The Tribune Online

NEW DELHI, July 18: Faced with resignation of pilots, Air-India subsidiary Air-India Express, which operates flights to the Gulf, has decided to suspend three flights each from Mumbai and Delhi, effective on Monday.

The curtailment has been necessitated on account of resignation of six commanders and two co-pilots, the company said in a release on Monday.

"These pilots, who were employed by Air-India Express following the PSU rules of recruitment, have deserted the airline without giving the required six months' notice," it said.

While flights departing from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode will remain unchanged, the Mumbai-Abu Dhabi-Muscat-Delhi, Delhi-Muscat-Abu Dhabi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Abu Dhabi-Delhi and Delhi-Abu Dhabi-Mumbai flights have been cancelled till July 30.

Regretting inconvenience caused to passengers on account of "circumstances beyond its control," the company said efforts were being made to provide alternate arrangements on subsequent flights of Air-India Express to their destinations or Air-India flights over Dubai.

NEW DELHI, June 22: The European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, not only outsold its US rival, Boeing, at the Paris air show by 2:1, but Airbus also bagged the most plane orders from India proving that India is the fastest growing aviation market.

"India is one of the fastest growing aviation market in the world and it proved so at the recently concluded Paris air show when Indian carriers ordered 125 of the 280 orders Airbus bagged the 7-day show," said Dr Kiran Rao, Senior Vice President (Marketing and Pricing and Customer Affairs).

Dr Rao said "the 280 orders and commitments are worth around $ 33.5 billion and these reaffirm Airbus' leadership of the airliner business and reflect an increasingly strong market recovery. In contrast, Boeing bagged orders for 146 aircraft worth $ 13.3 billion."

Mr Nigel Harwood, Vice President (Sales), Indian subcontinent and South Asia, said "customers in the Middle East and India made up of the bulk orders and commitments, with Qatar Airways announcing it would acquire 60 Airbus A350s and start-up Indian carrier IndiGo accounting for the largest single deal for 100 Airbus A320 family aircraft."

Mr Harwood said India leads the world in economic growth and India and China were driving the world economy. He predicted that India would need 570 aircraft worth over $ 55 billion in the next 20 years and Airbus expects to win at least half this market.

Besides 100 aircraft order of IndiGo, Mr David Vellupillai said the other Indian carriers that have placed orders at the biggest air show of the world include Jed Airways 10 A330s, Kingfisher Airlines 15 that include five A330s, five A350s and five A380s.

Mr Vellupillai said Airbus' success was founded in innovative design, which has given it the world's most modern aircraft family in every category - from 100 seat Airbus A318 all the way up to the world's largest and newest airliner, the double deck A380, and fuel-efficient planes.

Dr Rao said Indian airports would be able to receive 550-seat A380 aircraft in 2007. Several airlines like Singapore Airlines, Virgin and Lufthansa have ordered A380s and these airlines plan to fly these planes to India. Kingfisher Airlines is the first Indian carrier to order five A380s. "India will need 20 A380 aircraft in future," he added.

He informed that Airbus officials have been in talks with the officials from the Government and Airports Authority of India (AAI) to work the "modest" modifications required to receive A380s by 2007. He said over 60 airports would see the A380 by 2010. Dr Rao said A380 is the world's most efficient aircraft as it benefits not only from economy of scale and new technology but also needs less distance for take offs and landing as compared to Boeing B747 but also fits within airport size limits.

Dr Rao said Airbus was looking at options of looking at setting up a training center in India. To overcome the shortage of pilots, he said India would get about five to eight flight stimulators in the next 15 to 18 months.

NEW DELHI, June 23: The government has approved the creation of a joint venture company by public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and French firm SNECMA for manufacture of spares and parts of civilian aircraft engines.

The initial expenditure of Rs 50 crore in the joint venture was also approved by the Union Cabinet at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, according to Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister.

NEW DELHI, June 18: The Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr E Ahamed, flagged of the Air India flight from Delhi to Dhaka on Saturday morning in the presence of Foreign Secretary Shayam Saran, acting High Bangladesh High Commissioner Masud Bin Momen and Chairman and Managing Director of Air India V Thulasidas.

Mr Thulasidas said the new flight would also link Dhaka to Kolkata and London. The AI CMD said the new flight to London would have enormous significance for West Bengal and neighbouring States, including those in the North Eastern region, as passengers will now be able to travel in a much shorter time and with far greater convenience. Mr Thulasidas said the new flight would be operated on thrice weekly basis on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Speaking at an impressive inaugural ceremony at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Mr Ahamed said the new flight would help improve people to people contact and better trade and tourism ties between India and Bangladesh. He said it has been the Government's endeavour to have good road and air connectivity within the SAARC region.

Mr Masud Bin Momen said the new flight to Dhaka would help increase tourism, including medical tourism, and enhance people to people contacts between the two neighbouring countries. Mr Momen said the ties between India and Bangladesh have always been good and can even be better with the higher interaction between the two sides. He informed that Bangladesh Foreign Secretary is arriving here on Monday for foreign office dialogue with his counterpart.

He said the two Foreign Secretaries would also review the forthcoming visit of Prime Minsiter Dr Manmohan Singh to Dhaka in November for the SAARC summit where he would meet his counterpart.

The new flight, part of Air-India's sustained drive to expand its worldwide route network, is the third long-haul flight introduced by Air-India in the past three months. Air-India had, on March 28 last introduced its Delhi-Frankfurt-Los Angeles flight and on May 15 last, a new flight on the Delhi-Amritsar-Birmingham-Toronto sector.

The flight will be operated with the state-of-the-art Boeing 777-200 aircraft, which has 272 seats in three class configuration -- 12 First Class, 49 Executive Class and 211 Economy Class seats. While the First Class seats in the Boeing 777s are flat bed type with privacy partitions, slumberettes have been provided in the Executive Class. In-arm-video system with LCD displays and multi-channel audio systems are available in all three classes.

Attractive introductory fares are being offered by Air-India on these flights. The round-trip Economy Class fare for Kolkata-London, valid till July 31 is Rs.25,810.

With the introduction of flights from Kolkata, Air-India will now have flights from Mumbai, and 13 other Indian cities to various destinations in the world. Incidentally, Air-India will operate flights from Dhaka, formerly Dacca, the Capital and the largest city of Bangladesh, after a gap of nearly 30 years.

JUNE 18: India has set itself on the path of rapid economic growth and air travel will be part of that. This was visibly evident when the Indian carriers ordered 150 aircraft, near half of world's order, worth $ 14 billion at the ongoing Paris air show.

Catching on with the boom in the Indian aviation market, the Indian private airlines have in the last six months placed orders for 250 aircraft, representing 43 per cent of the total global orders placed with aircraft manufacturers -- Airbus and Boeing. Add the 110 planes that national carriers Air-India and Indian Airlines are expected to order, and India's share of the global aircraft market zooms beyond 50 per cent. Globally, Airbus and Boeing have secured combined orders of 573-Airbus 296 and Boeing 277- compared with 647 in the whole of last year.

Commenting on huge orders for Airbus at the Paris air show, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer John Leahy said, "we see dramatic growth in the Indian market. It was artificially protected in the past but there are many new carriers now. India is starting a rapid economic expansion and we think air travel will be part of that." And he added that air travel tends to grow at twice the rate of GDP. Airbus President and CEO Noel Forgeard feels that China and India should be the drivers of growth in the future, a view that IATA director-general Giovanni Bisignani shares.

To everyone's surprise and to much delight of Airbus, IndiGo, a new-entrant in the Indian budget airline market, on Thursday placed orders for 100 Airbus jets worth $6 billion at list prices, taking the total value of deals placed by Indian carriers at the ongoing Paris Air Show to nearly $14 billion. The airline has placed orders for 100 jets from the Airbus A320 family - which includes A 319, A320 and A321. Promoter by travel group InterGlobe Enterprises, IndiGo is expected to enter the domestic aviation market in the winter of 2005 as a low-cost carrier.

IndiGo's backing includes an investment from a seasoned airline executive, former US Airways chief Rakesh Gangwal, He has also held positions at United Airlines and Air France, is now Chairman and CEO of reservations service Worldspan Technologies. Deliveries of IndiGo's planes will start late in 2006.

Jet Airways was the first to order 30 planes - a mix of 20 Boeing and 10 Airbus with an option to buy 10 more - for a combined worth of $7.5 billion. Soon after, Kingfisher placed its $3-billion order for 15 Airbus planes, including the to-be-launched A350 and A380 - the first ever by an Indian carrier. Paramount had signed a deal for five Embraer jets for $138 million to introduce services on the regional and metro routes.

Air Deccan, India's first low-cost airline, took delivery of its first new ATR 72-500 aircraft at the show. This aircraft, delivered with a 72-seat configuration, is the first one of an order for 30 new ATR 72-500 aircraft signed, in February, at Aero India in Bangalore. In addition, Air Deccan has inked a $90 million maintenance deal with French turbo-prop aircraft maker ATR.

However, there are many others who are skeptical of matching funding and available infrastructure to sustain so many aircraft being bought by new and upcoming airlines in India. Asks Dinesh Keskar, President (India) of Boeing, "The world is sceptical about the way Indian new-born carriers are ordering planes. How are they going to get so many pilots, where is the infrastructure?" Look who's buying these birds in India? Complete unknowns-until even a few days ago. It will have to be seen how many these order actually fructify and how many of the airlines actually survive the aviation boom.

LE BOURGET, June 17: IndiGo, a new-entrant in the Indian budget airline market, on Thursday placed orders for 100 Airbus jets worth $6 billion at list prices, taking the total value of deals placed by Indian carriers at the ongoing Paris Air Show to nearly $17 billion.

The airline has placed orders for 100 jets from the Airbus A320 family - which includes A 319, A320 and A321. Promoter by travel group InterGlobe Enterprises, IndiGo is expected to enter the domestic aviation market in the winter of 2005 as a low-cost carrier. IndiGo is backed by an investment from former US Airways chief Rakesh Gangwal. Deliveries of IndiGo's planes will start late in 2006.

"We see dramatic growth in the Indian market. It was artificially protected in the past but there are many new carriers now,"said Airbus chief commercial officer John Leahy. "India is starting a rapid economic expansion and we think air travel will be part of that." Indian carriers have been dominating the Paris Show placing huge aircraft orders as part of their plans to ride the boom in the Indian aviation market.

Jet Airways was the first to order 50 planes - a mix of Boeing and Airbus - for a combined worth of $7.5 billion. Soon after, Kingfisher placed its $3-billion order for 15 Airbus planes, including the to-be-launched A350 and A380 - the first ever by an Indian carrier. In addition, Air Deccan has inked a $90 million maintenance deal with French turbo-prop aircraft maker ATR.

Indian carriers continue to rule Paris air show

By Deepak Arora

LE BOURGET, PAIRS, June 16: Indian carriers continued to rule the biggest air show in Paris on the second successive day to prove that future of aviation belongs to India. After Jet Airways orders worth $ 4 billion on Tuesday, Vijaya Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines, Capt Gopinath's Air Deccan and Coimbatore-based Paramount Airways announced deals to purchase aircraft worth over $ 3.7 billion.

In fact, Kingfisher became the first Indian carrier to place firm orders for two future planes - the Airbus A380 super jumbo that can seat 555 passengers and mid-size A 350 - and Airbus A330-200 that would help the carrier spread its wings in the international skies starting 2007. The no-nonsense King of Good Times Dr Vijaya Mallya signed the deal with European manufacturer, Airbus, for 15 aircraft world $ 3 billion at the ongoing Paris air show.

Kingfisher placed orders for five A330-200s, which the carrier would use on routes between India and Europe and Asia. The A380, which will be configured across 490 seats in a three-class configuration with a super first class, would be deployed on non-stop services between Mumbai/Delhi and New York.

While the 230-seater A350, in two-class configuration, will be made use on flights between emerging hotspots in India like Bangalore and Dallas, San Fransisco and other destinations. The smaller A330 will fly between India and Europe and Asia.

While deliveries of the A330s are due to begin in the third quarter of 2007, the A350s would be delivered in 2012. Two months ago, Kingfisher Airlines became India's first private carrier to launch services with a brand new aircraft A320. Kingfisher Airlines is already an important Airbus customer. It has ordered ten A320s and three A319s, and has options on a further 20 single-aisle aircraft.

"India is one of the world's fastest growing markets, especially among the younger emerging generation and these new Airbus aircraft will give us the lead in competing for their business," said Mallya, chairman of UB Group, the parent company of Kingfisher Airlines. "We'll begin with the Airbus A330, which is a great aircraft and later will create a sensation with the 21st century flagship A380, before adding the world's newest airliner, the A350. Imagine flying the good times, not just in India, but worldwide!" said Mallya.

Speaking on the benefits of Airbus aircraft, the company's CEO Noël Forgeard said: "Our Airbus A330, A350 and A380 are clearly the right aircraft for the strongly growing Indian aviation industry. And Kingfisher is certain to gain from it."Mallya said that the airline would shortly apply for permission to the civil aviation ministry to go international by 2007, by when it would be three years old in the domestic skies, which is the mandatory experience norm for an airline to fly on international routes.

Incidentally, Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Praful Patel, had earlier hinted that norms for overseas foray by domestic carriers will be relaxed as the market and the operators mature and gain in experience.

Also on Wednesday, Air Deccan, the first Indian low-cost airline, took delivery of its first new ATR 72-500 aircraft at Paris Air Show. This aircraft, delivered with a 72-seat configuration, is the first one of an order for 30 new ATR 72-500 aircraft signed, in February, at Aero India in Bangalore.

The delivery ceremony took place on the static with Air Deccan's Managing director Capt Gopinath and Filippo Bagnato, Chief Executive Officer of ATR. On this occasion, Air Deccan also confirmed the order announced in January for 6 second-hand ATR aircraft (3 ATR 42-500 and 3 ATR 72-500).

The Indian airline started its operations with four second-hand ATR 42s in August 2003. The Air Deccan ATR fleet has now grown to 12 ATR 42 aircraft, now to be expanded with the just delivered ATR 72-500 aircraft. ATR aircraft are very well adapted for feeder routes in India and can access most of the airports unable to be operated by jets. Furthermore, they are well known to be the most economics aircraft in their category.

ATR currently holds a market share in India of 60 per cent in the 20 to 90-seat regional market and of the turboprop sector the market share is 73 per cent. In the Asia Pacific area, 104 ATRs are currently operated by 23 airlines.

On Tuesday, two other Indian air carriers, Jet Airways and Coimbatore-based Paramount Airways had placed orders for new aircraft at the show.

While Jet had placed orders for 30 aircraft -- 20 Boeing 777s and 737-800s and 10 Airbus A330- 200/330a -- worth over $4 billion, Paramount had signed a deal for five Embraer jets for $138 million to introduce services on the regional and metro routes.

Air India to link Delhi-Dhaka-Kolkata-London

NEW DELHI, June 16: Air-India will launch direct flights from Kolkata to London from June 18. The new flight, to be operated on the Delhi-Dhaka-Kolkata-London route on thrice weekly basis on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, will also provide connectivity between Delhi-Dhaka; Dhaka-Kolkata and Dhaka-London.

The new flight, part of Air-India's sustained drive to expand its worldwide route network, is the third long-haul flight to be introduced by Air-India in the past three months. Air-India had, on March 28 last introduced its Delhi-Frankfurt-Los Angeles flight and on May 15 last, a new flight on the Delhi-Amritsar-Birmingham-Toronto sector.

Introduction of this new non-stop flight between Kolkata and London will have enormous significance for West Bengal and neighbouring States, including those in the North Eastern region, as passengers will now be able to travel in a much shorter time and with far greater convenience.

Attractive introductory fares are being offered by Air-India on these flights. The round-trip Economy Class fare for Kolkata-London, valid till July 31 is Rs.25,810.

HAL, Jet keep India's flag high at Paris air show

By Deepak Arora

LE BOURGET, PARIS, June 14: For the first time, India flew its indigenously designed and developed fixed wing military aircraft, Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) at a foreign air show, projecting its credentials as a maturing player in the aviation industry and seeking a market for its products.

The Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT), also known as the HJT-36, displayed its air power at the famed Le-Bourget air show at Paris in the presence of Indian Ambassador to France Dilip Lahiri, Secretary (Defence Production) Shekhar Dutt and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman Ashok K Baweja besides the international aviation community.

Besides the public-sector HAL, it was also private airline Jet Airways that kept India's flag high at the Paris air show, the largest show in the world. In a path-breaking expansion bid, Jet Airways signed a deal with Airbus to buy ten A 330-200 and A 330-300 aircraft, with options to acquire ten more, and another with Boeing for 20 of their aircraft.

The importance France gives to India could be gauged from the fact that French President Jacques Chirac found time to visit the HAL display area.

With the induction of these 30 aircraft, Jet Airways would become one of the largest carriers in India. At the moment, the private carrier has 36 Boeing 737s, three A-340s and eight ATR 72-500s.

The Bangalore-based HAL, which is responsible for the design and development of the IJT, is also conducting a flying display of another indigenously developed aircraft, the Advanced Light Helicopter, christened Dhruv. It is also displaying its workhorse Cheetah re-engined to Cheetal configuration for superior performance. This is being billed as India's biggest-ever participation at an international air show abroad.

Air Chief S.P. Tyagi, who is expected to generate considerable attention in view of the acquisition process of 126 multi-role fighter aircraft for the IAF, will beef up the Indian presence at the air show.

The IJT is being developed by HAL as the replacement for the Kiran Stage-II trainer for IAF pilots. It has an all-metal structure and its rear cockpit view is avowedly the best in its class, providing for greater safety in training. "The IJT has the highest elevation of rear cockpit in comparison to any other aircraft of its class, providing for good all-round visibility for the instructor. It is designed to be forgiving of the trainees' errors: hence the emphasis is on ease of flying rather than speed," according to an HAL spokesman.

The maximum speed is 750 km per hour, and designers have made a provision for arming the aircraft with five hard points. The maximum take off weight is 4.5 tons, including 1 ton of weapons.

The ALH is a 5.5 ton multi-utility helicopter, which can carry 12 troops in addition to a two-member crew. Extensive use of composites provide optimum crashworthiness and battle damage tolerance to the chopper. All the services will be equipped with the ALH, which is now in the process of being weaponised.

The naval version of the Dhruv ALH will be equipped for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare. The weaponised Dhruv for the Army will be equipped for close-air support to infantry troops, anti-armour operations and special heliborne operations. Anti-tank missiles, rockets and turret guns will be integrated with the chopper.

A Jet Airways spokesman said the deliveries of the ten A-330-200/300 aircraft would commence in the first quarter of 2007. But Jet Airways will become the first Indian operator of the Airbus A330 even sooner, in May 2006, when it takes delivery of the first of several aircraft leased from ILFC.

"Only the Airbus A330 has the versatility to be economic on short, medium and long-haul services," says Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal. "Airbus' A330 has exceptional cabin comfort and style, modern design and proven reliability, and excellent economics - just what we need as Jet Airways goes global."

Jet Airways is India's largest private carrier, and recently became the first in the country to fly the Airbus A330/A340 family by leasing three Airbus A340-300Es, which are already a great success on Mumbai-London flights, and which will shortly inaugurate services from Delhi to London.

On the Boeing deal, he said the private carrier had placed orders for acquisition of six Boeing 777-200 LR (long range) Worldliners, four Boeing 777-300 ER (extended range) and ten next generation Boeing 737-800s. This agreement would mark the beginning of Boeing 777s in its fleet.