DGCA extends the 50% cap on SpiceJet flight operations; keeps it under enhanced surveillance

Radhika Bansal

23 Sep 2022

The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on September 21 that it is extending domestic budget carrier SpiceJet suspension to operate at 50% capacity till October 29.

In its order dated September 21, the aviation regulator said that it is extending the restriction imposed on the budget carrier as a cautionary measure. In the meantime, SpiceJet shall be under "enhanced surveillance" by the DGCA.

If SpiceJet wants to operate more than 50% of its fleet then it will have to prove to the DGCA that it has adequate technical support and financial resources to increase its capacity, the regulatory body added.

DGCA order

The statement issued by the DGCA read: "Any increase in the number of departures beyond 50% of the total number of departures approved under the Summer Schedule 2022, during this period, shall be subject to the airline demonstrating to the satisfaction of DGCA that it has sufficient technical support and financial resource to safely and efficiently undertake such enhanced capacity."

ALSO READ - SpiceJet to send 80 Captains on LWP amid financial instability

The DGCA announcement came a day after SpiceJet decided to send 80 pilots on leave without pay for three months to cut costs. The airline has claimed that despite several pilots being sent on leave without pay, it would have sufficient capacity to operate its full schedule as and when the DGCA restriction on flights is lifted.

"In a temporary measure to rationalise costs, SpiceJet has decided to place certain pilots on leave without pay for three months. This measure, which is in line with SpiceJet’s policy of not retrenching any employee which the airline steadfastly followed even during the peak of the Covid pandemic, will help rationalise the pilot strength vis-a-vis the aircraft fleet."SpiceJet

The pilots who have been told to be on leave without pay are from the airline's Boeing and Bombardier fleet. Sources have revealed that the airline was expecting the DGCA to extend the cap on its operating capacity and sent pilots on leave without pay as a pre-emptive measure.

ALSO READ - DGCA orders SpiceJet to operate only 50% of approved flights

The civil aviation regulator on July 27 issued an order putting a cap on SpiceJet’s capacity based on the review of the safety performance of the airline. Under the order, the number of departures was restricted to 50% of the number approved under Summer Schedule 2022 for eight weeks.

Before that, the regulator had issued a show-cause notice to the airline saying that it had failed to "establish safe, efficient and reliable air services". SpiceJet had reported multiple technical malfunctioning incidents between April 1 and July 5.

DGCA extends the 50% cap on SpiceJet flight operations; keeps it under enhanced surveillance

The DGCA had also issued a warning notice to the airline after reviewing a series of incidents that showed “poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions” by SpiceJet.

ALSO READ - Spicejet looking for a “knight in shining armour” to help with financial distress

SpiceJet promoter has been trying to raise funds and is in talks with various players for the stake sale. However so far there has been no recapitalisation. As a result, SpiceJet has been delaying paying whatever percentage of salaries it gives to employees; is not paying PF to many staffers and is yet to give Form 16 of last fiscal.

ALSO READ - Struggling to-Survive SpiceJet allegedly not depositing PF in employee accounts

The only lifeline has been a credit facility of about INR 200 crore under the emergency credit line guarantee scheme (ECLGS). The airline’s troubles have been mounting in the past few months due to its inability re-capitalise so far despite reported attempts to sell stakes to raise about INR 2,000 crore.

The DGCA announcement came a day after SpiceJet decided to send 80 pilots on leave without pay for three months to cut costs.

ALSO READ - SpiceJet set to receive funds through ECGLS, an extension of up to 3 months for AGM’22

In the past few months, six Boeing 737 rented to it have been repossessed by lessors. SpiceJet’s chief financial officer (CFO) Sanjeev Taneja resigned with effect from August 31, 2022. The airline lost INR 1,725 crore in FY 2022. The company’s accumulated losses as on March 31, 2022, were INR 5,912.6 crore.

ALSO READ - The worst nightmare of SpiceJet – From financial losses widening to the CFO resigning to non-payment of salaries

Its net worth has completely eroded, with current liabilities exceeding its current assets by INR 6,408.7 crore as on March 31, 2022. SpiceJet has for nearly a year been saying that it will get more Boeing 737MAX. Industry sources say the question is whether it can manage to finance those aircraft.

ALSO READ – Cash-strapped SpiceJet plans to take delivery of 7 Boeing 737 Max

Read next

DGCA to recruit 400 employees to strengthen surveillance capability

Radhika Bansal

22 Sep 2022

India’s civil aviation regulator, DGCA, will hire more than 400 employees in different capacities to bolster its surveillance capability, according to people aware of the plan, as Indian airlines increase their fleet size to match the pickup in demand for air travel amid the easing of pandemic restrictions.

The finance ministry has given clearance to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to hire permanent staff for about 410 posts, the highest in a decade, the people cited earlier told ET, requesting not to be named.

A senior authorities official stated that whereas the variety of business planes of Indian airlines has practically doubled since 2014, the regulator has not created new everlasting job posts since 2014 to deal with the elevated workload attributable to extra planes and elevated flight frequencies, together with these of international airlines.

The finance ministry has given clearance to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to hire permanent staff for about 410 posts

“The final time DGCA noticed contemporary hiring in full-time positions was in 2014, instantly after the US aviation regulator FAA had downgraded India,” the official stated. “Whereas the variety of planes has elevated from 400 in 2014 to 700 now, no contemporary positions have been created within the DGCA.”

The DGCA has around 1,300 staff. Of those, 634 work within the departments that look into flight security and airworthiness of the 700 business planes. Compared, the US aviation regulator, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has around 45,000 technical workers for 7,700 business planes, or six folks per plane.

Based on an estimate by the aviation ministry, Indian airlines are seemingly to add, on common, 100 planes yearly as they give the impression of being to rebuild their companies after Covid-19. Domestic air traffic in India grew by 64% year-on-year in August 2022, with 11 million flyers taking the sky, by the DGCA.

Domestic air traffic in India grew by 64% year-on-year in August 2022, with 11 million flyers taking the sky, by the DGCA.

The recruitments on the DGCA, which will probably be executed via the Union Public Service Fee (UPSC), will probably be for positions in in-flight security, airworthiness, coaching and the requirements division.

ALSO READ - DGCA aces the safety audit by FAA by achieving about 90% of the total compliances

Foreign auditors, together with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and FAA, have usually identified in their audit of Indian aviation security preparedness that the DGCA is beneath staffed and lacks enough educated workforce for surveillance.

During the FAA’s audit final 12 months, the regulator had crammed up positions of 47 flight operation inspectors and 35 consultants in the airworthiness division. But the positions of consultants will not be everlasting.

The matter of air security has come into focus over the previous couple of months after several incidents of technical glitches have been reported throughout Indian airlines

The matter of air security has come into focus over a previous couple of months after several incidents of technical glitches have been reported throughout Indian airlines, together with SpiceJet, GoFIRST, IndiGo, Air India, Vistara and Air India Express, associated with engine glitches.

Officials mentioned the necessity for hiring extra folks arose because the regulator intends to open places of work in new areas, together with Agartala, Ranchi, Jaipur and Coimbatore.

“There are some locations which have seen an increased flow of air traffic and aircraft movement,” mentioned an official, who didn’t need to be named. “It is not prudent anymore to inspect those locations from regional headquarters. Hence, there is a need to open new offices.”

ALSO READ - Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers widens

The aviation ministry has additionally approved hiring 370 new air traffic controllers

The aviation ministry has additionally approved hiring 370 new air traffic controllers, the official mentioned, including that the ministry can be contemplating a proposal to hire 470 extra controllers over the subsequent 4 years.

“There is an acute shortage of air traffic control officers, and in many locations, the ATC officials are not getting adequate rest due to this shortage,” the official mentioned.

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

ALSO READ - Indian aviation sector to employ 1 lakh people directly in the next 2 years

ALSO READ - DGCA to hire 100-150 people over next 6-8 months for enhanced aviation safety surveillance

(With Inputs from The Economic Times)

Read next

Alliance Air announced the resumption of flights on the Delhi-Shimla route

Jinen Gada

22 Sep 2022

The government-owned regional airline, Alliance Air, announced the resumption of flights on the Delhi-Shimla route from September 26. With this recommencement, the airline will expand its network in Himachal Pradesh so that commuters can fly to Delhi-Shimla-Delhi daily.

The airline will restart daily flights on its brand new 48-seater ATR 42-600. The resumption was earlier planned for September 6, but was postponed due to "bad weather conditions".

Before resuming scheduled services, Alliance Air wanted to do a trial run at Shimla airport using its new ATR 42 plane. However, bad weather and turbulence have proven difficult for the aircraft to take off at full capacity from the table-top airport.

Alliance Air is expanding air connectivity in North India by recommencing Delhi-Shimla-Delhi with a daily flight.

The flight will operate with a load penalty (restricted number of passengers) as the Jubbarhatti airport in Shimla has a table-top runway, which is also short (1189 metres). The huge cost involving land acquisition and diversion of rivers to pave way for the expansion of the airports are the major reasons for the runway extension plans not materializing for the last 15 years.

"The last flight on the route was on March 21, 2020, but was discontinued due to COVID-19 and the expiry of lease for the ATR 42 aircraft. Now we have acquired a brand new ATR 42-600 plane." Airline official said.

The Delhi-Shimla flight will accommodate 35 passengers, and the Shimla-Delhi service will see a maximum of 25 passengers. In the past, the airline had also written to the Himachal Pradesh government for additional financial support to be able to mitigate losses on the route due to the penalty.

This will offer better connectivity between Tier-II and Tier-III towns.

Five years ago, on April 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the regional connectivity scheme (RCS), also known as UDAN, by flagging off the first flight from Shimla to Delhi. Until July 2022, a total of 425 routes have been opened by the government, but not all are operational at present.

Under the RCS or UDAN scheme, an airline is required to sell 50% of its seats at a subsidised rate of ? 2,500 per hour of flight in lieu of which it gets financial support from the government.

ALSO READ - Singapore Airshow 2022 | Alliance Air inks deal with TrueNoord for 2 ATR 42 aircraft

Alliance Air and ATR signed a deal at this year’s Singapore Airshow for two ATR 42-600 aircraft with Amsterdam-based lessor TrueNoord. The smaller ATR-42s will help the carrier expand its network to less accessible regions.

Read next

HAL targets revenue growth to INR 26,500 crore in FY23

Jinen Gada

22 Sep 2022

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has been performing strongly in terms of revenue and since the financial year 2015, the public sector undertaking (PSU) has only recorded an uptrend in revenue. For FY22, HAL recorded the highest ever revenue of over Rs 24,000 crore.

ALSO READ - HAL reaches a new high with earnings over INR 24,000 crore in FY22

In the current financial year, the company’s target is around Rs 26,500 crore, which would give the company growth of around 8% compared to the previous financial year 2021.

HAL's order book stands at around Rs 85,000 crore. There is attrition of another Rs 3,000 crore during the current financial year and the executable timeframe is from 2023-2024 onwards for the next five years.

HAL expects an 8% rise in revenue growth to Rs 26,500 crore in FY23.

"HAL’s order book stands at around Rs 85,000 crore. With this, HAL’s order book looks quite healthy.We will be able to sustain our growth which we have been showing in the past. The growth could also be getting into a double-digit phase by FY24-FY25 onwards.By FY24 onwards, we should be able to achieve the double-digit growth and it will be sustainable. In FY24-FY25 it will be about 11-12 percent and after that, we hope to achieve 15 percent growth.CB Ananthakrishnan, Director — Finance and CFO with Additional Charge of CMD; Director-Engineering and R&D at HAL.

The entire order book as of today will be executed in the next five-six year timeframe. Apart from the existing order book of Rs 82,000 crore, the company has got visibility of around another Rs 60,000 crore orders in the next three-five years timeframe on various platforms. In the next one-two year, around INR 42,000 crore of orders are likely to get concluded.

Ananthakrishnan expects to maintain the margins of 24-25% in the years to come.

Last month, the government published a new list of 780 components and sub-systems that will come under a phased import ban between December 2023 and December 2028.

This is the third such "positive indigenisation" list comprising line replacement units, sub-systems and components used for various military platforms, equipment and weapons to minimise imports by the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs). The other two similar lists were published in December 2021 and March 2022.

(With Inputs from CNBC TV18)

Read next

Pratt & Whitney working on the hybrid electric engine market in India

Jinen Gada

22 Sep 2022

Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney is working on a hybrid electric engine and sees a market for it in India in the regional aviation sector.

Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), a business unit of Pratt & Whitney recently announced plans to advance its hybrid-electric propulsion technology and flight demonstrator program supported by the governments of Canada and Quebec.

P&WC is working with De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (De Havilland Canada) to integrate this hybrid-electric technology into a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 flight demonstrator.

Canada and Quebec are investing in the new hybrid-electric propulsion technology.

"Pratt & Whitney Canada is proud to be a leader toward ever more sustainable aircraft propulsion technologies and be an integral part of Canada’s green recovery plan."Maria Della Posta, President, Pratt & Whitney Canada

Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), an organisation designing, manufacturing and servicing aircraft and helicopter engines, will be advancing its hybrid-electric propulsion technology and flight demonstrator programme.

"We see hybrid-electric propulsion systems as one of the key routes to making aircraft of the future even more fuel efficient. We expect that smaller aircraft, including regional airliners, will be the first to benefit from this technology, creating a clear opportunity for India to grow these segments in a sustainable manner.India has one of the newest and most fuel efficient aircraft fleets in the world, powered by our GTF, V2500, PT6 and PW100 engine families. So India’s aviation sector is superbly positioned to lead a sustainable flying roadmap in the future.The hybrid-electric propulsion technology would enhance the performance of different phases of flight, and it would allow a 30 per cent reduction in fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions."Ashmita Sethi, President and Country Head (India), Pratt & Whitney

P&WC targets ground testing of the technology in 2022 and flight testing of the Dash 8-100 demonstrators in 2024. In India, low-cost carrier SpiceJet is the operator of the de Havilland-8 airplane. It has more than 30 such aircraft in its fleet.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel is any fuel that has the potential to generate lower carbon emissions than conventional kerosene on a life cycle basis.

The American aerospace company is also optimistic about its new engine product GTF (Gear Turbofan) advantage engine developed for the A320neo aircraft, a famous aeroplane in India with airlines such as IndiGo and GO FIRST airlines.

ALSO READ - Pratt and Whitney conducts a successful engine test on 100% sustainable aviation fuel

The previous generation GTF engine by Pratt & Whitney was launched in 2016 and has powered around 200 aircraft of IndiGo and GO FIRST so far.

ALSO READ - Go First grounds over a fifth of its fleet due to delayed deliveries of engines by Pratt & Whitney

“We are also working on a hybrid electric engine, so half the power will come from the battery and half from the engine itself. We will do flight tests in two years and it could be a test flight on the de Havilland-8 airplane which is a normal airplane here. So, finally in the future, can I predict hybrid electric regional jets flying in India? Absolutely!The new product will enter service in the 2024 time frame and we expect it to last for 10-15 years of service. We expect significant orders for the new version and for the engine. Looking for potential customers in India for other opportunities.It seems that the Indian aviation industry has adopted some of the rules of ICAO and CORSIA, where starting 2027, 1% of fuel should be SAF, with some costly targets to avoid spending on ticket prices and fuel prices or government regulations. Whether the support can be passed through. Operator or a combination of the three remains to be seen, but it is true, the cost is a challenge.”Paul Finklestein, Director-Marketing, Pratt & Whitney

Airlines and countries are looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions and although this approach can be costly, stakeholders are inclined to find a way to adapt to sustainability in the aviation sector.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), sustainable aviation fuel is any fuel that has the potential to generate fewer carbon emissions than conventional kerosene on a life-cycle basis.

Pratt & Whitney is working on the hybrid electric engine market in India

The concept of sustainable aviation fuel among Indian airlines is still in its infancy. So far, a handful of demonstration flights have been done by SpiceJet and IndiGo on blended fuels for low carbon emissions.

ALSO READ – IndiGo joins sustainable initiative spearheaded by the World Economic Forum

IndiGo had additionally taken delivery of an aircraft which ran on sustainable aviation fuel in February 2022. In December’s final 12 months, the airline signed a settlement with the Dehradun-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum to manufacture and deploy sustainable aviation gas globally.

(With Inputs from Mint)

Read next

What is an Instrument Landing System (ILS)?

Jinen Gada

21 Sep 2022

An instrument Landing System (ILS) is defined as a precision runway approach aid based on two radio beams which together provide pilots with both vertical and horizontal guidance during an approach to land.

It uses a combination of radio signals to enable a safe landing even during challenging conditions such as low visibility.

The ILS system provides both course and altitude guidance to a specific runway. This system is used to execute a precision instrument approach procedure or precision approach. An instrument landing system (ILS) facility is a highly accurate and dependable means of navigating to the runway in IFR conditions.

The first ILS system tests began in the U.S.A. in 1929.

In weather conditions where the cloud ceiling is low and the visibility factors are bad, it enables the aircraft to approach the runway low and land safely with electronic devices.

It is the system that greatly facilitates the landing of pilots when visibility is very low, especially in foggy and snowy weather. This system is not required for airports established in flat and fog-free areas.

The airport where the ILS system will be located should have a geographical location that does not affect the broadcast performance of the system. The Signal generation area needs corrected terrain. The environmental terrain conditions of the location of the airport must be suitable.

The Instrument Landing System provides an approach path for the exact alignment and descent of an aircraft on the final approach to a runway. The pilot receives guidance information through a ground-based directional transmitter which is the localizer, providing horizontal guidance, and the glide-slope, providing vertical guidance.

ILSs are referred to as ‘Precision Approaches’ because it guides the aircraft both vertically and laterally.

How ILS Operates?

ILS works by beaming two radio transmissions of different frequencies up from the landing runway, one of 90 Hz and one of 150 Hz. A radio beacon called a localiser is normally built at the end of the runway with multiple pairs of directional antennas.

Localisers are responsible for the horizontal guidance of the aircraft. On the aircraft, an ILS receiver interprets the information and reports which side the aeroplane is situated on to allow the pilot to adjust accordingly. When both signals are overlapping, the aeroplane is flying perfectly down the centre of the course to the runway.

A glideslope antenna provides vertical guidance and operates the same as a localiser which is turned on its side. It also uses 90 Hz and 150 Hz frequencies which are interpreted by the ILS receiver on an aircraft.

ILS is a navigation assistance system that allows the aircraft to approach the runway with precision.

This is approximately 3 degrees to the horizon which gives the aircraft a descent rate of approximately 500 feet per minute. To align the aircraft to the runway centerline, the difference in depth of modulation is considered.

If all the Instrument Landing System components are available together with an approved approach mechanism, then the precision approach is executed by the pilot.

Advantages

This type of system approach is very accurate.It is used to help the pilot during the landing and approach of the aircraft.It helps the pilot to watch the runway and the airports when there is finite visibility.It helps to increase situational awareness and safety measures.It guides to the aircraft runway in both vertical and horizontal planes.

Disadvantages

Due to the localized, glide slope beams moving objects, vehicles, and other big reflecting objects produces interference, this generated interference reduces the directional signal’s strength.

ILS technology has been around for a long time. It remains the most common system used today, but there have been (and are) alternatives.

Aviation technologies are developing day by day and air transport is becoming the rapidly rising star of the transportation industry. Navigation and approach systems play a significant role in the safe flight and landing of the aircraft.

Satellite technology and GPS today provide a viable alternative, and several systems have been implemented. GPS-based systems are available in several regions as support for ILS navigation.

Comment