Boom Supersonic unveils updated "Overture" supersonic airliner design

Set to begin production in 2024, the aviation company Boom Supersonic has unveiled updates to highly anticipated ultra fast "Overture" at the Farnborough International Airshow on July 19.

International Flight Network

After almost seven years in development, the supersonic airliner, which is expected to go from Seattle to Tokyo in less than 5 hours, is now one step closer to reality.

Already designed to cross the speed of sound, Boom has now decreased the Overture's passenger capacity, increased its number of engines and reconfigured the fuselage and gull wings in order to create a more efficient and "quiet" aircraft.

The aircraft is now designed for manufacturability and for maintenance. The tail-mounted engine in the old design would have been difficult to reach and maintain. Everything we've been saying for the last few years about fuel efficiency about the airplanes remains trueBoom founder and CEO Blake Scholl told Fast Company on Tuesday

Blake Scholl | World Biz Magazine

According to BOOM, the aircraft will now feature four smaller wing mounted engines, which will decrease the operational costs and allow it to fly quieter. Additionally, these engines will enable the Overture to soar at Mach 1.7 or about 1,300 miles per hour over water-faster than the speed of sound.

Key features:

Four-engine design: Overture will be powered by four powerful, wing-mounted engines that enable the airliner to cruise at Mach 1.7 over water and just under Mach 1 over land. Additionally, the four-engine design reduces noise while also decreasing costs for airline operators.

Executive Traveller

Quieter operation:  On take-off, Overture will use the world’s first automated noise reduction system. The airliner will fly without afterburners, meeting the same strict regulatory noise levels as the latest subsonic airplanes.

Representative | Aerospace Testing International

Contoured fuselage: Boom has applied the "principle of area-ruling" design technique to minimize drag and maximize fuel efficiency at supersonic speeds. Therefore, the Overture’s fuselage now has a larger diameter toward the front of the aircraft and a smaller diameter toward the rear.

Drivespark

Net zero carbon: Sustainability is woven into all aspects of Overture, from design and production to flight and end-of-life recycling.

Most of the Overture will be built using carbon fiber composites hence the aircraft will be lighter and therefore more fuel efficient.

Specs

PCMag

Cruise speedMach 1.7 supersonic, Mach 0.94 subsonicRange4,250nm with full payloadPassengers65–80Flight controls4x redundant digital fly-by-wire on 2 LRUsPowerplant4x medium-bypass 100% SAF-compatible turbofanAirport Community noiseICAO Chapter 14 / FAA Stage 5BOOM Supersonic

Aviation has not seen a giant leap in decades. Overture is revolutionary in its design, and it will fundamentally change how we think about distance. With more than 600 routes across the globe, Overture will make the world dramatically more accessible for tens of millions of passengerssaid Boom Founder and CEO Blake Scholl

Boom Supersonic

Boom Supersonic also announced a landmark partnering agreement with Northrop Grumman to develop special mission variants for the U.S. Government and its allies at the Farnborough International Airshow.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: iTech Post

A Go First flight, heading from Delhi to Guwahati, was diverted to Jaipur after the A320neo plane's windshield cracked mid-air.

The incident took place when flight G8 151, that took off from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport at 12:40 PM, was flying over Rajasthan. An official at the IGI airport said that though the pilots wanted to return to Delhi, they had to fly to Jaipur due to heavy rain and bad weather in the national capital.

Go First A320's windshield breaks midair; flight diverted to Jaipur. (This image is for representative purposes only)

This is the third incident of a technical glitch on a Go First aircraft in two days. A DGCA official said that the flight was diverted to Jaipur as the weather in Delhi was not appropriate. In a statement, Go First acknowledged that a windshield crack in the Delhi-Guwahati flight.

"The Pilot in Command was a very well-experienced pilot and a qualified TRI and handled the issue quite diligently and with maturity and due to the weather in Delhi he took a precautionary measure and diverted the aircraft to Jaipur. The passengers are being accommodated on the alternate aircraft from Jaipur to Guwahati and due care is being taken for their comfort and convenience."Go First

Earlier, on Tuesday, July 19, Go First's two Mumbai-Leh and Srinagar-Delhi flights faced technical glitches and both planes were grounded by the aviation regulator.

Go First A320 aircraft VT-WGA flight from Mumbai to Leh was diverted to Delhi due to Engine No.2 EIU (Engine Interface Unit) fault.

Meanwhile, another flight, Go Air A320 aircraft VT-WJG flight G8-6202, from Srinagar to Delhi was diverted to Srinagar due to Engine no. 2 EGT overlimit. Officials said that the DGCA was investigating the incidents and both the planes involved in engine snag incidents.

Earlier July 19, Go First's two Mumbai-Leh and Srinagar-Delhi flights faced technical glitches and both planes were grounded by the aviation regulator.

Scores of flights have been diverted owing to multiple technical snags in Indian carriers' aircraft during the last couple of days. Sources said that Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday, July 18 told each airline to take all necessary steps that are needed to ramp up safety oversight.

The DGCA has now mandated that all flights need to be released by certified staff having an AME Category B1/B2 license and is currently investigating all incidents of technical malfunction.

ALSO READ - Recent emergency landings led to Scindia’s high-level meeting with senior DGCA officials

ALSO READ - Spicejet aircraft returns to Mumbai due to cracked windshield

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered airlines to ensure qualified engineers are present at all airports to clear flights before departure after it discovered that technical glitches were being incorrectly identified and reported and airlines were relying heavily on junior engineers.

It ordered airlines to depute enough upkeep engineers in any respect airports to certify the airworthiness of planes earlier than departure. Airlines have been requested to adjust to the identical by July 28.

The DGCA said that it has also noticed that airlines were frequently seeking relief from the mandatory requirement that all equipment on aircraft be operative.

The civil aviation regulator issued the instructions following frequent situations of snags and comes within the backdrop of current mass protests by technicians. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, too, held conferences with officers of airlines and DGCA and directions got to tighten security measures.

Spot inspections have been carried out by the DGCA at varied airports. These revealed that the reason behind defects was not being correctly recognized. Non-availability of sufficient licensed workers was one other concern. It additionally discovered that airways are giving a frequent one-off authorisation to sure junior engineers, which isn’t as per laws

The latest order follows a meeting held by Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on aviation safety issues following incidents on IndiGo, Air India Express, Vistara and SpiceJet.

DGCA order comes after it found airlines were wrongly identifying aircraft defects

DGCA had already served a show-cause notice earlier this month on SpiceJet. The minister has sought to step up safety oversight on airlines.

“All aircraft base and transit stations shall be released by certifying staff holding AME [Aircraft Maintenance Engineer] Category B1/ B2 licence with appropriate authorisation by their organisation,” the DGCA order says. It adds that airlines may either position AMEs at base and transit stations or fly them to smaller stations as staff-on-duty.

AMEs are authorised to clear aircraft before every departure and upon rectification of technical problems by issuing a certificate for service release. B1 category of AMEs carries out mechanical engineering works involving airframe and engine and B2 category engineers carry out work related to avionics like electrical elements, radio and navigation.

DGCA asks airlines to depute aircraft engineers at all airports

ALSO READ - DGCA finds insufficient aircraft engineers during spot checks amid rising technical snags

The DGCA has said that in the absence of AMEs, airlines have been frequently granting one-off authorisation to junior-level engineers and that this practice is against regulatory provisions.

An airline official said on the condition of anonymity that the DGCA’s order will impose a burden on all airlines and they will now have to depute AMEs across their network, and may even be required to hire more AMEs.

ALSO READ - Recent emergency landings led to Scindia’s high-level meeting with senior DGCA officials

The voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) scheme floated by the new management soon after Tatas returned to the helm of Air India has found an estimated 4,500 takers.

The airline rolled out a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) in June this year for some permanent employees including cabin crew for the first time. These employees, as per VRS guidelines, must be above 55 years of age or have completed two decades of service.

The new management is in talks to purchase several new aircraft.

Air India had about 13,000 employees, of which 8,000 were permanent staff and the rest contractual.

Under Air India's VRS rules, people older than 40 and 20 years of continuous employment can opt for voluntary retirement. The company also gave an ex-gratia amount of Rs 1 lakh to those who opted for the VRS between June 1 and July 31.

Tata executives said Air India needed talent with the right attitude and aptitude to compete with international rivals. Air India announced the VRS for permanent employees of Air India in June and relaxed the age eligibility criteria to 40 from 55. In addition, the company announced an ex-gratia amount for employees who apply for voluntary retirement between June 1, 2022, and Jul 31, 2022.

"We are right-sizing the organisation, roping in new talent, apart from upgrading the quality of aircraft and all this needs talent with the right skills and abilities to build a superior airline, it is work in progress and needs patience as we do that."Tata Executive.

Tata Groups’s strategy is to infuse fresh energy by hiring new talent across operations in the airline. As part of its cost-saving measures, it's working on revamping the airline, improving productivity and revitalising archaic systems with digital culture, the daily report.

Tata Group is infusing fresh energy by hiring new talent across operations in the airline.

The Indian carrier is reportedly considering purchasing Boeing’s narrow-body planes alongside Airbus A350 jets as part of fleet renewal. Additionally, fleet upgradation, more destinations, world-class hospitality inflight or on the ground and many such areas are being worked upon.

Air India has been appointing new hires as well as taking on senior talent from group companies such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tata Digital to handle customer experience, ground handling, the website, call centres and several other digital initiatives. Execution, design and customer service are also being reworked.

ALSO READ - Over 1,600 Air India employees opt for a voluntary retirement scheme

JetSetFleet Management Services IFSC Private, a leasing arm of JetSetGo Aviation, is aiming at importing four more planes through the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in 2022-23.

The company imported its Hawker 800 XP aircraft from Dubai and leased it through GIFT City on July 16 and is the second aircraft it has leased from it. JetSetGo’s fleet ranges from the 18-seater Global 6000 to the six-seater Cessna Citation CJ2 with list prices ranging from USD 50 million to USD 3 million.

The aircraft was hauled into the maintenance, repair, and operations centre after landing at Nagpur airport. JetSetGo founder & CEO Kanika Tekriwal told Moneycontrol.

JetSetGo to lease 4 planes from GIFT City in 2022-23

She added that JetSetGo is working on an innovative financing model to lease out the aircraft and intends to use the “pay-as-you-go” structure.

Tekriwal said that in the new arrangement, JetSetGo will be paid according to how much the aircraft is flown. Additionally, JetSetGo is investigating revenue-sharing agreements.

“Leasing aircraft from anywhere abroad, except Ireland, involves paying a withholding tax of 10%. Leasing from Ireland has its own expenses. Thanks to the tax holiday in Gift City, it makes sense for us to lease planes from there. Two of our 10 planes have been leased from there and we plan to get 10-20 more via that route. We also plan to get our clients in the Middle East to lease planes from Gift City.Out of the 12 aircraft we are looking to add to our fleet, three to four will be based out of the middle east while the remaining will be in India."Kanika Tekriwal, Founder & CEO, JetSetGo

She added that JetSetGo now manages 28 aircraft in India and West Africa or the Middle East and is looking to increase the number to around 40 aircraft in 2022-23.

At the moment, JetSetGo manages around six aircraft in West Africa and 22 aircraft in India spread out in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru.

JetSetGo currently manages and operates India’s largest private jet and helicopter fleet. According to the company "We fixed the two biggest problems in the industry, making private jets profit centres instead of cost centres for owners and at the same time reducing aircraft charter costs for charter customers."

JetSetGo now manages 28 aircraft in India and West Africa or the Middle East and is looking to increase the number to around 40 aircraft in 2022-23.

Through the use of technology, the development of maintenance procedures and SMART management (developed and property of JetSetGo) JetSetGo reduces maintenance cost, increases air time, and decreases ground time thereby making sure aircraft are profitable.

JetSetGo at the same time reduces aircraft charter costs enabling customers to fly more than they did before with the same money they spent earlier. Moreover, with the JetSetGo SMART management technique maintenance prevention and prediction technology has been developed providing safety and on-time delivery like never before, a press statement from the company said. 

(With Inputs from MoneyControl)

UPS on July 19 announced an expansion of its global logistics network with a new airport gateway facility in India at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru.

"With this added capacity, a new Boeing 747-8 flight will now be able to further connect our customers in India with more international trade opportunities in Asia, Europe, and the Americas," the company said in a statement.

https://twitter.com/BLRAirport/status/1549678532934381568

The new facility in Bengaluru is spread across 15,000 square feet and consists of a sorting field and in-house customs clearance. The new facility will serve as a cross-border trade link for southern India, giving customers an extended pick-up time of up to two hours, while strengthening supply chains for cross-border trade.

UPS has been working on its new facility for the last 18 months. The American supply chain major now has two gateway facilities in India, one in Delhi and one in Bengaluru spread across a total of 32,000 square feet.

https://twitter.com/SatyakiRaghuna1/status/1549418512241901569

UPS will operate an additional five flights per week from its new facility in Bengaluru, with one direct flight between Bengaluru and Koln in Germany, the company's headquarters. In total UPS will now operate 11 flights from India every week using its Boeing 747-8 wide-body aircraft.

The Boeing 747-8 has a cargo capacity of 307,600 pounds, or about 30,000 packages, and a range of 4,200 nautical miles. The UPS air network features a fleet of almost 600 aircraft delivering to over 220 countries and territories around the world.

“Customers are at the core of our strategy, and we’re on a mission to deliver what matters for them. According to the ministry of commerce and industry, for the first time, in the financial year 2022, exports have surpassed USD 400 billion, demonstrating the strength of India’s supply chains and the resilience of its small businesses. We’re here to support that growth.” Deepak Shrivastava, MD, Indian Subcontinent, UPS

He added that the new Bengaluru facility will help UPS cater to clients from the southern states in India and going forward UPS will continue to invest in India based on requirements from clients in the country.

This is UPS’s second dedicated airport gateway facility in India after opening its Delhi airport gateway in 2020. The company aims to turn carbon neutral by 2050. 

The Boeing 747-8 has a cargo capacity of 307,600 pounds, or about 30,000 packages, and a range of 4,200 nautical miles.

ALSO READ - InterGlobe Enterprises and UPS announce MOVIN – new B2B logistics joint venture

The new airport gateway follows the launch earlier this year of a new logistics brand for the Indian market, 'MOVIN', which is a joint venture between UPS and InterGlobe Enterprises, it was noted.

A boom in e-commerce during the pandemic, combined with supply-chain disruptions at ports worldwide, has boosted demand for transporting goods by air. Carriers in India and elsewhere are deploying dedicated cargo planes after Covid grounded many passenger jets that would typically carry some freight in their bellies.