IndiGo not following upkeep procedures, staff tells Airbus

A letter was written to the aircraft manufacturer Airbus by IndiGo technicians complaining that the airline is not following standard maintenance procedures leading to risking passengers' safety.

They said the technical staff has been on a strike for a couple of days and the airline is operating flights without proper maintenance.

The letter written by the All-India Aircraft Technicians on July 12 asked Airbus to intervene to avoid any untoward incidents with aircraft supplied by the manufacturer.

IndiGo not following proper maintenance procedures.

Calling the allegation baseless, IndiGo said, “IndiGo follows the highest standards of aircraft maintenance and adheres to all regulatory norms. Such allegations are completely baseless and are being spread with malicious intent.”

"I request you to kindly intervene in this matter and ask the operators to share maintenance data of the past seven days.We have a fleet of over 280 aircraft with high operational availability, making it one of the safest airlines in the world. We are committed to providing an on-time, affordable, safe and a courteous and hassle-free service to all our customers."Letter written to Airbus

The technicians said in the letter that “... the operators to whom you have leased your aircraft are not following the standard procedure of maintenance. For the past four days, technical staff are on strike and still they are flying the aircraft without proper maintenance and even they are deferring the scheduled maintenance”.

When contacted, an Airbus spokesperson said, “We do not comment on the operations of our customers.”

IndiGo’s technicians protest against low salaries and go on sick leave.

A day after this letter, IndiGo terminated the services of a few technicians who participated in the strike. However, it is unclear if they were terminated due to the letter. The strike was called in protest against lower pay. Several aircraft technicians reported being sick and skipping work to press for salary hikes.

ALSO READ - IndiGo initiates disciplinary action after several technicians call in sick

The technicians pointed out that improper maintenance can have a major impact and cause serious damage to Airbus’s image in the international market.

Naming a couple of airline officials who allegedly are responsible for the situation, the technicians said, “They have downgraded the maintenance standards of your aircraft. You can directly question them for improper handling of aircraft.”

A day after this letter, IndiGo terminated the services of a few technicians who participated in the strike.

An official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told that the situation had improved as they had conducted checks.

Confirming this, Arun Kumar, director general, DGCA, said, “We have carried out spot checks to ascertain and have found things in order. The issue stands resolved and the operations normal.”

Very few technicians reported for the night shift at the Delhi and Hyderabad airports. A week before that, the budget carrier’s flight operations were hit by en masse leave when employees opted to appear for walk-in recruitment interviews at rival Air India.

All-cargo airline Pradhaan Air Express has received its first converted A320 freighter aircraft as part of its plans to operate a fleet of four planes by next year. The Delhi-based cargo carrier earlier this month secured the no-objection certificate from the Civil Aviation Ministry to start a cargo carrier.

On July 15th, ST Engineering and Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) announced the redelivery of the Airbus A320 Passenger-to-Freighter (A320P2F) aircraft to launch customer Vaayu Group (Vaayu) at ST Engineering’s airframe facility in Singapore.

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https://twitter.com/PradhaanAir/status/1548551096464879617

This A320 P2F is owned by the aviation asset management business of ST Engineering and is the first of several converted freighter aircraft that will be leased to Vaayu. ST Engineering’s Commercial Aerospace business had signed an agreement in February to lease up to five Airbus A320P2F aircraft to Vaayu Group (Vaayu).

The A320P2F can accommodate up to 10 (ULD) containers and one pallet position in the main deck, and seven container positions in the lower deck. Given its gross payload of up to 21 tonnes at a maximum range of 1,850NM and total usable containerized volume of 159 m3, the freighter aircraft has 85% stowage efficiency.

The 21-tons payload capacity cargo plane with a fully palletized main deck will offer charter capacity to domestic shippers and freight forwarders on domestic as well as international routes. The converted freighter will also be available for on-demand cargo charters.

Pradhaan Air Express receives its first converted A320 freighter aircraft

The aircraft will enter into service for Pradhaan Air Express, a new all-cargo airline in India and a sub-lessee of Vaayu. Pradhaan Air announced on July 6 that it has received the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the civil aviation ministry and is expected to begin commercial operations later this year.

Pradhaan Air’s first converted A320 cargo plane, named Pehalwan arrived at Delhi Airport on Saturday, July 16 evening.

"The arrival of the aircraft marks the completion of another critical phase and brings us closer to our Air Operator Permit to kick start the commercial operations very soon. We look forward to keeping up the positive momentum, aiming at further fleet expansion.The airline is expected to take the second A320 P2F (passenger aircraft to freighter) by this year-end with further fleet expansion under consideration, he said. "The airline intends to add two A321 freighters to its fleet as well by next year."Nipun Anand, CEO & Founder, Pradhaan Air Express

With this key development, Pradhaan Air Express is moving towards leveraging the boom in the air cargo industry, which has rebounded after the pandemic.

According to data from ch-aviation, the 16.34-year-old twinjet entered service with TAM in April 2006 as PR-MBB.

Pradhaan Air has received the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the civil aviation ministry and is expected to begin commercial operations later this year. (Image Courtesy - Shrey Chopra)

After just over a decade flying for the Brazilian carrier, it spent just over a year at Spire Flight Solutions as M-IBAL. However, it remained unused during this time. From April 2018 to October 2020, it served Indian carrier IndiGo as VT-IHM, before joining ST Engineering for its conversion in February 2021.

One of the most significant changes in aviation during the pandemic has been the shift in perception of the cargo side of the business. India is far behind others in the industry when it comes to dedicated cargo operations. However, major airlines such as IndiGo and SpiceJet are veering towards the sector, joining other established players in the country such as Blue Dart.

ALSO READ - First CarGo freighter of IndiGo to be delivered soon; spotted at Seletar Airport

France has announced that the order of 36 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been completed. Despite the global shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, France-based Dassault Aviation has pre-delivered all fighter jets. 

While technically all of them have been delivered to India, only 35 of the 36 have arrived in India and the last one is still in France as all 13 India Specific Enhancements (ISE) are being tested.

The Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for 36 multi-role fighter jets in flying condition was signed in 2016, following an announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2015, during his visit to that country.

The Rafale is the 4.5 gen fighter jet, making it among the deadliest in the world and was procured after lengthy scrutiny by Indian Air Force, outperforming SAAB Gripen, MiG 35, Typhoon, and F-16 among others. 

The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, 2020, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft for Rs 59,000 crore.

The first squadron of the Rafale jets is stationed at Ambala airbase due to its strategic location in North India and proximity to Pakistan, while the second one will be based at Hasimara base in West Bengal, due to its proximity to China. 

While the IAF took delivery of a batch of three Rafales from France in February this year, bringing the total to 35 combat aircraft arriving in India, the upgrade of the existing aircraft is underway here in India.

The Rafale is available in three variants and all three variants share a common airframe and a common mission system.

These will be upgraded with the 13 ISE configurations that have undergone testing and are qualified and also certified to be mounted on board the jets.

The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons including European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. 

The twin-engine omnirole fighter jet is known for air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship and nuclear deterrence fighter aircraft, equipped with a wide range of weapons.

ALSO READ - IAF receives 3 Rafale fighter jets with India-specific upgrades from France

As many as three aircraft of global airlines have made emergency landings at various airports in India in a span of 48 hours, making it a day of technical emergencies for various airlines. The emergency landings happened as a result of several technical issues.

These landings were made in Calicut, Chennai and Kolkata on Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16, said a senior official in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The official said, "We had two emergency landings of foreign operators on Saturday. Air Arabia at Cochin due to hydraulic issues and Ethiopian at Kolkata due to pressurisation issue."

Air Arabia did an emergency landing at Cochin due to hydraulic issues

Whereas at Kochi, a full emergency was declared on Friday, July 15 after an incident of hydraulic failure was reported from an inbound Air Arabia flight from Sharjah, the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) said. All passengers and crew were safe.

In another incident on Saturday, July 16, an aircraft of Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa to Bangkok made an emergency landing at Kolkata airport due to a pressurisation issue.

In a similar incident on 15 July, a Srilankan Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Chennai airport due to a Hydraulic issue. The Colombo-Chennai flight (UL121) developed the snag as it neared the city.

Srilankan Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Chennai airport due to a Hydraulic issue.

A full emergency was declared and crash tenders were positioned by the side of the runway as per protocol. The DGCA has ordered a detailed investigation into all of these incidents.

Meanwhile, a Hyderabad-bound IndiGo airliner from Sharjah was diverted to Pakistan's Karachi early in the morning.

The Indian airspace appears to be cursed at the moment. As many as three aircraft of International carriers made emergency landings on the tarmac at different airports across the country in the last 48 hours. 

"IndiGo flight 6E-1406, operating from Sharjah to Hyderabad was diverted to Karachi. The pilot observed a technical defect. Necessary procedures were followed and as a precaution, the aircraft was diverted to Karachi."IndiGo

In the wake of a string of technical malfunction incidents involving Indian carriers, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held a meeting on safety issues with senior officials of his ministry and regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

During the meeting, the minister took a detailed report from the officials about these incidents over the last one month and told them that there should be no compromise over passenger safety.

Scindia directed the officials to strictly adhere to the prescribed safety norms and avoid any kind of laxity towards passenger safety.

Recent emergency landings led to Scindia’s High-level meeting with senior officials

An Air India Express flight from Calicut airport to Dubai too was diverted, landing in Muscat early on Sunday, July 17 after the crew detected a burning smell from one of vents inside the cabin.

Indian aviation has recently seen several mid-air and on- ground incidents involving Indian airlines. Much of the concern has been with the budget carrier SpiceJet, which was issued a warning notice by the DGCA earlier this month over why action should not be taken over a string of lapses.

Air India is set to increase capacity between India and Israel from August with the start of two new routes to Tel Aviv. The carrier has scheduled the launch of flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion (TLV) from both Bengaluru (BLR) and Mumbai (BOM). The airline already flies to the city from Delhi (DEL).

Data filed with OAG Schedules Analyser show that Air India intends to begin BOM-TLV on August 1 followed by flights to TLV from BLR the next day.

Each route will be served twice a week using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. However, reservations are yet to open. According to the OAG data, the schedule from BLR is in place until October 25 and from BOM until October 27.

Air India plans to expand capacity between India and Israel

Air India, which was acquired by Tata Group in January, began flying to Israel in March 2018 with a route connecting Delhi and Tel Aviv. The airline currently provides three flights per week between the destinations onboard 787-8s.

Prior to the pandemic, El Al Israel Airlines operated nonstop between Mumbai and Tel Aviv, flying twice a week with 787-8s. However, the carrier suspended the service in March 2020 and flights have yet to restart.

Speaking at Routes Asia 2022 in Da Nang, Vietnam, Air India’s general manager of commercial strategy and planning Purnima Nerurkar said Air India’s new parent intends to open several new regional hubs across the country, with the ambition of becoming “the largest hub carrier in the region.”

Air India currently provides three flights per week between the destinations onboard 787-8s.

“Air India has the strategy already in place where we have a hub at Delhi for all our long-haul and our short-haul markets,” she said. “This is expected to grow because going forward, our management’s thought and vision are to … create several hubs in India, which would facilitate growth from each of the regions.”

Air India’s planned Tel Aviv expansion comes as rating agency Icra said international passenger traffic for Indian carriers is on a growth trajectory and surged to about 2.1 million in June 2022, compared with 1.8 million in June 2019.

In the country’s home market, domestic passenger traffic grew to 10.5 million in June 2022, up from 3.1 million in June 2021 and only 12% down on June 2019 levels.

Expansion in Israel is part of Air India's more extensive international plans.

ALSO READ - Air India eyes Multiple Hubs, International Expansion

Expansion in Israel is part of Air India's more extensive international plans. The carrier wants to double the capacity to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Central CIS countries and ramp up operations to Australia and markets in Southeast and Far East Asia.

Direct flights to the US also remain a high priority for the carrier. Air India has not been able to add more destinations in the US, despite strong demand for such flights.

The Government has received as many as 100 proposals from aviation companies under the Udan 4.2, a regional connectivity scheme (RCS) for seaplanes, small aircraft, fixed wings, and helicopters. Players like Pawan Hans, FlyBig, SpiceJet, Alliance Air and AirTaxi are among the top bidders. 

A top government official told the Hindu BusinessLine that the Civil Aviation Ministry is likely to soon award most of the routes under the scheme.

The Udan 4.2 is aimed at improving last mile connectivity by bringing in smaller aircraft which include up to 19-20 seaters, fixed-wing aircraft, seaplanes, and helicopters. 

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Players like Pawan Hans, FlyBig, SpiceJet, Alliance Air and AirTaxi are among the top bidders. 

Approximately 370 routes are being put in under this programme of which 100 are seaplane routes, 60-odd are helicopter routes, and the balance are fixed-wing routes.

“In total, there are approximately 100 proposals. For fixed-wing alone, the ministry has received 78 proposals. For seaplanes, too, there have been a handful of proposals. For helicopters, there are 7-8 routes, all are likely to be awarded as well,” the official said on conditions of anonymity.

The person said, “for Fixed-wing routes, we will soon start the negotiations. At least 15-20 of the total routes will be awarded to airports which have been built but no operations had begun because airlines weren’t able to operate.”

This time, MehAir and SpiceJet are likely to have bid for the routes to Lakswadeep and the Andamans.

As far as the small aircraft segment is concerned, the official said there were a few rough edges in the proposals that were being sorted out. However, the ministry is ready to bear higher costs if it gives the smaller aircraft segments a push. 

For Helicopters too, there are around 7-8 routes and Pawan Hans seems to have bid for those routes. In the case of seaplane routes, about a year and a half ago, SpiceJet was awarded Ahmedabad to the Kevadia route.

But it shut down its operations due to issues with the aircraft. This time, MehAir and SpiceJet are likely to have bid for the routes to Lakswadeep and the Andamans.

“The fact that the leasing cost is extremely high which cannot be appropriated for smaller aircraft, so we looked at a third model where we take on the leasing cost as part of these aircraft as part of the subsidy. The first round of that has also occurred under Udan 4.2 and we are very hopeful to be able to provide this connectivity through seaplanes and smaller sub-20 seater aircraft.” Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Monister of Civil Aviation

Many of these routes are to tertiary airports, which do not have the infrastructure and other factors to attract major airlines. However, the lack of competition can sometimes incentivize airlines to fly to these locations.

Things can be tricky for some of the smaller airlines, which are not backed by either the government or private players. But the ministry is ready to infuse capital if it gives the smaller aircraft segments a push.

For Helicopters too, there are around 7-8 routes and Pawan Hans seems to have bid for those routes.

ALSO READ - At the halfway point, Government’s UDAN – RCS is still in the works

On October 21, 2016, the government unveiled the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) to connect small towns with aerial routes to give the quintessential common man or ‘aam admi’ the opportunity to travel by air.

Between 2019 and 2024, 100 new airports, as well as heliports and water aerodromes, will be built to support the UDAN scheme. In addition, after four rounds of bidding, 780 valid routes have been assigned to shortlisted airlines.

Udan 4.2 scheme receives more than 100 bids

The Airports Authority of India has set aside about INR 25,000 crores for five years, from 2019 to 2024, to complete the construction of 100 new airports, heliports, and water dromes.

Support from state governments comes in the form of a reduced Value-added Tax (VAT) to 1% or less for ten years to airports developed under the scheme, providing land for airports and other utilities at subsidized rates.

To boost regional flights, the scheme also calls for air caps from INR 1,420 to INR 3,500 for fixed-wing aircraft (based on distance and duration) for flights to unserved and underserved routes.

(With Inputs from Hindu BusinessLine)