IndiGo's domestic and regional international footprints should continue to expand - Bhatia

IndiGo Co-Founder and Managing Director Rahul Bhatia have said the airline needs to continue expanding its domestic and "regional international footprint” besides strengthening the cargo franchise in the near term.

In an e-mail to employees on Tuesday, February 8, Bhatia, who was appointed as the Managing Director on February 4, said that he was looking forward to working closely with the management team just not only to establish and achieve near-term goals but also to get the company to be future-ready for the massive opportunity that lies ahead.

Rahul Bhatia, Co-Founder Managing Director, IndiGo

Bhatia has taken over as the airline’s first Managing Director at a time when the domestic aviation space is expected to see increased competition, particularly in the wake of Tatas acquiring Air India and Akasa Air expected to start services this year.

IndiGo is the country’s largest airline and has more than 50% of the domestic market share.

"In this (MD) role, I look forward to working closely with the management team to not only establish and achieve near-term goals but to get the company to be future-ready for the massive opportunity that lies ahead,” Bhatia said.

According to him, the airline should continue to grow "the domestic and the regional international footprint, further strengthen our cargo franchise with the induction of the first batch of A321 freighters, starting this summer, rapidly implement the digital agenda and prepare for entry into service of the A321 XLR aircraft”.

The induction of A321 XLR will extend IndiGo’s reach into markets where it has not been in a position to serve so far, he added. During the IPO process in 2015, the promoters and the then management team had promised an Indian airline of "great significance" to public shareholders, he said.

"I, as a founder-promoter, owe it our country and our shareholders the necessary stewardship to ensure that we continue to live up to our promise”.

In the last more than 16 years, employees’ collective efforts have built an "admirable" Indian brand, which has earned the goodwill of customers and public shareholders alike, Bhatia said.

IndiGo had a fleet of 283 aircraft, including 56 A320 CEOs, 140 A320 NEOs, 52 A321 NEOs and 35 ATRs at the end of December 2021. It operated a peak of 1,574 daily flights during the quarter, including non-scheduled flights.

ALSO READ - After 7 quarters of losses, IndiGo reported a profit of INR 130 crore

ALSO READ - IndiGo’s stock rises 10% since Q3 results

On February 4, IndiGo posted a profit after tax of INR 129.8 crore in the three months ended December 2021 amid the pandemic clouds. The airline’s parent InterGlobe Aviation had a loss of INR 620.1 crore in the year-ago period.

A USD 600 million contractual and safety dispute between Airbus and Qatar Airways deepened on Tuesday, February 8 when the European planemaker revoked orders for two A350-1000 jets, days after ripping up an order from the Gulf carrier for 50 A321neos.

Qatar Airways has sued Airbus for more than USD 600 million and is refusing to take delivery of further A350s until its regulator receives a formal analysis of erosion to the painted surface and underlying lightning protection on 21 of the jets.

ALSO READ - Qatar airways sue Airbus for USD 618mn over A350 paint issue

Airbus revoked orders for Qatar Airways' two A350-1000 jets

Airbus, which has two completed A350s ready for delivery to Qatar Airways, has said it has provided the necessary information on the problem of surface degradation and that the damage does not amount to a safety issue.

The planemaker said in a UK court filing in January that it was declaring Qatar Airways in default on two A350 jets that were completed and ready to be delivered.

It also took the unusual step of cancelling an order for 50 A321neo jets because the alleged default on the larger planes had triggered a clause allowing it to revoke the order for A321neos, which are in high demand. 

ALSO READ - Airbus responds to Qatar Airways’s A350 dispute by cancelling A321 Order

Qatar Airways last week ordered 25 competing Boeing 737 MAX, plus options for another 25, as well as 34 new 777X freighters during a visit by the Gulf state's ruling emir to Washington.

ALSO READ - Qatar Airways signs a deal for 737 Max and new 777X freighters with Boeing

The airline has denied in legal arguments that it has broken its contract by refusing to take two A350s waiting on the tarmac in Toulouse. It also says Airbus is not entitled to claim a "cross-default" allowing it to cancel the A321neo deal.

An Airbus spokesman said the company had "terminated delivery positions for two A350s for Qatar Airways in full compliance with our rights". Qatar Airways had no immediate comment.

Airbus included the cancellations for 50 A321neos and two A350-1000s in a monthly summary for January, pushing it into negative territory with a net total of minus 16 orders for the first month of the year, after receiving 36 new orders.

The planemaker delivered 30 airplanes in January.

(With Inputs from Reuters)

Cargo is often transported by overnight express delivery and that's fairly a common norm. What if you wanna move cargo super-urgently from one hemisphere to the other? And within hours?

Decades back, transporting cargo between continents in less than two hours using hyperplanes might have sounded a little too far-fetched. Well. not so anymore. At least that's what serial entrepreneur Mikhail Korkorich, also dubbed as "like Russia's Elon Musk" believes so.

Freight Waves

Mikhail Korkorich is the founder of the Switzerland-based startup- Destinus- which is ramping up a test and development program for its cargo-carrying hypersonic aircraft after raising US$29 million in funding.

Here's what we know so far.

Hyperplane - the fastest delivery vehicle in the world

Space News

According to the company, the futuristic aircraft, is to combine the technological advancements of a spaceplane with the simple physics of a glider to create a vehicle that would move time-critical cargo across continents in a couple of hours or less, and the best part is- using clean liquid hydrogen fuel.

Destinus HyperXpress

Destinus’ hyper express delivery service is a whole new class of delivery that can move objects from any major metropolitan airport to another in under 2 hours.

Picture shipping goods from Memphis to Shanghai. The Destinus hyperplane could transport cargo in an hour and thirty minutes which would otherwise take close to 15 hours.

How do they do it?

The hyperplane is designed in a way that would enable it to take off from regular airport runways, fly slowly to the coast and travel to near-space heights before accelerating to  15 times the speed of sound.

Yahoo Finance

According to Korkorich, this would be accomplished using a first stage air turbo rocket engine, followed by a second stage rocket engine to blast to hypersonic speeds between Mach 13 and Mach 15 at mesospheric altitudes over 50 km.

The logic is simple. If you want to move something from one place on Earth to another place on Earth, you need to spend energy in several directions. One, you need to overcome gravity as long as you're keeping the plane in the air. So, longer means more gravity losses. Second is against the friction of the air, and third is for your maximum velocity kinetic energy.Mikhail Korkorich, Founder and CEO, Destinus

Mikhail Kokorich | Russia Beyond

Reportedly, the company flew "Jungfrau", its first prototype in November of last year. The test flight lasted five minutes at an airport near Munich at subsonic speeds to evaluate its aerodynamic performance during take-off and landing. Jungfrau is now being used as a testbed for future autonomous technologies.

AutoEvolution

We are excited about the broad support of our company. We plan to use the funding to continue the development of our hydrogen airbreathing and rocket engines and test the first supersonic flights powered by hydrogen engines in the next 12-18 months.Mikhail Kokorich

Summing up, the Hyperplane would feature:

Hypersonic cruise speedThousands of re-entry cyclesActively cooled heat shieldFully autonomous30 db quiter than supersonic planes

It is breath taking to see a future in which travel anywhere in the world in 1-2 hours will be available. Most importantly, the hyperplane under development will use liquid hydrogen to fuel its engines. That gives the great opportunity to fly fast and at the same time be carbon neutral. The only emission of such engines is water. I am excited that companies like Destinus will be able to provide European leadership in the aerospace sectorPhilipp Rösler, Destinus’ chairman of the advisory board and a former minister of economics and vice- chancellor of Germany

SOURCE(s)

COVER: TechEBlog

Go First, formerly known as GoAir, on Tuesday, February 8 announced the "Priority Boarding" service to cut down the waiting time for its passengers.

The service is available on all domestic and international flights and will be applicable for all departing destinations on the airline network, Go First said in a release.

To decrease wait times, Go First has launched a "priority boarding" service.

"The service is available for pre-purchase across all channels i.e. GO FIRST website, mobile app, contact centres, counters and agents. It can be availed up to 2 hours before domestic departure and up until 3 hours before international departure," the airline added.

The service comes with a nominal cost and offers the flexibility of cancellation and rescheduling of flights. There is no additional fee for infants. In case of cancellation by the airline or cancellation of the flight, the fee will be refunded, Go First mentioned.

"The comfort and convenience of passengers is our utmost priority and we constantly strive to create an exceptional flying experience for them. The 'Priority Boarding' service to all passengers is another step in this journey, and demonstrates our continued commitment to the 'You Come First' philosophy."Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, Go First

The airline further stated that the "Priority Boarding" service will not apply to group bookings.

Established in 2005 and wholly owned by the Wadia Group, Go First is an ultra-low-cost carrier based at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai with a secondary hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The carrier operates an extensive network of domestic services within India using Airbus A320 family aircraft. GoAir officially rebranded as Go First in May 2021.

Frontier is buying Spirit Airlines in a USD 2.9 billion cash-and-stock deal that will create US' fifth-largest carrier. The tie-up is valued at USD 6.6 billion when accounting for the assumption of debt and other liabilities.

The companies said Monday, February 7 that the transaction will provide more low-cost fares for more travellers to destinations in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean.

Frontier Group Holdings Inc. and Spirit Airlines Inc. also anticipate USD 1 billion in annual consumer savings and are looking to expand their services with more than 350 aircraft on order.

In addition, Frontier and Spirit are looking to add more jobs. The companies foresee adding 10,000 direct jobs and thousands of additional jobs at their business partners by 2026.

“This transaction is centred around creating an aggressive ultra-low fare competitor to serve our guests even better, expand career opportunities for our team members and increase competitive pressure, resulting in more consumer-friendly fares for the flying public," Spirit CEO Ted Christie said in a prepared statement.

The carriers may be in for a very close look from antimonopoly regulators. The Biden administration has signalled a tougher line against big corporate mergers. Yet airlines have suffered a devastating stretch during the pandemic despite assistance from the U.S., and are in a weakened position heading into 2022.

Existing Frontier shareholders will own approximately 51.5% and existing Spirit stockholders will own approximately 48.5% of the combined airline. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of the year. It still needs approval from Spirit shareholders.

Spirit shareholders will receive 1.9126 shares of Frontier plus USD 2.13 in cash for each existing Spirit share they own. This implies a value of USD 25.83 per Spirit shares at Frontier’s closing stock price of USD 12.39 on Friday, February 4.

The combined company is expected to have annual revenues of approximately USD 5.3 billion, based on 2021's results. Its board will include seven members named by Frontier and five members named by Spirit. Frontier Chair William Franke will serve as chairman of the combined company.

Shares of Frontier, based in Denver, slipped 2.2% before the opening bell Monday, February 7. Shares of Spirit, based in Miami, jumped 12.5%. Both airlines use Airbus jets and signalled they were not looking at cancelling airplane orders.

Renowned airline investor Bill Franke, a pioneer of rock-bottom fares coupled with top-up charges offered by ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCC), will be chairman of the new airline, whose brand name and CEO have not been announced.

Franke's private equity firm Indigo Partners, which is Frontier's majority shareholder, had previously invested in Spirit which was once considered a suitor for Frontier.

Ultra-low-cost carriers are a tier below Southwest Airlines, which pioneered the low-cost concept in the 1970s, and they have continued to expand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The companies expect the deal to accelerate investment and help take on major U.S. airlines like American, Delta Air Lines, Southwest and United Airlines Holdings.

A custom paint job is a great way to make your car feel new. Why should airplanes be any different?!

Although most commercial planes are painted white, and some in black, which is to minimize cabin heating and prevent potential damage from solar radiation, there's no reason why one can't custom paint an aircraft, and especially when you love your aircraft, the more fun it is to fly and why flying shouldn't be fun?!

Aircraft custom paint jobs serve several purposes. From scaring the enemy with terrifying military aircraft to expressing one’s individuality with the wealthiest individuals’ private jets- Here's a curated list of a few aircraft custom-painted jobs that are worth giving a glance at.

All Nippon Airways’ (ANA) A380 series

ANA's turtle-themed A380 rolls out of the paint shop | Airline Geeks

The first A380 for All Nippon Airways (ANA) rolls out of the Airbus Paintshop in Hamburg, Germany. The subsequent two A380s would be painted in green and orange respectively- depicting sea turtles that are native to Hawaii.

The ANA A380 livery is one of the most elaborate ever painted by Airbus. It took 21 days for the Airbus team to paint a surface of 3,600m2 using 16 different shades of colour.

French Dassault Rafale M fighter

Yeah! Motor

"If looks could kill!"

Painted with an “Arctic Tiger” paint job, the fiery red eyes of the artic hunter glowing red against the backdrop of black and white can intimidate anyone! Well, this fighter was a special order for a different NATO Tiger Meet.

A-10 Warthog

DualShockers

One of the very rare times when the Warthog isn't seen in its classic battle-grey colour job. Adorned with Christmas sheaths and reindeers against a red and white backdrop, guess Christmas is right around the corner?!

The Mil Mi-24 

Pinterest

The Russian Mil Mi-24, NATO reporting name-HIND, is a large gunship and attack helicopter. Variants of the Mi-24 include the Mi-25 and Mi-35 export versions.

The Embraer E190-E2 demo aircraft

Lonely Planet

Touted as “the world’s quietest, cleanest and most efficient new-generation single-aisle aircraft”- as stated by the company, the plane is a competitor with the Airbus A220, which is perhaps why the eye-catching look has been so important on its world tour.

The Saab Gripen

JAS39 SAAB | Yeah!Motor

The fourth-generation Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab AB.

A tiger in the air

Siberian Times

The "AMUR TIGER" featuring on the nose of a towering B737 is the brainchild of the collaboration between  Rossi’s Airlines and Amur Tiger centre. This masterpiece required half a ton of paint to finish, indicating how enormous it is.

Lockheed Galaxy C-5

Pinterest

What happens when you turn a massive  2,600 pounds transporter aircraft into a flying mater with a custom paint job? Well, in case you're having a bad day, here's a large Lockheed C-5 Galaxy to cheer you up.

Dassault Mirage

RCU Forums

The paint job depicts a painting of Saint Michael- an archangel believed to lead heaven’s army against the devil in Revelations.

Concorde

News AKMI

Although now phased out, the supersonic Concorde needs no introduction. Here's the funny thing about this Pepsi aircraft and custom paint job – the livery on the classic Concorde has to be white for the aircraft to go full speed!

China Eastern and Pixar collaborate

EX-YU Aviation News

If you're a fan of the movie "toy stories" and its characters, then this "Buzz Lightyear" themed custom-painted Boeing should be reason enough for you to grab your boarding passes and fly!

Alaska Airline

CNN

A treat for kids upon seeing this larger-than-life scene of the adored Disney-Pixar hit, this Incredibles 2 paint job was featured on Alaska Airlines during the film’s 2018 release. Also featured on the tail is the famous Alaskan airline Eskimo.

What do you think of the beautiful, innovative and sometimes whacky-wicked cool liveries featured on these aircraft?! Which one would you prefer to fly in?

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Wallpaper Cave