Surat Airport to get a world-class INR 353 crore makeover; terminal building to be ready by 2022 end

The Centre-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) will be able to complete the extension work on the terminal building of Surat airport by December 31, an official statement said on Wednesday, June 1.

The existing terminal building is 8,474 square metres and it is being extended to have the size of 25,520 square metres, the AAI’s statement noted.

The new state-of-the-art extended terminal building will be able to handle 1200 domestic and 600 international passengers' during peak hours, resulting in an annual capacity of 2.6 million passengers.

Construction is in full swing for the new terminal building at Surat airport. (Image Courtesy - PIB)

With 20 check-in counters, five aerobridges, an in-line baggage handling system, and five-passenger arrival conveyor belts, the terminal building will offer all of the current passenger facilities. A parking lot with a capacity of 475 cars will be included in the new terminal building.

”The interiors of the terminal building will reflect the art and culture of Gujarat,” it noted. More than 58% of the work for the extension of the terminal building is complete and the building will be ready by December 31, it mentioned.

The airport in India's diamond hub, Surat, is all set for a makeover with the Airport Authority of India developing it for INR 353 crore.

Surat Airport to get a world-class INR 353 crore makeover; terminal building to be ready by 2022 End. (Image Courtesy - PIB)

Aside from the terminal building development, work on expanding the apron from five to 18 parking spaces and constructing a parallel taxi track (2905 m X 30 m) is also underway.

The terminal will be a 4-Star GRIHA rated energy-efficient building with sustainability features. The interiors of the terminal building will reflect the art and culture of Gujarat.

Surat Airport caters to a large number of business communities across the country, as it is directly connected to 16 cities across the country. The new world-class terminal building of the airport will enhance the connectivity to this industrial city, giving impetus to the overall growth of the region.

Surat Airport caters to a large number of business communities across the country, as it is directly connected to 16 cities across the country. (Image Courtesy - Wikipedia)

Surat Airport with a total area of 770 acres is the second busiest airport in Gujarat after Ahmedabad in terms of both aircraft movements and passenger traffic. It was awarded customs airport status on 9 June 2018. It is also home to a flying training school.

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Last month, the AAI announced that the new terminal building at the Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar islands will be opened by October.

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Recently, The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will commission a new terminal building at the Jabalpur airport in Madhya Pradesh by March 2023.

The Delhi airport has introduced a personalised baggage tag, enabled by radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which will give passengers real-time information about when and on which belt is their check-in luggage arriving at the terminal, a statement said on Wednesday, June 1.

The Delhi airport is the first Indian airport to introduce this facility, its operator GMR Group-led DIAL claimed in a statement. A passenger can purchase this tag at the Delhi airport, scan the QR code on it and register it on the website bag.hoi.in, the statement mentioned.

Delhi airport introduces 'BAGG TRAX', RFID-enabled tag to track check-in luggage

"Once the tag is registered, all a passenger has to do is to tie the tag or place it into their check-in luggage," it noted. Passengers will start receiving SMS alerts with the details of baggage on their registered mobile number when their baggage arrives at the Delhi Airport.

"They will get the message on their mobile that their luggage is ready to be picked up at the designated baggage belt," it noted.

"The Delhi airport is a pioneer in using the technology to give a world-class experience to the passengers. The introduction of BAGG TRAX is yet another technology-driven initiative of DIAL to give an enhanced passenger experience. Now passengers will not have to wait anxiously until their luggage reaches the delivery area as they will get all information about their baggage. During this time, they can meet their other needs. The facility will also help reduce the crowd near the baggage belts.”Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL)

The 'BAGG TRAX' tags will soon be commercially launched for flyers at the Delhi airport. Presently, as part of the pilot project, BAGG TRAX tags are given to select frequent flyers at Terminal 3 only, it said.

Once commercially launched, flyers can buy it in the departure sections of any of the terminals at the Delhi airport, it noted.

The 'BAGG TRAX' tags will soon be commercially launched for flyers at the Delhi airport.

BAGG TRAX will not only help the domestic and international arrival passengers but also those in transit to track their checked-in baggage, it said.

What is RFID Tagging?

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is the wireless non-contact use of radio frequency waves to transfer data. RFID systems usually comprise an RFID reader, RFID tags, and antennas.

RFID tagging uses small radio frequency identification devices to track and identify objects. An RFID tagging system includes the tag itself, also known as a transponder; a scanning antenna and receiver, often combined into one reader, also known as an interrogator; and a host system application for data collection, processing and transmission.

Such systems are commonly used to track and manage goods, animals, and humans.

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Now passengers will not have to wait anxiously until their luggage reaches the delivery area as they will get all information about their baggage.

RFID can be traced to the early days of the radio and later the invention of radio detection and ranging (RADAR) in 1935 by Sir Robert Watson-Watt. The use of radio waves to detect enemy aircraft dates back to World War II.

RFID as recognized today appeared in the 1940s and 1950s, with applications beyond military use starting in the 1960s. Charles Walton is documented as the first RFID patent holder for his 1973 design of a portable radio.

How Does RFID Work?

Tagging items with RFID tags allows users to automatically and uniquely identify and track inventory and assets. RFID takes auto-ID technology to the next level by allowing tags to be read without a line of sight and, depending on the type of RFID, having a read range between a few centimetres to over 20+ meters.

ALSO READ - Vistara becomes first Indian scheduled operator to implement RFID Equipment and Maintenance Checking – Here’s what we know

Civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a fine of INR 10 lakh on Air Vistara for violating safety regulations. The airline has been fined for violation of takeoff and landing clearance given to first officers without conducting any training.

Training is conducted for the first officer to land the aircraft in the simulator before they can do it at the aircraft with passengers onboard. In the same way, a captain is also trained in a simulator before he/she can give landing to the first officer.

Vistara fined INR 10 lakh by DGCA for violating safety regulations

The aircraft was being landed by the first officer without the captain or the first officer training at the simulator, which is a serious violation endangering the lives of the passengers onboard. The lapse was detected during a landing in Indore.

A fine of INR 10 lakh has therefore been levied on Vistara for granting landing clearance to the first officer without conducting requisite training.

Vistara is based at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport. The airline provides domestic services to major metropolitan centres and tourism destinations. The carrier is a Joint Venture between Tata Sons Private Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited. It is also known as Tata-SIA Airlines Limited.

Vistara was fined for violation of takeoff and landing clearance given to first officers without conducting any training.

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SpiceJet was fined INR 10 lakh by the DGCA on May 30 for training 737 Max aircraft pilots on a defective simulator. The DGCA previously restricted 90 SpiceJet pilots from flying B737 Max planes. The regulator ordered that the pilots be retrained.

A senior DGCA official informed that during simulator surveillance by DGCA at CSTPL Greater Noida on March 30, 2022, it was observed that there was an MMI (Missing Malfunction Inoperative Item ) for the B737 Max concerning the Stick shaker on the P2 side, being inoperative since 17th March 2022.

IndiGo could have a business class on the Airbus A321 XLR (extra long range) that begin joining its fleet from mid-2024 and will be used for nonstops with a duration of up to 7-8 hours to Europe and the Far East.

The European planemaker said in May that the launch of the A321XLR aircraft will be delayed from 2023 to 2024. So IndiGo’s XLR planes are due to come at the end of 2024.

The budget airline has always had a single class cabin, all economy. It has also shunned ovens on aircraft to keep aircraft light and save fuel while selling cold meals to passengers.

IndiGo plans to have a business class on Airbus A321 XLR

But for the long flights that the XLR would used for, the airline is drawing up a different business model. An IndiGo official said the airline is “considering a two-class configuration (business and economy) for the XLR. However, nothing has been decided yet.”

The XLR is also most likely to have ovens on board that will enable passengers to buy real hot meals.

The XLR product being designed by IndiGo is for the first budget medium-haul nonstops between India and destinations like Paris, Frankfurt, Prague, Moscow, Tokyo and Seoul — a soul preserve of full-service carriers’ (FSC) direct flights.

When it comes to Europe, IndiGo has a lot of choices with its destinations. These most popular would be London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Barcelona, and many more.

Aircraft cabin of Jet Blue's Airbus A321LR

“If IndiGo gets it right and can offer a significant price difference (all-inclusive factoring in meals, baggage, seat selection and onboard WiFi) compared to FSCs, it could give the latter a run for their money.

It will be interesting to see how Air India, whose revamp is being planned by the Tatas, counter this move of IndiGo.

Fortunately, the Indian market is so huge that IndiGo and Air India won’t need to compete with each other but complement each other,” said an aviation industry insider.

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IndiGo currently has a fleet of 275 aircraft and all of them are narrow-body planes such as A320neos and A321neos with just economy class seats.

Ronojoy Dutta reveals the plan in the recent interview

In a recent interview, IndiGo's outgoing CEO Ronojoy Dutta said that adding wide-body aircraft to IndiGo’s fleet is “just a matter of time” once Indian airports develop themselves into hubs, where the management of time slots for arrivals and departures of flights is much better and the time taken to transfer a passenger from an arriving flight at one terminal to a connecting flight on another terminal is extremely less.

A wide-body plane has a bigger fuel tank that allows it to operate long-haul international flights. In India, only Air India and Vistara operate wide-body planes.

Asked about the budget carrier’s plans to increase legroom on planes that operate in international sectors, Dutta said, “We are looking at the configuration of these planes and the obvious question is do we have two-class planes or not. So, we haven’t decided that.”

Proposed look pf the IndiGo's A321XLR revealed by Airbus

Once the airline decides on that, only then it can decide how much legroom it will have in the economy class, he said.

However, he clarified, “in the back (economy class), the pitch is not going to go up too much… Maybe on some (economy class) seats it’ll go up to 33 (inches) or so”.

“But the real issue is are we going to go with a business class or not, and we haven’t decided that. But it’s increasingly looking likely that we will,” he added. Currently, the pitch of economy class seats in IndiGo’s planes is 30 inches.

Airbus is completing the construction and installation of A321XLR test equipment at the final assembly line (FAL) in Hamburg, in preparation for the model’s first flight.

IndiGo had placed an order for 300 A320neo family planes, which include A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR, with Airbus in October 2019.

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Airbus is completing the construction and installation of A321XLR test equipment at the final assembly line (FAL) in Hamburg, in preparation for the model’s first flight. According to the manufacturer, the first unit of the type (MSN11000) will be delivered to the test team in a very short time.

In parallel to this, the European giant is conducting ground tests to be ready for the start of the flight test and certification programs.

The A321XLR was launched at the Paris Airshow in 2019, and by the end of February 2022, Airbus had amassed 515 orders from 25 customers for the type.

Launched in 2019, the upcoming A321XLR from European aerospace manufacturer Airbus is a real gamechanger for the aviation industry.

With a range of 4,700 NM and 30% lower fuel burn per seat than previous-generation aircraft, it will expand the possibilities of the narrowbody for airlines and bring in a new era for passengers.

Seldom has there been so much anticipation ahead of the introduction of a new variant of a previously existing model. And indeed, there are many exciting things worth knowing about this new aircraft. Here are some of the most significant to get you started.

Many airlines have also switched existing A320neo family orders to the new A321XLR model.

The A321XLR was launched at the Paris Airshow in 2019, and by the end of February 2022, Airbus had amassed 515 orders from 25 customers for the type.

It is worth noting that these were not all new aircraft orders. Many airlines have also switched existing A320neo family orders to the new A321XLR model.

One of the latest carriers to confirm order was Air Canada, adding six to an additional 20 it is acquiring through lessors for a future fleet of 26 A321XLRs.

All-Airbus low-cost giant IndiGo will, for the moment, be the largest operator of this aircraft.

As confirmed in a recent earnings call, India's all-Airbus low-cost giant IndiGo will, for the moment, be the largest operator of this aircraft.

Placed as part of a 300 plane order in 2019, the airline originally planned for around 37 of the type. However, recent figures have revealed a much larger fleet, totalling 69 in all, is destined for the Indian airline.

Both American Airlines and United Airlines have orders for 50 A321XLR aircraft. For American Airlines, 30 of these orders were conversions from existing A321neo orders, and 20 were new orders.

Air India Ltd. is considering ordering as many as 300 narrowbody jets, according to people familiar with the matter, in what could be one of the largest orders in commercial aviation history as the formerly state-run airline looks to overhaul its fleet under new ownership.

The carrier may order Airbus SE’s A320neo family jets or Boeing Co.’s 737 Max models, or a mix of both, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are confidential.

A deal for 300 737 Max-10 jets could be worth USD 40.5 billion at sticker prices, although discounts are common in such large purchases.

Air India prepares to add more than 200 aircraft; the most significant order in a long time

Winning a narrowbody order in India would be a coup for Boeing, as rival Airbus dominates the skies in the country, the world’s fastest-growing aviation market before the Covid pandemic.

IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., is the world’s largest customer for the European manufacturer’s best-selling narrowbodies, ordering more than 700, and others including Vistara, Go Airlines India Ltd. and AirAsia India Ltd. fly planes from the same family.

Production and delivery of 300 planes would likely take years or even more than a decade. Airbus builds about 50 narrowbody jets in a month, with plans to increase that to 65 by the middle of 2023, and 75 by 2025.

Air India has not bought a single aircraft since 2006 when it placed orders for purchasing 111 aircraft

Representatives for Air India and Boeing declined to comment. An Airbus representative said the company is always in contact with existing and potential customers, but any discussions are confidential.

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Air India’s owner Tata Group is also close to ordering Airbus A350 long-range jets that are capable of flying as far as the US West Coast from New Delhi.

Once known for its premium services and advertisements featuring Bollywood stars, the airline still has lucrative landing slots at most major airports, but it faces competition from foreign airlines with nonstop services to India, as well as carriers that fly via hubs in the Middle East.

Air India has 79 narrow-bodied planes in its fleet too.

Air India has not bought a single aircraft since 2006 when it placed orders for purchasing 111 aircraft — 68 from the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing and 43 from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

Tata bought the airline earlier this year in the most high-profile privatization under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is expected to consolidate its aviation businesses, including four airline brands.

An order for new planes, especially with favourable terms on long-term maintenance, would help it cut costs and compete better with rivals that offer very cheap fares.

ALSO READ - Air India eyes Multiple Hubs, International Expansion

According to Air India's website, the airline has a total of 49 wide-bodied aircraft

On the sidelines of the 78th annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association, aviation industry sources said Air India is considering buying 200 new planes. The share of narrow-bodied aircraft to that of wide-bodied planes will be 70:30.

Airbus’ top executives are among the hundreds of airline and aerospace company bosses who are in Doha, attending the two-day annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

According to Air India's website, the airline has a total of 49 wide-bodied aircraft - 18 Boeing B777, 4 Boeing B747 and 27 Boeing B787 - in its fleet. The carrier has 79 narrow-bodied planes in its fleet too.

Gurugram-based startup TechEagle on Tuesday, May 31 said its drone has successfully delivered a mail-in to Gujarat under a pilot project in collaboration with India Post, which could pave the way for postal deliveries by drones in the future.

The first such drone flight delivered the parcel in the Kutch region of Gujarat in less than half an hour, travelling a distance of 46 km, with a five-times faster speed than surface transportation, the deep-tech drone technology startup said in a release.

TechEagle collaborates with India Post to deliver mail using drones

The postal department said that if the experiment is commercially successful, postal parcel delivery services will be faster.

TechEagle had launched the country's fastest hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) 100-km range drone 'VertiplaneX3,' with a payload capacity of 3-kg and a top speed of 120 km per hour, last month. It can take off and land vertically like a helicopter from a small area of 5mX5m.

TechEagle had launched the country's fastest hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) 100-km range drone 'VertiplaneX3'

VertiplaneX3 was showcased by the firm during the recently-concluded Drone Mahotsav in New Delhi. The pilot project was aimed at testing the operational and technical feasibility of drone deliveries in the region along with commercial scalability, TechEagle said.

With the success of this pilot project, it will now be possible to make postal deliveries by drone in the future, it stated.

"On May 27, TechEagle's Vertiplane X3 delivered India Post's mail from Habay village in Bhuj taluka to Ner village in Bhachau taluka of Kutch district in Gujarat.It was quite remarkable for the drone delivery revolution in the country as it was the longest Drone delivery in a single flight and that too in a harsh weather environment with a wind speed of more than 30 km/hour."Vikram Singh Meena, Founder & CEO, TechEagle

Emphasising that the technology needs to create real value for society by providing better access to services, Anshu Abhishek, co-founder-COO at TechEagle said, "The TechEagle is proud to partner with India Post, which is the most widely-distributed postal department in the world, to deliver parcels to remote and rural areas".

"This project was aimed at enabling faster deliveries across the country be it in urban cities or any rural village. The learnings from the project would help stakeholders to scale up and commercialise the drone delivery of mail across the country."Anshu Abhishek, Co-Founder & COO, TechEagle