Page 4 - Aviation Industry

Pilots' grouping seeks changes in fatigue management norms for flight crew

A grouping of pilots has sought changes in the norms regarding fatigue management for flight crew, saying the regulations should be based on scientific principles, operational knowledge and experience. Fatigue among pilots is a concern and there have been reports of pilots falling asleep while operating flights. A recent survey of 542 pilots by NGO Safety Matters Foundation showed 66 per cent of the respondents admitted that they have fallen asleep without planning/consent of the other crew or experienced micro sleep. The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA), which represents pilots of narrow-body aircraft at Air India, has urged civil aviation regulator DGCA to do away with all the current regulations related to fatigue management for flight crew and formulate new norms. In a letter, dated September 12, written to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the association also said that professionals, organisations and associations like ICPA should be involved while

Akasa Air grounds B737 Max aircraft after noticing engine fuel leak

Carrier operating with three planes, will source spare parts to repair the engine fuel pump

SpiceJet sends 80 pilots on leave without pay for three mths to prune costs

Loss making airline is currently operating less than half its flights, following a July 27 DGCA order brought on by a spate of incidents

Boeing will find new buyers for Max jets ordered by Chinese airlines

Boeing officials said Thursday they will find new buyers for Boeing 737 Max jets that were built for Chinese airlines but can't be delivered because China's aviation regulator has not cleared the plane to fly after two deadly crashes. Boeing hopes the move will reduce its inventory of undelivered Max jets, which built up while the planes were grounded around the world. However, the decision risks adding to tension between the aircraft manufacturer and China, which was once Boeing's biggest market for the Max. Arlington, Va.-based Boeing had 290 undelivered 737s in inventory as of June 30, with about half of them earmarked for China, company officials said. Boeing's hopes were raised last December, when China's aviation regulator took a major step toward letting airlines resume using the Max. In February, Chinese airlines ran flight tests. But the Civil Aviation Administration of China has not taken the final steps to allow Max flights and deliveries to resume, which Boeing official

AI Express B737 engine catches fire at Muscat airport, all 141 evacuated

Plane was taxiing towards runway when crew of another aircraft noticed fumes, alerted pilots

Fire in AI Express plane's engine at Muscat airport; 151 people evacuated

As many as 141 passengers were evacuated from an Air India Express plane at Muscat airport on Wednesday following a smoke warning, according to an airline source. The incident happened while the Kochi-bound Boeing 737-800 aircraft was taxiing and after the warning, the passengers were evacuated as a precautionary measure, the source said. There were 141 passengers and six crew members onboard the aircraft that was operating flight IX 442, the source said. Aviation regulator DGCA will probe the incident, according to an official. Alternative arrangements are being made to bring the passengers from Muscat to Kochi, the source said.

Alliance Air to hold Board meeting on Sept 16 to restore pilots' salaries

During the peak of the Covid pandemic, Indian carriers had cut the salaries of their employees to reduce losses. This year, while most of them have restored the salaries, a few are yet to do so

Alliance Air pilots go on strike over salary, demad pre-covid level pay

A section of pilots of Alliance Air went on strike on Friday over salary issues, resulting in the cancellation of some flights, according to sources. Alliance Air, which is owned by the government, operates ATR planes. As per its website, Alliance Air connects 48 destinations within India with 100 departures per day. Pre-COVID, the airline was flying to 62 destinations. The sources said a section of the pilots has gone on strike, protesting against salary issues. One of the demands is the restoration of pilots' salaries to the pre-COVID level. In the wake of the pandemic, the salaries were cut by 60 per cent and till now, the pay has not been fully restored, one of the sources said. According to the sources, the management will be soon discussing the issues related to the salaries of pilots. When contacted, an Alliance Air spokesperson said the airline will be issuing a statement soon. The carrier has 18 ATR 72-600 aircraft in service.

SpiceJet Delhi-Nashik flight returns midway due to 'autopilot' snag

A SpiceJet flight that took off for Nashik in Maharashtra from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Thursday morning returned midway to the city due to an 'autopilot' snag, a DGCA official said. The Boeing 737 aircraft landed safely, he said. SpiceJet B737 aircraft VT-SLP, operating flight SG-8363 (Delhi-Nashik) on Thursday was involved in an air turnback due to an autopilot snag, the official said. Facing financial turbulence amid high fuel prices and rupee depreciation, SpiceJet aircraft have been involved in a series of incidents in the past as well, following which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a show-cause notice to the airline. On July 27, the aviation safety regulator had also ordered the airline to operate a maximum of 50 per cent of its flights for eight weeks.

SpiceJet shares fall 15% to hit one-month low on bigger quarterly loss

SpiceJet on Wednesday reported a net loss of 7.84 billion rupees ($98.50 million) for the quarter ended June 30, compared with a loss of 7.31 billion rupees a year earlier

IndiGo announces codeshare with Virgin Atlantic; to cover 7 cities in India

The codeshare will allow Virgin Atlantic passengers to book a single ticket to travel from London to Delhi or Mumbai, and then take IndiGo flight to these Indian cities

Pilot of prominent airline fails drug test; DGCA removes him from duty

A pilot of a prominent airline has been removed from flight duty after he failed a drug test, a senior DGCA official said on Friday. He is the fourth pilot to fail the drug test since the procedure for examination of aviation personnel for consumption of psychoactive substances came into effect from January 31. The test is done for the flight crew and ATCs on a random basis. So far, four pilots and one Air Traffic Controller (ATC) have tested positive for psychoactive substances. According to the official, a pilot of a prominent airline was subjected to the drug test in the national capital. He was found positive in the confirmatory test report received on August 23 and has been removed from the flight duty, the official said. As per the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), in case the result of the confirmatory drug test is positive for the first time, then the personnel concerned will be referred to a de-addiction centre by the organisation concerned for de-addiction and ...

Cost and competition may keep IndiGo's growth under check: Brokerages

Yields have been higher in Q2; market leader continues to gain market share

Can your pilot go off to sleep in the cockpit midair? Yes, but...

Both pilots of Ethiopian Airlines dozed off, missing the landing and causing safety concern

SpiceJet Durgapur incident: DGCA suspends pilot's licence for 6 months

Aviation regulator DGCA has suspended the licence of a SpiceJet pilot for six months following an incident where the airline's flight from Mumbai to Durgapur had faced severe turbulence and resulted in injuries to many passengers in May. In the incident that happened on May 1, as many as 14 passengers and 3 cabin crew members were injured. A senior DGCA official on Saturday said the licence of the pilot-in-command of the flight has been suspended for six months due to various violations. Among others, the pilot could have dealt with the bad weather situation in a better manner, the official said. There were no comments on the issue from SpiceJet. Since it was a serious incident, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was probing the matter. As many as 195 people, including 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew members were onboard the flight. Earlier, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had said the 14 passengers and 3 cabin crew members suffered injuries related to

Explained: What is PNR data, why will Indian airlines have to share it?

This information will be used by the Customs department for surveillance and risk assessment of international passengers

Akasa Air has strong financials to place order for more planes: CEO

The Jhunjhunwala family holds stakes in the airline through three discretionary trusts

Interline agreement: Jetstar passengers can now book seat on IndiGo flights

Passengers of Australian low-cost airline Jetstar can now book seats on IndiGo flights as an interline agreement between the carriers went live on Wednesday, according to a statement. "As demand for air travel continues to recover, Jetstar customers looking for low-cost travel options can now access IndiGo's low fares from Jetstar's hub in Singapore to key Indian destinations including Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Tiruchirappalli via jetstar.com," the carriers said in a joint statement. Australian carrier Jetstar, which is the low-cost subsidiary of Qantas, and IndiGo announced in April that they had entered into an interline partnership. Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, IndiGo, "The partnership will enable customers to enjoy seamless connectivity between Jetstar and IndiGo and access to a wide variety of destinations across Asia Pacific.

SpiceJet settles dispute with lessor, seeks Rs 200-cr loan to clear dues

The airline on Tuesday announced that it had entered into a settlement with the lessor and its affiliates over a payment dispute related to three Boeing 737 aircraft

IndiGo flight delayed by 6 hrs over 'bomber' message seen in flyer's chat

As per officials, a female passenger noticed her co-passenger's phone and panicked after reading the word 'bomber' while chatting with his female friend.