Vistara to start Delhi - Newark via London this winter

Vistara's entry into the United States may begin with a single-stop flight. Vistara has secured slots to connect New Delhi and Newark via London Gatwick, according to a recent report. If the plan is approved, the airline will use its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which is capable of nonstop flights from India to the United States.

As noted by PaxEx.Aero, Vistara is looking into a possible route between Delhi and Newark via London. The report cites data from the latest regulatory filings for slots at London’s Gatwick Airport, which indicates a Delhi-Gatwick-Newark route for Vistara.

The all-inclusive This route can be flown three times a week in each direction if an Indian carrier has enough slots. Even if Vistara has secured the slots to operate such a flight, it is unclear whether it will go ahead with the plan. Any speculation would be put to rest only if the carrier made an official announcement.

(Image Courtesy - Vistara)

Last winter, Vistara had slots at Gatwick but was unable to use them. However, why would the airline consider flying to the United States via London? It appears to be a fifth freedom flight on the surface, but that may not be the case.

For an ultra-long-haul flight to the United States, Vistara's 787-9 planes have limited crew rest facilities. As a result, Vistara would need to make a stopover city (in this case, London) to swap crews for the onward flight to Newark.

It will be interesting to see how this route performs if the carrier decides to go ahead with it, especially since there are multiple non-stop flight options between India and the United States. Air India, which operates the most flights between the two countries, recently increased its service to the United States.

United Airlines, too, offers nonstop flights from Delhi to Newark, Chicago, and San Francisco, and American Airlines will soon join the fray.

(Image Courtesy - Moneycontrol)

Vistara is dedicated to long-haul travel. Since the outbreak, the airline has expanded its network to include several international destinations, including London, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Dubai, and Male. Paris will be added to the list soon, with flights starting in November.

The airline is also eager to send its Dreamliners to the United States. Vistara applied for a foreign air carrier permit to fly to the United States with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) in April of this year. The DOT gave Vistara tentative approval to fly into the country in June, and the DOT gave the airline official approval for its US operations in August.

Initially, the carrier wanted to start US flights by September, but Covid-induced restrictions and border closures delayed the plan. While no official announcement has been made by the airline regarding its US flights, it’ll be good to have one more airline catering to the massive demand for flights between the two countries.

Gatwick Airport, London (Image Courtesy - BBC News)

Vistara had applied for approval to start services to the USA, which they recently got approval for. Now, with permissions granted in the USA, Vistara’s challenge is to activate this route. If they can get in, this route could become a hit, given the sparse non-stop capacity between India and the USA right now, with only Air India and United operating flights for the moment.

Vistara has now made some creative changes to their route plan, intending to use the London Gatwick slots to launch flights to the United States. According to the ACL, Vistara, the slot coordination authority for London Gatwick, in addition to London Heathrow, has been granted 126 slots for arrivals and departures from Delhi and New York Newark.

This is most likely for a 299-seat Boeing 787-9, which Vistara uses on 9-10 hour routes.

It currently lacks a plane capable of making a non-stop flight to the United States due to its decision not to install crew rests on its first six aircraft. With their current two 787-9 aircraft, they can still operate the flights.

However, they will need to assign some seats for crew/pilot rest in that case.

The routing on DEL-LGW-EWR is 7667 miles, which is longer than the direct heading of 7324 miles between the two stations. This development was first picked up by Paxex.Aero.

Liberty International Airport, Newark (Image Courtesy - Business Insider)

Vistara has six 787-9 on order, out of which two have been already delivered to the airline. There are another two being tested in the USA right now. However, given an FAA order on quality issues with the 787 aircraft, Boeing is under embargo for delivering any further 787 jets to customers. Vistara has also not added to their 787 order at the moment, as the four options have not yet been confirmed.

Now, Vistara has held the slots at London Gatwick for a long while, so this could just be some groundwork to no avail, or something really in the works.

Vistara has moved forward to find a way to get to Newark without non-stop 787-9 aircraft, which they don’t have for now. This way is going to be one-stop via London Gatwick. Whether Vistara moves forward on launching this route remains to be seen.

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Some airlines risk failure if they do not cut carbon emissions quicker in the next three to five years due to a mismatch between short-term corporate travel targets and the airline industry's 2050 net-zero target, an industry report said.

Airlines are also at rising risk of shareholder activism at a time when major fund managers such as BlackRock Inc, Vanguard Group Inc and State Street Corp have publicly expressed concerns about climate change, the report from CAPA Centre for Aviation and Envest Global released on Wednesday, October 27 said.

(Image Courtesy - Climate Action Moreland)

"The pressure from customers and governments and investors is going to probably demand an acceleration of the journey to net zero, which is clearly going to put pressure on airlines," said David Wills, advisory executive director at Australian carbon reduction strategy firm Envest.

"The conditions are right for airlines who get it wrong to find themselves in a potential failure situation," he added.

Several companies, such as HSBC Holdings plc, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd, Bain & Company and S&P Global Inc, have already announced plans to quickly cut business travel emissions by as much as 70%.

(Image Courtesy - Penn Today)

Qantas Airways Chief Executive Alan Joyce said last week that his airline was developing a 2030 emissions target.

"Our view is that smart airlines will pivot to reinforcing not only 2050 but enhancing their definitive views on 2030 because they will be looking to engage with their corporate customers more," said Brett Mitsch, Envest's executive director of investment.

The CAPA/Envest report found the top quartile of 52 global airlines examined emitted an average of 30% less per passenger kilometre flown in 2019 than those in the bottom quartile.

(Image Courtesy - Inside Climate News)

Low-cost carriers like Wizz Air, Ryanair and AirAsia with newer fleets and higher load factors were among the best performers, while the worst included Turkish Airlines, Japan Airlines Co Ltd (JAL) and British Airways.

The report said JAL was able to break even with a carbon price of more than $160 per tonne based on 2019 earnings, whereas many airlines with lower profit margins would have reported a loss at a carbon price of $30 per tonne.

(With Inputs from Reuters)

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Also Read - CORSIA – Aviation Carbon Tax

On Wednesday, October 27, the government directed all ministries and departments to immediately clear Air India's debts and to purchase tickets only in cash from now on.

The government decided earlier this month to sell Air India to Talace Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of the Tata group's holding company, for INR 18,000 crore.

In a 2009 order, the Finance Ministry's Department of Expenditure stated that officials may only travel by Air India in cases of air travel (both domestic and international), including LTC, where the Government of India bears the cost of the air passage.

The Expenditure Department said the process of disinvestment of Air India and Air India Express is ongoing, and the airline has stopped extending credit facilities on account of air tickets.

"Therefore, all Ministries/Departments are directed to clear Air India dues immediately. Air tickets from Air India may be purchased in cash till further instructions," the department said in an office memorandum.

It also directed the ministries/departments to alert its subordinate offices/institutes under its administrative control for compliance to this office order.

On October 25, the government signed the share purchase agreement with Tata Sons for the sale of national carrier Air India. Tatas will now seek various regulatory clearances before the handover of the airline by December end.

The deal entails a cash payment of INR 2,700 crore and the assumption of the airline's INR 15,300 crore debt.

The government is selling its entire stake in Air India and Air India Express, as well as a 50% stake in the ground-handling company AISATS.

Tatas outbid a consortium led by SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh for INR 15,100 crore and the government's reserve price of INR 12,906 crore for the sale of its entire stake in the loss-making airline.

Air India had a total debt of INR 61,562 crore as of August 31. Before handing over the loss-making airline to the Tata Group, 75% of the debt, or INR 46,262 crore, will be transferred to a special purpose vehicle called AIAHL.

In July 2009, the Department of Expenditure had made mandated that all government officials will travel by Air India for which the Centre was bearing the cost. This was mandatory for all domestic and international flights, including the leave travel concession journeys.

Earlier, information released by Air India in response to a Right to Information application had shown that the Union government owed Air India INR 33.69 crore as of July 27, 2021.

Recently, the government signed the share purchase agreement with Tata Sons, for divestment of the government’s stake and management control in the national carrier, marking the first privatisation in nearly two decades.

Of the 141 Air India aircraft that Tatas would get, 42 are leased planes while the remaining 99 are owned.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the Krishi Udan 2.0 scheme on Wednesday, October 27. Under the scheme, cargo-related infrastructure will be built in airports in the northeast, hilly, and tribal regions to help farmers transport agricultural products.

The Krishi Udan scheme, which was launched by the Centre in September 2020, waived airport charges such as parking and terminal navigational landing charges for air cargo operators if agricultural cargo accounts for more than half of the total chargeable weight carried at select Indian airports.

The Centre, under Krishi Udan 2.0, has stated that a full waiver of airport charges would be granted at select airports even if the agricultural cargo is less than 50% of the total chargeable weight carried.

(Image Courtesy - Agriculture Post)

The Centre has stated that under Krishi Udan 2.0, it will facilitate the development of the hub and spoke model in India and create cargo terminals at airports in phases.

Within the next five years, cargo terminals will be built at airports in Agartala, Srinagar, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Hubbali, Imphal, Jorhat, Lilabari, Lucknow, Silchar, Tezpur, Tirupati, and Tuticorin.

To aid the transportation of agricultural produce, cargo terminals will be built at airports in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Jharsuguda, Kozhikode, Mysore, Puducherry, Rajkot, and Vijayawada in 2022-23, according to the Centre.

Under Krishi UDAN 2.0 MoCA will provide a full waiver of landing, parking, Terminal Navigation and Landing Charges and Route Navigation Facilities Charges for domestic airlines.

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1453348542664216576

Terminals will be built in Leh, Srinagar, Nagpur, Nashik, Ranchi Bagdogra, Raipur, and Guwahati, according to the ministry. The scheme will cover 53 airports, the majority of which will be operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

In addition, eight domestic and international trade routes will be established as part of the scheme, according to Scindia.

Amritsar-Dubai for baby corn, Darbhanga and the rest of India for lychees, and Sikkim and the rest of India for organic produce are among the routes.

The government will also work towards setting up a trade route between Chennai, Vizag and Kolkata and East Asian countries to transport seafood. Other routes include Agartala-Delhi-Dubai for Pineapple, Dibrugarh-Delhi-Dubai for Mandarin Oranges and Guwahati to Hong Kong for pulses, fruits and vegetables.

(Image Courtesy - India Today)

Furthermore, under Krishi Udan 2.0, the government would encourage states to lower the sales tax on aviation turbine fuel used in freighter aircraft and passenger aircraft solely for cargo transportation to 1%.

Various government departments and regulatory bodies will collaborate with the civil aviation ministry under the newly launched scheme to provide incentives and concessions to freight forwarders, airlines, and other stakeholders to transport more agricultural products.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, while launching Krishi Udan 2.0 in the national capital, said that the scheme aims to channelise the immense potential of Indian agriculture with the logistical help of civil aviation towards the goal of doubling farmers income and making them self-reliant.

(Image Courtesy - Krishi Jagran)

"The comprehensive policy programme will also help alleviate wastage of farm produce, increase the value of farm produce and link them to global markets, thereby making Indian agriculture more sustainable and profitable," he mentioned.

Under Krishi Udan 2.0, an online platform called e-Kushal would be developed to make information about agricultural produce transportation more accessible to all stakeholders.

Scindia stated that the ministry will continue to work on fine-tuning the scheme's rules and urged the transportation industry to report any bottlenecks in the transport of goods across the country.

The scheme was first announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget speech on February 1, 2020. Its goal is to transport agricultural products to national and international destinations, thereby increasing value realisation, particularly in the Northeast and tribal areas.

Full-service carrier Vistara on Wednesday, October 27 announced a reciprocal partnership for its frequent flyer program with the German carrier, Lufthansa.

The two airlines have already had a codeshare partnership since December 2019. Vistara runs its frequent flyer program under the name Club Vistara (CV), while Lufthansa under Miles & More.

Miles & More by Lufthansa (Image Courtesy - Reply)

The Delhi-based airline inaugurated its non-stop flights between Delhi and Frankfurt earlier this year.

Vistara, a joint venture of Tata group and Singapore Airlines, said that the partnership would enable Club Vistara members to earn and redeem CV Points on flights operated and marketed by Lufthansa, covering an extensive network of nearly 200 destinations across the world.

Club Vistara (Image Courtesy - Live from a Lounge)

Reciprocally, Miles & More members will be able to earn and redeem miles on flights operated by Vistara, it said.

Vistara said its three-class cabin configuration, including the premium economy class, provides Lufthansa customers consistency in comfort and overall experience on the airline's steadily growing domestic and international network.

"We are delighted to extend our strong partnership with Lufthansa and bring synergies between our respective frequent flyer programs.The airline is confident that the collaboration will enable it to provide greater value and convenience to its frequent flyer program members on their travels across the world.We are also equally excited to welcome Miles & More members and provide them a consistent, world-class flying experience when they fly on Vistara."Vinod Kannan, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara

Club Vistara offers four tiers of membership - CV Base, CV Silver, CV Gold, and CV Platinum. Its members can also earn and redeem CV Points when travelling on other partner airlines such as Air Canada, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and United Airlines.

https://twitter.com/airvistara/status/1453218642246709253?s=24

"We are pleased to strengthen the already started codeshare partnership between Vistara and Lufthansa with the start into the Miles & More programme.Vistara as a strong partner and popular airline extends our airline portfolio and therefore offers added value to our Miles & More members which now have the opportunity to earn and redeem miles on Vistara flights."Christopher Siegloch, Senior Director, Loyalty Programme Development & Service, Miles & More GmbH

Vistara is an Indian full-service carrier based at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport. The airline provides domestic services to major metropolitan centres and tourism destinations. The carrier is a JV between Tata Sons Private Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited.

Headquartered in Frankfurt, Lufthansa is one of the largest airlines in Europe. The carrier operates an extensive network of regional services within Germany and Europe as well as the Asia Pacific, Middle East, North America, Latin America and Africa via primary hubs at Frankfurt and Munich airports.

Lufthansa utilises a large fleet of narrow and wide-body aircraft, as well as regional jet aircraft. A publicly listed company, Lufthansa is a founding member of Star Alliance.

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As a part of the ongoing ecoDemonstrator program and what would be its eighth iteration, Boeing and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), have been testing out new and innovative technologies-this time on a B737-9 aircraft of Alaska Airlines.

So, what is the Boeing ecoDemonstrator program?

International Flight Network

Targetting newer and state-of-the-art technology in an accelerated phase, the Boeing ecoDemonstrator aims at bringing those very technologies from the lab and out into the real world where they can be tested on aircraft.

The project took off in 2012 and eight airplanes have been used as flying testbeds ever since.

Projects include experimentation on a wide variety of technologies that would help curb excessive fuel use and noise emissions. Increased airline reliability and improved features like smart galleys and cabins are other features this program aims to work on.

Boeing 777-200 ecoDemonstrator | International Flight Network

Hence the collaboration with industrial giants is critical to the ultimate success of this program. Its partner portfolio boasts of some of the bests in the industry with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Meggitt PLC, Hanwha, Cobham Aerospace Communications, Inmarsat, the European Space Agency, University of Washington, World Energy and EPIC Fuels, to name a few.

ecoDemonstrator 2021 | Alaska Airlines B737-9

Here's a brief overview of Boeing's latest developments

1. Sustainable Aviation Fuel

All test flights use SAF which is a  blend of SAF and conventional jet fuel. This is touted to reduce emissions by 75% over its life cycle.

2. Improved lighting

Boeing

A streamlined body is a key to efficient aerodynamics. Currently, anti-collision lights are installed at the top and bottom which could impact efficiency. Anything sticking out can increase drag thereby impacting efficiency.The new lights on the ecoDemonstrator are installed into a window plug and are designed to reduce drag while at the same time giving a 360deg visibility of the light.

3. Halon replacement

A new fire extinguishing agent, CF3i, is being tested to replace Halon 1301, which was formerly used as a fire suppressant. The latter has ozone layer depleting properties and has not been in production in the US since 1994.

4. NOAA Greenhouse Gas Measurement

Concentrations of existing greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, water vapour) and other variables like wind and temperature are processed to help NOAA with climate modelling and long-term forecasting.Special sampling probes are fitted on the aircraft for this purpose and Boeing is optimistic about the future application of this feature in the days to come.

5. Recycled carbon fibre sidewalls

Stronger, lighter and quieter is the name of the game as Boeing takes a cue from the material used to construct the wing of a B777X. The company is testing the application of composite waste material as an insulation material for conventional cabin wall construction. The panels would undergo stringent testing to ensure they are of the standards today.

6. Quieter engine

Modified engine nacelles reduce current engine noise levels while at the same time addressing the various noise footprints of next-gen aero engines.

COVER: FlightGlobal