Spicejet aircraft returns to Mumbai due to cracked windshield

Radhika Bansal

30 May 2022

A SpiceJet plane, which was heading to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, returned to Mumbai on Saturday, May 28 after a crack was observed on the windshield, according to an official statement.

"On May 28, SpiceJet Boeing 737 aircraft was scheduled to operate SG-385 (Mumbai-Gorakhpur). During the cruise, the windshield outer pane was observed to be cracked," the airline's spokesperson said.

The pilot-in-command decided to return to Mumbai, the spokesperson said. The air traffic controller was apprised and the aircraft landed safely at the Mumbai airport, the spokesperson added.

Spicejet aircraft returns to Mumbai due to cracked windshield

This comes a day after the private airliner said a ransomware attack on IT systems has affected its audit process. Owing to this, SpiceJet announced that there will be a delay in the announcement of its Q4 results for FY2021-22.

"We wish to inform you that we are expecting a delay in submission of audited standalone and consolidated financial results of the company for the financial year ended March 31, 2022, with the stock exchange in terms of Regulation 33 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 due to ransomware attack on our IT systems which has affected the completion of the audit process within the stipulated time," SpiceJet said in a regulatory filing on May 27.

ALSO READ - SpiceJet under attack by ransomware; morning flights affected

Two days ago, Spice Jet had announced an attempted ransomware attack, which had slowed down its operations and impacted flight departures.

SpiceJet flights at Delhi airport were delayed last week due to a delay in the airline's daily payment to the Airports Authority of India.

On May 18, a Goa-bound SpiceJet flight had to return to Pune due to a technical issue. More details regarding the technical issue were not revealed by airline operators.

ALSO READ - Multiple SpiceJet flights halted by Delhi ATC for non-payment of daily airport user fees to AAI

In another incident, several SpiceJet flights at Delhi airport were delayed last week due to a delay in the airline's daily payment to the Airports Authority of India. The glitch was fixed and the operation became normal, a SpiceJet spokesperson later confirmed.

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Approach to certify eVTOL aircraft modified, although no delays to be expected to complete existing type certification timeline - confirms FAA

Prashant-prabhakar

29 May 2022

The emergence of transformative airborne technology to transport people and goods in a new, environment-friendly way has led to the formation of the Urban Air Mobility/Advanced Air Mobility aircraft class of vehicles - a concept that integrates new, transformational aircraft designs and flight technologies into existing and modified airspace operations.

Representative | Mashable

With a new category of aircraft design and operation on the fore, the next sensible thing to do was to implement a set of rules/regulations that would certify these designs and safely integrate them into the aviation ecosystem.

The FAA has downplayed the recent suggestions that it is propagating fundamental changes to the process for certifying eVTOL aircraft although it has confirmed that it will be modifying its regulatory approach for certification of powered-lift operations and the pilots that operate these aircraft.

*A powered lift aircraft takes off and lands vertically under engine power but uses a fixed-wing for horizontal flight

Representative | Source

According to the FAA, it now plans to certify eVTOLs as powered-lift aircraft-an existing category, and, in the “long term,” develop additional powered-lift regulations “to safely enable innovation” for “operations and pilot training.”

In the short term, the FAA plans to use its “special class” process in 14 CFR 21.17(b) to type certificate powered-lift aircraft, to address the unique features of emerging powered-lift models.

This ‘special class’ process is designed to address the many novel features of unique aircraft such as these emerging powered-lift designs. This regulatory framework already exists, and this approach is consistent with international standards the FAA said

Apparently, this type of certification will use the performance-based airworthiness standards found in Part 23 of the FAA regulations. Nevertheless, the FAA has also implied that any changes will be more gradually implemented and this should come as a relief to eVTOL aircraft developers, who were working by the Part 23 framework as the basis for type certification.

Our process for certifying the aircraft themselves remains unchanged. All the development work done by current applicants remains valid and the changes in our regulatory approach should not delay their projectsFAA

Adding to this, a spokesperson for the agency further added that the 21.17b framework “allows for Part 23 certification standards. This has led some industry groups- like the Vertical Flight Society and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association express their frustration over the ambiguous statement made by the FAA.

Part 23 is the appropriate airworthiness standard for electric aircraft, whether the propellers thrust forward (eCTOL/eSTOL aircraft) or vertically (eVTOL). This is what the industry has been expecting for more than a decadesaid Mike Hirschberg- executive director of The Vertical Flight Society

Mike Hirschberg | Aviation International News

According to Hirschberg, "21.17 (b)" results in a special product that doesn't fit into operational constructs around the world. He further highlighted that using it as an airworthiness framework could significantly dampen operations of U.S. certificated aircraft in other countries as it isn't internationally recognized.

The FAA needs to work with the eVTOL community more closely if the agency wants to continue to lead in aviation in the coming decade, he says.

Major U.S. eVTOL developers such as Joby Aviation, Beta Technologies, and Archer Aviation have been moving towards type certification under Part 23 regulations for light aircraft. 

What do the industrial heads have to say?

Honeywell welcomes any efforts to standardize and harmonize UAM certification standards. The industry needs clarity and consistency to achieve safe operations at scalesaid Jia Xu, CTO and Senior Director of Engineering, Unmanned Aerial Systems/Urban Air Mobility at Honeywell Aerospace

Archer Aviation eVTOL Prototype | Representative | FlightGlobal

Archer, Joby, and Beta are optimistic about getting their models type-certified in time to enter service in 2024.

Joby Aviation S4 | TransportUP

Joby very recently received its FAA Part 135 certificate which would allow it to start on-demand commercial air taxi operations. 

SOURCE(s)

COVER: FLYING Magazine

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Odisha's Rourkela airport to be operational for commercial flights before men’s hockey world cup 2023

Radhika Bansal

21 Jun 2022

With the Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 approaching fast, the Odisha government has prepared a timeline to operationalise the Rourkela airport of SAIL after discussing with officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).

The 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup will be held from January 13 to 29 in two cities of Odisha – Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela. Both places are expected to see a massive inflow of international players, coaches, tourists, and sports enthusiasts. Most, if not all, are expected to fly into the host cities.

While Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik Airport (BBI) is suitable for domestic and international operations, Rourkela’s airport is mainly used for private flights and has struggled to start commercial operations, mainly due to inadequate infrastructure.

Rourkela’s airport is mainly used for private flights and has struggled to start commercial operations, mainly due to inadequate infrastructure.

On June 1, MoCA Joint Secretary Usha Padhee held talks with top officials of SAIL in Delhi followed by another meeting with the Principal Secretary of Transport department, Odisha Bishnupada Sethi and others on June 3. The discussions reportedly focused on the early completion of the airport’s ongoing works and associated formalities following which the timeline was prepared.  

Accordingly, it has been targeted to apply for an ARC 2C licence by August 31 and complete ongoing works and commences commercial flight operation under the RCS-UDAN scheme by October 31. A dry test run of ATR 72 type aircraft by Alliance Air is scheduled to take place on November 10. 

A longer runway is not being built even though the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has provided an additional 146 acres using which the runway could be expanded to over 7,500 feet to operate aircraft like the A320 and B737.

The 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup will be held from January 13 to 29 in two cities of Odisha – Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela.

At least 16 fire fighting personnel trained by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) for Fire Category-VI will be deployed by the DG, Fire Service by July 31. According to the timeline, further expansion of the airport as per the master plan would take place from December 31.

Odisha police would also deploy 44 airport security personnel trained by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security while the State Health Department would engage two more ambulances by August 31. By July 15, the SAIL and India Meteorological Department would equip the airport with a MET facility.

Meanwhile, after the expiry of the previous tripartite MoU involving the Odisha government, SAIL and AAI in April 2021, a fresh agreement is likely to be signed on June 20 for running the airport. However, SAIL sources said the MoU signing on June 20 is unlikely to take place in wake of the ongoing discussions.

Odisha's Rourkela airport to be operational for commercial flights before men’s hockey world cup 2023

On June 18, Sundargarh MP and chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence Jual Oram inspected the ongoing expansion works at the airport. Jual hoped that the airport would start commercial flight operation by the stipulated time. 

Former general secretary of Steel Executives’ Federation of India (SEFI) Bimal Bisi reiterated the demand for a complete takeover of the Rourkela airport by AAI to make it sustainable and remove operational difficulties. He said SAIL is ready to hand over the airport to AAI, but the Steel Ministry, MoCA and Odisha government have to make combined efforts in this regard.

A dry test run of ATR 72 type aircraft by Alliance Air is scheduled to take place on November 10. 

ALSO READ - Rourkela Airport’s expansion plan hampered by slow progress

Rourkela Airport, Airport Code – RRK, is a domestic airport located near Chhend Colony, 6 kilometres west of the steel city of Rourkela in the state of Odisha. The airport is mostly used by dignitaries visiting Rourkela, especially officials of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and other VIPs.

The airport’s terminal is being upgraded to handle scheduled operations. Under the UDAN scheme, scheduled flights were to start but this has not materialized. A license for commercial usage of the airport was issued in January 2019.

(With Inputs from The New Indian Express)

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Indian carriers not living up to the expectations of passengers - Survey

Radhika Bansal

28 May 2022

India’s flying public is becoming increasingly frustrated with the nation’s airlines, according to a survey undertaken for Bloomberg, saying that customer service and the behaviour of airline staff have deteriorated sharply in the wake of Covid-19.

Some 79% of the 15,000 airline passengers surveyed by LocalCircles said they believe carriers in India are compromising on passenger comfort and cutting corners as a result of the pandemic, souring the reopening of what was before Covid world’s fastest-growing aviation market.

Topping respondents’ list of airlines whose service was deemed most unsatisfactory was SpiceJet Ltd, followed by the country’s biggest airline with a 55% market share, IndiGo.

Topping respondents’ list of airlines whose service was deemed most unsatisfactory was SpiceJet Ltd, followed by the country’s biggest airline with a 55% market share, IndiGo.

Complaints across all airlines included flight delays, shoddy in-flight service, bad boarding procedures and tatty aircraft interiors.

SpiceJet said it is prioritizing automation, technology and sustainability to improve customers’ experience.

IndiGo said it is also focusing on digitization to give customers a contactless travel experience, noting that using technology from check-in to boarding and beyond has helped it reduce wait times at airports.

The results come as Indian carriers find themselves on the receiving end of a degree of backlash from passengers. In one recent high-profile incident, IndiGo barred a disabled teenager from boarding a flight, saying the boy was causing a disturbance and could pose a safety threat.

Complaints across all airlines included flight delays, shoddy in-flight service, bad boarding procedures and tatty aircraft interiors.

Bloomberg India’s aviation regulator launched a preliminary inquiry into the matter that found IndiGo didn’t conform with rules and its staff inappropriately handled the passenger. The investigation is ongoing. IndiGo said in a statement at the time that it made the “best possible decision under difficult circumstances.”

In another video that recently went viral a woman is seen suffering a panic attack after Air India Ltd., now under the management of India’s largest conglomerate Tata Group, prevented her from boarding, saying she arrived after the gate shut.

While many airlines and airports around the world have been caught short by a quicker-than-expected rebound in travel as pandemic prevention rules are loosened and Covid testing falls away, Indian carriers -- notorious for their cutthroat fares -- are particularly struggling.

Many airlines and airports around the world have been caught short by a quicker-than-expected rebound in travel

The nation has a vast domestic market and lured by still-cheap tickets, customers have surged back to airports in their tens of millions, stretching an aviation workforce depleted and weakened by one of the world’s worst Covid outbreaks.

At the same time, spiralling fuel expenses have burdened balance sheets just as airlines are trying to add capacity. As demand rushes back, meeting passenger expectations in a world where people are being told to live with the virus has become harder.

Some are finicky about sanitization standards or not eating onboard while others rail against wearing a mask all the time. Fatigued cabin crew can end up taking out their frustrations in a counterproductive way.

“Airlines don’t have a playbook for customer service because customer preferences have changed and they’re still clutching at straws trying to figure out what the customer wants,” said Ajay Awtaney, editor of aviation website LiveFromALounge.com.

Widespread staff shortages and disgruntled labour forces aren’t helping. IndiGo, which dipped back into the red in its latest quarter, laid off 10% of its staff in 2020 and asked all employees to take some leave without pay last year.

SpiceJet deferred salaries and, when passenger traffic plunged to near zero during India’s second Covid wave, paid some employees based on their work hours.

While airlines are trying to recruit more crew, the reality is they won’t be able to do so at the pace demand is rebounding, Awtaney said.

The experienced crew are meanwhile being poached by upstart carriers Akasa Air and Jet Airways India Ltd, and new hires need to go through a three to four-month training process before they can board a plane, he said.

Indian airlines are also charging for more ancillaries at a time when they’re raising ticket prices to fight fuel costs. Cost-conscious fliers have to pay INR 200 for a boarding pass at the airport if they haven’t done web check-in, for example.

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said he’ll examine the practice, introduced to reduce touchpoints as a result of Covid after a SpiceJet passenger complained.

Passenger dissatisfaction can also be magnified in India, where no-frills carriers make up 85% of the market.

While US and European legacy carriers -- full-service airlines that have loyalty programs -- can waive charges for top tier members, in India, loyal passengers can often still find themselves in a more transactional relationship.

There was an era where airlines used to give their best but considering fares are now the lowest in the world on a per-kilometre passenger flown basis and ticket prices haven’t increased in proportion to aviation fuel costs, that’s no longer feasible, said Jitender Bhargava, a former executive director of Air India. “Let airlines treat this as a warning and address the issues,” he said. “The customer is king.”

(With Inputs from Bloomberg)

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Heralding a new age in urban air mobility - MANTA AIRCRAFT unveils multi-model hybrid eVTOL family

Prashant-prabhakar

27 May 2022

Manta Aircraft is an Italian start-up and a high-tech engineering and design company. Having moved to its new office in Sesto Calende, Varese/Italy in beautiful Lombardy-Europe's heart of vertical flight, in 2021, the company is involved in the development of multi-purpose aerial platforms and different models of hybrid-electric V/STOL vehicles for advanced air mobility.

The company aims to offer innovative, ready-to-build aircraft for Urban/Regional Air Mobility, which combines the advantages of the vertical take-off and landing capability with the speed and long-range features of winged aircraft, the silent electric propulsion and the endurance ensured by a turbo-generator.

eVTOL.news

Manta had recently unveiled the ‘ANN’ family of eVTOL aircraft. They are touted to be a breed of Hybrid-electric Vertical and Short Take-off and Landing (HeV/STOL) machines which means that they can take off and land vertically, in addition to operating from very short airstrips with considerably higher payload. Furthermore, they also feature hybrid propulsion, which reportedly gives them higher performance in terms of long endurance and range, and their aeroplane-like architecture allows for higher speed and climbs characteristics, as well as superior manoeuvrability in safer flying conditions.

The ANN family of eVTOL aircraft

ANN2

Designed for General Aviation & multi-purpose utility missions like law enforcement, infrastructure surveillance and rapid intervention missions (like medical transport of organs from helipad to helipad) as well, ANN2 is a tandem-seat configuration with a fully carbon-fibre structure air vehicle for personal mobility. That makes this aircraft fast, small and agile.

Overall length8.700 m (28.54 ft)Wingspan6.800 m (22.31 ft)Height1.700 m (5.58 ft)mantaaircraft

ANN4

Manta

The design boasts of a styled, eye-catching, powerful, agile and performing architecture, ANN4 is a fully carbon-fibre structure air vehicle with four comfortable seats for personal mobility, business travel & transport operations.

The ANN Drone

mantaaircraft

The ANN Drone is a fully carbon-fibre structure high-performance drone version which can be controlled remotely or operated autonomously. When it comes to range, speed and climb performance, they are above average, owing to its advanced hybrid-electric propulsion.

Design and specs

Fast, Agile and Safe flying

Representative | mantaaircraft

ANN family’s canard configuration provides high flight efficiency in airplane mode, and this translates into benefits such as smooth ride qualities with ample CG excursion.

Long endurance and range

The hybrid propulsion system allows long-range regional and interregional flights without recharging stops-from 300km (VTOL mode) to 800km (STOL model).

High cruising speed

It can clock speeds between 250-300km/h, thereby enabling fast commuting on medium and long distances.

Limited infrastructure needs

No ground recharging infrastructure for the batteries is required, which translates to a shorter ground time and high dispatch readiness.

Low noise

Representative | mantaaircraft

Ducted fans and vectored thrust makes it quieter than helicopters.

Low operating costs

Costs just about a fraction of a helicopter.

Enhanced safety systems

Features all passive and active safety systems: ballistic parachute, energy-absorbing crew cell, thereby prioritising passenger safety.

Easy deployment

mantaaircraft

Modular design allows for quick disassembly/assembly for transport and repair: eg. wings, canard, fuselage.

Manta aircraft and Avionord have agreed to field in the future as many as 15 hybrid-electric long-range vertical takeoffs and landing (eVTOL) aircraft derived from the Manta Aircraft "ANN" platform in medical services configuration.

We are very pleased of this partnership with Avionord, who have recognized the uniqueness of the ANN platform in terms of range, pushing into the direction of creating a real use case that will contribute to the rapid establishment of Advanced Air Mobility. From the outset, the design of the aircraft was planned for a relevant range and speed in combination with the low infrastructure requirements and overall costs at a fraction of the cost of a helicopter, in order to be suitable for this kind of operationsLucas Marchesini, CEO of Manta Aircraft

Deliveries are expected to start in 2026.

Avionord is a private air transport company highly specialized in Medical Air Transport.

Manta Aircraft at the Dubai Airshow 2021

Manta is working with the Italian Civil Aviation Authority and plans to begin certification of the first two-seat, multi-purpose model ANN2 in 2023. In parallel, the team is also working on the preliminary design of the larger ANN4+ model with significantly more seats and space for luggage, or cargo.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Manta

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InterGlobe Enterprises and UPS announce MOVIN - new B2B logistics joint venture

Radhika Bansal

27 May 2022

Rahul Bhatia-led InterGlobe Enterprises and Atlanta-based logistics major UPS on Thursday, May 27 announced a new joint venture to cater to the Indian market. The joint venture - MOVIN - will be based out of Gurugram and have representation from both UPS and InterGlobe Enterprises.

The name Movin is the combination of Movement and India and it hopes to offer better efficiencies, stronger distribution channels, advanced technology and application of global best practices.

https://twitter.com/InterGlobe_IGE/status/1529818833623474176

The entity will offer a range of B2B logistics services in the domestic market. MOVIN will offer day-definite, express as well as time-definite solutions, which would help businesses with better predictability and competitiveness to integrate into the global value chain.

"India's growth towards a USD 5 trillion economy will be largely supported by the growth of local businesses and logistics, which are key contributors to India's economy. I am confident that InterGlobe's deep understanding of the Indian market, combined with UPS's 114 years of logistics expertise will make this venture a success.The powerful simplicity of MOVIN’s service experience is based on the brand’s people-centric and performance-driven approach that will empower us to deliver outstanding customer experiences to businesses across India."JB Singh, Director, InterGlobe Enterprises

He noted that the JV firm, with its separate board and management team, will have a presence across various sectors, including auto, pharma, healthcare, apparel, electronics and e-commerce B2B among others.

The partners are certain that the foray into the logistics with MOVIN will contribute significantly to the rapid development and growth of businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, in the country, he added.

Leveraging UPS's global logistics expertise combined with InterGlobe's deep understanding of the Indian market, MOVIN will build technology-backed solutions that will link companies across the country to international businesses with speed, reliability and enhanced digital customer experience.

InterGlobe Enterprises and UPS announce MOVIN - new B2B logistics joint venture

The JV will offer seamless integration across air and ground networks to B2B customers, enabling an uninterrupted flow of goods backed by consistent, predictable and responsive operations.

"UPS is excited to launch this new venture with InterGlobe Enterprises. Together we will empower local businesses to grow and connect them to trade opportunities around the world.With a strategy of customer-first, people-led, innovation-driven, UPS further expands its global network, including healthcare solutions, through a unique partnership that creates a suite of services to serve B2B customers' need to grow."Ufku Akaltan, President (Indian subcontinent, Middle East and Africa), UPS

MOVIN will be expanding in a phased manner and will ramp up in July of 2022 starting with Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Bengaluru - with further expansion lined up in other cities across the country.

The JV partnership shows the company's commitment and belief in the future of India which is very bright.

UPS had a joint venture with an affiliate of Jet Airways, but after the airline went bankrupt the venture has been all but dead. India has been on the cards of global logistics giants.

MOVIN will be expanding in a phased manner and will ramp up in July of 2022 starting with Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Bengaluru.

German logistics major DHL acquired Blue Dart in 2004 and currently holds a 74% stake in the company. UPS’ US rival FedEx invested USD 100 million in logistics start-up Delhivery in 2021 which got listed in the stock market.

UPS reported a revenue of USD 97.3 billion in 2021. It provides a broad range of integrated logistics solutions for customers in more than 220 countries and territories. InterGlobe Enterprises has a presence in aviation, hospitality and travel-related services.

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