Russia plans to resume international flights to 52 "friendly" countries

Russia plans to end restrictions on flights to and from 52 countries after April 9, part of its plans to reduce measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Monday, April 4.

Russia plans to resume flights to and from Argentina, South Africa and other "friendly countries", Mishustin said, meaning those that have not joined the latest wave of Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special operation" to demilitarise its neighbour.

Russia imposed broad travel restrictions at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, many of which remain in force, but has gradually expanded the list of countries deemed safe for air travel.

Russia plans to resume international flights to 52 "friendly" countries

Other countries with which Russia will resume flights after April 9 include Algeria, China, Lebanon, Peru and Pakistan, Russia's coronavirus task force said.

Mishustin added that earlier, it was possible to fly to 15 countries without restrictions, including some states of the EAEU (the Eurasian Economic Union), Qatar, Mexico, and others. Russia would also be lifting restrictions on travel across the land border between Russia and China.

Russia has closed its airspace to airlines from 36 countries, including all 27 members of the European Union, in response to Ukraine-related sanctions targeting its aviation sector.

Punitive measures imposed by Western powers have also forced Western firms to terminate leasing contracts with Russian airlines for over 500 aircraft.

Russia has closed its airspace to airlines from 36 countries, including all 27 members of the European Union, in response to Ukraine-related sanctions targeting its aviation sector

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The sanctions also prevent Russian airlines from buying aircraft parts or maintenance services from Europe or the United States, adding to the pressure on the world's 11th largest aviation market from a ban on using North American and European airspace.

While Russia is now the world's most sanctioned country, ahead of Iran, Syria, and North Korea, it is not facing sanctions from countries in Central and South America, Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Asia, apart from Japan.

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad is geared up for making the newly expanded terminal operational soon. 

This marks the completion of the first phase of the major expansions it undertook to cater to the rising demand in passenger traffic and augment the passenger handling capacity beyond 34 million passengers from 21 million passengers in 2019.

“The new, better, and bigger Hyderabad International airport will include the construction of additional built-up area that would be integrated with the existing Integrated Terminal Building (at concourse & piers) with additional infrastructure at Airside and landside area.”GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL)

Apart from the new East Pier (straight) portion area spread across 15,742 sq. metres in three levels, the airport has now added a first of its kind 264-meter long tunnel for movement of Ground Staff Equipment (GSE) to 42 aircraft stands.

ALSO READ - GMR plans to invest INR 6300 crore to expand Hyderabad airport

As part of the first phase of the expansion, the East Pier (straight) portion area, integrated with the present terminal, will be inaugurated for the passengers soon. To accelerate passenger boarding and disembarking from the aircraft, three aerobridges will be operational.

The East Pier (straight) portion will have six domestic arrival bus gates. It will have three Travelators or automated passenger walkways on two levels and the passengers walking through the East Pier can now avoid the long walks to board their flights. In addition, airport authorities have arranged for two baby-care rooms and two family rooms.

The East Pier (straight) portion will have six domestic arrival bus gates

The GSE tunnel connects the 42 remote aircraft stands—24 new and 18 existing—on the east side of the airport and the Head of Stand Road, also leading to the remote gates area of the expanding passenger terminal. The tunnel will minimise the time lost during the crisscross movement of Airlines and Ground support operations vehicles, equipment, and passenger coaches, the note said.

The revamped integrated passenger terminal will have 149 check-in counters, 26 security screening machines with ATRS, 44 emigration counters and 44 immigration counters. The expanded domestic and international pier buildings will have more lounges, retail, and F&B outlets.

The GSE tunnel connects the 42 remote aircraft stands

According to an official release, the revamped integrated passenger terminal will increase the area to 379,370 square metres. With additional infrastructure added to the east and west pier buildings, there will be 44 contact gates, 28 remote departure gates and nine remote arrival gates available for smooth operations.

As many as four new Rapid Exit Taxiways (RETs) have been added to enhance runway capacity and improve operational efficiency. These RETs are designed to allow aircraft to taxi off the runaway at relatively shorter distances and hence reduce runway occupancy time, thereby increasing runway capacity. Also, a new Parallel Taxiway has been built for effective operation during secondary runway utilisation.

The annual savings of the carbon emissions with this tunnel would be approximately 7,000 tonnes.

The expansion works include the Ground Service Equipment tunnel, a first of its kind in the country, which will minimise the time lost during the crisscross movement of airlines and ground support operations vehicles, equipment, and passenger coaches required for the turnaround of flights. The annual savings of the carbon emissions with this tunnel would be approximately 7,000 tonnes.

As one of the fastest-growing airports in India, Hyderabad International Airport catered to 21 million passengers in FY’19. The airport recorded robust growth in passenger traffic, with a 4-year CAGR of - 20% during FY’15-FY’19.

(Pictures - Telangana Today)

InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, owner of IndiGo airlines announced on April 4 that it has appointed former IAS officer RK Singh as the principal adviser to the managing director of the budget carrier with immediate effect. As the principal adviser, RK Singh will be a part of IndiGo’s leadership team.

The fast-growing low-cost carrier that boasts of a fleet of 275+ aircraft and operates over 1,500 flights daily said in a release that RK Singh has over 36 years of experience working in different capacities in the Government of India as an IAS officer starting 1985 (to 2009) and as an aviation law specialist then onwards.

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“We are delighted to welcome RK to the Leadership Team of IndiGo. With his vast administrative and aviation experience he brings tremendous value at a time when the company is undertaking major expansion initiatives. RK would be working closely with me on key strategic initiatives.”Rahul Bhatia, Managing Director, IndiGo

In the past, RK Singh has served as joint secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation and has served on the boards of Air India, Indian Airlines, Alliance Air, Air India Charters Limited (Air India Express), and has been the CMD of Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited.

“Indian aviation has a long way to go and I foresee IndiGo continuing to play a significant role in this growth story. IndiGo's quest to expand its footprint both domestically and internationally will take Indian aviation to newer heights and I am extremely excited to be a part of this journey.”RK Singh, Principal Adviser to the Managing Director, IndiGo

Presently, he serves on the Board of CAE Simulation Training Private Limited (pilot training organisation). He is an MBA from Southern Cross University, Australia, and holder of an LL.M degree in Aviation Law from Leiden University, The Netherlands.

He is currently also serving on the international Board of Governors of the Institute of Aviation and Space Law, Leiden University. This means, he not only has experience in administrative and managerial work but also has deep knowledge of aviation.

Former aviation secretary named as Principal Adviser to MD of IndiGo

IndiGo’s Chief Commercial Officer Willy Boulter said he will resign in four months. The announcement came just a day after Chief Financial Officer Jiten Chopra quit the biggest budget airline in Asia by market value.

ALSO READ - IndiGo’s Chief Commercial Officer follows CFO in resigning

IndiGo on March 30 appointed Gaurav Negi as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in place of Jiten Chopra who has put in his resignation.

ALSO READ – Gaurav Negi succeeds Jiten Chopra as CFO of IndiGo

The facial recognition system is planned at Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Varanasi and Vijayawada airports by March 2023, the government told the Parliament on Monday, April 4.

Facial recognition is a part of the government's ‘Digi Yatra’ initiative aimed at providing passengers with a seamless experience at airports, Minister of State for Civil Aviation General VK Singh told the Lok Sabha.

The preliminary testing of these systems along with registration for the ‘Day of Travel’ has been completed at the aforementioned airports, he said and noted that the security requirement is dynamic.

Major airports of India to get facial recognition system by March 2023

He added that the civil aviation security regulator -- Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) -- reviews the security arrangements at airports from time to time and upgrades the same as per requirement in consultation with other agencies and stakeholders.

"The Digi Yatra Central Ecosystem envisages assessments (by independent teams to assess the level of security and system resilience to protect PII) and periodic audits by governing or regulatory bodies twice every year," Singh had explained in the previous Parliament session in December last year.

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The facial recognition system is as per industry ISO standards with the best-in-class National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) listed algorithms complying with data privacy and data protection requirement as laid down by the government.

The preliminary testing of these systems along with registration for the ‘Day of Travel’ has been completed at the aforementioned airports

Singh had also underscored that people who do not want to avail of this will have an option to not send in data and use the existing manual process at airports.

Data shared by the passengers will be used for the purpose defined and won’t be shared with any other external shareholders. This data will not be retained during their transit at the airport and will not be retained for more than 24 hours after departure.

Facial Recognition

Facial recognition is a type of image identification technology. These technologies rely on many of the processes and techniques associated with artificial intelligence (AI). In particular, applications tend to use machine learning to classify subjects at speed and scale.

Facial recognition is a type of image identification technology.

This technology is widely in use to unlock smartphones, tablets and other such devices. It is also used by some countries to verify someone’s identity at border control. Provided the core human rights protections are followed, one-to-one facial identification has a relatively low-risk profile with its current usage.

The refurbished Naval Aviation Museum at Dabolim, in Goa, was dedicated to aviation enthusiasts on Monday, April 4 by Rear Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil, Flag Officer Commanding Goa Area.

“The museum is one-of-a-kind in Asia and has been suggested to be among the top five places to visit in Goa. It has won the ‘Travellers Choice Award’ by Trip Advisor in 2020. Started with a humble collection of eight aircraft in 1998, it has grown over the years, adding a wide variety of aircraft and other exhibits, and portraying the historic feats of naval aviation through slick audio-visual aids.”Indian Navy

https://twitter.com/dip_goa/status/1510999398121095180

In its new avatar, the museum takes its visitors on a journey of naval aviation with enhanced features and newly-upgraded facilities.

Refurbished Naval Aviation Museum dedicated to aviation enthusiasts reopens in Goa

Chronicling the transformation of naval aviation over the years, the museum’s curated facilities include ‘Adhvan’ – a timeline history of naval aviation, ‘Adwitiya’ – a glimpse of air stations and squadrons of the Indian Navy, ‘Sashakt’ – a peek into aviation support units and ‘Vimaan’ – an elegant collection of contemporary and vintage aircraft models, the Navy said.

While the wall named ‘The First, The Legends’ celebrates trendsetters, ‘Drishti’ is a pictorial representation of air operations in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. There is a wall dedicated to ‘Goa Liberation’ as well.

‘Drishti’ is a pictorial representation of air operations in the 1971 Indo-Pak war

The museum has ramps to assist the movement of differently-abled visitors, other amenities include Glass Cockpit Café, a souvenir shop and a dedicated parking space.

Visitors can record their memories at ‘Vyuha’, the selfie corner and enjoy a panoramic view of the parked aircraft from ‘Kshitij’, the viewing gallery.

The Naval Aviation Museum has ramps to assist the movement of differently-abled visitors

“For the aviation enthusiast, the Virtual Reality Corner provides a never-before thrill of a flying experience,” the Navy’s statement read.

About Naval Aviation Museum, Goa

The Naval Aviation Museum is a military aviation museum located in Bogmalo, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Vasco da Gama, Goa, India focused on the history of the Indian Naval Air Arm. The museum is divided into two main parts, an outdoor exhibit and a two-storey indoor gallery.

de Havilland Vampire at the Naval Aviation Museum

The indoor gallery features rooms focused on specific topics. These include naval armament – such as bombs, torpedoes, autocannons, and sensors – and the progression of uniforms of the Indian air and naval forces. Also on display are large models of the INS Vikrant and INS Viraat. Several aircraft engines are on display outside.

Some IndiGo pilots have been suspended for planning protests against the continued pandemic-time pay cuts. The pilots were planning to go on a mass leave on Tuesday, April 5 to protest the about 28% pay cuts till last month.

From April, the cuts were to be reduced to 20% as the airline — India’s only carrier with cash reserves — had restored 8% cuts and had promised to restore another 6.5% from November 1, 2022, if there were no further interruptions to operations due to Covid or any other reason.

“We confirm that a handful of IndiGo pilots have been suspended from duty for indulging in activities that are in contravention to the terms of their employment and in violation of the code of conduct of the company.”IndiGo

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

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

The airline had recently given 2019-time bonuses in the form of employee stock options (ESOPs) to its top management cadre. It says these ESOPs date back to 2019 and is not a new payment. “These are part of the management pay structure that dates back over 2.5 years,” said an airline official.

Resentment has been building up among flight crew across most Indian airlines as pay cuts continue while passenger traffic is returning to normal. Being the biggest airline in Indian skies with the reputation of being a caring employer, the recent discontent being witnessed in IndiGo is something that has become a regular feature in struggling-to-survive Indian carriers.

Some IndiGo pilots have been suspended for planning protests against the continued pandemic-time pay cuts.

On their part, airlines point to the unprecedented hike in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices along with the weakening of the rupee vis-a-vis the US dollar. Most airline costs are dollar-denominated and a weaker rupee affects them directly.

“Operating costs are at an all-time high. Apart from them, others airlines are struggling to survive. Even traffic is not recovering beyond a point — domestic is yet to cross the 4-lakh passengers in a day mark which did not happen even on Holi weekend and international is in early stages after the resumption of regular flights,” said a senior airline official.

Till last month, the IndiGo crew was among the less unhappy ones in the Indian skies as they used to get their Covid-hit pay at least on time. Only a few other Indian airlines could boast of this.

Unhappy with this reinstatement offer, some IndiGo pilots were planning to go on mass sick leave on April 6 when the airline took this unprecedented action.

“We get our salary on the 30th or 31st of every month, never the 1st or 2nd of next month. Not once has our pay been delayed,” a crew member had told TOI on a recent flight.

That changed last month when the listed airline announced ESOPs to its top management cadre. To stem the discontent, IndiGo last week informed pilots that an 8% pay cut will be restored from April and another 6.5% from November 2020, if there are no further disruptions to services for any reason.

Unhappy with this reinstatement offer, some IndiGo pilots were planning to go on mass sick leave on Tuesday, April 6 when the airline took this unprecedented action.

After 7 quarters of losses, IndiGo reported a profit of INR 130 crore

IndiGo responded to these internal murmurs by partially reversing its pay cuts last week. It reduced 28% of pay cuts to 20% for pilots and 38% for examiners to 30%. It also promised that additional revision of up to 6.5% would be implemented from November 1, 2022.

While pilots across different airlines are affected by pay cuts that were implemented soon after the first wave of COVID-19 two years ago, those at IndiGo are the angriest of the lot because of the airline’s deep pockets as compared to others.

ALSO READ - After 7 quarters of losses, IndiGo reported a profit of INR 130 crore

Despite a challenging time during the pandemic, the airline recently in February reported a profit of INR 130 crore after a gap of two years along with a cash balance of INR 17,318 crore, including free cash of INR 7,814 crore.