Singapore Airlines to launch A350 services to Hyderabad

Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced the beginning of A350-900 medium-haul wide-body planes facilities from Hyderabad to Singapore on Friday.

The SIA will fly daily between Hyderabad and Singapore, with A350 flights on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The inaugural flight of Airbus A350-900 will take off from Hyderabad at 2310 hours on 30 October.

Singapore Airlines to launch Airbus A350-900 services to Hyderabad.

"We are delighted to enhance our services to Hyderabad with our wide-body A350 aircraft. This is a significant milestone for us as it reinforces our commitment to the market, more so after SilkAir's integration with Singapore Airlines a year ago.In line with the company's commitment to product and service excellence, the Airbus A350 medium-haul aircraft, combined with our award-winning inflight service, will provide enhanced comfort to travelers from Hyderabad. Furthermore, the introduction of a wide-body aircraft in this sector also opens up a wider range of opportunities and capabilities for SIA Cargo."Sy Yen Chen, General Manager of India for Singapore Airlines.

The Singapore Airlines A350-900 features higher ceilings, larger windows, an extra wide body delivering more space and comfort, as well as lighting designed to reduce jetlag.

From 30 October 2022, Singapore Airlines will restore 100 percent of its pre-pandemic frequency from India.

Fitted with SIA’s regional Business Class and Economy Class cabin products, the A350-900 medium haul Business Class cabin has 40 lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 arrangement that ensures direct aisle access for every customer, while the Economy Class cabin has 263 seats arranged in a comfortable 3-3-3 configuration.

In addition, customers will have access to high-speed in-flight WiFi service on the new A350-900s, equipped with Inmarsat GX Aviation’s broadband connectivity system offered through SITAONAIR.

No-frills carrier SpiceJet is likely to induct 7 B737 MAX aircraft on wet lease in the next two months, sources told.

However, the airline is likely to induct two of the 7 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in October as the cap on SpiceJet’s operating capacity expires on October 29, 2022.

As per an order issued last month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had asked SpiceJet to operate at up to 50 percent of the number of flight departures approved under the summer schedule 2022 till October 29, 2022.

SpiceJet likely to induct 7 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in 2 months.

SpiceJet’s winter schedule flights are likely to be lesser than the summer schedule. The airline had around 600 flights in its summer schedule but has been operating at 50 percent after the DGCA cap was imposed.

The Gurugram-headquartered budget carrier is facing an acute liquidity crunch for quite some time. SpiceJet posted a net loss of Rs 789 crore in the June quarter as well as Rs 458 crore for the quarter that ended in March 2022.

According to the airline, business was severely impacted by the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic and high fuel prices in the March quarter. In the June quarter, jet fuel prices rose 105 percent on a year-on-year basis and 40 percent on a sequential basis, the airline said.

With inputs from cnbc.

Also read - Is wet leasing aircraft a good choice for Indian airlines?

Air India is in discussions with aircraft manufacturers for acquiring planes as the Tata group-owned airline plans to expand its fleet by three times compared to the current size.

Air India Chief Financial Officer Vinod Hejmadi also said the airline is currently in the ”taxiing phase” and will take two years before it takes off, consolidates and enters the growth mode.

Since taking over Air India in January this year, Tatas have unveiled a comprehensive transformation plan for reviving the loss-making airline. The plan focuses on five factors — industry leadership, robust operations, commercial efficiency, industry best talent and exceptional customer experience.

”In the Air India transformation journey, we are looking for, in the next five years, 30% market share and we are planning to grow our aircraft fleet three times what we currently have… We are looking forward to ensuring that we add on the capacity for growth (and) discussions (with aircraft manufacturers) are going on to acquire fleet.We are at the moment looking at the taxiing phase, which is to fix the basics, to fix what was wrong in Air India and after six months of that, we have to look for the take off. And that will be about two years’ journey when we take off, consolidate and go into the growth mode.Air India welcomes competition whether it is a duopoly or more than two airlines in the domestic aviation space as this will ensure that everyone is on their toes. And we have to be on our toes and the passenger who is the biggest stakeholder will benefit from it."Vinod Hejmadi, Chief Financial Officer, Air India

At the Aviation Insurance Symposium 2022 hosted by Global Insurance Brokers Pvt Ltd here, he said in the past, it was a matter of survival for the airline but after the takeover by the Tata group, it is now looking towards a growth trajectory. To achieve all these, Hejmadi said the airline invests heavily in technology, digitisation and manpower.

ALSO READ – Air India to revamp its fleet by leasing 30 aircraft in the upcoming months

The airline will be inducting five wide-bodies Boeing and 25 Airbus narrow-body planes over the next 15 months. The aircraft being leased are 21 Airbus A320 neos, four Airbus A321 neos and five Boeing B777-200LRs, according to a release issued by the airline on September 15.

Air India plans to expand its fleet 3 times; in discussions with aircraft manufacturers

Air India’s narrow-body fleet stands at 70 aircraft. Out of them, 54 are in service and the remaining 16 aircraft will progressively return to service by early 2023. The wide-body fleet stands at 43 aircraft, of which 33 are operational. The rest will return to service by early 2023, as per the release.

Tata group has started an exercise to evaluate options to consolidate AirAsia India and Vistara under Air India to bring operational synergies. Tata group has started an exercise to evaluate options to consolidate AirAsia India and Vistara under Air India to bring operational synergies.

Tata group owns a 51% stake in Vistara and is also the owner of Air India and Air India Express. The group also has an 83.67% shareholding in domestic carrier AirAsia India.

Tata group owns a 51% stake in Vistara and is also the owner of Air India and Air India Express. The group also has an 83.67% shareholding in domestic carrier AirAsia India.

ALSO READ - Vistara – Air India merger talks with Tata Group confirmed by Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines had on Thursday, October 13 said it was in ”confidential discussions” with Tata group to explore the possible merger of Vistara and Air India.

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“The discussions seek to deepen the existing partnership between SIA and Tata, and may include a potential integration of Vistara and Air India,” SIA said in a statement to the Singapore Exchange. “The discussions are ongoing and no definitive terms have been agreed upon between the parties.”

This comes two days after Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said he wants a single airline with two platforms — meaning full service by integrating Vistara with Air India and budget by merging AirAsia India (AAIPL) into Air India Express.

ALSO READ – Air India unveils Vihaan.AI – a comprehensive 5-year transformation plan

Researchers believe that a new class of highly effective battery developed by NASA might be utilized to power fully electric aircraft.

Representative | The Times

Following research into solid-state batteries, which carry more energy and are lighter than industry-standard lithium-ion batteries, the US space agency made the accomplishment. Their initiative, which is a component of NASA's commitment to environmentally friendly aviation, aims to advance battery technology by examining the use of solid-state batteries in aviation applications such advanced air mobility and electric-propelled aircraft.

Solid-state batteries don't contain liquids like industry-standard lithium-ion batteries do, which can lead to negative circumstances like overheating, fires, and charge loss over time — problems that anyone who uses large electronics may be familiar with.

The Issue

Because of their low energy density, SOA lithium-ion batteries cannot be used to power electric aircraft designsAerospace applications need to be safe, and SOA lithium-ion batteries have resulted in a number of safety incidents on aircraftThe undesirable parasitic weight caused by excessive packaging and cooling

Solid-state batteries, which may store more energy and function better under pressure than conventional lithium-ion batteries, do not encounter these hazardous situations.

What is new?

A vital component in the creation of more environmentally sustainable electric aircraft is battery performance. A crucial necessity in aviation is that these batteries must effectively store the enormous amount of energy needed to power an aircraft while being lightweight.

The battery must also rapidly release its energy in order to power an electric aircraft.

Researchers from NASA's Solid-state Architecture Batteries for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety (SABERS) unit were able to use novel new materials that have not yet been applied to batteries to boost the battery's discharge rate by a factor of 10.

A solid-state battery is being created by the SABERS effort for use in aviation applications. The SABERS team's newly developed cathode for its solid-state battery is being evaluated by NASA researchers John Connell and Yi Lin (sitting) using a cyclic voltameter | NASA

The SABERS team realized that solid-state architecture enabled them to modify the design and packaging of their battery to reduce weight and enhance the amount of energy it can store.

As opposed to liquid batteries, which require each battery cell to be housed inside of a separate steel casing, SABERS's battery allows all of the cells to be stacked vertically inside of a single casing. SABERS has proved solid-state batteries can power items at a tremendous capacity of 500 watt-hours per kilogram — double that of an electric car — in part because to this innovative design.

The interior of a cell from SABERS' solid-state battery, which is mostly constructed of sulfur and selenium, is shown in this figure. These cells can be stacked on top of one another without the need for encasings like lithium-ion batteries can | NASA

We’re starting to approach this new frontier of battery research that could do so much more than lithium-ion batteries can... Not only does this design eliminate 30 to 40 per cent of the battery’s weight, it also allows us to double or even triple the energy it can store, far exceeding the capabilities of lithium-ion batteries that are considered to be state of the art. The possibilities are pretty incrediblesaid Rocco Viggiano, principal investigator for SABERS at Nasa’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland

Researchers at SABERS found that their battery can run at temperatures nearly twice as high as those of lithium-ion batteries without the use of as much cooling gear.

Government, commercial, and academic institutions have already expressed interest in the novel battery, and SABERS researchers are working with a number of organizations to further the technology.

The ultimate goal is to use it to launch a new era of environmentally friendly aircraft that does away with jet noise and carbon emissions.

Through its experimental X-57 aircraft, dubbed Maxwell, which replaces fuel-powered propellers with an all-electric propulsion system, NASA has already made notable advancements in this field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No9Rq3VE0FI

Representative

SOURCE(s) : NASA | ntrs.nasa.gov

COVER (representative): ABC

Commenting on the monthly aviation industry’s monthly domestic passenger data for the month of September 2022, the aviation rating agency ICRA has indicated a negative business outlook while mentioning that rising prices of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and the general inflationary environment continue to stifle the industry earnings.

ATF prices in October are currently higher by about 60% on a YoY basis. However, the same declined by 4.5% sequentially. While airlines have been increasing yields, the same has not been adequate to offset the impact of the rising ATF prices, in ICRA’s view.

The outlook reflects ICRA’s view that the financial performance of Indian airlines is likely to remain under pressure in the near term, even as recovery in domestic passenger traffic has been healthy. Elevated ATF prices will continue to pose a major threat to earnings and the liquidity profile of the airlines in the near to medium term.

ICRA indicates a negative business outlook towards Indian aviation

Also, the depreciation of the INR against the USD (which adversely impacts lease rentals, maintenance costs and other overheads) will have a major bearing on the airlines’ cost structure. This apart, likely near-term relaunch of Jet Airways and the entry of low-cost domestic carrier, Akasa Air, will further intensify competition in the domestic aviation industry.

The airlines’ efforts to maintain and/or grow their market share will limit their ability to expand margins in an elevated fuel cost environment.

While some airlines have adequate liquidity and/or financial support from a strong parent, which is likely to help them sustain over the near term, for others, the credit metrics and liquidity profile have been under significant stress over the past few years.

Some airlines have also sought a deferment in their lease rental payments to improve their liquidity positions.

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To ease liquidity pressures, most airlines had undertaken several cost rationalisation measures, including salary cuts for their employees, leave-without-pay options and laying off pilots and crew members to cut costs during the pandemic. Some airlines have also sought a deferment in their lease rental payments to improve their liquidity positions.

ALSO READ - Is wet leasing aircraft a good choice for Indian airlines?

“The domestic aviation industry continues to witness recovery. Domestic passenger traffic for September 2022 is estimated at 103 lakhs, 2% higher compared to 101 lakhs in August 2022 and 46% higher in comparison to the domestic passenger traffic in September 2021. Though it fell short by 10%, compared to pre-Covid levels i.e., September 2019. For H1 FY2023 (April-September 2022), domestic passenger traffic is estimated at 627 lakhs, a YoY growth of 111%, and lower by 11% compared to April-September 2019 (pre-Covid levels)."Suprio Banerjee, Vice President & Sector Head - Corporate Ratings, ICRA Limited

Others have also entered sale and lease-back transactions to shore up liquidity in the near term. However, until the RASK-CASK spread improves, airlines will require funding support to meet expenses.

ICRA expects a fast-paced recovery in domestic passenger traffic in FY2023, aided by normalcy in operations and widening vaccination coverage.

The Doha-based carrier, Qatar airways is in the midst of a recruitment drive which will lift its total workforce to more than 55,000 from around 45,000 currently, a spokesperson, who declined to be named.

Qatar Airways is boosting its workforce by 10,000 to handle an influx of passengers flying into Doha for the soccer World Cup and in line with a broader post-pandemic expansion, the airline told Reuters.

The Doha-based carrier is in the midst of a recruitment drive which will lift its total workforce to more than 55,000 from around 45,000 currently.

Qatar Airways to hire 10,000 staff amid World Cup preparations.

"Qatar Airways is on a growth trajectory following COVID and with World Cup preparations in full swing it is ramping up recruitment across the airline."The company said in a statement.

The airline declined to say how many of the new positions would be permanent. It cut staff levels to below 37,000 in 2021 after reducing its destinations to 33 cities during the height of the pandemic in 2020.

Recruitment events were held in the Philippines, India and other countries at the end of September, the spokesperson said.

It is not yet clear how many of the new staffers will be in place when the World Cup kicks off on Nov. 20 in Qatar, the first Middle East country to host soccer's main event.

Qatar airways has since ramped up operations back to more than 150 destinations.

During the tournament, Qatar Airways is adjusting 70% of its schedule to make way for additional flights arriving in Doha and has canceled other flights and reduced frequencies in order to free up aircraft to meet demand from fans.

Other airlines will significantly increase flights to Qatar, which has reopened an old airport for the event.

"It will be a huge challenge to be able to manage this very fast moving demand for very large numbers of spectators."Akbar al-Baker, Qatar Airways CEO.

With inputs from businesstoday.