Availability of the interactive airspace map for flying drones

An interactive airspace map will be uploaded on a digital platform in the next two days with red, yellow and green zones earmarked on it, indicating go and no-go areas for operating drones, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday, September 23 a month after the Centre unveiled a new policy for unmanned aerial vehicles. The airspace map has been prepared after consultation with state governments, he said.

In the coming two days, an interactive airspace map for the entire country will be uploaded having red, yellow and green areas for flying drones. In the red space, no drones will be allowed to fly, while in the yellow one, they will fly with permission (from authorities). In the green space, no permission will be required at all for flying drones, Scindia told reporters here.

"We have prepared this airspace map in consultation with all state governments. There will be a Digital Sky Platform on it, which means there will be no (role of) the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Permission (for operating drones) will be granted by the Digital Sky Platform. Those seeking it will have to enter the entire flight path. Within five seconds, permission or lack of it will be known."Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister for Civil Aviation

Soon after getting permission, people can fly their drones, he said. Citing an example from Telangana, Scindia said two days back coronavirus vaccines were transported by a drone to a remote area where nurses, doctors and beneficiaries were already present for inoculation.

The moment it landed at the designated place, nurses recorded the number of vaccines received in the inventory and soon after jabs were administered to people, he said. The new drone policy will give a fresh impetus to India's economy and generate employment opportunities for people, especially youths, the minister said.

He said a 10th class student can become a drone pilot by getting training in 15 days to two months and can easily earn a salary of INR 30,000 per month."This is the strength of the new drone policy," Scindia said.

In a notification dated August 25, the Ministry of Civil Aviation eased the rules regarding drone operations in the country by reducing the number of forms that need to be filled to operate them from 25 to 5 and decreasing the types of fees charged from the operator from 72 to 4.

The fee, according to the new rules, has been reduced to nominal levels and de-linked from the size of the drone. The rules have also abolished the requirement of various approvals, including certificate of conformance, certificate of maintenance, import clearance, acceptance of existing drones, operator permits, authorisation of R&D organisation and student remote pilot licence.

Other approvals such as unique authorisation number, unique prototype identification number and certificate of manufacturing and airworthiness have also been abolished, according to Drone Rules, 2021.

The new airport terminal in Leh is likely to become operational by December next year, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday, September 21.

This was conveyed by Scindia to Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur during a virtual meeting with him to discuss the progress of ongoing and new civil aviation projects for better air connectivity in the region.

"The new airport terminal at Leh may become operational by December 2022, the aviation minister said.

He also agreed to the construction of a civil enclosure at Thoise airport, considered the air lifeline to the world's highest and coldest battlefield, by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) once the land is made available.

Thoise Airport

Scindia noted that a team will shortly visit Ladakh to technically evaluate locations for additional airstrips in Leh. He agreed to look at the possibility of operationalising commercial flights with smaller jet planes to Kargil as an interim solution.

The minister requested the Lieutenant Governor to consider lowering VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to encourage more flights to operate to Ladakh, stressing that it will become a booster for Ladakh's tourism.

The L-G requested the minister for intervention in regulating winter airfares, support in the operationalisation of air ambulances and exploring the possibility of night flights to Leh.

The government on Wednesday, September 22 appointed Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Rajiv Bansal as the Secretary to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Mr Bansal, at present, is serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of the national passenger carrier Air India. Previously, he has also served as Financial Advisor to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry.

He will succeed Pradeep Singh Kharola, who is due to retire by end of the month.

Mr Bansal is a 1988 batch IAS officer from the Nagaland cadre. He has earlier had a stint with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) between 2006 and 2008.

A civil engineer from IIT Delhi, Rajiv Bansal was appointed AI chairman last February. He had earlier been on the board of National Aviation Company of India Ltd — the short-lived name of Air India and Indian Airlines after the two were merged in 2007 — and Alliance Air, among other organisations.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief Arun Kumar

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief Arun Kumar has also been given the rank and pay of secretary to the government of India by the appointments committee of the Cabinet (ACC) in an in-situ upgradation. The Federal Aviation Administration and International Civil Aviation Organisation are soon going to start an audit of DGCA. Kumar is a 1989 batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre.

Arun Kumar was given additional charge as DGCA in May 2019, while he was additional secretary and financial advisor in the Union aviation ministry. Kumar is an experienced aviation hand who has spent several years overseeing the sector. The government clearly wanted audits by international agencies of DGCA to take place under his command.

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In what can be termed as a welcome move for non-scheduled flight operations in India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has extended the validity of Air Defence Clearance, effective 1st October.What was earlier valid for only 45 minutes is now extended upto 3 hours from the planned departure time.

A significant milestone achieved! MoCA, Air Headquarters & AAI join hands to increase the window of the validity of Air Defence Clearance (ADC). The ADC is a permission required for all domestic non-scheduled operationsSaid the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) in a series of tweets

The revised changes are touted to bring ease to non-scheduled flight operations, including charter flights and medical evacuation operations.

ADC is a clearance required to operate non-scheduled flights in Indian airspace.

The government also took the opportunity to announce what would soon to be Asia's First Hybrid flying car, developed by the young team of Vinata AeroMobilityOnce operational, these "flying cars" would be used for transporting  people and cargo in addition to providing medical emergency services.

The Financial Express

COVER: The Economic Times

A Chennai-based startup has introduced the concept model of a hybrid flying car. The model of the flying car was reviewed by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday, September 20.

Taking to Twitter, Jyotiraditya Scindia said that he was delighted to have been introduced to the concept model which would soon become "Asia's first hybrid flying car".

"Once this takes off, flying cars would be used for transporting people & cargo, as well as for providing medical emergency services. My best wishes to the team", tweeted Jyotiraditya Scindia.

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1439965380705853445

The hybrid car model, Vinata, has been developed by Vinata Aeromobility. The startup's CEO Yogesh Iyer said the name was chosen after deep research and it means 'mother of all birds'.

Vinata Aeromobility, founded by Yogesh Ramanathan, in Chennai is made up of ISRO's top space scientists with Dr AE Muthunayagam serving as their principal advisor. Dawn Zoldi, a former US Air Force colonel with over 28 years of experience, is also on the team as a UAM (Urban Air Mobility) advisor.

"Vinata comes from ancient myth. We are working with the flying car so we researched a lot and decided with Vinata which means mother of birds, to be precise, Garuda's mother.This is going to be a two-seater and will run on biofuel with VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) capability. You can land it anywhere and take-off.We wanted our product to be symbol of Make In India and that's why decided that our Civil Aviation Minister should unveil it before showing it to the world."Yogesh Iyer, CEO, Vinata Aeromobility

The flying car concept is expected to turn into a prototype within the next two years. As for specifications, the flying car will have eight coaxial rotors and a hybrid motor running on biofuel and battery.

The kerb weight is estimated to be 900 kilos with a load capacity of 250 kilos, travelling at 120km/hr speed for 60 minutes.

The flight time of this flying car is 60 minutes. It boasts a maximum speed of 120 km per hour. The range is 100 kilometres and the service ceiling is 3,000 feet. The flying car also boasts Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), which provides safety through redundancy for its passengers. Distributed Electric Propulsion means having various propellers as well as motors on the aircraft so in case one or more propellers or motors fail, the other working propellers and motors can land the aircraft safely. Besides, in the event of a generator power interruption, backup power provides electricity to the motor, says Vinata AeroMobility website.

Vinata Aeromobility is working on self-driving hybrid flying cars. The company plans to make city travel considerably faster, easier, and less expensive, according to their official website. Their design blends vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), electric and low/no emission fuel hybrid power technology with cutting-edge automotive engineering to create a one-of-a-kind vehicle that the company feels will revolutionise urban air mobility, the third dimension of transportation.

Yogesh also stated that the recent drone policies of 2021 were very encouraging which can make India a drone hub.

Yogesh Iyer also stated that post the Helitech Expo, the process would begin to manufacture the prototype and the test run would begin by 2023.

Full-service airline Vistara announced September 23 direct flights between Delhi and Paris, starting November 7 later this year.

The round-trip fare on the Delhi to Paris route is INR 40,499 for an economy-class ticket, while Premium Economy seats are available at INR 71,999. The Business Class tickets on the Delhi-Paris-Delhi route is up for grabs at INR 135,999. On the opposite route (Paris to Delhi and back), the round-trip fare is 560 euros or around INR 48,000.

https://twitter.com/airvistara/status/1440928954643214339

The carrier will operate flights twice a week between the two cities - on Wednesdays and Sundays at 1345 hrs and will reach Paris (CDG) at 1840 hrs. On the way back, the flight from Paris (CDG) to Delhi (DEL) will fly at 2145 hrs and will reach the next day at 1030 hrs (+1).

Vistara will use the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft for the flights. Equipped with a highly efficient airflow and filtration system, the Dreamliner aircraft continuously refresh the cabin with air from outside. Powerful HEPA filters trap 99.9 per cent of particulates such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi and purify the air inside the cabin every two to three minutes, the airline stated.

Vistara said the flights will be operated as part of the bilateral transport bubble agreement between India and France. In Europe, the airline's other destinations include London and Frankfurt.

Customers can make bookings through multiple channels, including Vistara's website, mobile app, and travel agents.

Vistara is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons Private and Singapore Airlines.

"We are very pleased to commence flights to Paris, a step that reflects our commitment to growing our global network. These flights give us the opportunity to further build our presence in Europe and to present India’s finest full-service carrier to the world."Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara

"Vistara will accept all eligible customers meeting visa/entry requirements in both the countries, as specified by the respective government bodies. Vistara strongly encourages its customers to fully understand these guidelines before making their bookings," the airline said in a statement.