Aircrafts

India, US special forces carry out wargames to support fighter aircraft ops

The US Air Force is scheduled to bring in F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jets but there may be some change in the schedule of the drill which was planned to begin on April 10

Rs 6,828-crore aircraft contract sanctioned for HAL in Maharashtra's Nashik

The Union government has sanctioned Rs 6,828 crore worth of contract to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) at Ozar in Nashik district for manufacturing 70 HTT-40 aircraft, a central minister said on Wednesday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has given his approval to HAL to manufacture these aircraft, Union Minister of State for Health Dr Bharti Pawar said in a press release here. The PSU has been manufacturing defence equipment since 1964. The Union government's decision will generate work for around 3,000 officers and employees of HAL, said the release.

Air traffic to grow 20% in FY24 as Indian carriers add 132 aircraft: Report

Turbine fuel cost and declining yields to put pressure on airlines, says CAPA India

Indian airlines to report $1.6-1.8 bn consolidated loss in FY24: CAPA

Indian airlines are projected to record a consolidated loss of USD 1.6 to 1.8 billion in the next financial year, aviation consultancy CAPA India said on Monday. The full service carriers are expected to incur a loss of USD 1.1 to 1.2 billion. According to CAPA India, Indian airlines are estimated to have a net induction of 132 planes next fiscal and will take the total fleet of all carriers to around 816 aircraft. While announcing its outlook for 2023-24, CAPA India also said that more than 100 planes of various Indian carriers are on the ground due to supply chain and non-supply chain issues.

CCS approves procurement of 70 basic trainer aircraft for Rs 6,828 cr

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the procurement of 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft costing Rs 6,828 crore for the Indian Air Force. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years. "The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi has approved procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft at the cost of ?6,828.36 crores," Singh said on Twitter. The defence ministry said the HTT-40, produced by state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, is a turboprop aircraft designed to have good low-speed handling qualities and provide better training effectiveness. Singh said the procurement decision will open new opportunities for hundreds of MSMEs (Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and create thousands of jobs. "It is a significant step towards strengthening India's self-reliance in defence," he said. The HTT-40 con

Akasa Air to place order for fleet of aircraft in three digits by year-end

Akasa Air is going to place an order for a fleet of aircraft which will be in three digits by the year-end, the company said on Wednesday. The company's founder and Chief Executive Officer, Vinay Dube said it plans to go international by the year-end and intends to set up a learning academy in Bengaluru. He also said Akasa has already ordered a fleet of 72 aircraft of which 18 have been delivered. "By the end of the year we will place a large order for aircraft. I'm not going to disclose the number but the order will be in three digits and it will be significant," Dube said in a press conference here. In the next one year, Akasa is going to hire 300 pilots, Dube said, adding that the company is also going to open a learning centre in Bengaluru. According to him, Akasa Air will need at least 3,500 pilots in the next one decade. The company completed six months of its operations to become the fastest growing airlines in the country, it said in a statement. With 36 daily flights fr

India has world's fourth largest jet-engine powered passenger plane fleet

As of Feb 20, a total of 717 passenger aircraft have been registered with DGCA. Apart from jet-engine planes from Airbus and Boeing, the list also includes turboprop aircraft and some smaller planes

Hanuman's image returns on HAL's display aircraft on last day of Aero India

A picture of Lord Hanuman returned to the vertical stabiliser of the static display aircraft model of defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on the last day of Aero India 2023 here, three days after it was removed without assigning any reason. Anjaneya, as Hanuman is also referred to, is seen with his mace in battle mode and the caption below the sticker read, "The storm is coming". An HAL official, on condition of anonymity, told PTI that they carried out orders as received. The HTFT-42 trainer aircraft has been kept at the HAL's Hall-3 here at the five-day aviation exhibition. Three days ago, the display came up at the pavilion eliciting curiosity among onlookers. As it hit headlines, the defence PSU removed it without citing any particular reason.

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to provide MRO support for GA-ASI's MQ-9B engines

State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will provide maintenance support services for engines of American MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, considered one of the most sophisticated armed drones globally, for their operations in India, officials said on Wednesday. The announcement of the project comes amid India's ongoing talks with the US to procure 30 MQ-9B armed drones at a cost of over USD 3 billion primarily to crank up its surveillance apparatus along the frontier with China as well as in the Indian Ocean region. The HAL and US defence major General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI), the manufacturer of the MQ-9Bs, announced the collaboration on the MRO (maintenance repair and overhaul) services for the drones on the sidelines of Aero India-2023 at the Yelahanka air base complex. In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics for a period of one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. The lea

Pratt & Whitney opens India Engineering Center facility in Karnataka

The new IEC facility is co-located with Pratt & Whitney's India Capabilities Centre (ICC), which opened in 2022 to provide integrated global supply chain support.

4 Jet Airways aircraft attached over non-payment of gratuity to employees

The issue is now pending before the Supreme Court following an appeal by the consortium

Very tough path ahead for new entrants like Akasa, Jet 2.0: GMR official

Julian Carr, the firm's CMO, says it will be "fascinating" to see how IndiGo's desire to grow further progresses when Air India aims to become a big full-service domestic and international carrier

European cargo airline moves NCLT to acquire 3 Jet Airways aircraft

Fresh challenge for reviving Jet as union opposes sale of assets until employees get provident fund and gratuity

UK, Italy, Japan team up to build sixth-generation fighter by 2035

Reports indicate the UK held talks with India on joining the coalition

Air India leases 12 more aircraft to enhance international operations

These aircraft are expected to be inducted in the first half of 2023 and will be deployed on the flag carrier's short, medium and long-haul international routes

IndiGo, SpiceJet international flights diverted due to technical glitches

Failure in one of IndiGo aircraft's hydraulic systems, caution light indication in SpiceJet plane's cockpit cause diversion

How feasible are Rolls-Royce and easyJet's hydrogen engines for planes?

Rolls-Royce and easyJet said that they have successfully run an aircraft engine using green hydrogen created by wind and tidal power

Airports, nearby areas may not get 5G network services anytime soon

DGCA asks telcos to ensure a buffer zone amid fears of C-band 5G interfering with aircraft altimeters

Single-pilot operations only after thorough investigation, EASA says

European Aviation Safety Agency's proposal draws flak from pilots who say it is too risky

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