Aviation Industry

DGCA issues advisory on potential rudder system issue in Boeing 737 jets

Aviation regulator DGCA on Monday issued an advisory to Indian airlines operating Boeing 737 planes regarding the potential risk of a jammed rudder control system. The move follows the recent probe report by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that highlighted safety concerns involving Boeing 737 aircraft lanes equipped with Collins Aerospace SVO-730 Rudder Rollout Guidance Actuators. Against the backdrop of the potential risk of a jammed or restricted rudder control system, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued safety recommendations to the Indian carriers. Currently, Air India Express, Akasa Air and SpiceJet operate Boeing 737 planes. DGCA said all flight crews are to be informed through a circular/advisory regarding the possibility of a jammed or restricted rudder control system. "Appropriate mitigations must be communicated to help crews identify and handle such a situation," it added. Further, all operators have been asked to conduct a sa

West Asia crisis flummoxes airlines, increases Mumbai-Europe flight times

Flights from Delhi or Bengaluru, while they may still fly over Iran, depending on the route, have alternative paths that may take them through Central Asia or northern routes

AIX Connect's merger into Air India Express is complete, says DGCA

Air India Express' fleet size has grown to 88 aircraft

Boeing crisis sparks US FAA to revamp safety programmes to avoid risks

FAA audits revealed a series of manufacturing and safety lapses at Boeing after a fuselage panel blew off a 737 Max jet shortly after takeoff in January

Boeing offers its largest union 30% wage hike in bid to end strike

Boeing said the terms are final and only valid until the end of Sept. 27, as it seeks to raise pressure on the other side to accept

Air India to completely upgrade 27 old A320neo aeroplanes by mid-2025

"Legacy" planes have been part of Air India's fleet before the Tata Group, after privatisation, took control of the airline in January 2022

Boeing, union negotiators to resume talks as striking workers dig in

The top negotiators at Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) will meet with federal mediators in Seattle on Tuesday for preliminary talks, as per reports

Strike could cost Boeing $100 million-plus in daily revenue, say analysts

A prolonged strike could cost several billion dollars, fraying the planemaker's already strained finances and threatening a downgrade of its credit rating

Air Canada, pilots' union reach tentative agreement to avoid shutdown

Air Canada and the union representing its pilots have come to terms on a labor agreement that is likely to prevent a shutdown of Canada's largest airline. Talks betwen the company and the Air Line Pilots Association produced a tentative, four-year collective agreement, the airline announced in a statement early Sunday. The prospective deal recognises the contributions of the pilots flying for Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge while setting a new framework for company growth. The terms will remain confidential until ratification by union members and approval by the airline's board of directors over the next month, the airline said. The pilots association said its Air Canada Master Executive Council voted to approve the tentative agreement on behalf of more than 5,400 Air Canada pilots. After review and ratification by a majority of members, the deal is expected to generate an additional $1.9 billion for the pilots over the period of the agreement, the union said in a statement. While

Cathay Pacific halts flights for A350 checks, other airlines await guidance

Rolls-Royce had not yet issued a directive to airlines regarding possible inspections, according to an industry source who was not authorised to speak publicly about the matter

What is the issue with Cathay Pacific's A350 engines: All you need to know

A problem unfolded several minutes after take-off on flight CX383 from Hong Kong to Zurich on Monday

Cabinet clears SIA's investment in Air India; Vistara to sunset on Nov 11

Vistara will maintain its aircraft, schedule, operating crew under its brand name until early 2025

DGCA places Spicejet under surveillance after audit reveals deficiencies

A senior DGCA official said that based on reports of cancellation of flights and financial stress being experienced by Spicejet Airlines, a special audit was conducted

DGCA suspends approval for flying training firm Alchemist Aviation

Aviation watchdog DGCA has suspended the approval for Alchemist Aviation following an audit done in the wake of a fatal trainee aircraft accident that found the flying training organisation being non-compliant with regulations. The move comes less than two weeks after the organisation's trainee aircraft was involved in the fatal accident that killed the two people on board -- instructor and trainee pilot. Following the accident on August 20, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted a special safety audit of Alchemist Aviation on August 23 and 24. "During the audit, several serious deficiencies and non-compliances of regulatory provisions were found," DGCA said in a release on Thursday. Alchemist Aviation is into local flying at Jamshedpur Sonari airport in Jharkhand. The regulator said it has suspended the approval granted to Alchemist Aviation to operate as a Flying Training Organisation. "The FTO will have to mandatorily undergo a de novo rectification proces

Valuations reflecting multiple positives for airlines major IndiGo

India is a very underpenetrated aviation market, which means a strong growth outlook

IndiGo to soon offer gender-neutral option 'Mx' during ticket booking

IndiGo will be soon introducing the gender-neutral option of honorific 'Mx' for passengers at the time of booking tickets, as part of larger efforts to boost inclusivity. Besides, the country's largest carrier, which has a domestic market share of 62 per cent, aims to increase by two-fold the number of individuals with disabilities employed by it. The airline will be introducing the 'Mx' option at the time of booking for passengers and that will provide a choice for transgenders who do not want to identify themselves, Sukhjit S Pasricha, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at IndiGo, told PTI. Currently, 'male' and 'female' are the options available on the airline's website during the booking process. Air India Express and Vistara already offer the 'Mx' option for passengers at the time of booking tickets. Pasricha said IndiGo has implemented various initiatives for the LGBTQ+ community, including employee referral programmes specifically designed to encourage hiring of LGBTQ+ ...

Passenger held at Australian airport after exiting plane via emergency door

A passenger was arrested at an Australian airport after he left a stationary airliner through an emergency exit, walked along a wing, and then climbed down a jet engine to the tarmac on Thursday, officials said. Jetstar Flight JQ507 had arrived at Melbourne Airport from Sydney and had parked at a terminal gate when the man left the plane by the right-side exit, officials said. Opening the exit automatically deployed a slide from the back of the wing at the fuselage to the ground, a Jetstar statement said. But the man instead walked along the wing and climbed down one of the Airbus A320's two engines, an official said. Passenger Audrey Varghese said passengers screamed and shrieked as the man began erratic behavior shortly before he opened the hatch. The man was exhibiting some quite strange behavior, Varghese told Melbourne Radio 3AW. As soon as the plane started coming to a stop, he immediately got up and charged to where the emergency exit row is, Varghese added. Australian Fed

India's low-cost carriers rule the skies dominated by IndiGo: Report

India's LCC share is much higher than the global average of 34 per cent, reported by OAG for 2024

Foreign airlines receive Rs 10,000 crore tax evasion notices from DGGI

The show cause notices, sent over the last three days, pertain to unpaid taxes on services imported by Indian branches from their respective head offices

Akasa eyes flights to Asia tourist hotspots as overseas travel demand rises

The Mumbai-based budget carrier is gearing up to start flights to Kathmandu in Nepal and Bangladesh's capital Dhaka