Flights between India and Singapore started under VTL amid the 'Omicron' scare

Flight services between India and Singapore under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) commenced on Monday, November 29 even as Singapore deferred similar travel arrangements with some countries amid the 'Omicron' scare.

Vistara and IndiGo said they have started operating flights to Singapore, while there was no comment from Air India. VTL allows quarantine-free travel to Singapore for fully vaccinated travellers.

"There is no change as of now in terms of our Singapore operations - our first flight went at 1:50 am today," a Vistara spokesperson said.

While there is no change as of now, the spokesperson said the situation is being reviewed and a decision will be taken accordingly.

"We can confirm that we are operating our flight on Chennai-Singapore as per schedule," an IndiGo spokesperson said.

Last week, Singapore Airlines also announced that flights to and from India will resume from November 29. There was no immediate comment from the airline on Monday regarding the services.

Various countries have imposed travel curbs in the wake of the emergence of the new COVID variant 'Omicron'. India too will review its decision to resume scheduled international passenger flights from December 15 based on the evolving scenario.

Earlier this month, Singapore and India agreed on resuming scheduled commercial flights between the two countries under the VTL from November 29, with six designated flights daily from Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai.

Vistara, last week, said it would operate Airbus A320neo/A321neo planes five times a week between India and Singapore starting from November 29.

Meanwhile, Singapore has deferred VTL arrangements with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates as a "precautionary move" to reduce the risk of importation and spread of 'Omicron'.

VTLs for these three countries, originally scheduled to launch from December 6, will now be deferred "until further notice", Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sunday, November 28. 

Singapore has quarantined one traveller as a close contact of two passengers on Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) Johannesburg flight who had tested positive for coronavirus variant Omicron on arrival in Sydney.

The traveller, along with six others, had disembarked from SIA’s SQ481 which departed from Johannesburg on November 27 and arrived at Singapore’s Changi Airport on the same day.

The six other passengers who disembarked in Singapore are on a 10-day stay-home notice at a dedicated facility where they will be tested for the coronavirus, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday night.

(Image Courtesy - Reuters)

The pilots and the crew who operated the flight will self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19, an SIA spokesperson told Channel News Asia. It stressed that most of the travellers on the flight had remained in the transit area at Changi Airport until their departure on flight SQ211 bound for Sydney, Australia on November 28 and that they had not entered Singapore or visited other areas in the airport.

Earlier on Monday, the New South Wales Health Ministry (NSW Health) said that both passengers, who tested positive on arrival in Sydney from southern Africa on SIA flight SQ211, were fully vaccinated and have been isolated in special health accommodation.

"Everyone on the flight is considered a close contact and will need to get tested immediately for COVID-19 and isolated for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status," media reports had quoted NSW Health as saying.

(Image Courtesy - Reuters)

The SIA spokesperson said the airline is unable to reveal any information about the passengers because of customer confidentiality and that it will assist health authorities in "all necessary contact tracing efforts".

"Singapore Airlines will work with the authorities, and be guided by the relevant regulatory requirements, as it ensures the health and safety of our customers and staff members," he added.

The travellers’ pre-departure tests in South Africa on November 26 were negative for COVID-19. From 11.59 pm on November 27, all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with travel history within the last 14 days to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe have not been allowed to enter or transit in Singapore.

Air India pilot unions — IPG and ICPA — on Monday, November 29 warned the airline management to roll back the "illegal" salary cut within three days or face industrial action.

The two pilot unions — Indian Pilots Guild and Indian Commercial Pilots Association — have been demanding restoration of full pay, which was slashed by "55%" in April 2020, owing to the pandemic.

ICPA and IPG together claim to represent some 1,000 pilots at Air India. The loss-making Air India at present is under government control but is soon to be handed over to its new owner Tata Group.

"With the resumption of scheduled commercial International passenger services to/from India from December 15th, 2021, and all airlines rolling back the COVID cut, if we do not see the issues related to an illegal pay cut of 55 per cent and the plethora of longstanding disinvestment issues addressed within three days, we will have no choice but to seek justice through Industrial Action", the two unions said in a final reminder to Air India management on Monday, November 29.

The two pilot bodies have taken up the issue with both the civil aviation ministry and Air India management several times in the past.

The unions also said, "it would still be prudent to resolve the burning issues before it is too late". The industrial action could also include an "indefinite strike," a senior ICPA functionary said.

The industrial action could also include an "indefinite strike," a senior ICPA functionary said.

The unions, which have been pressing for restoration of salary cuts, have cited resumption of scheduled international flights and rollback of pay cuts by other airlines to justify their demand.

Also read - Air India Pilot union requests staff arrears to be paid before management handover

As much as 64% of respondents in a survey conducted over the government's decision to allow scheduled international operations to and from India from December 15 want the Modi dispensation to reconsider it in the wake of a new Covid variant.

Conducted immediately after the government announced the resumption of scheduled international flight services, which remain suspended since March 2020 due to the pandemic, the survey carried out by the online platform LocalCircles, also revealed that some 72% of Indians want the government to implement mandatory RT-PCR test for Covid at boarding as well for international travellers coming from countries with high TPR.

The government on Friday, November 26 announced revising travel guidelines for international travellers.

(Image Courtesy - India Today)

As per the latest notification issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, scheduled commercial international passenger services to and from India will resume from 15th December 2021 barring 14 countries classified as “at-risk”.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has categorised these international countries into three categories—"not at risk", "at-risk", and air bubble, with separate restrictions and bubble flight arrangements, will continue as is with some capacity changes.

The revised travel guidelines, however, come as several other countries are reimposing travel restrictions given the newly discovered and possibly vaccine-resistant Covid-19 variant — B.1.1529, as per LocalCircles.

WHO designated this variant as a “variant of concern” and named it “Omicron” within an unusually short window of 48 hours after several scientists and epidemiologists around the world raised the red flag.

Data suggests that the variant has 32 mutations and a 500% advantage over the base or alpha variant of COVID, according to the LocalCircles.

Taking cognisance of the revised guidelines for International, LocalCircles decided to survey to understand the pulse of citizens on restarting international flights from December 15, 2021, and to understand what should be the approach for international travellers coming from these countries, it said.

The survey received over 16,000 responses from citizens resident over 309 districts of the country. Of this, 66% of respondents were men while the remaining 34% were women.

Besides, 49% of respondents were from tier-I, 33% from Tier-II and the remaining 2% were from tier-II/IV and rural districts.

The first question asked citizens if the Government of India needs to reconsider starting international flights from Dec 15. In response, 64% of citizens said “Yes, better to be safe than sorry, ” while 25% of citizens said that it is important to restart international flights and 11% couldn't say anything, according to LocalCircles. `

(Image Courtesy - News 18)

The government had exempted travellers from 99 countries from mandatory quarantine requirements and instituted a mandatory RT-PCR test at arrival.

Recently, a stringent screening and tracking requirement has been put in place for countries classified at risk by India which includes South Africa, Hong Kong and several others, LocalCircles said.

However, according to citizens, the overall risk from international flights has risen to post the identification of this new variant and increased risk mitigation is the need of the hour if international flights are to continue.

The question in the survey asked citizens, “Given the new variant B.1.1.529 and a recent major increase in Covid cases in many countries around the world, what should be India's approach towards travellers from these countries?” In response, 51% of citizens said, “Continue with current rules and permit them without quarantine but require an RT-PCR test within 24 hours before boarding and upon arrival,” it said.

Breaking down the poll, LocalCircles said, 21% said “permit travellers from these countries but implement RT-PCR at boarding and arrival and implement a 14-day mandatory quarantine.” Further, 14% said the government should “continue with current rules and permit travellers from these countries without quarantine”, and 12% said “temporarily suspend all existing flights from countries with TPR of 2% or higher” while 2% did not have an opinion.

On an aggregate basis, 72% of respondents want the government to implement mandatory RT-PCR testing at boarding and arrival for international travellers coming from countries with high COVID test positivity rates, it stated.

As per the new guidelines, Hong Kong and South Africa, where cases of the new variant are rising, will resume flights at 50% of the pre-pandemic capacity. Many Indians are starting to fear that the country may see a rise in COVID cases propagated by new variants. India’s share of global active COVID cases was at 0.57% and is 22nd position among the most affected countries by active cases as of November 24. Over 118 crore vaccine doses were administered under a nationwide vaccination program during the period.

While no cases of the B.1.1. 529 have been sequenced in India yet, given that several more countries like Israel and Belgium have reported the variant within 24 hours of South Africa and Hong Kong, chances are travel is playing a major role in its spread.

After shutting down the flights for two weeks, the Government of India decided to resume them from January 8, 2021. In March 2021, Punjab reported that 82% of the cases in the state were B.1.1.7 clearly indicating that direct flights from the UK to various cities of Punjab had a key role in the spread of that variant.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, November 27 asked government officials to review the easing of international travel restrictions, following the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant of concern.

The directive came at a two-hour-long intensive review meeting to discuss the state of preparedness and the status of the vaccination drive across the country, amid emerging concerns about the new variant, B.1.1.529 or Omicron.

The World Health Organization declared the new Covid-19 variant as a variant of concern on Friday, November 26 after a meeting with South African health authorities that made public data on an increase in the number of cases, which is driven by the new strain, and genome sequencing of positives.

PM Narendra Modi

The Omicron variant has at least 32 spike mutations, raising fears that it could be more infectious.

Officials apprised the Prime Minister of the new variant, along with its characteristics and the impact seen in various countries. Its implications for India were also discussed. Modi emphasised being proactive in light of the new variant.

People need to be more cautious and there is a need to take proper precautions like masking and social distancing, he said. Can't Let Our Guard Down, says WHO While asking officials to review the plans for easing international travel restrictions, Modi also underlined the need for monitoring all international arrivals and their testing as per guidelines, with a specific focus on countries identified as "at-risk", a government statement said.

Omicron Virus

India on Friday, November 26 had announced the resumption of regular international flights starting December 15, but with restrictions on services to and from 16 countries that are "at-risk" because of the infections.

Even before the variant was declared a variant of concern, the Union health ministry had written to state governments on Thursday, November 25 asking them to test all passengers arriving from and transiting through South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong where the variant had been reported.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, November 27, the WHO warned the Southeast Asia region to be vigilant as global Covid-19 cases are rising.

"Though Covid-19 cases have been declining in most countries of our region, the surge in cases elsewhere in the world and confirmation of a new variant of concern is a reminder of the persisting risk and the need for us to continue to do our best to protect against the virus and prevent its spread. At no cost should we let our guards down.The global health body asked countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing. As of today, 31% of the region's population is fully vaccinated, 21% partially vaccinated while nearly 48%, or about a billion people, are yet to receive even a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. They continue to be at risk of contracting severe disease due to the virus and spreading it further."Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region

Sequencing Efforts The Prime Minister was briefed on the global trends on Covid-19 infections and cases. He was informed that several countries have experienced multiple Covid-19 surges since the onset of the pandemic. He reviewed the situation on Covid-19 cases and test positivity rates in India.

The Union government will review the decision on the resumption of commercial international flight services as per evolving global scenario,  amidst growing concerns over the new COVID variant Omicron, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on November 28.

The government will also review the standard operating procedure on testing and surveillance of the incoming international passengers, especially those travelling from countries listed in the ‘at risk’ category.

Earlier this week, the Civil Aviation Ministry had announced that regular international flight operations will be allowed from December 14 to all countries except for 14 countries where the COVID-19 pandemic is still not under control.

Genomic surveillance for the variants will be further strengthened and intensified, it added. Airport Health Officials (APHOs) and Port Health Officials (PHOs) will be sensitized for strict supervision of testing protocol at airports/ ports, the MHA spokesperson said in a tweet.

"Overall global situation in wake of Omicron virus was comprehensively reviewed. Various preventive measures in place and to be further strengthened were discussed," the spokesperson informed.

The meeting was held with various experts, Dr V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, Dr Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to Prime Minister, & senior officers from Health, Civil Aviation and other Ministries.

An engine is dubbed as the heart of any aircraft and rightly so. The longer it stays on the wing, the more flights it can complete and the more guests can be served. Conversely, the longer it stays detached from the wings, and it could be reasons due to maintenance, the more losses the airline would incur.

The GE Aviation Blog

As trivial as it may sound, geography plays a big role in the life cycle of any engine. Airlines, particularly in the Middle East, are in a constant battle to increase an engine's "time on wing". Flight operations in the desert can get the sand to adhere to the rotating turbine blades, which in turn could reach the compressor. This can harm the overall fuel efficiency- a standard closely linked with carbon emissions.

The world has only done water washing for the last 30 years. Literally, spraying water in the front while the engine’s motoring and rinsing it out. And that wasn’t adequate for this problem. So we reinvented how to clean an engineMike Eriksen, Senior technology program leader (GE Aviation)

Hence after numerous tests and studies, GE engineers came up with a powerful approach that thoroughly cleans a commercial jet engine, helping to improve its performance and potentially eliminate tons of climate-damaging CO2.

GE’s 360 Foam Wash

The "novel detergent" developed by the engineers is touted to be extremely effective at breaking down hardened layers of dust. It was now just the question of how to carefully inject into the engine.

And there's where the foam comes in. Foam is just a volume-filling method. All we wanted to do was figure out, ‘How can you get this detergent throughout the whole engine?’ We can’t just squirt it in there. And it works by a chemical reaction, so you have to keep contact fresh with all the surfaces where the dust is - points Erickson

After figuring out the nuances of the foaming system, this technique was applied on several test engines, measuring various performance parameters.

Engine test bed | General Electric

The exhaust gas temperature (EGT) is within a certain range, you know that the engine is running efficiently. And so if you have dust build-up, if the engine has to work harder to produce the same amount of thrust, that’s what makes the EGT go up

Eriksen says - In comparison to the normal water wash, which also produced drops in EGT, the ones observed with foam wash were considerably more significant.

We started seeing the EGT recovery and the fuel flow recovery go off the charts. GE has also designed a special self-contained cart with hoses to pump the detergent into an engine and a separate apron to catch the solution as it flows out, allowing it to be deployed for off-wing and on-wing scenarios equally.

Rolls Royce

Currently, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian Airlines hold the technical licenses to use 360 Foam Wash for their GEnx and GE90 engines.

During technology trials with its GE90 and GEnx engines, the 360 Foam Wash solution allowed customers in the Middle East to improve engine performance by reducing the buildup of deposits in the engine, lowering engine exhaust temperatures and improving engine compressor efficiency. These improvements led to reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, as well as increased engine time on-wing

Yasser Elkilani, services leader for on-wing technology at GE Aviation and who also oversees the rollout of foam wash to GE’s customers.

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet will next month get two Boeing 777s from the US aerospace major as part of compensation for the 13 B737 Max grounded for nearly 19 months. The airline has started the process of hiring pilots for these two planes.

It was given that the two B777s will be used for passenger flights given the demand for nonstop long haul travel to North America. The international travel mood has substantially dampened since the identification of more transmissible variant Omicron shocked the policymakers around the world. The airline may want to keep its options open and choose to deploy the wide-body aircrafts in cargo sector.

SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh had told TOI — on a Max flight to Gwalior — the airline is looking at long haul passenger flights. The airline is getting two B777 extended range (ER), not brand new, from Boeing. Air India has been successfully using the ER to fly nonstop to the east coast of North America for nearly 15 years now.

Auditors to SpiceJet said during its June quarterly results that the carrier would have reported steeper losses had it not recognized the other income, which were the dues from Boeing. Loss-making carrier, which has so far claimed more than ?1,200 crore in compensation from Boeing following the grounding of the planes in March 2019, will not be able to make further claims from the aircraft manufacturer as it has been approved for service by DGCA now. Boeing has abstained from commenting on the compensation package finalised with SpiceJet for the 13 grounded B737 Max.

Air India Boeing 777 300ER (Credits - Pinterest)

“The situation is very fluid. Let us see how it pans out. If the pandemic situation keeps improving, which it was before Omicron, then it makes sense to deploy the B777s for scheduled passenger flights. If not, then cargo,” said sources.

During the pandemic, SpiceJet has been wet-leasing wide body (hiring with operating crew) aircraft to operate charters, mostly for cargo but a few passenger flights too. But these planes or crew did not belong to the airline as they were hired as and when needed like an Ola or Uber and paid for as perusing.

(With Inputs from The Times of India)