Jet Airways requests DGCA to ask SpiceJet to take down their livery from its aircraft

Radhika Bansal

29 Jun 2022

Jet Airways has asked the aviation regulator DGCA to direct SpiceJet to remove its livery from the budget carrier's aircraft as it misleads the public about the identity of the operator and is also a safety hazard. Each airline has its livery -- a specific paint scheme comprising a logo that is applied on aircraft.

In a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on June 21, Jet Airways stated, "After the stoppage of our operations in 2019, several aircraft were returned to the lessors and then leased out to some Indian operators such as SpiceJet."

Many of these airplanes continue to fly in full Jet Airways' colours on the fuselage and tail with Jet Airways' name blanked off and overwritten by decals (a vinyl wrap), it added. "Also, the Jet Airways logo on the tail has been painted over, but is still discernible if one looks carefully," it mentioned.

Jet Airways requests DGCA to ask SpiceJet to take down their livery from its aircraft

The letter also noted that some of these aircraft have been involved in accidents or incidents, the photographs of which have been widely circulated in media.

One such example is the runway excursion of a SpiceJet B737 aircraft in Mumbai in 2019 where Jet Airways' colour scheme and part of the logo is prominently visible in the photos still available on the internet, it mentioned.

Jet Airways received its renewed air operator certificate (AOC) from DGCA on May 20 this year and it is planning to start commercial flight operations in September.

ALSO READ - Jet Airways returning with a hybrid premium and no-frills model, first flight likely by October 2022

Many of these airplanes continue to fly in full Jet Airways' colours on the fuselage and tail with Jet Airways' name blanked off and overwritten by decals (a vinyl wrap)

SpiceJet has 90-odd planes in its fleet. Some of the B737 aircraft it has been with Jet Airways before the latter went bankrupt in 2019.

Airline liveries are fundamental statements of branding and corporate identity and all operators endeavour to make theirs as distinctive and readily recognisable as possible, Jet Airways stated in its letter.

Therefore, it is evident that an operator flying its aircraft in another airline's livery has a serious potential to mislead the public about the identity of the operator, something which cannot be taken lightly, it mentioned.

SpiceJet has 90-odd planes in its fleet. Some of the B737 aircraft it has been with Jet Airways before the latter went bankrupt in 2019.

"This is also a safety hazard as it can confuse ground staff and crew operating other aircraft about the identity of the aircraft in question, for example when following ATC (air traffic controller) directions," it stated.

This problem becomes even more egregious when such aircraft are involved in undesirable situations like accidents, incidents, or interception in foreign airspace, it mentioned.

"May we request your office to issue necessary directions to all operators to use only their authorised livery as filed with the DGCA compulsorily, and to remove all vestiges of other airline liveries from their aircraft. As we plan to begin operations in September and expect to have aircraft in our livery delivered to us in July this year, an early action from your good office to ensure all such unauthorised liveries are removed by July would be highly appreciated."Jet Airways

Commenting on the matter, a SpiceJet spokesperson told PTI in a statement, "We have not received any communication from the DGCA. The older planes are being phased out and many have already left the fleet. They are being replaced by the 737MAX."

Jet Airways, in its old avatar, was owned by Naresh Goyal and had operated its last flight on April 17, 2019. The Jalan-Kalrock Consortium is currently the promoter of Jet Airways.

ALSO READ - Jet Airways places Airbus in the lead for USD 5.5 billion aircraft order

Airbus is the favourite to win a USD 5.5 billion order from Jet Airways for A320 and A220 aircraft. The airline is in talks with plane manufacturers, and a spokesperson said final negotiations were on with lessors and plane manufacturers for its fleet.

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Flying training activities won't slow down due to the suspension of FTOs - DGCA

Radhika Bansal

29 Jun 2022

The recent suspension orders issued by the civil aviation regulator to flight instructors of five flying training organisations (FTOs) will in no way slow down the training of cadets or cause problems for Commercial Pilot License (CPL) holders wanting to keep their licenses valid, clarified the director-general, civil aviation on Monday, June 27.

In all the five cases, other instructors have taken on the job responsibilities, earlier handled by the suspended instructors.

ALSO READ - DGCA reviews 30 flying training organisations; suspends certified flight instructors

"The Chief Flight Instructor (CFI) and deputy CFI of Pioneer, Aligarh have been suspended for one year. The FTO continues to be functional as a new CFI has been appointed," said Arun Kumar, director general, civil aviation.

Flying training activities won't slow down due to the suspension of FTOs - DGCA

Similarly the CFI of Madhya Pradesh Flying Club, Indore has been suspended. "They already have 3 more CFI/Dy. CFI," he said. The Dy. CFI and CFI of TSAA, Telangana has been suspended. But the school has one more CFI, he said.

The FTO approval of SVKM, Shirpur has been suspended for 21 days. It's a small FTO with only 3 aircraft.

Chimes aviation academy's FTO has been suspended till its runway in Dhana is re-carpeted, which is routine work which needs to be carried out after years of wear and tear.

ALSO READ - DGCA suspends operations of 2 flying training schools due to serious safety concerns

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had suspended the FTO approval of Chimes following an inspection which revealed the runway had loose gravel and uneven surface and was unsafe for flying.

Chimes aviation academy's FTO has been suspended till its runway in Dhana is re-carpeted, which is routine work which needs to be carried out after years of wear and tear.

In the case of Shirpur FTO, three of its aircraft were found to have a dysfunctional fuel gauge indicator. Despite that, these planes were being operated.

“The flying operations at this school have been stopped for three weeks. It will be allowed to operate only when things are in order,” said Kumar.

Following a spate of accidents and incidents involving FTOs in India, the director general ordered a special safety audit of all FTOs, which began on March 21.

The audit had found that in some schools, student pilots were not appropriately briefed and trained on emergencies and essential exercises before being released for solo flights or cross-country flights.

Similarly the CFI of Madhya Pradesh Flying Club, Indore has been suspended.

In some FTOs, the instructors, student pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers were found to have skipped the mandatory breath-analyzer test (BA) test, while in others the BA equipment was not in compliance with the requirements, said the official.

Another violation was false logging. In a few cases, the dual flight was found to be logged as a solo flight, in other cases, the taxi time was calculated towards the instrument flying time of the student pilot, the audit found.

Some FTOs were found operating aircraft with faulty fuel gauges, stall warnings etc; others had poor emergency response plans with obsolete contact details.

ALSO READ - DGCA lays down roles and responsibilities to improve flight safety

(With Inputs from The Times of India)

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Vietjet to connect the coastal city of Da Nang with 5 Indian cities

Radhika Bansal

29 Jun 2022

Vietnamese airline Vietjet will connect its coastal city Da Nang with five cities as it looks to boost its presence in the largest country of the subcontinent.

The airline will connect New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru with the Vietnamese coastal city Da Nang. The new services will start within the third quarter of 2022 with four to seven return flights per week.

Vietjet currently operates four services between Vietnam and India, including New Delhi/Mumbai - Hanoi and New Delhi/Mumbai - Ho Chi Minh City. It has already announced its plans to launch two more routes, connecting New Delhi and Mumbai with the island city of Phu Quoc in September 2022.

Vietjet to connect the coastal city of Da Nang with 5 Indian cities

ALSO READ - Vietjet to resume India-Vietnam flights from April 29 with new routes

The services between Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi and New Delhi resumed on April 29th and April 30th, respectively, with a frequency of three weekly return flights on each route.

The announcement to commence five new routes was recently made at the Da Nang Investment Forum 2022, Vietjet said. The event also marks Vietjet's announcement to incorporate Da Nang's tourism symbol on its fleet to promote the city globally.

"Vietjet believes that the new routes announced today will continue to contribute to opening more opportunities, promoting economic, trade and business investment between Da Nang and other Vietnamese cities and regional destinations.Da Nang is Vietnam's one of the most attractive destinations for international tourists. Vietjet has transported nearly 22 million passengers from and to Da Nang so far and currently operates eight domestic and five international routes from and to the coastal city."Nguyen Thanh Son, President, VietJet

With many positive activities and connections with Da Nang along Vietnam's 'Central heritage road', Vietjet has constantly opened more routes, offering more flight options with diversified flight schedules and a happy experience for passengers on its new and modern fleet, the airline said.

VietJet expects decent load factors this summer season and announced the resumption of several other routes earlier this year. The carrier has reopened services and increased frequency on several international routes such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

VietJet expects decent load factors this summer season and announced the resumption of several other routes earlier this year.

The budget airline also plans to use the new Airbus A330 and A321XLR aircraft to develop new long-haul routes targeting Europe and Australia. Its goal is "to connect Vietnam to the world and bring the world to Vietnam."

VietJet Air is a low-cost carrier based in Hanoi Noi Bai Airport, Vietnam. The carrier began operating in December 2011 after several delayed attempts, initially with 3 A320 aircraft to Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. The carrier operates services across Asia.

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Air India unions submit arguments opposing the planned eviction of employees in Bombay HC

Radhika Bansal

28 Jun 2022

Air India unions have moved the Bombay High Court to challenge the proposed eviction of employees from staff colonies in Mumbai.

The unions argue that the airline’s letter asking employees to vacate office accommodation by July 26 amounts to a change in service conditions. This, they said, is a violation of the Industrial Disputes Act.

It requires companies to issue a notice to union members before enacting changes in-service conditions. Currently, around 1,600 families are residing in AI staff quarters at Kalina in Mumbai.

Air India unions submit arguments opposing the planned eviction of employees in Bombay HC

Aggrieved by the management action, Aviation Industry Employees Guild (AIEG), Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU) and All India Service Engineers Association (AISEA) have filed separate writ petitions for quashing the airline’s October and May letters to staff.

“The allotment of accommodation is provided till retirement/cessation of service, according to the Air India allotment rules. There is no provision for any unilateral and arbitrary termination as is sought to be in the present case,” AIEG said in its petition.

Also, the service engineers have pointed out that the airline could not have issued a letter seeking vacation of flats pending the conclusion of conciliation proceedings. The conciliation eventually failed.

The allotment of accommodation is provided till retirement/cessation of service, according to the Air India allotment rules.

Last September, the civil aviation ministry issued certain directions to Air India on the issue of staff retaining office accommodation. In turn, the airline asked employees to give an undertaking that they would vacate their homes within six months of disinvestment.

The employees issued a strike notice against it and the matter was referred to the labour commissioner's office for conciliation.

“How can the employees be evicted overnight during the monsoon just because of the privatisation of the airline? That is our plea,” said AIEG counsel Ashok Shetty.

In October 2021, the airline issued notices to 1200 Air India employees to give an undertaking that they would vacate their staff quarters in the Kalina area of Mumbai within six months of disinvestment.

ALSO READ - Air India employees plan to go to the Bombay HC to protest eviction from staff quarters

Employees took the call at a protest meeting on April 17 which was attended by Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar and NCP leader Vidya Chavan.

In October 2021, the airline issued notices to 1200 Air India employees to give an undertaking that they would vacate their staff quarters in the Kalina area of Mumbai within six months of disinvestment.

ALSO READ – Air India employees asked to vacate quarters

Air India's land and other properties were transferred to a Special Purpose Vehicle- Air India Asset Holdings Limited (AIAHL)

In May, India's central government had asked Air India to remind its employees residing in Delhi's Vasant Vihar and Mumbai's Kalina areas to vacate the premises by July 26.

The decision had been taken even before Air India's sale to the Tatas when the government decided that Air India's land and colonies in these areas would have to be vacated within six months after the privatization process is complete.

Air India's land and other properties were transferred to a Special Purpose Vehicle- Air India Asset Holdings Limited (AIAHL) during the privatization discussion and were never a part of the deal with the Tatas.

(With Inputs from Business Standard)

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India offers to set up production facilities for LCA Tejas and helicopters in Egypt

Radhika Bansal

28 Jun 2022

India has offered to set up production facilities for the manufacturing of light combat aircraft (LCA) as well as helicopters in Egypt as it pursues export opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa region.

A series of high-level engagements have taken place with the nation and the Egyptian Air Force chief is expected to visit India in a few days, during which expertise in manufacturing, as well as maintenance of aircraft fleet, will be showcased.

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari visited Egypt in November 2021 and attended the Air Power Symposium and Defence Exposition in Cairo.

The delegation includes three Su30 MKI and two C17 aircraft.

At present, a 57-member Indian Air Force delegation is in Egypt to take part in a tactical leadership programme at the Air Force school in Cairo. The delegation includes three Su30 MKI and two C17 aircraft.

Sources said the Egyptian Air Force has a requirement of close to 70 light combat jets, with a focus on local production and technology transfer. At present, the nation operates a mixed fleet of US, French and Russian origin jets and has been keen on setting up aeronautical manufacturing facilities.

Besides the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A that is on offer to the nation, Indian manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is also pitching its range of indigenous choppers like the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) as well.

Besides the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is also pitching its range of indigenous choppers.

“Be it the fixed-wing requirement or the rotary-wing requirement, India is offering to jointly set up production facilities there. There is a significant demand in that region for such aircraft and Egypt will be a good base,” sources said.

The Indian LCA is priced at around USD 42 million per unit, a price made possible given economies of scale after the IAF placed an order for 83 fighter jets of the Mk1A variant.

As reported, India has emerged as the frontrunner for a Malaysian requirement of light combat aircraft, with a package deal on the table that would include maintenance and spares for the nation’s Russian-origin Su 30 fighter jets.

The offer to Egypt is the latest in the series of efforts by India, which is vigorously pursuing export deals for its Tejas fighter jet with countries in Southeast Asia, West Asia, and North Africa.

The Indian LCA is priced at around USD 42 million per unit, a price made possible given economies of scale after the IAF placed an order for 83 fighter jets of the Mk1A variant.

ALSO READ - India: Top contender for Malaysia’s fighter jet order

As reported earlier, Tejas MK-1A emerged as one of the final two contenders for Malaysia’s LCA contract besides the Turkish-made Hurjet. Also, Tejas is said to have an advantage over Hurjet because the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is concerned about the procurement cost.

ALSO READ - HAL may delay delivery of LCA TEJAS – blames escalating composites price

HAL is expected to deliver the Tejas fighter jets to IAF from early 2024 onwards. The RMAF could become Tejas’s first overseas customer if HAL wins the contract, thereby only increasing the economics of scale for the company.

The LCA Tejas is a fly-by-wire (FBW) fighter with its Mark-1A variant having in-flight refuelling (IFR) capability that enables long-range missions.

India has offered a package deal on the table that would include maintenance and spares for the RMAF’s Russian-origin Su-30 fighter jets.

The LCA Tejas is a fly-by-wire (FBW) fighter with its Mark-1A variant having in-flight refuelling (IFR) capability that enables long-range missions. LCA Tejas is a fourth-generation fighter with supersonic speed, a 50,000-foot service ceiling, a glass cockpit, and a satellite-assisted inertial navigation system.

It has a wingspan of 8.20 meters, a length of 13.20 meters, and a height of 4.40 meters. The fighter jet can carry air-to-ground bombs and attack systems that can be used to strike targets on land or at sea.

ALSO READ - Tejas Mk II makes it to the list of top 4 light combat aircraft

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ONGC Sikorsky S-76D helicopter makes emergency landing in the Arabian Sea; 4 people dead

Radhika Bansal

28 Jun 2022

A helicopter carrying seven passengers and two pilots today made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea near the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) rig at Sagar Kiran in Mumbai High, the company said in a tweet.

Four people on board a Pawan Hans chopper have lost their lives. Three of them were ONGC employees. The brand new Pawan Hans Sikorsky chopper had nine persons, two pilots and seven passengers, on board.

PHL Helicopter VT-PWI ( Sikorsky76 D) Took off from Juhu at 10:54 AM for Sagar Kiran ONGC Rig. PHL Ops Room at Juhu was informed by ops room ONGC at 11:45 PM that the helicopter has ditched at sea.

PHL Helicopter VT-PWI ( Sikorsky76 D) Took off from Juhu at 10:54 AM for Sagar Kiran ONGC Rig.

The helicopter mishap occurred around 11:50 am, about 60 nautical miles west of Mumbai, near ONGC’s Sagar Kiran offshore rig. A total of nine people, including seven passengers and two pilots, were on board the chopper.

All nine survivors were rescued. Four survivors were picked by OSV Malviya 16, one by boat of Sagar Kiran oil rig & two each by Indian Navy ALH & Seaking helicopters. Four critical survivors are being evacuated to Juhu by Navy helicopters for management at ONGC hospital.

https://twitter.com/DefPROMumbai/status/1541706993215410177

The helicopter was forced to land using the floaters that are attached to such coppers that carry personnel and material from shore to offshore installations.

https://twitter.com/ONGC_/status/1541687071907098624

The helicopter, which had six ONGC personnel onboard, and one belonging to a contractor working for the company, was forced to land using the floaters that are attached to such coppers that carry personnel and material from shore to offshore installations.

The circumstances that led to the emergency landing were not immediately clear. Other details too were awaited.

The Indian Coast Guard is coordinating with the Indian Navy & ONGC for the mobilisation of the rescue effort

Coast Guard Aircraft dropped life rafts for survivors. The international safety net is being activated by MRCC. Coast Guard is coordinating with the Indian Navy & ONGC for the mobilisation of the rescue effort. OSV Malviya 16 is diverted by MRCC Mumbai to join the rescue operations.

ONGC has several rigs and installations in the Arabia Sea that are used to produce oil and gas from reservoirs lying below the seabed.

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