Kerala CM allegedly assaulted inside an IndiGo flight; DGCA asked for strict action

Communist Party of India (Marxist) Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala, Dr V Sivadasan, wrote a letter to Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Arun Kumar alleging assault on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inside a flight from Kannur to Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, June 13.

Sivadasan, in a letter dated June 13, said, “I would like to invite your attention to the heinous attempt to physically attack the Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan, posing a grave threat to his life and security in complete violation of Aircraft Security Rules and conventions, in the Indigo flight from Kannur to Thiruvananthapuram on June 13, 2022.”

https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1536548062461501440

Upper House MP Sivadasan further said the highly condemnable incident should be promptly investigated and stringent action should be taken against the offenders who have tried to assault the Chief Minister.

Two Youth Congress leaders in black shirts on board a private airline raised slogans in connection with the gold smuggling case against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who was also on the same flight on Monday, June 13.

A viral video shows a man pushing protesters on the flight to save Chief Minister Vijayan. Two Youth Congress leaders can be seen sitting in front of the steps of the plane where several passengers are seen coming out.

Kerala CM allegedly assaulted inside an IndiGo flight; DGCA asked for strict action

Three Youth Congress workers boarded the Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram Indigo flight by purchasing tickets at the last moment from the counter, paying around INR 12,000 per ticket. After the flight landed in Thiruvananthapuram around 4:50 PM, two of them got up and moved towards the CM’s seat raising slogans. The third worker didn’t take part in the protest but recorded the act on phone.

Jayarajan, who was behind the CM, pushed the workers who fell on the aisle. “The attempt to attack the chief minister happened when he got up to take his bag,” said Jayarajan who also alleged that the protesters were in an inebriated condition.  

Youth Congress State vice-president and former MLA KS Sabarinathan also released a three-second video on social media in which the two workers of the organisation were seen raising slogans against the Chief Minister seeking his resignation and a man, who accompanied the Chief Minister, pushing them away.

The Kerala gold smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels.

The airport officials later detained the two youth leaders and handed them over to the airport police. “Incident happened at around 5 PM when the two passengers raised anti-CM slogans while on board,” an airport official told ANI.

The incident was later reported to the aviation regulatory body of the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for investigation.

What is the Kerala gold smuggling case?

The Kerala gold smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth INR 14.82 crore was smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the customs department in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019.

It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth INR 14.82 crore was smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the customs department in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019.

However, the prime accused, Swapna Suresh, alleged that in 2016, M Sivasankar, the former Principal Secretary to the Kerala CM, had asked her to send the baggage to Dubai which belonged to Vijayan.

However, when the bag was brought to the consulate, it was found that it contained currencies and the entire gold smuggling business had begun from then.

Aviation rules and punishment

According to Rule 23 of Aircraft Rules, 1937, no person who is on board an aircraft shall indulge in the assault, intimidate or threaten any other person either verbally or physically.

According to Rule 23 of Aircraft Rules, 1937, no person who is on board an aircraft shall indulge in the assault, intimidate or threaten any other person either verbally or physically.

The next landing location will be the jurisdiction for taking cognisance of such an offence. If proven, the accused can be imprisoned for one year or slapped with a fine of Rs 5 lakh or both.

As per norms revised by DGCA in 2017, any passenger who verbally assaults a co-passenger or crew can be banned from flying for three months. Any passenger who assaults a co-passenger can be banned from flying for six months.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday, June 13 ordered a probe into the incident of forced landing by a trainee aircraft from the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) at Fursatganj in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli.

"IGRUA DA-40 aircraft VT-FGC involved in solo at IGRUA, Fursatganj Airfield Raebareli made a forced landing outside the Aerodrome boundary due to suspected power loss.The student pilot was released after the third solo check. Student pilot has 26:50 dual and one hour of solo experience. The student pilot is safe, however, the aircraft has suffered damages."DGCA Official

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, June 7, a Red Bird flight training organisation (FTO) Tecnam P2008 aircraft had a hard landing on Baramati runway in Maharashtra, in which there has been a heavy impact on the aircraft's nose landing gear.

IGRUA FTO trainee aircraft crash lands in UP, DGCA orders probe

However, on June 6, Cessna 152 aircraft VT-EUW of Gati-- a pilot training organisation-- crashed near Birasal airstrip in Odisha. In the accident, the propeller and nosewheel of the aircraft got damaged while the student pilot received minor injuries.

The incident took place after the said aircraft went out of the runway during the take-off roll when it was engaged in a solo circuit and landing at the Birasal airstrip.

ALSO READ - Trainer aircraft crashed on a farm near Aligarh, pilots safe

A Cessna 152 aircraft VT-EUW belonging to Government Aviation Training Institute (GATI) goes out of runway during take-off roll while engaged in solo circuit and landing at Birasal (Odisha).

A trainer aircraft crashed in Telangana’s Nalgonda on Saturday, February 26. The female trainee pilot, identified as 28-year-old G Mahima from Tamil Nadu, died in the crash. The details of other people on board are yet to be known. 

The aircraft – a Flytech Aviation Cessna 152 – had taken off from Macherla in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. It is believed that it hit an electric pole before crashing to the ground.

ALSO READ - Trainer Cessna aircraft crashes in Telangana, pilot dead

SpiceJet on Monday, June 13 announced that it has secured RA3 (Regulated Agent Third country) and ACC3 (Air Cargo or Mail Carrier operating into the Union from a Third Country Airport) certifications.

The certifications will allow SpiceJet to not only transport mail and cargo on its airplanes under its Air Operator Permit but also handle cargo and mail of other airlines for transporting to or via the European Union and the United Kingdom, airline officials said.

“These certifications are an attestation of our commitment to aviation safety and adherence to the highest and most stringent security standards in our operations. The new certifications will help SpiceJet gain new business opportunities from international airlines, freight forwarders, cargo agents, international couriers as it allows us to seamlessly carry cargo both to and via the European Union and the United Kingdom.” Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet

SpiceJet successfully cleared stringent cargo security audit and on-site verification to check compliance with the latest standards in European Union and the United Kingdom.

ACC3 and RA3 are supply chain security initiatives designed by the European Union to secure and regulate inbound air cargo and mail coming in from other countries.

ACC3 and RA3 are supply chain security initiatives designed by the European Union to secure and regulate inbound air cargo and mail coming in from other countries.

Currently, the airline’s operations at airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad and Kochi are ACC3 certified for both EU and the UK. Kolkata is certified for EU operations and is expected to receive certification for UK operations soon.

Similarly, SpiceJet operations at Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Kochi airports are RA3 certified for both EU and the UK while the airport in Goa is RA3 certified for EU and will soon be certified for the UK.

Air carriers that fly cargo or mail from a non-EU airport to an EU airport (ACC3) must ensure that all cargo and mail carried to the EU is physically screened or comes from a secure supply chain which is validated according to the EU regulations.

SpiceJet obtains certifications for international cargo operations in the EU and UK

SpiceXpress is an Indian cargo carrier headquartered in Delhi. The carrier is a dedicated cargo subsidiary of SpiceJet, operating international and domestic services to destinations worldwide using narrowbody equipment.

It is the first scheduled domestic airline to launch dedicated air cargo services in India. SpiceJet acquired a Boeing 737-700F on an operating lease for the cargo carrier. SpiceXpress launched service operations in September 2018, with a Delhi-Bengaluru service.

ALSO READ - SpiceJet hives profit-making arm SpiceXpress into a separate entity

In November 2021, SpiceJet chairman and MD Ajay Singh reported the LCC expects to complete the process of transferring its cargo and logistics services on a slump sale basis to its subsidiary SpiceXpress by the end of 2021.

SpiceXpress is a dedicated cargo subsidiary of SpiceJet, operating international and domestic services to destinations worldwide using narrowbody equipment.

Mr Singh said SpiceXpress will commence operations as a separate entity in January 2022. The logistics arm has a network that spans over 68 domestic and over 110 international destinations including the US, Europe and Africa.

The expansion of the cargo business remains crucial for the airline as in a pandemic hit global environment, the cargo operations have significantly aided the revenues of the airline. In Oct-Dec, cargo revenues contributed 35% to overall revenues compared to 22% in the year-ago period of the airline.

The Maharashtra government’s town planning authority, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), has handed over the entire 2,866 acres of land to Adani Enterprises, the concessionaire for the development of greenfield Navi Mumbai International Airport.

CIDCO has managed to evict all 3,070 structures in the project area of the proposed international airport, which will be the second airport for the country’s financial capital. The town planning body is also close to completing the rehabilitation of more than 5,000 families from the villages that fall under the area.

With this, CIDCO has achieved an important milestone in the development of the airport project, which is being developed by Navi Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (NMIAL), a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises.

CIDCO gives 2,866 acres of land to Adani for the development of Navi Mumbai airport

CIDCO is developing the international airport project on an area of or over 2,866 acres (1160 hectares) by acquiring 10 villages in the Panvel area of Raigad district near Mumbai.

Considering the contribution made by the PAPs from these villages for a nationally important project, CIDCO has already provided them with a comprehensive rehabilitation package as approved by the government of Maharashtra.

“CIDCO has successfully completed the important milestones of the airport project to date due to the cooperation of the PAPs (project-affected persons) of Navi Mumbai International Airport. The challenging task of clearing the airport site was no exception to it. The work of Navi Mumbai International Airport is proceeding as per the scheduled timelines and the project is on track."Sanjay Mukherjee, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, CIDCO

As part of this package, for the rehabilitation of those affected by the airport project, CIDCO is developing Pushpak Nagar, a complete rehabilitation and resettlement area with all the physical, social and cultural infrastructure near the airport area.

Public buildings, churches as well as public and privately owned a total of 56 temples have been relocated to the rehabilitation area and the idols have been shifted with the support of the PAPs.

“For this international airport project, CIDCO received excellent cooperation from the PAPs at every stage. So far, 3,070 buildings in the airport core area have been evicted by CIDCO. Rehabilitation of more than 5,000 families from these evicted buildings to the rehabilitation and resettlement area is near to completion."City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO)

A total of 27 constructions including community temples, schools and cemeteries have also been evicted. It has also completed all necessary and important pre-development works in the airport area.

ALSO READ - Adani Group completes financial closure of the Navi Mumbai airport

In March, Adani Enterprises’s subsidiary and concessionaire Navi Mumbai International Airport Private Ltd announced achieving financial closure for the greenfield international airport with the execution of financing documents with the State Bank of India. The SBI has underwritten the entire debt requirement of INR 12,770 crore for the airport project.

ALSO RAED - Adani prepares SBI funding of INR 15,000 crore for Navi Mumbai Airport

Navi Mumbai International Airport is a proposed green field airport project located in Mumbai’s Kopra-Panvel area. Navi Mumbai will be Mumbai's second airport. Upon its completion, Mumbai will be the first city in India to have more than one airport. 

The airport is being built through a public-private partnership between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Government of Maharashtra, together with Mumbai International Airports Ltd (MIAL) who is expected to hold 74% of the equity.

The airport will be able to host new-generation aircraft like the A380 and Boeing 747-8. India plans to issue a 30-year concession tender for the development and operation of the airport. 

Following 30 years of operation, a 10-year extension will be awarded based on the operational performance of the airport operator.

India's Ministry of Civil Aviation stated that any extension beyond 40 years and before 60 years of operation will be done using a bidding process, and the existing promoter has the right of first refusal.

AirAsia India's two A320 aircraft, which were heading from Delhi to Srinagar, returned to the national capital as they faced technical snags mid-air within approximately six hours on Saturday, June 11.

The Delhi-Srinagar flight I5-712, which was being operated on A320 aircraft with registration number VT-APJ, took off from the Delhi airport at around 11:55 AM. After the plane was mid-air for about half an hour, the pilot announced that the aircraft (VT-APJ) is facing a technical snag.

A320 VT-APJ aircraft safely returned to Delhi airport at around 1:45 PM with all the passengers.

AirAsia India's 2 aircraft return to Delhi within 6 hours due to technical snags mid-air

Another A320 aircraft with registration number VT-RED was arranged by the airline to conduct the I5-712 flight so that the stranded passengers could be taken to Srinagar.

Sometime after the second plane took off, the pilot announced that this aircraft (VT-RED) too has developed a technical snag and it will have to return to the Delhi airport. VT-RED aircraft safely returned to Delhi airport at around 5:30 PM with the passengers.

"AirAsia India confirms that flight from Delhi to Srinagar had to return to Delhi on account of a technical snag. The aircraft is being operated after rectification of the snag to recover continuity of operations to and from Srinagar.We regret the inconvenience and disruption to the travel plans of our guests and reaffirm our commitment to safety in all our operations."Spokesperson, AirAsia India

After two failed attempts at ferrying passengers to their destination, AirAsia India decided to offer them a full refund on their tickets. In addition, passengers were also provided with the option to book another AirAsia India flight within the next 30 days.

Airbus, which manufactures A320 aircraft, did not respond to PTI's request for a statement on this matter.

AirAsia India decided to offer the passengers a full refund on their tickets.

ALSO READ - DGCA orders probe after Air Arabia crew declares mayday; emergency landing in Ahmedabad

In the past few months, there has been a spurt in aircraft engine snags. The DGCA is investigating these snags faced by Indian carriers closely with the original equipment manufacturers. And now a foreign airline’s engine snag also joins its probe list.

ALSO READ – A320neo aircraft of Air India makes an emergency landing in Mumbai after mid-air engine shut down

Fixar - leading European software and aircraft design developer, has developed the FIXAR-025 - an autonomous full-electric drone, designed for large-scale missions for commercial and industrial applications.

Founded in 2018 by aerospace engineer Vasily Lukashov, the company holds a unique patented commercial drone design that is simpler and more reliable than other configurations. The company has a presence in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and provides world-class service through a network of distribution partners. 

@FIXAR_drones | Twitter

FIXAR 025

FIXAR

The FIXAR 025 is an autonomous full-electric drone designed to handle large-scale and long-range missions for commercial and industrial applications, such as mapping and inspections, aerial imaging, remote sensing, surveillance and monitoring.

It is fully electric and runs on lithium polymer batteries in comparison with similar-size solutions that run on fuel.

The low-maintenance and easy-to-use drone supports the integration of heavier and more sophisticated professional payload modules and is an excellent tool for safe and stress-free BVLOS missions assured by its advanced payload safety system, data backup BlackBox, UTM API and absence of any additional launch or landing equipment

Tech and specs

Aircraft typeHybrid (VTOL & fixed-wing)Max. take-off weight (MTOW)25 kg (55 lbs)Max. payload weight10 kg (22 lbs)Autonomous flightYesCruise speed85 km/h (52.8 mph)Maximum flight time3.5 hoursMaximum flight distance300 km (186 mi)Energy sourceRechargeable lithium polymer batteriesMax altitude5000 m (16 404 ft)FIXAR

XGROUND CONTROL SOFTWARE

Representative | FIXAR

The drone features a closed-source software that allows to build and edit a flight mission and monitor missions in real-time using 3D visualization for one or multiple drones simultaneously. The customization option is available for experienced operators who prefer to manually adjust mission parameters, such as turn angles, etc

FIXAR Autopilot

Representative | FIXAR

The autopilot software version 2.0 is impervious to confidential data breaches and is compatible with AI and LTE.

Customizable for heavy payloads

Featuring a high payload capacity of up to 10 kg (22 lbs), the drone can be equipped with a variety of heavier sensors and deliver results in fewer flights based on increased flight range and time. The FIXAR 025 drone is equipped with a payload safety system, which ensures the protection of the payload at every stage of the mission from take-off to landing.

The FIXAR Blackbox

AutoEvolution

The FIXAR BlackBox is an extended feature that allows the system to record complete and detailed information on onboard flight activities and parameters.

It consists of a lightweight separate module that records all flight data into technical logs and LogExport software to process these logs for user purposes. This feature allows the geotagging to be available to operators at any time, even if the drone is powered off.

The drone user or any other party is not able to interfere with or modify the logged data, and data extraction from the device is performed wirelessly for an effortless process.

The system comes with an API compatible with any unmanned air traffic management ecosystem regardless of the country of operations. This allows to easily comply to the air traffic authority rules, fulfill safety requirements and start missions at any location in no timesays Vasily Lukashov, Founder & CEO at FIXAR

Twitter

Serial production of the FIXAR 025 is slated to begin by the end of 2022 while pre-orders can be placed now.

https://mobile.twitter.com/FIXAR_Drones/status/1535140037523816450

With this model, we intend to answer a lasting market call for the increased flight range, payload capacity, and integration vastness. FIXAR 025 has a full-body lift design, the entire body of the UAV serves as a wing area, eliminating dead weight and increasing flight efficiency and lengthLukashov

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-UWasSK0Lk&t=10s

FIXAR Global

SOURCE(s)

COVER: AutoEvolution