Unveiling of Australia's First Air Taxi Vertiport

The first vertiport in Australia will be located in Melbourne and serve the developing electric air taxi market. The vertiport, which was created by Contreras Earl Architects and was intended for Caribbean Park in Melbourne's east, was unveiled by Skyportz.

Skyportz

 To develop a modular design for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) airport, Contreras Earl Architects, To70 Aviation, Arup, and Microflite partnered with Skyportz Chief Executive Clem Newton-Brown.

Skyportz Chief Executive Clem Newton-Brown | Source

Several aviation corporations are investing literally billions of dollars in the creation of air taxi prototypes. Along with new competitors like Kittyhawk, Archer, Joby, Lilium, Volocopter, and Electra Aero, some of the greatest names in aviation and automotive are competing, including Bell, Embraer, Boeing, Airbus, Hyundai, and Toyota.

Air-One Vertiport in England | Representative | News NCR

There is no denying the impending arrival of Advanced Aerial Mobility. Since many prototypes have already taken to the air, it is anticipated that the front-runners will have passenger-carrying aircraft that have received commercial certification very soon.

With conventional aviation, if you build a new plane, you already have places to take off and land it.With AAM, everything is being built from scratch. It’s a catch-22. If you don’t have the infrastructure, you can’t get the industry off the ground, and if you have the landing sites but no aircraft, same thing. But eVTOL development is out in frontexplained Sergio Cecutta at Arizona-based SMG Consulting

Representative | Source

The location of the airplane's landing will be the final component of the ecosystem after the aircraft are in the air. And that’s where the Skyportz network of vertiports comes in.

For this industry to succeed it needs to have policymakers pushing the envelope to support new ‘mini airports’ in locations people want to go. Electric air taxis will be a new era in aviation where clean, green and quiet small aircraft can take people to places they want to go. However, community support is going to be the key to the development of these services. The community is going to have to see the benefitsA roadmap for the implementation of advanced air mobility (AAM) in Australia was recently announced by the federal regulator Civil Aviation Safety Authority. It is projected that commercial certification for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft could occur as early as 2024.Skyportz chief executive Clem Newton-Brown said

 We are proud to have designed Australia’s first vertiport—a beautiful, sculptural, ground-breaking terminal that contributes to the evolution of architecture and to the future of our communities and cities. Using advanced technology, we developed an efficient modular design made with recyclable aluminium. The system is lightweight, prefabricated and assembled on site, so that it can be adapted and configured for a broad range of settings and scaled for mass productionContreras Earl Architects director Rafael Contreras said

After Skyportz stated it would build a transportation hub north of Brisbane and manufacture the aircraft in Queensland, flying taxis might carry athletes around the 2032 Brisbane Olympics in Queensland.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: The Urban Developer

Taiwan's China Airlines Ltd said on Tuesday, August 30 it would buy 16 Boeing Co B787 widebody planes to replace its ageing fleet of Airbus A330s following a widely watched contest held against the backdrop of regional tensions.

The politically sensitive deal worth USD 4.6 billion at list prices was announced by the government-backed carrier weeks after a visit to Taipei by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi angered Beijing and stoked Sino-U.S. trade tensions.

U.S. flagship planemaker Boeing had been widely expected to win the deal as talks by the government-backed carrier to renew its fleet coincided with attention to security partnerships amid what Taipei has called its worst tensions with China for 40 years.

Taiwan's China Airlines orders 16 Boeing 787 Dreamliners

This will be the first time China Airlines operates the Dreamliner and the second Taiwanese carrier to do so after EVA Air, which currently operates 10 Dreamliners and awaits delivery of a further 11 planes.

Less certain, however, is how the deal may impact Boeing's relations with China, which typically accounts for about a quarter of its commercial sales, analysts said.

Boeing has been waiting for months for approval to resume 737 MAX deliveries to China despite the jet having been declared safe by Chinese authorities after a safety crisis.

ALSO READ - China gives green light to Boeing 737 Max after “corrective actions”

Boeing has been waiting for months for approval to resume 737 MAX deliveries to China

While Beijing has in the past withdrawn or postponed high-profile business deals in response to U.S. or European arms sales to self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province, civil airplane deals tend not to cause such a stir.

Boeing, which is usually quick to follow up airline order announcements with its release, said hours later that it was pleased that China Airlines had selected the 787 and was working with the carrier to finalise the order.

“We are pleased that China Airlines has selected the 787 Dreamliner to modernize their world-class fleet and look forward to working with the airline to finalize the order," Boeing said in a statement.

The Dreamliner will become an integral part of China Airlines' medium and long-haul network, while the carrier also noted its spacious cargo capacity in the belly will further add to its value.

Boeing was pleased that China Airlines had selected the 787 and was working with the carrier to finalise the order.

ALSO READ - Boeing to resume 787 Dreamliner deliveries

Deliveries are set to begin in 2025 as Boeing scrambles to clear its backlog having only resumed Dreamliner deliveries earlier this month.

Industry sources have said that the U.S. planemaker sought to distance itself from Pelosi's visit, refraining from using it as an opportunity to lobby for a U.S. deal, but would be wary of acting against its own deeper economic interests in China.

China tends to balance jet purchases between trans-Atlantic industrial powers Airbus and Boeing over time but has effectively been off the market for five years, with demand hampered first by trade tensions and then by the pandemic.

China tends to balance jet purchases between trans-Atlantic industrial powers Airbus and Boeing over time

ALSO READ - Chinese airlines orders 292 Airbus A320neo aircraft

In July, Chinese state airlines announced a deal for 292 smaller narrowbody jets with Airbus, in what sources called a carefully timed announcement, months after the deal was agreed.

Boeing has long been seen as a contender to win a Chinese order for widebody jets like the 787 once trade tensions ease.

Boeing shares closed 1.9% lower on Tuesday, August 30.

Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said last month that 737 MAX deliveries to China remained blocked by COVID-19 and a "geopolitical overhang," in a reference to simmering trade tensions between the world's two biggest economies.

Boeing has long been seen as a contender to win a Chinese order for widebody jets like the 787 once trade tensions ease.

The order from Taiwan, however, is the latest sign of a long-awaited pickup in widebody demand and a boost for the U.S. planemaker weeks after it resumed deliveries of its premier long-haul model following a 15-month halt over production issues. 

China Airlines said the 787s would allow it to phase out its fleet of 22 older A330s.

The carrier, one of the world's biggest freight airlines, cited the 787's cargo-carrying capacity as one of the reasons behind its selection in a contest that industry sources said pitted the 787 against the A330neo.

China Airlines, which has been profitable during much of the pandemic because of a shift to cargo services, is now gearing up for a rebound in passenger travel when Taiwan lifts quarantine rules for arrivals.

China Airlines said the 787s would allow it to phase out its fleet of 22 older A330s.

The agreement with Boeing also includes rights to convert parts of its order to the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner variant. The 787-10 is the largest variant in the Dreamliner program and the least popular in terms of sales at 182 orders, falling short of the 787-9 (890 orders) and 787-8 (416 orders).

As for China Airlines' Airbus A330-300 fleet, the carrier has 22 of the type with an average age exceeding 14 years. The vast majority of its A330 fleet is on the lease, with the first aircraft arriving back in 2004.

The Taiwanese airline has been busy renewing its fleet in recent years. This includes welcoming the Airbus A321neo to replace its Boeing 737-800s, along with the addition of the Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A350-900 in the last half-decade.

(With Inputs from Reuters)

An Airbus plane operated by IndiGo faced an "engine stall" warning for a few seconds as it flew into wake turbulence caused by a Boeing 777 aircraft that flew from the opposite side.

The mid-air incident happened on IndiGo's Guwahati-Mumbai flight that was operated by an Airbus 320 ceo plane on Monday, August 29.

An Airbus A320 operated by IndiGo experienced an uncommon occurrence while passing over the Guwahati to Mumbai route at a height of about 36,000 feet. The captain detected an Engine 1 stall warning signal that suddenly disappeared.

The wake turbulence arose due to the large jet aircraft crossing in the opposite direction of the Indigo aircraft.

An official reported that IndiGo flight 6E-6812 briefly experienced an engine 1 stall warning signal as a result of a larger jet of a Boeing 777 aircraft travelling in the opposite direction of IndiGo’s A320 aircraft and creating “Wake Turbulence” mid-air.

Commenting on the development, an official said the warning signal appeared for a moment due to the presence of a bigger jet of Boeing 777 aircraft passing in the opposite direction. However, despite the warning, the flight landed safely at the Mumbai airport.

The heavier the aircraft is and the slower it is moving, the stronger the vortices.

Wake turbulence is a disturbance in the atmosphere that forms behind an aircraft as it passes through the air. It includes a variety of components, the most significant of which are wingtip vortices and jetwash.

All aircraft produce wake turbulence more correctly called wingtip vortices or wake vortices. Wake vortices are formed any time an aerofoil is producing lift. Lift is generated by the creation of a pressure differential over the wing surfaces.

The Tatas have retained Captain R S Sandhu as chief of operations of Air India, making him among the few top management people from the Maharaja’s government-owned days to be utilised for the big transformation under the new owners.

Captain Rajwinder Singh Sandhu will continue as Tata-owned Air India's chief of operations. The airline on Tuesday, August 30 announced that Captain Sandhu will continue to lead as Chief of Operations till further notice.

According to an order issued then, Sandhu had been appointed as Director, Operations, of Air India for three years with effect from the date of his joining, or until disinvestment of Air India, or up to the date of superannuation, or until further orders, whichever was earlier. He was working as Executive Director in the same organisation.

Capt RS Sandhu retains as Chief of Operations for Air India.

His appointment for the role was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet in July 2020. This makes the 58-year-old pilot one among the few top management people from the carrier's government-owned days to be retained for as Air India undergoes a big transformation under its new owners - the Tatas.

One of the senior-most pilots who fly the 787 Dreamliner, Captain Sandhu was nearing the airline's retirement age of 58, however, he has been given an extension in the term following Air India's recent decision to raise it 65 years.

ALSO READ - Air India plans to let its pilots fly until the age of 65

The Tata-owned carrier had recently decided to give an extension for another five years to select pilots. This was also given Air India's expansion plans as it looks at widening its fleet.

This was also given Air India's expansion plans as it looks at widening its fleet.

"Considering future expansion plans for our fleet, it is imperative to meet our workforce requirement for pilots," S D Tripathi, Air India's Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO), had said in a July 29 notice.

DGCA allows pilots to fly till the age of 65 years, compared to Air India's retirement age of 58 years. Allowing pilots to fly till the age of 65 is a practice followed by most airlines in the industry.

To meet our requirement, it is proposed to retain our current trained pilots at Air India post-retirement on a contractual basis for 5 years extendable to 65 years, it added.

Air India’s load factor improves to 80% under Tata group management.

To grant an extension to pilots till the age of 65, Air India has introduced a screening process. "A committee comprising of the functional representatives of HR, operations and flight safety will be constituted to examine the eligibility of pilots retiring in the next two years," according to the policy.

The committee will be responsible for reviewing the records of the pilots concerning discipline, flight safety and vigilance. Post the review, the committee will recommend shortlisted names to the CHRO for issuing post-retirement contracts.

ALSO READ - Key to TATA’s strategy to infuse fresh energy into Air India

(With inputs from The Times of India)

InterGlobe Aviation, the parent company of IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta, who will be stepping down in September ahead of his tenure, has agreed to an enhanced two-year non-compete period wherein he will not engage with any similar business or in competition with the company.

Dutta is to step down as the Whole Time Director and CEO of InterGlobe Aviation, the parent of the country's largest airline IndiGo, on September 30 whereas his current tenure is till January 23, 2024.

On Tuesday, August 30, the company said it will seek shareholders' approval for the remuneration of Dutta for this fiscal "as minimum remuneration in the event of absence or inadequacy of profits".

IndiGo CEO consents 2-year non-compete post his retirement in September

The e-voting on the proposal will be open from August 31 to September 29 and the results will be declared on or before October 1.

According to the filing, Dutta has agreed to an enhanced non-compete period of two years as against one year that was originally agreed to after stepping down.

Under the non-compete restrictions, "he shall not engage with any business or allied business that is in any way similar, identical or competitive with the business, activities or services of the company, or with customers or suppliers of the company with whom he had any contact during his employment".

Further, the restrictions would apply in the event Dutta is engaged in the Indian (domestic) aviation sector or providing consultancy services to an entity engaged in the Indian (domestic) aviation sector with any airline or potential airline within 4,800 kilometres of India, as per the filing.

Pieter Elbers has been appointed as Ronojoy Dutta’s successor after Ronojoy Dutta decides to retire by September.

Dutta was appointed as CEO in January 2019.

ALSO READ - IndiGo appoints Pieter Elbers as new CEO after Ronojoy Dutta decides to retire by September

Pieter Elbers has been appointed as Ronojoy Dutta’s successor after Ronojoy Dutta decides to retire by September. He will be joining IndiGo on or before October 01, 2022.

Elbers has served as the President & Chief Executive Officer of KLM Royal Dutch Airline since 2014. Elbers is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Air France – KLM Group.

Shareholders of InterGlobe Aviation had approved Dutta's annual fixed salary.

The filing also said that as per the original terms of appointment, Dutta was required to serve a six-month notice period but at the management's request, "he (Dutta) agreed to be relieved by serving 4.5 months of notice thereby foregoing 1.5 months of notice pay".

Shareholders of InterGlobe Aviation had approved Dutta's annual fixed salary. "This notice pay is calculated based on 4.5 months (from May 15, 2022, to September 30, 2022) of the annual fixed salary amounting to Indian rupees equivalent to USD 393,000," it noted.

Also, Dutta is currently taking a pay cut of 17.5% and the same would apply while calculating his notice pay. The bonus payable to him has been approved by the shareholders and is due to be paid in December-end and the amount will be equivalent to USD 1,270,000. Besides, there will be an accelerated payment for stock options.

InterGlobe Aviation posted a net loss of INR 1,065.4 crore in the three months ended June, mainly due to the depreciating rupee and higher fuel prices.

In the filing, the company said that independent of financial performance for FY 2022-23, it may have inadequate profits for managerial remuneration, considering the losses accumulated over the last two financial years, which were driven by the impact of the pandemic on operations.

"Apart from the pandemic, the recent geopolitical developments have led to a significant increase in fuel prices and depreciation of the rupee. All these factors together materially impacted the company's financial performance resulting in significant accumulated losses during the period of FY2021 through FY2022," the filing said.

ALSO READ - IndiGo reports net loss of INR 1,064 crore in Q1

InterGlobe Aviation posted a net loss of INR 1,065.4 crore in the three months ended June, mainly due to the depreciating rupee and higher fuel prices.

Sri Lanka will privatise the country's loss-making national carrier as the cash-strapped government "can no longer afford to inject money" into running the airline.

The government is looking to sell a 49% stake in each of the SriLankan Airlines' catering and ground-handling units to restructure the state-run carrier, while 51% will be retained under state hold, Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said.

This restructuring is essential as the government can no longer afford to inject money into running the airline. Annually the government has been providing the airline between USD 80 billion to USD 200 billion to run its operations.

ALSO READ - Sri Lanka’s new government plans to sell its national airline to stem losses

Cash-strapped government to privatise Sri Lanka's national carrier soon

The minister said the revenue from the sale of the catering operation can be used to pay off debt amounting to USD 80 million that was obtained by mortgaging its shares, as well as some other loans. The airline's debt currently amounts to USD 1.226 billion (LKR 401 billion).

The airline, formed in 1979 as Air Lanka, was rebranded by Srilankan Airlines under the management control of Emirates in 1998. In 2007, the government took back control of it from the Emirates.

Srilankan Airlines is among over 190 state-owned enterprises that are making huge losses. Without retaining a 51% stake in the airline, Sri Lanka might lose ownership of the companies to be sold.

But if the investors are Sri Lankan nationals, we can go for more. There are many rich people in Sri Lanka, they can come together as a syndicate or with airlines and offer a bid, he said.

The airline, formed in 1979 as Air Lanka, was rebranded by Srilankan Airlines under the management control of Emirates in 1998.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for much-needed reforms for the loss-making national carrier.

According to Colombo-based think tank Advocate, SriLankanAirlines has, on numerous occasions, required treasury guaranteed loans to stay afloat, and has amassed over LKR 53.6 billion in guarantees as of August 2021, the report said.

ALSO READ - Cochin International Airport starts technical landing facility for aircraft refuelling

Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic crisis has left millions struggling to buy food, medicines, fuel, and other essential items. The shortage of fuel is also severely impacting the island’s aviation industry, with long-haul flights having to make a refuelling stop in the Southern Indian cities of Trivandrum, Kochi, or Chennai.

The airline did report a USD 1.2 million profit earlier this year – its first profit since 2006.

Shorter flights have been carrying extra fuel for their next flight – a process known as tankering. Tankering fuel greatly increases the weight of an aircraft, limiting the amount of cargo it can carry.

According to SriLankan Airlines’ chief commercial officer, this is costing around USD 7 million per month in lost revenue. That said, the airline did report a USD 1.2 million profit earlier this year – its first profit since 2006.

From its base at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport, the airline today operates an all-Airbus fleet of 24 aircraft, including four Airbus A321neos and seven Airbus A330-300s.