Civil Aviation

IndiGo pays reduced Rs 70 lakh fine to BCAS over Mumbai airport incident

IndiGo has paid the reduced penalty of Rs 70 lakh imposed by regulator BCAS on the airline in connection with the incident of passengers having food on the Mumbai airport tarmac in January this year. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) had imposed a fine of Rs 1.2 crore on the airline on January 18 for the incident that happened on January 14. In a filing to the BSE on Tuesday, IndiGo said that pursuant to an appeal, BCAS reduced the penalty to Rs 70 lakh through an order dated August 12. "There is a delay in submission of the disclosure within prescribed timelines since the company was in the process of reviewing the legal remedies available against the order. Post review, the Company has paid the revised/reduced penalty amount to BCAS on September 10, 2024," the filing said. Many passengers rushed out of an IndiGo aircraft at the Mumbai airport, sat on the tarmac, and some were also seen having food there as soon as their diverted Goa-Delhi flight landed after a long del

Govt to set up SPV to push for aircraft manufacturing in India: Naidu

The government will set up a special purpose vehicle to push ahead with plans to start manufacturing commercial aircraft in India, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Wednesday as he highlighted the potential of the country's fast-growing aviation sector. The Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024, which was passed by the Lok Sabha in August, includes provisions to regulate the design and manufacturing of aircraft, supporting the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative for self-reliance. "The government is strongly pushing the idea of India manufacturing its own planes," Naidu said, adding that a special purpose vehicle will be set up with industry stakeholders and others. According to him, efforts are being to ensure that aircraft manufacturing activities can start in the next five years, he said. "We want to be a big player for manufacturing planes and also export them," Naidu said. India is a key market for aircraft manufacturers - Boeing and Airbus. State-owned Hindustan ...

Civil aviation ministry announces simplified norms for seaplane operations

The civil aviation ministry on Thursday announced simplified regulations for seaplane operations, including allowing non-scheduled entities to operate such services and putting in place a simplified certificate process. The relaxed norms are aimed at encouraging seaplane operations under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik). Generally, seaplanes are amphibian aircraft that can take off and land on the sea. Under the relaxed norms of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), there will be no need for a waterdrome license and compliance requirements have also been reduced. Waterdromes are for landing and take off of seaplanes. The revised regulations have been carefully planned and prepared after extensive consultations, said Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu. Speaking at an event in the national capital to announce the revised regulations, Naidu also said that seaplane operations can help stimulate tourism. Among other regulatory chang

Central Asia gives India's largest budget carrier IndiGo its wings

Just over a three-hour flight from Delhi, these four countries have seen a big jump in visitors

Aircraft MRO industry to reach $4 bn in seven years: Aviation min tells LS

The government has taken several steps to facilitate setting up of aircraft MRO services in India and the value of the total business may go up from USD 2 billion to USD 4 billion in seven years, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. He also said that, in a major boost to the domestic Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) industry and the aviation sector, the government brought a uniform rate of 5 per cent GST on aircraft parts components, testing equipment, tools and toolkits. "The MRO industry in the country is expected to go up to USD 4 billion in seven years from the present USD 2 billion," he said during Question Hour. Naidu said if anyone wanted to set up an MRO industry with an airstrip or airport anywhere in India, the Centre was ready to provide all assistance. He said the country's aviation industry had seen massive transformation and growth during the past 10 years under the Narendra Modi government, with domestic airlines

Union Budget 2024: Companies get limited relief to push MRO services

Indian carriers allocate approximately 12-15 per cent of their total revenues to MRO services, positioning it as the second-largest expenditure following fuel costs

2 days after global outage: Airlines play catch-up with flight schedule

About 1,000 flights delayed at country's three busiest airports

Panasonic Avionics opens new software design & development facility in Pune

In-flight Engagement and Connectivity (IFEC) solutions provider Panasonic Avionics on Wednesday opened a new software design and development facility in Pune. The new facility, inaugurated by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, is the first in the country by Panasonic Avionics Corporation dedicated to supporting the development and delivery of IFEC solutions. The facility employs over 200 skilled engineers in the beginning with growth plans in place to scale it up further to support the increasing demand from airlines for these solutions, the company said. Panasonic Avionics said the new facility will accelerate its software development capabilities and help improve the time-to-market for robust, next-generation IFEC and digital solutions. "With its huge number of skilled engineers, and fast-growing aviation sector, India is a natural location for us to invest in for the future of our business, and we look forward to accelerating our software innovation and .

No objection to release 4 leased engines to lessors: Go First to NCLT

Go First got a final 60-day extension from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on June 12 to complete its corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP)

Digi Yatra policy should spell out rules on passenger info deletion: Report

The policy for Digi Yatra -- a digital platform to verify air travellers using biometric data -- needs to spell out all the rules related to deletion of passenger information from the database once the travel is complete, according to a study instituted by NITI Aayog. There have been privacy concerns in various quarters about Digi Yatra user data. Based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), Digi Yatra provides for contactless and seamless movement of passengers at various checkpoints at airports. As per the policy for Digi Yatra, facial biometrics are deleted from the local airport's database 24 hours after the departure of the passenger's flight. "However, the rules related to deletion of other information collected from the passengers, as well as any facial biometrics that are stored in other registries, must be clearly set out in the policy," the study said. Digi Yatra envisages an identity management ecosystem for Indian airports, which can enhance the capabilities of Indian

Delhi airport roof collapse: TMC alleges PM Modi's guarantee 'crumbling'

The Trinamool Congress on Friday slammed the central government for the roof collapse at Delhi airport's Terminal 1, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantee was "crumbling". Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu announced that an investigation has been ordered into the roof collapse that left one person dead and six others injured. "A Glimpse into PM Modi's 'Guarantee': Crumbling under his lies," the TMC said in a social media post. "The roof at Delhi Airport's T1 collapsed, ..... which Modi hastily "inaugurated" in March, despite its unfinished state, just for election optics,' the TMC said in its X handle post. Naidu also said a thorough inspection of the structure at the airport would be carried out. Sources in the government said the roof that collapsed at Delhi airport's Terminal-1 (T1) was constructed during 2008-09 and that the work was contracted out by GMR to private contractors. T1 has only domestic flight operations by IndiGo and SpiceJet. The airport

India's aviation mkt growth needs to be matched with capacity: Emirates CCO

Indian aviation market's pace of growth needs to be matched with capacity, and increased competition will provide more choices for consumers, Emirates Airline Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim has said, as he pitched for increased bilateral flying rights between Dubai and India. On whether Emirates is looking for partners in India, Kazim said it is open to any such future engagements if there is an appetite in an Indian airline for that sort of dialogue and engagement. For the full-service carrier, he said India is a top-tier market, and the demand today is exceeding the current capacity offered in the country. Currently, the airline operates direct flights to nine Indian cities from Dubai. Over the years, the airline has been pitching for enhanced bilateral rights between the two countries, which is currently at 65,000 seats per week, to operate at a higher capacity to meet the rising travel demand. "India has always remained an important market for Emirat

Delhi's airport among top 10 busiest airports in the world: Full list here

ACI report: Global air travel rebounded with 8.5 billion passengers in 2023. See where India ranks

Average daily domestic air traffic sees modest growth of 1.6% in April

The average international air traffic to and from India also observed a flat growth of 0.88 per cent month-on-month to 197,782

Go First won't move against Delhi High Court order, set for liquidation

Go First filed for bankruptcy in May 2023. Since then, the lessors of these aircraft have been locked in a battle with the former owner of the airline and others to take control of their aircraft

DGCA removes Vistara's head of training for violating pilot training rules

Sources said that the issue arose when 12 Vistara pilots, trained on A320 family planes, were undergoing conversion training for B787 aircraft

'Indian airlines will need 60 wide-body planes for long routes by FY2032'

Indian airlines will require around 60 more wide-body aircraft to serve long and ultra-long haul markets in financial year 2032, aviation consultancy CAPA India said on Thursday. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets but at present, only Air India and Vistara have wide-body planes in their fleets. IndiGo on Thursday announced placing a firm order for 30 A35-900 planes and also has the right to buy up to 70 more aircraft. During a webinar on 'Outlook for Wide-body Aircraft in India', the consultancy said the country's long and ultra-long haul market is "ripe for disruption, provided that Indian carriers lead the charge". Long and ultra-long haul operations can be structurally profitable given the strong demand for non-stop connectivity, it said and added that higher pricing thresholds and stability are visible. Further, it said the wide-body aircraft needed by Indian carriers to serve long and ultra-long haul markets by FY2032 will be around 100, which

NCLT seeks MCA views on aircraft lessor moratorium exemption in IBC

The Civil Aviation ministry's interpretation of the MCA notification, might be a deterrent for the airlines which end up in insolvency but give a leg up to lessors business

DGCA directs airlines to seat kids up to 12 years with their parents

Airlines shall ensure that children up to the age of 12 years are allocated seats with at least one of their parents or guardians, who are travelling on the same PNR the DGCA mentioned

Ambani's Jamnagar pre-wedding bash: IAF helped manage 600+ jets in 5 days

The airfield in Jamnagar was designated an international airport for the five-day event celebrating Anant Ambani's engagement with Radhika Merchant