Air India are among those who have received copies of the letter from ICPA

“In this regard, we, ICPA, had sent two letters/demand notices to Air India Ltd, on 24.10.2022 and 21.12.2022, respectively, requesting the Air India management to inter alia involve us, as representative of the pilots, in deliberations regarding any change in conditions of service before any precipitative steps are taken.”

–the letter stated.

Campbell Wilson, the Managing Director and CEO of Air India, SD Tripathi, the Chief of Human Resources, and RS Sandhu, the Chief Operating Officer are among those who have received copies of the letter from ICPA. The union has asked for the start of conciliation proceedings with the airline's management in the letter to resolve a number of issues.

Source: ET

A passenger on Thai Smile Airways who had reclined his seat and disobeyed the cabin crew's safety instructions started a brawl onboard on Tuesday, December 27.

Flight WE313 operated by Thai Smile was scheduled to depart Bangkok at 11.30 p.m. and land in Kolkata at 12.40 a.m. when the event occurred. 

At 11.30 p.m., Thai Smile's flight WE313 was supposed to take off from Bangkok and arrive in Kolkata at 12.40 a.m.

A man in seat 37C reclined his seat as the plane was taxiing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, according to The Times of India. The customer claimed he had a backache when the flight attendants urged him to sit up straight, according to a Thai Smile Airways report of the event sent to India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The cabin crew explained that the seat needed to be upright so that it wouldn't obstruct emergency exits or impede people behind from adopting the brace position.

The Times of India said that the passenger's response was, "I fly often, I know what to do." The passenger responded as soon as he was informed that breaking safety regulations would result in a complaint to the pilot: "Okay, tell him. I am not scared.”

In an interview with India's NDTV, Mr Alok Kumar, a passenger sitting in row 37C behind the man, said that the man was "rude to the next level." Mr Kumar claimed that other passengers and cabin crews were shouting at the man to obey safety guidelines as well as "pleading" with him to sit up straight.

According to the complaint, when other passengers approached the person in seat 37C to discuss their disagreement with his behaviour, a brawl broke out.

Senior editor Saurabh Sinha of The Times of India released a video of the encounter on Twitter. It depicts two men speaking loudly, with a member of the cabin crew standing in between them, one wearing a dark dress shirt and the other a grey polo shirt.

https://twitter.com/27saurabhsinha/status/1608095790744100865

Four additional male passengers later join the group. The man in grey can then be seen repeatedly beating and slapping the dark-shirted man in the head. The staff and other passengers reportedly tried to break up the altercation. After informing the flight's captain, takeoff was postponed.

The passengers who were fighting were not escorted off the plane. They went back to their seats, and soon the plane took off. According to The Times of India, cabin crews maintained an eye on the passengers involved in the altercation throughout the flight, and the passenger in seat 37C was not given alcohol. There were no additional reported fights, and the flight continued as usual.

According to Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, India's Union Minister for Civil Aviation, a police report has been filed against the involved passengers. He tweeted, "Such behaviour is unacceptable.”

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1608505345772785666

Thai Smile Airways has said it "feels sorry" for the incident. The airline wrote on Twitter, "We reaffirm that the incident has been taken care of as we followed the flight safety procedures in accordance with international standards.”

"Our flight crews have already provided support to the persons affected by an incident.," the statement reads. The airline claimed that the flight's crew made an "urgent effort" to resolve the matter in a statement that CNA received on Friday.

https://twitter.com/THAISmileIndia/status/1608318269492199426

A police report was made about the altercation between passengers on the flight the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

“BCAS has examined all reports from various entities, including those on social media and has taken a serious view of the incident. It has filed a police case under appropriate sections against all involved in the jurisdictional police station in Bidhannagar, West Bengal. The police has already started its investigations. Further action shall follow.”

-Zulfiquar Hasan, Director General, BCAS

Source: TOI

Brace yourselves. A brand-new cargo plane is about to enter service.

Black Swan, a pilotless freight aircraft the size of a delivery truck will be unveiled soon by the Bulgarian firm "Dronamics".

The company is creating and operating an all-inclusive middle-mile service using its Black Swan cargo drone. According to Dronamics, it is the first cargo drone airline in the world and can make same-day deliveries to the most remote locations while being up to 80% faster, 50% less expensive, and 60% less polluting than other modes of transportation.

Reportedly, brothers Konstantin and Svilen Rangelov from Bulgaria are the inventors of the concept. When Amazon started experimenting with drone delivery in 2013, the two reportedly began researching the market.

The brothers thought there was a better way to deliver individualized items to each client, but they were discouraged by the logistical challenges involved in using small drones like Amazon's to carry goods directly to houses.

Most small delivery drones are an attempt to solve the last-mile problem. They are the bike messenger, we are the cross-country truck- the company told news outlet Drone DJ in 2018

Tech and specs

The Black Swan, unlike other aircraft that aren't built exclusively for cargo, can transport the same amount of cargo over a distance of up to 2,500 km for less money, time, and carbon emissions than a compact cargo van.

Dronamics

Wingspan16m / 52ftFuselage8m / 26ftHeight4m / 13ftDiameter1.3m / 4.3ftPayload350kg / 770 lbsCapacity3.5 cmb / 925 galRange2,500 km / 1,550 miAltitude20,000 ftSpeed200 km/h / 125 mphDronamics

A single-propeller Rotax engine produced by the Austrian business BRP-Rotax, which is owned by Bombardier Recreational Products, powers the routes.

Dronamics

It is reportedly the first freight drone licensed to fly in the EU, having been constructed by a world-class internal avionics team. Its landing strips can be as short as 400 meters (14 mile), and it can have its engine serviced anywhere in the world.

It is certified as CarbonNeutral and features a temperature-controlled environment for perishables.

The airplane uses only sustainable aviation fuel and will be mass-produced in Germany and Australia. This will encourage the "fastest and greenest" method of shipping goods and reduce emissions by 60%.

A network of droneports with easy integration and fully mobile operations

Fully transportable droneport freight equipment and a global, autonomous, and semi-autonomous remote fleet control system power the network operation. This makes it possible for Dronamics to easily integrate into the supply chain of any company because it can travel where conventional aircraft cannot. Additionally, there is a significant decrease in time, expense, and emissions due to the absence of the requirement for local warehousing.

The company's droneports can be set up in unused airfields, airports, seaports, logistical hubs, and factory lots and require little in the way of infrastructure. All that is required are paved or unpaved airstrips longer than 400 meters so that communities and companies may be connected who have not previously had access to economical same-day delivery and serve underutilized routes.

Dronamics

Dronamics is developing new direct routes through its network of droneports, using Europe as its inaugural market. When Black Swan is ready for use, Dronamics intends to run it as the first freight drone airline in the world, beginning with flights over water and around the Mediterranean, such as in Greece or Cyprus.

Black Swan has been named by Freightweek as the "2022 Sustainable Drone Technology Company of the Year".

SOURCE : Business Insider | Dronamics

COVER : Dronamics

Fairfax-owned Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) faced a financial loss of Rs 356 crore in FY22 due to COVID-19. 

Business Standard has analysed BIAL's Annual Financial Statement: "The increased airfares due to higher ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) prices, rising inflation, and geopolitical developments may impact domestic and international traffic recovery. But the outlook for FY23 undoubtedly remains positive.”

ATF expenses account for over 40% of an airline's overall operating budget, impacting its capacity to make a profit. ATF prices have fluctuated wildly over the past few months amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

An airline's ability to turn a profit is impacted by ATF costs, which make up about 40% of its overall operating budget.

According to a BIAL spokesperson, the airport operator has introduced new operational strategies and financial restructuring to increase connectivity and overall performance despite the difficult conditions during the pandemic.

“As a result, Bengaluru airport welcomed 16.3 million passengers in the current financial year until the last week of October 2022. This is against 6.61 million passengers during the same period last year.”

–BIAL Spokesperson

Also read: Bangalore Airport’s Fairfax stake not for sale: Prem Watsa

According to the spokesperson, BIAL's financial performance is showing significant improvement as recent months have seen passenger volumes return to pre-Covid levels. He continued by saying that the aviation sector is still recovering. Furthermore, the airport's operator is optimistic about the future growth of the airport.

Bengaluru airport saw its greatest volume of traffic in FY19 with 33.3 million passengers. This number decreased slightly to 32.36 million in FY20. The pandemic was in full stride during FY21, therefore the reduction, at 10.91 million, was substantial. After that, in FY22, there was a slight improvement as the number increased to 16.3 million.

BIAL experienced a net loss of Rs 542.96 crore in FY21. This loss fell by 34.26 per cent to Rs 356.89 crore in FY22.

BIAL's at least six-year sequence of profitability ended in FY21 as a result of Covid. During FY21, BIAL suffered a net loss of Rs 542.96 crore. During FY22, this loss decreased by 34.26 per cent to Rs 356.89 crore.

“Despite the second and third waves severely denting domestic passenger demand through the months of April 2021-June 2021 and December 2021-January 2022, it was a year of recovery. The aviation industry showed great resilience to bounce back from the impact of recurrent Covid waves.”

–BIAL’s Annual Financial Statement

Passenger trust in flying increased as a result of the government's emphasis on vaccinating the bulk of the public against Covid in a short amount of time, the report claimed. According to the report, India's domestic traffic recovery appears to be on track to reach pre-Covid levels in FY23. Since March 27 of this year, India has restarted regularly scheduled international flights after a two-year ban owing to the pandemic.

Also read: Kempegowda Airport is back to pre-covid passenger levels due to the high traffic volumes

Passenger trust in flying increased as a result of the government's emphasis on vaccinating the bulk of the public against Covid in a short amount of time

“With increased vaccination across the world and relaxation in international travel restrictions announced by the government, as well as globally, recovery in international passenger traffic is expected to improve. The industry is expected to recover to pre-Covid levels by FY24.”

–BIAL Statement

The development of aviation cargo traffic is still significant. In FY23, growth above pre-Covid levels is anticipated at the majority of India's main airports.

Source: Business Standard

Air India Express releases a new set of guidelines for travellers coming into India from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, December 27.

These suggestions, which were made amid growing concern about a COVID-19 comeback, have been put in place for the safety of both residents and visitors. These occurred when Covid cases in numerous nations, including China, experienced a new upsurge. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has produced "Guidelines for International Arrivals."

https://twitter.com/FlyWithIX/status/1607759476513476608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1607759476513476608%7Ctwgr%5E528ab95a2bf9ca8f9dea6a598f3ec4a75afbaa97%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.travelandleisureindia.in%2Finsight%2Fwhat-you-need-to-know%2Fair-india-express-guidelines-passengers-from-uae-to-india%2F

According to the guidelines, travellers must be fully vaccinated against the virus in accordance with their nation's primary vaccination schedule. In addition, it is important to be aware of social distance and masking standards while travelling. Children under the age of 12 will be exempt from the random testing that takes place upon arrival. These rules, which were provided by a division of Air India, the national carrier of the nation, are intended to protect all of its passengers and to fend off the virus.

Additionally, passengers are urged to self-monitor their health and to get tested and placed in isolation if they exhibit symptoms or are found to have symptoms. Children under the age of 12 will only be checked if they exhibit symptoms. These rules have become effective from December 24, 2022.

In reaction to a significant spike in Covid-19 cases in China over the past 20 days, India has intensified its response. India has not yet imposed any restrictions on international flights.

India has stepped up its response in response to a considerable rise in Covid-19 cases in China during the previous 20 days.

The Center has already reinstated Covid testing procedures for international travellers at all airports. Random coronavirus variant tests are being conducted on samples of people travelling from foreign nations. The Center has also mandated RT-PCR tests for all overseas travellers arriving in India from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Any traveller from these nations who exhibits symptoms or tests positive for Covid will be placed in quarantine.

The Center has requested that international travellers complete Air Suvidha paperwork outlining their present state of health. A self-declaration form called Air Suvidha was developed to help with contact tracing during the pandemic. 

International travellers are required to complete Air Suvidha paperwork explaining their current health status, following the request of the Center.

“There are no direct flights from China to India and we are taking all possible precautions that we have learned in the past two years to manage the spread of infection in the country. We are already randomly testing 2 per cent samples for Covid from international passengers on arrival. In the future, we can increase it further and can also make it mandatory for all arriving passengers to get tested.”

–Mansukh Mandaviya, Health Minister, India

Air India Express is the first international low-cost airline in India, which is owned by Air India, and provides service to Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Also read: Air India Express to fly higher as a major expansion in fleet and network in progress

Air India Express is the first international low-cost airline in India, which is owned by Air India, and provides service to Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

The 34-destination Air India Express network offers numerous weekly trips to Gulf and South East Asian cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Muscat, Salalah, Ras-Al-Khaimah, Riyadh, Al-Ain, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.

Also read: Air India to finalise the deal of 50 B737 MAX for Air India Express

Air India Express is the only airline that offers direct flights on numerous international routes. Air India Express is also the first airline to offer international air connections to numerous Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns in India. 

Source: HT

9 airports in the nation that use the PPP model are anticipated to increase their overall revenue by 50% this fiscal year to Rs 9,650 crore from Rs 6,450 crore.

A Public-Private Partnership (PPP) brings together the public and private sectors to manage and operate airports that were previously provided by the public sector.

At the beginning of December, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) leased out 8 airports namely, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru for Operations, Management and Development under Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Out of these, seven airports viz. Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru are managed by M/s Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL).

The Public Private Partnership (PPP) airports at Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru are undertaking major expansion projects of around Rs 30,000 crore by 2025

According to the Credit Rating Agency CareEdge Ratings, the expected increase in revenue will be driven by a predicted 70% year-over-year increase in passenger traffic, which is expected to reach 93% of pre-pandemic levels in the current financial year. However, it stated that overall, passenger traffic is anticipated to increase by 1.12 times in the fiscal year beginning in April 2023 compared to the pre-Covid level.

The rating agency also predicts that the government's plan to sell its part in joint venture airports and the privatisation of airports would be further delayed.

“CareEdge Ratings has assessed the aggregate financial position of 9 PPP airports which represent 50 per cent of total India's passenger traffic. The aggregate revenues of these airports are estimated to grow by 50 per cent from Rs 6,450 crore during FY22 to Rs 9,650 crore during FY23, mainly led by strong passenger growth of 70 per cent on a year-on-year basis.”

–CareEdge, Credit Rating Agency

It continued by saying that while strong passenger traffic is advantageous for the industry, the timely issue of tariff orders with an anticipated tariff rate increase for some airports is essential.

While high passenger volumes are beneficial for the industry, prompt issuance of tariff orders with projected tariff rate increases for particular airports is crucial.

According to CareEdge, the AAI provided assistance to airport operators during the Covid period by exempting claims on revenue share, which allowed PBILDT (Profit Before Interest, Leasing, Depreciation, and Taxes) margins in FY22 to stay at a healthy 56%.

It said that from the following year, such margins are projected to stabilise at around 45%, principally supported by the increasing scale of operations, but that with the return of revenue sharing with the AAI, PBILDT margins are likely to decline to 37% during FY23.

25 airports have been chosen for monetization via the National Monetization Pipeline (NMP).

As per NMP, 25 AAI airports namely Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Raipur, Calicut, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Madurai, Surat, Ranchi, Jodhpur, Chennai, Vijayawada, Vadodara, Bhopal, Tirupati, Hubli, Imphal, Agartala, Udaipur, Dehradun and Rajahmundry have been earmarked for leasing over the years 2022 to 2025.

Bhubneshwar Airport is among the 25 airports that have been chosen for monetization via the NMP

According to CareEdge, the projected fund inflows from the monetisation of 14 airports and the sale of AAI's share in existing airports are budgeted at Rs13,000 crore through FY23.

CareEdge Ratings feels that these timescales are likely to be further delayed due to the announcement of such aggressive timelines without any corresponding steps for monetisation, necessitating action from the Central Government.

Additionally, it was stated that the expansion of India's GDP and its impact on the rise of air passenger traffic, together with favourable demographics like an increasing working population, bode well for Indian airport operators.

Positive demographic trends, such as an expanding working population, along with the growth of India's GDP and its effect on the increase in air passenger traffic, augur well for Indian airport operators.

The paper claims that by streamlining the regulatory environment and issuing tariff orders on time, these operators will be able to see their money sooner. Additionally, for FY23, leverage indicators are probably going to stay high. However, it noted that from FY24, leverage indicators could improve as air passenger traffic increases above pre-Covid levels and new tariff orders are issued in some PPP airports.

Also read: Centre to privatise 25 airports in next 3 years

CareEdge Ratings anticipates that the air traffic growth rate between FY23 and FY25 will be 2.25 times greater than the GDP growth rate! 

Source: Business Standard