CATEGORIES

West Or East? Indigo Knows Best

Ambitious to fly international big time, home-grown IndiGo has the wherewithal, the equipment and the expertise. But as Ameya Joshi points out, the foreign forays will not be as easy as IndiGo’s domestic moves. Its first flight to Istanbul and the codeshare with Turkish Airlines would not only be a test case for the carrier but will be closely watched by the competition.

Heathrow: The End Of The Beginning

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Cabinet has endorsed a proposal to build a third runway at Heathrow. It follows 15 years of deliberations over where to expand the UK’s airport capacity. Many view it not as the beginning of the end but as the end of the beginning. 

Now, Will Everyone Fly?

History has never been kind to regional carriers in India. Many have started only to flounder and vanish in a few months. This time around, with the government’s UDAN initiative and the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), will the going be different for regional carrier operators? Will the MoU between the Ministry of Civil Aviation and states for implementation of the scheme ensure connectivity of the 16 under-served airports and later the 394 un-served ones? Cruising Heights takes a close look. 

Showcase Of A Partnership

The second busiest airport in the Philippines and the country’s first privatised airport under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework, Mactan-Cebu International Airport is undergoing a transformation that is attracting the eyes of the aviation world. Spearheading the changes as a partner is India’s airport infrastructure major GMR

New Terminal Will Look Specifically And Traditionally Filipino

Andrew Acquaah-Harrison, Chief Executive Advisor, GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation, has his work cut out. Heading the expansion of the first airport in the Philippines to be privatised under the PPP model, Acquaah-Harrison vision is clear: the Mactan Cebu International Airport has to be one of the “friendliest and most efficient” airport in the Philippines and Asia. He took time out from his busy schedule during his flying trip to Delhi for the GAD Asia conference to talk to TIRTHANKAR GHOSH. Excerpts from the conversation:

New Star On The Horizon

When Airbus completed its acquisition of Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft programme and became a majority stakeholder with 50.01 percent, it was seen as a step in the right direction by operators. And rightly so because Airbus wants to target the 100-150 seat market with the new addition in its family, reports C SANTHOSH.

Opportunities Galore For India

As the global MRO industry transitions towards new technology, India’s MRO market could find new opportunities – if only the right environment is created.

We Are Looking To Produce The Falcon 2000 Business Jet From The Nagpur Facility

After the successes of the Falcon 7X and 8X, there seems to be no looking back for Dassault Aviation. The new Falcon jet programme holds a lot of promises for the company, says Vadim Feldzer, Head of Global Communications, Dassault Falcon.

A Tribute To A Superstar

When Amitabh Bachchan turned 75 some time ago, Cruising Heights’ Picture Editor Pradeep Chandra decided to celebrate it in his own special way.

MAX8: Will it bring joy to Jet?

Once India’s only carrier with all the bells and whistles, today’s Jet Airways is anything but that. It looks old and tired even as it celebrates its 25th anniversary and nowhere is it more apparent than the domestic skies where it has lost its dominant position. Internationally too, Jet is an also ran. With the new B737 MAX8, the carrier has the opportunity to get back the leadership position it once held.

Choked, Yet Fighting Fit

That’s the story of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. With its single runway, it created a record on June 5, 2018 when it handled 1003 flights! However, the situation seems bit ironic on ground.

Maharaja Mess

It has been only downs for Air India. Caught in a tight-jacketed financial bind, the airline started its downhill journey a long ago and if nothing is done to revive its fortunes by the end of this financial year, India could bid farewell to the iconic national carrier. A report

Engine Troubles Plague Planemakers

With the engines of the major aircraft, call them kings of the skies, suffering from major technical glitches resulting in grounding of aircraft, the outlook is now a lot cloudier than it was at the beginning of the year for aircraft engine manufacturers

AIR CARGO 'Vision 2035' Will Kickstart Domestic Cargo

Once the blueprint on ways to deal with infrastructure constraints in the aviation sector is ready, air cargo will take a quantum leap with domestic connectivity

Rooting For A Cause

A start-up is leveraging nostalgia and memories to connect those who have moved away from their homes through food and air cargo.

More Flights With AI

AI launched its thrice-a-week nonstop flight between Delhi and Copenhagen, capital of Denmark from September 16, 2017.

Nagpur Redux

Now that the airport has been handed over to MIHAN India Limited (MIL), work will be speeded up to complete the Multimodal International Hub.

Half Worldwide Bizjet Fleet Is 15 Years Or Older

More than 10,700 of the more than 21,900 global business jets were built in 2002 or earlier, according to data analysed by aviation market research firm Amstat. Nearly half of the global business jet fleet is 15 years or older.

Rotary Wing Warriors

With the exception of the Cheetah/ Chetak/Cheetal helicopter fleet, the air force helicopter inventory can be divided into Russian platforms (Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-17 1V, Mi-17 V5, Mi 25, Mi 35, Mi 26) and the indigenously developed Dhruv ‘Advanced Light Helicopter’ (ALH) across ALH MK-I, ALH MKIII, ALH-MKIV versions. Five new helicopter types are to be inducted before the end of the decade; Kamov Ka-226T ‘Sergei’, HAL Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and Light Combat Helicoper (LCH), Boeing AH-64E ‘Apache’ and CH-47I ‘Chinook’.

The Maharaja's Worth For Bidders!

The national carrier has many takeaways and the government expects the bidders to pay for the good as well as the bad. It is a package deal, agreed. But as bidders find the conditions of the stake sale onerous, the government has come half-way to say that it is willing to change terms.

Enter the Falcon 6X

Pushing the boundaries further with the spacious, advanced and versatile twinjet Falcon 6X, Dassault will set new standards in the long-range large-cabin segment

A Kick-Start For Pharma Exports

The national regulatory body for Indian pharmaceuticals clears the way for exporters by doing away with the No-Objection Certificate for consignments meant for foreign markets.

Where Does Trump Fly From Here?

Watch and wait... Trump has threatened to tighten the screws of all businesses nonAmerican but will he? Will the shrewd businessman that he is stop him from overturning trade alliances and turning off the supply chain that American aviation giants depend on? A close look

Southern Giants Up Their Cargo Game

The Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports have enhanced their cargo facilities. The aim is to make the airports gateways.

'Our Duty Is To Facilitate Infrastructure Even Where There Is Little Commercial Viability'

Realising the importance and growth of the air cargo industry and its impact on the Indian economy, AAI incorporated an integrated logistics network entity last year: AAICLAS. After almost a year of operations, AAICLAS has a new Chief Executive Officer, Keku Bomi Gazder, a veteran in the aviation industry. With close to three decades of experience in airlines operations and having worked with several international airlines across the Middle East, South Asia and the Indian sub-continent region, Gazder is enthusiastic and passionate about his new role. He is positive and believes that AAICLAS will be benchmarked against the best in the world. Excerpts from a conversation:

Air Cargo Deserves Importance

It has been more than a year since Airports Authority of India launched its cargo subsidiary, AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited. With its aim to become the largest networked and fastest growing logistics solution provider in the country, the cargo logistics company is a realisation — though delayed — by the government that air cargo deserves importance for the part it plays in the nation’s economy.

Saab Handshake With Adani - For Gripen

The news about the collaboration under the ‘Make in India’ programme comes at a crucial moment since Saab has offered its Gripen E as the multirole fighter aircraft that the country has been seeking for quite some time now.

Will Body Scanners Be The Ultimate In Safety?

While body scanners will solve the problems of security and passenger convenience, the idea requires the right permutation and combination to be considered an exemplary example of artificial intelligence.

Turnaround Over, It's Spicejet's Time to Grow

The mega deal with Boeing for 205 planes by SpiceJet marks the beginning of the carrier’s growth story for the future.

Embraer's deliveries up by 38 per cent

Embraer declared that its Legacy 450 mid-light business jet has completed its maiden voyage to Hawaii, from California, a development the company called a historic moment. Moreover, the rise in deliveries has helped 2016 to be a memorable year for Embraer.