Government unveils 100-day plan for the civil aviation sector

Radhika Bansal

10 Sep 2021

Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on September 9 announced a roadmap to improve the aviation infrastructure in India to be implemented in the next 100 days.

The minister said he has set infrastructure and policy targets which will be implemented by November 30. As part of the targets set for the Minister of Civil Aviation, Scindia confirmed that 50 new routes will be launched under the centre’s regional connectivity scheme Udan.

Out of these 50 new routes, 30 new routes will be launched by October, the minister said. Of the 30 new routes, Alliance Air will launch 6 new routes, IndiGo and SpiceJet will launch 4 new routes each. In addition, Big Charter and Star Air will launch 8 new routes each. Scindia also said that his ministry plans to start operationalisation of six heliports, and five new airports in the next 100 days, under Udan.

Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on September 9 announced a roadmap to improve the aviation infrastructure in India to be implemented in the next 100 days. (Image Courtesy - News9 Live)

The Ministry of Civil Aviation will start operationalisation of airports in Keshod in Gujarat, Deoghar in Jharkhand, Gondia in Maharashtra, Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, by November 30. Furthermore, the operationalisation of heliports in Sanjoli near Shimla, Sase near Manali, Mandi, and Baddi in Himachal Pradesh will begin in the next 100 days. Similarly, Haldwani and Almora in Uttarakhand will also have operational heliports by November 30.

Aviation ministry’s 100-day plan also includes construction at 4 airports - Kushinagar, second terminal building at Dehradun, Agartala airport and Jewar in Greater Noida, in the next 100 days, the minister said at a press conference today.

Scindia said that by November 30 a new airport in Kushinagar will be ready for inauguration. The construction of new terminal buildings at Dehradun, Agartala will also be completed in the next 100 days. He added that the construction of the new Jewar airport will also begin by the end of November.

Mr Scindia said that by November 30 a new airport in Kushinagar will be ready for inauguration. (Image Courtsey - The Financial Express)

The ministry has set eights targets under the policy, include Drone policy, UDAN airports, leasing capacity in India, discussion with states (VAT on ATF), IGRUA expansion, stabilised industry post-COVID to be implemented in the next 100 days," he said.

The Minister has asked for VAT to be rationalised within the range of 1% to 4%. The price of ATF is a major component of the operating cost of airlines with that, the tax on ATF contributes significantly to the ATF price. Addressing this issue would enable a force multiplier effect about air connectivity in states.

Speaking on India’s new policy for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) for aircrafts Scindia said that the ministry plans to implement an allotment process for MROs via open tender and said that it will provide allotment for 30 years to provide a stable ecosystem for investors.

"The aviation ministry is trying to attract private investment for MRO at 8 airports," he added.

The Minister also said that the reform target for 100 days includes setting up online portals for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to provide customers to access their services.

Scindia also said that an AirSewa portal and Digiyatra website will also be set up in the next 100 days.

“AirSewa 3.0 is planned to go live by 30 Sep 2021. Under AirSewa 3.0 a feature is being developed wherein a user can escalate the ticket to the escalation officer in stakeholder organisation if he is not satisfied with the resolution by a nodal officer. The AirSewa portal will have a list of all pending customer grievances categorized by airports and airlines.”Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation

The minister said that as part of the new AirSewa portal the government will track air ticket refunds with both airlines and travel agents to ensure customer satisfaction in a time-bound manner.

He added that the government is not planning to extend the deadline for bids to come in for Air India beyond September 15. He also said that an initial probe on the causes of the Air India Express crash at Kozhikode airport, which killed about 20 people during August 2020 has been submitted to the MoCA. 

Furthermore, the minister said that the government is also in talks with multiple countries to increase international flights to and from India. He said that as the COVID-19 situation eases across the world more flights will start operating.

Mr Scindia said the aviation industry had been one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scindia also said that while at the moment there seems to be increasing demand for removal of fare caps on capacity utilisation and airline tickets in India, the government was committed to the safety of air travel and only when the COVID-19 situation improves will these caps be removed.

Mr Scindia said the aviation industry had been one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the government was working to “stabilise” it. When asked about refunds to passengers, Mr Scindia said he believed the “free market” should decide the amounts, rather than the government mandating a certain amount. 

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Elevated cross taxiway at Delhi Airport, India's first, to be ready by December 2022

Radhika Bansal

09 Sep 2021

India's first-ever elevated eastern cross taxiway (ECT) at Delhi Airport is likely to be ready by December 2022, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said in a statement on Wednesday, September 8. The DIAL said 60% of construction work had already been completed.

Once the ECT is commissioned, the aircraft taxiing distance will reduce by seven kilometres.

The ECT will help airlines to save approximately 350 kg of fuel every time an aircraft uses the taxiing route provided by the ECT from runway 29/11 to Terminal 1 and vice-versa. It will help decongest the airport and reduce approximately 55,000 tonnes of carbon emission annually.

Elevated taxiway (Computer generated)

"At present, after landing at RWY 29/11 or to take-off from this runway, an aircraft has to cover a distance of about 9 km. During this period, passengers have to remain inside the plane.DIAL has ensured that an environment-friendly approach is followed in the construction of ECT. It has used fly ash, a waste product of coal-fired power plants, in the filling material.It is using around 9,715 MT of fly ash in the construction of ECT. If not used, fly ash is disposed of in specially designed landfills which could lead to leaching of heavy metals into groundwater."Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL)

"This would translate in reduction of nearly 1,114 kg of CO2 emissions for each aircraft taxiing along this route. Annually, the ECT is estimated to reduce the emission of approximately 55,000 tonnes of CO2 from aircraft," the GMR group-led DIAL said in the statement.

In March 2021, DIAL started mounting girders of ECT across the pillars in the median of the Central Spine Road. A total of 590 girders would be mounted. By the second week of July, over 200 girders have already been mounted, it said.

The use of fly ash is recognised as an environment-friendly measure as it promotes waste utilisation and ensures that other raw materials used in construction can be reduced, thus making our construction process environment friendly.

Under Phase 3A, the DIAL is also constructing a 4.4-kilometre-long fourth runway, parallel to runway 11/29 on the southern side.

Delhi Airport would become the first airport in India to have four operational runways. The 4th Runway also would help reduce Carbon emission significantly.

Once commissioned, the fourth runway would handle the increased traffic movement and help reduce carbon emissions. The Delhi airport would become the first airport in India to have four operational runways.

As part of the expansion project, the DIAL is also carrying out integration of the departure and arrival terminals of Terminal 1, construction of new T-1 Apron, 2.1 km-long dual elevated Eastern Cross Taxiways (ECT), landside developments for circulation and connectivity improvements and T-3 modification work.

The DIAL is working on the mission of "building a sustainable future". It includes its highly ambitious plan of becoming a "Net Zero Carbon Airport" by 2030.

To fulfil its ambition of becoming a net-zero carbon emission airport, the DIAL has initiated several key infrastructures development projects. One of these initiatives is the development of the Eastern Cross Taxiway (ECT).

"Environment has emerged as a major focus area in the aviation sector. We, at Delhi airport, have taken various initiatives to reduce emissions. We have implemented Airport-Collaborative Decision Making for airport operations and all runway operations to minimise aircraft delay and associated emissions.Construction of dual eastern cross taxiways, the first of its kind in India, will not only reduce a significant amount of carbon emissions but also enhance the passenger experience. This is another step towards our goal of becoming a net-zero carbon airport by 2030.The ECT, an integral part of Delhi airport's Phase-3A expansion project, would make Delhi airport future-ready. After completion of this project, the airport would be able to handle 140 million passengers per annum (MPPA)."I Prabhakar Rao, Deputy Managing Director, GMR Group

Delhi Airport would become the first airport in India to have four operational runways. The 4th Runway also would help reduce Carbon emission significantly.

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TATA to collaborate with Airbus for the acquisition of 56 C-295 aircraft

Prashant-prabhakar

10 Sep 2021

Representative

In what can be termed as a breakthrough move, the Modi government finally cleared the long-pending billion dollar bill for the procurement of 56 C-295MW transport aircraft for the Indian Air force(IAF) on September 6. It has also ordered an additional 6 units for the Indian Coast Guard. These aircraft are set to replace the ageing Avros(British origin) of the Indian Air Force, according to a Press Information Bureau release. This could potentially cost between ? 20,000 crores and ? 21,000 crores, although it will depend on the exchange rate

Despite having a major presence in the country spanning decades, this would be Airbus's first defense contract with India. Also worth mentioning is the fact that this would be India's maiden project in the manufacturing of military aircraft on home soil- a milestone indeed.

Consistent with the government's "Make in India" initiative and priced at about 3$ billion, this is the first project in India that would see private players playing a major role in the manufacturing of the aircraft within the country.

The bill, passed by the Cabinet Committee of Secretary, headed by the prime minister Mr. Narendra Modi, will see 16 aircrafts being flown into the country from Spain in flyaway condition within 48 months of signing the contract. The rest of the aircraft will be manufactured indigenously by the TATA group within 10 years from the date of signing.

Collaborating with TATA, Airbus had finalized the price negotiations 6 years back but the proceedings were stalled due to financial issues and the Rafale deal which came midway. As is understood so far, Airbus has not shot up the prices and intends to proceed with the predetermined conditions.

That said, a deal for multi-role transport aircraft that could carry a maximum payload of 9.25 tonnes would be made, was reported earlier this year (January).

Let's take a glimpse into what the aircraft is all about.

CASA C-295

Airbus

The CASA C-295 is a medium tactical transport aircraft designed by the Spanish company CASA in the 1990s as a development of the CASA-NURTANIO CN-235. It is specifically designed to ace all types of missions effectively such as tactical and logistical transport, parachute arms cargo drop, medical emergencies, and maritime patrol.

Has the following characteristics:

Crew2Capacity73 troops / 48 paratroops / 12 stretcher intensive care medevac / 27 stretcher medevac with 4 medical attendantsMax.take-off weight 21,000 kg (46,297 lb) normal23,200 kg (51,147 lb) overloadPowerplant2 × Pratt and Whitney PW127G engines, 1,972 kW (2,644 hp) each for take-off (normal)2,177 kW (2,919 hp) with APRCruise speed482 km/h (300 mph)Range1,555 km (966 mi, 840 nmi) normal payloadService ceiling 4,125 m (13,533 ft) on one engineFuel capacity7,650 l (2,020 US gal)

Since its dimensions are smaller than the IAF’s fleet of C-130Js, C-17s, and IL-76s, C-295s can take off and land at many airstrips and airports where the larger aircraft can’t.

India to be the next major MRO?

Before the deliveries can be made, ‘D’ Level servicing facility (MRO) for C-295MW aircraft will have to be set up in India and it is expected that this facility will act as a regional MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) hub for various variants of C-295. 

A large number of detail parts, sub-assemblies, and major component assemblies of aerostructure are scheduled to be manufactured in India. The program will act as a catalyst in employment generation in the aerospace ecosystem of the country and is expected to generate 600 highly skilled jobs directly, over 3,000 indirect jobs, and an additional 3,000 medium-skill employment opportunities with more than 42.5 lakh man-hours of work within the aerospace and defense sector of Indiathe Defence Ministry said

With things gaining traction, it remains to be seen as to where the aircraft will be manufactured in the country given that TATA already has a facility set up in Hyderabad. 

TATA GROUP HEAD-RATAN TATA

All 56 C-295MWs will be installed with the indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite. The project will give a boost to the aerospace ecosystem in India Warfare SuiteA press release said

COVER: ThePrint

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Mumbai airport registers nearly four-fold growth in passenger traffic in August

Radhika Bansal

08 Sep 2021

The onset of the festive season coupled with some countries easing visa and travel curbs helped Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to post a nearly four-fold growth in passenger traffic in August.

CSMIA handled 16-lakh passengers in August this year, the private airport operator said on Tuesday, September 7.

Of this, the domestic passenger segment accounted for almost 90%, while international was a little over 10%, amid a ban on scheduled international flight operations from late March 2020, and only a limited number of air services being allowed on overseas routes under various special arrangements and pacts.

CSMIA handled 16-lakh passengers in August this year. (Image Courtesy - Business Traveller)

In August 2020, the country's second busiest airport handled 4-lakh passengers.

CSMIA expects an upward trend in leisure travel both on domestic and international routes in the coming months, with the ensuing festival and holiday season, it said in a release.

CSMIA played host to a total of approximately 15,87,150 passengers with flights from across domestic and international destinations in August, it said in a release.

With the festive season just around the corner and with countries across the globe easing down travel restrictions, August witnessed a surge in the number of passengers travelling through CSMIA, it stated.

With festivals like Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami and Onam falling during weekends in August, the Airport witnessed an upward trend in weekend travel. (Image Courtesy - mid-day)

Of the total passengers, 14,02,369 were domestic and the remaining 1,84,787 passengers were international, it said, adding that about 7,85,479 passengers arrived at the CSMIA, while 8,01,677 flew out to various domestic and international destinations in the previous month.

Delhi, Bangalore and Goa emerged as the most-travelled domestic destinations from Mumbai Airport, while Doha emerged as the topmost international destination, it added.

With festivals like Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami and Onam falling during weekends in August, the Airport witnessed an upward trend in weekend travel. Goa emerged as the highest travelled destination with 22,078 passengers, followed by Srinagar, Jammu and Leh during the weekend of August, CSMIA said.

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Air India Disinvestment to be finalised by September 15

Radhika Bansal

08 Sep 2021

A serious countdown to the Air India sale has begun with the government sticking to September 15 as the deadline to receive Air India financial bids.

After months of to and fro in the midst of the pandemic and several changes to the share purchase agreement to accommodating the queries of the bidders, the government is hopeful of achieving the critical milestone of financial bids by this mid-month.

There is also hope that probably more than 2 bidders are in the race for the Maharaja although the government has not given any confirmation so far. The reserve price for the asset sale is to be decided after the financial bids have been received, but not opened.

Tata Group is one of the qualified bidders for Air India

Qualified bidders include the Tata Group which founded the airline in 1932. The Group is bidding for the airline through Air Asia, and its executives have been visiting airline sites for the past couple of months.

The bid has moved slowly, as the government and bidders worked to resolve several issues the airline has, as it will form the template of the airline’s future. They sought to resolve issues ranging from employee benefits to how government guarantees will be dealt with.

The government is committed to complete the Air India sale this fiscal.

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B777-300ERSF- A new benchmark for cargo operators

Prashant-prabhakar

09 Sep 2021

The newest variant of the B777 series is all set to enter service with the introduction of B777-300ERSF. Touted to be a brand new model, she is, essentially a converted version of the B777-300 passenger variant.Let's take a look at what's new.

A brief history

FlightGlobal

The design of B777-300ERSF was conceptualized way back in 2019 when GECAS and IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) collaborated together to establish, what is now dubbed as" The Big Twin"- emphasizing its status as the largest ever twin-engine freighter. The conversion of the initial aircraft would mostly take place in Tel Aviv(Israel) by the IAI, which has a renowned reputation in the field of aircraft conversions.

Next Gen Cargo Freighter

With the introduction of this classic design, The Big Twin will offer operators 25% more capacity than smaller twin-engined long-haul freighters of today and it is anticipated that the Big Twin will achieve up to 21% lower fuel-burn per tonne than aging 4-engine freighters.

IAI commends GECAS’ ability to see around corners and work with the IAI Group to build a great aircraft that the market requires.Yosef Melamed, IAI’s EVP IAI & GM Aviation Group

GE90 is the preferred choice of engine for this aircraft type and hence GE Aviation has worked with GECAS to create unique engine solutions dedicated to the support of freighter operators.

The GE90 is designed specifically for the longer-range Boeing 777 aircraft, providing up to 115,000 lbs. of thrust, and has built a legacy of outstanding performance, reliability, and payload.said GE Aviation GE90 General Manager Mike Kauffman

Facts and figures

The 777-300 ERSF is the only large aircraft offering a significant level of operational commonality with the 777-200LRF. Additionally, it can also operate seamlessly alongside a B777-300ER.

The STAT Trade Times

This commonality allows for a host of benefits like:

No additional simulator training for the crew

2. Same engine- 100% commonality with 777-300ER/200LR/-200LRF fleets

3. No additional training required for the maintenance crew

4. Same configuration for palettes and containers, providing seamless interlining.

5. Low capital cost enabling higher efficiency even with utilization below 2500 Flight Hours/year.

The very first B777-300ERSF to roll out from IAI's. The facility is an Emirates B777-300ER  with MSN 32789 and registered as A6-EBB. GECAS would go on to possess the leased aircraft from Emirates after it was decommissioned from passenger service in February 2020.

Expected entry into service

Prior to entering service, it will work to obtain regulatory approval and certification from the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI) and the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA).

The conversion process will take approximately 130 days, at the end of which the passenger aircraft will be turned into a freighter aircraftIAI

Once all the approvals are obtained and the conversion is successfully done, the aircraft is expected to enter service with Kalitta Air, a US based cargo operator, possibly by 2022.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6419RIBico&t=78s

About GECAS

GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) is a world-leading aviation lessor and financier. It offers a broad array of financing products and services on a wide variety of aircraft types including operating leases, purchase/leasebacks, secured debt financing, asset sales and servicing, and airframe parts and management. Much of the aircraft types operated in India are leased from GECAS.

IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries)

IAI Ltd. is Israel's largest aerospace and defense company and a globally recognized technology and innovation leader. It has also developed a niche for converting passenger aircraft into refueling and cargo variants.

With a surge in cargo operations owing to a slump in passenger flights and Airbus planning to launch its A350F(freighter) version soon, do you think this would be the next favorite among cargo operators? Drop-in your comments below

COVER: General Electric

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