Technical snag on Vistara flight

Jinen Gada

07 Jul 2022

An engine of a Vistara aircraft on its way from Bangkok failed after it landed at the Delhi airport but all passengers disembarked safely.

Vistara flight suffers engine snag after landing safely at IGI Airport.

Vistara said UK-122 which was operating the Bangkok-Delhi flight had an uneventful flight and touched down safely on runway 10 at IGI. After vacating runway engine number two, the left engine was shut down for single-engine taxing, at the end of taxiway 'K', engine number 1 failed.

ATC was informed and a tow truck was requested. Subsequently, the aircraft was towed to the parking bay."

"After landing in Delhi, while taxing to the parking bay, our flight UK122 (BKK-DEL) had a minor electrical malfunction on 5th July 2022. Keeping passengers safety and comfort in mind the crew elected to tow the aircraft to the bay."Vistara Spokesperson

In June, Vistara was fined INR 10 lakh for allowing a co-pilot to land an aircraft at Indore despite not having the requisite training in a simulator. The airline apologised for the 'regrettable violation'.

Vistara faces an electrical issue after a flight from Bangkok landed in Delhi.

Reacting to the development, with also the recent SpiceJet incident, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that passenger safety is paramount and even the smallest error and hindering of safety should be thoroughly investigated and course-corrected.

Meanwhile, sources say that more than 30 incidents are reported on average every day, while include go-around, missed approaches, diversion, medical emergencies, and bird hits. Most of them have no safety implications.

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L&T to collaborate with Jaunt Air Mobility to design eVTOL air taxis - here's what we know

Prashant-prabhakar

06 Jul 2022

A Texas-based aerospace company - Jaunt Air Mobility, will reportedly collaborate with a subsidiary of Indian engineering giant - L&T, to develop an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) air taxi.

Business Wire

Apparently, L&T Technology Services & Ltd. (LTTS), has won a multi-year $100-million-plus electrical air mobility deal from Jaunt that has its design and manufacturing centre in Montreal, Canada.

As a part of the contract, LTTS says it’ll open an engineering and R&D Centre in Canada “for the next-gen electrical plane producer to supply engineering companies for the eVTOL air taxi”.

According to sources, the L&T-Jaunt craft could have its pilot runs in the US before it comes to India and other countries. And from what is known, the US-based firm has taken quite an interest in India.

Representative | Times of India

It is to be noted that the Indian Union Aviation Minister, Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia had very recently invited eVTOL entities to come to manufacture their products and conduct operations here in the country.

LTTS will provide structural design analysis, certification support, manufacturing engineering services for the ‘Jaunt Itinerary’. We will also provide services to support the integration of flight controls, air data management and cockpit display systems. Apart from utilising (our) current development centres in US and in India, LTTS will open an engineering centre in Quebec provinceLTTS said in a statement

Jaunt is creating a new generation of sustainable aircraft to meet the growing demand for increasingly urban and regional travel. These EVTOLs take off like a helicopter and fly like a fixed-wing plane.

These new air taxis will make it possible to travel more than 110km in the air in 25 minutes or less, with trip costs affordable to the public. The Jaunt Journey single pilot aircraft will carry four passengers. The vehicle will offer urban air mobility, cargo delivery, military missions and medical transportJaunt

Representative | Times of India

At Jaunt, our vision is to usher in a range of new age aircraft-driven urban commuting that is fast, safe and convenient. This new clean sustainable aircraft will reduce carbon emissions worldwide. Strategically, we are continuing to grow our Tier 1 partnerships and recognise LTTS as a best-fit engineering partner and together we are confident of pushing the mass-scale commercialisationJaunt CEO and CTO-Martin Peryea

Martin Peryea | aviationpros

LTTS is a listed subsidiary of L&T focused on engineering and R&D services.

Late last month it opened an entering design centre in Toulouse, France- the home city of Airbus.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: eVTOL.news

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Airbus revokes the delivery of another Qatar Airways A350

Radhika Bansal

06 Jul 2022

Europe’s Airbus has raised the stakes in a dispute with Qatar Airways over damage to the painted surface of long-haul A350 jets by revoking the contract for a fourth airplane, three people familiar with the matter said.

The two companies are locked in a dispute over the impact of surface scars on the jets, with Airbus insisting the aircraft are safe and the Gulf carrier claiming there are unanswered questions over airworthiness and refusing to take deliveries.

ALSO READ - UK court denies compensation to Qatar Airways for cancelled A321neos order by Airbus

Airbus revokes the delivery of another Qatar Airways A350

In May, a British judge rejected a bid by Qatar Airways to force Airbus to stop formally trying to deliver more A350s to the carrier, the aircraft’s largest customer.

The procedural ruling means Airbus is free to attempt to trigger payment clauses as more planes are built. It can also try to sell A350s that Qatar has rejected to carriers such as Air India, which industry sources say could step in as a buyer.

ALSO READ - Airbus cancels more A350 orders of Qatar Airways

The fourth A350 was cancelled in late June and is expected to be reflected in the first-half Airbus data due out on Friday, July 8. A fifth aircraft is due to reach the same stage in the pipeline by end-July, followed by a sixth later this year.

The fourth A350 was cancelled in late June and is expected to be reflected in the first-half Airbus data due out on Friday, July 8

Qatar Airways claims Airbus is wrongly trying to offer new jets for delivery, while Airbus claims the airline has broken its contract by refusing to take more A350s and is revoking orders for undelivered aircraft one by one, as they are built.

The two sides are due to meet in a London court on Thursday, July 7 in the latest of a series of procedural hearings ahead of a full trial tentatively scheduled for June next year barring an out-of-court settlement, which sources say so far appears remote.

Qatar Airways has grounded some two dozen A350s amid safety concerns stemming from flaws in the protective painted surface of the planes and is refusing to take delivery of further A350s due until the matter is resolved.

A fifth aircraft is due to reach the same stage in the pipeline by end-July, followed by a sixth later this year.

ALSO READ - Qatar Airways accuses Airbus of acting like a “bully” over ‘peeling paint’; files USD 1 billion lawsuit

The dispute is now before the UK courts. Qatar Airways is suing Airbus for USD 1 billion in damages. Airbus has been countersued for damages.

ALSO READ - Qatar Airways prepared to take the Airbus legal dispute to trial

According to Airbus delivery data, Qatar Airways has 53 A350 aircraft in its fleet, including 34 A350-900s and 19 A350-1000s. As of May 31, a further 19 A350-1000s remained undelivered.

Earlier this year, Airbus cancelled orders from Qatar Airways for 50 A321 jets with over USD 6 billion because of the A350 dispute.

Qatar Airways is a substantial Airbus customer, with 143 aircraft from the plane builder in its fleet. Earlier this year, Airbus cancelled orders from Qatar Airways for 50 A321 jets with over USD 6 billion because of the A350 dispute.

ALSO READ - Airbus responds to Qatar Airways’s A350 dispute by cancelling A321 Order

Other A350 operators have acknowledged the problem but continue to fly the affected planes. Airbus and European aviation regulators say the aircraft is safe to fly. So far, things haven't really gone Qatar Airways' way in court regarding this matter. Airbus also says it would prefer to settle the dispute out of court.

(With Inputs from Reuters)

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Chopper makes 'dangerously' close landing on Amarnath Yatra route

Jinen Gada

06 Jul 2022

Two Choppers of a charter company Heritage Aviation, which flies pilgrims to Amarnath were grounded by the civil aviation regulator on Tuesday, July 5 after a damning video clip showed one of the aircraft landing close to a mountainous dirt track amidst mules carrying travellers.

Referring to the clip, the director-general, of civil aviation said that the "helipad" on which the said helicopter landed was not an authorised one. 

The chopper makes an emergency landing.

The latest video clip shows a helicopter approaching a dirt track even as mules carrying passengers walk past nonchalantly in a single file.

As the helicopter turns and descends towards the dirt track, a person can be heard shouting "side, side, side", exhorting the passengers and mules to give away to the landing aircraft. The helicopter touches down in clouds of dust, a few feet away from the pilgrims. The area being used as a helipad is strewn with gravel and stones and is not demarcated.

"The incident shown in the video clip is of a place on the route called Mahuguna Pass and not any of the helipads cleared by DGCA. The helicopter in the clip seems to be overloaded, whilst not meeting the performance standards and also the SOP for crossing a pass does not seem to have been followed by the pilot."DGCA

Another video clip surfaced over a month ago, which showed a helicopter with pilgrims carrying out a hard landing in Kedarnath helipad on an apron packed with passengers.

It may be noted that the helipads used in Shri Amarnath Yatra are Neelgrath, Pahalgam, and Panjtarni. The civil aviation watchdog has cleared the helipads even for this year's Amarnath yatra after an inspection by the team.

Video of Amarnath chopper flight shows safety lapses, DGCA grounds two aircraft and derosters pilot.

The EC 130 helicopter type of Heritage Aviation involved in this incident, has already been grounded by Air Safety due to exceedance reported for engine parameters. The involved pilot has also been de-rostered.

The agency said that the second EC130 machine of the operator has also been grounded and a probe team has been sent to investigate the incident further.

ALSO READ - DGCA begins probe of a helicopter bouncing and turning 270 degrees while landing at Kedarnath

(With Inputs from The Times of India)

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DHL Aviation Bahrain commence direct freighter services to Delhi

Radhika Bansal

06 Jul 2022

DHL now operates a record 33 flights per week from India with 17 of them connecting Delhi. DHL Express, the world’s leading international express service provider, has commenced operations for the first-ever DHL Aviation Bahrain freighter directly to Delhi.

With this addition, Delhi will now have 17 freighter connections every week, linking both North and East India to over 220 countries and territories across DHL’s global network. Before this, there were 11 freighter connections from Delhi to the West and the Asia Pacific.

DHL Aviation Bahrain commence direct freighter services to Delhi

The new DHL Aviation Bahrain freighter will fly six times each week, carrying 50 tons of shipment per flight on the Bahrain-Delhi-Bahrain route thereby boosting the capacity for the region, and enhancing service quality for customers.

The DHL network continually evaluates available options to strengthen air capacity, to provide optimal services to customers.

"We have been working relentlessly to provide reliable connectivity to our customers to fuel India’s international trade. In line with this, we constantly look for opportunities to expand the capacity of our dedicated air network and invest in ground infrastructure and processes to enhance our service quality to our customers. Through the addition of these dedicated freighter connections, we are well-positioned to remain the provider of choice for our customers across key markets."R.S Subramanian, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, DHL Express India

To ensure services continue to be delivered whilst navigating challenges around air network capacities, a potential opportunity was identified to leverage DHL Aviation Bahrain flights into Delhi to help move express loads to and from the western sectors via the Middle East.

Currently, there are six weekly flights connecting customers in Hong Kong and Delhi to Europe via DHL Express’s global hub in Leipzig as well as five connecting back from Europe to Delhi and Hong Kong.

The DHL network continually evaluates available options to strengthen air capacity, to provide optimal services to customers.

These six additional Bahrain-Delhi-Bahrain flights will then further link customers in the U.S. and Europe as well as the Middle East and Africa. Last year, six flights were added from Bengaluru, connecting South and West India to the rest of the world.

ALSO READ - Bangalore Airport gets a newly expanded facility of DHL Express

A total of 33 DHL flights now service customers in India with a combination of B777 and B767 aircraft every week. The logistics company for the world, DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry.

DHL divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfilment solutions, international express, road, air, and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management.

A total of 33 DHL flights now service customers in India with a combination of B777 and B767 aircraft every week.

With about 380,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows.

With specialised solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing & energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as the logistics company for the world.

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The turbulence continues for SpiceJet with recent incidents on its Dubai and Mumbai bound flights

Jinen Gada

06 Jul 2022

On a tough day for SpiceJet, two of its aircraft were forced to make priority landings after they developed technical glitches on Tuesday, July 5. Including the two new ones, as many as seven such incidents have happened on SpiceJet flights in the last 17 days.

According to sources, this is the seventh safety-related concern in SpiceJet in less than three weeks. The other incidents, all of which have been brought to the attention of the regulator, include two-door warnings, a bird hit, oil leakage from an engine, and a pressurisation problem in addition to yesterday’s malfunction.

This is the 7th safety-related concern in SpiceJet in less than 3 weeks.

"On July 5, 2022, SpiceJet B737 aircraft operating flight SG-11 (Delhi-Dubai) was diverted to Karachi due to an indicator light malfunctioning. The aircraft landed safely in Karachi and passengers were safely disembarked. No emergency was declared and the aircraft made a normal landing. There was no earlier report of any malfunction with the aircraft. Passengers have been served refreshments," said a SpiceJet official.

On that same day, another SpiceJet flight, flying from Kandla in Gujarat, cracked mid-air after which the plane made a priority landing in Mumbai. Officials said the Kandla-Mumbai flight of SpiceJet was at 23,000 feet altitude when the windshield’s outer pane cracked.

ALSO READ - Spicejet aircraft returns to Mumbai due to cracked windshield

This image is for representation purposes only.

This is the sixth such incident for the airline in the last three months. Just a few days back, on July 2, a Jabalpur-bound SpiceJet flight made an emergency landing in Delhi airport after smoke was discovered in the cabin as it was flying at an altitude of 5,000 feet. Yet, all its passengers were safe. 

ALSO READ - SpiceJet flight makes emergency landing after smoke detected inside cabin

The frequency of ‘safety incidents’ of SpiceJet has become a cause for concern. Two incidents were reported on June 19 alone — a Delhi-bound flight carrying over 185 passengers caught fire soon after take-off from Patna airport and had to make an emergency landing. The airline clarified that a bird hit had damaged their fan blades. 

SpiceJet’s Q400 aircraft had its fuselage warning light lit on rotation.

On June 24, the fuselage warning light on a SpiceJet Q400 aircraft (Guwahati-Kolkata) lit up when it was on ‘rotation’, forcing them to abandon their journeys and return. The pilots of the flight found that the warning was coming from the baggage door at the rear end of the plane.

ALSO READ - 2 SpiceJet flights abort take-off following fuselage door warnings

A similar incident happened with SpiceJet on its Q400 aircraft which was operating its Patna-Guwahati flight.

The aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted a fleet-wide safety audit of SpiceJet aircraft just last month and continues to carry out inspections on a case-by-case basis.

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