Dr Shefali Juneja appointed as the first woman chairperson of ICAO

Shefali Juneja has been elected as the Chairperson of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Aviation Security Committee. She is also the first woman to lead this strategic committee, ANI reported. She is serving as India's representative in the council of the ICAO since 2019.

India has got this responsibility after a gap of 12 years.

https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1438723331159572489

Dr Juneja has previously served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation dealing with International Agreements from 2012 till 2019. She was the chief bilateral air services negotiator for India for six years and she helped to transform the bilateral air service negotiations by implementing Open Skies as per the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016. She has also served as the Board of Directors in Air India group companies namely Air India Express and Alliance Air.

Before joining the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Juneja served on many sensitive and challenging assignments, semi-judicial positions, and administrative and financial positions in the government as a civil servant, belonging to the Indian Revenue Service, 1992 batch.

In an interview with Moneycontrol Dr Juneja said that The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is responsible for international aviation and the challenges to international civil aviation safety, particularly the newly emerging challenges of drones. Drones have proliferated throughout the world, but relevant standards for their operation remain elusive… drone regulation remains a challenge.

Dr Shefali Juneja with The India High Commissioner to Canada Mr Ajay Bisaria.

She also mentioned that another issue is that as the world becomes more virtual, new types of cyber-attacks may emerge. Air navigation is entirely reliant on satellite communication as well as regular internet communication. Cyberattacks have been a concern for Computer Reservation Systems. This is a difficult frontier that the committee will investigate.

The other important thing is the challenge of the recovery of aviation. Aviation needs to recover and safety could be a major issue when it bounces back.

ICAO is United Nations specialised agency funded and directed by 193 national governments to support their diplomacy and cooperation in air transport. Its core function is to maintain an administrative and expert bureaucracy (the ICAO Secretariat) supporting these diplomatic interactions and to research new air transport policy and standardization innovations as directed and endorsed by governments through the ICAO Assembly, or by the ICAO Council which the assembly elects.

The ICAO Council is located in Montreal, Canada. It recommends practices which concern air navigation, its infrastructure, flight inspection and prevention of unlawful interference. Further, it looks after the procedures for crossing borders. It also defines protocols for the investigation of air accidents followed by transport safety authorities.

In addition to these core diplomatic and research capabilities, ICAO also serves as a critical coordination platform in civil aviation through its seven Regional Offices. However, the organisation is not an international aviation regulator and does not have any authority over national governments in the areas of international priority they are established for.

The IAF is ramping up plans to acquire  24 second-hand Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters from France in a bid to replace its ageing combat squadrons of the 35-year old Mirage fleet.

Wikipedia

The contract, which is priced at a whopping €27 million, will see the IAF receiving 8 aircrafts which are already in flying conditions, 13 are in complete condition with engine and airframe intact, while the remaining 11 are partially complete but with fuel tanks and ejection seats. These aircrafts with an approximate price tag of €1.125 million each, will be shipped to India soon in containers.

A brief history

The Mirage 2000 remains one of the most deadliest and versatile fighters of the IAF ever since its inception in 1985.Following its induction, it was soon re-christened to "Vajra" translating to "lightning thunderbolt" in Sanskrit.This aircraft played a major role in the ultimate success of the War of Kargil in 1999.The initial order for 36 single seater Mirage 2000 was made in 1982 and this was in response to Pakistan's purchase of F-16s from US, manufactured by Lockheed Martin.11 years hence, another deal was signed, this time for Mirage 2000-5 Mk. The upgraded version now have an enhanced life cycle which would serve upto 2030.

Balakot strikes 2019

The Print

The Balakot strike was the first-ever air operation done by India in Pakistan beyond the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir(PoK).On 26 Feb, 2019, 20 fully armed Mirage 2000 fighters entered Pakistani airspace and dropped 1,000-kg laser-guided bombs on Jaish-e-Mohammed terror launch pads across the Line of Control.A fiery retaliation, this was India's stern response to the terrorist ambush in Pulwama, where a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy was attacked and 42 personnel were killed.

Aircraft Specification(s)

Powered by a single shaft SNECMA M35 engine, is considerably light with a MTOW of 17000 kg.With a maximum speed of Mach 2.2 (2,336 kmph) and range of 1,550 km with drop tanks, this fighter beast can touch a maximum height of 59000 feet.

Additionally, this bird comes loaded with  a fly-by-wire flight control system, a Thomson-CSF RDY (Radar Doppler Multi-target) radar onboard and Sextant VE-130 HUD, which displays data related to flight control, navigation, target engagement, and weapon firing.

Furthermore, it has an innate capability of carrying laser-guided bombs, air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. According to experts, ideally the IAF and the Navy should synchronize their plans of fighter jet acquisitions, especially at a time when China  has already moved to fifth-generation fighters and armed drones.

COVER: MilitaryLeak

The low-cost air carrier announced that it has commercially agreed on a settlement with CDB Aviation, another major lessor of MAX aircraft.

"This will add to already announced a settlement with Avolon, a major lessor of MAX aircraft to grow its fleet of 737 MAX aircraft. The airline expects to start operations of MAX aircraft around the end of September 2021, subject to regulatory approvals," the company said in a statement.

CDB Aviation’s fleet consists of 379 owned and committed aircraft and its global customer network comprises 72 lessees across 37 jurisdictions. Besides SpiceJet, its clients in India include AirAsia India, GoAir (now GoFirst)  and IndiGo.

CDB Aviation’s fleet consists of 379 owned and committed aircraft and its global customer network comprises 72 lessees across 37 jurisdictions.

The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide in March 2019 after two fatal crashes in five months killed several people. In August, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation cleared 737 MAX aircraft to fly with immediate effect, after nearly two-and-a-half years of regulatory grounding.

On 26 August 2021, SpiceJet announced that it entered into a settlement with Avolon, allowing the airline's 737 MAX aircraft to start to return to service. The airline expects to start operations of MAX aircraft around the end of September 2021.

SpiceJet had earlier delayed and defaulted on lease rentals with many of its aircraft lessors as the airline faced the brunt of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.

Spicejet's consolidated net losses widened to INR 731.12 crore in Q1 June 2021 (Q1 FY22), higher than the net loss of INR 600.52 crore in Q1 June 2020 (Q1 FY21). Consolidated net sales surged 121.20% to INR 1,083.24 crore in Q1 FY22 as against INR 489.60 crore in Q1 FY21.

Earlier this year, regulators at most major aviation markets, including the US and European Union, allowed the 737 Max to fly again after extensive fixes. China has, however, chosen to continue its ban on aircraft.

The Indian aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had last month allowed carriers to fly the 737-8 and 737-9 planes after fulfilling certain requirements.

SpiceJet is the only Indian airline that has the MAX aircraft in its fleet. It had 13 MAX 8 aircraft which were flying in March 2019.

SpiceJet is the only Indian airline that has the MAX aircraft in its fleet. It had 13 MAX 8 aircraft which were flying in March 2019 and the airline had signed an agreement for around 142 more such aircraft, whose deliveries were halted following the worldwide grounding of the aircraft in April 2019 after two fatal crashes.

SpiceJet is India's low-cost airline that operates a fleet of Boeing 737s, Bombardier Q?400s & freighters and is the country's largest regional player operating 63 daily flights under UDAN or the Regional Connectivity Scheme.

The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport Ahmedabad managed by Adani has proposed to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to shut its runway for nine hours daily from January 3 2022 to May 2022 for overlaying and maintenance work.

“The runway maintenance and closure were initially proposed from 10th November 2021 to 31st May 2022, however owing to the onset of the festive season and feedback from the industry fraternity we are evaluating the condition and reducing the closure period to make the airport available for our passengers.Accordingly, we have already applied to DGCA for a revised schedule from January 3, 2022, till May 2022 from 9 AM to 6 PM except on public holidays and Sundays. This is to ensure reduced passenger inconvenience and a seamless service experience during this period.The work will focus on Run-way Overlaying, Runway Strip Grading and Slope assessment, Runway End Safety Area (RESA) Grading and Slope assessment, along with Stormwater drain construction and Reinstallation of Signages on manoeuvring area."Spokesperson for SVPI Airport, Ahemdabad

According to officials at the SVPI, initially, the proposal for maintenance work of the runway was to commence from November 10 this year however it was shifted to next year after keeping into consideration the upcoming festive season.

On Thursday, September 16 morning pilots had shared the Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM A1263/21, which was issued on September 12 put the start date of the airport closure on November 10, 2021, at 3:30 AM and end date on May 31, 2022, at 12:30 PM. The NOTAM had also said that the closure will be excluding Sunday and seven national holidays, the last of which falls on May 3, 2022.

According to pilots, major maintenance work should ideally be done at the night to avoid minimum disruption to flights during the day.

As things stand, the Ahmedabad airport is currently closed every Sunday from 11 AM to 3 PM for runway repairs, till October.

Ahmedabad is one of the busiest non-metropolitan airports in the country, connecting several international and domestic destinations.

As passengers, we often tend to overlook into what really goes behind actual airline operations. To us, it's as simple as getting from Point A to Point B. To the crew, not so much. Getting from Point A to Point B requires intricate planning with all possible emergency scenarios in mind and with their corresponding recovery procedures. That's where airline flight planning and routing comes into play.

So,what exactly is a flight plan and how do you file one?

Flight plans are documents filed by a pilot or a flight dispatcher with the local Air Navigation Service Provider( or the ATC). Every flight before a departure is required to have a flight plan indicating its intended route, fuel estimation for normal cruise and emergency case, alternate airport in case of diversion, instruments on board, flight rules, speed and level of flight and more. The official format of a flight plan is given in ICAO Doc 4444.

iPad Pilot News

Flight plans serve as a way of alerting rescuers if the flight is overdue or if for some reason, has lost contact with the ATC.IFR flight plans are used by ATC for tracking and routing purposes whereas VFR flight plans are used for the sole purpose of search and rescue Ops should the need arise.

A flight plan may be filed on line through Airports Authority of India web site www.aai.aero by pilot in command after registering or opening an account. For filing a flight plan one has to login and file flight plan after selecting appropriate airport. For filing the FPL, instructions are provided in the form of prompts/help tags and pilots shall ensure that correct entries are made. After completing the filing process users will be advised to contact appropriate ARO by providing telephone number. Copies of flight plan that has been filed will automatically go to ARO of the concerned airport through e-mail for processing.

Alternatively, tailor-made softwares may also be used for the generation of flight plans.

Airway Routing

Airway routing is done over pre-defined pathways called "flightpaths". They can be considered as 3D highways in the skies for the propagation of air traffic.Most airways  are eight nautical miles (14 kilometers) wide and the aircrafts are spaced in such a way that they are vertically separated by 1000 ft at all times.

Direct routing occurs between two points which don't have an ICAO designatory. In such cases the latitude and longitude of both the points are used.

The weather and winds along the way also play a major factor, especially in choosing appropriate diversion airports. With the introduction of ETOPS, we now have aircrafts that have the ability to fly long distances away from nearby airports on one engine inoperative.

Wikimedia

As of now, the only absolute no-fly area is the area over Antarctica.

Aero Corner

That said, for optimal routing, certain areas are to be avoided and this includes areas of active volcanoes and high terrain regions. Flying over high terrain areas can cause issues during times of depressurisation where it wouldn't be possible to safely descend to lower altitudes.

SIDs and STARs

Aircrafts operating under IFR, use SIDs and STARs to enter and exit an airport.A SID, or Standard Instrument Departure, defines a pathway out of an airport and onto the airway structure.A STAR, or Standard Terminal Arrival Route, ('Standard Instrument Arrival' in the UK) defines a pathway into an airport from the airway structure.

Overflying charges

Airlines are required to pay charges to any country they are flying over-known as overflight fees. They can either be distance based or fixed and varies from country to country. For instance, Russia charges all operators flying over its airspace, which, at times can be unavoidable for airlines that have direct optimal routes over Russia.

Altitude and fuel considerations

Generally speaking, flying at high altitudes is more fuel-efficient as the air is less dense thereby giving least resistance. Also, modern aircraft engines are optimised for high-altitude cruising.

All the above factors lead to fuel calculations, the precise estimation of which would dictate the success of any flight. Appropriate considerations are made to cover all aspects of flight such as taxi, take-off, cruise, holding fuel, diversion fuel, contigency to make sure fuel anomalies mid flight are avoided. Precise fuel calculations are also important as carrying anything more can be problematic and inefficient.

Flight plans may be submitted hours prior to departure and required clearance be obtained subsequently. International flight plans have to be submitted up to 3 hours before departure while it's just an hour for domestic departures.

Summarising, every aircraft needs to chart out a flight plan before it can even take to the skies. Depending on the type of operation, it could either be a passenger flight plan or cargo or a combination of both.

COVER: GE Digital

Despite the Covid pandemic wiping out two years of growth for the commercial airplane market, Boeing expects demand for the industry to swell over the next 20 years.  

Boeing said on Tuesday, September 14, that the commercial aviation market should fully recover by 2024 from its pandemic slump, as the industry giant lifted its aerospace forecast for the next decade.

"As our industry recovers and continues to adapt to meet new global needs, we remain confident in long-term growth for aerospace.We are encouraged by the fact that scientists have delivered vaccines more rapidly than imaginable and that passengers are demonstrating strong confidence in airplane travel."Marc Allen, Chief Strategy Officer, Boeing

Boeing projected a USD 9 trillion aerospace market over the next decade, up from the USD 8.5 trillion outlooks a year ago, according to its annual market outlook report.

Compared with last fall's projection, Boeing now sees increased orders for commercial planes and aviation services over the next decade, and the same level of demand for defence and space as previously forecast.

"We've lost about two years of growth," Darren Hulst, vice president for commercial marketing at Boeing, said in a media briefing. "However, we see a recovery to pre-virus levels by the end of 2023 or early 2024."

Boeing now sees increased orders for commercial planes and aviation services over the next decade, and the same level of demand for defence and space as previously forecast.

Last year, passenger numbers fell 60% to 1.8 billion and the industry lost USD 126 billion, according to the airline body IATA, which said it was the worst year on record.

Boeing says that the strength of the global economy is key to recovering from the slump. Using data from IHS Economics it says that "the global economy is actually trending back towards where it would have been had the virus not actually happened".

Looking further out, Boeing said the 20-year growth outlook "remains intact," with passenger travel averaging 4% annual growth, above the 2.7% in global economic growth expected over this period.

Thus far, domestic travel has recovered much more quickly than international travel, reflecting a discrepancy in travel restrictions.

About 84% of domestic travel returned to 2019 levels in July, compared with only about one-fourth of international travel, according to a Boeing presentation.

Boeing said the 20-year growth outlook "remains intact," with passenger travel averaging 4% annual growth, above the 2.7% in global economic growth expected over this period.

The aviation industry is crucial to the global economy. The UN's International Civil Aviation Organization estimates that before the pandemic it was worth 3.6% of the global economy and supported 65.5 million jobs worldwide.

Boeing expects demand for 32,500 new single-aisle planes through 2040, about the same level as the pre-pandemic forecast. The company projected 7,500 new widebody jets over the period, down 8% from the 2019 outlook.

Boeing wouldn't be drawn on how continuing concerns around its 737 MAX and 787 models would affect its share of those orders. Mr Hulst said the company is continuing to work with regulators and other stakeholders to ensure their aircraft meet the required safety standards.

One of the hottest areas of growth centres on planes that carry freight, including converted planes. Boeing projected the 2040 fleet of global freighters would rise 70% from the pre-pandemic level, reflecting soaring demand connected to e-commerce.

The company has nearly 12,000 commercial jetliners in service worldwide, which is roughly 75% of the world fleet.

Boeing is a leading manufacturer of commercial and military aircraft, rotorcraft, electronic and defence systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. Headquartered in Chicago, Boeing employs more than 170,000 people across the United States and in 70 countries.

Boeing’s main commercial products are the B737, B747, B767 and B777 families of aircraft and the Boeing Business Jet. New product development efforts are focused on the B787 Dreamliner, 737Max, 777X and the B747-8. The company has nearly 12,000 commercial jetliners in service worldwide, which is roughly 75% of the world fleet.