Bengaluru-bound IndiGo plane declared emergency

An IndiGo plane declared emergency at the Delhi airport on Friday after one of its engines caught fire at the time of take off roll, according to sources.

The Bengaluru-bound A320 aircraft, which had 184 people on board, later returned to the bay. The people were safely deboarded, the sources said.

A video on Twitter showed one of the plane's engines on fire and sparks flying at the time of taxiing at the airport.The incident took place at around 10 pm.

https://twitter.com/ndtv/status/1586047577988173824?s=20&t=fUWMQxNz6fLNcNCbkbtHvg

Video credit: NDTV.

In a statement, IndiGo said the aircraft operating flight 6E2131 from Delhi to Bengaluru experienced an engine stall during take off roll.

The take off was aborted and the aircraft safely returned to the bay. All passengers are being accommodated on an alternate aircraft," the statement said.

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"The priority is to carry out a detailed investigation of the incident and ascertain the reasons for the fire in the engine. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished swiftly and the aircraft is now grounded.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will do a detailed study to check whether there have been any such incidents pertaining to these engines before. After the investigation, suitable follow-up action will be taken."Arun Kumar, DGCA Chief.

A DGCA source said the aircraft VT-IFM operating flight 6E-2131 from Delhi to Bengaluru.

The engine that caught fire was an IAEV2500. It is manufactured by IAE International Aero Engines AG.

Soon after the incident that took place around 10 pm on Friday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said officials concerned of the DGCA have been directed to "look into this and furnish a report at the earliest".

All passengers and crew are safe and an alternate aircraft was arranged to operate the flight, which took off at 12.16 am on Saturday.

Also read - IndiGo to debut with widebody aircraft for international expansion

European aircraft maker Airbus on Friday announced a rise in net profits in the third quarter, saying it achieved a "solid" financial performance despite a "complex" environment.

The company's net profit increased year-on-year by 65 per cent between July and September to 667 million euros. Its turnover climbed by 27 per cent to 13.3 billion euros in the same period.

Despite difficulties with suppliers, which have been disrupted since the Covid-19 pandemic, Airbus still expects to deliver around 700 aircraft in 2022, including more than 260 in the last three months of the year.

Airbus On Track To Deliver 700 Aircraft In 2022; Airbus net profit up 65% in third quarter.

Deliveries of aircraft are a reliable indicator of profitability in the aerospace sector as clients pay most of their bill when they receive the planes.

Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury welcomed a "solid" financial performance in the first nine months of the year despite a "complex operating environment".

He highlighted the "fragile" nature of supply chains following the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, energy supply issues and constrained labour markets.

The firm will maintain its goal of achieving an adjusted operating profit of 5.5 billion euros in 2022 and expects a higher cash flow, reflecting the strength of the dollar against the euro.

(With inputs from DECCANHERALD)

The Thai government has decided to resume Thai Airways Hyderabad-Bangkok operations to pre-Covid level from October 30.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the daily Thai Airways flight link between Hyderabad and Bangkok was operated by a wide-body Boeing B777-200 aircraft with over 300 seats, including 30 business class seats and over 15 metric tonnes of commercial cargo in addition to passenger baggage.

The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) had represented to the Thai government in the month of April to resume passenger and cargo operations which were suspended during Covid.

Thai Airways to resume Hyderabad-Bangkok flight operations from October 30.

Telangana which houses many MNCs and is home to numerous industries and businesses is engaged actively in trade with Thailand and other nearby regions.

Telangana and surrounding regions are a massive source of tourist traffic into Thailand, which was primarily routed through Hyderabad Airport using a popular Hyderabad - Bangkok flight service operated by Thai Airways over the years which operated 7 days a week.

"Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the daily Thai Airways flight link between Hyderabad and Bangkok was operated by a wide-body Boeing B777-200 aircraft which offered ample capacity of over 300 seats, including 30 business class seats and over 15 metric tonnes of commercial cargo in addition to passenger baggage."Anil Agarwal, President FTCCI.

Hyderabad-Bangkok services to resume after 2 years.

Nitirooge Phoneprasert, Consul-General Royal Thai Consulate -General, Chennai, said: "It is a welcoming news that Thai Airways has finally decided to resume its flight operation between Hyderabad and Bangkok after an absence of more than two years. This will help boost the tourism and people-to-people connection between Thailand and Telangana."

(With inputs from ZEENEWS)

History in the making

The first twin-engine widebody commercial aircraft in history, MSN 1, an A300B1 development aircraft with the tail number F-WUAB, made its maiden flight in Toulouse on October 28, 1972. Captain Max Fischl, First Officer Bernard Ziegler, Flight Test Engineers Pierre Caneil and Gunter Scherer, and Test Flight Engineer/Mechanic Romeo Zinzoni were the members of the test flight crew. The flight was originally scheduled for Friday, October 27, however, it was delayed by a day due to fog. The following day, Saturday the 28th, saw improved weather with some sunlight but there was still a chance of wind.

AIB Family Flights

However, it was determined that the weather was favorable enough for the trip to proceed. The flight was 1 hour and 25 minutes long, with a top speed of 185 knots (342.6 km/h) at an altitude of 14,000 feet (4,300m). The autopilot was activated, the testing of moving surfaces, and the retraction and deployment of the landing gear all took place. When returning to Blagnac Airport, Max Fischl expertly performed a controlled crosswind landing because of the infamous Toulouse "Vent d'Autan" wind gusts.

Musée Aeroscopia, Toulouse | Prashant Prabhakar

The first A300B1, MSN 1, was put into production in September 1969, and it was finished on September 28, 1972, exactly one month before it took off for the first time! Despite the advancements and changes in design, production, and assembly that has occurred over the past 50 years, the workshare, responsibilities, and specialization of the industrial sites and the logistical "ballet" involved in the construction of the first A300 remain remarkably similar for the current Airbus range of aircraft.

The second prototype Airbus A300B1 during "hot" and "high" tests in Madrid | Representative | Pinterest

Variants and derivatives

Before being sold to customers, the two additional aircraft that were made were utilized for flight testing and development. The second and final A300B1 to be constructed was MSN2. The first A300B2 was MSN 3. The original A300B1 was stretched, and this was done at Air France's request. The A300B2 was 2.6 m longer and could carry 251 passengers in a normal two-class layout. This arrangement remained the same for all later A300B2 & B4 models; the B4 had the same seating capacity as the original B2 but a longer range, enabling it to compete in the medium-range market.

The A300B4, a longer-range model with more weight and fuel tanks, entered serial production in 1974. Later, the A300 proved to be an especially effective platform for enabling further development, and various variants were conceived, tested, and built during the course of the program's over 35-year existence. These include the A300B10, which had its initial flight in April 1982 and was eventually launched in 1978 as the A310.

Air France A300B4-203 | Representative | Wikimedia Commons

In 1993, the passenger plane's cargo variant, the A300-600F, would start flying. The A300B9 and A300B11 programs, which used the same revolutionary fuselage cross-section as the first A300, would eventually serve as the blueprint for the A330 and A340 family of aircraft. To fulfill internal Airbus requirements for greater large cargo capacity and to replace the aging Aero Spacelines Super Guppy fleet, five A300-600ST "Belugas" would be constructed.

Eurasian Cargo Solutions

What sets it apart?

Although the A300's unique selling point was that it was the first twin-engined widebody, constant design evolution across the family and the incorporation of new technology and materials earned it a place in aviation history with numerous industry "firsts": the A300 FFCC was the first two-man forward-facing cockpit for a twin-aisle aircraft, the first application of composites on secondary, and later on primary structures.

Aero Spaceline Super Guppy | Representative | Avionslegendaires.net

37 operators are now using more than 250 A300/A310 aircraft. It is the third most commonly used type of freighter in the world, with freighters making up 75% of the fleet.

The A300's role as the first in a family of commercial aircraft was one of the founders of Airbus' less well-known goals at the time; an early advertisement for the A300 declared it to be "the start of something significant" in 1968. They had no idea how accurate those words would prove to be!

SOURCE: AIRBUS

COVER: AIRBUS

Foreign tourist arrivals in 2022 till August have reached close to 50% of the numbers during the corresponding period in the pre-pandemic year 2019, according to the government data, with officials pointing out that the recovery so far has been on the expected lines.

According to data sourced from the ministry of tourism, a total of 3,263,219 foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) have been recorded this year till August, which is 47.2% of the 6,914,987 foreign travellers who visited the country in the corresponding period in 2019.

Foreign tourist arrivals in 2022 till August reach close to 50% of the pre-pandemic year

In terms of month-wise recovery, the data suggests that while the FTAs in January this year were 18.1% of the corresponding figures in 2019, they increased up to 78.3% of the pre-pandemic year numbers in July. The figure stood at 62.2% in August with 498,243 arrivals as compared to 800,837 in the corresponding month in 2019.

“There is an ongoing war in Europe and international airfares are high. Under these circumstances, the recovery numbers are as expected. Based on current booking trends, India should reach pre-Covid levels of international arrivals by early 2023.”Arvind Singh, Tourism Secretary

In January this year, 201,546 FTAs were recorded in the country and the figure was 18.1% of the 1,111,040 foreign travellers during the first month of 2019. Similarly, February saw 240,896 FTAs (22.1% of the 2019 figures), March 342,308 (35%), April 392,930 (50.7%), May 423,701 (68.9%), June 522,737 (72%), and July recorded 640,858 FTAs, which stood at 78.3% of the 818,125 foreign travelers visiting the country in the corresponding month in 2019, as per the data.

Inbound leisure at close to 50% of the pre-Covid level is not a big deviation from the expected figures, said Kapil Kaul, chief executive officer (CEO), South Asia, CAPA, an aviation consultancy firm.

“Downside in numbers due to visa issues and high air fares continuing Covid-19 overhang. Outbound travel faces similar issues like inbound — visa issues and high air fares — and I don’t see it changing in the next six months. Our marketing to bring inbound leisure back has not picked up as expected. Outbound tourism is expected to be back to pre-Covid level by first quarter of FY 2024 and inbound by the end of FY 2024.”Kapil Kaul, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), South Asia, CAPA

He, however, cautioned that “visa issues and high fares may from time to time contribute to the downside”. “The Ukraine war is impacting our key source market, which is Europe,” he added.

The scheduled international operations were suspended from March 23, 2020, till March 27, 2022, leading to a sharp drop in passenger traffic in FY2021 and FY2022 compared to pre-pandemic years.

According to data sourced from the ministry of tourism, a total of 3,263,219 foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) have been recorded this year till August

“With the resumption of scheduled international operations from March 27, 2022, international passenger traffic for Indian carriers is on a growth trajectory and is short only by approximately 7% in the first quarter of FY2023 when compared to pre-Covid levels,” an internal report of rating agency ICRA read.

It further said that despite a healthy recovery in passenger traffic, the “domestic aviation industry currently faces major turbulence because of elevated aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, and the recent depreciation of INR vis-à-vis the US$, both of which have a major bearing on the cost structure of airlines”.

(With Inputs from Hindustan Times)

SpiceJet has received aviation regulator DGCA approval for wet leasing five Boeing 737 Max planes for up to six months. The airline has already deployed two of the aircraft on different routes, according to sources.

The approval for taking the planes on the wet lease was given by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier this month. The sources said the remaining three aircraft would be inducted into the SpiceJet fleet in the coming weeks. There was no immediate comment from SpiceJet. The airline already has Boeing 737 Max planes in its fleet.

ALSO READ - SpiceJet likely to induct 7 B737 MAX aircraft

SpiceJet receives DGCA approval for wet leasing 5 B737 MAX aircraft

To cater to rising demand in the winter schedule which begins on October 30, SpiceJet and IndiGo have received approval for their proposals to take planes on wet lease.

Under a wet lease arrangement, planes are leased along with operating crew and engineers. Generally, wet leasing of planes is allowed for short periods to tackle supply constraints and ensure that airfares do not surge significantly.

ALSO READ - IndiGo to debut with widebody aircraft for international expansion

IndiGo has received DGCA's nod for wet leasing wide-body Boeing 777 planes, which are operated mainly on long and ultra-long-haul routes, for up to six months.

IndiGo has also received DGCA's nod for wet leasing wide-body Boeing 777 planes

ALSO READ - DGCA turns down IndiGo request to wet lease wide-body Turkish planes

However, the regulator rejected the airline's proposal to keep them in the fleet for up to two years, saying the move could become a diversion of traffic rights in collusion with a strong foreign carrier that will mainly feed the latter's hub abroad with more passengers from India, sources said earlier in the day.

Sources at IndiGo said the airline has written to the civil aviation ministry seeking extended tenure for aircraft that will be taken on wet lease.

ALSO READ – Is wet leasing aircraft a good choice for Indian airlines?