Aircraft

Standard Chartered closes operating lease of 5 aircraft with Akasa Air

Global banking group Standard Chartered on Monday said it has closed an operating lease of five new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with domestic carrier Akasa Air. While the bank already provides Akasa Air with corporate banking solutions and services, this is the first aviation finance transaction with the airline, Standard Chartered said in a statement. As part of the deal, structured, financed and arranged exclusively by Standard Chartered Aviation Finance, the first four aircraft were delivered to the airline between December 2022 and March this year, it said. The fifth and final aircraft is scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2023, Standard Chartered added. Akasa Air, which started operations on August 7 last year, had 19 Boeing 737MAX8 in the fleet as of March 25, according to an aircraft fleet tracking website. Standard Chartered has further strengthened its relationship with Akasa Air and supported its growth with these new additions to its fleet, said Kieran Corr,

IndiGo Airline plans to have 350 aircraft in its fleet next fiscal

No-frills airline IndiGo is expecting to fly 100-million passengers and is planning to have 350 aircraft in its fleet in the next fiscal, according to a presentation by the airline at the analysts/investors meet on Thursday. At the same time, the airline is looking to end the current fiscal with around 306 planes in the fleet with the passenger volume estimated at over 85 million. The number of destinations is expected to go up to 115, with around 10-15 destinations likely to be added in the network during the year, as against 104 in FY23, as per the presentation. While demand continues to be strong in the March quarter of the ongoing fiscal, external variables such as volatility in forex and fuel, global supply chain disruption as well as inflationary cost pressures (are) impacting performance. On the capacity side, the airline projects it to be in mid-teens compared to the estimated over 18 per cent in the current fiscal, as per the presentation. The airline, in the presentation

Boeing, Airbus boost search for India talent as demand for aircraft rises

With about 1.5 million engineering students graduating annually, India is a rich source of talent for planemakers facing record orders from airlines as travel surges again after the Covid pandemic

Why the Dakota DC-3 is important to aviation history in India and the world

As Naveen Patnaik unveils a restored Dakota, here's a look back at the aircraft's legacy

Odisha CM unveils Biju Patnaik's iconic Dakota aircraft for public display

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday unveiled former CM Biju Patnaik's iconic "Dakota" DC3 (AT-AUI) aircraft for public display at Biju Patnaik International Airport Bhubaneswar

India looking to partner with Embraer, Sukhoi to make small jets locally

The government will keep 51% equity with an Indian company, while asking the foreign partner to do technology transfer, the people said

Air India to triple current aircraft fleet in a few years: CEO Wilson

Tata group-owned Air India has said that it would increase its fleet by a record 470 aircraft, funding the $70 billion order with internal cash, equity and through sale-and-leasebacks

DGCA approves modification for Hindustan-228 aircraft with 19 passengers

A new variant of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's aircraft 'Hindustan 228-201 LW' has been approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), HAL announced on Monday. This variant has maximum take-off weight of 5,695 kg with 19 passenger capability, the Bengaluru-headquartered HAL said in a statement. With this modification, the aircraft would fall in the Sub 5,700 kg aircraft category, it said. "This variant provides several operational benefits for operators such as reduced pilot qualification requirement enabling pilots with Commercial Pilot License to fly the aircraft, enhanced availability of pilot pool for the aircraft and reduced operational cost," HAL said. In addition, the new variant will result in reduced training requirement for flying and ground crew including aircraft maintenance engineers, it was stated.

Govt to plug gaps in engine tech expertise, lines up buys worth Rs 1.5 trn

India looking to buy Rs 1.5 trillion worth of aero engines in a decade

Top headlines: AI seals largest plane deal, MSCI readies verdict on Adani

Business Standard brings you the top headlines at this hour

Trainer aircraft overturns at Thiruvananthapuram airport, pilot safe

A flight training aircraft for student pilots overturned at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport here on Wednesday, an airport official said. The pilot is safe, the official said. The incident occurred at 11.36 am when the training aircraft of the Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology, while taking off on a solo flight veered off from the runway and overturned.

Private trainer aircraft crashes into temple in MP's Rewa, pilot dead

The aircraft crashed 3 km away from the Chorahta airstrip after hitting the dome of a temple and a tree while on a training sortie

Centre to order 15 more C-295s from Tata-Airbus' Vadodara facility: Report

Out of 15, nine C-295s will be acquired for the Navy and six for Coast Guard

Air India to spend $400 mn to refurbish Boeing 777s and 787 fleet

Carrier will add new seats and best in-flight entertainment across all classes

Airport slots for next season to be based on this season's usage: Govt

Usage of slots for more than 80 per cent of time in the previous winter season decides whether an airline would get the same slot again in the current winter season

Akasa Air to fly with 15 fewer seats due to supply chain woes

The airline expects the issue to be resolved in 6-9 months

SpiceJet gets DGCA nod for wet leasing 5 planes; 2 aircraft operating

SpiceJet has received aviation regulator DGCA's approval for wet leasing five Boeing 737 Max planes for up to six months and the airline has already deployed two of the aircraft on different routes, according to sources. The approval for taking the planes on wet lease was given by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier this month. The sources said the remaining three aircraft will be inducted into SpiceJet fleet in the coming weeks. There was no immediate comment from SpiceJet. The airline already has Boeing 737 Max planes in its fleet. To cater to rising demand in the winter schedule which begins from October 30, SpiceJet and IndiGo have received approval for their proposals to take planes on wet lease. Under wet lease arrangement, planes are leased along with operating crew and engineers. Generally, wet leasing of planes is allowed for short periods to tackle supply constraints and ensure that airfares do not surge significantly. IndiGo has received DGCA nod

Aircraft bird strike incidents rise by 49.3% in January-July period

DGCA official says all airport operators advised to conduct awareness campaigns in schools and localities around airports regarding proper garbage disposal

Govt to allow fractional ownership of business jets and helicopters

Fractional ownership of business planes and helicopters is akin to a timeshare holiday and will allow owners to fly a fixed number of hours per year based on their investment

GIFT city-based lessors likely to lease out 60-odd aircraft by March 2023

The 11 aircraft leased out of GIFT City to date include helicopters, regional aircraft, trainer aircraft and private jets