Go First still working on restoring its hacked Twitter account

Budget carrier Go First has yet to restore its Twitter account that was hacked on September 14 early morning, an airline official said on Thursday, September 15.

The official told PTI that work is in progress to restore the account and that there are no issues with its IT systems. This is the second time this year that the handle has been compromised.

The teams concerned are investigating the matter to restore and gain control at the earliest and are also working closely with Twitter to address the issue, the airline said in a statement.

After the account was compromised, the display name was changed to 'vitalik.eth' along with the picture of Vitalik Buterin.

On Wednesday, September 14 after the account was compromised, the display name was changed to 'vitalik.eth' along with the picture of Vitalik Buterin. Buterin is one of the co-founders of the cryptocurrency Ethereum. Later, the display name and picture were removed but the account is still not restored.

Posting cryptocurrency giveaways has become a common modus operandi of scammers. Earlier this year, the official Twitter account of the University Grants Commission (UGC) India was also hacked, apparently by scammers claiming to be affiliated with the Azuki NFT project.

The aviation industry is facing a rising wave of cyber attacks and breaches. Two Indian airlines this year – Air India and Akasa Air – had their online security compromised, potentially putting the data of millions of passengers at risk.

In Air India's case, up to 4.5 million passengers had their data compromised, with sensitive information like passport details and credit card numbers leaked. The breach affected the "personal data of some passengers" travelling with the airline from August 2011 to February 2021.

ALSO READ - Akasa Air targeted by hackers; suffers data breach; reports CERT-In

The newly launched Akasa Air also faced a cyber attack last month. The carrier informed the passengers affected by the breach, reassuring them that no critical information, such as payment details or travel records, was accessed.

ALSO READ - Go First to postpone IPO again till November

Cover Image - Akshay Mantri

Australia’s national airline Qantas has launched a new route from Bengaluru to Sydney, providing the first direct connection between Southern India and Australia by any airline. This direct flight to Sydney will take over 11 hours.

The route has seen a lot of interest since being announced earlier this year, with both the outbound and inbound inaugural flights selling out in both cabins, according to the company.

Qantas will fly an A330 aircraft from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport to Sydney four times per week on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The flight took of from Kempegowda International Airport at 6.35pm on 14 Sept 2022, marking the first flight to connect South India to Australia directly.

This is the first direct flight between southern India and Australia by any airline.

The direct flight will cut nearly three hours of travel time between the two cities.

"The addition of Bengaluru to our route map deepens our ties with India and follows the launch of direct services from Australia to Delhi last year which has also proven popular. Qantas is now the only airline offering direct flights between Australia’s two largest cities and the north and south of India.”Andrew David, Qantas Domestic and International CEO.

To celebrate the route, Qantas has added Indian-inspired items to its inflight menu on the service, including lamb Chettinad in business class, and paneer makhani, cumin seed pilaf, green peas and beans masala in the economy.

“This is a historic occasion considering that it is the first ever non-stop service connecting South and Central India to Australia. The flights will reduce travel time over existing options and will make access to Australia and points beyond, including New Zealand and the Pacific Islands easy, particularly for leisure travellers, corporates, sports enthusiasts and students who go there for higher studies.Satyaki Raghunath, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) Chief Strategy and Development Officer.

ALSO READ - Qantas announces direct flights between Sydney-Bengaluru, finalises codeshare with IndiGo

Qantas recently launched the first phase of its codeshare partnership with IndiGo which allows the Australian carriers' customers to connect to 11 destinations on IndiGo. These include Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata and Chennai.

https://twitter.com/BLRAirport/status/1570141974312947713

Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David describes the new Bengaluru connection as a significant boost for both tourism and economic relations between Australia and India, with the 13-million-strong city (formerly known as Bangalore) often described as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’.

Cover Image - Mach1AvCrew (Twitter)

The planned relaunch of Jet Airways is likely to face further delays, with the airline continuing to face serious operational challenges that remain unresolved, casting doubt on its ability to meet its initial deadline of restarting flight operations by September.

ALSO READ - Jet Airways to only operate domestic flights as it resumes operations

Jet Airways emerged from bankruptcy proceedings with a change of ownership and planned to launch services during the September quarter after receiving the air operator certificate from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on 20 May.

However, clarity is still awaited from the airline on the aircraft pipeline, and an announcement is awaited on the same in a few months.

Jet Airways CEO said on Twitter that they're working towards starting sales soon. 

In July, the airline initiated the hiring method for pilots for Airbus A320, Boeing 737NG and Boeing 737MAX aircraft. Thus far, the airline has inducted two hundred employees.

ALSO READ - Jet Airways in advanced talks to order 50 Airbus A220

“We see that the airline is severe and is desperate to begin flights. However, they need to determine the aircraft and method. The regulator engages within the slotting procedure and different steps part of the method before beginning flights. This could take at least weeks after the airline declares its aircraft order. A launch of flights this month is unlikely.” A senior official stated.

Jet airways shut operations in April 2019 because of a severe financial crisis. For two years, the airline underwent a resolution technique beneath the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

In May, the airline used a Boeing 737 aircraft to prove flights for the air operator certificate.

The airline is set to induct a few planes on hire for initial operations however has been in talks with both Airbus and Boeing for an order of new aircraft.

The airline is considering Airbus A320, A220 and Boeing B737 MAX options for the new aircraft order they delivered. Even as Jet airways was a complete-carrier provider before it became grounded, the new Jet airways will probably offer a mix of low-price and premium offerings.

As we’ve always maintained, this is a marathon, no longer a dash, and we’re centred on getting the acceptable viable contracts for aircraft and engines to secure our destiny, the Jalan-Kalrock consortium spokesperson stated.

The Indian Air force (IAF) is looking to create a separate cadre for operating its Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), said Lt. Gen. A.K. Suri, Director General of Army Aviation on Tuesday, September 13 while a senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officer said that a proposal to develop an indigenous Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) had been taken up.

However, as the civil administration and states are fast adopting the indigenous civil drone industry, military drones are still being imported.

“This cadre will be of operators in terms of piloting and will reduce the load on helicopter pilots,” Lt. Gen. Suri said speaking at a seminar on UAVs organised by the Centre for Air Power Studies. Stating that the Indian Army has been using UAVs for the last two decades, he said they have primarily used them in the northern and western borders. A significant part of the surveillance is carried out by them.

IAF to develop its own indigenous Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV)

The proposal is currently with the Army headquarters and once cleared, will be sent to the Defence Ministry for approval, officials said on its status. A similar proposal for a separate UAV cadre by the IAF has been long pending with the Defence Ministry for approval.

In August 2021, Army Aviation got control of the UAVs of the Army which were earlier under Artillery. The Army operates over 30 Heron UAVs procured from Israel.

"The IAF has a road map for induction of more capable medium-altitude long-endurance UAVs as well as high-altitude long-endurance UAVs. IAF is joining an indigenous effort to develop a UCAV and Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) has been sanctioned to develop the niche technologies."Air Marshal Radhakrishnan Radhish, Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO), Western Air Command

The Bengaluru-based ADE is under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

ALSO READ - All you need to know about SWiFT | India’s stealth drone technology

Stating that the “unmanned market” is expected to see significant growth in India, Air Marshal Radhish added that by 2026 it is anticipated to be the world’s third-largest market.

According to a report by EY India and FICCI, the potential of the Indian drone and its components manufacturing industry is USD 23 billion by 2030. The information holds the key to unlocking this potential in the synergy between various ministries that can deliver on a multi-fold agenda.

In the context of India, specifically, HALE drones are already in the pipeline.

High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) refers to a family of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that can fly up to 10 days at 65,000 ft and even 20 days at 20,000-25,000 ft.

Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) flies between 10,000 ft and 30,000 ft and lasts for about a day or two in flight. Although only recently becoming ubiquitous in militaries worldwide, these drones perform various tasks, these can be used for combat, surveillance and reconnaissance support.

According to experts, “In the context of India, specifically, HALE drones are already in the pipeline. The Combat Air Teaming Systems (CATS) envisions a pseudo satellite named CATS Infinity. CATS is a larger, more ambitious project involving a team of heterogeneous drones that can unthinkably extend the aerial dominance of a pilot when working in tandem.”

Tactical Advanced Platform for Aerial Surveillance Beyond Horizon-201 (TAPAS BH-201) is the first made-in-India MALE drone that will be commissioned into the three services.

ALSO READ - India’s indigenous combat drone well on track to user-evaluation trials later this year

Besides Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which has been working on a MALE drone, Rustom, for a while, state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is working on the MALE class too. Both DRDO and HAL are collaborating on CATS.

Tactical Advanced Platform for Aerial Surveillance Beyond Horizon-201 (TAPAS BH-201) is the first made-in-India MALE drone that will be commissioned into the three services. HAL is already working on six airframes for evaluation of the system.

Airbus is all set to auction 500 parts from a retired A380 in October, hoping to entice bids from enthusiasts of the superjumbo. The A380 was used by Emirates with registration A6-EDB but was retired in October 2020 and scrapped in October 2021.  

The manufacturer is auctioning off items including lamps, the bar, stairs, handrails, trolleys, seats, paddles, and “even the cockpit rescue rope” from MSN13, which entered service in 2008.  

Numerous travellers and aviation enthusiasts adore the iconic Airbus A380. In the past, there has been intense interest when scrapped aircraft parts have gone on sale, and sold-out signs have appeared quickly. The upcoming Airbus auction is probably going to follow the same pattern as the others so far.

Airbus is all set to auction 500 parts from a retired A380 in October

Next month Airbus will hold a three-day action from Thursday, October 13 to Saturday, October 15. The auction will take place in person in Toulouse and online at Interencheres.com. Most of the parts in the auction have been taken from an Emirates Airbus A380, which shows in the lots on offer.

The aircraft was deconstructed by TARMAC Aerosave, which was set up by Airbus, Safran and Suez, and aims for a recovery rate of more than 90% of an aircraft.  

All sorts of aircraft parts are included in the listing. While most parts come from A6-EDB, some come from elsewhere in the Airbus A380 program.

The A380 was used by Emirates with registration A6-EDB but was retired in October 2020 and scrapped in October 2021. 

Emirates first class suite Do Not Disturb signs, Overhead bins, Fuselage side panels, A380 Cabin rescue axes, Engine fan blades, Cockpit rescue rope, Toilet bowl and seat, Cockpit staircase, Economy and crew seats are some of the parts which are going to be auctioned.

It’s not the only Emirates A380 being broken up that enthusiasts can get their hands on. The carrier announced in November 2021 that it was teaming up with Falcon Aircraft Recycling to transform parts and materials from aircraft A6-EDA into furniture and other memorabilia.   

ALSO READ - Emirates’ CEO wants Airbus to create a replacement for the A380 superjumbo

A6-EDB was the 13th Airbus A380 to be built by Airbus, taking its first flight on April 2, 2008. Emirates took delivery of the jet on October 24 of that year, making it the second to join the Dubai-based carrier.

A6-EDB was the 13th Airbus A380 to be built by Airbus, taking its first flight on April 2, 2008.

According to ch-aviation.com data, the aircraft completed 46,917 hours of flight, equivalent to 5,35 years in the skies. During this time, the plane completed 5,699 flight cycles.

According to FlightRadar24.com, the aircraft's final passenger flight was EK865 from Muscat to Dubai International Airport on February 23, 2020. This is Emirates' shortest Airbus A380 route.

The aircraft's last flight took place on October 27, 2020. A seven-hour flight took the plane to Tarbes, a Tarmac Aerosave facility in the south of France. The aircraft had been scrapped by October 2021.

ALSO READ - Airbus A380 makes a comeback as travel demand increases amidst high fuel prices

(With Inputs from AeroTime, Simple Flying)

According to reports, the second AG600M amphibious aircraft prototype completed its first flying test mission on September 10 in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, in southern China. AVIC, China's top aircraft manufacturer, reportedly made the announcement.

Business Insider

Large amphibious aircraft called the "AVIC AG600 Kunlong", was created by AVIC and put together by CAIGA. It is one of the biggest flying boats, having a 53.5 t (118,000 lb) MTOW, and is propelled by four WJ-6 turboprops. Following a five-year development period, assembly began in August 2014. it was unveiled on July 23, 2016, and on December 24, 2017, it took off from Zhuhai Airport.

Its successful maiden flight makes China among the world’s few countries capable of developing a large amphibious aircraftHuang Lingcai, chief designer of AG600, told state media Xinhua

Source

According to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the successful flight represented an important step forward for the AG600 project and an improvement to the giant amphibious aircraft's firefighting functional model (AVIC).

It is to be noted that this new aircraft was specifically designed to carry out China's firefighting operations. The aircraft is also notable for being the first large, specialised aircraft of Chinese construction that satisfies the civil-aircraft regulations' airworthiness requirements.

The new AG600 can carry up to 12 tonnes of water and has a maximum take-off weight of 60 tonnes. The aircraft also features a pressurised cabin, a fly-by-wire flight control system, an integrated avionics system, and equipment for upcoming firefighting missions.

In challenging weather and environmental situations, the aircraft can rescue up to 50 people in a single flight. The aircraft is also capable of landing on land and taking off from it. The aircraft will enter service in 2023 and be used to put out fires. The Chinese Civil Aviation Administration will certify the firefighting and rescue versions of the AG600 in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Tech and specs

The AG600 amphibious aircraft includes four WJ-6 turboprops, a tricycle retractable landing gear, cantilevered high wings, and a single-body flying boat fuselage. It can operate in areas of water up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) deep and 1,500 by 200 m (4,920 by 660 ft) in size.

It should be able to function in Sea State 3 conditions with waves up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in height. It was designed for aerial firefighting, retrieving up to 50 people from the sea, gathering 12 t (26,000 lb) of water in 20 seconds, and transferring up to 370 t (820,000 lb) of water on a single tank of fuel (31 revolutions).

China Daily

It weighs more than the MTOW of 41 t (90,000 lb). Beriev Be-200 or the ShinMaywa US-2, all of which weigh less than the prototype's 86 t (190,000 lb) A-40 Beriev.

Previous seaplanes carried more weight, such as the Martin JRM Mars at 75 t (165,000 lb) and the 100 t prototypes (220,000 lb) BV 238 Blohm & Voss, 156 t (345,000 lb) either the 180 t (400,000 lb) Hughes H-4 Hercules or the Saunders-Roe Princess.

Capacity50 rescued or 12 t (26,000 lb) of waterWingspan36.9 mHeight12.1 mMaximum Take-off weight53,500 kg (117,947 lb) from land, 49,800 kg (109,800 lb) from choppy seaPowerplant 4 × WJ-6 turbopropsPropellors 6-bladedCruise speed500 km/h Range4,500 kmEndurance12hService ceiling 6,000 mWikipedia

The Russian BE-200 | Global Fire Monitoring Centre

Once completed, the aircraft will supersede the US-2 from Japan and the BE-200 from Russia as the largest amphibious aircraft in the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juFl0jAQwL8

There are speculations that the US Air Force is likewise attempting to build a powerful amphibious capability. To enable special operations from littoral locations, it apparently aims to develop an amphibious C-130 Hercules transport version. Given the substantial American presence in the Pacific and Indo-Pacific regions, having an amphibious plane available for emergencies becomes essential.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: MilitaryLeak