Akasa Air gets Air Operator Certificate from DGCA

Akasa Air said on Thursday, July 7 said it has received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from aviation regulator DGCA and will start commercial operations later this month.

The grant of the AOC marks the satisfactory completion of all regulatory and compliance requirements for the airline’s operational readiness, Akasa Air said in a statement.

https://twitter.com/AkasaAir/status/1545021622620663812

The process concluded with the airline having successfully conducted several proving flights under the supervision of the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), it added.

Following the government’s initiative to usher in a new era of digitisation, Akasa Air is the first airline whose end-to-end AOC process was conducted using the government’s progressive eGCA digital platform.

“We are thankful to the Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA for their constructive guidance, active support and the highest levels of efficiency throughout the AOC process. We now look forward to opening our flights for sale, leading to the start of commercial operations by late July. This will begin our journey towards building India’s greenest, most dependable, and most affordable airline.” Vinay Dube, Founder-Chief Executive Officer, Akasa Air

According to the airline, it will commence commercial operations later this month with two aircraft and subsequently add planes to its fleet every month.

The airline received a no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Civil Aviation in August 2021 for starting flights.

By the end of the fiscal year 2022-23, the airline will have 18 aircraft and thereafter, will add 12-14 aircraft every 12 months. This will make up its order of 72 aircraft to be delivered over five years.

DGCA grants Air Operator Certificate to Akasa Air

Last November, Akasa Air announced ordering 72 '737 Max' aircraft from Boeing. The order includes two variants from the 737 MAX family -- 737-8 and 737-8-200.

ALSO READ - Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s Akasa Air signs deal for 72 Boeing 737 Max planes

The airline unveiled the first look of its crew uniform on Monday, July 4 adding that it focuses on providing the best possible stretch to ensure their comfort over their busy flight schedules.

The company said it is the first Indian airline to have introduced custom trousers and jackets, with their fabric specially made for Akasa Air (using recycled polyester fabric which is made from pet bottle plastic salvaged from marine waste) and comfortable sneakers for its airline in-flight crew keeping in mind ergonomics, aesthetics and comfort.

Akasa will be the fifth Indian budget carrier after IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoFirst, AirAsia India and Air India Express

Among big/upcoming airlines, Akasa will be the fifth Indian budget carrier after IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoFirst, AirAsia India and Air India Express. And overall it will be the eighth (big) airline apart from full-service Air India and Vistara and regional carrier Alliance Air which is the only government-owned fixed-wing airline now.

Akasa is set to enter a market marked by cut-throat competition and a high-cost structure. Among others, it will grapple with IndiGo which controls close to 60% of India’s domestic air traffic, the Tata group, the new owners of Air India which are planning to fast expand it with hundreds of new airplanes and a resurrected Jet Airways raring to find it lost glory.

ALSO READ - Akasa Air plans to launch domestically by July end and internationally by 2023 end

Cover Image - Ankush Gupta (Twitter)

The civil aviation ministry is following up with the home ministry regarding security clearance for Air India CEO-designate Campbell Wilson and the approval is expected in the coming weeks, according to a senior official.

Tata Sons, which took over the loss-making airline on January 27 this year, announced the appointment of Wilson on May 12.

ALSO READ - MHA to conduct a thorough background check on the newly appointed CEO of Air India

Weeks after taking over the carrier, Tata Sons, on February 14, named Turkish Airlines' former Chairman Ilker Ayci as Air India's MD and CEO. However, Ayci, who was to take over on April 1, declined to join the group amid concerns expressed over his appointment in certain quarters.

Air India's CEO designate to soon receive security clearance from Home Ministry

ALSO READ - Amid the security row, Ilker Ayci declines Tata Sons’ offer to be the new CEO of Air India

Wilson was the CEO of Singapore Airlines' wholly-owned subsidiary Scoot Air. Singapore Airlines is a joint venture partner of Tata Group in full-service carrier Vistara. According to the civil aviation ministry official, an application for security clearance to Wilson is before the home ministry.

The ministry is following up with the home ministry on the security clearance for the new Air India CEO and the clearance is expected in the coming months. Under civil aviation rules, clearance of the home ministry is mandatory for the appointment of key personnel at airlines, including foreigners.

The home ministry did not offer a comment on the matter but a senior official said the application is under consideration. An Air India spokesperson did not respond to a query from PTI on the matter.

Campbell Wilson was the CEO of Singapore Airlines' wholly-owned subsidiary Scoot Air.

In a message to Air India employees on June 20, Wilson said the airline's "best years are yet to come" and that the journey to make it a world-class airline will require efforts that are "big and small, easy and difficult".

Wilson, an aviation industry veteran with over 26 years of experience, started as a management trainee with Singapore Airlines in New Zealand in 1996.

He then worked for the carrier in Canada, Hong Kong and Japan before returning to Singapore in 2011 as the founding CEO of Scoot, which he led until 2016.

Air India was started by the Tata Group in 1932 and the carrier was nationalised in 1953.

He also served as the senior vice president of sales and marketing of Singapore Airlines, where he oversaw pricing, distribution, e-commerce, merchandising, brand and marketing, global sales and the airline's overseas offices, before returning for a second stint as the CEO of Scoot in April 2020.

Through a competitive bidding process, the government in October 2021 sold Air India to Talace Private Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Sons for INR 18,000 crore. Air India was started by the Tata Group in 1932 and the carrier was nationalised in 1953.

Budget carrier IndiGo will reinstate salaries of pilots and cabin crew by another 8% from August 1. The airline will also reinstate layover and deadhead allowances for pilots and cabin crew from July 31.

IndiGo has also launched a Forex Card for crews and Zonal Employee Discount (ZED) through which airline staff can travel on discounted tickets on partner airlines, the airlines said in an email to its employees.

While the largest airline in India is moving forward with the restoration of allowances for the pilots, it is yet to reinstate pre-covid salaries. The overall salaries of pilots and cabin crew have been reinstated by 16% of pre-COVID salary.

IndiGo reinstates pilots and crew salaries by 8% from August 1

Furthermore, some allowances like night and overtime allowances are also yet to be restored. IndiGo introduced a 28% pay cut in May 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hike in salaries by IndiGo comes just a few days after the airline witnessed delays in its flights across the country on July 2 and July 3 after a number of its cabin crew took leaves.

Salaries have been a difficult issue for IndiGo for the last few months as other domestic airlines in India had till now reinstated salaries of their employees higher than IndiGo.

ALSO READ - IndiGo partially restores pilot salaries by 8% from April 1

IndiGo introduced a 28% pay cut in May 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

India’s largest airline had in April raised the salaries of all its pilots by 8%, and had said that it would reinstate the salaries of pilots by another 6.5% from November in case there are no further disruptions to the flight operations.

However, the airline's pilots were disappointed with the recent 8% salary hike announced by the airline. Some of IndiGo's pilots had even threatened to go on strike in April but the airline had suspended the pilots who were planning to organise a strike.

ALSO READ - IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta addresses salary concerns, says will review wages regularly

IndiGo CEO Ronjoy Dutta on April 8 told employees through an email that raising salaries was a difficult and thorny issue but the airline would constantly review and adjust wages based on its profitability and the competitive environment.

IndiGo CEO Ronjoy Dutta on April 8 told employees through an email that raising salaries was a difficult and thorny issue but the airline would constantly review and adjust wages

“We are in an inflationary environment, we have gone through a very difficult period, first off pay cuts and then not the full restoration of pay. But I will say this, our heart is with the employees. We want to do the right thing for them, we would love to give them more pay raises so our heart is with them, but our head has to work in terms of let's be profitable,” Dutta had said in an IndiGo earnings call in May.

ALSO READ - 55% of IndiGo domestic flights delayed due to crew calling in sick; DGCA seeks explanation

Last week, several IndiGo's employees had taken last-minute leaves on Saturday, July 2 to appear for the walk-in interviews for hiring cabin crew by Air India and Air India Express.

Such incidents are only expected to rise in India in the coming few months with Air India, Akasa Air, and Jet Airways all looking to hire pilots and cabin crew for their operations.

As the demand for air travel increases, allowing airlines to deploy more of their fleet, pilots seek reversal of pay cuts.

As the demand for air travel increases, allowing airlines to deploy more of their fleet, pilots seek reversal of pay cuts. Despite the partial restoration of salaries, pilots across airlines remain disgruntled, creating challenges for managers.

ALSO READ - Air India begins restoring salaries to pre-pandemic levels gradually

Tata group, the new owner of Air India, has restored employee salaries by almost 75 per cent compared to the pre-Covid level. Another Tata group airline, Vistara, reinstated its pilots' salaries and flying allowance to pre-pandemic levels.

Indian aviation pioneer, name of JRD Tata will be inducted into the 'Memorial Wall' of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in the US this year.

The only other Indian to be inducted into the 'Memorial Wall', which includes names of famous aviators and astronauts, is the late Kalpana Chawla, the American astronaut who was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space.

"This year we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the first airmail flight by JRD Tata. It is only befitting that his memory will be honoured at the greatest aviation celebration of the world, in the dedication ceremony which will be held on July 31," said Capt S Sabu, secretary of the Indian chapter of EAA which was formed in January this year.

JRD Tata's name will be inducted into the 'Memorial Wall' of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)

The EAA has more than two lakh members and hosts the largest aviation gathering of its kind in the world in Oshkosh.

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 200,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide. It hosts the largest aviation gathering of its kind in the world, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

"Every year on the closing Sunday, the EAA Aviation Foundation hosts the Memorial Wall ceremony where new inductees are honoured. This heart-warming ceremony includes a poignant reading of inductees' names, a breathtaking 'Missing Man' flight formation, and concludes with the playing of taps. The 'Missing Man' flight formation is a time-honoured tradition amongst aviators to honour those who are no longer with us."Capt S Sabu, Secretary, Indian chapter, EAA

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata or JRD Tata was India’s first licensed pilot and the founder of India’s first commercial airline in 1932 — Tata Airlines, which became Air India in 1946.

Today, the airline JRD Tata founded is back in his company’s fold and some want to pay tribute to the “father of civil aviation” in India.

ALSO READ - Pilot body asks PM to mark October 15 as National Aviation Day and name an airport after JRD Tata

The Federation of Indian Pilots hopes October 15 this year itself can be declared National Aviation Day, as it will be the 90th anniversary of JRD Tata’s first flight.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), a body of commercial pilots, has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in January asking him to declare the anniversary of JRD Tata’s first flight as National Aviation Day and the name of the next major airport in honour of India’s first commercial aviator.

The letter cites the United States of America, which celebrates August 19 as National Aviation Day every year. August 19 is the birthday of Orville Wright, the first person to accomplish powered flight.

The Federation of Indian Pilots hopes October 15 this year itself can be declared National Aviation Day, as it will be the 90th anniversary of JRD Tata’s first flight.

A high-level delegation of French aircraft engine maker Safran Group on Tuesday, July 5 met defence minister Rajnath Singh and briefed him on the firm’s upcoming projects in the country, including the establishment of a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility and its new joint ventures being inaugurated in Hyderabad and Bengaluru this week, officials familiar with the development said.

During the meeting with the delegation headed by CEO Olivier Andries, Singh asked Safran to explore more opportunities for co-development and co-production in line with the government’s ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ initiative. The firm is one of the leading original equipment manufacturers of advanced aircraft engines for commercial and fighter jets.

Safran to establish an MRO facility worth USD 150 million in Hyderabad

“During the meeting, the CEO of Safran briefed the Raksha Mantri of their company’s plans to set up an MRO facility in India to overhaul LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines in use by Indian and foreign commercial airlines,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

ALSO READ - Safran to set up an MRO facility for LEAP commercial aircraft engines in India

The MRO facility will involve an investment of USD 150 million, will create 500-600 highly skilled jobs and will have the capacity to overhaul more than 250 engines per year.

In recent years, Hyderabad has been bidding big on the aerospace and aviation defence sector with companies such as Lockheed Martin Corporation, GE Aviation, Boeing etc establishing their facilities in the city. The state government promotes the aerospace sector with seven SEZ parks in Hyderabad.

A high-level delegation of French aircraft engine maker Safran Group met defence minister Rajnath Singh and briefed him on the firm’s upcoming projects in the country

India and France have had a very strong relationship in the aviation sector since the 1950s, said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

“India urgently needs to develop an engine manufacturing ecosystem. The setting up of the MRO facility for the new-generation LEAP engines will provide a boost to the indigenous aero engine manufacturing sector,” he added.

According to an official familiar with developments, the Safran CEO also briefed Singh about the new joint ventures that will be inaugurated this week — Safran Aircraft Engines and Safran Electrical & Power India Pvt Ltd (both to come up in Hyderabad), and Safran-HAL Aircraft Engines in Bengaluru.

The Safran Aircraft Engines in Hyderabad will involve an investment of 36 million Euros, and will produce parts and components for advanced aircraft engines including rotating seals, the ministry said.

The Safran Aircraft Engines in Hyderabad will involve an investment of 36 million Euros

The helicopter engines to be produced under the joint venture are learnt to be for the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH), which is a medium-lift chopper currently under development by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Safran is one of the leading original equipment manufacturers of advanced aircraft engines for civil and fighter jets.

Safran Electrical & Power India will produce harnesses for civil and fighter jets. The joint venture between Safran and HAL is for the production of rigid piping for aircraft engines including helicopter engines, the statement said. The joint venture is expected to hire 160 highly skilled personnel soon.

“The CEO of Safran outlined his company’s long-term plan in co-development and co-production of advanced jet engines and transfer of technology as per the existing policy of Government of India,” the statement said.

https://twitter.com/SAFRAN/status/1544335619266068480

Singh highlighted the importance India attaches to its strategic partnership with France and welcomed the setting up of the new facilities in Hyderabad and the joint venture in Bengaluru.

“We are a big market. However, we are increasingly focused on making in India for competitively addressing the needs and supplying to friendly foreign countries. You can leverage all the competitive advantages India offers, including the cost advantages and availability of a trained workforce,” Singh said during the meeting.

He also briefed Singh on Safran’s capabilities in areas of technology beyond aircraft engines.

Singh invited Safran for more co-development and co-production projects in India, in tune with the Indian government’s “Make in India, Make for the World” and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” plans.

https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/1544262646416887809

The minister asserted that both countries can contribute to each other’s capability building.

Safran Aircraft Engines (previously Snecma) is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes, France. It designs, makes and maintains engines for commercial and military aircraft as well as rocket engines for launch vehicles and satellites.

Some of Snecma’s most notable developments include the M88 for the Rafale, Olympus 593 engine for the Concorde, CFM56/CFM-LEAP for single-aisle airliners, and Vulcan engines for the Ariane 5 rocket.

ALSO READ - DRDO to collaborate with Safran to manufacture engines for India’s 5th gen stealth fighter

It was earlier reported that Safran is also in talks with the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) for developing the 110-Kilonewton Kaveri engine that would power indigenous home-built aircraft such as the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

CFM Engineering, a joint venture between Safran and American engineering giant GE, makes the CFM56, Leap-1A and Leap-1B that power most of the Airbus A320s and the Boeing 737s in India.

There are currently 600 CFM engines powering 330 passenger aircraft flown by six airlines in India, said Jean-Paul Alary, chief of Safran aircraft engines. That number will go up to 1,500 in the next few decades, making it the biggest engine order book from Indian carriers, including the soon-to-fly Akasa.

The MRO facility will service the Leap-1A and Leap-1B engines, which comprise the largest chunk of Indian airlines’ order book. Global aircraft and engine makers have been reluctant to set up repair shops in India because of high taxes which would make the services unattractive to customers.

India’s airlines have typically had aircraft and engines serviced in markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong and even Colombo.

An engine of a Vistara aircraft on its way from Bangkok failed after it landed at the Delhi airport but all passengers disembarked safely.

Vistara flight suffers engine snag after landing safely at IGI Airport.

Vistara said UK-122 which was operating the Bangkok-Delhi flight had an uneventful flight and touched down safely on runway 10 at IGI. After vacating runway engine number two, the left engine was shut down for single-engine taxing, at the end of taxiway 'K', engine number 1 failed.

ATC was informed and a tow truck was requested. Subsequently, the aircraft was towed to the parking bay."

"After landing in Delhi, while taxing to the parking bay, our flight UK122 (BKK-DEL) had a minor electrical malfunction on 5th July 2022. Keeping passengers safety and comfort in mind the crew elected to tow the aircraft to the bay."Vistara Spokesperson

In June, Vistara was fined INR 10 lakh for allowing a co-pilot to land an aircraft at Indore despite not having the requisite training in a simulator. The airline apologised for the 'regrettable violation'.

Vistara faces an electrical issue after a flight from Bangkok landed in Delhi.

Reacting to the development, with also the recent SpiceJet incident, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that passenger safety is paramount and even the smallest error and hindering of safety should be thoroughly investigated and course-corrected.

Meanwhile, sources say that more than 30 incidents are reported on average every day, while include go-around, missed approaches, diversion, medical emergencies, and bird hits. Most of them have no safety implications.