Jet Airways expected to receive its air operator's licence this week

Jet Airways will likely get its air operator's permit this week to take to the skies, more than three years after it was grounded, said a govt official. The airline conducted its first of three sets of proving flights for the permit on Sunday, May 15. It conducted the other two on Tuesday, May 17.

ALSO READ - Jet Airways completes first set of 3 proving flights

In a statement on Tuesday, May 17 the spokesperson of the Jalan-Kalrock Consortium stated, "We have successfully conducted our proving flights over two days, and we now look forward to the grant of the AOC by the DGCA."

https://twitter.com/jetairways/status/1526543122347438080

The two proving flights on Tuesday, May 17 were conducted on Delhi-Hyderabad and Hyderabad-Delhi routes using the carrier's Boeing 737 plane. The flight had 31 people on board, including officials from the aviation regulator.

Proving flights is the last step for the airline to obtain the AOC. A total of five landings (five flights) have to be done by the aircraft to successfully complete its proving flights.

On May 8, the ministry of civil aviation granted security clearance to the grounded carrier. The approval was given based on a nod from the ministry of home affairs. In a letter, an official conveyed “security clearance for change in shareholding pattern” in the airline.

Jet Airways expected to receive its air operator's licence this week

ALSO READ - Jet Airways 2.0 gets security clearance from Home Ministry

The new owners of Jet, a consortium of Kalrock Capital and middle east-based businessman Murari Lal Jalan applied for the security clearance on December 13, 2021. In April, the airline appointed industry veteran Sanjiv Kapoor, former chief strategy and commercial officer at Vistara, as its CEO.

ALSO READ - Sanjiv Kapoor named as the CEO of Jet Airways

Jet already has more than 150 employees on its rolls and the airline is also speaking to vendors, including lessors, for the relaunch. The airline plans to restart commercial flight operations in the July-September quarter this year.

The airline plans to restart commercial flight operations in the July-September quarter this year.

Jet Airways stopped operating in April 2019, burdened under piling losses, debt and dues. It was admitted for insolvency proceedings by the National Company Law Tribunal in June 2019.

After two years of a rambling insolvency process, the bankruptcy court approved the Jalan-Kalrock consortium’s resolution plan in June last year. Jet Airways’ flying licence or AOP was made dormant, months after it stopped flying.

The Tejas Mk-2 is a single-engine,  Medium Weight Fighter (MWF), canard delta wing, Multi-role Combat aircraft, designed by India’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). As per the latest reports, it is touted to be one of four leading light combat aircraft (LCA) in the world today.

Swarajya

The Tejas Mark 2 is being designed and developed to replace multiple strike fighters of IAF, SEPECAT Jaguar Dassault Mirage 2000 and Mikoyan Mig-29 It recently created a buzz when the new Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, according to multiple reports, stated that seven squadrons of the Tejas Mk-2 are projected for induction into the service in the coming years.

The development of Tejas Mark 2 was authorised in November 2009 as a continuation of the LCA programme, under phase 3 of the full-scale engineering development (FSED) process. Currently, the Tejas Mk-2 fighter jet is in the Critical Design Review (CDR) phase, which involves multi-disciplinary technical review to ensure that a system can proceed to fabrication, demonstration, and testing to meet desired performance standards while keeping up with the schedule and cost restrictions.

Tech and specs

Although most of the technologies are borrowed from whatever has been developed so far for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, there are a few salient features that stand out.

Wikimedia Commons

The aircraft will feature canards that can carry a payload of 6,500 kg, enhancing overall range and endurance. In comparison, LCA Thejas only has a maximum capacity of 3,500 kg. Additionally, it will have an enhanced internal fuel capacity to over 3,400 kg (7,500 lb), which will allow it to carry more weapons for a longer range.

It will be outfitted with a multi-sensor data fusion system that will include an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and infrared search and track along with a missile approach warning system (MAWS).

The avionics of Tejas Mark 2 will be centred on multi-sensor data fusion incorporating both active and passive sensors on board. In addition to this, it will have a night vision goggles compatible glass cockpit dominated by a touch-sensitive wide area display placed in panoramic orientation and a wide-angle holographic head-up display (HUD) system.

It will also feature an indigenous radar- "Uttam AESA" touted to be advanced enough to have an edge over the Israeli-origin radars that are currently in use onboard other Tejas variants.

Uttam AESA radar | Indian Defense News

Additionally, it will also feature an indigenous integrated life support system-onboard oxygen generation system (ILSS-OBOGS), from Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory (DEBEL).

The MK-2 variant would be much superior to Tejas Mark-IA, 73 of which are being procured by the Indian Air Force from the HAL under a Rs 48,000 crore deal that was approved by the government on January 13, 2021HAL chairman R Madhavan had said earlier this year

Sweden’s Saab JAS 39 E/F Gripen, China’s Chengdu J-10 and the joint Chinese and Pakistani JF-17 are the other fighter crafts battling for the top spot.

JF-17 | The National Interest

The first flight of Tejas Mark 2 is expected to be in 2023 with series production to begin by 2026.

Light Combat Aircraft MK-1A to take flight in June.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Air Power Asia

Dubai International (DXB) retained its status as the world's busiest international airport in December with 35.42 lakh seats, according to the UK-based global travel data provider OAG. Dubai is comprehensively ahead of the second-ranked London's Heathrow Airport with over a million more seat capacity.

DXB returned to 100% operational capacity in mid-December with all terminals, concourses, lounges, restaurants, and retail outlets operating after the opening of the final phase of Concourse A at Terminal 3, which was expected to serve more than 16 lakh passengers in the second half of December in the peak seasonal travel period.

2021AIRPORT NAMESEATS1Dubai International Airport35.42L2London Heathrow Airport25.06L3Amsterdam Schiphol Airport24.26L4Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport22.83L5Istanbul Airport20.95L6Frankfurt International Airport20.43L7Doha Hamad International Airport17.65L8Madrid Adolfo Suarez-Barajas Airport15.17L9New York J F Kennedy International Airport13.38L10Miami International Airport11.29LTop 10 Busiest International Airports by Seats (international frequency only) - December 2021 (OAG)

Dubai airport traffic reached 1.06 crore passengers in the first half of 2021 and it was expected that the numbers would reach 2.89 crores by the end of 2021.

According to OAG data, other airports that made to the top 10 busiest international airports include Paris Charles de Gaulle at 22.83 lakh seats, Istanbul at 20.95 lakh, Frankfurt International at 20.43 lakh, Doha at 17.65 lakh, Madrid Adolfo Suarez-Barajas at 15.17 lakh, New York JF Kennedy Airport at 13.38 lakh and Miami International Airport at 11.29 lakh.

The busiest international airports rankings are based on scheduled capacity in December and compared to the equivalent month in 2019, pre-pandemic. The top 10 busiest international airports are calculated using international seats only while the top 10 busiest airports in the world are calculated using total capacity — both domestic and international.

DXB was ranked second among the world's 10 busiest global airports by seats (both domestic and international) in December, jumping one position when compared to 2019.

RANKROUTEROUTE NAMESEATS1DXB-RUHDubai -Riyadh284,5522CAI-JEDCairo-Jeddah282,4133DXB-LHRDubai -London Heathrow253,5674JFK-LHRNew York JFK-London Heathrow222,8905DXB-JEDDubai -Jeddah214,0066MCO-SJUOrlando-San Juan177,9627BAH-DXBBahrain-Dubai175,8948DXB-KWIDubai -Kuwait159,8229DXB-KHIDubai -Karachi156,89010KUL-SINKuala Lumpur-Singapore Changi155,786Top 10 Busiest International Routes - Global (OAG)

Dubai has seen capacity increased by 15%, adding almost 5 lakh seats in December, and has moved up from 7th busiest in November to the second busiest global airport in December. There is just one Chinese airport in the top 10, Guangzhou in 4th place, as Shenzhen drops out of the rankings. The US airports dominate the top 10 global airports list.

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International airport topped with 44.19 lakh seats followed by Dubai International at 35.42 lakh seats, Dallas/Fort Worth International at 35.32 lakh, Guangzhou at 35.13 lakh, Delhi at 33.48 lakh, Tokyo International or Haneda at 33.47 lakh, Chicago O'Hare International at 33.45 lakh, Los Angeles International at 32.77 lakh, Denver International at 32.31 lakh and Miami International at 27.49 lakh.

DXB was ranked second among the world's 10 busiest global airports by seats.

In November, Delhi Airport was busier than Dubai International Airport (DXB) in terms of combined domestic and international seat capacity deployed by airlines. But with onset of winter comes phase of bad visibility which restricts flight operations in norther regions of Indian subcontinent. Additionally rapid spread of Omicron variant has played greater role in reduced passenger load factor of Indian airlines. As a result, Delhi has dropped out of the ranking list in December.

Moving forward into 2022, while Dubai's Mega Airport undisputedly will look to hold on to the busiest airport of the world tag. As for others, multiple factors ranging from pandemic and financial health to government policy will decide passenger growth.

ALSO READ - Delhi’s IGI airport busier than Dubai International in November

In a review conducted by Cirium, an organisation that specialises in offering aviation data to travel, finance, aerospace, and aviation industries, the airport has been ranked 8th for 'on-time performance' for the year 2021.

The Chennai International Airport is one of the top 10 large international airports in the world that ensures 'on-time' departures.

Chennai Airport ranked 8th in the world for 'On-Time Performance' in 2021.

Besides that, Chennai airport is the only Indian airport to figure in the top 10 positions of the list. The first three positions have been bagged by Itami Airport, Fukuoka Airport, and Haneda Airport respectively. Interestingly, all these airports are in Japan.

Cirium analysed as many as 70 international routes taken by flights at Chennai airport and found that the departures were 89.32% 'on-time'.

Sharing the news on its official Twitter handle, the airport also thanked everyone for enabling it to achieve the feat. The airport staff also had small celebrations on the premises to mark the achievement.

https://twitter.com/aaichnairport/status/1477647729840951296

Dr Sharad Kumar, the Director of Chennai Airport, gave the credit of this achievement to all the operating airlines. Speaking to The New Indian Express, he said, "Stakeholder engagement and collaborative decision making in airport processes has helped us gain passenger and industry confidence."

https://twitter.com/aaichnairport/status/1478740669288316934

“Air travel is gaining passenger confidence once again. We are anticipating increased footfalls and accordingly augmenting our facilities and services. Traffic figures indicate more than 80% recovery in domestic traffic. All our service partners are enthusiastic and eager to welcome international scheduled flights. Chennai Airport has worked out detailed plans to enhance operational capacity together with customer delight.We have already commissioned one rapid exit taxiway (C1 ) and two parallel taxiways (R&N ). This New Year will see the commissioning of the multi-level carparkings first, followed by the commissioning of new integrated terminal T2. We are on the drawing boards to shape up new and additional facilities to enhance the per hour handling capacit"Dr. Sharad Kumar, Director, Chennai Airport

This report has come at a time when the aviation industry is on the revival path and air travel is winning back passengers post the pandemic turbulence. Increased footfalls are forecast and accordingly, airports and airlines augment the facilities and services. The most recent traffic figures of Chennai Airport indicate more than 80% recovery in domestic traffic and is not far away from reaching pre-COVID levels. 

"Chennai achieving the 8th rank in On time performance among larger airports wouldn’t have been possible without consistent efforts of Airlines and stakeholders bringing synergy to smooth airport operations. It is a proud moment that an Indian airport is in the top 10. Kudos to the entire aviation fraternity of Chennai Airport."K.P. Kumar, Chairman, AOC, Chennai Airport

Cirium reviews the total number of flights in a given month for every airport globally in an ordered list, then looks at where the percentile demarcations fall. For the annual On-time performance review, Cirium takes the total number of flights in a given year for every airport. The firm’s on-time performance reporting for airlines and airports is an objective, third party perspective on on-time performance data, overseen by industry experts with an unbiased view of the industry.

The Bell 525 Relentless is the world’s first commercial helicopter to incorporate fly-by-wire flight controls, which delivers ‘superior handling qualities and an increased level of safety. It also features, among other things, characteristics that stabilise the aircraft without the need for input from the pilot.

The 007 World!

Fly-by-wire (FBW) is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface that provides a level of control previously unseen in a commercial helicopter.

Reportedly, the system will aid pilot situational awareness and reduce accidents.  In this design, sidesticks are mechanically connected to eliminate two pilots inadvertently fighting each other's control inputs. Though the lack of mechanical linkages elsewhere is touted as a safety advantage as it “results in fewer parts and fewer mechanical repairs”.

A pilot can initiate a turn and even retrim the aircraft on the way into it and the helicopter will maintain the attitude, heading, altitude and speed even if you are nowhere near the controls. It will prove particularly beneficial in high-workload situations where task saturation becomes an issue. you can very easily put the aircraft into a very safe operating condition and put eyes out of the window with less worry than you might normally have. Tactile cues, like those found on modern fixed-wing transport aircraft, have also been added to the controls, allowing the pilot to receive simple feedback about what the helicopter is doingBell senior vice-president of commercial programmes Matt Hasik

With a luxurious 88-square-foot cabin and space to fit 20 passengers in boardroom-style comfort, the Bell 525 Relentless features a four-display system and incorporate Bell’s new awareness, reactive and control (ARC) cockpit.  Bell designed and built the flight control system, which runs on three BAE Systems flight control computers and Moog electrohydraulic actuators.

Bell 525 Cockpit with Garmin G5000H touch screens | Bell

It is also the first commercial craft of its kind to include the Garmin G5000H, a glass touchscreen avionics suite for the flight deck that replaces knobs and switches with what they say are simpler controls and information, such as weather, charts, traffic, terrain and Global connectivity options, for the pilot. For the 525 it’s been rebranded as the ARC Horizon system.

Cabin Interiors | Robb Report

With three flight control computers and triplex electro-hydraulic actuators, the digital FBW control system provides full-authority stability, control and guidance; offering reduced pilot workload in pitch, roll, yaw and lateral and vertical motion.

In case of a double engine failure, the controls give the pilot a head start. If the pilot fails to lower the collective pitch to keep the rotor turning fast enough, the 525’s flight controls automatically lower the collective pitch immediately, ensuring rotor rpm will remain at or above 100%.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Bell Flight

The Madras High Court on Thursday, January 6 extended till January 11, the operation of an interim stay on the verdict of a single judge, which ordered the winding up of private airliner Spicejet for non-payment of USD 24 million to a Switzerland-based stock corporation.

This follows a remittance of USD 5 million, as directed by the single judge, earlier.

Meanwhile, Spicejet preferred an appeal challenging the judgment dated December 6 of the single judge R Subramanian, which ordered the winding up of the private carrier and directed the Official Liquidator attached to the High Court to take over its assets.

While allowing a company petition from Credit Suisse AG, the stock corporation registered under the laws of Switzerland, the judge on December 6 had held SpiceJet had miserably failed to satisfy the three-pronged test suggested by the Supreme Court in a similar case and hence had rendered itself liable to be wound up for its inability to pay its debts under Section 433 (e) of the Companies Act 1956.

The company petition had prayed for winding up of SpiceJet under the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 and appoint the Official Liquidator of the High Court as the Liquidator of SpiceJet with all powers under Section 448 of the Companies Act to take charge of its assets, properties, stock in trade and books of accounts.

According to the petitioner, SpiceJet, a private sector airline, had availed the services of SR Technics, Switzerland, for maintenance, repair and overhauling of aircraft engines, modules, components, assemblies and parts, which were mandatory for its operations.

Madras High Court

An agreement for such services for 10 years was entered into between SpiceJet and SR Technics on November 24, 2011. The terms of payments were also agreed upon. On August 24, 2012, a supplemental agreement was also entered into to change certain terms of the agreement.

The amendments included an extension of time for payment of money due under various invoices raised by SR Technics and also a deferred payment scheme. As there was a general increase in the cost, the 2012 supplemental agreement included adjustment of flight hour rates and escalation provisions were also made. The petitioner had been making repeated requests to SpiceJet to make payments under the various invoices.

Since it did not honour its commitment under the agreements with the SR Technics and that it was not in a position to meet its financial obligations, the petitioner issued a statutory notice. As there was no response, it preferred the company petition before the High Court to wind up SpiceJet and obtain a favourable order.

SpiceJet contended that it had agreed with the Swiss company for 10 years in 2011.

Aggrieved, Spicejet preferred the appeal. When it came up on Thursday, a division bench of Justices Paresh Upadhyay and Sathi Kumar Sukumara Kurup adjourned the matter till Monday, January 10. The operation of the interim stay will hold good till January 11, it added.

However, midway, it was discovered that the aircraft maintenance company did not have a valid authorisation from the Director-General of Civil Aviation between January 1, 2009, and May 18, 2015. The single judge had wrongly assumed SpiceJet had entered into the agreement despite knowing about the absence of DGCA approval and held that it could have terminated the agreement midway once it came to know of the absence of the official authorisation.

Termination was not a mandatory requirement. Once it (SpiceJet) came to know the fact, it stopped payments. There was no finding in the arbitral award that the air carrier was aware of the non-approval even before agreeing, the appeal said adding that an 'illegal claim' for dues would not come under the definition of 'debts' as stated in the Companies Act.