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Kochi, 30th August 2022: The nation’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1), India’s first aircraft carrier INS vikrant will be commissioned on September 2, the Indian Navy has announced. The commissioning of the warship, which will be christened ‘Vikrant’, will mark a “historical milestone of realisation of Nation’s commitment towards AatmaNirbharta” (self-reliance), the Navy said in an official release. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest on the occasion. Vikrant is the largest warship to have ever been built in India, and the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy. It puts India in an elite club of nations that have the capability to design and build these giant, powerful warships. “From November we will commence landing trails which we hope to complete by middle of next year. We will put in all effort so that the aircraft carrier is operational with the aircraft and the aircraft which are available with us are the MiG-29s,” Vice Adm. Ghormade said at a press conference ahead of the commissioning. The carrier should be fully operational by end 2023, he stated. He said that they have carried out five sets of trials since August 2021 and were extremely successful. “From the propulsion, equipment and weapons point of view, the ship is fully operational.” The Vice Chief Adm. said that the long-term plan was to deploy the twin-engine deck-based fighter being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, but in the interim, they are looking at procuring a jet, to be selected between the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and the Dassault Aviation Rafale.

New Delhi, 23 August, 2022: “Interactive forums like these helps the government in more effectively playing its role as a facilitator. Now, is the time to plant the full eco-system of civil aviation firmly in the ground. Growth opportunities for airlines are tremendous as passenger volume will double from 200 million currently to 400 million over the next 7 to 10 years”, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister for Civil Aviation & Steel at an ASSOCHAM Event on CEOs’ Roundtable discussion. “Aviation competing closely with the railways in the air-conditioned segment. The railways today carries 125 million passengers in 1st and 2nd AC, airlines on the other hand carried 144 million domestic travelers before the pandemic and in the next 5 to 10 years, civil aviation will carry the bulwark of transportation for this limited section. Railways is growing at 5.6% CAGR while civil aviation is growing at 10.3% CAGR.” the Union Minister said. “From a fleet size of roughly 400 aircrafts in 2013-2014, it has grown to about 700 aircrafts now and we are adding a delta of almost 15% per annum, which means fleet size will grow to 1200 in the next 5 years. We had just 74 airports in 2013-2014, we have added 67 airports in the past 8 years alone. Much of the growth in the future is going to come from the regional airports, the growth rate in metro airports is about 7.8% in 2010-2015 and has remained in that vicinity. Growth in non-metro airports has jumped from 10.8% in 2010-2015 to 31% at present. The government is continuously working to put in place new policies and removing impediments to enable faster growth of the industry.” he added. Speaking in the interactive session, Mr Ajay Singh, Senior VP ASSOCHAM & CMD Spicejet said, “The government and Civil Aviation minister has been very proactive in engaging with the sector, they have given us their time and have been aggressively espousing the requirements of the sector. We have been talking about this whole concept of taxes on fuel for the longest time and it is Mr. Scindia who has reached out to the states and got many of them to reduce the VAT on fuel from 25-30% to 0-5%. The success of the Regional Connectivity Scheme, success of the Air India divestment too can be attributed to the minister”. Mr Deepak Sood, Secretary General ASSOCHAM delivering his welcome speech said, “This platform is crucial for the aviation sector as an enabler of growth and aviation will play a significant role in the development of India as a nation. The sector is hit hard by the pandemic and is currently under stress, but it has shown resilience and has regained the growth trajectory.” Industry leaders attending the roundtable engaged the Union Minister in a series of interaction sessions where pertinent topics like ‘International Aviation, Hubs & Super Connectors’, ‘Regional Connectivity’ and ‘Skill Development’ were deliberated upon. A compilation of industry recommendations which includes inputs from various stakeholders was also submitted to the minister for his consideration. Ms. Ashmita Sethi President and Country Head, Pratt and Whitney said, “There still is a huge untapped potential in regional connectivity. Understanding the nuances of regional aircrafts and regional jets is the first and foremost step in understanding how we can support this geography and the government plays a vital role in this by including key societal mission into regional connectivity”. The CEO’s roundtable brought together key industry leaders from the aviation sector such as Mr William Campbel CEO Air India, Mr. Sanjiv Edward, CCO and EVP, Delhi International Airport Ltd, Mr. Rajiv Kumar Jain, CEO, Adani Airports Holdings, Ms. Ragini Chopra, EVP Corporate Affairs, Interglobe Enterprises, Mr. Ashok Gopinath, CEO, GMR Aero Technic, Mr. Alok Anand, Chairman and CEO, Acumen Aviation, Mr. Murali Ramachandran, CEO India, Celebi Aviation, Mr. R. V. Sheshan, CEO, GMR Goa Intl Airport Ltd, Mr. Harsh Vardhan Sharma, Director, Himalaya Heli Services and others.

20th August 2022, Colombo: SriLankan Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SriLankan Airlines, takes on the cause of airlifting essential medicines gifted by Indian donors to hospitals in SriLanka, free of freight charges. SriLankan Cares has teamed with SriLankan Cargo to implement the long-term humanitarian project which aims to channel medical product donations from India and other countries to hospitals in Sri Lanka that are struggling to cope with the ongoing drug shortage in the country. The project is also representative of the SriLankan national carrier’s enduring commitment to espouse national causes in the country’s hour of need. Consequently, SriLankan Cares has already airlifted consignments of life-saving medicines weighing up to 3,000 kilograms that have been generously donated by organizations and individuals hailing from Bangalore; Chennai; Delhi; and Mumbai in India. The medical supplies were flown free of freight charges on SriLankan Airlines and distributed to medical establishments across Sri Lanka. SriLankan Cares organized the logistics of the consignments from the various cities of origin by obtaining necessary documents, approvals and bookings that help fast-track the process with the support of SriLankan Cargo. With more donations expected, SriLankan Cares will continue to deliver consignments of donated medicine and medical equipment from India and the rest of the world in the months ahead. Time and again, SriLankan Cares has risen to the occasion to aid those in need, especially children. The healthcare sector in Sri Lanka is currently facing its most acute medicine shortage in the history of the country, putting at peril the very lives of those who depend on its services.SriLankan Cares’ compassionate move to bring vital medication to the sick and vulnerable is therefore an opportune and life-saving intervention.