TruJet to sell its 79% equity stake to WinAir

WinAir (We Indian Nationals) Aviation Pvt Ltd, touted as India’s first parallel airline company, has announced acquiring a 79% equity stake in Hyderabad - headquartered regional airline TruJet, owned by Turbo Megha Airways Pvt Ltd, for INR 200 crore.

A parallel airline uses the equipment and operating permits of an existing airline operator by optimally utilising the leased aircraft and idle hours of the existing airlines in viable routes.

TruJet to sell its 79% equity stake to WinAir

A parallel airline is a new concept that means utilizing an existing operator who has equipment (Aircraft, NOC, NSOP) and an operating permit. In short, the aircraft are leased utilizing their license and viable routes are planned. In other words, it is just like utilizing the idle hours of the existing airlines, this is the first time in the world that such a module is being framed.

“With our experienced team, we will revitalise TruJet through the infusion of fresh capital and improve its performance. Needless to say, the synergy will bring in more benefits for the end consumers. By December TruJet will be able to fly 17 aircraft a day along with 3 backup aircraft (Aircraft ATR-600).”Samuel Timothy, Chairman and Managing Director, WinAir

In a statement on May 1, WinAir said it will take over the management control and operations of TruJet. WinAir said the managing director of TruJet Umesh Vankayalapati signed the term sheet agreement with WinAir’s chairman and managing director Samuel Timothy on April 26.

Vankayalapati will remain as the managing director and he along with Timothy will guide the new management team with a new business plan, said the statement, adding that the deal comes as a major relief to TruJet’s 650 employees and their families.

Following this deal, WinAir said it is all set to roll out scheduled commuter operations.

By December TruJet will be able to fly 17 aircraft a day along with 3 backup aircraft (Aircraft ATR-600)

ALSO READ - Indian skies to get busier in 2022, parallel airline WINAIR on the runway

WinAir is associated with the Aaryan Group of Companies, which are into various business streams like media and entertainment, infrastructure and real estate, food and beverage, hospitality, green energy, heavy industries, finance, education, business ancillary services, healthcare, gold refinery, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, electric vehicles, agriculture, and organic farming, among others.

Commenting on the concept of parallel airline operations, Timothy said, “By the virtue of this parallel approach, we could create a new system connecting cities and towns toeing in line with the present government concept of Make in India, Made in India. More viable routes could be planned in the future.”

TruJet receives a notice from aircraft lessor Elix to ground its 3 ATRs

ALSO READ - TruJet receives a notice from aircraft lessor Elix to ground its 3 ATRs

Recently, Leasing company Elix sent a notice to TruJet to ground three aircraft. The Ireland-based lessor has applied to the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the deregistration of the ATRs leased to the debt-strapped regional airline.

According to documents, Elix applied for the Irrevocable De-Registration and Export Request Authorisation (IDERA) deregistration on April 5 for three ATR 72-212A registered numbers VT-TMU, VT-TMP and VT-TMK. As per protocol, the DGCA sent a notification to all the necessary parties involved on April 11.

In what can be termed a first, Boeing has pulled the curtains off the production of its first T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer jet for the United States Air Force at its St. Louis, Mo., facilities on April 28.

New Atlas

T-7A Red Hawk - the next generation of pilot training

Saab

The T-7A is a joint venture between Boeing and Saab, touted to replace the Northrop T-38 trainer, which has been in service for half a century and will be phased out beginning in 2023.

Northrop T-38 trainer | Military.com

The Red Hawk builds off the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, paying tribute to the legends of the past and the heroes of the future. The canopy rail of the rollout jet was painted with the names of Red Tails commander, the late Brigadier General Charles McGee and Lt. Col. George Hardy, who attended the event. Boeing showed videos honouring the Tuskegee Airmen and linking the jet to their legacy.

The Tuskegee Airmen | History.com

The Tuskegee Airmen are one of the most celebrated units in our Air Force history, and the T-7A honors the bravery and skill of these trailblazers. Like the Airmen they were named and painted to pay homage to, the T-7A Red Hawks break down the barriers of flight. These digitally-engineered aircraft will make it possible for a diverse cross section of future fighter and bomber pilots to be trained, and provide an advanced training system and capabilities that will meet the demands of today’s and tomorrow’s national security environmentsaid Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chief of Staff of the Air Force

Tech and specs

According to Boeing, the T-7A is ergonomically designed, equally for both- pilots and the ground crew, with access panels set at a comfortable height that gives easy access to the internal components.

Compared to traditional aircraft development programs, the T-7A experienced:

A 75% increase improvement in first-time engineering qualityAn 80% reduction in assembly hoursA 50% reduction in software development and verification time

Having taken three years in the making- right from the concept to the first flight, the design of the aircraft included a modular design, developed specifically for maintainers, highly immersive training and offloading of skills and advanced fighter-like performance features that are commensurate with today’s 4th and 5th-gen fighter aircraft. This feature of commonality allows the use of existing maintenance infrastructure, further lowering life cycle costs.

T-7A RedHawk Simulator | FlightGlobal

The Red Hawk’s fighter-like design and performance, combined with embedded and live virtual constructive training, allows the download of training tasks from the existing fleet to a lesser cost platform while simultaneously delivering realistic training solutions that better prepare pilots for the training mission.

Crew2Powerplant1 × General Electric F404-GE-103 afterburning turbofan, 11,000 lbf (49 kN) thrust dry, 17,000 lbf with afterburnerWikipedia

It is history in the making. The T-7A has already … revolutionized how aircraft are designed and built.  It won’t be the last new airplane designed this wayBoeing bombers and fighters vice president Steve Parker said

The aircraft also has an in-built adaptive capability wherein it can be easily adapted to changing technologies and learning methods.

The T-7A’s design also includes provisions for growth as requirements evolve for additional missions such as an aggressor, light attack/fighter variant.

Ironically, the rollout comes just a day after Boeing announced the loss of $367 million on the T-7A in the first quarter of 2022.

However, though, David L. Calhoun- CEO and president of Boeing, stated that the aircraft will be in service “for decades” and will be built in large numbers, and should eventually be profitable for Boeing.

David L. Calhoun | The New York Times

The first T-7A squadron is to be operational in 2024. Furthermore, Boeing aims to sell over 2,700 Red Hawks globally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3HiPcfp7R4

SOURCE(s)

COVER: FlightGlobal

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held discussions with American aerospace giants on further strengthening collaboration with the industry in India.

Scindia arrived in New York on Thursday, April 28 for the first leg of his visit to North America and began his engagements with discussions with New York-based technology-powered, global air mobility platform Blade.

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1519731898892709888

On Thursday, April 28, he also interacted with members of the Indian diaspora during a session and reception hosted by the Consul General of New York Randhir Jaiswal.

Scindia’s engagements on Friday, April 29 began with a round table hosted by the US-India Business Council. The roundtable, attended by senior industry leaders, focussed on “ways to strengthen” collaboration between India and the US across the aviation sector.

“Had a productive interaction with members of @USIBC from the aviation community. Spoke about the growing focus & opportunities in regional connectivity & urban air mobility in India,” Scindia tweeted.

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1520021176457654272

Later, he met the vice president at aerospace and defence giant Raytheon Technologies Ambassador Paul Jones and Senior Vice President at American aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Rick Duerloo.

“Discussed potential collaboration for enhancing the civil aviation infrastructure ecosystem in India, including setting up MROs and furthering our GAGAN project,” Scindia tweeted, referring to the GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation, a Space-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organisation and Airports Authority of India to provide navigational services over Indian FIR (Flight Information Region).

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1520091980356673536

Scindia also had a detailed discussion with the vice president at Sikorsky Hamid Salim on deepening Lockheed Martin’s engagement with India, “including developments in the helicopter sector and setting up the offset and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facilities in India.”

Scindia will travel to Canada on Monday, May 2 where he will visit the Bombardier and Airbus facilities, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) headquarters as well as the Air India Memorial.

Airbus is planning to increase production for its single-aisle narrowbody A320-family jets in 2023, according to the planemaker’s CEO, Guillaume Faury. Airbus plans to roll out 65 jets per month by the summer of 2023.

However, the plane manufacturer remains cautious of increased disruptions to its Chinese supply chain due to the recent pandemic lockdown in the region. Airbus will closely monitor the chain going forward, Faury added. 

"The whole worldwide supply chain is complicated at the moment," Faury said. Recently, China has experienced a “severe and complicated” COVID-19 situation as cases continue to rise.  

Airbus plans to increase production of its single-aisle narrowbody A320-family jets in 2023

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), Chinese carriers anticipate a 77% year-on-year decrease in air passenger traffic during the Labour Day holiday period between April 30, 2022, and May 4, 2022. 

During a press conference on April 28, 2022, Liang Nan, director of the Transportation Department of the CAAC, announced that airlines in China expect to carry just 2 million passengers during the five-day holiday period. Chinese carriers anticipate a 77% drop in passenger traffic during the Labour Day holiday period. 

Airbus’s A320 family comprises the A319/A320/A321ceo variants as well as the A319/A320/A321neo variants.  

In Airbus’s recent orders and deliveries data for March 2022, its single-aisle aircraft accounted for the bulk of its order book. The A320neo and the A321neo models were the most popular models with 88 and 83 gross orders. 

Airbus’s A320 family comprises the A319/A320/A321ceo variants as well as the A319/A320/A321neo variants.  

The A321neo, which is available in two seating configurations as a 180 or 220-seater, is Airbus’s longest-fuselage single-aisle aircraft of its A320 narrowbodies. 

The A321neo aircraft offers a comfortable inflight experience with features such as premium black leather seats, amply-sized overhead compartment bins, ambient lighting technologies that reduce jetlag, improved air quality, and reduced noise emissions.

Airbus is eager to set a roadmap for increased production that will maintain its dominance over Boeing in single-aisle jets even as the 737 Max model racks up orders following a near two-year grounding after two fatal crashes.

Safran SA of France, which makes turbines for Airbus’s best-selling A320 jets with General Electric Co., and Germany’s MTU Aero Engines AG

The A320 backlog runs for several years so the increased output would both lift revenue and cut waiting times, spurring orders from airlines eager to add planes.

Airbus SE secured an 18-month extension to key engine-supply contracts as it cranks up narrow-body plane production in a bid to consolidate its lead over Boeing Co. coming out of the coronavirus crisis.

Safran SA of France, which makes turbines for Airbus’s best-selling A320 jets with General Electric Co., and Germany’s MTU Aero Engines AG, a supplier of a rival Pratt & Whitney engine, said Friday, April 29 they’ve agreed on deals through 2024.

Scoot, the low-cost arm of the Singapore Airlines Group, has launched daily flight services between Thiruvananthapuram and Singapore, up from its previous thrice-weekly flight service. The increase in frequency will allow Scoot to better support travel demand on the route.

Similarly, the daily services of the airline which has a network of 42 destinations in 16 countries and territories, including Australia and Southeast Asia, will also benefit tourists to and from Kerala and the southern part of Tamil Nadu.

Scoot commences daily flights between Thiruvananthapuram and Singapore

The daily flight service will be operated by Scoot’s A321 neo aircraft, which endeavours a larger passenger capacity of 236 seats, 50 more than the A320neo, and more fuel-efficient engines, offering customers a comfortable in-flight experience.

The A321neo aircraft offers a comfortable inflight experience with features such as premium black leather seats, amply-sized overhead compartment bins, ambient lighting technologies that reduce jetlag, improved air quality, and reduced noise emissions.

The number of passengers and air traffic movement at Thiruvananthapuram international airport has increased significantly during the summer schedule.  

The daily flight service will be operated by Scoot’s A321 neo aircraft, which endeavours a larger passenger capacity of 236 seats

Scoot Pte. Ltd (formerly Scoot Tigerair Pte. Ltd.), trading as Scoot, is a low-cost long-haul subsidiary airline of Singapore Airlines (SIA). Established by Singapore Airlines in 2011, Scoot commenced operations in June 2012 in Sydney and Gold Coast.

SIA utilised Scoot to leverage the rising challenge from LCCs in key markets. Scoot initially launched operations with four Boeing 777-200s in a two-class configuration and later switched its fleet to over 15 787-8/9 aircraft, all sourced through parent SIA.

The government has approved selling its 51% stake in helicopter services provider Pawan Hans Ltd (PHL) along with a transfer of management control for INR 211.14 crore to Star9 Mobility Private Ltd, the Finance Ministry said on Friday, April 29.

PHL is a 51:49 joint venture of the government and ONGC providing helicopter and aero mobility services. ONGC had earlier decided to offer its entire shareholding to the successful bidder identified in the GoI strategic disinvestment transaction, on the same price and terms as the government.

The government sells its stake in Pawan Hans to Star9 Mobility for INR 211.14 crore

"The Alternative Mechanism, empowered by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, … has approved the highest bid of M/s Star9 Mobility Private Ltd for sale of entire GoI's shareholding (51% of shareholding) of Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) and transfer of management control," an official statement said.

The Reserve Price for the sale of 51% shareholding of PHL was fixed at INR 199.92 crore, based on the valuation carried out by the transaction adviser and asset valuer. The government had received three bids for the Pawan Hans sale.

"M/s Star9 Mobility Private Ltd, a consortium of M/s Big Charter Private Limited, M/s Maharaja Aviation Private Limited and M/s Almas Global Opportunity Fund SPC; emerged as the highest bidder quoting INR 211.14 crore, which was above the Reserve Price. The other two bids were for INR 181.05 crore and INR 153.15 crore. Following due deliberations, the financial bid of M/s Star9 Mobility Private Limited has been accepted by the Government."Ministry of Finance

Star 9 Mobility has an authorized share capital of INR 1,00,000 and a paid-up capital of INR 1,00,000. It is involved in auxiliary transport activities and activities of travel agencies, among others. Ramen Raymandal, Sumit Sawhney and Vipul Rashmikant Dave are the company directors.

Captain Sanjay Mandavia’s Big Charter Pvt Ltd, which operates regional airline flybig, owns a 26% stake in Star9 Mobility. Delhi-based charter operator Maharaja Aviation Pvt Ltd owns 25% of it, giving substantial ownership and effective control to Indian entities.

Cayman Islands-based Almas Global Opportunity Fund SPC, which is managed by UAE’s Almas Capital, has a 49% stake in the consortia that have won PHHL. The consortium is learnt to have big plans for PHHL.

PHL is a 51:49 joint venture of the government and ONGC providing helicopter and aero mobility services.

The Alternative Mechanism comprises Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

ALSO READ - Government gets financial bids in the fourth attempt for Pawan Hans stake

In the fourth iteration, the government invited EoIs on December 8, 2020. Seven EoIs were received and four interested bidders were shortlisted as qualified bidders. After detailed due diligence, the qualified bidders were invited to submit financial bids, following which three financial bids were received.

The CCEA approved the strategic disinvestment of the entire GoI stake in PHL in October 2016. The transaction had been attempted thrice in the past. In the fourth iteration with the request for Expressions of Interest (EoI) invited on December 8, 2020, seven EoIs were received and four interested bidders were shortlisted as qualified bidders. After detailed due diligence, three financial bids were received.

The company has a fleet of 42 helicopters with 41 of them owned by the company.

The helicopter firm has incurred losses in FY19, FY20 and FY21. The company has a fleet of 42 helicopters with 41 of them owned by the company.

The owned helicopters have an average age of over 20 years and three-fourths of them are presently not being manufactured by the original equipment manufacturer.

With this privatisation, it is expected that the strategic buyer will revitalise the company by replacing the ageing fleet through the infusion of fresh capital and improve the performance of the company, according to the government statement.