Cruising Heights, April 2016 by Newsline

CONTENTIOUS 5/20 RULE DIVIDES INDIAN AVIATION INTO TWO

CRUISING HEIGHTS www.cruisingheights.in

APRIL 2016 I `90

A NEO START Indian aviation looks at promising times as the government gets ready to boost the growth and IndiGo becomes the first airline in Asia to start operations with the brand new A320neo

RANDY TINSETH

on the B787 boost

SCOTT FANCHER

on supply chain issues

LUFTHANSA'S

Spohr on A320neo engine problems

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PERFORMANCE | EXECUTION | TECHNOLOGY

MORE TO BELIEVE IN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF'S NOTE

WHY IS THERE NO PLAN TO DIVEST IN AIR INDIA? K Srinivasan

“At present there is no move for divestment of government stake in Air India” Rajiv Nayan Choubey

H C TIWARI

Union Civil Aviation Secretary

NO DIRECTION IN SIGHT: Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani (left ) with Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey at the celebration to mark the launch of direct Air India flights to Vienna

t is a well-known secret that Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes in the towering heights of the public sector. He is proud of the work he did as Chief Minister with many of the sick public sector units of the Gujarat Government and believes that the model is ripe for replication at the Centre. While there is much to argue with such a policy, how does owning a company come in the way of divesting and professionalising the management? After all, as long as serviceoriented enterprises are under government control, they simply cannot give the sort of service that the paying public now demands of them.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

They spend half their time making sure the CBI and the CVC are not chasing them and the rest of the time is spent making sure every tender is L1 (the lowest in its category) compliant. And when they have none of this to bother them, there is the Parliament’s Standing Committee, the Bhasha Samiti, the Hindi Committee and what have you to answer for. So, how does one expect the airline to be nimble and receptive to the demands of the paying public? Of course, there are scores of issues that can still be dexterously managed by Air India even in these adverse circumstances. For example, when their seats do not recline or their entertainment system does not function (as was the case during a recent 777 sortie to the Gulf) one can’t blame Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan. And, mind you, as part of Star Alliance you are on test all the time—against your own associates, many of whom have pretty high standards. Perhaps, it would make sense for the government to divest and let a private management professionalise and modernise Air India. It’s now over a decade since the last fleet review was done and new aircraft ordered. It’s difficult to fathom how a modern airline has spent so much time without a structured review and fresh orders. In more or less the same time frame, IndiGo has ordered over 500 aircraft. It shows the distance Air India needs to travel. It also tells us why this statement by the Secretary is pretty hollow. We need some new music and some fresh perspective.

srini@newsline.in

Which fleet choice provides the most cost effective solution for my network?

Airbus_CruisingHeights_MarchApril.indd Pg1 Prodigious UK

The A320 Family. Combining unbeatable fuel efficiency from 100 to 240 passengers and unmatched comfort with 18" seats standard.

Airbus is the answer.

24/03/2016 15:45

As the world looks at pilot shortage over the next few years, carriers have been

contents

resorting to a number of ways to recruit qualified flying personnel including poaching from rival airlines and retired air force personnel. The problem is acute in the United States. With the downsizing of the military, there are fewer pilots hopping across to the commercial field. In such circumstances, JetBlue has decided to create pilots. Sometime ago, the New

York-based

airline

launched

its “Gateway Select” programme to attract new pilots. Perhaps, what is most important to note is that those who apply do not actually need any aviation experience. The programme — the first of its kind at a large US airline — will cost about $125,000 and take four years to complete and those who graduate could wind up flying 100-seat passenger jets. More important they will come out of their training with a job at an airline generally considered among the best to work for.

A NEW BEGINNING

p34

Low Cost Carrier (LCC) IndiGo became the first airline in Asia and the second in the world after German carrier Lufthansa, to induct the latest aircraft from Airbus, the A320neo, powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower Geared Turbofan engines. The induction of the new plane signified a giant leap for the Indian aviation sector as it prepares for massive market growth over the next decade and more.

Applicants will be judged with tests measuring

hand-eye

coordination,

multitasking, critical thinking and other skills. Those who survive the first round will be interviewed. According to Warren Christie, JetBlue's Senior Vice President of Safety and Training, a “personality H C TIWARI

Off the cuff

No pilots, no worry

assessment” will also be done of the applicants. JetBlue expects the first group of six prospects to begin training in late summer at the airline’s training centre in Florida. The students will start training with other crew members in a cockpit or simulator much earlier than usual, according to JetBlue and CAE. The students will be able to pay for part of their training with the salary they earn as a CAE instructor.

GLOBAL DIGEST

p16

IATA signed a declaration aimed at reducing the illegal trafficking of wildlife; Airbus took steps to establish a world-class pilot and maintenance training centre in New Delhi to support the country’s need for new Airbus pilots; plus: Mumbai police banned drones, micro light planes and para-gliders in the city.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

SPOTLIGHT

p26

India Aviation 2016 took place amidst a transforming airline landscape. At the recent Hyderabad Air Show, it was the opportunity for the Indian aviation sector to woo foreign entities to participate in setting up manufacturing and maintenance facilities in the country. At the show, Pawan Hans and HAL signed an MoU to form a JV firm.

contents ARTICLES NEWS VIEWS EDITS INTERVIEWS CLIPPINGS PROFILES NEWS DIGEST

CHOPPERS

NET EXPRESS

p46

Editor-in-Chief

K SRINIVASAN Managing Editor

TIRTHANKAR GHOSH

Group Consulting Editor

AmuZ, a wifi based entertainment device will soon be used for in-flight entertainment, after it gets clearance from FAA. It does not require internet. Singapore’s Changi airport has chosen Morpho (Safran) to provide the technology for its Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) project at the T4.

SNIPPETS

p62

p55

R KRISHNAN

Consulting Editor

M MURLIDHARAN Correspondent

NAVEED ANJUM, ANJANA RAGHAV Designer

NAGENDER DUBEY Picture Editor

PRADEEP CHANDRA

Photo Editor

H C TIWARI

Staff Photographer

HEMANT RAWAT

According to ACI’s world airport ranking, Hong Kong (HKG) won the top spot as the world’s largest air cargo hub both in air cargo traffic and international air freight traffic. Meanwhile, IATA released data for global air freight markets showing air cargo volumes (in FTKs) suffering a 5.6 per cent fall in February compared to February 2015.

Director (Admin & Corporate Affairs)

RAJIV SINGH

Director (Marketing)

Air India, SpiceJet, Vistara announced their summer schedule while Air Costa added a third E-190 to its fleet. AirAsia has a new menu called Santan while RGIA and CSIA has won Skytrax awards. Also, Jet Airways has started daily flights to Amsterdam even as Oman Air will operate double daily flights from KIA. CONTENTIOUS 5/20 RULE DIVIDES INDIAN AVIATION INTO TWO

Cruising heights www.cruisingheights.in

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CRUISING HEIGHTS VOLUME X n NO 11

Pawan Hans is planning to set up four MROs as a part of its diversification plan. It’s a big initiative as there is no MRO facility for helicopters in India. Bell Helicopter has introduced a newly available kit that allows customers to upgrade their current Bell 412SP to the 412HP configuration. Plus: Era and Global Vectra partnered for Emergency Medical Services.

AIR CARGO

p50

p66

United Airlines became the first US airline to start using commercial-scale volumes of sustainable aviation biofuel for regular, scheduled flights between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International (SFO).

April 2016 i `90

COVER DESIGN NAGENDER DUBEY

A NEO START indian aviation looks at promising times as the government gets ready to boost the growth and indigo becomes the first airline in asia to start operations with the brand new a320neo

Randy TinseTh

on the popularity of the B787s

Boeing's scott Fancher on supply chain issues

LuFThansa's

spohr on a320neo engine problems

Capt Karuna Singh (right) who piloted Indigo’s first A320 neo from Toulouse to Delhi

The total number of pages in this issue: 68

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

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All information in CRUISING HEIGHTS is derived from sources we consider reliable. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. Opinions/ views expressed by third parties in abstract or in interviews are not necessarily shared by us. Material appearing in the magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part (s) without prior permission. The publisher assumes no responsibility for material lost or damaged in transit. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any loss caused by any delay in publication, error or failure of advertisement to appear. Owned and published by K Srinivasan 4C Pocket-IV, Mayur Vihar Phase–I, Delhi–91 and printed by him at Archna Printers, 18, DSIDC Shed, Okhla Indl Area Ph-1, New Delhi -110020

PERISCOPE Foreign Hand “Naresh Goyal lives in London as an NRI. SpiceJet used to be owned by an American... there is more foreign shareholding than local shareholding.” TONY FERNANDES, Chief AirAsia Group on Air Asia India’s competitors raising concerns over foreign ownership at AirAsia India

Give me a chance “Yes (Qatar Airways could invest in IndiGo), if there is an opportunity. I cannot force the owners to sell. If they are willing to sell, then we are interested.” AKBAR AL BAKER, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive about investing in IndiGo

LETTERS TO EDITOR

Bring it on

The Cover Story, After the year of plenty… (March 2016) was an eyeopener. While it was great to know that there will be a deluge of airplanes for the travelling public by the end of this year, it will be worthwhile to watch what happens then. Will that then mean that fares will be lower than what it is now – if the price of Air Turbine Fuel does not go up in the meanwhile? Given the state of affairs today, the most important question that arises is: Will the regulator be able to handle the growth? Mohit Upadhyay, Delhi The infographic, Aircrafts for tomorrow (March 2016), was interesting. With ICAO adopting a new CO2 emissions standard, the way will now be clear for commercial and business aircraft to start implementing the rules. While the standard will affect the production of some aircraft, it will end in ushering in a cleaner atmosphere. Cruising Heights gave all its readers a clearer picture of what was likely to happen in the production of new planes. Priyankar Guha, Kolkata It was heartening to read the interview of Brian Pearce, IATA’s Chief Economist (March 2016). He has a clear idea of the economic situation around the world and when he says that aviation in India saw a growth of 20 per cent, it provides a lot of hope to aviation stakeholders. Whether the situation on the ground improves or not – the enhancement of aviation infrastructure, for example – credit should go to airline operators. At the end of it all, three cheers to the private airline players who have kept India and Indians flying! Anand Kashalkar, Mumbai The story, Quik and ready (March 2016) in the air cargo section, was timely. Despite the astounding growth of ecommerce and all the talk of regional connectivity, it is a pity that only seven freighters serve the seventh largest economy in the world. Quikjet’s bold move will hopefully encourage entrepreneurs to start dedicated cargo freighters services. When that happens, the Indian at the end of the last mile will be rewarded.

“Not at all (affected by the competition from Airbus). If you count the number of airplanes with Air India, Jet and SpiceJet we have more airplanes in operation than IndiGo and GoAir combined….We are in a much better shape in India than our competition.” DINESH KESKAR, Boeing's Senior VP (Sales) for India on whether he was affected by the competition with Airbus

Catch the Maharaja “Air India has lost about `30,000 crore. Why don’t you hold the people who manage (it) accountable for Air India losses like you hold Vijay Mallya (accountable for losses in Kingfisher Airlines)?” TV MOHANDAS PAI, former Chief Financial Officer and HR Head of Infosys

Glorified chauffeurs “…99 per cent of your work isn't new. Aircraft are flying on autopilot, which is easier than driving a car. Pilots are useful only in emergencies. You're just exaggerating. A dog would laugh.” CHO YANG HO, Korean Air Chairman and CEO sneering at a post by Korean Air co-pilot Kim Seung Kyu on Fb amid the ongoing wage increase issue between the carrier and its labor union

Ananth Mahalingam, Chennai All correspondence may be addressed to Editor, Cruising Heights, D-11 Basement, Nizamuddin East, New Delhi -110013, OR mail to cruisingheights@newsline.in

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

Make in India “Every Airbus is partly made in India!... We are already doing business worth $500 million and expect to even cross the two billion mark by 2020.” DWARKANATH SRINIVASAN, President, Airbus Division, India on the European airframer’s projected sales

Changi Airport named the World's Best Airport at Skytrax Awards Here’s the list of the top 10: 1. Singapore Changi Airport 2. Incheon International Airport 3. Munich Airport 4. Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) 5. Hong Kong International Airport 6. Chubu Centrair Nagoya 7. Zurich Airport 8. London Heathrow Airport 9. Kansai International Airport 10. Hamad International Airport

COLD STATS

Lucky seven for Changi. Singapore Changi Airport was voted the World's Best Airport by air travellers for the fourth consecutive year at the 2016 World Airport Awards, held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in Cologne, Germany. This was, however, the seventh time that Changi picked up this top title. The airport also received the Best Airport for Leisure Amenities award. Not surprising, since there are music bar lounges, cinemas, music deck, a swimming pool, napping and rest areas and the in-terminal Transit Hotel. To top it all, fliers with time to spare can also hop on a free sightseeing Singapore Tour.

LOOKING GLASS

FUTURE (IM) PERFECT: Daily commutes could look something like this when India becomes the third largest aviation market in 20 years' time

Dil Hai Hindustani “Government of India is interested in a shift. We would like to move towards ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’. We need skilled manpower who can handle the training needs of other countries… India is a big country looking forward to contribute to the growth of the (aviation) sector and it is a win-win situation.” ASHOK GAJAPATHI RAJU, Union Aviation Minister wooing foreign companies to invest in the country’s aviation sector

Policy of policies “With this, you can fly from Toronto to Gorakhpur or Jhansi to Amsterdam.” R K CHOUBEY, Civil Aviation Secretary on the proposed civil aviation policy offering liberal code-sharing between airlines.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

PANORAMA

Count the hours – and the miles… Way back in 2004, it was Singapore Airlines that held the record for its ultra-long-haul flight from Changi to New York, a distance of 8,300 nautical miles (nm) with an Airbus A340-500. That flight – along with a shorter version that touched Los Angeles – had to be stopped in 2013 because of high fuel costs. Today, with fuel prices at an all-time low, quite a few carriers have started similar flights with the carriers from the Middle East flying two of the longest ones. The latest to top the longest flight chart is Emirates with its Dubai to Auckland flight – a distance of 7,500 nm – but come December, Qatar Airways will take the first slot when it starts its Doha to Auckland flights, a journey close to 8,000 nm. But by 2017, when Emirates begins flying to Panama, it will regain its first position. Cruising Heights takes an infographic look at the longest flights around the world and the flying machines preferred by the carriers for the journeys.

How They Stack up

San francisco Los Angeles

A380

Has a nominal range of 8,200 nm. Large wings give it the long range though the aircraft was not designed for long distance flights.

A350 ULR

Can fly 8,700 nm. In 2015, Airbus launched the ultra long range version of the A350 for Singapore Airlines’ service to New York nonstop.

787-9

Has a range of 7,650 nm. United Airlines will use it on the San Francisco-Singapore route.

777-200 LR

It holds the world record for the longest nonstop flight by a commercial airliner, having a maximum range of 9,500 nm. The -200LR was intended for ultra-longhaul routes such as Los Angeles to Singapore

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

Dallas

New York

Present holder of the world’s longest flight record — Dubai to Auckland (7,500 nm). Aircraft: Airbus A380 for the first flight but usually a Boeing 777-200LR is deployed.

Qantas Airways: Sydney to Dallas (7,400 nm) flight was the No 1 till February this year. Aircraft: Airbus A380. The Australian carrier is mulling flights from Perth to London in 2017 (7,600 nm) when it gets its first Boeing 787-9s.

United Airlines: San Francisco to Singapore (7,300 nm) flights to be relaunched sometime in January 2017. Aircraft: Boeing 787-9.

Qatar Airways: Doha-Auckland flight (8,000 nm) from December this year. In 2017, there could be flight to Santiago in Chile from Doha. Aircraft: Boeing 777-200LRs.

Singapore Airlines: Changi-New York flights starting in 2018. Aircraft: Airbus A350900 ULR.

19 hrs 10 min

20 hrs 55 min

15 hrs 50 min

16 hrs 50 min

Dubai 17 hrs 20 min

Singapore

Sydney Auckland

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

NUMBERS NUMBERS

of AirAsia 49% India with Tata Sons

Standing from left to Right – Raj Andrade, VP, Business Development, Marketing &Strategy BIAL; Vinay Kulkarni, The 100 Millionth Passenger; Sajit TC, VP Human Resource, BIAL; Javed Malik, Senior VP, Operations, BIAL

Tata Sons Limited has upped its equity stake in AirAsia India from 41.06 per cent to 49 per cent by acquiring 7.94 per cent from Telestra. The hike in the equity came after Tata Sons entered into an agreement with AirAsia (India) Limited, Telestra Tradeplace Pvt. Ltd. and two of the directors of the company, S Ramadorai and R Venkataramanan. The two directors, Ramadorai and Venkataramanan, in their individual capacities have acquired 0.5 per cent and 1.5 per cent shareholding respectively of Telestra’s remaining 2 per cent equity stake in the company. The agreement was entered into on March 14, 2016, and the transaction will be completed in April, 2016, subject to completion of the relevant corporate approvals and processes.

cr airline loss per hoax call

Do you know that every time there is a hoax call, airlines and airports spend a whopping `2 crores? A recent newspaper report quoting an airline spokesperson pointed out that any disruption due to hoax calls forced airlines to arrange meals and accommodation for passengers. In addition, the flyers had to be provided alternate flights. “Every disruption in a flight schedule due to a terror alert costs an airline `1.5 to 2.5 crore at an average,” said the spokesperson. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), for example, received more than two dozen hoax calls in the recent past and each cost the airlines and security agencies crores of rupees.

Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) greeted its 100 millionth passenger at the Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (KIA) recently, reaching a historic milestone in less than eight years of operations. The 100 millionth passenger - Vinay Kulkarni arrived from Mumbai on Jet Airways - was greeted by the airport’s management. BIAL selected the 100 millionth passenger after it created an algorithm that was based on actual passenger numbers from the start of airport operations in May 2008 to March 2016. Barely a year ago, in March 2015, KIA was classified as a mid-sized airport when it clocked 15 million passengers. The airport further experienced a positive growth in 2015 when 18.1 million passengers moved through it at the end of the calendar year. On an average, approximately 52,000 passengers transit through KIA every day.

14,869

flights per week this summer

The country’s airlines will operate 14,869 flights every week during the summer schedule that started on March 27: an increase of nearly 19 per cent compared to the year-ago period. The number of departures per week in the summer schedule during 2015 stood at 12,533 flights. The summer schedule extends from the last Sunday of March to the last Saturday of October. Even though the number of flights have jumped up, the scheduled airlines will operate from only 77 airports compared to the 81 previously. The airports that will not see any operations will be: Nanded (Maharashtra), Mysore (Karnataka), Bhavnagar and Porbandar (in Gujarat).

growth in domestic market

20.3%

100 millionth passenger at KIA

With 81 million trips, India's domestic aviation market grew at over 20.3 per cent during January-December 2015, making it the highest growth rate recorded in the world, according to a study released by FICCI-KPMG. The growth has put India on its way to become the third-largest aviation market by 2020 and the largest by 2030. India Aviation Report 2016 suggests that increasing disposable incomes, fall in the prices of Aircraft Turbine Fuel (ATF), increase in tourism, etc. have placed India in this unique position.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

100 activities to woo women

More than 100 activities were organised in 2016 – the number was half in 2015 — on four continents to raise awareness about aviation opportunities among girls of all ages in Africa, America, Europe, and Oceania. Part of the annual Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week founded and managed by the Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide (iWOAW), the sixth edition this year was specifically designed to attract the female population to flying. The activities offered girls and women not familiar with the industry, a chance to experience various aviation-related jobs and meet today’s women of aviation.

Ethiopian Airlines also took part in annual Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week and operated all female flights

84% Indian fliers prefer comfort to style 1 mn+ fliers cleared immigration at Abu Dhabi

One of the world’s top online travel sites, Expedia, has found that a large number of Indian fliers avoid checking bags because of the fees. “According to Expedia Passenger Preferences Index, a massive 74 per cent of travellers will pay for added comfort on a short haul flight, and the number further jumps to 89 per cent on long or extra-long haul flights. Indians lead globally in paying extra for a window seat (34 per cent) or an aisle seat (10 per cent), for a snack (36 per cent) and a nonalcoholic beverage (16 per cent) on board a short-haul flight. For 84 per cent Indians, comfort is more important than style while travelling by air,” said Manmeet Ahluwalia, Marketing Head, Expedia India. The survey also showed that Indians at 74 per cent rank third in the world after Taiwan and China when it comes to packing less.

`2,149

cr for stake in BIAL

GVK Power and Infrastructure has decided to sell 33 per cent of its total stake in Bengaluru International Airport Ltd to Fairfax India for `2,149 crore. The deal will see the GVK group’s debt going down by more than `2,000 crore. The transaction will probably be completed by the middle of this year. The GVK Group

More than a million travellers have passed through the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The facility opened two years ago – incidentally, it is the only such preclearance location in the Middle East – despite opposition by US airline industry groups. The prime reason for the opposition, it was alleged, was that the Abu Dhabi facility would help the state-owned carrier Etihad Airways because it would woo passengers with the immigration clearance. The US Congress approved the funding for the facility which began functioning on January 23, 2014. Last year, 615,478 travelers used the facility; of those 106,851 started their trips in Abu Dhabi, the balance were transfer passengers, according to Abu Dhabi Airports.

crashes in Russia in 2015 ä

Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) reported that airlines in member states — there are 11 and include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan — had 56 accidents, including 27 crashes. These resulted in 116 deaths in 2015, according to IAC’s Safety Performance Report. The report took into account general aviation, helicopters and even technical flights. The IAC’s definition of an accident is an event where an aircraft was damaged without fatalities, while a crash is defined as an accident resulting in fatalities. Incidentally, the report did not include the Metrojet Airbus A321 crash over Sinai.

holds 43 per cent stake, Siemens Project Ventures GmbH 26 per cent and Flughafen Zurich AG Ltd 5 per cent while the Airports Authority of India and Karnataka State Industrial Investment & Development Corporation Limited hold 13 per cent each. According to GVK’s Founder Chairman and MD, G V K Reddy, “All proceeds from this stake sale shall be used to bring down our debt obligations to our lenders. We chose Fairfax as a partner in BIAL as we have a long standing relationship…”

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

NEWS DIGEST/ALLIANCES

Star members co-located at TBIT

n a bid to provide customers a wider choice of check-in options, Star Alliance co-located the member airlines in one single check-in zone at Los Angeles’ Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). The check-in counters for all 10 Star Alliance carriers operating out of TBIT are now in aisle C, at the north end of the terminal. This not only allows customers to easily identify the location of the checkin desks, but also permits the member airlines to share counter space to even better match capacity to the actual demand. The members of Star Alliance that operates out of TBIT are Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, EVA Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, SWISS and Turkish Airlines. A range of joint automated services is also progressively being made available by the TBIT based Star Alliance member carriers. Passengers are being encouraged to make use of the various mobile and web check-in options available. For those needing to print boarding passes at the airport, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has installed 24 common-use kiosks, which can print both boarding passes and luggage tags. In addition to the traditional full service check-in desks, fast bag-drop counters can also be made available for those who have opted to self-tag their bags.

Qantas, Alitalia end frequent flyer partnership

litalia, the flag carrier of Italy, and Qantas, Australia’s national carrier, have ended their frequent flyer partnership at the end of March. Qantas Frequent Flyers and Alitalia MilleMiglia programme will not earn points when travelling with the other airline, nor will they be able to make new flight reward bookings with their points on the complementary airline. The end of partnerships came after Etihad bought a 49 per cent stake in Alitalia and added the carrier to its own alliance, Etihad Airways Partners. Qantas Frequent Flyers, can continue to use their Qantas Points to book flights with Qantas. Alitalia will continue to be a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, allowing members of any SkyTeam frequent flyer programme to earn and redeem award miles with Alitalia.

A4E has a new member

udget airline Norwegian has become the latest airline to join the newly-formed alliance, Airlines for Europe (A4E), which will see it collaborate with Irish budget carrier Ryanair and others. “Norwegian has always believed in healthy competition among airlines to create more choice and lower fares for passengers. But we also firmly believe in an industry where low-cost and network carriers can unite to tackle the many issues we all face together,” Bjørn Kjos, CEO, Norwegian said. “We are delighted to join Airlines for Europe to add our voice to the important debate about the huge challenges and opportunities our industry faces in the future,” he added. The A4E group was launched recently and claims to ac-

Spicejet woos frequent fliers

ow-cost domestic carrier SpiceJet has launched a pre-paid card scheme for its frequent fliers, offering them rewards points on purchase of products and services through the airline’s website as well as online/offline shopping through its retail partners. SpiceClub, which has been launched for the first time by any Indian airline, offers its loyalty club members opportunity to not just save money but also get rewarded while spending more with the airline, the airlines said in a press release. The programme which can be availed for a membership at a minimum of `599 offers benefits worth up to `5,999. The card CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

count for more than half of Europe’s passenger journeys. Air France-KLM, EasyJet, IAG, Lufthansa and Ryanair had formed the new grouping, to combat the rising airport charges amid a fierce battle with Gulf rivals. A4E is an innovative linkage between legacy carrier Air France-KLM, International Airlines Group (IAG).

comes with privileges such as a free ticket on birthdays, up to 50 per cent discount on domestic air tickets for a couple on anniversaries, free vouchers, priority check-in and updates about new offers, among others, for its members, the airline said. “We are always looking at ways and means to serve our customers better. With SpiceClub in your wallet, you are more than just a customer for SpiceJet and that is something that will drive the whole agenda of customer delight for us while offering customized and attractive benefits to our members,” Amit Srivastava, Vice President for business development, SpiceJet, said.

APPOINTMENT /AWARDS

CODESHARE

Ü Figueroa to head SkyTeam Cargo Rafael Figueroa, Chief of Aeromexico Cargo has been appointed as the Chairman of SkyTeam cargo. He succeeds Bram Graeber of Air France KLM Martinair (AF-KL-MP) cargo, who will exit the air freight arena this June. Graeber said that Figueroa was a man with a clear vision. “Members of SkyTeam Cargo must bring value, not mass. This was best done,” he added, by both enlarging and tightening the network each of the airlines brings in to the club. In total, 12 of the 20 SkyTeam airlines have formed a cargo alliance, with the other eight not being an active part of the freight coalition. However, even without them, SkyTeam Cargo moves 20 per cent of the world’s tonnage in the holds of their passenger aircraft or the main decks of their freighters, Figueroa said.

Ü SkyTeam wins Airline Alliance of the Year award SkyTeam received the Airline Alliance of the Year award for the second consecutive year at the Air Transport News Awards ceremony. “Winning this award for a second consecutive year is a great honour and clearly demonstrates that SkyTeam’s customer-focused approach is being recognised by the industry and valued by our customers,” said Perry Cantarutti, SkyTeam’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. “We are focused on delivering value to our 20 member airlines and their 665 million customers by creating a seamless travel experience across our network of 1,057 destinations and will continue to implement more industry-leading services and benefits to enhance the travel experience throughout the SkyTeam network.”

Ü oneworld carriers: Always on time oneworld was named as the best airline alliance for on-time performance services — again. The award was given by FlightStats Inc, the airline industry data services and solutions technology company. It was the third time that oneworld was the most punctual global airline alliance, according to FlightStats Inc. oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby said, “oneworld aims to be the first choice alliance for frequent international travellers. We and our member airlines know just how important it is to these customers in particular that flights depart and arrive on time, so it is gratifying that our on-time performance has been confirmed for the third year running as the best by FlightStats’ independent report.”

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Virgin Atlantic signs codeshare Virgin Atlantic has signed a codeshare with United Kingdom-based regional Flybe for a network of routes connecting its London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow operations with 18 regional airports in the UK and Western Europe.

SAA, JetBlue introduces codeshare South African Airways (SAA) and JetBlue Airways introduced codeshare operations on SAA’s flights between Washington, DC-Dulles Airport and Accra, Ghana. JetBlue is placing B6 code on SAA-operated flights between Washington, DC-Dulles Airport and Accra, Ghana. Customers purchasing a codeshare itinerary would benefit from having a single ticket combining JetBlue and SAAoperated flights.

Delta ties up with KLM, Jet Airways, Transavia Delta Air Lines signed a codeshare partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Jet Airways to provide convenient connections for passengers to and from key destinations across North America to the Indian Subcontinent via Amsterdam. The three-way partnership enables customer to travel throughout the combined networks of Jet Airways, KLM and Delta. Delta Air Lines signed a codeshare agreement with Transavia, a subsidiary of KLM that will expand the choice of destinations offered by Delta from the United States via Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. New codeshare points include: Seville and Alicante, Spain; Thessaloniki, Greece and Marrakech, Morocco.

GLOBAL DIGEST/AIRLINES

flydubai becomes IATA member

flydubai has received its membership certificate from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), becoming the latest airline to join from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The Dubai-based airline qualified for membership after successfully completing the IOSA audit last year. The audit, which is a pre-requisite for an IATA membership, examined all the operational departments across the airline to ensure that the carrier’s internal processes promote; safety, integrity and effectiveness in its management systems. Ghaith Al Ghaith, flydubai’s CEO, said: “Six years into its operations, flydubai continues to set benchmarks and the IATA membership marks another milestone in our success story. The membership qualification requires discipline and commitment to ensure that the business is running to the highest levels of safety and efficiency. We are very proud of this achievement which is a reflection of the integrity and hard work of the highly skilled workforce at flydubai.”

No to wildlife trafficking The International Air Transport Association (IATA) signed a recent declaration aimed at reducing the illegal trafficking of wildlife and underlining the aviation industry’s commitment to sustainability. The interconnected air transport network is being exploited by criminal gangs to smuggle animals or their products from the killing field to the market place. The air transport industry can help stop this trade by providing additional intelligence to enforcement authorities about suspicious shipments.“I can think of few other causes that galvanize more interest and support across the global

transport and logistics sectors than the challenge of wildlife trafficking,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO. The ‘United for Wildlife’ initiative, created by the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, invited representatives of the transport industry to Buckingham Palace to pledge their support. IATA, ACI, the African Airlines Association and a number of individual airlines signed commitments aimed at raising awareness of the trafficking issue among passengers, and training staff to recognize and report suspicious packages and behavior.

United faces ‘hostile action’ Two of United Airlines’s shareholders nominated six new directors to the board of parent United Continental Holdings, the most prominent among them include former Continental Airlines CEO Gordon Bethune. Altimeter Capital Management and PAR Capital Management, which together own 7.1 per cent of United Continental, said in a public letter to United’s board that “meaningful change to United’s existing board of directors is urgently required in order to reverse long-standing poor board governance and the resulting many years of substantial and inexcusable company underperformance relative to United’s competitors.” Following the release of the March 8 letter, Bethune, Continental’s CEO from 1994-2004, appeared on the CNBC television network and said the United board had a “country club atmosphere” and “hasn’t been paying attention, hasn’t set the right goals, frankly hasn’t followed good governance processes and procedures.” The United Continental board’s Non-Executive Chairman, Henry Meyer, called the move by Altimeter and PAR a “hostile action” and said the board was “deeply disappointed.”

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

Online to on air Qunar, a Chinese online travel agency (OTA), plans to launch a low-cost carrier (LCC) in Shenzhen in an effort to enhance its position in the travel supply chain. Qunar has revealed it will set up this new entity with two business partners, but will invest in technology instead of cash to hold stakes. The new venture will be mainly responsible for online ticket sales and is expected to be based at the Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport and operate domestic and international routes to neighbouring countries. There are currently no LCCs based in Shenzhen. In recent months, Chinese airlines have committed to boost direct ticket sales.

‘Chotta seats’ worry vs netas! Claiming that the “rapidly shrinking seat width and leg room” was a health and safety hazard, US senator Senator Richard Blumenthal wants to add regulation to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorisation bill to set minimum seat-space requirements for airlines. The senator will file an amendment to the reauthorisation bill when it’s considered before

Etihad and Taste go hand in hand Etihad Airways will showcase its commitment to provide unmatched culinary experiences in the air and on the ground after it announced a multi-year partnership with Taste Festivals Ltd, organisers of the world’s leading restaurant events since 2004. The airline, along with many of its Etihad Airways Partners, will have a presence at 15 Taste festivals scheduled in 2016, beginning in March with Taste of Dubai and moving on to Taste of Hong Kong and Taste of Sydney. Additional sponsored festivals will take place across five continents in important Etihad Airways

destinations, such as Amsterdam, Johannesburg, London, Milan, Melbourne, Moscow, Paris, Perth, Rome and Toronto, and its home capital city of Abu Dhabi. Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Marketing, said: “Aligning with Taste Festivals is a natural progression for a global airline whose mission is to provide remarkable service and hospitality to millions of guests. We deliver this promise through a highly-acclaimed culinary offering and a food philosophy that constantly pushes the boundaries to provide superior guest experience.”

Kids Class from Virgin

Virgin Australia has launched plans for the world’s first adult-free Kids Class aircraft cabin. More than 900,000 children fly with Virgin Australia each year, the airline said in a statement and it is for them that the Kids Class will feature a child-friendly cabin with kickable seats, concierge service to the gate and an on-board teddy bear menu.. Kids will start their journey with a concierge Trunki ride to the gate where children can choose appropriate reading materials like story books. A quick hopscotch down the aisle and children will be able to participate in a dance-along safety demonstration. Once the aircraft is at cruising altitude, a Kid’s Class meal service will begin, featuring airplane-shaped treats. Other features include a chewable safety card, bubble-filled cabin during story time and tent forts to help kids get to sleep.

the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, on which Blumenthal sits. His amendment will require FAA to adopt minimum seat-space standards “to protect the health and safety of passengers”. He is also calling for a moratorium on any further shrinkage in seat space until such standards can be set and for airlines to publicly disclose their seat size to passengers. “[FAA] has not conducted tests to determine if passengers can safely evacuate from today’s increasingly cramped airplane cabins. Medical experts have also raised concerns regarding increased risk for blood clots and pulmonary embolisms due to lack of adequate leg room,” the senator said in his announcement of the proposed amendment.

A Delhi-ite for 30 years

Singapore Airlines celebrated 30 years of operation in New Delhi. From the launch of commercial passenger Airbus A380 services in May 2014 to being the launch station for Singapore Airlines’ newest cabin class - Premium Economy Class; India’s capital city has witnessed numerous firsts, both for Indian aviation as well as for Singapore Airlines. This steady development has made Delhi International Airport one of the key gateways to India for Singapore’s national carrier. Over three decades, the New Delhi operations have grown considerably to offer 14 weekly flights on Airbus A380 and Airbus A330. David Lau, General Manager India, Singapore Airlines said, “New Delhi has played a pivotal role in Singapore Airlines’ journey in India.”

Microsoft’s man as Avianca pilot Avianca Holdings has appointed a non-aviation professional, Microsoft Latin America President Hernán Rincón as its new CEO. Rincon will also serve as the CEO of Colombian flag carrier Avianca. He replaces Fabio Villegas, who resigned in January. Avianca Holdings Chairman German Efromovich said in a statement that Rincón’s appointment “as the head of Avianca Holdings and Avianca coincides with the beginning of a new phase in which strengthening of the organisation is crucial to cope with the changes of the environment”. On his appointment, Rincón said he “would work relentlessly to generate long-term value for our clients, commercial partners and investors, prioritising operational efficiency and superior service as the only way to maintain the preference and loyalty of thousands of travellers that choose Avianca on a daily basis to travel to America and the world.”

QUOTE-UNQUOTE “I am honoured by the confidence of my industry colleagues and mindful of the heavy responsibilities that the Director General and CEO bears…Tony Tyler has done a great job and I am excited to succeed him.”

Alexandre de Juniac CEO, Air FranceKLM, who will be the next IATA head

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

“Alexandre will be a great leader for IATA. He knows the business well and brings valuable experience from both government and industry.”

Tony Tyler

outgoing Director General (DG) and CEO, IATA

GLOBAL DIGEST/AIRCRAFT Fitch assigns BBB- rating to Embraer Fitch Ratings has assigned for the first time BBB-foreign and local currency long-term issuer default ratings to Embraer. Fitch Ratings agency outlined Embraer’s competitive positions in the commercial and business jet markets, large backlog ($22.5 billion) covering several years of sales, consistent profitability, several promising defence programmes and the current favourable environment in the global commercial aviation industry. Embraer’s solid liquidity profile, mostly held outside Brazil and its large export revenues combined with some offshore operating cash flow further supported the BBBratings. According to agency, the rating outlook was stable. Fitch considered that Embraer’s ratings could be at least one notch higher than Brazil’s country ceiling.

Boeing displays new 737 seat

Boeing displayed a new product — Tourist Class Seating — at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. Created by Lift by EnCore, the product is available to be installed on in-line production 737NG and 737 MAX aircraft and also for retrofit on 737NGs. Boeing said in a statement, that the seat was “the first seat specifically designed to complement the 737 Boeing Sky Interior”, and added, “the LIFT and Boeing collaboration resulted in a seat that is optimised spatially, structurally and aesthetically for the Boeing Sky Interior… The seats have been ergonomically optimised and designed for maintainability and reliability, ensuring long-term comfort and reduced cost of ownership”. The seats were designed to “maximise passenger seating space”.

More Indian pilots for Airbus Airbus is establishing a world-class pilot and maintenance training centre in the National Capital Region of Delhi, to support the country’s need for new Airbus pilots. According to Airbus’ latest global market forecast, India requires over 1,600 passenger and freighter aircraft in the next 20 years to 2034, with an accompanying demand for new pilots and maintenance engineers. This investment in a training centre is a key strategic Airbus initiative in line with the country’s “Skill India” programme launched in 2015 by the Government to develop a wide range of advanced competencies.

Airbus is committed to offering the best-in-class training skills comparable anywhere worldwide. The centre — to be built in a modular concept in order to accommodate four A320 full-flight simulators with potential to expand — will be fully owned by Airbus Group India with training to be delivered by Airbus’ specialised training instructors.

TAP INTO THE A330NEO TAP PORTUGAL HAS SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH AIRBUS TO BE THE FIRST OPERATOR OF THE NEW A330NEO AIRLINER AND THEREFORE ALSO BECOME THE LAUNCH CARRIER TO FLY THE AIRSPACE BY AIRBUS CABIN BRAND. THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE AT THE AIRCRAFT INTERIORS EXPO (AIX) IN HAMBURG, WHERE AIRBUS PREMIERED ITS FIRST AIRSPACE CABIN MOCK-UP. “WE HAVE TWO THINGS TO ANNOUNCE. WE WILL BE THE FIRST AIRLINE TO FLY THE NEW A330NEO AND, SECONDLY, WE ARE GOING TO BE FLYING WITH THE NEW AIRSPACE CABIN. WE SEE THIS AS THE NEXT STEP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TAP PORTUGAL,” TAP PORTUGAL CCO TREY URBAHN SAID. THE PORTUGUESE CARRIER WILL TAKE DELIVERY OF THE FIRST A330NEO BEFORE THE END OF 2017 AND FOUR MORE AIRCRAFT WILL JOIN THE FLEET IN 2018.

Airbus BizLab selects four Indian start-ups

Airbus BizLab has selected start-ups for Airbus business accelerators in Hamburg, Germany and Bengaluru, India. Four startups have been selected in Bengaluru from 80 applicants in seven countries. They are: Blue Morfo, Shoonya Games, Open Turf (see Page 50 in this issue for a detailed story) and Qualitas. Airbus has offered comprehensive support through a six-month acceleration programme. The selected startups will interact with a large number of Airbus experts from various domains (technology, legal, finance, marketing, etc.) and will benefit with the help of a dedicated mentor. They will be provided office space and have access to prototyping and test facilities. A dedicated demo day with Airbus decision makers, partners, subsidiaries, customers, and venture capital will be also offered.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

14 more seats on A380 Airbus showcased an A380 configuration that will enable airlines to add up to 14 more seats, increasing capacity to 543 passengers in a standard four-class layout at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg. Ingo Wuggetzer, Head of Cabin Marketing, Airbus said that this was a new concept that would be available from 2018. The extra space was freed up by

reconfiguring the layout of the stairs at the rear of the aircraft. “The aircraft has a round, winding staircase, like you have in a castle. This is replaced with a more square design,” Wuggetzer added. Airbus planned to offer the denser layout, which also created space for two-and-a-half extra catering trolleys, as both a line and a retrofit option.

MAJOR ASSEMBLY OF FIRST BOEING 787-10 DREAMLINER UNDERWAY

Major assembly of the first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner is underway, the latest major milestone in the development of the newest member of the super-efficient 787 family. Boeing partner Kawasaki Heavy Industries has begun installing the circular frames into the midforward section of the fuselage on March 14, a full two weeks ahead of schedule. “Beginning major assembly early underscores the commitment, discipline and performance of the entire Boeing and partner team worldwide,” said Ken Sanger, Vice President of 787 Airplane Development, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We are taking all the right steps to ensure we integrate the 787-10 into the production system smoothly.” The 787-10 will undergo final assembly at Boeing South Carolina in North Charleston and deliveries will begin in 2018. The 787-10 will deliver 25 percent better fuel use and emissions than the airplanes it will replace and at least 10 per cent better than anything being offered by the competition in the future. To date, the 787-10 has won 153 orders from nine leading customers around the world, accounting for 13 per cent of all 787 orders.

Hawk brings seats to AirAsia AirAsia recently signed an agreement with newcomer Mirus Aircraft Seating, at Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. The agreement was signed by the CEOs of the two companies, Phil Hall and Tony Fernandes and will see AirAsia retrofit all existing and new Airbus A320 aircraft with the lightweight Hawk seats. Mirus will also provide the Hawk for its Airbus A320neo fleet, upon regulatory approval. UK-based Mirus Aircraft Seating Ltd is an innovative new entrant in the aircraft seating market. Tony Fernandes, CEO-AirAsia said, "AirASia has had lots of issues with seats in the past 15 years and that they were really happy with the Hawk due to it being lightweight, thin but comfortable and easier for maintenance with less moving parts. It is also 40 per cent lighter than conventional seats. Another issue Mirus is confident that it can address is the difficulty in getting spare parts on time and therefore reducing the risk of a grounded aircraft."

GoAir poohpoohs A320neo startup issues BUDGET INDIAN CARRIER GOAIR IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE STARTUP RESTRICTIONS CURRENTLY IMPOSED ON THE GTF-POWERED A320NEOS BUT WILL GO AHEAD AND TAKE DELIVERY OF ITS FIRST AIRBUS A320NEO IN MAY THIS YEAR. THE CARRIER PLANS TO TAKE EIGHT MORE A320NEOS IN 2017. THE AIRLINE, FOUNDED BY THE WADIA GROUP, HAS PLACED AN ORDER FOR 72 A320NEO PLANES THAT OFFER 15-20 PER CENT SAVING ON JET FUEL. ALL THESE AIRCRAFT ARE SET TO BE POWERED BY PRATT & WHITNEY PW1100G GEARED TURBOFAN (GTF) ENGINES. GOAIR IS NEGOTIATING WITH PRATT OVER WHAT KIND OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT IT CAN GET FOR ITS FIRST A320NEO SCHEDULED TO BE DELIVERED IN MAY. A PRATT SPOKESPERSON HAS GONE ON RECORD TO SAY THAT THE COMPANY DID NOT DISCUSS CUSTOMER CONTRACTUAL ISSUES, BUT WAS PROUD TO COUNT GOAIR AS A PW1100G ENGINE CUSTOMER. (SEE MORE ON A320NEO IN ENGINE SECTION)

GLOBAL DIGEST/DRONES

Pssst… a drone is watching In a bid to keep the landscape clean, the United Arab Emirates waste management department will soon use a squadron of surveillance drones to catch those who litter. They will not only patrol beaches, but also the desert, landfill sites and places difficult for the police to reach. At the moment the department has one drone monitoring the status of landfill sites, but it plans to expand the roster. “Since they are very cost effective, we expect to have two more drones later this year, which will carry out inspections across deserts and beaches,” said Department Director Abdul Majeed al-Saifaie, adding that the drones’ main benefit is that they’ll save time. “Instead of having municipality inspectors driving across the city, the drones will be able to fly directly to a number of different locations within a short time, and provide us with data and high-resolution photographs.”

…but we can use drones, Drone says Mumbai Police training for rescue ops

Citing terrorist threats, the Mumbai Police have banned drones, micro-light planes and paragliders in the city till the beginning of May. The police have used Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code to execute the order. Citizens caught using drones will face up to six months in prison, a fine of `1,000 or both.The ban will continue to allow law enforcement agencies to carry out aerial surveillance through microlight aircraft drones. A media report stated a senior police official saying that “there is a possibility that drones and paragliders could be used by terrorists to carry out an attack. They are constantly looking for newer ways to carry out

surveillance and hence we have to ensure that until there is clarity on security measures around usage of drones, their use is restricted to the police.” This is not the first time the Mumbai Police have banned drones. There have been various incidents where orders have been issued banning the use of drones in the city. In July 2015, there was an order banning the use of drones in the city, following an incident where an online real estate portal’s employees were allegedly seen flying an unmanned aerial vehicle over Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

QUOTEMETER

“Draft guidelines for operations of UAVs or drones for civil use have been prepared by DGCA and comments of various stakeholders on the same have been called for.” Mahesh Sharma Minister of State for Civil Aviation

Google tries out drones for medical aid Technology giant Google may be the first one to use drones to provide medical help. It has recently acquired a patent in USA, which reveals plans to propel medicinal help. Aimed at people who are stuck in areas where ambulances or paramedics cannot reach swiftly, drones can quickly go and help the individual. The patent indicates that Google could be developing a drone that flies autonomously to take necessary medical supplies to persons during emergencies. According to the patent, users simply deploy a drone by pressing a button on a portable box, with the drone able to instruct users how to use or apply the delivered medical supplies via video when it arrives. The drone will carry a medical box that will have a text explanation screen on it to tell the user or people around what to do according to the medical emergency. The Google drone can go to the location using Wi-Fi or cell signal and provide first aid. It was also mentioned in the patent that if required, the drones would be able to land on water bodies like a floatplane. Last year, the company patented flying drones equipped to provide medical support, which suggested that Google wanted to create ambulance drones that could reach out to people with medical aid at remote locations. This included employing drones to carry necessary supplies to people stranded during or after natural hazards.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

DJI, the world's largest commercial drone manufacturer, has said that it is training first responders in Europe to use drones in rescue operations. The project, which will be rolled out in partnership with the European Emergency Number Association (EENA), a Brussels-based NGO, could improve efficiency and save lives.

“Drones are transforming the way first response and civil protection missions operate by not only helping commanders make faster, smarter and better informed decisions, but also by providing first responders with more detailed information from an aerial perspective," said Romeo Durscher, DJI's Director of Education.

The joint DJI-EENA initiative will give carefully selected teams of European pilots access to Phantom, Inspire, and Matric 100 (M100) drones, as well as access to DJI's Zenmuse XT thermalimaging system. The first two pilot test sites, which will be set up between May and September this year, will be in Denmark and Ireland.

FAA may allow flying small drones over people

50 US airports to test new partnership with drone industry

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented rules on drone registration towards the end of 2015 and presently its working group of experts has submitted another set of recommendations to significantly expand uses of small commercial drones. This includes the first regulatory framework to conduct risk assessments of operations such as news videos, power line inspections and other types of flights over urban areas or crowds of people. So far, the US regulators have banned operation of any commercial drones — even those weighing just a few ounces or made from soft materials. Now, reports state that the group decided that the best way to set regulations is based on the weight of the machine in question. Small drones weighing under 250g (0.55 pounds) could fly over people, depending on their design, while larger drones up to four - five pounds could do the same, depending on their design, if they stayed 20 feet overhead or 10 feet away laterally. Larger or riskier drones that could cause serious injury — as determined by yet-to-be-implemented crash tests — up to 55 pounds could not be flown over crowds, and would have more limitations. Finally, the fourth group of drones that also pose a potentially serious risk but are intended to be used over crowds would have the most rules, with documented plans for risk mitigation, higher operator qualifications, and possibly coordination with the FAA or local law enforcement. Most of the committee members felt like a requirement for in-person testing would be ignored, suggesting online testing with no background checks for operators of the smallest drones.

A staggering seven million drones will fill the American skies in the next three years, according to the FAA. The number of drones in the US is expected to triple by 2020. Therefore, under a new and unique partnership under test between 50 US airports and the drone industry, drone operators will be in close contact, sharing flight information as part of a federal plan to mitigate safety concerns raised by 764 drone sightings near airplanes in 2015. Under current FAA regulations, drone hobbyists are required to notify airports of their plans when flying within five miles of an airport. Until now, it has been difficult for a drone operator to find a person to contact at the airport since airports did not list air traffic control phone numbers. This experimental programme, known as the Digital Notice and Awareness System (D-NAS) will provide an easy access to the drone operators to notify airports of their routes and flight plans using apps from drone manufacturers such as DJI, 3DRobotics and Yuneec as well as web services like AirMap. “We’ve made drones really easy to fly,” said Chris Anderson, CEO and co-founder of 3DRobotics in a company statement.

Silicon Valley startup to use drones in Rwanda

Rwanda, “land of a thousand hills” is one of the world’s poorest countries, and infant mortality rates remain high. There has been an increase in deaths due to HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria over the last ten years. Zipline International, a Silicon Valley startup, is using drones to deliver medicine and blood to patients in Rwanda, and it plans to expand to other countries by the end of the year. The company recently announced that it will begin flying its drones in Rwanda in July, under a partnership with the government. The unpiloted autonomous vehicles will ferry supplies to hospitals and health centers across the tiny East African nation, forming what Zipline describes as the world’s first drone delivery system to operate at a national scale. “To put it into perspective, when you don’t have paved roads, sometimes it’s impossible to get out to these hospitals and health clinics, and sometimes it’s just difficult,” Keller Rinaudo, Zipline CEO, said in a media interview. “But it’s always unpredictable.”

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

NEWS DIGEST

ABOVE GROUND LEVEL  RADAR ON REGIONAL AIRPORTS Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely informed that the government had planned to develop 25 regional airports, to improve air connectivity. “This year I have set a target of having 25 more regional airports,” Jaitley said. He also emphasised the need for having longterm funding for infrastructure and that the government was looking to develop 15 airstrips owned by the state governments and 10 that were with the Airports Authority of India (AAI). ISRO TO COLLABORATE WITH AAI: DR JITENDRA In order to offer assistance in construction of airports, delineation of air strips and determining the extent of land to be left unused around the site of construction, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Jitendra Singh announced that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would collaborate with Airports Authority of India (AAI) and soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with it. SAIFAI TO GET NIGHT LANDING FACILITY Saifai airstrip in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh is likely to get night landing facilities by August, informed District Magistrate Nitin Bansal. “Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) are in the process of expanding the infrastructure. An amount of `6.20 crore has already been released by the state civil aviation department,” he added. The 2.70-km-long Saifai airstrip is used for landing state aircraft whenever SP Chief Mulayam Singh or Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav visit Etawah. WORK AT KIA IN T2 BEGINS The second phase of expansion at Kempegowda International Airport has started. The expansion includes construction of the second terminal — T2, and a parallel runway that will

Battle royale over 5/20 rule

The war over removal of the controversial 5/20 rule for domestic carriers to fly abroad is getting heavy

battle royale is shaping up between the government’s civil aviation ministry and non-government airlines. These airlines, in fact, make up a tough body with a control over more than 90 per cent of the aviation market in the country. The point of contention: the muchhyped and yet-to-be announced National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP). Pitted on the side of the private airlines are IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and GoAir, grouped together under the flag of the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) while on the other is the Ministry of Civil Aviation. FIA has made it quite clear

This 5/20 rule is obviously something that is pulling Indians down…Does it have any scientific meaning? Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Union Civil Aviation Minister

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

that the NCAP would be unacceptable if it were to come out in its present form since it will only benefit two carriers. (A draft has been in circulation since October 30, 2015. “The same in available for stakeholder's consultation and comments on the website of this ministry at http:// www.civilaviation.gov.in,” a circular from the Ministry of Civil Aviation mentioned.) The two airlines that the FIA has pointed a finger at are: Vistara and AirAsia India. Both incidentally have links with the venerable and respected Tata group. While Vistara is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, AirAsia India is a joint venture

As an Indian citizen, he (Ratan Tata) has given a suggestion. We will try to take a call on his suggestion. The govt will have to take a call at the right time. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Civil Aviation

with Air Asia Berhad holding 49 per cent of the airline, Tata Sons holding 40.06 per cent and Telestra Tradeplace the remaining 10 per cent. In fact, AirAsia was the first foreign airline to set up a subsidiary in India. FIA is most upset about the 5/20 rule, that would – hopefully – be done away with in the policy. The rule put simply is: every airline in the country must complete five years of domestic flying and have 20 aircraft in its fleet before it can apply for permission to fly abroad. That norm certainly disqualifies the two Tata-funded airlines from flying abroad. There are two other points that FIA has said it does not agree to: the auctioning of bilateral rights and enhancing the foreign ownership of domestic airlines to above 49 per cent. Among the airlines in FIA, it is only GoAir that does not fly abroad. The FIA authorities have said that the 5/20 rule cannot be thrown out arbitrarily. The rule has to be seen in conjunction with the Route Development Guidelines, that orders all nationally permitted airlines to have flights to unprofitable, remote sectors like the North East of India. The order also says that any carrier withdrawing flights from these areas would have to take permission from the authorities before doing so. Rahul Bhatia, Chairman of FIA and owner of IndiGo, was forthright when he said that if the civil aviation ministry did not listen to the FIA, there would be no other option left but to seek the help of courts. He told a business daily that FIA did not want legal battles. “We just want a level-playing field’, he had said. Ever since the draft policy was announced, private airlines’ owners and representatives have voiced their concerns. The latest spark, however, came on Sunday February 21 when the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata tweeted that he would like the govern-

It is sad to see incumbent airlines lobbying for protection and preferential treatment for themselves against the new airlines. Ratan Tata, Former Chairman, Tata Group

ment to do away with the 5/20 rule. “It is sad to see incumbent airlines lobbying for protection and preferential treatment for themselves against the new airlines that have been formed in full compliance with prevailing government policy and providing air transport to Indian citizens in line with the dream of a ‘new India’ promised by the new government under (Narendra) Modi’s leadership.” He was speaking about Vistara and AirAsia India. That sent the world of aviation in a tizzy. Ajay Singh, CEO of SpiceJet, shot off: “All of us were asked to serve our great country before we got profitable rights to fly abroad. We served with great pride. What is wrong if these two foreign-controlled airlines are also asked to serve India before being allowed to fly international? Mr Tata, whom we respect greatly, should in fact urge these airlines in which his group is a shareholder, to serve India willingly before being allowed to fly international. While obtaining a licence, these two airlines had undertaken to follow the 5/20 rule, a rule they are now opposing so vehemently.” IndiGo’s President Aditya Ghosh too, joined in: "While an IndiGo with more than 100 aircraft cannot restructure its network by withdrawing from any unprofitable routes, an airline with just five aircraft can fly abroad with the sixth one – this is not acceptable.” A contradictory viewpoint was presented by Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara India, who said, “To promote regional connectivity and in order to create these hubs, we will have to connect India to the world and the only way we can do that is by removing 5/20 rule.” Supporting the same belief, Tony Fernandes, CEO, AirAsia Group said, “The government should provide a level playing field and not just suit four or five tycoons. It’s time for India to stop putting self-interest above national interest.”

The government should provide a level playing field and not just suit four or five tycoons. It’s time for India to stop putting self-interest above national interest. Tony Fernandes, CEO, AirAsia Group

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

ABOVE GROUND LEVEL 

enable the airport to handle more number of flights. It is being taken up at a cost of around `4,000 crore and is expected to be completed in 2022. “The levelling work is on in full swing and stabilising the ground will go on for another 12 months. Following adequate inspections of the ground stability, the laying of the runway will commence,” a senior official in-charge of T2 told to a newspaper. NO NIGHT OPERATIONS AT AMRITSAR AIRPORT All night flight operations at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport have been stopped for one year to pave the way for restructuring of the runway. Airport Director Venkateshwar Rao said that there would be no flight operations from 8 pm to 5.30 am for a year. Due to restructuring of 12,000 feet runway, all airlines would have to reschedule their flights from night to day. The airport director said that security had been beefed up in and around the airport. “Paid entry to the departure lounge has been banned. Passengers have been barred from entering the departure lounge to see off their relatives.” STAY CONNECTED AT PATNA Free wi-fi service had been started at Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport (Patna Airport) recently. Airport Director Rajendar Singh Lahauriya said that a private telecom company was providing free wi-fi service inside the terminal building. “As soon as a traveller gets access to the Wi-Fi, he would be directed to a web page of the service provider. He or she would need to feed the cell phone number on which the login password will be sent,” Lahauriya added. He also said that Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Raipur and Bagdogra airports in the eastern region with their regional headquarters at Kolkata were also providing free wi-fi.

NEWS DIGEST

ABOVE GROUND LEVEL  PATNA WILL SOON GET ANOTHER AIRPORT

To promote regional connectivity, we will have to connect India to the world and the only way we can do that is by removing 5/20 rule Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara India Apart from Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport, Patna will soon have a second airport at the Bihta airbase, around 40km southwest of the city. Union Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey held a meeting with state government officials in Patna and announced that the Indian Air Force had given its consent for commercial flight operations from the Bihta airbase where around 85 acres of land will be needed for developing the civilian airport. Choubey claimed that it would take around 24 months for developing the Bihta airport once the state government transferred the required land. THOOTHUKUDI GETS WI-FI Thoothukudi airport has launched Wi-Fi mobile data offloading service by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). K Saju George, General Manager, BSNL, Thoothukudi, inaugurated the facility at the airport in the presence of E C Taji, Director, Thoothukudi airport. BSNL has introduced the facility free of cost to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to benefit passengers. The BSNL had deployed this technology in association with Quadgen Wireless Solutions Private Limited, George said. BSNL LAUNCHES WIFI AT SRINAGAR Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has launched its state-of-art wifi hotspot service at the Srinagar international airport. Fliers can use this service free of charge for the first 15 minutes. The 4G-based WiFi HotSpot service was inaugurated by Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Asgar H Samoon. GM Telecom, Kashmir, Mohammad Salim Beg said the services would be extended to other parts of Kashmir to facilitate customers with high-speed Internet.

Sometime ago, a high-level FIA delegation comprising IndiGo’s Rahul Bhatia, SpiceJet’s Ajay Singh and GoAir’s Jeh Wadia had handed a note to Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office. The note mentioned that FIA’s views were not being heard out in the formulation of the NCAP. A government press release mentioned that FIA “sought Government’s intervention to incorporate some of their concerns while finalising the National Civil Aviation Policy being prepared by the civil aviation ministry… They complained that while no other country in the world allows substantial ownership and effective control of its airlines to be taken over by foreign airlines, India has permitted some airlines to operate despite being effectively controlled by their foreign parent”. The Minister had supposedly told the delegation that their views would be sent to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Whatever the outcome of the war of words, Minister Mahesh Sharma, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, commented that “as an Indian citizen, he (Ratan Tata) has given a suggestion. We welcome his suggestion. We will try to take a call on his suggestion. The government will have to take a call at the right time”. Reacting to the allegations, a statement issued by Tata Sons mentioned that “both Tata SIA Airlines (Vistara) and Air Asia India have transparently shared their views on the policy, like other stakeholders”. The statement went to point out that “keeping the national interest in mind, Tata Sons believes that the 5/20 rule must be abolished if Indian aviation is to achieve its full potential and improve India’s connectivity with the world. Apart from the fact that there are no global parallels to this rule, the rule is discriminatory to Indian airlines as foreign airlines that do not meet these CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

While an IndiGo with 100+ aircraft cannot restructure, an airline with just five aircraft can fly abroad with the sixth one – this is not acceptable. Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo

criteria are allowed to operate in Indian skies, but Indian airlines cannot enjoy reciprocal rights. Indian carriers are best placed to promote India as a tourism destination and should be encouraged to provide international connectivity if they wish to do so.... “The 5/20 rule has thus far principally benefited only foreign airlines, who have captured 70 per cent of the international traffic with India, taking Indian jobs and revenue with them. This has also resulted in poor utilization of bilateral air traffic rights by Indian operators. The removal of the 5/20 rule is estimated to boost international traffic to and from India to over 100 mn passengers by FY2021, compared to 43 mn in FY2014. This would stimulate the domestic market, and the resultant growth would help all domestic carriers.” The battle for the ouster of the 5/20 rule has recently been joined by the Air Passengers Association of India (APAI). The passenger body attacked the FIA in a letter addressed to Rajiv Nayan Choubey, Secretary, Civil Aviation. The note said: “It must be completely scrapped and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) must be empowered to consider giving licences to all those airlines that have financial muscle.” The letter also said the FIA, which represents the older airlines, acts as a cartel and takes joint decisions that harm the interests of passengers. “It is pertinent to note that FIA is nothing but an organisation established for self-serving causes and does not care to address any other issue, including those of the passengers and their grievances,” the letter said. “It is also pertinent to note that all airlines registered with DGCA are not allowed to become members of this body which goes on to show that this is nothing but an entity to lobby when required for self-serving their own cause.”

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PHOTOS: H C TIWARI

SPOTLIGHT

Show of change

The winds of change in India’s rapidly growing aviation sector were experienced by all at India Aviation 2016. The fifth edition of the airshow, hosted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) saw aviation biggies forecasting a bright future for the country’s aviation sector 26

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

work related to all types of helicopters in the presence of the leadership (For full coverage see ‘Choppers Section’, Page 47). Airframers Airbus and Boeing boosted the spirit of the country’s aviation community when forecasting the number of aircraft that will be needed over the next 20 years. Said Dr Kiran Rao, Airbus EVP Marketing and Strategy: “Aviation in India has a bright future. As India’s industrial might grows along with it comes economic development, wealth generation and a rise in the number of regular and first time flyers. Airbus offers the most comprehensive aircraft product range from 100 to over 600 passengers to serve the Indian public and this growing demand.” His company projected that India, the world’s fastest emerging economy, would require more than

1600 new aircraft on its way to become the third largest aviation market by 2034. By that year, Indian passengers on average would each make four times as many flights as they do today. As a result, traffic serving the Indian market would grow at 8.4 per cent per year over the next 20 years, well above the world average of 4.6 per cent. Boeing too echoed similar sentiments. The market, it said, was expected to grow at 7 per cent CAGR for the next seven years to reach $1.2 billion by 2020. Boeing said increased traffic, reduction in operating costs, and fare discipline would drive India aviation profitability. Airlines in India would need 1740 new airplanes valued at $240 billion. With fleet size likely to double by 2020, there would be a need for a strong domes-

ndia Aviation 2016 took place amidst a transforming airline landscape. On one hand, the much-awaited National Civil Aviation Policy is getting the final touches for a launch while on the other are government plans to enhance and improve the infrastructure and usher in more connectivity. In the backdrop is the good show on the balance sheets of almost all the domestic carriers. And, above all, there is optimism. The show at Hyderabad then raised hopes. Pawan Hans and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a joint venture (JV) firm to carry out maintenance

INAUGURATING INDIA AVIATION: Glimpses from the inauguration ceremony of the fifth edition of India Aviation

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

SPOTLIGHT

CELEBRATION: Indigo welcomed acquistion of first A320neo

India on top W

ith 81 million trips, India’s domestic aviation market grew at over 20.3 per cent during January-December 2015, making it the highest growth rate recorded in the world, said ‘India Aviation Report 2016’ released by FICCI-KPMG during India Aviation 2016. It was, however, pointed out that 72 per cent of this traffic was restricted to just the top ten airports. While national carrier Air India and private major Jet Airways flew to 50 of 125 domestic airports, current market leader IndiGo and SpiceJet touched only around 34 apiece. A key reason for the poor regional connectivity was the airlines’ high fixed costs. India’s growth, the report claimed, had put the country well on its way to become the thirdlargest aviation market by 2020 and the largest by 2030. The report suggested that aspects such as increasing disposable incomes, fall in prices of Aircraft

Turbine Fuel (ATF), increase in tourism, visa reforms, etc. had placed the country in this unique position. There was an immediate need for state-level initiatives to provide airlines with huge tax breaks and cash subsidies to make newer routes viable to connect India’s interiors. The report also pointed out that there were about 450 used/ un-used/abandoned airports and airstrips spread across the country, of which about 225 were owned by state governments or private operators. Efforts had to be undertaken to activate these airports, subject to their long-term financial viability, the report said. Although a Regional Connectivity Scheme and fund have been under government consideration for a while now, there was likely to be resistance from airline companies given the intervention and price controls.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

LEADING AIRLINE: Emirates welcomed Indian and foreign dignitaries to its aircraft on static display at the airshow

tic MRO industry and the theme of the fifth edition of the Hyderabad show was all about that: ‘Indian civil aviation sector: Potential as global manufacturing MRO hub’. Other than the focus on the MRO sector, there were stalls of more than 2000 aviation-related organisations and display of 29 aircraft from different countries.

At the inauguration of the show, President Pranab Mukherjee spoke about India’s plan to invest over $120 billion in the development of airport infrastructure and aviation navigation services over the next decade. He also mentioned that the sector was poised for a faster and sustainable growth with the development of 100 smart cities; new economic corridors; more than 50 new airports and expansion of existing airports. “The deeper air penetration to smaller cities; better connectivity to northeastern part of India; higher disposable incomes of the middle class of India is expected to further propel the growth of Indian civil avia-

PROVIDING BOOST: Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju visiting the various booths at the Hyderabad airshow

tion industry,” Mukherjee said. The President noted that the country had registered a growth of 14 per cent in the civil aviation sector during the last decade. With foreign direct investment (FDI) in air transport during the last 15 years touching the $570 million mark, he said India continued to be a favourite destination for foreign investors

in civil aviation sector. The President pointed out that the country was at the threshold of taking a major leap in the aviation sector, the event was well timed and resonated with the latest policy initiatives of ‘Make in India’, ‘Stand up India’ and ‘Start up India’. He called upon the global giants to seize this opportunity and take the lead to forge long-term partnerships. “It is estimated that India shall require at least 800 aircraft by 2020 to cater to the phenomenal increase of air passenger and freight traffic. The supporting aviation infrastructure has to be suitably upgraded by building new Greenfield airports; expanding the existing airports and upgrading facilities for maintenance, repair and operations,” President Mukherjee said. Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey also highlighted the high growth witnessed in domestic aviation which was unparalleled. CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

A N Kiran Kumar, Secretary, Department of Space, pointed out the close harmony between Civil Aviation and the space industry. For the growth of civil aviation, the synergy between the two department would be utilized, he said and mentioned that both the ministries had worked closely on the GAGAN project. There was plenty to grab eyeballs: there were 29 aircraft on display but the number went down to only 10 on the non-business days. There was the mighty Airbus A380 from Emirates and IndiGo showed off its latest acquisition, the Airbus A320 Neo. Incidentally, the Boeing and Airbus stalls did attract crowds with their impressive scale models. As is usual in such airshows, the show stealer was the aerobatics displayed by Jefferies and team from the UK. The four pilots thrilled the crowds with their cartoonish-painted tiny aircraft while performing double barrel loops, free-falls and thrilling stunts mid-air

INTERVIEW

‘Lessons have been learnt, lessons from the supply chain of 777X or Max or 787’ …And they have been incorporated in Boeing’s manufacturing strategies, said Scott Fancher. He is Boeing Senior Vice President, Program Management, Integration & Development Programs. Named to this position in April 2016, Fancher is a member of the Boeing Executive Council and is responsible for management system deployment and oversight of all Boeing development programmes, standing up a new Boeing-wide programme management function, and leading key company growth and productivity initiatives. He spoke to K SRINIVASAN at the Singapore Air Show in February this year, weeks before his new appointment is far ahead. The facts are that if you look at marketshare since airlines had a clear choice…they knew what the MAX was as they knew what the Neo was. The marketshare’s been about 50-50. So, to say that the Neo had a headstart, they were about a year in advance of us, but since we have been competing head-to-head, since the airlines knew what the choice was, it’s been a 50-50 market. In fact, if you look at total narrow body sales of the same period, it’s 50-50 as well.

You have had problems with your supply chain for a long time (particularly with the 787). Have they been ironed out? We did have challenges in our supply chain — there’s no doubt about it. I don’t know if that was about the supply chain model so much as the technologies and how aggressive we were being… All of our development programmes today have been taking all the lessons learnt around supply chain architecture and supply chain management and apply them to the activities we currently have going on. So, whether it is 777X or Max or 787, we have taken all of those lessons and incorporated them in our strategies.

One of the big issues in phasing out the old and bringing in new aircraft is that gap when you move from one to the other. Not so much. Today, we’ve got a pretty good understanding of what it takes to transition customers from one model to the next. We focus a lot on those transition plans, we help them with their planning and then we design airplanes to make it easy to plan for. So, you know…while airplane capabilities may vary a little bit, for example, the 787 opened up new routes. They constrain airline planning a little bit until they get enough airplanes. But generally speaking, all that’s been worked through and we don’t see that as a major obstacle.

You had to redo several things with the 787 because of the diverse supply chain. What were the fundamental lessons learnt in what you now do, considering the MAX is bang on target. Well, it goes back to the way I answered your question earlier. It’s all about risk management and really having an openeyed, clear understanding of the technology risk you are taking and then making the investments to ensure that you will be successful with those technologies or have alternatives available should you run into problems and need another path.

I am talking from the perspective of the 777 to the 777X… Oh, you mean from the production transition standpoint? You know, when we looked at introducing the 787-9 into the 787-8 production system, the two airplanes were quite different from each other. That introduction went quite seamless for us. The first MAX which is to be

The A321 was announced a while back and is gathering plenty of numbers, even the Neo was announced much before the MAX. Are you not playing catch-up all the time? No, I don’t think so at all. I don’t think it’s accurate to reflect that the Neo or the 321

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

built, is going very well – that is going seamlessly as well. Our 777X will be a bigger configuration change but we are making the investments necessary to ensure that transition goes very well. We are very mindful of these transition periods (and) we have to be able to meet the commitments to our customers. During that timeframe we cannot compromise on quality or delivery schedule and we make the investments and put plans in place to achieve that.

When you ramp up production as you have with the 737, are there any quality issues that you had to confront? No. I mean every time you ramp up, every time a mechanic has to do the job in a shorter period of time, you get a little transient and then you work those off and that’s just the physics of the production system…(like the) auto industry or some other industry, it’s just the physics of the production system. So, those transients are going to occur anyway but other than that we haven’t seen anything substantive, anything enduring with regard to quality differences. You recently said that GKN had been dropped as a supplier. Any particular reason? (I am) not going to speak of that particular case but in general, when we are going through a development effort, when we have a technology risk, we ensure that we have off-ramps, alternatives that we can pursue. And we consciously make decisions around that. So, there will be times where we are making investments here but (they) represent a risk but the payoff is worth that risk. We ensure we have an off-ramp but if (the risk) doesn’t mature properly, we’ll execute that off-ramp. We’ll go another route. In other cases, we may pursue another technology because it offers advantages and Producability, unit costs and quality of performance. And again, once it matures we may off-ramp into that. So, generally when you see us making decisions to move from one supplier to another, it’s not so much about the supplier’s performance, it’s about either the technology didn’t mature as we would like or we have got a more attractive alternative. That’s about risk management? That’s exactly right – you can say that about many industries.

“India will have some catch-up to do yet in terms of capacity” Randy Tinseth is Vice President of Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes leading the teams responsible for global go-to-market strategies and analysis in support of sales and product strategy. In this position, he has held since April 2007, Tinseth is responsible for marketing efforts across the Commercial Airplanes family of products and services – contributing to planning and product development, understanding and communicating market requirements and the market outlook. He spoke to K SRINIVASAN during the Singapore Air Show in February How do you look at the present state of affairs? Things are pretty well I mean. Last year if you think about it, we had record deliveries. We delivered more single aisle planes than anyone in history. We delivered more widebodied airplanes than anyone in history. So, from a delivery perspective, I think we are in very good shape and we actually even at a CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

time of record deliveries added to our backlog. So, I think that’s good. So, I think from a Boeing perspective, a good year in terms of deliveries, a good year in terms of orders last year and I think what also has been critically important is that our development programmes go on time, in budget, so we can meet the future commitments from our customers and frankly we

INTERVIEW made great strides last year on the 737 Max. Fast forward that to this year when we made our first flight. We made great progress on the 787-10 and then the 777X. So, all those programmes continued to be on schedule.

The future of the 747-8? 747-8. It’s future is very strongly tied to the cargo market and frankly over the last few years the cargo market has seen its ups and downs and right now it’s struggling. So, as a result of the challenges we’ve seen in the cargo market, we’ve taken the rate down in the 747. We’ll be building at one-half an airplane a month in September of this year. That means that every other month we roll out a 747. We think at that rate we will be able to bridge until we get to later in the decade when we start to see a number of 747400 freighters reaching their retirement age and that should provide an opportunity for us at that time. It is a wait and watch philosophy… Everything is at a lower rate; it allows the market to come in balance. It also allows us to grab any growth that is there and then again it allows us to get to that time where we expect to see an increase in replacement. The 787-9 seems to have become the aircraft of choice for most operators. They’ve both done really well. I think that what we see today with the Dash-8 is a number of customers coming to us, using the airplanes in ways they’ve never anticipated and we’ve actually seen customers come to us and actually go the other way -- to actually convert Dash-9s to Dash-8s. Has that happened? It has happened. And so I think that there’s going to be a robust demand for actually all three models. I think the heart of the market will continue to be the Dash-9 but I think that some people have said, “Ah, the Dash-8 is a passing thing.” I don’t see that. Surprised that AI didn’t go for Dash-9? Well, think about it, the Dash-8 is a big air-

AU.NEWS.YAHOO.COM

How do you hope to cope with the issues related to the 777 transition? Well, we did make the decision earlier this year to take the rate down from 8.3 to 7. We think that that provides us the right bridge to get from where we are to the 777X. Though we are focused on selling airplanes in the back half of ’17 but 80 per cent of our skyline in 2017 is now sold out. So, our focus is to make sure that we are successful in selling the bridge in 2017. Then we can put our focus on 2018 and beyond.

WAY TO GO: Vice President for Marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes Randy Tinseth (left) and Scoot Chief Executive Campbell Wilson at the Singapore Airshow after a press conference to mark Scoot's one year since receiving the Dreamliner

plane. The Dash-8 is the same size as an A330-200. It’s bigger than any 767 we ever built. So, there’s thousands of airplanes that have to be replaced. That’s why I think the market’s going to be there.

Would you agree you are playing catch up with Airbus—the MAX is a classic example? We definitely went second in the market. Airbus went early with the Neo. Since we’ve had the MAX in the market, we split the market 50-50. So, I don’t feel that we are in a disadvantaged position at all. And when we look at the widebodies, I think the difference in the widebodies is we have a strategy and we had a vision and we stuck to that. So, we went into the 787, we expanded, we delivered on the 787. We are now replacing the 777. So, we have two families of airplanes that stretch all the way from about 200 seats to 400 seats. Our competitors said they were CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

going to build an A350, then it was going to have three models and then one model went away and now they are re-engineering the other plane and now they are talking about another model. You know, we anticipated where they would go and so we think we’ve got a very good solution not only today but in the future. So, new competition will come. I think we are in great shape. It’s on track. Now, I can say that last year we completed, I want to say, firm configurations to the design lines of the airplane’s been done. We’ve completed our high speed wind tunnel testing. Progress continues to be made on the engine. So, that airplane continues to be on track to deliver in 2020. So, we’ve got a lot of time, a lot of work yet have to be done but we continue to be on schedule. I’ll give you an example — we have really focused on refining our development programmes after the 787. We created a schedule for the 737 MAX four years ago. The airplane rolled out of the factory on that

day and it flew two days before schedule.

Before schedule? Before the schedule we did four years ago. So, the point being is we really have been thoughtful and disciplined in our development process and it’s really paid off. And I think our competition continues to struggle. You learnt from the 787 programme, it was a very expensive learning curve?

carriers. European carriers have a different model than Asian carriers. You know I made my first trip to Asia on a 747-200 and I probably flew 747s for ten years. Then I went through a stage where for ten years everything was 777s. This trip I flew 787. All the way from Seattle to Narita; Narita to Singapore. I think we are making that turn and to give you an interesting example, United announced Singapore-San Francisco on a 787. By doing that they are

medium and medium long range markets. I think time will tell whether they can do this in the long range market. Scoot is focused on efficiency, they focused on the appropriate amenities at a certain price. And you contrast that with Air Asia X where (they are) just about cramming folks in -that model’s not working. So you’ve got to find the right model. And have they found the right model here? Well, indications are they’re doing pretty well.

The B787 is Scoot’s money-spinner T

he budget long-haul carrier from SIA (Singapore Airlines), Scoot has so far stood the test of time. Two other big long-haul operations from Asia have actually failed and when Scoot commenced operations there were plenty of sceptics. Oasis from Hong Kong had collapsed after a year-and-a-half of hoopla and much later Air Asia X had failed to take off. Tony Fernandes wanted to do what Sir Freddie Laker had failed to do. In fact, when he started his famous London-

Well, I’ll tell you what — we learned things that changed not only the way we developed airplanes, but we also changed the way that we approach our supplier partner base and I think all of those things we are seeing pay off, as we go into this aircraft.

Your thoughts on the A380? Well, Airbus has said that now they probably won’t re-engine at least in the time frame (spoken of). I look at things in a different way maybe than most. I find Airbus, they talk about things they worry about. They sure talk about the A380 a lot. Frankly, we’ve seen a slowdown on big airplanes. Only a handful of airlines can operate an airplane that big and in a handful of markets. I think those markets are going away. The A380 has a problem and it’s very expensive to operate and it’s very big. So, airlines couldn’t fill it and then when they could fill it, they had a hard time making money. When they came up with this Neo concept that would improve the economics — and I understand that — but it would also make it bigger. It didn’t solve the problem. Would the Dash-9 be the ideal widebody? Well, I think it’s all about the airline and its business model. You know network carriers will have a different business model. US carriers have a different model than European

New York budget flights, he named the first Air Asia X aircraft Semangat Sir Freddie or Spirit of Sir Freddy. One big reason for Scoot's success could be the 787. This hugely fuel efficient aircraft brings a difference. The airline, which started operations in June 2012 from its base in Singapore, operates an all-Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet to 18 destinations and plans to open three destinations in India by May. Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson told the media

no longer going to fly an airplane between Narita and Singapore. So, that allowed them to provide non-stop service which is good for your yields and your fares. It also took an airplane that was in service doing one thing and allowing it to do something else. So, this whole concept of point-to-point more frequent non-stop service, it’s about efficiency for the airlines and it’s about convenience for passengers.

Do you think the Scoot type of widebody LCCs is here to stay? If you think about wide-bodied LCCs, they have been around for a long time and I call them chartered carriers (in Europe). And I think they found in that market, a particular size marketplace that worked well. I think when you think of Asia, I think of a market where the medium and medium long range has a great potential, unlike any other market and I think that’s the market for these widebody LCC operators. When you think about going on some of these very, very long missions, then you start to get in places where you are asking yourselves, ‘Can I actually get the efficiency above and beyond a network carrier?’ And that’s a challenge. Are they meeting the challenge? Well they have been able to meet it in the CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

during the Singapore Airshow that the airline would offer fares 15 to 50 per cent cheaper than full-service carriers when it expanded its wings into India later this year. One of the cities under consideration is Jaipur. Scoot has been named as 2016’s best low-cost airline for the Asia-Pacific region at the Airline Excellence Awards by AirlineRatings.com. Scoot was also tops for 2015, while the award for 2014 went to Jetstar Asia.

Finally, your dispatch reliability with the 787 is excellent but there are issues with the Air India Dreamliner? You know I am not going to talk about a particular customer. I will tell you the aeroplane gets better and better and better but there also can be airplane-specific issues in airlines the way they are operated. I have got airlines out there that are operating 787s probably as high as 16 hours a day and I have others that are operating at a fraction of that. It really depends on your route network and depends on so many things. Your views on the Indian market? Well, I think the Indian market has gone through some challenges and the question is: When will supply in that market balance out? And I think we are getting there. You know the Indian economy has been one of the bright spots in the marketplace but again I think they have some catch-up to do yet in terms of capacity and I think they have catch-up yet to do in terms of infrastructure. I think one of the airlines in India is talking of shifting to the 320s? Well, I heard that we have at least one carrier out there that wants competition but I think at the end of the day we really like where we stand with our MAX family.

ENGINES

INDIGO SETS THE BENCHMARK WITH THE A320NEO

IndiGo has become worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second Airbus A320neo operator after German carrier Lufthansa. Pratt & Whitney PurePower Engines power Asia's first A320neo, which tops best in class operational efficiencies and brings enormous environmental benefits

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

hen the A320neo landed year at a ceremony held in Hamburgat Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Finkenwerder. Carsten Spohr, CEO of International Airport on Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Airbus CEO March 11, 2016, it was a Fabrice Brégier, David Hess, President memorable moment. Low Cost Carrier of Pratt & Whitney and Robert Leduc, (LCC) IndiGo became the first airline Executive Vice President and Chief in Asia to induct the latest aircraft from Customer Officer Aerospace for United Airbus, powered by Pratt & Whitney’s Technologies were all present during the PurePower Geared Turbofan engines. handover of the aircraft. Speaking on That was only the beginning. By the end the occasion, Aditya Ghosh, President, of the month, the airline had taken delivIndiGo, who was there too, said: “The ery of its third A320neo. IndiGo is the A320neo aircraft powered by Pratt & world’s second A320neo operator after Whitney’s PurePower Geared Turbofan German carrier Lufthansa. The engines will enable us to conno frills carrier, which has tinue to offer affordable air ordered 430 such planes, transportation and a new The A320neo set aims to become an allflying experience for our a benchmark by sigNeo fleet airline by FYcustomers. The fuel effinificantly reducing the 2022. cient aircraft will be part impact on the environThe first Airbus of a new phase of our ment and lead the way A320neo was delivered growth and will enable to launch operator Lufus to offer more regional to a more sustainable thansa in January this and international destinamode of flying tions at the best price.” He added that IndiGo’s A320neo fleet would set “a benchmark by significantly reducing the impact on the environment and lead the way to a more sustainable mode of flying”. “It fills us with pride that IndiGo, India’s largest airline and the biggest customer for our A320neo, has taken delivery of its first aircraft,” Kiran Rao, Executive Vice President for Strategy and Marketing, Airbus, said. “On top of best in class operational efficiencies and environmental benefits, the A320 neo will offer IndiGo’s passengers unmatched comfort,” he assured. What is so special about the plane? The Airbus A320neo family is a series of airliners developed since December 2010 by Airbus, with the suffix ‘neo’ meaning ‘new engine option’. It is the last step of the A320 Enhanced (A320E) modernisation programme, which was started in 2006. In fact, the A320neo has replaced the original A320 family, which is now referred to as A320ceo, for ‘current engine option’. The A320neo incorporates many innovations, including the latest generation engines and large Sharklet wing-tip devices, which together deliver 15 per cent in fuel savings from day one and 20 per cent by 2020. This is equivalent to a reduction of 5,000 tonnes of CO2 per aircraft per year. In addition, the plane also provides a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions and reduced engine noise. “We are proud to provide IndiGo with engine technology that is a generation ahead to support the airline’s rapid growth CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

SHARP MODIFICATION FOR A320NEO team at Airbus’ facility in Filton, A UK, has designed, built and tested a performance-enhancing com-

ponent as an option for the A320neo. The innovation, referred to as ‘SHARP’ (SHort AiRfield Package), aims to increase wing lift at low speeds and thus enhance take-off and landing performance for operations on short runways. A key component of the package is a Kevlar composite panel modification to the wing’s ‘Root Fillet Fairing’ to enable the improved landing performance. The requirement for such a modification was driven in part to facilitate operations into Brazil's Santos Dumont airport, where the runway is only around 1,300m long. In addition to the short runway there is a mountain on one side and a long bridge on the other, which makes landings and take-offs a challenging operation. Airbus has identified several operators which would like to fly their future A320neos into this airport – and SHARP will allow them to do so. The UK team, working with their engineering colleagues in Bremen (Germany) had considered various proposals to reduce the approach speed at landing. The resulting ‘winner’ was a modification to optimise the airflow over the Root Fillet Fairing panel, and which could be delivered as retrofit-able option. Construction of a test panel took place in Filton's “ProtoSpace” facility using ‘rapid prototyping’ Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) technology to ‘3D-print’ the moulds. Fibre glass was then layered into the moulds to create the new panel prior to final finish and paint. Metrology experts then scanned the panel to ensure that the exact profile being tested was well understood. The prototype’s subsequent flight-testing in Toulouse was successful and the engineering and industrial teams are now finalizing this design for production.

ENGINES in India,” said Rick Deurloo, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Commercial Engines, Pratt & Whitney. “For nearly 60 years, Pratt & Whitney continues to power commercial aircraft in India and we are excited to expand our relationship with airlines in India, such as IndiGo, with the PurePower engine. We are eager for customers to experience the unmatched benefits of this engine firsthand including double-digit reductions in fuel burn, emissions and noise.” This development, in many ways, marked a new phase for India’s aviation industry. The country ranks among the fastest growing air travel markets in the world. IATA estimates that the market will average an annual growth of 6.4 per cent during the next two decades and by 2034 it is expected to hit the 256 million passenger/year mark. Despite the current infrastructure constraints, the size and potential of the mar-

ket has drawn new players, including IndiGo. The delivery of the eco-friendly Airbus 320neo planes to IndiGo, which is the largest customer of Airbus aircraft in India, was to start from December 2015 but technical issues at that time forced a postponement. The Indian carrier had, in fact, placed one of the largest PurePower engine orders in Pratt & Whitney’s history to power 150 Airbus A320neo family aircraft and a long-term maintenance agreement. Meanwhile, Airbus has chalked out plans to resolve issues with the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G powerplant by mid-2016, which will allow Qatar Airways to start taking delivery of its A320neos. P&W had also acknowledged that it faced “teething issues” with the powerplant, and that it was making “minor changes to the engine’s hardware and software”. It however stressed that it was hopeful of resolving the issues soon.

BOOST for Turbomeca

MRO facility at Ankleshwar in Gujarat

elicopter engine maker Turbomeca has launched BOOST, its new online engine maintenance management service. BOOST (Bank Of Online Services & Technologies) is a highly secured, web-based application developed in association with IBM. With BOOST, Turbomeca-powered helicopter operators will be able to access real-time, personalised engine data to enrich their own fleet maintenance management, with the direct support of Turbomeca teams, 24/7. BOOST is being deployed among several customers like Heli-Union, HeliDax, Helicopters Italia and Advanced Helicopter Services, and contributes to the airworthiness and availability requirements of their helicopter fleet. A major milestone will be achieved in June 2016 when a first customer will go 100 per cent paperless and fully manage their engines through BOOST solely with the e-engine logbook. The system integrates the electronic engine logbook, technical publications and configuration manager. The Electronic Engine Logbook is directly linked to the Interactive Electronic Technical Publications tailored to the configuration

of each customer's engines and an Electronic Configuration Manager to track technical upgrades and modifications. Hosted on an IBM online secured-database, which integrates a digital signature system, BOOST also benefits from the expertise of industry-leaders in the protection of sensitive data and sustainable solutions. “Turbomeca is first aero engine manufacturer to propose such high level of features integration in an online engine support application. The engine logbook is like a health record. Having it online, fully integrated with the technical publication and the configuration manager will help to manage engine maintenance more efficiently. It brings significant value-added benefits to Turbomeca engine operators,” said Franck Saudo, Executive Vice President Support and Services, Turbomeca. CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

he Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited (GUJSAIL) has proposed to set up a MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) facility at Ankleshwar, with an initial budgetary allocation of `20 crore. This was informed by Capt Ajay Chauhan, Director-Civil Aviation of Gujarat, at a showcase of its activities at the recently held India Aviation 2016 in Hyderabad. Capt Chauhan said that the MRO that existed in Ahmedabad was equipped to handle ‘tip-to-toe’ maintenance of Embraer and Bombardier aircraft. The new one was planned to accommodate two large aircraft and three smaller ones and would be set up on a Greenfield airport dedicated to MRO and cargo.

TRUEngine enrolls 12,000 engines

E’s TRUEngine technical programme continues to expand with total engine enrollments surpassing the 12,000 mark, a 20 per cent increase in the last 18 months. More than 200 operators have opted to enroll their engines in the TRUEngine programme. “The TRUEngine designation provides significant benefits to operators including optimized product support, higher asset residual values, and enhanced warranties.” said Kevin McAllister, President and CEO of GE Aviation’s Services organisation. “The continued growth of the TRUEngine programme underscores the value of a technically robust and transparent means of identifying engines that have been maintained in a GE or CFM configuration.” The TRUEngine qualification process includes the customer submitting maintenance records and a review by GE or CFM to ensure engine configuration and overhaul practices are consistent with GEand CFM-issued engine manuals and other recommendations. There is no cost to participate, and the TRUEngine designation is fully transferable. Launched in 2008 for the CFM56 engine family, the programme has since been expanded to include GE’s GE90, CF6, GEnx and CF34 engines.

Honeywell APUs for Jet B777 H

oneywell Aerospace has been selected by Jet Airways to provide maintenance services for auxiliary power units on board its fleet of 10 Boeing 777 airplanes. The five-year agreement will help Jet Airways better predict and manage maintenance cycles, allowing the airline to reduce unscheduled downtime and improve reliability of its fleets. This latest Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) maintenance service agreement for the GTCP331-500 model is designed to keep servicing costs under control while maintaining equipment at the latest modification standard, helping the airline reduce variable costs and improve flight performance. The agreement is an extension of Jet Airways’ comprehensive APU maintenance programmes already in place for its B737NG and A330 aircraft. “We recognise that unplanned maintenance is an essential yet sometimes costly procedure,” said Arijit Ghosh, President, Honeywell Aerospace India. “Our APU maintenance programme coupled with Predictive Trend Monitoring Diagnostic service provides Jet Airways the tools to simplify budget planning and mitigate unexpected costs that may arise due to unscheduled removals, as well as speed up turnaround for its B777 fleet.” “Having a comprehensive maintenance service plan across our fleets enables us to focus on our operations and continue to enhance customer experience,” said KM Unni, chief of operations, Jet Airways. “Honeywell’s experience as the original equipment manufacturer of APUs and their service to maintain APUs at latest standard will help us increase efficiency and productivity allowing us to continue to maintain high reliability and passenger comfort.” Honeywell’s APU provides compressed air to the main engines of an airplane as they start. It also runs air conditioning and electrical power to the plane while it is on the ground and serves as primary or backup electrical power for environmental, cockpit and hydraulic systems during flight. Honeywell will provide Jet Airways with access to a growing global network of experienced and Honeywell-approved field technicians.

GE Aviation launches TrueChoiceTM product suite

E Aviation, Services unveiled its new TrueChoice suite of engine maintenance offerings for the commercial aviation industry, emphasising breadth and depth of capabilities and customisation across the entire engine lifecycle. “The TrueChoice brand reflects the foundation of our services business,” said Kevin McAllister, President and CEO of GE Aviation, Services. “True represents our commitment to our airline, lessor and MRO customers to continually invest in product and services technology

throughout the engine lifecycle.” “Choice belongs to our customers, who are at the heart of our offerings,” he added. “Choice reflects our unparalleled scope of offerings for customers, and GE’s tailored services options for each customer’s unique and evolving needs across the entire engine lifecycle. It also speaks to our long-standing support of MRO choice in which customers have the freedom to choose among GE, GE-licensed, or fully independent, third-party maintenance providers.” CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

ENGINES

Airbus, Siemens tie-up on Hybrid Electric Propulsion E

uropean aircraft manufacturer Airbus has teamed up with German industrial conglomerate Siemens to develop hybrid planes that can carry up to 100 passengers. The aircraft would use a combination of electric power and conventional fuel. The Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of both companies, Tom Enders and Joe Kaeser, have launched a major joint project towards the electrification of aviation with the goal of demonstrating the technical feasibility of various hybrid/electric propulsion systems by 2020. Both companies will be making significant contributions into the project and have sourced a team of around 200 employees to advance European leadership in innovation and the development of electrically powered aircraft. “Electric and electric-hybrid flight represent some of the biggest industrial challenges of our time, aiming at zero-emissions aviation. The progress we have achieved in this arena, together with our industrial and governmental partners, in only a few years is breathtaking, culminating in last year’s channel crossing of our all-electric E-Fan aircraft,” said Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus Group. “We believe that by

2030 passenger aircraft below 100 seats could be propelled by hybrid propulsion systems and we are determined to explore this possibility together with world-class partners like Siemens.” “By entering the field of highly innovative aircraft propulsion technology, we’re opening a new chapter in E-Mobility. Collaboration with Airbus Group will create new perspectives for our company and open us up even more to disruptive innovation,” said Siemens President and CEO Joe Kaeser. “The undertaking will be an important project under the umbrella of our so-called Innovation AG. As previously announced, the aim of this unit is to cooperate with innovative partners in order to identify and invest in new trends and develop future-oriented business opportunities. These partners may include entrepreneurs from Siemens' own employee environment, external start-ups and newly founded and established companies.” Hybrid-electric propulsion systems can significantly reduce fuel consumption of aircraft and reduce noise. European emissions targets aim for a 75 per cent reduction of CO2 emissions by 2050 compared to the values for the year 2000. These ambitious goals cannot be achieved by conventional technologies.

READY FOR THE FUTURE: Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser (left) and Airbus CEO Tom Enders at the signing of the cooperation agreement near Munich/Germany on April 7. The agreement lays out the goal of demonstrating the technical feasibility of different kinds of hybrid-electric propulsion systems by the year 2020

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

MTU Maintenance’s Chinese success

TU Maintenance Zhuhai is a 50/50 joint venture between Germany’s leading engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines and China Southern Air Holding Company. The company was founded on April 6, 2001, obtained regulatory approval from the authorities a year later and ever since it opened has seen consistent expansion of its business. Recently, MTU Maintenance Zhuhai celebrated its 15th anniversary with a small ceremony. “We’ve achieved a great deal so far and I’d like to thank everyone for their contribution,” explained Frank Bodenhage, President and CEO of MTU Maintenance Zhuhai. “Today, MTU Maintenance Zhuhai is the No. 1 engine maintenance provider in China.” MTU Maintenance Zhuhai boasts some impressive figures: The company, which is located in the Pearl River Delta region of southern China, and specializes in V2500-A5 and CFM563, -5B and -7B MRO services, has completed over 1,900 engine shop visits to date. “In this region, we are the undisputed market leader as a maintenance provider for both of these engine families. Notably for the CFM56, demand for maintenance services is growing rapidly,” says Bodenhage. Just recently, the 1,000th CFM56 arrived at the shop in Zhuhai. In order to meet the growing expectations of the Asian aviation market in particular – being the largest in the world – MTU Maintenance Zhuhai extended its facility by 5,900 square meters in late 2012, bringing its total area to almost 40,000 square meters. As a result, the shop’s overall capacity was boosted by 50 percent from 200 to 300 shop visits per year.

A320neo engine improving but not there yet: Lufthansa

Rolls-Royce delays 787 engine upgrade to 2017

olls-Royce confirmed that an upgraded version of the Trent 1000 engine for the Boeing 787 fleet would be delayed one year before entering service. Rolls had planned to certificate the Trent 1000-TEN upgrade by the end of 2015, with deliveries beginning in 2016 for the 787-8 and 787-9. But now certification has been pushed to mid-year and entry into service has been delayed to 2017. “Our customers are aware and understand this change,” R-R said in a statement. “This allows us to ensure we have an engine with even better maturity, robustness and durability.” R-R did not provide specific reasons for the delay of the Trent 1000-TEN version, the third planned upgrade of the engine family that entered service with the 7878 in late 2011. R-R launched the Trent 1000-TEN programme at the Farnborough Air Show in 2012. Though sometimes confused as exclusive to the 78710, the Trent 1000-TEN is intended to be available for the 787-8 and 787-9 first. It is expected to become available on the 787-10 when the type enters service in 2018. The Trent 1000-TEN packages two different types of improvements. For all three variants, the new engine improves fuel efficiency by a further 2 per cent, according to R-R, by leveraging new technology developed for the Trent XWB engine and the Advance3 technology demonstrator. The Trent 1000 entered service on the 787-8 with a 70,000lb-thrust rating but missed Boeing’s fuel specification target. The Package B version of the engine arrived in 2012, reducing fuel burn by 1 per cent. Two years later, R-R delivered the 74,000lb-thrust Package C version of the engine. But the Trent 1000TEN is needed both to reach Boeing’s fuel burn target as well as match the thrust requirement for the 787-10 model.

THUMBS-UP? Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier (right), Lufthansa CEO Carsten Sphor and United Technologies Aerospace Chief Customer Officer David Hess (left) celebrate the arrival of Lufthansa’s Airbus A320neo

ufthansa said issues with the new age of departures within a scheduled deengine of its A320neo plane were parture time. not fully fixed and as a result it was not Lufthansa identified two problems, ready to put more of the revamped Airincluding "some nuisance messages" bus jets into commercial service. “The that have been reduced by more than engine issues are slowly improving, 80 per cent with software changes, said we're not there yet, that's Pratt spokeswoman Sara why we have not agreed Banda. In addition, hard“The engine issues to take the second aircraft ware fixes were in engines are slowly improvinto the fleet,” Lufthansa now being manufactured ing, we’re not there CEO Carsten Spohr told and would be delivered in yet, that’s why we the media soon after anJune. have not agreed nouncing the airline’s anThe Neo missed an to take the second nual results and added, end-2015 target for the aircraft into the “We could fly to other first delivery after it was places but we would need found that engines, made fleet” more engineers in those by Pratt & Whitney, needlocations.” For now, the ed longer than usual to Carsten Spohr jet is only flying on routes start properly. Lufthansa, Lufthansa CEO within Germany, where which stepped in as the Lufthansa has a large base first operator when Qatar of engineers at its maintenance division. Airways refused to take the plane, took Software issues, where the engine sends delivery of its first A320neo in January. erroneous messages to the cockpit, are Spohr said the German carrier was also about 50 per cent resolved, Spohr receiving compensation from Airbus unsaid. til it could make full use of the A320neo Pratt & Whitney said the engines and that the jet was showing a 20 per were operating with Lufthansa at 99 per cent reduction in costs compared with cent "dispatch reliability" or the percentthe earlier model. CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

BIZJETS HOPE POSITIVE BAOA requests Centre to bring down import duty on new jets

INDIAN APPOINTED Aura Aviation appoints Srinivasa Rao as Regional Director, India

EMBRAER'S NEW ORDER Embraer bags Phenom 100E order from an Indian customer

A look at the business of general aviation

Falcon 8X passes with flying colours

More than halfway through its flight test campaign, the Falcon 8X is all set for a mid-2016 certification. Recently, Dassault flew the first flight test aircraft to evaluate the progress of the programme and to gauge how well the goals of the trijet’s stated weight, performance and cabin comfort were being met. The results that emerged were promising. An update

India’s in love with Falcons

assault Aviation recently presented its fleet of Falcon large cabin, long range business jets at the India Aviation, India’s biggest civilian aviation exhibition. The fifth edition of this prestigious event, which took place in March at Hyderabad’s Begumpet Airport, featured Dassault’s popular 4,000 nm/7,410 km range Falcon 2000LXS widebody twinjet. In fact, Dassault’s 6,450 nm/11,945 km Falcon 8X, which

here are very few aircraft that can match the short field capabilities of Dassault Aviation’s new flagship, Falcon 8X, especially in the long range sector. Announced at EBACE 2014 in Geneva Switzerland, the Falcon 8X, is entering the final stages of its flight test and certification programme as work proceeds to prepare the ultra-long range trijet for initial delivery. The three-engine business jet that is capable of flying eight passengers up to 6,420 nm, has a distinct advantage over other aircraft in its class, considering its ability to get into short runways or steep approaches like London City Airport. FAA and EASA certification of the 6,450 nm/11,945 km 8X is expected by mid-year and entry into service by late summer. The three aircraft in the flight test programme have nearly completed all certification test requirements, and to date have accumulated over 650 flight hours in 325 flights. An elated Eric Trappier, Chairman/CEO

of Dassault Aviation said, “We are delighted and thrilled with the way the Falcon 8X programme is proceeding. The flight test campaign has been flawless and the aircraft will be in initial customers’ hands this summer, just as planned when we launched development three years ago.” After undergoing thermal, acoustic and cabin amenity testing at the Little Rock Completion Center, s/n 03, the first 8X equipped with a fully fitted interior, returned to the Istres Flight Test Center near Marseille earlier in March to prepare for cold soak trials. Intended to demonstrate aircraft system functionality under extreme weather conditions, the soak trial campaign was conducted at Ranken Inlet, Nunavut, on the northwestern shore of Canada’s Hudson Bay, in early March. Dassault says that all systems, including avionics, electrical, hydraulic and digital flight control systems, performed flawlessly during the tests despite temperatures that dipped as low as -27° F (-33° C). All cabin systems were successfully tested CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

on ground after APU startup and cabin warm up. Full capability under extreme cold conditions was also demonstrated in flight at the end of the campaign. Falcon 8X s/n 03 will now begin a global test campaign to demonstrate the aircraft’s operational reliability and performance in different conditions of flight. The monthlong campaign will take the aircraft through Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North and South America and include more than 60 missions of various lengths representing the extremes of what Falcon 8X customers might expect to face during their aircraft’s operational life. The campaign will focus particular attention on cabin equipment and

functionalities and other high speed communications systems during long, intercontinental flights and flights over remote areas. The Falcon 8X represents something of a paradigm shift for Dassault. This is the first time in the company’s history that it has stretched one of its existing Falcon Jets to create a derivative model rather than embark on a clean-sheet design. Two 21-in. barrel plugs, one ahead and one aft of the wing root, were added to the 7X fuselage. The modification makes room for two additional windows on each side of the fuselage and adds about 3.5 ft. to cabin length. The stretch also makes room for a longer belly fairing with a more conformal tank that increases fuel capacity by about 2,500 lb. Internal modifications to the wing tanks add another 460 lb., increasing total fuel capacity by will feature the quietest and most comfortable cabin in business aviation, is due to be delivered to its first Indian operator by the end of 2016. It may be mentioned that Dassault is the Indian market leader for large cabin, long range aircraft, with 22 aircraft currently in service and several more on order. This position stems in part from the Indian Air Force’s long experience with Dassault fighters, whose advanced technologies, notably digital flight control, served as the basis for that on the Falcon

7X. An optimistic Eric Trappier said, “We expect the country’s accelerating economic growth to translate into rising Falcon sales going forward. No other business jet line is more suited to local requirements, whether it be in terms of cabin design, flying performance, fuel economy or versatility, than Falcon.” The majority of new Indian Falcon orders, however, are for longer range models like the Falcon 7X and the new ultra long range Falcon 8X. Dassault also predicts a strong demand among Indian custom-

ers for the all-new Falcon 5X, currently in development. Due to enter service in 2020, the 5,200 nm/9,630 km 5X will offer the largest cabin cross-section of any business jet and the lowest ownership and operating costs in the 5,000 nm segment. Trappier added that “the unmatched ability of Falcons to combine short and long haul flights and fly out of short hard-toreach airstrips with full range performance - even at high altitudes and high temperature conditions - make them perfect for Indian operating conditions”.

lthough developed as a one meter stretch of the 250+ selling Falcon 7X, the 8X carries the same classic Falcon design, incorporating two engines mounted at the rear of the fuselage and a third engine that is centrally mounted at the base of the horizontal stabiliser. Experts say that the extra 500 nm range over the 7X might not seem like much, but on a long transatlantic trip to Paris, it could make the difference between making a fuel stop in the south of the UK, or having the ability to fly directly to Paris. Dassault also believes that the 8X will sell well in China. Importantly, the aircraft can fly directly from Beijing to Los Angeles and from London to Hong Kong, both important city pairs that Dassault can link for the first time. Range: 6,450 nm Maximum speed: 483 mph/778 kmph/mach 0.73 Typical passengers: 18 Typical crew: 3 Competitor aircraft: Global 5000/6000, Gulfstream G450/G550 List price for a new Falcon 8X: $58 million First delivery: 2016 Next slots: 2017 World fleet: As of February 2015 there is one aircraft test flying, with a further four in production

2,960 lb. compared to that in the Falcon 7X. The company’s Senior Vice-President (civil aircraft), Olivier Villa also said that Dassault Aviation will deliver 10 long-range Falcon 8Xs globally. He was frank enough to mention that the market had been disappointing, resulting in a drop in sales in the past two years, but the company was optimistic on future sales largely due to its customer base and demand, primarily for the Falcon 2000 series and the Falcon 7X and 8Xs. Since the rollout of the first Falcon in 1963, Dassault has delivered around 2,400 jets globally. Dassault has predicted strong demand among Indian customers for its new Falcon 5X very-large-body twin-jet, which is currently in development. According to the company, the Falcon 5X is due to enter service in 2020.

8X and its extras

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

BUSINESS AVIATION

Hopes for better days – with a little help

he business aviation sector has a potential to contribute `3,400 crore to the overall GDP of India. However, it will end up contributing only `2,300 crore due to various factors — one of them being import duty. In fact, purchases of business planes are being deferred because of the huge import duty. Despite a very promising market, business jet operators have not witnessed any improvement in their fortunes. It is in this backdrop that the Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) has requested the Centre to consider bringing down import duty on purchase of new aircraft under the non-commercial category. Speaking at the second edition of the BizAVIndia conference, BAOA’s annual event, Jayant Nadkarni, President, BAOA said that the draft Civil Aviation Policy did not address the concerns of business and private aircraft operators. “We were completely ignored in the draft Civil Aviation Policy which was released a while ago. We are confident that we will get a better deal,” Nadkarni said. Business jet manufacturers made a strong showing at this year’s India Aviation show in Hyderabad, although their representatives agreed that infrastructure — or rather the lack of it — was putting a brake on the sector’s growth in the subcontinent. Dassault Falcon, Gulfstream and Embraer all had a notable presence, with aircraft such as the Gulfstream 650ER, Falcon 2000 XLS and Embraer Legacy 650 on display. Textron Aviation also had several aircraft at the show including two variants of its Beechcraft King Air range, a Cessna Grand Caravan, a Bell 412 and others. The company representatives agreed that there was great potential in India’s growing economy and an increasing corporate recognition of the time savings business aircraft could offer, but all observed that India could be more business jet friendly. Nadkarni informed that there were about 600 aircraft, including 140 business jets (4, 8, 10 and 12-seaters), about 200 to 250 helicopters that could carry between two and 8 passengers and the turbo props that mostly

BAOA honours excellence

s part of its effort to recognise merit and excellence within Business and General Aviation in the country, the Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) recently presented the BizAvIndia Awards 2016. The BizAvIndia Operator of the Year award went to Global Vectra Helicorp Ltd in the large fleet category and Poonawalla Aviation Pvt Ltd in the small fleet category, which was based on quantum of flying, complexity of aircraft and operations, safety record, humanitarian effort and other parameters. The award for Innovation was given to JetSetGo Aviation Services Pvt Ltd for their works towards expanding business aviation markets and improving efficiencies through use of internet. Capt S S Majithia, Chairman, Saraya Group was awarded the BizAvIndia Hall of Fame award for his contributions towards the growth of India’s Business and General Aviation sector. A special recognition was conferred to Ravi S Menon, Executive Director Air Works India (Engineering) Pvt Ltd for meritorious service to the industry over 45 years. The winners were adjudicated by a jury comprising Kapil Kaul, CEO, CAPA India, Amber Dubey, Head-Aerospace & Defence, KPMG, Dhiraj Mathur, Executive Director, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Anthony Cox, Director, Customer Support - Asia Pacific, Bombardier Business Aircraft, based on benchmarks and criteria conferred by BAOA. came with a two or 4-seater option. All these aircraft are used by VVIPs, including highprofile politicians and industrialists. “From a negative growth of one per cent in the last fiscal, the sector was now in the ‘0 to 2’ per cent growth bracket. It will be slow, CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

but we expect the civil aviation policy to be announced soon, to take our concerns into consideration and take steps that will propel growth.” he said. “With its stance, the Government has certainly communicated that we are not a priority right now. But that will change — in three months or even take three years, but we expect change with the civil aviation policy,” he explained. A major concern is relaxation of existing rules and rolling back of Customs duty, Nadkarni said in his welcome address at the inaugural. “The Union Budget had nothing for us at all,” he pointed out. Speaking to mediapersons, Nadkarni explained, “Because of the huge import duty, people are deferring purchases. The import duty for private category is 20 per cent. For commercial category, the tax is 2.5 per cent. We want rationalisation”. He opined that if the government reduces rate of tax, more aircraft will be bought in the country, which would create more jobs. Furthermore, Nadkarni said that India should focus on developing regional connectivity so that the sector grows.

Club One Air doubles its total fleet size W ith the introduction of their third Falcon-2000 into its fleet, Club One Air has doubled its total fleet size to 10 within two years. Bhupesh Joshi, Director and CEO, Club One Air, announcing the induction of the new aircraft said that the “initiative will help us to provide best in class services to our customers in a seamless manner”. Gilles Gautier, Senior Vice PresidentSales, Dassault Aviation, said: “We want to congratulate Club One Air for the addition of one more Falcon 2000 to its fleet. We are looking forward to support the aircrafts through extended customer service network

Qatar Executive’s new Gulfstream to enhance flier comfort I

n time for the upcoming busy spring and summer season, Qatar Executive, the private jet charter division of Qatar Airways, has taken delivery of a second brand new Gulfstream G650ER. Qatar Executive experiences a great demand for the Gulfstream G650ER. The aircraft has a reputation for meeting the requirements of affluent clientele, who appreciate its phenomenal range capabilities, industry leading cabin technology and unparalleled passenger comforts. Qatar Executive’s G650ER aircraft can easily fly non-stop from the Middle East to North America or from destinations in Asia to Africa. Welcoming the second Gulfstream G650ER to the fleet, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said that by expanding the private jet fleet, the company will be able “to provide our clients with more flexibility, and an enhanced product portfolio. The G650ER allows our customers to reach the main business centres around the world in the shortest possible time, to travel in superior comfort, and to take more luggage along than on other jets in this category.” Qatar Executive’s second Gulfstream G650ER features an iden-

tical cabin interior as the first G650ER, which was delivered at the end of last year. The spacious state-of-the-art aircraft has a twocabin configuration and seats up to 13 passengers. The seats convert into fully-flat beds, so that seven guests can easily sleep on board.

Cirrus showcases affordable flights C irrus aircraft foresees a huge demand in the country. The aircraft, said Cirrus India, is a certified plane with a parachute. The five-seater multipurpose aircraft is considered useful for remote connectivity, flying training, personal and business flying, surveillance and aerial activity. The small

in India.” Besides introducing the new jet, the Delhi headquartered private jet operator has also doubled its revenue since 2013-14 along with the flying hours per plane per month. Growing at 20 per cent, the company has also opened F&B services and ground handling services under the brand name of Club One Class and

Club One Concierge. The organisation is set to achieve a turnover of `100 crore by the next financial year and is eying a combined turnover of over `200 cr crore by 2020. Club One Air operates at over 100 airstrips in India and played an instrumental role during the recent natural calamities in Uttarakhand and Chennai.

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aircraft, manufactured by US-based Cirrus Aircraft, costs around `3.5 crore. “Even a common man can afford to fly by this aircraft because its operational cost is only `14,000 per hour,” Cirrus India Managing Director, Captain Sanjay said. “People don’t know that such an aircraft exists at the cost of a premium car,” he added. Cirrus India, promoted by SRK Aviacom (I) Pvt. Ltd, displayed the Cirrus aircraft at the recently-held India Aviation 2016, the country's largest civil aviation show at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad. The aircraft on static display flew in from Abu Dhabi, which the company officials say, prove its good range and performance. This aircraft belongs to Emirates, which is using it for training of its pilots. Cirrus plans to deliver the first jet with parachute by third or fourth quarter of 2016. The company has already received more than 600 bookings.

BUSINESS AVIATION

Embraer bizjets to focus on India B

usiness jet maker Embraer expects India to become one of the growth markets for executive jets in the Asia Pacific region. Announcing an order for the new entry-level business jet Phenom 100E from an undisclosed customer based in India, the company said the aircraft will be managed by Titan Aviation Group, a global aviation speciality provider headquartered in United Arab Emirates. Claudio Camelier, Vice President, Sales, Embraer Executive Jets in Asia-Pacific and Middle East, said, “The Phenom 100E has proven itself to be a very agile aircraft that is capable of taking off and landing on short runways, while fuel economy helps keep operating costs low. This order takes the Embraer executive Jets aircraft registered in India to 22, across six types of aircraft.” The Embraer official said India had emerged as one of the promising markets for executive jets and the company had been expanding its service-cum-support network through local partners such as Air Works and Indamer. Over the last 10 years since Embraer forayed into executive jets, it has sold about 1,000 jets, with the US being the biggest market. New markets, including the Asia Pacific, where India is a key market, have become focus areas.

Abu Dhabi launches first turboprop air taxi service

bu Dhabi start-up GI Aviation is hoping to launch the Gulf’s first single-engined turboprop-based air taxi operation this year, to fulfill what it calls “a growing need for affordable regional charter services of four hours or less”. The privately-owned venture is hoping to begin operations in the second half of the year with a Pilatus PC-12NG, based at Al Bateen Executive airport. GI took delivery of the eightseat aircraft (MSN 1604) in the beginning of March and is scheduled to add a second aircraft in the fourth quarter. Speaking at the Abu Dhabi Air Expo – where GI’s PC-12 was on display — Marios Belidis, General Manager, said: “We are aiming to fill a gap in the market which is driven by a growing need for travel — from corporations and private individuals — that is affordable, reliable and fits with their travel schedules”. The PC-12NG has a range of up to 1,200 nm (2,220 km), which will “enable us to reach destinations such as Jeddah, Doha, Amman and Karachi”, he said.

Boost in corporate jet bookings to European destinations

he latest internal figures from charter company Victor reflect a boost in corporate jet bookings to European destinations. The company recorded an increase in booking requests in the first two months of 2016 for select European destinations. It has seen requests in the first two months for flights in June and July for Ibiza up by 441 per cent; Cannes by 400 per cent; Malaga by 220 per cent and Barcelona by 150 per cent. Ibiza’s only private airport Aeroport d’Eivissa has not traditionally been able to store private planes, so the best option is to charter a jet through companies like Victor and its competitors. To cater to more visitors the airstrip at the airport been granted permission to be extended to 80,000 by ENAIRE (formerly AENA) the Spanish airports body. The increase, however, may be an indication that the days of affluence are starting to make a muted return.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

Aura Aviation

APPOINT

MENT

Aura Aviation, the UK-headquartered aviation sales and consultancy business, has appointed Srinivasa Rao as, Regional Director – India. He will be responsible for promoting Aura Aviation and Jet Brokers sales and acquisition of aircraft, as well as providing consultancy services for start-up airlines, charter companies and flight training establishments across the burgeoning Indian aviation sector. Rao is a well-known figure in India with a career spanning more than 25 years in the field behind him. He has been heavily involved in rotary sales of MD Helicopters in India and the Middle East and as Sales Director for Inter-Globe General Aviation, he also handled sales of Hawker Beechcraft, Sikorsky Helicopters, Dornier Seaplanes and Pacific Aerospace Utility Aircraft.

King Air 250, 350 get EASA certification

he European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has granted a type certificate for the Pro Line Fusion-equipped Beechcraft King Air 250 and 350i/ER turboprop aircraft. Pro Line Fusion is a fully integrated flight deck from manufacturer Rockwell Collins and helps pilots manage, monitor and master flight automation with elements in its programming that concentrate on flight safety. Kriya Shortt, Senior Vice President,

Sales and Marketing said: “The King Air’s reliability, versatility and operating efficiencies continue to make the entire family of turboprops a popular choice in the European market.” “We’re looking forward to getting the upgraded King Air 350i/ER and 250 into the European marketplace, where owners/

operators have responded enthusiastically to the investments we’ve made in bringing the latest technology, safety and comfort to the cockpit and cabin,” added Shortt.

Phenom 100E for Indian HondaJet receives Mexican type certificate customer

mbraer has bagged an order for a new entry-level business jet, Phenom 100E, from an Indian customer. The aircraft will be managed by Titan Aviation Group, a global aviation speciality service provider headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, the Brazilian aircraft maker said in a statement. It, however, did not disclose the identity of the Indian customer acquiring the aircraft. Phenom 100E will be the fourth Embraer airplane managed by Titan Aviation when it is delivered later this year, the statement added. Following the delivery of this order, the number of registered Embraer executive jest in India would stand at 22, the company said. “We are grateful for the confidence the customer has placed in us and thank Titan Aviation for their unwavering support. This order takes the Embraer Executive Jets aircraft registered in India to 22, across six aircraft types,” Claudio Camelier, Vice-President, Sales, Embraer Executive Jets in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, said in the statement.

ondaJet has received type certification from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Mexico, the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC). The business jet was on static display at the 2016 Aero Expo Mexico held in March at Toluca International Airport. “Receiving aircraft validation in Mexico is an important milestone for Honda Aircraft Company, paving the way for the start of HondaJet deliveries in Mexico,” said Michimasa Fujino, President and Chief Executive, Honda Aircraft Company. “We are excited to respond to the interests of customers in Mexico, and we will begin with the first delivery in a few weeks.” Honda Jet’s parent company Honda Aircraft has partnered with Aerolineas Ejecutivas in Mexico to provide sales, service and support to customers.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

FOCUS ON ‘COPTERS P48

P49

NEW BELL KIT

MATHERAN HELIPAD WOES

Bell Helicopter's new kit allows upgradation of current Bell 412SP to 412HP configuration

Proposal for a helicopter service from Mumbai to Matheran comes uder fire

Pawan Hans taps into MRO sector India currently has about 300 civilian helicopters that is expected to go up to 800 in the next 10 years. State-run helicopter operating firm Pawan Hans has taken the initiative to set up MRO that would not only benefit it but also serve as a centre for repairs and maintenance for the whole region

ccording to industry estimates, Indian carriers and helicopters spend around `5,000 crore a year for regular MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) activities and 90 per cent of this is spent outside India— in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia and Dubai. In fact, is it more cost effective to fly helicopters to overseas MRO hubs for maintenance. State-run Pawan Hans Ltd is planning to bring about a change: it proposed to set up four MROs as a part of its diversification plan, even as it is exploring an initial public offer (IPO). The country’s largest helicopter operating firm has been in dis-

cussions with European aviation major Sharma said, the proposed MRO will iniAirbus to jointly set up a MRO facility tially provide maintenance and other reat Mumbai's Juhu aerodrome. “It (discuslated services for Dauphin and other Airsion) is almost at the final stages. bus choppers. Speaking at the India There is some nitty-gritty Aviation-2016 event, Sharma which is to be sorted out,” had said that the availabil“We also have a Pawan Hans Chairman ity of land was not a conand Managing Direcstraint at the Juhu airplan to extend it to other tor B P Sharma said where the MRO parts of the country – in the port recently. Pawan Hans would come up. northeast, in Guwahati — operates 46 helicopSanjay Kumar, ters, of which 35 are and one in southern region. General Manager of Airbus Helicopters the western region Presently, there is no MRO Dauphins. at Pawan Hans, said facility for helicopters Hopeful that a pact the firm was starting and it’s a big initiacould be inked soon, a MRO in Delhi and at

tive,”

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Pawan Hans, IRCTC tie-up for tourism I

H C TIWARI

n an initiative to promote helicopter-tourism, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and Pawan Hans (PH) have joined hands under an agreement that would allow flyers to book tickets through IRCTC website. The Memorandum of Understanding has been signed to implement the ‘heli project’ by making joint use of their capabilities and facilities to give a major fillip to tourism initiatives by the IRCTC. A K Manocha, IRCTC's Chairman and Managing Director said, “The signing of MoU with Pawan Hans will give a major push to our tourism initiatives by promoting 'heli tourism' in the country, an area which has enormous potential as a tourist product”. The two sides will also facilitate marketing or cross-selling of products and services through both physical outlets and websites, thus improving the range of services to their own customers. Both will also undertake opening and managing of various catering and hospitality outlets and budget hotels through their joint strength, at PH properties and non-PH locations. IRCTC has already been providing helicopter rides to tourists for an aerial view of Mumbai.

AT LAST A MRO FOR CHOPPERS: A Memorandum of Understanding between PHL and HAL was signed to set up a Helicopter MRO facility for both defence and civil helicopters at Rohini Heliport in Delhi by CEO, HAL and Executive Director, PHL in the presence of Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapati Raju, Secretary, Civil Aviation R N Choubay and the Chairmen of HAL and Pawan Hans Helicopters

Juhu airport in Mumbai. “We also have a plan to extend it to other parts of the country – in the northeast, in Guwahati — and one in southern region. Presently, there is no MRO facility for helicopters and it’s a big initiative,” Kumar said, talking on the sidelines of the ‘Make In India’ event held recently in Mumbai. He also pointed out that the lack of availability of hangar space and workshop buildings at important airports were deterrents to the MRO business. “This limits the ability of MROs to tap into the largest potential market of helicopters operating with flying distance,” Kumar said.

India currently has about 300 civilian helicopters. The fleet size of the civil segment in India is expected to go up to 800 in the next 10 years. In addition, there is an expected induction of 600 helicopters in the defence services. Earlier in March, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said the 201617 Budget proposals for the civil aviation sector would help India become a hub for MRO activity. “Given our technology and skill base, the government is keen to develop India as a MRO hub in Asia, attracting business from foreign airlines while retaining domestic business.” In line with CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

the ‘Make in India’ initiative, other incentives have also been extended to the MRO segment. These include scrapping the oneyear restriction for utilisation of duty-free parts and permitting imports of unserviceable parts by MROs. Besides, foreign aircraft brought to India for MRO work will be allowed to stay up to six months or as extended by aviation regulator DGCA. Such aircraft will also be permitted to carry passengers in flights at the beginning and the end of the period of stay in India. Another major development to cater to the underserved MRO business in India has been that Pawan Hans and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a joint venture (JV) firm to carry out maintenance work related to all types of helicopters. According to a statement released by HAL, the MoU was signed at the India Aviation-2016 event in Hyderabad. Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju; Rajiv Nayan Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; T Suvarna Raju, Chairman and Managing Director HAL and B P Sharma were present on the occasion. The statement also said that the business of the JV will be conducted in the best interest of the customers based on sound commercial principles. According to the MoU, both the companies would form a joint working team and conduct detailed studies, work on business plans, time-lines and other required documents for the success of the venture. HAL has been manufacturing and overhauling its Cheetah or Chetak and Dhruv helicopters besides providing support while PHL is the largest civil helicopter operator in the country. Pawan Hans had flown over 500,000 hours with more than 19 lakh landings. Sharma also said that Pawan Hans was expected to hold talks with the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments to explore business opportunities in the two states. Pawan Hans, meanwhile has plans to order five 19-20 seat turboprop aircraft to serve routes in India’s far Northeast. The acquisition would mark the governmentowned firm’s entrance into the fixed-wing arena, and would be made under the auspices of the government’s push for increased regional connectivity, according to a source familiar with the requirement. The types of aircraft that could fill the requirement include the Dornier Do 228, which is produced locally by Hindustan Aeronautics, and the Sikorsky M28, manufactured by the helicopter firm’s Polish unit, PZL Mielec, and Beechcraft King Air.

FOCUS ON ‘COPTERS

Kit to upgrade Bell 412SP to 412 HP

ell Helicopter has introduced a newly available kit that allows customers to upgrade their current Bell 412SP to the 412HP configuration — increasing aircraft performance and reducing customers’ cost. The new 412HP upgrade kit provides an additional 165 horsepower available at the main rotor, allowing out-of-ground-effect hover performance to increase to 11,900 lbs at 5,200 feet — up from 11,500 lbs at sea level. Major features of the kit include a new main rotor transmission, mast torque measurement system, dual engine trim, all new tail rotor drive shafts, and upgraded intermediate and tail rotor gearboxes. “The new Bell 412HP kit is a great ex-

ample of Bell Helicopter’s commitment to supporting our customers throughout the entire lifecycle of the aircraft,“said Doug Mueller, Legacy Programme Manager at Bell Helicopter. “This upgrade provides an innovative solution to best support our customers’ needs — combining increased performance and cost savings.” Bell Helicopter installed the first production article of this kit with Agrarflug Helilift GmbH & Co. KG in Ahlen, Germany. “The added power improves our mission capability and increases the hourly rate of our contracts,” said Dennis Beese, President and CEO of Agrarflug Helilift.

Himalayan orders H125 from Airbus

imalayan Heli Services has ordered an additional H125 light helicopter from Airbus Helicopters, to add to their existing fleet of four H125s. The delivery is scheduled to be in September 2016. The additional helicopter acquisition will strengthen the position of Himalayan Heli Services in India and the Himalayas. “The H125 is ideal for operations at high altitudes as well as in hot conditions. We can’t wait to get another one of this amazing machines to expand our heli-pilgrimage and aerial work services. Specially configured to our specific needs, this additional H125

Bell delivered 175 choppers in 2015

n its 2015 performance results, Bell Helicopter has listed out its global deliveries. In 2015, the company delivered 175 aircraft: 52 Bell 429, 12 Bell 412 (EP/EPI), 99 Bell 407 (GX/GXP) and 12 Bell 206L4. North America remained its biggest market, taking 69 deliveries, followed by Europe, Middle East and Africa (47), Latin America (31) and Pacific Rim countries (28). “2015 was a challenging year for the helicopter industry with ongoing impacts of the decline in oil and gas, continued geopolitical unrest and global economic uncertainty,” said Mitch Snyder, President and CEO, Bell Helicopters. “Despite tough market conditions, Bell Helicopter expanded market presence and secured a number of key wins.”

Era and Global Vectra partner for Emergency Medical Services

lobal Vectra Helicorp Ltd (GVHL) and Era Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) for the Indian market. Under the MoU, GVHL and Era will collaborate on an exclusive basis to develop a marketing and operational plan to reach and provide medical assistance to casualties following accidents and disasters, evacuate critical care patients and engage in other lifesaving missions within India. By joining forces, GVHL, India’s largest private air logistics helicopter company with extensive experience operating at several locations across India, and Era, one of the largest helicopter operators in the world and the longest serving helicopter transport operator in the U.S. with specific experience in HEMS operations, will leverage their respective expertise and modern, diverse fleet

of helicopters to introduce the offering in India. “With Era’s experience in establishing and running a HEMS service that meets or exceeds the highest international standards for safety and reliability, and GVHL’s extensive knowledge of factors affecting helicopter operations in India, we are excited to conduct a detailed review of the best way to introduce and deliver a truly world class HEMS service into India,” said AJ Baker, CEO at GVHL in Mumbai. “Era is excited to expand its longstanding relationship with Global Vectra,” said Paul White, Senior Vice President, Commercial of Era Group. “We believe that the recent regulatory initiatives will facilitate the development of the emerging Helicopter Emergency Medical Services market in India by experienced operators like Era and Global Vectra.”

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will help us to achieve our expansion plans in a sustainable manner,” said Wangchuk Shamshu, Director at Himalayan Heli Services. “Himalayan Heli Services and Airbus Helicopters have formed a longstanding partnership. We stay committed to ensure full support and services to Himalayan, which in turn provides affordable heli-services in the Himalayan region of India. We are pleased that Himalayan continues to put their faith and trust in our platform,” said Xavier Hay, President, Airbus. The H125 (previously known as AS350 B3e) is a proven machine, having demonstrated its capabilities in a variety of missions around the world. Himalayan’s operat-

ing environment is characterized by its high altitude, hot temperature and strong winds. The H125 is the market reference

TH180 demonstrates toughness

Sikorsky announces winner of Entrepreneurial Challenge

H180, the prototype of Enstrom Helicopter N180TH recently witnessed a mechanical problem prompting it to make a forced landing. The pilot, the only person on board, was unhurt. According to Enstrom, the incident demonstrated the toughness of the design and the power of the aircraft to protect the occupants. Laying emphasis on the durability of the aircraft, William Taylor, Co-Programme Manager of the TH180 programme said, “Enstrom’s second TH180 flight test vehicle was already in production and we are working on completion ahead of the original schedule. This aircraft is expected to begin flying in April or May timeframe. By rearranging our certification flight test schedule, we anticipate this accident will cause only a minimal delay for the programme.”

Two MRO majors join hands in China

wo major MRO companies recently joined hands to explore developing helicopter MRO services as well as helicopter product services in China. Announcing the partnership, Anthony DiNota, President, Heli-One said, “There is great potential in the Chinese civil helicopter sector and signs of encouraging growth make this an opportune time to expand our relationship with Avion Pacific.” “Avion’s experience and knowledge of the Chinese market, combined with their reputation for service, was key in bringing this joint venture together,” DiNota added. Wu Zhendong, President of Avion Pacific stated, “We are proud to leverage HeliOne's their expertise.”

for these types of operations. Currently, there are more than 20 H125s operating in India.

ikorsky Innovations has announced the winner of the sixth Entrepreneurial Challenge. The organisation adjudged Solace Power, based in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, Canada, winner of the Entrepreneurial Challenge for its presentation of Resonant Capacitive Coupling wireless power technology and granted the firm a $25,000 prize, along with an opportunity to explore, with Sikorsky, the impact of Solace Power technology on Sikorsky’s product line. “The Entrepreneurial Challenge, from an industry perspective, is truly a one-of-kind gateway, where disruptive ideas can quickly gain exposure and a customer base within one of the most exciting transportation verticals globally,” said Chris Van Buiten, Vice President of Sikorsky Innovations. For the seventh competition, Sikorsky Innovations, along with its competition partner the Stamford Innovation Centre, has unveiled a new set of focus areas for which it is seeking applications: High bandwidth and speed Internet of Things data transmission; Transparent or On-Glass Visualisation; Digital Manufacturing Tools for Real Time Defect Detection and Next Generation Propulsion Technologies.

Greens up in arms against Matheran helipad T he Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) proposal for a helicopter service from Mumbai to Matheran has come uder fire from the Bombay Environment Action Group (BEAG). BEAG claims that the smallest hill station in the country does not need a chopper service. The Olympia Racecourse in Matheran is one of the sites on the anvil for a helipad. Hema Ramani, BEAG activist said, “There is already the road route from Dasturi into Matheran and the toy train, for such a small hill station which is already overcrowded. Tourists access Matheran in this way, so another mode of transport is not needed. We also do not know where the choppers will land, but the Olympia Racecourse is the proposed spot. The racecourse is very far from main Matheran. The noise the helicopter makes will affect the flora and fauna in the area, and there will be air pollution too.” The helicopter flight slated to take off from Juhu can provide a bird’s eye CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

view of the hill station without actually landing in Matheran, according to the environment group. “We have started writing letters to the MTDC and are ready to go to court if they do not stop this project,” added Ramani. The Matheran Municipal Council though is very enthusiastic about the project, claims the state tourism body. Satish Soni, Jt. Managing Director, MTDC, admitted though the move was facing stiff opposition from the environmentalists, “our team has visited various sites in Matheran for the helipad. There is no clarity at the moment about when the service will start. We are still in the process of procuring permissions. We want all good tourist destinations to be part of the helitourism venture that we have undertaken, so Matheran and Murud-Janjira are on our list.” The matter is with the Eco Sensitive Committee and the National Green Tribunal. The No Objection Certificates (NOC) from these are awaited by the MTDC.

CRUISING HEIGHTS

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Indian device shows the way

AmuZ, a wifi based end-to-end entertainment, will be able to provide in-flight entertainment — at a cost. What is most important is that the device does not require any mobile data or internet connection

INSIDE

51 INNOVATION Singapore Airline launches Companian app, as a second screen

NEW TECHNOLOGY airbus launches its new cabin brand: Airspace by Airbus

APPOINTMENT Barbara Dalibard appointed as CEO of SITA from July.

ven as the world of aviation searches for affordable in-flight entertainment technology, Indian entrepreneur, G B Sai Prabhu, has been able to create AmuZ (A to Z of music and movies), a wifi digital platform that can enrich the travel experience. Once AmuZ gets its clearance from the US Federal Avation Administration (FAA), it will be available on flights for in-flight entertainment. The device, when placed in an airplane or even a bus and a train, can provide content from music to movies at a certain cost. Speaking about the device, Prabhu said, “We made AmuZ and created the software. There are enough players ready to join forces with us on the content front. A couple of airline operators have evinced interest in pay as you travel. We just need a go-ahead from the authorities.” The device, for which Prabhu is awaiting certification, will cost between `10,000 to `15,000 only. An IT industry veteran, Prabhu has a CTO, Zunder Lekshmanan, in his company — Openturf (www.openturf.in) — that was incorporated last year. The six-month old AmuZ, once installed in an aircraft (three in a plane), would scan for wifi, download the

app made by the firm or connect through the browser for accessing the content. Openturf is aiming to achieve a 25 per cent market share in the next few years and wants to ensure that AmuZ is on 3,500 aircrafts and watched by one million paying passengers. “Short haul flights and most mid-haul flights lack in in-flight entertainment and I am quite sure there is a huge market waiting to be tapped. We can do the same for buses and railways but it is lucrative in planes. Moreover, bureaucratic hassles do not allow these initiatives in rail coaches, though it will be ideal for long-distance trains,” Prabhu added. The main question that arises is: Why would travellers be willing to pay for an entertainment service, if they already have con-

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nectivity and free content loaded on their smart devices? The AmuZ service does not require an internet connection, as the content is hosted on a local hot spot. The content onboard the vehicle is on a small computer that is placed on the aircraft. Fliers access the content using a local wifi or wireless hot spot network. All interactions occur within the small computer’s software via the web browser on the personal device such as a smartphone, tablet or laptop. When the plane is at an altitude of more than 10,000 feet, AmuZ is switched on and the wifi hotspot or wireless network appears as an available connection on the flier’s personal device. When connected and a browser is launched on the personal device, the flier is greeted by an introductory screen with options of entertainment content. All that the viewer has to do is click AmuZ, select the desired content to view or listen. When fliers are watching content online it provides efficient quality of streaming. For this service, the traveller is expected to pay a basic fee. Premium content will be charged additionally. The device will offer more than 15 top movies, more than 20 TV shows and roughly 25 exclusive short titles that will entertain and inspire love of music, adventure, education, discovery, travel, lifestyle and many more. The regular updates for the content would be performed every 45 to 60 days

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Get a Companion before flying SIA

ingapore Airlines’ recently-launched Companion app enables passengers to attach their personal electronic devices to the seatback inflight entertainment system, so they can use their mobile, tablet, etc as a second screen. The step was taken after Singapore Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, at the start of March. The app can be used on the Boeing 777-300ERs when they are rolled out for services. The app, available for iOS and Android tablets presently — a mobile version is expected in the second quarter of the year — allows passengers to use their device as a remote control, so they can pause, play or skip through the content

Speedread

using their own device. The app can also be used to peruse content and flight progress on the tablet without interrupting the viewing experience on the embedded monitor. Tan Pee Teck, Senior Vice President Product and Services, Singapore Airlines said, “With the proliferation of personal mobile devices and the arrival of our new Airbus A350 fleet, this latest innovation will help enhance the in-flight entertainment experience for our customers. It offers more information and greater control both on the ground and in-flight, and we are excited to be the first airline in the world to offer such an application to our customers.”

Changi readies for face readers

n preparation for the opening of Terminal 4 in 2017, Singapore Changi Airport has signed a contract with Safran-Morpho to supply a solution to facilitate the passenger journey using facial recognition. This biometric control system involving self-bag drop, integrated border clearance and self-boarding gates will increase the airport’s operating efficiency and improve passenger travel experience. This solution is based on MorphoPass Biometric Applicant Management System and MorphoWay automated gates to sup-

Net Express

port the airport’s Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) concept for Terminal 4. MorphoPass manages the different stages in a passenger’s journey through an airport based on biometric identification, making checkpoints faster and less intrusive at bag drop, airside access and passport control, as well as boarding control point. Said Morpho CEO Anne Bouverot, “With Changi Airport Group, we are building the checkpoint of the future, combining the best in biometric accuracy, design efficiency and programme execution.”

Surviving a crash, video style

hough flying is the safest form of transport, a mobile app can prepare fliers for the inevitable. Named Prepare For Impact, the app simulates emergencies such as a fire on the plane, a collision during takeoff, from a first-person perspective. Created by HCI Labs, the app is a firstperson mobile game where worst-case scenarios such as fires, decompression, collisions or water crash landings are presented to players – and they have to decide what action to take. Describing the app, its creators said, “This 3D game has been developed in the context of an international, aviation safety research project aimed at exploring possible new approaches to safety education.” The app is available on Google Play and Apple app store.

Play at Frankfurt

ext time you are at Frankfurt, get ready to flex your fingers for arcade games. The German airport company, Fraport has launched Gaming World, part of the ‘Great to have you here!’ service quality programme — the newest entertainment area for passengers — at Frankfurt Airport’s Terminal 1. While waiting for flights, passengers can enjoy the latest arcade games completely free of charge including car racing, soccer, fun for kids, dancing and fitness games. Based on Mircrosoft’s Xbox One console, the Gaming World features both interactive games projected on monitor walls and computer-assisted games on gaming pedestals.

Twitter-based flights update service at Melbourne airport

n a bid to keep fliers update regarding flight timings, Melbourne airport has recently introduced a Twitter-based flight update service. All that a passenger has to do is sign up on Twitter to receive proactive, flight-specific updates including flight times and gate numbers. Fliers can register in two ways: first, go to the Melbourne Airport website, find their flight on the arrival/

departure pages, click on the Twitter icon and enter their Twitter handle or on the day of their flight, they can tweet @MELFlights with their flight number. Once registered, passengers receive real-time flight updates. The BizTweet software, which is integrated with Gentrack’s 20/20 Airport Operational System at Melbourne Airport, has powered this service.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

Single scan for all reasons

ITA’s new technology, Smart Path, allows passengers to check-in and board an aircraft after a biometric check. The recently-launched Smart Path scans a flier’s face, compares it against travel documents and creates a secure token. As a result, at each step of the journey

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Choose your entertainment before you fly

n online in-flight entertainment (IFE) portal has been started by Lufthansa. The portal provides passengers with a comprehensive preview of the content they can expect to find onboard their flight. The website provides a full listing of all movies, television programmes, music and games and passengers can watch movie trailers as they start to plan their IFE schedule ahead of their flight. The website also provides a full guide for the live channels, including Sport24, available on the carrier’s intercontinental flights.

Alexander Feuersänger, Director, Product Management Cabin Interior and Inflight Entertainment, Lufthansa said, “Last year we successfully completed an extensive upgrade in cabin interior, in-flight entertainment and connectivity on all of our long haul aircraft. We are excited to take our web-based entertainment platform to the next level too.” Lufthansa has also launched easy-to-use baggage tracing technology to speed up the repatriation of delayed or mishandled bags of passengers with global air transport IT specialist SITA.

Airspace by Airbus for the ‘feel good’ experience

o provide passengers an enhanced experience while flying on Airbus planes, the European airframer has launched its new cabin brand, Airspace by Airbus. The cabin brings in optimum performance for airlines based on four dimensions: comfort, ambience, service and design. Launched also on the new A330neos, Airspace by Airbus is inspired by the cabin of its widebody sibling, the new A350 XWB. The A330neo aircraft, set to fly in 2017, offers more space, including wider seats as standard and more legroom since there are no under-seat control boxes for the in-flight

entertainment system. The layout and design of the cabin has been made more modular, so each airline can customise the layout of their planes, which would bring wider aisles. Kiran Rao, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, Airbus said, “Airbus’ history of success is down to innovation – which has always included the cabin as a key driver. With the great passenger feedback on the A350 XWB, and our application of A350 cabin technology and features to the A330neo, we are proud to embrace our cabin design principles through our new brand – Airspace by Airbus.”

Gogo covers Air Canada’s international fleet

ogo, the leader in providing broadband connectivity solutions and wireless in-flight entertainment to the aviation industry has expanded its connectivity partnership with Air Canada to include its international fleet, including the Boeing 787. Under the new agreement, Gogo’s 2Ku connectivity technology will be installed on Air Canada’s widebody international aircraft. Air Canada is the only Canadian carrier offering customers in-flight wifi connectivity across its entire fleet of narrow-body aircraft in North America. Gogo’s President and CEO, Michael Small said that “the performance of Gogo’s 2Ku technology is unmatched in global aviation today and is built on the concept of an open system with the ability to leverage dozens of Ku-band satellites in orbit”.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

E X P E R I E N C E

Honeywell boosts GoAir operations

oneywell Aerospace has been selected to install and maintain the Auxiliary Power Units for GoAir’s fleet of 72 A320neo airplanes, providing the airline’s passengers with a more comfortable journey and fewer flight interruptions. Honeywell will also provide GoAir with its fifth-generation flight recorders, also known as black boxes, which feature resilient memory capabilities for data logging and tracking. As part of the contract, GoAir will be adopting Honeywell’s 131-9A Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). This APU will help reduce flight delays and cancellations by enhancing airplane operability. As well as increased operational performance, Honeywell’s 131-9A APU will lower operational costs and emissions for GoAir, because it can use 3.3 percent less fuel.

Drones, armbands for pilots from Ramco

hennai based Ramco System is developing and testing three solutions that are able to increase the safety of aircraft passengers manifold. To predict component failures and monitor pilot stress levels, the company has integrated predictive analytics with the Internet of Things (IoT). “200 GB of data is accumulated every time a flight is completed. We are in the business of interpreting this data,” said Virender Aggarwal, CEO, Ramco Systems. He explained how Ramco was in the process of developing a solution that predicted the likelihood of a component failing, down to the month making it possible to replace the part before it failed. “Typically, MRO has been focused on repairing a fault after it has happened. What we are doing is trying to predict these faults,” he added. Another system under development was an armband that sought to monitor and prevent over-stressed pilots from boarding a flight. “The armband monitors stress by observing the breathing patterns of pilots,” said Ramesh Sivasubramanian, Head of Ramco’s Innovation Lab in Singapore that is churning out these solutions. “We are also developing a system that uses autonomous drones to scan an aircraft component to record any damage sustained by it,” he added. These drones can also be used to scan an entire aircraft in the same way, identifying glitches and stressed parts.

D I G I T A L

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“With domestic travel demand within India on the rise, it is vital for regional airlines to increase turnaround times and improve dispatch reliability by keeping airplanes in the air more and on the ground less,” said Arijit Ghosh, President, Honeywell Aerospace India. “The latest installations, services and ground support for the A320neo enable just that. Airlines such as GoAir can better manage operations and costs during downtime, while reducing flight delays and cancellations for passengers.” “Passenger comfort is paramount, and we’re committed to delivering a consistent and punctual travel experience,” said Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO, GoAir. “Honeywell’s APU and maintenance, as well as its flight recorders, are already in place on our A320 airplanes. Our most recent investment allows us to continue delivering the same superior passenger comfort and reliability across our full range of fleets.”

T R A V E L L E R

E X P E R I E N C E

Bombardier and SmartSky team up for SmartSky 4G

ombardier Business Aircraft announced that its Service Centre Network team would provide hardware sales and installations for SmartSky Networks, a new network taking flight later this year. SmartSky’s patented beamforming technology will provide more than 10 times the typical speed and capacity of the current industry standard air-to-ground (ATG) network by using 60 MHz of spectrum. Passengers can do it all: stream, chat, text, call, game and videoconference. Bombardier will offer SmartSky 4G on in-service Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global business aircraft over the continental U S and it will complement Bombardier Wave, which enables Internet connectivity on Global aircraft with seamless coverage across the globe through a dedicated satellite network. “This is the airborne network experience our customers have been waiting for,” said Chris Milligan, Vice President, Services Sales and Authorised Service Facilities, Bombardier Business Aircraft.

Ka connectivity for US carriers

lobal Eagle Entertainment (GEE), the worldwide provider of aircraft connectivity systems, has expanded its 10 year relationship with Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the global provider of broadband satellite solutions and services. Under this expansion Hughes will deliver satellite connectivity for GEE’s next-generation, multi-band airborne services utilising the high-throughput Ka-band EchoStar XIX satellite, planned for launch in late 2016, to meet the ever-growing demand for higher performance in-flight connectivity over North America. In conjunction with the deployment of Hughes’ Jupiter System aeronautical modem, capable of over 200 Mbps of throughput per aircraft, GEE’s newest addition to its aeronautical broadband connectivity services will enable passengers to realise the full spectrum of application support and performance they enjoy on the ground.

Net Express

Speedread – from check-in, to aircraft boarding or border control – passengers gain access with a facial scan and without having to show their passport or boarding pass. Matthys Serfontein, Vice President, Airport Solutions at SITA pointed out: “We have built on this unique expertise to create SITA Smart Path — a single, secure, self-service process using existing common-use infrastructure that simplifies secure, passenger processing for everyone — airlines, airports and border authorities.”

Thales to modernise SA’s ATM

outh Africa’s air navigation service provider — Air Traffic and Navigation Services SOC Limited (ATNS) — has selected Thales to supply radar systems and distance measuring equipment (DME) to several sites in the country in an effort to keep up with South Africa’s growing air traffic. Thales has undertaken to replace the legacy ATNS Air Traffic Management (ATM) system with the state-of-the-art Thales TopSky-ATC and to install the newest Thales 970s radars at the Wakkerstroom, Potgieterus and Rhodes sites. The contract also provides for a support and maintenance agreement for all existing ATNS radar sensors and TopSky-ATC systems.

Inmarsat and ESA to enhance ATM

uropean Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a contract to Inmarsat, the world’s provider of global mobile satellite communications, to enhance Air Traffic Management (ATM) in Europe with a new generation of satellite-based data link communications. They are enhancing ATM with Iris service evolution. Under the Iris Service Evolution programme, Inmarsat will head-up a consortium of over 30 companies from across the aviation industry including Airbus, Boeing, NATS, Thales Alenia Space and the Iris programme’s first airline partner, Alitalia, to develop a technical, commercial and operational roadmap that meets Europe’s long-term requirements for enhanced air traffic communications. This joint initiative will help in optimised airspace and airport capacity, reduction in flight times, aircraft fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

Net Express

D I G I T A L

T R E N D S

et Airways, in collaboration with Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE), is all set to provide domestic fliers with Wi-Fi and in-flight entertainment (IFE) streaming services. The service enables wireless streaming of movies, TV programmes, a wide genre of music, interactive games and children’s programmes directly on to guests’ Wi-Fi enabled personal devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops aboard Jet Airways flights. The airline is also planning to upgrade from a streaming service to full broadband satellite connectivity. All of this, however, hinges on regulatory approvals from the central government. In fact, in 2014, when Air India had come up with a similar proposal, it came up against an ironclad rule that prohibited even aircraft flying over India to have internet connectivity on board. If Jet Airways manages to get the ban lifted, it will open up the airspace to other interested parties such as Air India and SpiceJet. Jet Airways recently announced the launch of streaming services aboard its Boeing 737 aircraft. The services would be rolled out in phases and once fully operational, would provide guests with a library of audio and video content, a state of- the-art 3D flight tracker, interactive games and a wide range of destination information. “Jet Airways has constantly innovated to adopt new age technologies to enhance the guest experience. This best-in-class, customer-focused initiative will provide superior entertainment and communication options to guests and we are confident it will set new benchmarks by delivering high quality, global entertainment content to guests’ personal devices. The proposal of providing wi-fi is also in the process,” said Gaurang Shetty, senior vice-president, commercial, Jet Airways.

AWARDS SITA Saab

ITA was named as the IT company of the year at the Air Transport News (ATN) awards. This was the second consecutive win by the IT major. The 2016 award was based on SITA’s significant leadership and innovation in developing solutions that transform air travel through technology. Francesco Violante, CEO of SITA said, “Winning this award two years in a row is a significant achievement… SITA works with nearly every airline and airport in the world, so for them to select us as the IT leader in air transport is really a testament to the value we bring to the community.”

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E X P E R I E N C E

Dalibard will take over as CEO, SITA

Wi-fi on Jet flights

F O R

efence and security company Saab has won IHS Jane’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) award for delivering the first operational and approved remote tower in the world. Saab won the technology category together with LFV, the Swedish Air Navigation Services provider for the pioneering progress within remotely managed air traffic control. “This award underlines the fact that we’ve taken air traffic control to a new level of technology,” said Anders Carp, Head of Saab Business Unit Traffic Management.

arbara Dalibard has been appointed as the CEO of SITA from July 1, 2016. Dalibard will replace current CEO Francesco Violante, who will step down in the second half of 2016. He has spent more than 13 years with SITA, of which 10 years were as the CEO of SITA. Dalibard joined SITA from SNCF (the French National Railway Company), a Fortune 500 company, where she served as CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, which manages all passenger traffic, long distance and commuter services and is a member of the

French rail operator’s Management Committee. Prior to joining SNCF in 2010, she spent seven years with Orange Business Services, of which five years was as CEO and President, Equant. Omar Jefri, Chair of the SITA Board and Executive Vice President Corporate Management and Regulations at Saudi Arabian Airlines said, “Barbara Dalibard has the ideal combination of executive management experience and leadership to strengthen the role of SITA in the air transport community.”

Amadeus, Etihad expand content capabilities

tihad Airways and Amadeus have renewed their Full Content Agreement that ensures Amadeus-connected travel agencies and travellers to continue to have access to the airline’s full inventory of flights, seats and other services. Under the agreement, Amadeus’ expanded rich content capabilities allow Etihad Airways to display images of its product and ancillary services, such as exit row seating, so that travellers can actually see the airline’s services on offer when booking through travel agents. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The guest experience is at the core of everything we do at Etihad Airways. Rich content showcases our innovative spirit and careful attention to detail. We know that agents will notice the difference and will be able to sell our award winning product well informed and with confidence if they are able to ‘look before they book’.”

Video guide to Sydney Airport

ydney Airport has launched a new online video designed to aid travellers in preparation for their journey and further enhance customer service. The new customer service initiative has been designed to complement Sydney Airport’s recent customer service certification awarded by the Customer Service Institute of Australia for its complaints handling processes. The video prepares travellers for both their journey and airport experience. “Sydney Airport aims to provide customers with a positive airport experience, so we’ve launched a friendly and informative video to help infrequent travellers on their journey through the airport,” Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kerrie Mather said.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

AIR CARGO

Few surprises on top freight airports A

unveiled its world airport rankings for 2015 in passenger as well as freight. Hong Kong (HKG) retained the top spot as the world’s largest air cargo hub both in air cargo traffic and international air freight traffic. Total cargo handled (loaded and unloaded freight and mail) by airports worldwide in 2015 was up 2.4 per cent over 2014 to about 103 million tonnes (mt). International freight handled was up 2.2 per cent to 63 mt. In terms of total cargo — freight plus mail — the top ranking went to Hong Kong, with a 0.4 per cent increase to 4.4 million tonnes, followed by Memphis International Airport (MEM), up by 0.8 per cent to 4.3 million tonnes. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) was up 2.9 per cent to 3.2 mt. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and Incheon International Airport (ICN) rounded up the top five. The biggest gainer was Doha’s Hammad International Airport (DOH). One of the fastest growing airports in the world, DOH entered

Dubai World Central (DWC). The other big jump after Doha’s Hammad International (DOH) was Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD). The total cargo handled by the airport was up by 15.6 per cent while international freight tonnage was up by 21 per cent. Among the top 20, only four airports saw a fall in total cargo handled in 2015. Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) saw the biggest fall of 3.2 per cent to 2 mt. Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT) dipped by 0.6 per cent to 2.1 mt, Frankfurt Airport (FRA) was down by 2.6 per cent to 2 mt and even Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) saw a dip of 0.9 per cent to 1.6 million tonnes. Said Angela Gittens ACI World Director General, “It’s impressive to witness the dynamic character of the aviation industry and its evolution over time. In certain markets, we see both airlines and airport operators expanding and optimising their capac-

the top 20 for the first time recording a jump of 46 per cent in air cargo volumes in 2015. As for international freight traffic, Hong Kong led the table followed by Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Incheon (INC).

ity in order to accommodate the growing demand for air transport.” ACI is a global trade representative of the world’s airports established in 1991. It represents the interests of governments and international CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

SOURCE: ACI

The total volume of cargo handled (loaded and unloaded freight and mail) by airports around the world in 2015 went up by 2.4 per cent over 2014 to about 103 million tonnes, according to data provided by Airports Council International (ACI) Hong Kong is the leader irports Council International (ACI) The only new entry in the top 20 was the

organisations, develops standards, policies and recommended practices for airports, and provides information and training opportunities to raise standards around the world.

AIR CARGO

Troubled times ahead?

PRESSEBOX.COM

Low air cargo volumes continue to be pain points for most international cargo carriers. The only bright stars were a handful of smaller nations that saw an increase in revenues by more than 35 per cent year-on-year

he International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air freight markets showing air cargo volumes (measured in freight tonne kilometers or FTKs) suffered a 5.6 per cent fall in February compared to February 2015. This is heavily skewed due to the impact of the US port strikes in early 2015 (which caused a spike in air freight) and Lunar New Year falling in February this year. Comparing January and February 2016 performance to January and February 2014 reveals 6.3 per cent volume in growth — equal to a 3.1 per cent annualized growth trend. “The air freight business remains a difficult one. February’s performance continues a weak trend. And there are few factors on the horizon that would see this change substantially. In the absence of an imminent resurgence of demand, the im-

portance of improving the value proposition with modernized processes—the e-freight vision—remains a top priority,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO. African airlines’ FTKs declined by 1.7 per cent in February compared to February 2015. The largest economies in the region, Nigeria and South Africa, have suffered from the commodity slump over the past 18 months. Asia-Pacific carriers, which carry almost 39 per cent of all air freight, saw FTKs contract by 12.4 per cent yearover-year in February. While this was the largest drop of any region, it also reflects the region’s carriers having benefited the most from the 2015 US port strike. And the region’s weak trading backdrop was exaggerated by the closure of many factories in Asia for the Lunar New Year Celebration. In February Chinese export CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

values fell 25 per cent. European airlines’ demand fell by 2.4 per cent in February. Business surveys of the region, particularly in Germany, do not give an upbeat assessment of prospects in the region. This is in line with the trend since the Global Financial Crisis: European freight volumes are barely any higher than in 2008. Latin American carriers expanded by 2.7 per cent in February. Markets in the region remain under pressure and Brazil is in its worst recession in 25 years. Volumes on the North-South American routes, however, are holding up. Middle Eastern carriers were able to continue their consistent growth trend despite the statistical noise, expanding 3.7 per cent in February. Over the past six months the major carriers in the region have cut their rate of route expansion, which may account for the relative slowdown in freight volume growth. North American airlines saw FTKs fall 4.0 per cent in February compared to February 2015. Looking ahead, the prospects for cargo growth will depend on the balance between a stronger domestic economy supporting import growth and a

strong US dollar dampening exports. pansion in offered freight capacity. Preliminary traffic figures for the In contrast, the region's airlines carmonth of February released by the Asried 23.7 million international passengers, sociation of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) a solid 8.2 per cent increase compared to also showed that air cargo markets rethe same month last year. The growth in mained weak even as there was continued leisure travel volumes associated with the healthy growth in international air pasLunar New Year festive period as well senger demand. as strong long haul passenger demand, The month of February, according translated to a 9.5 per cent surge in trafto AAPA, saw international air cargo fic in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) demand suffering from the weakness in terms. global trade volumes, as well as the LuCommenting on the results, Andrew nar New Year seasonal slowdown in facHerdman, AAPA Director General said, tory operations in the region. This “The solid growth trend in passenwas reflected in a 12.1 per cent ger volumes seen throughout decline in air cargo demand last year has been mainas measured in freight tained, with Asian carAir freight tonne kilometre (FTK) riers reporting 9.3 per business remains a terms for the month. cent growth in the difficult one. February’s Freight load factors number of internaperformance continues a for the region's cartional passengers riers remained under carried in the first weak trend. And there are pressure, with the two months of 2016. few factors on the average international However, air cargo horizon that would see freight load factor markets are showregistering a 8.6 pering further declines, this change centage point decline reflecting the slowdown substantially to 56.8 per cent, after acin global trade and raising counting for a 1.3 per cent exsome deeper concerns about CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

the future outlook for the wider global economy.” A similar trend was seen by WorldACD. It stated that air cargo’s difficult start to 2016 had extended into February. Worldwide volumes dropped by 3.8 per cent year-over-year (YoY), the largest YoY volume drop in three years. The origins Asia Pacific and North America were the main culprits: for January/February together, their YoY volume decrease now stands at more than 7 per cent. Africa, Europe and Middle East and South Asia each show around 5 per cent growth for the same period. Of course, the weak YoY figures for Asia Pacific and North America ought to be viewed against the backdrop of last year’s windfall due to the port strike in the United States. Also, the negative impact of the Chinese New Year on the February totals was bigger this year as it took place much earlier in the month than last year. Contrary to what other sources have reported, the more positive news is that worldwide yields, measured in USD, remained basically stable between January and February. Even so, WorldACD noted considerable differences between the various origin regions: Africa and Europe were also leading in this category, with a 7.6 per cent jump in African yields (in USD) and one of 2.2 per cent in European yields (in EUR). Some smaller countries deserve to be mentioned for their outstanding start to the year: in the first two months of 2016, revenues in USD increased YoY by 38 per cent from Morocco, 23 per cent from Chile, 13 per cent from Sri Lanka and 10 per cent from Bangladesh. In the products domain, the transport of perishables reinforced its reputation of performing much better than general cargo (not only in volumes: already in 2015, yields for perishables dropped by a much lower percentage than general cargo yields). Does this trend weigh in on the much discussed modal shift from air to sea? Although certain perishables look immune to that shift so far, whether or not a modal shift may take place differs from country to country and from one commodity to another. Negative YoY patterns around the Chinese New Year (CNY) provided further confirmation of the air cargo slide in Asia Pacific. The usual strong dip after CNY was deeper this year than last year, and also lasted longer in terms of “low-business days”. From China and Hong Kong, the 2015 post-CNY-dip showed only one day with less than 10 per cent of the pre-CNY volumes; this year there were four such days.

Problems and solutions AIR CARGO

There are hardly any domestic dedicated aircargo carriers. To top it all, the conditions are such that it is difficult for cargo carriers to operate. The problems faced by these operators can easily be solved

ndia’s air cargo scenario — all the efforts of stakeholders from the government and the private sector notwithstanding — still looks unsettled and hazy. Any discussion with those in air cargo always starts with the problems that the sector faces. Today, with domestic cargo volumes rising by the day — largely due to e-commerce — the problems have multiplied. In fact, matters have come to such a pass that a number of stakeholders have raised the issues with the Minister of Civil Aviation as well as the top bureaucrat in the ministry, the Secretary, Civil Aviation. Capt Preetham Philip, CEO of the country’s second dedicated freighter operator Quikjet, has shot off a letter to the minister outlining the problems that have been hindering the air cargo business. One of the top issues concern the reduction in airport royalty charges. To encourage induction of more cargo aircraft in the country, the CEO wrote, “we request for a reduction or removal of royalty charges for cargo airlines”. The royalty charges imposed by airports in the country on cargo, ground handling, ATF and MRO continue to be “unreasonably high”. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) which manages 125 airports of which 18 are international airports and 78 are domestic airports, for example, charges 13 per cent of royalty from Indian MROs. Ground Handling (GH) royalty charges are as high

as 36.3 per cent in some airports. The letter also pointed out that a comparative analysis of similar charges and facilities offered by some of the important international airports abroad vis-a-vis Indian airport charges and facilities would highlight “the cost ineffectiveness of Indian airports”. The royalty charges in India are much higher in comparison to the developed countries. While privately operated Delhi Airport has been charging 20 per cent on MRO services and 13 per cent on GH services as royalty, the AAI-controlled Chennai International Airport’s royalty charges are 13 per cent on MRO services and 36 per cent on GH services.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

There is also a suggestion that parking and landing charges by airports for domestic freighters be waived. Though the AAI has started an incentive scheme for landing charges for freighters operated by airlines to and from Kolkata and Chennai airports — the incentives are as high as 30 per cent for all international scheduled and non-scheduled cargo freighters depending on the number of flights — the scheme is only meant for international cargo operators. Above all, the taxes on ATF were high. Dedicated cargo airlines could be given ATF at lower rates. Today, a discount on 4 per cent is being offered to passenger aircraft with less than 80 seats. Domestic cargo faces a huge problem at Mumbai, a major cargo hub of the country, since there is no dedicated cargo terminal in the airport. Domestic freight forwarders presently use the cargo warehouse in Marol, around six km away from the airport. The cargo accepted at Marol has to be transported using bonded trucks that have to bear the traffic mess — a perennial problem. Similar suggestions were forwarded sometime ago by the American Chamber of Commerce in India (AmCham - India), an association of American business organisations operating in the country, as “priority issues to be taken up by the government”. The note pointed out that “air cargo operators were faced with multitude of charges — royalty for ground handling services, royalty charges on security services, landing and navigation charges, etc. These airport charges taken together had created an extremely high cost environment for cargo handling which had substantially deterred their hub development”. The note went on to mention that infrastructure charges had to be set at levels that enabled cargo players to satisfy the demand for connectivity, provide a reasonable return on investment, and allow sufficient investment in future developments and service quality. The Chamber recommended that royalty charges on security services and ground handling should be done away with immediately, while other airport charges should be set at a reasonable level that would allow air cargo industry to grow seamlessly.

Streamliner solutions connects airlines through WIN

tream Software’s customers can now prepare their paper or electronic Air Waybills (e-AWBs) efficiently within their operational software and transfer data instantly. Streamliner supports fully paperless air cargo shipments, e-manifests and enables users to get savings from reduced airline manual processing fees while gaining full electronic tracking so shipments no longer have to be checked manually. “Stream Software aims to integrate with leading platforms to provide our customers with options to streamline their daily operations,” said Koen Meyskens, Senior Project Manager, Stream Software. “The integration with the Worldwide Information Network (WIN) upholds the quality standards we have set for our integration partners. During the implementation WIN has proven to be a reliable partner we can recommend to our customers.”

Isaykin is in TIACA Hall of Fame

lexey Isaykin, President of Volga-Dnepr Group, has been inducted to the TIACA Hall of Fame. Isaykin will be formally inducted to the Hall of Fame at TIACA’s Executive Summit, taking place towards the end of May in Florida, USA. “Alexey is an inspiring individual who has made many great contributions to the air cargo industry, and we are pleased to be able to celebrate his work with this very deserving recognition,” said Doug Brittin, Secretary General, TIACA. The TIACA Hall of Fame honours air cargo professionals who have played a role

Instant service is now the norm

recent report, ‘Future of Freight’ from freight automation specialist Freightos, points out that shorter contracts and greater demand for spot rates were among several factors resulting from the increasingly agile supply chains required to serve an ‘on-demand economy’. Simply put, that means more-frequent shipments and more-varied origins and destinations. Based on the views of senior decision makers within the top 100 third-party logistics (3PL) companies, the report noted that increased IT demands from shippers were also a byproduct of changing supply chains and expectations from customers, which in turn were also affected by generational differences. “More and more of today’s logistics managers and freight buyers grew up with a smartphone in their hand and take for granted instant access to streaming video, e-commerce shopping and, in general, the world at their fingertips…,” the report noted. It also said that many young people were used to high-tech modeling, gaming, and forecasting software. “Unsuprisingly, they now expect instant service from logistics providers.” The report mentioned that in today’s connected world, shippers were empowered with more information, meaning that “while shipping was once an opaque industry, buyers are now more informed, thanks to improved freight information availability (e.g. price benchmarking, freight tracking technology)”. According to the report, freight senior decision makers rate two factors – reliability (95 per cent) and cost (85 per cent) – as critical for shippers when selecting providers, while communications (68 per cent), crisis management (65 per cent), and a personal relationship (52 per cent), rate well behind.

DHL gets Chennai disaster-ready

eutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are taking their "Get Airports Ready for Disaster" (GARD) workshop to the Chennai International Airport to enhance its function as an aid and relief hub during natural disasters. Chennai Airport is the fourth-busiest airport in India, playing host to more than 11 million passengers between April and December 2015. With the continued threat of natural disasters occurring in the region airports play a vital role in relief operations. A similar exercise was conducted at the Guwahati airport in December 2015. Airports are the main access point to receive international as well as national aid when a disaster strikes, therefore the main aim of GARD is to get all the relevant stakeholders involved in the relief process and develop a clear and adaptable action blueprint to support immediate relief efforts in the wake of a natural disaster.

in the progress of aviation and have helped to shape and grow the industry. Past winners have included James ‘Jim’ Jackson, a driving force behind the standardization of Aircraft Unit Load Devices (ULD), and Sir Peter Masefield, the former Managing Director of British European Airways and Chairman of the British Airports Authority and London Transport. “This is a great honour and I am very pleased to be recognised alongside so many outstanding individuals who have played a key role in shaping the aviation industry, like Oleg Antonov, the truly visionary of the industry, whose aircraft is the essential part of the global market and help customers from all over the world to deliver any kind of CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

cargo in due time and place,” said Isaykin. During the late 1980s, Isaykin worked at the Ulyanovsk Aircraft Manufacturing Complex as an executive officer, managing the USSR Military Air Transportation Department contracts for AN-124 aircraft delivery. In 1989, after having finished his military career, Isaykin headed a group of entrepreneurs and enthusiasts whose aim was to establish a new private air cargo company – VolgaDnepr Airlines. The company was the first private cargo airline in Russia and the first joint stock company in the Ulyanovsk region. Between 1990 and 2002, Isaykin acted as the Chairman of the Board, Executive Director, and General Director of Volga-Dnepr Airlines, before becoming President.

AIR CARGO

ACFI workshop on Single Window

Shippers will get a voice at TIACA summit

he ACFI, jointly with DIAL, organised a workshop on the implementation of new EDI formats and its implications for the benefit of ACFI members recently. S P Sahu, Commissioner, Customs, looking after the Single Window project of Customs, was present at the workshop and shared his department’s preparedness prior to the launch of the Single Window System by April 2016. Sahu said that there was a need to disseminate information and knowledge about the implication of the new EDI format and requirements. Welcoming the Commissioner and the members of the trade, Pradeep Panicker, President, ACFI & EVP, DIAL, pointed out that the EDI has been implemented at IGIA since 2006 in the processing of Import and Export cargo between Customs and Custodian and further between Custodian and trade partners successfully, based on the agreed messages but paperless processing was yet to happen. He praised the government’s initiative to usher in ease of doing business in the airfreight industry by implementing the Single Window System in the processing of import and export cargo supported with digitized documents.

K S Kunwar, Director General, ACFI, informed the members that ACFI had taken up three major issues for consideration in 2016 with the Government agencies and of this, the Single Window issue was a prominent one. The other two issues were: Implementation of EDI for true paperless transaction and the adoption of Service Standard by all the stakeholders in the air cargo logistics trade including the government. He also informed the members that the Ministry of Civil Aviation had constituted the Air Cargo Logistics Promotion Board (ACLPB) to deal with issues of air cargo logistics. Sahu, in his presentation, explained the important features about the implementation of the new EDI formats and its implications on the Indian Customs Single Window System and plans of the government to facilitate smooth and faster clearance and documentation of import and export cargo at all the Customs airports in India. The presentation included the automated cargo processes, automated cargo clearance, the Indian Customs EDI system, the Indian Customs E-Commerce Gateway (ICEGATE) and the key features of the Customs Single Window System.

QR Cargo app launched

atar Airways Cargo, the world’s third largest international cargo airline, recently announced the launch of its first mobile app QR Cargo, available for both Android and iOS devices via Google Play Store and Apple App Store. This application aims to provide ease and convenience to the cargo airline’s customers, by having all the important information at their fingertips on their mobile devices. In addition to getting detailed status of their shipments, customers

can now use this app for various enquiries such as Qatar Airways passenger flight and freighter schedules, office contact details, product descriptions and more. “The all new Qatar Airways Cargo app is linked to our inhouse Cargo Reservations, Operations, Accounting and Management Information System (CROAMIS), which provides real-time data and updates for each logistic milestone achieved, direct to our customers,” said Ulrich Ogiermann, Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

hippers utilising the air cargo industry will be given a voice at The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA)’s Executive Summit, which takes place from May 24- 26 in Hollywood Beach, Florida, USA. Lars J T Droog, who was recently appointed to chair TIACA’s new Shippers’ Advisory Committee, will be leading a panel on shippers’ air cargo challenges as part of the three-day conference. Online registration has opened for the event, which also features sessions on the latest security regulations as well as innovation in the pharma sector and an update on the Air Automated Manifest System (AMS). “TIACA represents every segment of the air cargo supply chain, and our Executive

Emirates’ Sultan on TIACA Board

he International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) appointed Nabil Sultan, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo to its Board of Directors. Sultan comes with over 20 years of experience in various management roles at the airline. He began his career with Emirates in 1990 in the IT department and later joined its management training programme. He has held various positions in the company both within and outside the UAE and was promoted to his current role in 2013. He said that he was honoured to join TIACA’s Board of Directors “because I share the organisation’s commitment to improving market access, security, and environmental responsibility in the global air cargo industry”.

Summit is the perfect platform for industry to come together and discuss the issues that matter,” said Doug Brittin, Secretary General, TIACA. He also added that the workshop and seminar series this year would include important updates on legislative and regulatory changes occurring across the globe. “Our Summit will also be a great opportunity for the air cargo community to network and build new business opportunities,” Brittin said. Brittin will chair the opening panel, which explores the latest updates on global PreLoading Advance Cargo Information (PLACI) Programmes. Supply chain security, a look at the Air Automated Manifest System (AMS), and the impact of e-commerce will also feature in the Summit programme. Sessions are also being chaired by John DeBenedette, MD, WIN; Glyn Hughes, Global Head of Air Cargo, IATA; and Elizabeth Merritt, Director, Cargo Services at Airlines for America.

Wipro launches cargo management system

lobal information technology, consulting and business process services major Wipro Limited, recently announced the launch of Cargo Reservations, Operations, Accounting and Management Information System (CROAMIS), a next generation cargo management system to manage endto-end airline cargo business processes for the aviation industry. CROAMIS has been developed jointly between Wipro and Qatar Airways, through an innovative co-funded model. CROAMIS is offered both in Software onpremise and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) models. The integrated system enables comprehensive automation of the airline’s core business functions and supports collaborative operations across the airline’s cargo supply chain. The system incorporates the latest practices in business functions including sales, pricing, cargo ground

handling and unit load device management. CROAMIS also provides revenue management module for inventory management, cargo load and revenue optimisation and has a robust revenue accounting suite. Srini Pallia, Chief Executive, Consumer Business Unit, Wipro Limited said, “We see significant opportunities in the growing airline sector. IATA expects the cargo industry to grow at a compounded rate of 4 per cent in the next five years. Wipro has made substantial investments in developing integrated ecosystems to serve our airline customers. A key part of the ecosystem is CROAMIS, a truly end-to-end application to help our customers make the most of this growth. Coupled with our expertise in Business Process Services, we can bring in substantial cost efficiencies to our customers.”

Schiphol starts closed pharma Hogan on Etihad cargo management tihad Airways President and Chief Exand plays an increasingly imporchain proE ecutive Officer James Hogan outlined the tant role in the flow of world trade changes in the global cargo industry and how and goods, with its geographical gramme the Etihad Airways Partner alliance increased importance enhanced as traffic shifts

msterdam Airport Schiphol logistics community started a new pharma chain programme that will be IATA CEIV Pharmacertified. The announcement was made during the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Berlin. Branded as —Pharma Gateway Amsterdam — Qualified & Transparent, its objective is to create a closed pharma chain at the airport, further developing Schiphol’s pharma proposition. Pharma Gateway Amsterdam aims to support a certified track from the shipper to the consignee. It will achieve this locally by involving airlines, handlers, hauliers and logistics service providers – all of which will be certified to the IATA CEIV Pharma standard.

the airline’s strength and depth in cargo operations at the recent World Cargo Alliance (WCA) conference. He said, “Our hub of Abu Dhabi is at the crossroads of the world and as a combination carrier, Etihad Airways is perfectly positioned to capitalise on the growing passenger traffic, and the increasing volumes of cargo and goods transported between expanding and emerging markets.” “Etihad Cargo has grown into a billion dollar business and represents a significant part of our business by focussing on dedicated services and innovative products to provide a winning customer proposition. By working with our partners, we will continue to maximise the profitability of each carrier by combining resources, networks and capabilities for the benefit of all of our customers,” Hogan added. Hogan also spoke about how the Middle East region continued to outperform global growth rates for cargo

from traditional and established markets to emerging commercial centres in the Middle East, Asia, South America and Africa. The Etihad Cargo division of Etihad Airways generates over $1 billion in annual revenues and is one of the world’s most successful air cargo operations. It accounted for 88 per cent of cargo imports, exports and transfers at Abu Dhabi International Airport in 2015, a year in which it carried 592,090 tonnes of freight and mail, up four per cent on 2014.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

AVIATION UPDATE

More flights in AI’s summer schedule I

n its summer schedule, national carrier Air India has increased frequencies and new routes, including a daily flight connecting Mumbai and Bhopal. The summer schedule started from March 27. “The flight offers day-return facility to its passengers with a flight from Mumbai departing at 7.30 pm. The return flight from Bhopal takes off at 9.30 pm,” said a release issued by the airline. Frequency on the Delhi-Pune sector is also being enhanced with number of flights added to and from Pune. The flight from Delhi departs at 6.30 pm whereas, the flight from Pune will depart at 9.20 pm,” it added. Alliance Air adds more flights: Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, introduced new flights on sectors — Delhi-Jammu, Bengaluru-Vijayawada and Kolkata-Agartala. The flights on the Bengaluru-Vijayawada and Kolkata-Agartala sectors started operations from April 1, 2016. More flights were added to its existing Delhi-Jammu route from April 7, 2016. The flights on the Bengaluru-Vijayawada-Bengaluru and KolkataAgartala-Kolkata routes are operated with ATR 42-320 aircraft.

Vistara ramps up V

istara announced 25 per cent increase in flights at the start of summer schedule, including the launch of new services to Jammu, Srinagar and Kochi. Vistara’s expanding route network now covers 15 cities as the airline increases its weekly flights from 317 to almost 400. With the induction of four new Airbus A320 aircraft during the course of the year, the airline will introduce additional new destinations and further increase frequency on its existing routes. By the end of October 2016, the total number of flights would have increased by 85 per cent relative to the current schedule. Speaking on the network expansion, PheeTeik Yeoh, CEO-Vistara said, “With growing market presence and phenomenal customer uptake, we plan to double our domestic capacity this year by offering more flights, destinations and increased frequencies to our growing loyal customer base.”

Signature lounge launched: To make the flying experience joyful, Vistara launched its signature lounge for its Business Class and Club Vistara Gold customers at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s T3 terminal. The Vistara Lounge was inaugurated by movie stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Arjun Kapoor. The new 250 square meter airside space, with seating for around 75 people, provides an opportunity for Vistara’s customers to indulge in a refined experience, way beyond the conventional lounge concept. At the inaugural ceremony of the lounge, Phee Teik Yeoh, Vistara CEO said, “Our vision was to create an experience that unravels and gets richer each time our customers travel with us.” Vistara announced the addition of Chandigarh route to its network from May 2, 2016. The daily service will directly connect Chandigarh to both Delhi and Hyderabad.

SpiceJet adds a Udaipur-Mumbai flight

ow cost carrier SpiceJet will start flights on the Udaipur-Mumbai route, as a part of its summer schedule, from April 16, 2016. The airline has added three new flights and six new frequencies, thus offering more seats and connecting key metros and cities. With the introduction of the summer schedule, the carrier will increase its operation to 306 daily flights from 240 flights operated in the last summer schedule.

British Airways summer offers

ritish Airways has launched its summer vacation packages for Indian travellers. The offer is available for flights from India to a huge selection of destinations including the United Kingdom (UK) and United States of America (USA), with the allinclusive fares starting from just `44,460 on World Traveller economy class and `131,965 on Club World Business class. The offer is valid for booking until April 24, 2016 and for outbound travel from India until June 30, 2016 in World Traveller and

from May 1 to July 31, 2016 in Club World. Customers can also enjoy flat 15 per cent discount on British Airways’ World Traveller Plus premium economy travelling from India to the USA and the UK. Moran Birger, British Airways’ Regional General Manager, South Asia said, “We are very pleased to bring this fantastic offer to travellers from India, and we want to encourage them to take advantage of the special fares to plan for their family vacation or business trips.” CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

GoAir flies to Delhi and Bengaluru from Patna

umbai based airline, GoAir started two new flights from Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan International airport (Patna) to Delhi and Bengaluru. The carrier discontinued its PatnaKolkata service and introduced these routes. Mumbai-Leh direct flight: GoAir also started direct daily flights from Mumbai to Leh. This made GoAir the first airline to offer non-stop daily flights to the northernmost tip of the country from the city. Airline Chief Executive Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said, “As part of the summer schedule, the airline has also announced more frequencies on the Mumbai-Patna and MumbaiLucknow routes.”

Air Pegasus adds new aircraft R

egional airline Air Pegasus added a new aircraft ATR 72-500 to its fleet. “We will receive two more aircraft within two months and have ordered five more aircraft,” said Shyson Thomas, Managing Director, Air Pegasus. “Amid weak economic sentiment worldwide, India has been showing a strong economic prospect that has culminated into a substantial rise in the country’s air traffic. Air Pegasus intends to propel this growth further by taking its new fleet strength to new destinations as also increase its current services in South India,” Thomas added. With the new aircraft, Air Pegasus will start flying to Puducherry, Goa, Kochi and Vijayawada.

Air Costa adds third E-190

egional airline Air Costa added the third Embraer 190 (110 seater) to its fleet. The carrier’s fleet size has gone up to three E-190s and one E-170 aircraft. Registered as VT LPB to its fleet, the airline started operations from Gannavaram Airport, Vijayawada. The flight connects the Vijayawada to Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Hyderabad. Vivek Choudhary, Deputy CEO Air Costa said, “We welcome this latest generation aircraft (E 190) into our rapidly expanding fleet. As we keep hinting about our growing plans of replacing the existing two E170s (67 seater) with E190s (110 seater) to maintain same type of fleet to serve better for our expansion plans. The E190 models are a larger stretch of the E170 models fitted with a wider cabin, larger wing. It can carry up to 110 passengers in single-class high density configuration.”

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

AirAsia’s new menu for fliers A

irAsia India has introduced a new menu on its flights. Branded as Santan, fliers can choose from a wide range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian menu options with new delicacies like Purani Dilli ke Raseele Rajma with Jeera Rice (kidney bean curry served with rice sauté in cumin seeds), vegetable enchiladas with cheese, potato wedges, peas and corn; veg rava upma and many more. The Santan also served desserts like Banana cake slices, chocolate walnut brownie, ice creams in three different flavours, fruit overload, alphonso mango and double chocolate. Guests can pre book their meal and save up to 20 per cent, with priority serving from the wider choice of meals provided. Guests can also spend as low as `250 on meals that they purchase on board from the menu and avail a hot beverage or a juice along with it. Two A330s to be added: The AirAsia group is planning to fly on new routes in India by adding two A330 planes to existing fleet of six aircraft. Speaking on the sidelines of India Aviation 2016, Air Asia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “We will soon add two A330 planes to our existing fleet of six aircraft.” New CEO takes over: AirAsia India announced that Amar Abrol had succeeded Mittu Chandilya as the CEO of AirAsia India from April 1. Chandilya’s contract ended on March 31, 2016 but he has continued with the company until the end of April to ensure a smooth transition of the CEO role. Abrol, who has over 20 years of experience, was most recently the CEO of Tune Money, a start-up that aims to deliver low-cost financial products in South East Asia. Before joining Tune Money in 2013, he spent 19 years with American Express, leading diverse teams across multiple markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, UK, India and Malaysia.

AVIATION UPDATE

Skytrax Honours Rajiv Gandhi International Airport The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has received the Skytrax best

regional airport in India and Central Asia award. RGIA has been winning Skytrax Awards for the last seven years in various categories. Commenting on the achievement, S G K Kishore, CEO-GHIAL said, “It is a moment of great honour and pride that Hyderabad Airport has again been crowned with Skytrax Award, this time as Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia.” He added that “winning this passenger’s choice award is indeed a feat which we must credit to our entire airport community at RGIA including our stakeholders, partners, concessionaires and employees.” Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) has received the Best Airport in India and Central Asia at the

AI crew members to wear Khadi costumes

ir India has decided to use Khadi costumes for its VVIPs flights by placing an order of 150 sarees, 25 Jodhuri bandgala suits, 40 pairs of trousers and 40 jackets to Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). The national carrier has also ordered 25000 kits for its Business Class and First Class passengers. Each kit includes items like hand sanitiser, khadi moisturiser, lotion, khadi lemongrass, khadi handmade soap, khadi lip balm, khadi rose face wash, essential oils etc all to be supplied by Khadi Gramodyog Bhawan, a flagship showroom of KVIC, by January 31, 2017. AIE increases UAE frequency: Budget carrier Air India Express has increased the number of flights connecting the UAE and India by doubling its daily flights from the UAE to Mumbai and Delhi. The carrier has increased the number of weekly flights in the India-UAE sector from 107 weekly flights to 146 flights per week, with twice-a-day service to Mumbai and New Delhi.

Jet Airways flies to Amsterdam

et Airways started daily non-stop flights from the national capital, Mumbai and Toronto to Amsterdam, the airline’s new European hub. The carrier has shifted its European gateway from Brussels as scheduled. Naresh Goyal, Chairman of Jet Airways said, “Finally, we have arrived in the Netherlands. Today (the first flight’s landing at Amsterdam) marks the start of our new service connecting three continents, together with our codeshare partners KLM and Delta Air Lines. We are thrilled to operate daily flights from Amsterdam to Mumbai, Delhi and Toronto and thereby facilitate trade and co-operation between India and the Netherlands.”

frican carrier Ethiopian airlines has started twice daily flights to Delhi with the latest B737-800 new generation sky interior aircraft. Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines said, “We are pleased to offer our customers a double daily service to Delhi. India being one of the strongest economic muscles zooming into the global economic picture, availing more frequencies would catalyse the channeling of investors from both countries and facilitating business.” “The addition of the flight would have a paramount significance in strengthening the growing economic, political, and social relation-

Thai AirAsia to start services

Skytrax World Airport Awards. Attended by CEOs, Presidents and senior management of airports from around the world, the awards ceremony recognised product and service quality in the world airport industry and provided further testimony to CSIA’s continued excellence in customer service. The Skytrax World Airport Award is the latest feather in CSIA’s cap, which already won several awards over the past two years for its structure, design and world-class facilities and services.

Ethiopian airline touches Delhi

hai AirAsia, a joint venture of Malaysian low-fare airline AirAsia and Thailand’s Asia Aviation, will start daily direct flights from Kochi to Bangkok from May 17. “The first ever direct flight from Kochi to Bangkok will operate daily starting from May 17, 2016,” the carrier said in a release. Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld said that India was a very important market for the airline. “As the first airline to launch a direct flight between Kochi and Bangkok, we

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

Qatar to add new routes

t the recent ITB Berlin, Qatar Airways announced that it would serve five new cities in Europe: Pisa, Italy; Sarajevo, Bosnia; Helsinki, Finland; Skopje, Macedonia and Nice, France. Qatar Airways will also add six new destinations in Africa: Marrakech, Morocco; Windhoek, Namibia; Seychelles, Indian Ocean; Douala, Cameroon; Libreville, Gabon; Lusaka, Zambia and three new destinations in Asia and the South West Pacific: Auckland, New Zealand; Krabi and Chiang Mai in Thailand. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said, “Qatar Airways continues to be the fastestgrowing airline in the history of aviation, a distinction we wear proudly. We continue to connect the world, one flight at a time, and the public continues to respond to our extraordinary service.”

BA boosts Indian global companies

ship of the two countries in particular and the two continents in general. Our customers will be able to make an immediate connection to cities like Hargeisa, Khartoum, Nairobi and some Southern African flights,” he added.

wenty Indian companies were awarded the India Emerging Twenty (IE20) 2016 honours in London, as part of the inaugural India Emerging 20 (IE20) programme, an initiative by London & Partners and supported by British Airways to identify and showcase India’s most promising global companies. Moran Birger, British Airways Regional Commercial Manager, South Asia said, “India is fast emerging as the land of rising entrepreneurship and we are delighted to provide a platform such as IE20 to aid young and bright minds of the country in achieving their goals and global aspirations. With a proud heritage in India spanning over 90 years, we believe it is vital to give right opportunities to growing businesses to win recognition and develop global potential on the international stage. As part of this partnership, we will fly the final 20 winners to London in our World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy cabin).”

More flights to Oman to Kochi are pleased to offer more convenience with a short four-hour flight so travellers can have more time to enjoy our wonderful country,” he added.

man Air, national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, will operate double daily flights from Kochi International Airport, as part of its new summer schedule and will be in force till October 29 this year. At present, Oman Air operates direct flights to and from 11 cities in India: Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Goa. The carrier also offers connections for passengers travelling to London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Milan and Zurich, along with the destinations in Oman, rest of the Gulf and West Asia and Africa.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

BACK PAGE

UNITED FOR A CLEAN WORLD

t has been done on innumerable occasions but the latest was one that made history. Yes, sir. With all the talk going on about carbon emissions and saving our environment, United Airlines made history on March 11 when it became the first US airline to start using commercial-scale volumes of sustainable aviation biofuel for regular, scheduled flights between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International (SFO). United has listed nine daily mainline flights from LAX to SFO: in fact, 12,500 flights are planned to be powered by a fuel blend of 30 per cent biofuel and 70 per cent petroleum jet fuel. US and other airlines have operated alternative fuel flights earlier but the March flight was special. “United’s commitment to using renewable fuel in everyday service is a significant milestone in the adoption and use of sustainable fuels,” Honeywell UOP VP and GM Veronica May said in a statement. United has an agreement with AltAir Fuels to buy biofuel produced by using Honeywell UOP’s renewable jet fuel processing technology, which converts non-edible animal fats and oils into fuel. Incidentally, it was in 2011 that Lufthansa used biofuel in its daily operations when it operated an Airbus A321 four times daily on its Hamburg-Frankfurt route for six months with one of the aircraft’s engines running

on a 50/50 mix of petroleum fuel and biosynthetic kerosene. United will be purchasing up to 15 million gallons of the biofuel from AltAir Paramount over a three-year period. The biofuel is being stored and delivered in the same way as traditional fuel. At the “historic launch of regularly scheduled service utilizing advanced biofuels”, Angela Foster-Rice, United’s Managing Director of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability said that it represented “a major next step in our ongoing commitment to operate sustainably and responsibly. United is a leader in the advancement of alternative fuels, and, along with our partners at AltAir Paramount, we are taking action every day to minimize our impact on the environment and explore new ways to improve efficiency”. United has collaborated with AltAir since 2009 with a common goal of bringing an ongoing source of sustainable aviation biofuels to an airport. AltAir retrofitted portions of the Paramount Petroleum Corporation – a subsidiary of Alon USA Energy – refinery in Paramount, California, to create a 35 million gallon per year advanced renewable fuel unit, bringing new clean energy jobs to the Los Angeles area. “AltAir Paramount and United are working together to lead the industry in the use of sustainable and homegrown biofuel,” said Bryan Sherbacow, AltAir’s President and Chief Operating Officer.

CRUISING HEIGHTS April 2016

RNI NO. DELENG/2006/16897, POSTAL REG NO. DL(E) 01/5294/2015-17, PUBLICATION DATE: 1ST OF EVERY MONTH, POSTING DATE: 8-9TH EVERY MONTH