Jyotiraditya Scindia meets US aerospace giants for boosting collaboration with India

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held discussions with American aerospace giants on further strengthening collaboration with the industry in India.

Scindia arrived in New York on Thursday, April 28 for the first leg of his visit to North America and began his engagements with discussions with New York-based technology-powered, global air mobility platform Blade.

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1519731898892709888

On Thursday, April 28, he also interacted with members of the Indian diaspora during a session and reception hosted by the Consul General of New York Randhir Jaiswal.

Scindia’s engagements on Friday, April 29 began with a round table hosted by the US-India Business Council. The roundtable, attended by senior industry leaders, focussed on “ways to strengthen” collaboration between India and the US across the aviation sector.

“Had a productive interaction with members of @USIBC from the aviation community. Spoke about the growing focus & opportunities in regional connectivity & urban air mobility in India,” Scindia tweeted.

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1520021176457654272

Later, he met the vice president at aerospace and defence giant Raytheon Technologies Ambassador Paul Jones and Senior Vice President at American aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Rick Duerloo.

“Discussed potential collaboration for enhancing the civil aviation infrastructure ecosystem in India, including setting up MROs and furthering our GAGAN project,” Scindia tweeted, referring to the GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation, a Space-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organisation and Airports Authority of India to provide navigational services over Indian FIR (Flight Information Region).

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1520091980356673536

Scindia also had a detailed discussion with the vice president at Sikorsky Hamid Salim on deepening Lockheed Martin’s engagement with India, “including developments in the helicopter sector and setting up the offset and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facilities in India.”

Scindia will travel to Canada on Monday, May 2 where he will visit the Bombardier and Airbus facilities, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) headquarters as well as the Air India Memorial.

Airbus is planning to increase production for its single-aisle narrowbody A320-family jets in 2023, according to the planemaker’s CEO, Guillaume Faury. Airbus plans to roll out 65 jets per month by the summer of 2023.

However, the plane manufacturer remains cautious of increased disruptions to its Chinese supply chain due to the recent pandemic lockdown in the region. Airbus will closely monitor the chain going forward, Faury added. 

"The whole worldwide supply chain is complicated at the moment," Faury said. Recently, China has experienced a “severe and complicated” COVID-19 situation as cases continue to rise.  

Airbus plans to increase production of its single-aisle narrowbody A320-family jets in 2023

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Chinese carriers anticipate a 77% year-on-year decrease in air passenger traffic during the Labour Day holiday period between April 30, 2022, and May 4, 2022. 

During a press conference on April 28, 2022, Liang Nan, director of the Transportation Department of the CAAC, announced that airlines in China expect to carry just 2 million passengers during the five-day holiday period. Chinese carriers anticipate a 77% drop in passenger traffic during the Labour Day holiday period. 

Airbus’s A320 family comprises the A319/A320/A321ceo variants as well as the A319/A320/A321neo variants.  

In Airbus’s recent orders and deliveries data for March 2022, its single-aisle aircraft accounted for the bulk of its order book. The A320neo and the A321neo models were the most popular models with 88 and 83 gross orders. 

Airbus’s A320 family comprises the A319/A320/A321ceo variants as well as the A319/A320/A321neo variants.  

The A321neo, which is available in two seating configurations as a 180 or 220-seater, is Airbus’s longest-fuselage single-aisle aircraft of its A320 narrowbodies. 

The A321neo aircraft offers a comfortable inflight experience with features such as premium black leather seats, amply-sized overhead compartment bins, ambient lighting technologies that reduce jetlag, improved air quality, and reduced noise emissions.

Airbus is eager to set a roadmap for increased production that will maintain its dominance over Boeing in single-aisle jets even as the 737 Max model racks up orders following a near two-year grounding after two fatal crashes.

Safran SA of France, which makes turbines for Airbus’s best-selling A320 jets with General Electric Co., and Germany’s MTU Aero Engines AG

The A320 backlog runs for several years so the increased output would both lift revenue and cut waiting times, spurring orders from airlines eager to add planes.

Airbus SE secured an 18-month extension to key engine-supply contracts as it cranks up narrow-body plane production in a bid to consolidate its lead over Boeing Co. coming out of the coronavirus crisis.

Safran SA of France, which makes turbines for Airbus’s best-selling A320 jets with General Electric Co., and Germany’s MTU Aero Engines AG, a supplier of a rival Pratt & Whitney engine, said Friday, April 29 they’ve agreed on deals through 2024.

Scoot, the low-cost arm of the Singapore Airlines Group, has launched daily flight services between Thiruvananthapuram and Singapore, up from its previous thrice-weekly flight service. The increase in frequency will allow Scoot to better support travel demand on the route.

Similarly, the daily services of the airline which has a network of 42 destinations in 16 countries and territories, including Australia and Southeast Asia, will also benefit tourists to and from Kerala and the southern part of Tamil Nadu.

Scoot commences daily flights between Thiruvananthapuram and Singapore

The daily flight service will be operated by Scoot’s A321 neo aircraft, which endeavours a larger passenger capacity of 236 seats, 50 more than the A320neo, and more fuel-efficient engines, offering customers a comfortable in-flight experience.

The A321neo aircraft offers a comfortable inflight experience with features such as premium black leather seats, amply-sized overhead compartment bins, ambient lighting technologies that reduce jetlag, improved air quality, and reduced noise emissions.

The number of passengers and air traffic movement at Thiruvananthapuram international airport has increased significantly during the summer schedule.  

The daily flight service will be operated by Scoot’s A321 neo aircraft, which endeavours a larger passenger capacity of 236 seats

Scoot Pte. Ltd (formerly Scoot Tigerair Pte. Ltd.), trading as Scoot, is a low-cost long-haul subsidiary airline of Singapore Airlines (SIA). Established by Singapore Airlines in 2011, Scoot commenced operations in June 2012 in Sydney and Gold Coast.

SIA utilised Scoot to leverage the rising challenge from LCCs in key markets. Scoot initially launched operations with four Boeing 777-200s in a two-class configuration and later switched its fleet to over 15 787-8/9 aircraft, all sourced through parent SIA.

The government has approved selling its 51% stake in helicopter services provider Pawan Hans Ltd (PHL) along with a transfer of management control for INR 211.14 crore to Star9 Mobility Private Ltd, the Finance Ministry said on Friday, April 29.

PHL is a 51:49 joint venture of the government and ONGC providing helicopter and aero mobility services. ONGC had earlier decided to offer its entire shareholding to the successful bidder identified in the GoI strategic disinvestment transaction, on the same price and terms as the government.

The government sells its stake in Pawan Hans to Star9 Mobility for INR 211.14 crore

"The Alternative Mechanism, empowered by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, … has approved the highest bid of M/s Star9 Mobility Private Ltd for sale of entire GoI's shareholding (51% of shareholding) of Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) and transfer of management control," an official statement said.

The Reserve Price for the sale of 51% shareholding of PHL was fixed at INR 199.92 crore, based on the valuation carried out by the transaction adviser and asset valuer. The government had received three bids for the Pawan Hans sale.

"M/s Star9 Mobility Private Ltd, a consortium of M/s Big Charter Private Limited, M/s Maharaja Aviation Private Limited and M/s Almas Global Opportunity Fund SPC; emerged as the highest bidder quoting INR 211.14 crore, which was above the Reserve Price. The other two bids were for INR 181.05 crore and INR 153.15 crore. Following due deliberations, the financial bid of M/s Star9 Mobility Private Limited has been accepted by the Government."Ministry of Finance

Star 9 Mobility has an authorized share capital of INR 1,00,000 and a paid-up capital of INR 1,00,000. It is involved in auxiliary transport activities and activities of travel agencies, among others. Ramen Raymandal, Sumit Sawhney and Vipul Rashmikant Dave are the company directors.

Captain Sanjay Mandavia’s Big Charter Pvt Ltd, which operates regional airline flybig, owns a 26% stake in Star9 Mobility. Delhi-based charter operator Maharaja Aviation Pvt Ltd owns 25% of it, giving substantial ownership and effective control to Indian entities.

Cayman Islands-based Almas Global Opportunity Fund SPC, which is managed by UAE’s Almas Capital, has a 49% stake in the consortia that have won PHHL. The consortium is learnt to have big plans for PHHL.

PHL is a 51:49 joint venture of the government and ONGC providing helicopter and aero mobility services.

The Alternative Mechanism comprises Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

ALSO READ - Government gets financial bids in the fourth attempt for Pawan Hans stake

In the fourth iteration, the government invited EoIs on December 8, 2020. Seven EoIs were received and four interested bidders were shortlisted as qualified bidders. After detailed due diligence, the qualified bidders were invited to submit financial bids, following which three financial bids were received.

The CCEA approved the strategic disinvestment of the entire GoI stake in PHL in October 2016. The transaction had been attempted thrice in the past. In the fourth iteration with the request for Expressions of Interest (EoI) invited on December 8, 2020, seven EoIs were received and four interested bidders were shortlisted as qualified bidders. After detailed due diligence, three financial bids were received.

The company has a fleet of 42 helicopters with 41 of them owned by the company.

The helicopter firm has incurred losses in FY19, FY20 and FY21. The company has a fleet of 42 helicopters with 41 of them owned by the company.

The owned helicopters have an average age of over 20 years and three-fourths of them are presently not being manufactured by the original equipment manufacturer.

With this privatisation, it is expected that the strategic buyer will revitalise the company by replacing the ageing fleet through the infusion of fresh capital and improve the performance of the company, according to the government statement.

French investigators have released details showing how Air France pilots were making opposing movements to control their Boeing 777 aircraft during a serious incident while landing in Paris.  

The Air France 777-300ER, registered F-GSQJ, was carrying out flight AF011 from New York-JFK (JFK) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) on April 5, 2022, when the pilots broke off the approach.  

The pilots reported to the air traffic control that the plane was unresponsive to controls. In ATC audio published online, the crew can be heard struggling and calling “Stop, stop,” while warnings sound in the flight deck.   

French investigators release an update on the Air France B777 approach incident

The Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) released an update on the investigation on April 27, 2022. The update explains that the aircraft was functioning normally and that, so far, the control inputs made by the pilots match with what the plane did. However, the data shows both pilots making opposing movements of the controls during the go-around procedure.  

“No anomaly was observed on the aeroplane,” the update states. “At this stage, the analysis of the parameters does not show inconsistencies, in particular between the movements of the controls and the movements of the aeroplane.” 

While the BEA does not explain a potential miscommunication, the information provided to La Tribune hypothesized that the incident could be a result of high stress, exhaustion, and poor weather conditions leading to confusion over the distribution of tasks.

Boeing 777 is equipped with control columns that move in sympathy with each other to aid coordination.

The Boeing 777 is equipped with control columns that move in sympathy with each other to aid coordination. Experts say only one pilot is usually expected to be actively flying at a time.

If opposing forces on the two columns pass a certain limit, the link between them is deactivated or "desynchronised" to prevent accidents in the case of one side getting jammed.

About 20% of accidents take place on approach or landing, more than any other flight phase, according to Airbus data.

What happened with Air France B777? 

The incident started at 07:50:20 UTC when the aircraft, with 15 crew and 177 passengers on board, was on approach to runway 26L at CDG. The first officer was the pilot flying and at an altitude of 1,670 ft, he disconnected the autopilot to perform the approach manually.  

Air France Pilots lose control of their Boeing 777 during the final approach

Less than a minute later, the first officer “expressed his astonishment” regarding the plane’s bank angle. The aircraft was turning left with a small bank angle, matching the inputs made by the pilot. The Captain also seemed surprised at the deviation from the flight path.  

At 07:51:12, when the aircraft was at an altitude of 1,115 ft, the crew decided to perform a go-around. At that point, investigators noted, the 777 was banked 7° to the left, with the yoke also turned to the left. However, the approach was still within the criteria for a “stable approach” at that point, meaning the pilots could have continued the approach.  

During the go-around, the confusion seemingly increased, with the pilots battling each other on the controls of the Boeing. In multi-crew aircraft, one pilot’s role is to fly the aircraft and make the relevant control inputs (pilot flying), while the other monitors the flight path, and aircraft and handles communications (pilot monitoring).

During the go-around on the Air France flight, the captain was making nose-down inputs, while the first officer was pulling back on the controls. In addition, within one second of the go-around, the control wheel moved more to the left and the aircraft banked more to the left. 

It took until 07:52:06, for the captain to become the only person making control inputs. The update did not make mention whether the captain called that he was taking control of the aircraft. It is standard practice to call “I have control” to indicate who is in control and flying an aircraft.  

The repeated control inputs also led to the “push-to-talk” and autopilot disconnect switches being pressed inadvertently, investigators said. 

During the go-around on the Air France flight, the captain was making nose-down inputs, while the first officer was pulling back on the controls.

“The sustained input on the controls led to the PTT button and the AP disconnect switch being involuntarily pressed, the latter action causing several activations of the associated warning,” the BEA said.   

After completing the go-around, the crew analyzed the situation and then performed a landing on runway 27R without further incident. 

Investigators will continue their analysis, with a focus on the forces on the controls and how these forces corresponded to the movement of the controls.  

At least seven IndiGo pilots were allegedly found using offensive language over salary issues on a frequency used for emergency communications, sources said on Thursday, April 28.

On April 9, these pilots were allegedly found venting their ire over low salaries by using offensive language on 121.5 MHz frequency, which is used for emergency communications only for the aircraft in distress.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a probe into the matter. IndiGo is yet to state the development, the sources said.

IndiGo pilots were investigated for using obscene language on emergency radio frequency

Frequency 121.5 MHz, used for emergency communications, has to be compulsorily monitored by the air traffic controllers who are in the vicinity of the aircraft. For air-to-air communication among the pilots of different aircraft, 123.45 MHz frequency is used, which is not monitored by the air traffic controllers.

A few days after the incident, the IndiGo flight operations department sent a memo to pilots reminding them to maintain discipline during radio transmission.

”Radio transmission is one of the measurable parameters of professionalism and discipline in an airline and IndiGo prided itself on being near-exemplary in this aspect. Unfortunately in the recent past there have been acts of misuse of radio transmission which have been identified and are being suitably dealt with."Rakesh Srivastava, Chief Pilot, Quality Assurance and Operations Safety, IndiGo

Misuse of the 121.5 frequency is dealt with seriously in developed aviation markets like the US where the first violation can cost the perpetrator as much as USD 19,246, with ongoing violations fines running to as much as USD 144,000.

IndiGo is India’s largest passenger airline with a market share of 55.5% as of January 2022.

Rules of US aviation regulator FAA state that in such cases, the violator’s radio equipment can also be confiscated, and possible criminal charges filed.

ALSO READ - IndiGo pilots suspended for planning a strike to protest pay cuts

Days before the incident, IndiGo had suspended a few pilots who were planning to hold a strike on April 5 against the pay cuts effected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the peak of the pandemic, the airline had cut the salaries of its pilots by as much as 30%.

IndiGo has a total destination count of 97 with 73 domestic destinations and 24 International.

ALSO READ - IndiGo partially restores pilot salaries by 8% from April 1

On April 1, IndiGo announced its decision to increase the salaries of the pilots by 8%, saying another 6.5% hike will be implemented in November in case there are no disruptions.

IndiGo is India’s largest passenger airline with a market share of 55.5% as of January 2022. Since its inception in August 2006, the airline now has a total fleet of 276 aircraft. IndiGo has a total destination count of 97 with 73 domestic destinations and 24 International.

Aviation Minister urged for the justice

Meanwhile, on Thursday, 28 April, the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) wrote a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, urging him to deliver justice for the pilots "who have been forced to resign following their suspension from Indigo airlines."

"The human resources department of Indigo airlines has reacted in a manner which is highly arbitrary and has suspended the pilots initially. In a mafioso manner they have then proceeded to force the pilots to tender their resignation. The pilots had no option but to comply thereby furthering the feeling that there is no fair representation for the pilots."Airline Pilots Association (ALPA)

The association noted in its letter that the pilots were suspended for discussing the formation of a trade union for adequate reception of their concerns.

The association also apprised the minister of "the exploitation of pilots in general that is taking place in various airlines in India post the pandemic."

The letter sent by Airline Pilots Association (ALPA)

"Fatigue risk management is another sore point that the airline industry needs to urgently implement to mitigate the risk present in flying in a large country daily," the ALPA letter added.

The ALPA alleged that the human resources department of IndiGo is colluding with its counterparts in other airlines to prevent these pilots from seeking employment elsewhere. The ALPA is not a union of IndiGo pilots. It consists of former pilots of various Indian carriers.

In its letter, the ALPA requested Scindia to intervene urgently to save the pilots who went above and beyond the call of duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.