Singapore and Bangladesh removed from 'At-Risk' countries

Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced on December 10 that Singapore has been taken off India’s list of ‘At-Risk’ countries. This means Singapore will now be classified together with other countries that are not 'at-risk' – a move that will facilitate smooth travel to India from the country.

“Singapore Airlines is pleased to share that Singapore has been removed from the list of ‘At Risk’ countries for international arrivals into India. With this new development, passengers arriving into India from Singapore will no longer be subjected to additional arrival protocols specified for countries categorised as ‘At Risk’ by the Indian authorities.These additional protocols include a mandatory on-arrival RT-PCR test and seven days of home quarantine, with a follow-up RT-PCR test on day eight."Singapore Airlines

Earlier on Tuesday, December 7, India removed Bangladesh from the list of “countries at-risk” about the new coronavirus variant Omicron, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced. The announcement found prompt support from Dhaka where Foreign Minister Dr A.K. Abdul Momen said the decision was taken because of a request from the Government of Bangladesh. Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs said the Indian move was prompted by the upcoming visit of President Ram Nath Kovind to Bangladesh.

At present, countries like the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Tanzania and Israel are placed in the countries of at-risk categories.

The updated list of 'At-Risk' counties

India had recently updated the list to add Ghana and Tanzania because of the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant. 

Under the latest government guidelines for passengers arriving from at-risk countries, the commuter will have to undergo an RT-PCR test on arrival in India and will be required to wait for the results before leaving the airport or taking a connecting flight, according to revised guidelines issued by the Health Ministry.

Passengers arriving from ‘At No Risk’ countries can enjoy quarantine-free travel within India and will need to self-monitor their health for 14 days, the SIA said. However, a random sample of 2% of the passengers travelling from Singapore will need to undergo RT-PCR testing on arrival at Indian airports, the south-east Asian airline added in the statement.

The SIA has restarted passenger services from eight Indian cities, including daily Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) services from Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai from November 29, providing eligible customers with quarantine-free entry into Singapore.

Scoot, which is SIA's low-cost subsidiary, operates non-VTL services from Amritsar, Hyderabad, and Tiruchirappalli.

Customers travelling to Singapore from India on non-VTL flights will need to adhere to the category (II) travel and health control measures laid down by the Singapore government.

SpiceJet on Thursday, December 9 said its 737 Max plane, which was heading from Mumbai to Kolkata, returned to Maharashtra's capital city due to a technical issue.

All Max planes were grounded in India by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on March 13, 2019, three days after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX plane near Addis Ababa, which had left 157 people, including four Indians, dead.

The engine on the plane was manufactured by a venture between General Electric Co. and France’s Safran SA.

The incident doesn’t appear to be linked to automated software known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, which was established as the main reason for the 2018 and 2019 crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people.

After Boeing made necessary software rectifications, the DGCA had on August 26 this year lifted the ban on Max planes' commercial flight operations. SpiceJet resumed operating its Max planes for commercial flight operations last month.

SpiceJet flight SG- 467 operating Mumbai-Kolkata returned to Mumbai after take-off due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed safely in Mumbai, a SpiceJet spokesperson said on Thursday, December 9.

The three-year-old aircraft (VT MXE), which had departed Mumbai at 6.55 pm was eastward bound and had climbed to about 33,000 feet when a problem with hydraulics and 'oil filter bypass' forced the pilots to divert, said the source. The aircraft landed in Mumbai around 7.50 pm.

SpiceJet, the only operator of Max planes in the country, had signed a USD 22 billion deal with Boeing for 205 aircraft in 2017 and has 13 of these planes in its fleet at present.

According to Boeing, as of now, over 175 out of 195 global regulators have opened their airspace to the 737 Max.

India will keep its scheduled international passenger flights suspended till January 31, 2022, aviation regulator DGCA said on Thursday, December 9.

Amid rising concerns over the coronavirus variant Omicron, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had on December 1 decided not to resume scheduled international flights from December 15, less than a week after announcing that it would restart the services.

The current list of "at-risk" countries, updated on 9 December, includes the United Kingdom, other countries in Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong and Israel.

The regulator issued a circular on Thursday, saying "The competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services to and from India till 2359 hours of January 31, 2022."

Scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. But special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May 2020 and under bilateral "air bubble" arrangements with selected countries since July 2020.

https://twitter.com/DGCAIndia/status/1468924872239685632

India has formed air bubble pacts with around 32 countries including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France. Under an air bubble pact between two countries, special international flights can be operated by their airlines between their territories.

Aviation Minister Scindia in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha had said that the decision to resume the flights was taken after recognising the increased vaccination coverage across the globe, changing the nature of the pandemic. "However, because of the evolving global scenario with the emergence of new variants of concern, the situation is being closely monitored and reviewed in consultation with other Ministries, with regard to taking any further decision on the issue," Scindia added.

The emergence of the new Covid variant, Omicron, first found in southern Africa, has sparked a global alarm, with several countries shutting borders and imposing travel restrictions. The WHO has designated Omicron as a ‘variant of concern’, saying that it would take quite some time to accurately gauge its level of severity. India has also reported Omicron cases, with several states, including Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and Karnataka, reporting the new strain.

Lockheed Martin, the US-based aerospace company has given the go-ahead to manufacture the wings of F-16 fighter jets at the Tata-Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) facility located in Hyderabad.

The company, on 8th December, formally acknowledged TLMAL ( Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures) as a potential co-producer of F-16 wings.

The Tech Outlook

Apparently, the TLMAL facility is spread over 21,000 sq m. and can make 50 pairs of wings a year.

Tata Group

The wing can carry fuel, it can perform and fly at ‘9G’ — ‘G’ defines gravitational pull and 9G is the maximum a human body can endure. The wing has 12,000-hour lifespan and is capable to be interchanged on all fighters F 16Aimee Burnett, vice-president (strategy and business development), Lockheed Martin Integrated Fighter Group

Representative | Defense View

He further termed wing-making as a “technologically complex aerostructure”.

We are doing transfer of technology and wing-making is an exampleWilliam Blair, vice-president and chief executive of Lockheed Martin India

According to Sukaran Singh, managing director and chief executive officer of Tata Advanced Systems Limited, the US aerospace company is in a race to tender for 114 Indian Airforce fighter aircraft.

If we win the tender, we can make 50 aircraft a yearSukaran Singh

With this strategic move, TASL is touted to become the provider of wings for all future customers and strengthens its role in the F-16 global supply chain.

Furthermore, with the landmark "Make in India" campaign gaining traction, this would only serve to strengthen Indo-US defence ties.

Did you know? TASL and Lockheed Martin, through a long-standing joint-venture, have been manufacturing airframe components of the C-130J aircraft and S-92 Sikorsky helicopter at the Hyderabad facility. 

KC-3802 Indian Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules | Planespotters

The production of F-16 wings on Indian soil will undoubtedly place India at the centre of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem, thereby making it a preferred destination for aerospace manufacturing.

COVER: Air Force Magazine

UAE's Sky One FZE is among the bidders in the race to buy the government's stake in helicopter services company Pawan Hans, according to people aware of the matter. Pawan Hans was put up for sale in December 2020.

The Sharjah-based company has submitted an expression of interest (EoI) for the helicopter services firm and is planning a bid, the people said. There could be other bidders competing to acquire the company. Industry experts expect the employees’ union of Pawan Hans, along with Global Vectra Helicorp and Heligo Charters to bid for the company.

"Multiple EoIs have been received for privatisation of Pawan Hans Ltd. The transaction will now move to the second stage," Tuhin Kanta Pandey, secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) had tweeted earlier this year.

The sale process, which has faced delays on account of the Covid-19 pandemic that adversely impacted the aviation sector, has picked up momentum again over the past two weeks, according to sources. The government may receive financial bids for Pawan Hans before the end of the fiscal year, the sources added.

The government had attempted to privatize Pawan Hans in 2018 and 2019 but those were not successful.

Sky One FZE is a privately held company. It is in the business of operating helicopter charter services and has an aircraft leasing arm. It recently signed a deal with Boeing Capital Corporation to buy three Boeing 777-300 airplanes, according to Boeing's website.

Charles Szar, a former US Army pilot, is the company's chief executive officer. No details of the company's owners have been provided on its website, which states that it has over 40 aircraft.

ONGC to Sell Stake too Pawan Hans is 51% owned by the government, while ONGC owns the remaining. According to a preliminary information memorandum circulated by SBI Caps in December 2020, ONGC will also sell its stake to the successful bidder.

The government also plans to abolish landing charges and parking deposits, steps that may boost commercial operations of helicopters in India.

Pawan Hans owns a fleet of 42 helicopters. Its corporate headquarters is in Noida. The company provides services to ONGC, such as carrying personnel and supplies including cargo to drilling rigs in Bombay High and Rajahmundry.

It carried 1,48,508 passengers and 1,45,750 kg of cargo load in financial year 2019-20. It also provides helicopter services to VIPs and is involved in heli-tourism operations to places of pilgrimage such as Badrinath, Vaishno Devi, Kedarnath, Amarnath and Tirupati as well as inter-island transportation in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep Islands to transport locals and tourists from one island to another.

It posted revenues of INR 376 crore in the financial year 2019-20. It had a net loss of INR 28 crore. Pawan Hans is among a list of companies identified for privatization by the government in the ongoing fiscal year, along with Air India, Shipping Corporation of India, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, BEML, Container Corporation of India, IDBI Bank and Neelachal Ispat Nigam.

(With Inputs from The Economic Times)

Continuing on the recovery path, domestic air passenger traffic crossed the 10 million mark in November for the first time since the pandemic hit the aviation industry in March 2020 but the coronavirus' new variant Omicron has the potential to spoil the party, according to a rating agency ICRA.

After recording 1.23 crore domestic passengers in February 2020, domestic air travel demand dipped to 19.84 lakh passengers in the first month (June 2020) of the resumption of flight services on the local routes after a two-month hiatus.

The recovery in domestic traffic continued till March 2021 when a more virulent second wave of the pandemic hit the country, resulting in domestic travel demand nosediving to 21.15 lakh passengers in May 2021.

In the second phase of the recovery, domestic travel demand rose to 10.04-10.05 million (1.004 crore-1.005 crore) in November 2021 as against 63.54 lakh passengers recorded in the year-ago period, registering a robust 64% year-on-year growth, ICRA said in a statement. The month-on-month growth, however, stood at 15-16 per cent in November over around 8.98 million passenger traffic in October 2021, ICRA said.

"Though the recovery continued in November, demand continues to be subdued from the corporate traveller segment as reflected by the passenger traffic being lower by around 19 per cent in November 2021 compared to pre-COVID-19 levels.Moreover, the threat of the new variant, which has pushed the resumption of scheduled international operations, has the potential to derail the domestic recovery too, if it becomes a source of a fresh round of lockdowns/ restrictions in the near term.For November, the average daily departures were at around 2,700, significantly higher than the average daily departures of 1,806 in November 2020, and higher than around 2,400 in October 2021."Suprio Banerjee, Vice-President and Sector Head, ICRA

ICRA also said domestic carriers deployed 49% higher capacity in the previous months vis-à-vis November 2020, logging around 80,750 departures in the month under review as against 54,132 departures in the year-ago period. On a sequential basis, the number of departures in November was around 12 per cent higher as coronavirus infections demonstrated a downward trajectory, it said.

The average number of passengers per flight during November was around 129, against an average of 125 passengers per flight in October 2021, according to the rating agency.

One major concern that continues to worry the aviation sector is the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, which have seen a sharp 67.3% increase on a y-o-y basis till December 2021, which is mainly attributed to an increase in crude oil prices, ICRA said. This, coupled with relatively low capacity utilisation of aircraft fleet, will continue to weigh on the financial performance of domestic carriers in FY2022, it stated.

On November 26, the director-general of civil aviation (DGCA) announced the resumption of scheduled International operations from December 15 with some restrictions. However, the regulator had to postpone it till further notice, due to the spread of the Omicron variant.