Jyotiraditya Scindia launches six new routes in the North-East, increasing aerial connectivity

Radhika Bansal

19 Oct 2021

Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, MoS, Civil Aviation, General Dr V K Singh (Retd.) virtually flagged off 6 routes, expanding the aerial connectivity of North-East India.

The routes commencing operations from October 18 are Kolkata – Guwahati, Guwahati – Aizawl, Aizawl – Shillong, Shillong – Aizawl, Aizawl – Guwahati, and Guwahati – Kolkata.

Flights on these routes will run every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, noted the Ministry of Civil Aviation in an official statement. Passengers will be flying on Alliance Air's ATR-72 aircraft along these routes.

Alliance Air ATR-72

Mr Scindia stated that most of the ATR-72 aircraft of Alliance Air is deployed on the northeastern routes.

“Mizoram is the gateway to North-East India. The city has an immense amount of importance for its tourism & economic sector. We are committed to giving wings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making it possible that every state’s uniqueness must be experienced by all citizens of the country. I assure you, that MoS General Dr V K Singh (Retd.) and I will personally visit Mizoram very soon.I am delighted to mention the fact that Alliance Air’s most ATR aircraft are deployed on the North-Eastern routes. Today, we are further establishing seamless connectivity across entire North-East India by connecting 4 cities with one flight. This underlines the due importance given to the North-East by the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the leadership of our Prime Minister. Under the UDAN scheme, we have connected cities that had no mention on the aviation map of the country. We have already started 60 airports, and 387 routes, out of which 100 routes are awarded in North East alone, & 50 are already operational. Moreover, In 2014, only 6 airports were operational in North East, now we have grown to 15 airports in a short span of 7 years. Therefore, this further highlights the due importance of the North-Eastern states for this government. In addition to this, under the KRISHI UDAN Yojna, we have identified 16 airports to enhance the export opportunities of the region establishing dual benefits of enhancement of cargo movements and exports.”Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation

Today’s flight launch has expanded the aerial connectivity of the North-East by connecting multiple states hitherto not connected via flights. The flight connectivity on these routes has been a long-pending demand of the natives of the regions.

These flights will open a seamless gateway and smooth aerial access option for nature lovers, travellers, tourists etc. Shillong is surrounded by hills from all sides. The city is famous for the presence of many well-reputed educational institutions, it is the hub of education for entire North-East India. Apart from being the beauty & education centre, Shillong also acts as the gateway to Meghalaya, the state famous for heavy rainfall, caves, tallest waterfalls, beautiful landscapes, and its rich heritage & culture.

Shillong, Meghalaya (Image Courtesy - TourGenie)

Aizawl is known as the home of the highlanders & is the seat of a rich tribal cultural extravaganza and is famous for its handicrafts. The town is blessed with exotic natural beauty. With these new flights, travellers from Guwahati, Aizawl and Shillong will get multiple options for onward connectivity to the rest of the country.

MoS R. Lalthangliana, MLA Robert Romawia Royte, along with other important members of the state cabinet took part in the event virtually from the Lengpui Airport, Aizawl, Mizoram. MoCA Joint Secretary Usha Padhee along with other senior officials of the MoCA were also present at the ceremony. With these new flights, travellers from Guwahati, Aizawl and Shillong will get multiple options for onward connectivity to the rest of the country.

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PM Modi to inaugurate Kushinagar Airport on October 20

Radhika Bansal

19 Oct 2021

On October 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open the Kushinagar International Airport.

Kushinagar is notable for being the location where Gautam Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana.

This ceremony will feature ambassadors from a variety of countries. Sri Lanka will also be represented at the inauguration ceremony by a special delegation.

“The inaugural flight will land at the airport from Colombo, Sri Lanka carrying 125 dignitaries and Buddhist Monks, highlighting the convenience to Buddhists across the world to visit the Mahaparinirvana Sthal of Lord Buddha,” the ministry said.

Earlier this week, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a review meeting regarding the arrangements for the inauguration ceremony of the international airport in the Kushinagar district.

(Image Courtesy - PIB Twitter)

"The International Airport at Kushinagar, the Mahaparinirvana site of Tathagata Gautam Buddha, will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister on October 20. Ambassadors of various countries are to participate in this ceremony of international importance. A special delegation is also arriving from Sri Lanka. Keeping in line with 'Atithi Devo Bhava', necessary preparations should be made for the grand welcome of foreign guests."CMO, Uttar Pradesh

During the review meeting, Adityanath gave instructions to officials to complete all the preparations on time and said that all efforts should be ensured to make this programme historic.

He had said that cleanliness should be ensured in the inauguration ceremony and all the officers should work to make the ceremony successful.

The airport, which aims to increase the tourist influx in the state, spans over 3,600 sqm and has been built for Rs 260 crores. Apart from that, around 300 passengers can be present during peak hours at the airport in Kushinagar which is an International Buddhist Pilgrimage Centre and is also the centre point of the Buddhist circuit with pilgrimage sites at Sarnath, Gaya, and Lumbini. 

(Image courtesy - PIB Twitter)

The airport will serve nearby districts in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and it will be a significant step toward increasing investment and job opportunities in the area.

The Kushinagar International Airport will not only put the pilgrimage site on the map of international aviation, but it will also help the region's economic development. It will boost the hospitality industry by promoting hotel businesses, tourism agencies, restaurants, and so on.

It will provide jobs for locals by opening up a plethora of feeder transportation services, local guide jobs, and other opportunities. Local businesses and products will gain international recognition. It will raise cultural awareness while also assisting in the preservation of local culture and traditions.

The development of Kushinagar's airport will aid in the development of Kushinagar as one of the four major Buddhist pilgrimage sites. It will contribute to Kushinagar achieving the prominence it deserves as a Buddhist Circuit stop. It will also lead to India's development as the world's first Buddhist centre and the spread of Buddhist principles throughout the world.

(Image Courtesy - Mint)

The airport will serve a population of over two crores, with a hinterland of around ten to fifteen districts, and will be a huge help to the large migrant population of Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Western / Northern Bihar. Exports of horticultural products such as bananas, strawberries, and mushrooms will also benefit from this.

The airport, which covers 590 acres, is licenced to operate B737-900 or equivalent aircraft.

Kushinagar Airport has a single 3.2-kilometre-long runway with a 45-meter-long apron that can accommodate four B737-900 planes at once.

The Union Cabinet had in June last year approved the Kushinagar airport's status as an international facility, stating it will offer improved connectivity to the important Buddhist pilgrimage site.

Kushinagar will be UP's third international airport after Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at Lucknow and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Varanasi.

(Image Courtesy - Amar Ujala)

The Centre has accorded in-principle approval for setting up of 21 greenfield airports across the country: Mopa in Goa; Navi Mumbai, Sindhudurg and Shirdi in Maharashtra; Bijapur, Hassan, Kalaburagi and Shimoga in Karnataka; Dabra (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh; Kushinagar and Jewar (Noida) in Uttar Pradesh; Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat; Karaikal in Puducherry; Dagadarthi, Bhogapuram and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh; Durgapur in West Bengal; Pakyong in Sikkim; Kannur in Kerala; Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh.

Out of the 21 airports, six greenfield airports namely, Shirdi in Maharashtra, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala, Orvakal(Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh and Kalaburagi in Karnataka have been operationalised.

Proposals for Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Kottayam in Kerala, Pantnagar in Uttarakhand and Purandar (Pune) in Maharashtra have also been received

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Domestic air passengers increased by 79.23% in September as compared to September 2020

Radhika Bansal

19 Oct 2021

The country's aviation regulator reported on Monday, October 18 that around 70.66 lakh domestic passengers flew in September, up 5.44% from 67.01 lakh in August. In July, June, May, and April, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reported that 50.07 lakh people, 31.13 lakh people, 21.15 lakh people, and 57.25 lakh people, respectively, flew within the country.

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had devastated the country and its aviation sector, was to blame for the sudden drop in domestic air traffic in May. According to DGCA data, IndiGo carried 39.69 lakh passengers in September, accounting for 56.2% of the domestic market, while SpiceJet flew 6.02 lakh passengers, accounting for 8.5%.

(Image Courtesy - BBC News)

According to the data, Air India, Go First (formerly known as GoAir), Vistara, and AirAsia India carried 8.53 lakh, 5.8 lakh, 6.12 lakh, and 4.13 lakh passengers in September, respectively. According to the report, the six major airlines' occupancy rates ranged from 63.7% to 78.8%.

The occupancy rate for SpiceJet was 78.8% in September, the DGCA noted. The occupancy rates for IndiGo, Vistara, Go First, Air India and AirAsia India were 73.6%, 72.4%, 74.1%, 63.7% and 68%, respectively, it added. The aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries because of the pandemic.

(Image Courtesy - News 18)

India resumed domestic passenger flights on May 25 2020 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The DGCA data mentioned that in September 2021, IndiGo had the best on-time performance of 95.5% at four metro airports -- Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

AirAsia India and Go First were at the second and third positions concerning on-time performance at the aforementioned four airports in August with 95.1% and 94.4% on-time performance, respectively, the DGCA said. All airlines in India have opted for cost-reducing measures such as pay cuts, leave without pay and layoffs to tide over the coronavirus-induced crisis.

Domestic passenger numbers, which had reached their highest post-COVID in February, started to decline after the second wave hit India starting March. The return of passengers started in June after cases declined and vaccinations picked up.

Passenger numbers are expected to rise even higher post-COVID in October, as people fly for both festive and leisure travel. According to travel analysts, the growth will continue as a result of vaccinations, a decrease in the number of cases, and the government loosening restrictions on airline capacity. Business travel is also on the rise, resulting in an increase in passenger numbers on key routes such as Delhi-Mumbai.

During the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, the government imposed a capacity cap to prevent the spread of infection. International commercial flights have been halted until October 30.

The restriction does not apply to international all-cargo flights, those under bilateral air bubble agreements, and those specifically approved by the aviation regulator.

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SpiceJet's Delhi-Tirupati flight flagged off by Aviation Minister

Radhika Bansal

19 Oct 2021

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia virtually flagged off SpiceJet's flight on the Delhi-Tirupati route on Sunday, October 17, the airline said.

https://twitter.com/jm_scindia/status/1449615844678545412?s=24

The airline will operate the flight three times a week till October 31, according to its statement.

From October 31, the flight on the Delhi-Tirupati route will be operated four times a week, it mentioned.

The airline already connects Tirupati with Hyderabad and Pune on its network, it stated.

https://twitter.com/flyspicejet/status/1449728917288284164?s=24

"It will connect the spiritual capital with the national political capital. Every year 3.5 crore devotees visit Tirupati," the minister said. 

“SpiceJet introduces new exclusive & one-stop flights from #Tirupati to the nation," the airline tweeted while sharing the pictures of the minister launching the flight.  

At the virtual event, along with the Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia; Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Civil Aviation, Gen V.K. Singh; CMD of SpiceJet, Ajay Singh; Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Usha Padhee were also present.

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How has the Indian Army improvised its drone formation in response to Chinese movements at LAC?

Prashant-prabhakar

19 Oct 2021

As tensions continue to rise on the Line Of Actual Control, the army has brought about major changes to the deployment of drones in the region. According to sources, it is counting on its fleet of Israeli Remotely Piloted Aircraft to keep a tab on the movement of the People's Liberation Army(PLA).

Ever since its stand-off with China that began in May 2020, the army has more than doubled its drone sorties at the LAC. Sources also say the force is also anticipating new satellite-link upgraded drones. Currently, the Israeli Heron Mk 1 is deployed for all-day surveillance in the region.

Initially, the drones were procured only for target sightings(way back in 2000) and now they have been transferred to the Army Aviation Corps from the artillery.

Sources further mention 4 new Heron Mk2 drones are on their way to be shipped to India and will be exclusively deployed in the LAC region.

Heron Mk II | FlightGlobal

Tech and specifications

The Heron Mk2 is an upgrade from its predecessor in that it comes with a more powerful engine and an improved radar. Additionally, it will have better endurance than its previous model.

The satellite-link technology would only further boost the range of transmission meaning the systems now can be fully exploited of their endurance capabilities.

With the "sensor to shooter" link clearly established, drones can now communicate with a central system which in turn, could coordinate with other operators of different systems, ensuring a highly precise "pinpointed firing" taking place.

What's even more interesting, is that with this technology, the footage streamed live by the drones operating at 30,000 feet could be monitored by anyone sitting in the war room in the South block of the national capital.Furthermore, efforts are on to occupy the existing squadrons of Advanced Light Helicopters( Dhruv) and Rudra (its armoured version) to their sanctioned strength.

Advanced Light Helicopter (Dhruv) | The Economic Times

The idea being that the Rudras could provide an effective cover to the Dhruv- which are generally deployed to transport soldiers. This could also mean more missions could be carried out in the strategically precarious high altitude regions of the LAC.

Rudra | The Economic Times

Project Cheetah

Apparently, the army is also leaning towards signing "Project Cheetah". Phase 1 of the project would see the drones upgraded with satellite links followed by Phase 2 wherein they would be integrated with missiles.

IAF to revive Project Cheetah. Heron drones to be now upgraded with missiles with technical support from Israel | DNA India

Spearheading this project is the Indian Air Force, which has tentatively budgeted the program for the quarter of the next fiscal year.

COVER: ThePrint

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Emirates paints Airbus A380 with the ICC Men T20 World Cup 2021 Livery

Admin

18 Oct 2021

Grand Ambitions

Emirates is one of the only airlines to have a dedicated in-house Aircraft paint shop and to top it up, it's the largest facility in the world. Located at Dubai International Airport, Emirates paint hangar is more than twice the size of a football field and operates 24x7.

Emirates A380 with T20 colours

Efficiency and Marketing

Aircraft livery is one of the most recognizable and visible aspects of an airline brand image. It is what people see in the sky, and the first thing passengers notice at their boarding gates. The paint coat also has a performance aspect to it, it has to withstand fierce weather conditions, including severe wind, bitter cold and searing heat, and an exterior coat that is clean of debris and imperfections improves aerodynamics and reduces fuel consumption. Building its own paint hangar has helped the airline to have better quality control and minimum disruptions at the same time utilizing it as a brand marketing campaign. Today, Aircraft are completely stripped after 7-8 years in service and given a brand new coat. A Boeing B777 requires a team of 26 to 30 people for a full strip-and-repaint project, which is turned around in just 12 to 13 days.

Indian Players

India based MRO organization, Air Works group was the first to introduce aircraft livery and painting offering in the country. The Company acquired Air Livery, UK and Aero Technique Espace (ATE), France to become Europe's largest independent aircraft painting or refinishing company in 2010.

Today, Air Works operates a dedicated 2500 sqm Narrow body hangar at its maintenance facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. The state-of-the-art hangar can accommodate 1 Narrowbody or Turboprop aircraft such as Airbus A320 family, Boeing B737NG family, ATR-42/72, or 2 Business jets at a time, or as many as 4 rotary-wing aircraft simultaneously.

Images - Emirates, Dubai Press

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