SC reinstates ground handling contract to AAI at regional airports

In a relief to the Airport Authority of India (AAI), the Supreme Court set aside the Delhi High Court’s decision that quashed its tender for selecting ground handling services (GHS) agencies at Group D-1 airports. SC seeks reply on AAI plea against HC ground handling order

It said that the AAI can decide its terms and fix the eligibility criteria for these cluster airports comprising 49 regional and budget airports catering to domestic, regional and non-scheduled flights involving smaller aircraft and the courts cannot interfere with the tender conditions.

A Bench led by Justice MR Shah while giving nod to the AAI’s tender said that “the HC has committed a serious error in first of all entertaining the writ petition at the instance of Centre for Aviation Policy, Safety & Research (CAPSR), an NGO and also holding the relevant eligibility criteria/conditions mentioned in the tender documents as illegal.”

The judgement said that the advocacy group in the field of civil aviation could not have challenged the tender as it was not a aggrieved party and none of the GHAs had moved the court.

According to the judgment, the government and their undertakings must have a free hand in setting terms of the tender and only if it is arbitrary, discriminatory, mala fide or actuated by bias, the courts would interfere. The terms and conditions of the tender are not open to judicial scrutiny, it held.

It said that the advocacy group in the field of civil aviation could not have challenged the tender as it was not an aggrieved party and none of the GHAs had moved the court.

While quashing the tender floated by AAI, the HC asked the PSU to come up with a fresh tender on the grounds that the proposal “subverts” the Atmanirbhar Bharat policy and stifles all attempts of smaller entrepreneurs to dream bigger. It termed the tender conditions mandating previous work experience in providing GHS and an annual turnover of INR 18 crore “as discriminatory and arbitrary”.

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It said that the AAI can decide its terms and fix the eligibility criteria for these cluster airports comprising 49 regional and budget airports catering to domestic, regional and non-scheduled flights involving smaller aircraft and the courts cannot interfere with the tender conditions.

Questioning the scope and judicial review of administrative decisions, the AAI had argued that it had carried out region-wise sub-categorisation of the 49 airports falling under Group D1 as the “clustering of airports reduced cost in airport operation and increased cohesive management.

To implement the ministry of civil aviation (Ground Handling Services) Regulations in consonance with Regional Connectivity Scheme-UDAN, the authority had floated the tender as there was a need to augment the GH services at such small airports as the air traffic movements at such airports were steadily on the rise, thus, the need for experience in schedule operations became important not only for smooth operations but also for safety and security of everyone involved in said operations.

(With inputs from The Financial Express)

Nigeria would consider buying China’s newly-certified C919 passenger jet as it grows the country’s fledgling carrier Nigeria Air to 30 planes by around 2025, Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika says.

Sirika said the new airline would have a mixture of Airbus and Boeing planes, but added the carrier is also willing to look at the Chinese narrowbody jet, which Chinese regulators certified last Friday.

ALSO READ - China’s C919 jet to compete with Airbus and Boeing

Nigeria will explore purchasing China’s recently certified C919 passenger jet as it expands the country’s nascent airline Nigeria Air.

COMAC has a plan to challenge Boeing and Airbus

It remains unclear when the plane might be certified by the United States or Europe, opening the way to sales in most foreign markets, but industry analysts say it will be up to a decade before China can seriously tackle the existing Boeing-Airbus duopoly.

China and Nigeria have a very cordial and friendly relationship with mutual benefits. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is the top importer of Chinese goods, hoovering up to USD 23 billion worth in 2021.

China hailed the development of its first medium-haul passenger jet as the embodiment of the country’s drive towards self-sufficiency, with safety approval awarded to a plane that aims to challenge Western aircraft giants for orders.

The first C919 aircraft, designed to compete with popular single-aisle models made by Airbus and Boeing, will be delivered by the end of the year.

Although the timing of the plane’s certification by the US or EU, which would enable sales in the majority of overseas markets, is still unknown, industry analysts estimate that it will take China up to ten years to seriously challenge the current Boeing-Airbus monopoly.

The country is growing its aviation sector, where traffic is now above pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, Sirika said. The airline is one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 election campaign promises.

Vistara on Saturday, October 1 started streaming live TV on its wide-body fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Passengers flying the full-service carrier will now be able to watch two sports channels and three news channels.

Vistara currently has two Dreamliners in its fleet and a third one will join shortly apart from having more twin aisles on order. Vistara has four more 787-9s on order and is the only widebody in the airline's fleet of 55 aircraft. Driving the fleet are 40 Airbus A320-200neos and five A321-200neos, with Vistara already offering onboard WiFi on their A321neos and 787-9s on international routes.

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Vistara has four more 787-9s on order and is the only widebody in the airline's fleet of 55 aircraft.

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“Live TV is currently available on our Dreamliners and we are looking at expanding it to more aircraft in our fleet in the coming months,” said an airline spokesperson.

Live streaming has started just ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup that kicks off in Australia from October 16 — with a super Sunday India-Pakistan match on October 23 — and passengers will be able to watch the same while flying Vistara Dreamliners that are mainly deployed on Europe and UK routes.

The Tata Group is considering merging this full-service airline with Air India. Air India CEO & MD Campbell Wilson has set up a panel under the airline’s chief of operations, Captain R S Sandhu, to submit a roadmap for this proposed consolidation within a year.

Vistara starts streaming Live TV on its Boeing 787 fleet

With Vistara offering onboard WiFi and now live TV on its wide-body aircraft, likely, the upgraded world-class Air India product that the Tatas have promised could also provide the same on at least some of the new planes (largely twin aisles) it inducts going ahead. Onboard WiFi is now a standard feature on most big international airlines that offer this service for a fee beyond a few minutes of free usage to passengers.

“In over seven years since inception, Vistara has… been consistently offering a distinguished flying experience and inflight entertainment offerings… we are constantly looking for opportunities to make (passengers’) journey as enjoyable as possible…. emotions that come with the rush of watching live events are unmatched and we are excited to be able to offer this experience to our customers when they fly with us. We have introduced Live TV on our Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, helping our customers to feel connected with the rest of the world even at 35,000 feet. We have also been offering Wi-Fi on our Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and the Airbus A321 aircraft, on international routes, which very well complements the inflight entertainment experience we offer to our customers onboard. Vistara is the only Indian airline offering Live TV onboard. The service started on October 1, 2022."Spokesperson, Vistara

With the two sports channels integrated into the Live TV offering, our customers will be able to watch the upcoming T20 World cup live onboard, in addition to staying updated with all the breaking news on-ground with the three news channels, she added

In 2006, now shut Kingfisher Airlines also offered Live TV onboard its Airbus A320 fleet. Kingfisher in alliance with Dish TV started this service by offering 16 Live channels.

A new type of jet engine is being developed, according to a public announcement made by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on March 26, 2007, that will now "allow pilots to go from high-speed combat maneuvers to long-range persistence mode as smoothly as a bird in flight."

The program in effect was called Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology, or ADVENT, and its primary objective was to develop the combat aircraft engines of the future. ADVENT would aim to create the technology required for a ground-breaking three-stream adaptive cycle engine, in contrast to the fixed, two-stream turbofan engines that had powered (and now power) the Air Force's fighter fleets since the 1970s.

Representative | GE Aviation

The milestone was achieved on March 25 at Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tennessee, which was a joint venture between GE and the Air Force, using GE's XA100 engine.

The Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) was launched in 2016 with the intention of creating adaptable engines for sixth-generation fighter propulsion as well as prospective F-35 reengineering using the F135 turbofan engine currently in use. The P&W engine was named XA101, and the General Electric demonstrator was given the designation XA100.

A new era of combat propulsion

The GE XA100 Adaptive Cycle Engine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ1XDkGV3gk&t=119s

The XA100 offers a step-change in propulsion that maximizes the F-35A and F-35C's capabilities for decades to come. It was developed, manufactured, and tested as part of the U.S. Air Force's Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP).

Fuel savings

Lower fuel costs and a lesser reliance on tankers are made possible by three-stream, flexible design thereby enhancing the overall fuel consumption by 25%.

Increased thrust

Provides fighter pilots with more of what they require and at the time of necessity- increased overall thrust by 10%

Enhanced heat absorption

Results in better heat absorption facilitated by additive 3D-printed heat exchangers

Increased range and acceleration

Allows for a 30% increase in range and allow pilots more nimble tactics and aggressive pursuit during aerial combat

Next-generation mission systems

The third stream of this engine will significantly improve thermal management as new mission systems are added to the F-35, enabling mission systems growth for decades to come.

Aircraft benefits

Compatibility with over 90% of the F-35 program of record is made possible by the unique design that allows it to fit both the F-35A and F-35C without requiring structural alterations to either airframe.

The Pratt & Whitney XA101

XA101 adaptive fan being tested at Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) | Wikipedia

The Pratt & Whitney XA101 is an American adaptive cycle engine demonstrator that is being developed by Pratt & Whitney for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and will serve as the foundation for the propulsion system for the sixth generation fighter program of the United States Air Force, known as Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD).

The Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology (ADVENT) program, a subset of the wider Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engines (VAATE) program, marked the start of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy's pursuit of the adaptive cycle engine idea in 2007.

Design and specs

The XA101 is a three-stream adaptive cycle engine that, depending on the situation, can change the bypass ratio and fan pressure to increase fuel efficiency or thrust. In order to improve fuel efficiency and serve as a heat sink for cooling, it accomplishes this by utilizing a third bypass stream around the entire engine, with the capacity to control the part of airflow into the engine core or through this third stream. With this feature, the high-speed, low-altitude component of the F-35 flight regime can be used more frequently.

Future use of directed-energy weaponry is also made possible by increased cooling and power generation. The air from the third stream can be diverted into the core and fan streams for improved performance when more thrust is required.

TypeThree-stream adaptive cycle engineMaximum Thrust45,000 lbf (200 kN) class (with afterburner)wikipedia

The Air Force's test cell will conduct more testing in the upcoming months as they attempt to collect performance information across the flying envelope- according to reports.

SOURCE(s)

IMAGE COURTESY: GEAEROSPACE | WIKIPEDIA

Arunachal Pradesh recorded an aviation milestone with the test landing of a Dornier D-28 aircraft at the Ziro Advanced Landing Ground(ALG) in the Lower Subansiri district. The 17-seater aircraft was operated by Alliance Air and landed at the ALG with 4 people on board.

Alliance Air and DGCA officials interacted with the district administration on the successful test landing as well as the next plan for starting commercial operations between Ziro to Mhonbari and Hollongi Airports.

The test landing of a Dornier D-28 aircraft is the third such operation with ATR-72 and Dornier D - 228 already operational at Pasighat and Tezu airports under the Union Government's UDAN scheme.

https://twitter.com/MyGovArunachal/status/1575449036131553280?s=20&t=qQUYT9Yhsq1foWGuGkoJpQ

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, sharing the news on Twitter wrote, "Extremely delighted to share the successful test landing of Dornier flight of @allianceair at Ziro advanced landing ground today. I had promised my sisters & brothers in Lower Subansiri district to have regular flights to Dibrugarh from Ziro. The wait is going to be over now!"

MyGov Arunachal Pradesh also shared the news on Twitter, it wrote, "UDE DESH KA AAM NAAGRIK The 1st flight test landing of @allianceair's Dornier flight was conducted successfully at Ziro advanced landing ground, Lower Subansiri. Regular flights which are stated to start soon will boost the economic activity of the region & overall connectivity"

Khandu inaugurated the terminal building of the Ziro ALG on September 26. The ALG has all the facilities to run the commercial service and the state government plans to launch Dornier D-228 service to Mechuka and Tuting in Shi-Yomi and Upper Siang districts soon.

Arunachal successfully test lands Alliance Air's Dornier aircraft at Ziro ALG.

The test landing of a Dornier D-228 aircraft is the third such operation with ATR-72 and Dornier D-228 already operational at Pasighat and Tezu airports under the Union Government's UDAN scheme

Arunachal Pradesh test landed Dornier D-228 aircraft at the Ziro Advanced Landing Ground(ALG) in the Lower Subansiri district and the commercial operation is expected to start soon.

With inputs from livemint.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Boeing it has not completed safety tasks needed in order to certify the 737 MAX 7 by December 2022.

According to a letter from the FAA dated September 19, 2022, the FAA shared concerns “about realistic timeframes for receiving the remaining documents” required to certify the aircraft.

The regulator had urged Boeing to submit the necessary system safety assessments (SSAs) by mid-September in order for the aircraft to be in certified by December. However, the manufacturer has failed to meet the submission deadline.

Boeing, which is based in Arlington, Virginia, said that it was working to give FAA the information it needs.

If Boeing wants to complete certification work and receive FAA permission for this jet by December, it must submit all outstanding System Safety Assessments (SSAs) by mid-September, according to the FAA.

If the Federal Aviation Administration does not certify the planes by year end, Boeing would be required under a 2020 law to add a new type of system to alert pilots when there is a potential safety problem with the flight.

Boeing wants to avoid adding the crew-alerting system, which would further delay approval of the new Max 7 and Max 10 jets. The company argues that the system doesn't exist on older 737s, and putting it on future Max jets would add complexity for pilots.

Boeing said it is focused on meeting all regulatory requirements to certify the 737-7 and 737-10", and argues it is safer to have one common 737 cockpit alerting system.

Boeing 737-7 certification work still in progress.

The requirements were adopted as part of a certification reform bill passed after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people and led to the bestselling plane's 20-month grounding.

Congress added the alerting-system requirement on planes certified after Dec. 31, 2022 following two deadly crashes involving Max 8 planes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The requirement was among several changes designed to improve FAA oversight of aircraft manufacturers.