Medical insurance for retired Air India employees finalised by the government

The government has finalised a solution to provide medical insurance to the 30,000 retired staff members of Air India who had opted for the post-retirement medical scheme, a huge relief for the ex-workers as this was not among the pre-conditions for transfer of the airline to the Tata Group, The Economic Times reported.

"Retired employees will get CGHS facility for their OPD requirement and National Health Insurance Scheme for their hospitalisation requirements," said a top government official, who did not want to be identified.

The number of retired employees at Air India is at about 50,000, of these, about 30,000 have opted for the post-retirement medical scheme.

Medical insurance for retired Air India employees is finalised by the government.

The official quoted above added that this is not a pre-condition for the transfer of the airline to its new owners - Tata Group - but was a big concern of retired employees. The government has assured retired employees that their medical benefits will continue and also provided job protection to all existing employees for 12 months from the transfer of the airline.

Air India has about 10,000 employees on its rolls as of the date and about 5,000 of them will retire in the next five years.

As part of its deal to sell Air India to the Tata Group, the government has also ensured that Tata Sons will have to retain all employees of the airline for one year as part of the share purchase agreement signed for the sale of Air India.

The Tata Group will have the option to offer employees of Air India a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) if they look to retrench employees after one year.

The Tata Group will have the option to offer employees of Air India a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) if they look to retrench employees after one year.

The government is also working on a plan to reinstate the salaries and allowances of Air India’s pilots in a phased manner and is looking to offer some shares of Air India before handing it over to the new owners. But a final decision on this has yet to be taken.

The Tata Group won a bid (through a holding company Talace) to buy a 100% stake in Air India along with AI Express and a 50% stake in ground handling company AISATS and the government plan to transfer ownership to the Tata group before the end of January.

While key approvals for the deal have come, the transfer cannot happen now owing to delays in the finalisation of the company's balance sheet and some approvals from international regulators as Air India has international operations.

Air India has about 10,000 employees on its rolls as of the date and about 5000 of them will retire in the next 5 years

After the handover, the Tata Group is likely to operate three airlines - Air India, Air India Express and Vistara - after the government transfers the airline to the group and upon the merger of AirAsia India and AI Express. The group, for the time being, plans to continue with Vistara as a separate entity, as SIA is not on board for the AI deal.

Vistara is a 51:49 joint venture between the Tata Group and SIA. SIA, however, had agreed to be part of the plan to acquire Air India but did not want to continue after Covid impacted their business and funds dried up.

As part of the revival plan, the Tata Group is also blueprinting a 100-day plan for Air India to improve the operational and service standards of the airline that includes its on-time performance, as well as issues related to passenger complaints and call centres.

Tata Group is likely to operate three airlines - Air India, Air India Express and Vistara - after the government transfers the airline to the group and upon the merger of AirAsia India and AI Express.

In December it emerged that Tata Group’s takeover of loss-making national carrier Air India was most likely delayed by a month till January as the completion of procedures were taking longer than expected.

As per the conditions in the share purchase agreement, all formalities of handover would have to be completed within 8 weeks, but this date can be mutually extended by the buyer and seller and is being done in this case. However, some regulatory approvals are yet to come in for the handover, and certain formalities are yet to be completed.

ALSO READ - Handover of Air India to the Tata Group postponed for a month

ALSO READ - Tata-owned Talace offered a loan of INR 35,000 crore from Air India lenders

IndiGo on Sunday, January 9 said it will cancel around 20% of its flights because of the surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant and waive change fees till March 31 in response to customer needs. Change fee is paid by a passenger to switch to a different flight date.

IndiGo waives rescheduling fees and may slash flights by 20% due to Omicron.

In a press release, the airline stated that owing to the increasing number of infections, a large number of IndiGo customers are changing their travel plans.

The airline encouraged the customers to digital channels since the call centres have been handling a large volume of calls.

”In response to customer needs, IndiGo is waiving change fees and is offering free changes for all new and existing bookings made up to January 31, for flights up to March 31, 2022.With reduced demand it will also selectively withdraw some flights from service. We anticipate that around 20% of our current scheduled operations will be withdrawn from service. Where possible, cancellation of flights will be done at least 72 hours in advance and customers will be moved to the next available flight and will also be able to change their travel through the use of Plan B (section) on our website."IndiGo's Press Release

Indigo had earlier also announced a Plan B for passengers who have had their flight cancelled or rescheduled due to Covid curbs or weather issues.

“If your flight is cancelled or rescheduled from our end, you need not worry. We have Plan B for you! With Plan B, you can change the time and/or date of your flight or cancel and process refund, at no additional cost," it had said. 

The Plan B offered by IndiGo is applicable if your flight has been cancelled, if your flight timing has been postponed by an hour or more from the scheduled time of departure, or postponed by 2 or more hours from the scheduled time of departure, the airline website notified.

“Once Plan B is availed, any further change or cancellation would be on a chargeable basis as per Indigo T&C," it further notified. 

The revision in capacity from the airline that caters to every six in 10 domestic passengers comes at a time airlines are being forced to fly relatively emptier aircraft. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s data, seat occupancy in various airlines was down to 55% to 70%.

The surge in cases has also brought down the number of domestic travellers — from above three lakh daily passengers to 2.6 lakh passengers on January 7. Passenger traffic in the first seven days of January had dropped by 16% compared to the same period in December.

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.