SpiceJet flight lands at the wrong end of the runway, pilots derostered

A SpiceJet Hyderabad-Belgaum flight landed at the wrong end of the runway at Karnataka's Belgaum airport on Sunday, October 24 following which the pilots have been derostered, the airline said on Monday, October 25.

The incident took place on Sunday and the aircraft landed safely.

An airline spokesperson said in a statement that, "On October 24, SpiceJet DASH8 Q400 aircraft operated from Hyderabad to Belgaum. ATC had cleared the aircraft to land on RWY26 (runway 26) at Belgaum. The aircraft, however, landed on RWY08 (runway 8)".

This means that the plane touched down at the other end of the runway (termed RWY08) at the Belgaum airport instead of the designated end (RWY26) of the same runway.

“While this was serious enough, the pilots committed an even bigger mistake by not informing about the same. They flew back to Hyderabad and went home. Only after AAI informed about this, did SpiceJet inform AAIB at 3:37 PM (four hours after the wrong landing),” said senior investigators.

Belgaum-Hyderabad journey time is 1 hours and 40 minutes. Operating the return flight meant that the CVR recording at the time of wrong landing may have "washed out as the tape can record upto two hours only." ?

The incident has been categorised as a serious one and AAIB will probe this. “SpiceJet chief pilot spoke to AAIB officials and the latter have asked the crew of this flight to appear for investigation on Monday,” said sources.

The SpiceJet spokesperson said the aircraft landed safely and the airline acted "immediately and proactively" on receiving the information and informed DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) and AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) about it and immediately off rostered both pilots pending an investigation.

In the past there have been instances when crew have waited to report an issue on a flight after some time to ensure that the CVR recording at the time of the same is gone as fresh recordings of subsequent flights operated on that aircraft replace that.

For instance, a few years back the cabin crew and pilots of an Indian carrier’s (not SpiceJet) international flight had a fight on board. The crew members who reported the matter waited for several hours to ensure that the aircraft had flown for some hours and the CVR recording at the time of their fight had been recorded over.

Wadia group-run airline Go First on Saturday, October 23 commenced its direct passenger services to Sharjah in the UAE from Srinagar, becoming the first domestic carrier to provide direct international connectivity from the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir.

Operated by an Airbus A320neo, the airline's maiden flight G8 1595 departed from Srinagar's Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport around 6:30 PM on Saturday, a release said.

(Image Courtesy - Greater Kashmir)

The inaugural flight was flagged off by Home Minister Amit Shah from the Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport in Srinagar with a full complement of passengers in presence of Governor Mr Manoj Sinha and other dignitaries. Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia attended online from New Delhi.

Go First will operate four flights every week between Srinagar and Sharjah.

https://twitter.com/jm_scindia/status/1451918871686828037?s=24

The introduction of the direct flight on the new route, which will be operated four times a week, will boost trade and tourism between Srinagar and the UAE, besides meeting the demand for convenient travel options for the two cities, which are popular tourist destinations as well, Go First said.

The new services will also support growing trade and investment links with both Srinagar and Sharjah, it added.

''Having been in operations here for over 15 years, the airline shares a special relationship with the region and is committed to its growth. We are delighted to be the first airline to connect Jammu & Kashmir with the UAE and it bears testimony to our commitment to the region."Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, Go First

The direct flights from Sharjah will offer seamless connections to Srinagar and beyond to Chandigarh, Delhi, Jammu, Leh and Mumbai and vice-versa, the airline said.

The airline said it has taken initiatives for the development of air travel and cargo movement from Srinagar, Jammu and Leh, adding that it is the only airline appointed for the cargo movement of horticultural perishable and agricultural produce of J&K Horticulture Products – the state-owned company.

(Image Courtesy - Aneesh Bajpaye for Planespotters.net)

Earlier Go First was the first LCC to operate flights into Leh by getting new aircraft modified to operate on high altitude airports.

Go First is an Indian budget airline with its headquarters in Mumbai. Owned by the Indian business conglomerate Wadia Group, the airline operates an all-Airbus A320 fleet to 38 destinations in India and abroad. As of 2021, it is the third-largest budget airline in the country, behind IndiGo and SpiceJet. Apart from Mumbai, some of the airline’s other bases include Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad.

After 15 years of operations, GoAir rebranded itself in 2021 and changed its name to Go First in an attempt to become India’s first ultra-low-cost carrier. Soon after its rebranding, Go First also received permission for an IPO, making it the fourth airline in India to be publicly listed after IndiGo, SpiceJet, and former Jet Airways.

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Airports Economic Regulatory Authority(AERA) is a regulated body, constituted under the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act (AERA), 2008.It has been established for the sole purpose of regulating tariffs and other aeronautical services rendered at major airports, in addition to monitoring performance standards.

Philip Goh, Regional Vice President for the Asia Pacific of global airlines body IATA,  has emphasized that the need of the hour is to empower the AERA further in safeguarding passenger interests. India continues to be a high-cost environment for airline operations, he added further.

Over the past year, with the third control period tariff reviews for India's major airports, AERA has demonstrated its effectiveness as an independent regulatorGoh told PTI in a statement

Apparently, AERA has been downright rejecting demands made by major airport operators to increase airport tariffs for the third control period that commenced in April 2019 and would end in March 2024.

What does AERA have to say?

Airport charges, according to AERA, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to creating a high-cost operating environment in India.

Representative | Wikipedia

Several other factors like the Indian aviation security fee(ASF) and ATF(aviation turbine fuel) charges also contribute significantly to the cause.

According to Goh, the ASF for international passengers were increased by 370 per cent and domestic passengers by 54 per cent in a short span of just 2 years.

They(airlines)should not be dragged down further with unreasonable cost burdens that would weigh on their recoveryGoh

Today, the immediate challenge is Covid 19, or rather the government's response to curbing the risks presented by the virus. At a time when the industry is slowly getting back to its feet, it is only imperative that a tab needs to be kept on operating costs and prices.

IATA's Director General Willie Walsh had firmly criticized the unreasonable demands by airport operators to increase tariffs, especially at a time when the entire aviation fraternity was incurring record losses owing to the global pandemic.

Willie Walsh | Aviation Voice

Reducing costs-not increasing charges-must be at the top of everyone's agenda. But total confirmed airport and ANSP (air navigation service provider) charges increases announced in 2021 have already reached USD 2.3 billion. It's outrageous. And, if unchecked, it will get worse. That's why I am ringing the alarm. This must stop.Willie Walsh

This is where the role of AERA as an independent entity becomes critical. If not for AERA, unreasonable demands by airport operators would stand unchallenged and this could certainly bog down on airlines, at a time when they are at their financial weakest.

COVER: Travelobiz

Airbus Defence and Space had very recently announced the successful landing of its first production aircraft of the Zephyr programme, the new Zephyr S HAPS (High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite).

So, here's all you need to know about the ambitious project.

Globally renowned solar–electric, stratospheric Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and running exclusively on solar power, it typically flies above the conventional air traffic and weather. Bridging the gap between satellites, this UAV is to provide consistent satellite-like images.

Airbus

As a part of its test flight campaign, the final Airbus solar-powered High Altitude Platform System (HAPS) flight touched down on 13th September in Arizona, USA, ending the most ambitious and successful Zephyr flight campaign to date.

This very successful maiden flight represents a new significant milestone in the Zephyr programme, adding a new stratospheric flight endurance record which we hope will be formalised very shortly. We will in the coming days check all engineering data and outputs and start the preparation of additional flights planned for the second half of this year from our new  operating site at the Wyndham airfield in Western AustraliaJana Rosenmann, Head of Unmanned Aerial Systems at Airbus

Milestone(s) achieved

1. The only HAPS with the capability to perform at length in the stratosphere, having completed 36 days of stratospheric flight across two 2021 flights.

2. Bagged the world record for an absolute altitude of 76,100 feet for a UAV of this class.

3. Successful flights with multiple payload integrations demonstrated and tested a new OPAZ payload, streaming Earth observation data.

4. Demonstrated precise stratospheric manoeuvrability and station-keeping over points on the ground.

5. During a 2018 test flight, Zephyr achieved a record 25 days, 23 hours and 57 minutes of endurance, without refuelling. 

Tech and specification(s)

Airbus

Wingspan25mWeight Less than 75kgPayload Different levels of payload capability with incremental performance levels 

Being compatible with OPAZ, which is the In house ObservationSsystem developed by Airbus, Zephyr provides 18cm electro-optical and 70cm infra-red imagery and videos. Additionally, it can also integrate 3rd party customer supplied payloads. 

Zephyr is also touted to introduce the new See, Sense and Connect capabilities which would be beneficial for the military and commercial customers alike.

With the "See and Sense" technology, Zephyr can provide a range of continuous surveillance to meet mission requirements. With a payload coverage of 20 by 30km footprint, sensors located in the stratosphere can easily detect minute environmental changes.

Zephyr can cover even the remotest parts of the world. Apparently, one Zephyr has coverage equivalent to that of 250 cell towers.

Also, since it runs completely on solar power, the entire flight time is carbon-neutral- a notable step towards sustainable aviation.

Credible and proven ultra-persistence, stratospheric agility, and payload interoperability underscore why Zephyr is the leader in its sector. It is a sustainable, solar powered, ISR and network extending solution that can provide vital future connectivity and earth observation to where it is neededJana Rosenmann

Did you know? The Zephyr was originally designed and built-in 2003 by the British Defence contractor, QinetiQ. Later on, it was sold to EADS Astrium (current Airbus Defence and Space) in March 2013 where it was successfully re-flown as part of the High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) programme.

COVER: Airbus

Australian airline company Qantas on Friday, October 22 said it will start operating flights on the Sydney-Delhi route from December 6 onwards.

Qantas said the Sydney-Delhi flight is its first commercial service between Australia and India in almost a decade.

"Flights from Sydney to Delhi would operate via Darwin, while flights from Delhi to Sydney would operate nonstop.This (flight) is subject to discussions with Indian authorities to finalise necessary approvals.The Sydney-Delhi flight will operate three times a week with its Airbus A330 aircraft.The frequency of Sydney-Delhi flights will be increased by the end of the year making it a daily service."Statement from Qantas

In line with current Australian government regulations, these flights are limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families and parents.

These flights would initially operate until at least late March 2022, to continue if there is sufficient demand, it added.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said, "Given the strong ties between Australia and India, flights between Sydney and Delhi have been on our radar for some time, and we think there will be strong demand from family and friends wanting to reconnect once borders open."

Scott Morrison, Prime Minister, Australia (Image Courtesy - NDTV)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had earlier this month announced that an 18-month ban on Australians travelling abroad will be lifted from November 1.

In addition to this, the Morrison government will also recognise the vaccination status of international travellers vaccinated with Covishield, the Indian variant of the UK's AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

Australia is among the most preferred destinations for Indian students, and for Indian citizens looking to migrate.

This will be the first time Qantas has operated direct commercial flights from India to Australia since 2009. Over the past 12 months, the airline has operated more than 50 repatriation flights from India on behalf of the Australian Government to bring Australians home.

(Image Courtesy - Qantas)

Qantas says while many aspects of international travel will be the same for customers as they were pre-COVID, some things will look a little different, particularly in the short term. Passengers need to be vaccinated with approved Covid jabs, except children under 2 and medical exemptions. A negative report from a Covid PCR test taken 72 hours before flying to Australia is needed for entry into Australia.

For the last few years, Air India has been the only airline with nonstops between India and Australia.

Cover Image - Conde Nast Traveller

Delhi-bound Vistara flight was diverted to Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport in Madhya Pradesh's Indore after a passenger complained of breathlessness and fainted, an airport official said on Friday, October 22.

The Vistara flight UK-818, which took off from Bengaluru, landed in Indore at 9:30 PM on Thursday, October 21 and the passenger was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead, he said.

"Manoj Kumar Agrawal, who was travelling in Vistara's flight, complained of breathlessness and fainted. The Bengaluru-Delhi flight landed under medical emergency around 9:30 PM at Indore airport after being diverted," the airport's in-charge director Pramod Kumar Sharma said.

The passenger was rushed to Banthia Hospital here, where doctors declared him dead after examination.

"Agrawal succumbed on way to hospital from the airport and looking at his condition, it appears that he must have suffered a heart attack," director of the hospital, Dr Sunil Banthia, said.

An aerodrome police station official said that Agrawal belongs to Delhi and after post-mortem, his body will be handed over to his family.

Image for representative purpose only. (Image Courtesy - EMS Solutions International)

Earlier in October, an IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Hyderabad (6E 946) made an emergency landing at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here due to a medical exigency. The flight to Hyderabad was diverted to Bhubaneswar due to a medical emergency relating to the breathing problem of a 59-year-old man.

The patient was attended by a doctor in the flight itself who detected cardiac problems and suggested that the patient be immediately admitted to the nearest hospital for further medical assistance.