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    Airports

    Adani airports raises USD 250 Mn for airports development

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    • AAHL has raised USD 250 Mn through a3-year ECB facility from two international banks, with an option to raise additional USD 200 Mn • Funds raised to be used for capital expenditure and development of six airports • This transaction marks completion of the first step of the capital management plan of AAHL • AAHL recently concluded Mumbai International Airport Limited’s (MIAL) USD 750 Mn private placement to Apollo and USD 1.74bn financial closure of Navi Mumbai International Airport      Limited (NMIAL) cumulating to USD 2.74bn. Ahmedabad, 09May 2022: Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Ltd,today announced successful closure of funding of USD 250 Mn senior secured 3-year ECB facility from consortium of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) and Barclays Bank PLC. The facility has an option to raise additional USD 200Mn.The financing structure enables a scalable capital solution with flexibility to tap global capital markets in line with AAHL’s vision of providing a transformational airport infrastructure platform. AAHL is leading the Adani portfolio’s foray into B2C infrastructure assets. AAHL business is centered around convenience to consumer both via physical and digital channels. “We are focused on delivering high quality infrastructure access to our consumers both through physical and digital channels,” said Spokesperson – AAHL“The first phase of our capital management plan is now set in motion with the funding of AAHL, MIAL and NMIAL, and we will now focus on scaling up the airports business into one of the largest airport platforms globally. We are grateful to our stakeholders and consumers for their continued support and their confidence in us.” This issuance by AAHL, marks the first milestone in its capital management plan.Earlier this week, MIAL placed USD 750 Mn private placement to Apollo, and USD 1.74 Bn financial closure for NMIAL from the domestic banking system. With this, AAHL has tapped three different pools of capital cumulating to USD 2.74Bn. AAHL is now geared for the next phase of its capital management plan which includes tapping the public capital markets and further construction facilities to enable access to long term capital sources for infrastructure development. AAHLis an integrated airport network consisting of eight airports located around city centres controlling ~50% of top 10 domestic routes, ~23% of the total Indian air traffic, and ~30% of India’s air cargo. AAHL airports handle around ~200 Mn consumers, including passengers and non-passengers.

    Civil Aviation, Top Stories

    Ethiopian Marks 50 Years of Uninterrupted Service to Mumbai

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    Mumbai 28 April 2022: Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline group is celebrating its 50 years of continuous service to Mumbai.Ethiopian Airlines made its debut flight to Mumbai, one of its oldest destinations in Asia, on 01 December 1971 although it started operations to New Delhi in 1966, just 20 years after the airline was founded. The once a week flight from Addis Ababa to Mumbai and onward to Peking operated by B720 aircraft pioneered the air transport linkage between Africa-India and China. Gradually over the years, the frequency increased to twice and then thrice weekly until Ethiopian commenced daily operations to Mumbai. A moment of pride for Ethiopian Airlines Mumbai operations was on 12 February 2015 when the airline increased its services to Mumbai to double daily proving the great scope it had in the commercial capital of India. Ethiopian has expanded its operation to three passenger and five cargo destinations with its enhanced services and modern fleet. Marking the 50 years of uninterrupted service to Mumbai, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr. Mesfin Tasew said, “We are thrilled to have celebrated this big milestone-50 years of uninterrupted service to Mumbai thereby connecting the people of India to the vast Ethiopian global network. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India and one of the key destinations in Asia; we will maintain our commitment to serve Mumbai, thereby providing it access to our 127 destinations with our latest aircraft. Ethiopian has paved the way for people to people and trade ties between India and Africa with its multiple destinations in India. We are glad to have served Mumbai and the people of India in general for the last 55 years. “ The five decades’ journey of Ethiopian Airlines in India started from B720, B727, B757, B767, and became the first to bring the B787 Dreamliner to India. With great fanfare, Mumbai welcomed Ethiopian state of the art aircraft on August 25, 2012. Currently, Ethiopian operates A350 and B777 to Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru in India.Ethiopian freighters also operate to Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad.

    Top Stories

    Govt. approves privitasation of Pawan Hans Ltd

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    New Delhi, 29th April 2022: The government has finalised disinvestment for state-owned helicopter service provider Pawan Hans Ltd.An empowered cabinet group picked Star9 Mobility Private Ltd as winner for buying 51% stake in Pawan Hans.The value of sale is of Rs 211.14 CR.Star9 Mobility Pvt.Ltd is a consortium of Big Charter Pvt Ltd lead by Capt Sanjay Mandaviya(26%),Maharaja Aviation Pvt.Ltd(25%)& Almas Global Opportunity Fund SPC(49%),Cayman Island based and managed by UAE’s Almas Capital.The rights will remain with the Indian partner & base will remain at Rohini Heliport,Delhi. According to the press release issued by PIB, the government’s stake sale was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, comprising union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Jyotiraditya M Scindia. The government had received three financial bids for its stake in Pawan Hans. The Employees’ Union of Pawan Hans, Global Vectra Helicorp and Heligo Charters were widely expected to bid for the company.Pawan Hans is expected to report a net loss of Rs 100 crore in both 2020-21 and 2021-22 after reporting a loss of Rs 28.08 crore in 2019-20 and Rs 69.2 crore in 2018-19. The state-run helicopter operator had also reported a fall in revenue to Rs 346 crore in FY20 from Rs 381 crore in FY19, according to the information memorandum document floated by the government to invite expressions of interest to invest in the company in 2020.

    Airports, Recent News

    King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh Announces Full Post-Covid Recovery in Sales and Passenger Traffic

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    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – 29 April 2022: Riyadh Airports Company, the organization responsible for managing and operating King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has announced that passenger traffic has entirely rebounded to pre-COVID-19 levels and commercial revenues in March 2022 topped those recorded in March 2019. Specifically, duty-free sales at the KKIA climbed substantially in March 2022, with a growth rate of 62% compared to March 2019 (and a growth of 243% compared to March 2021). Overall, this year’s March was the most successful month of duty-free sales ever recorded by KKIA, and the month contained the new highest and second highest sales days recorded so far. Other categories also performed strongly with F&B up 12%, Retail and Services 14% and car parking up by 29% March 2022, all compared to March 2019. Commenting on this milestone, the CEO of RAC, Eng. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Maghlouth, said, “I am delighted with the robust performance and full recovery at KKIA. This illustrates the underlying growth which we will continue to build progressively, as we work toward KSA’s Aviation Strategy and Vision 2030”. Adding to this, Ayman Aboabah, VP Operations said “The strength of passenger recovery in March is an excellent result, delivered as a product of our collective and coordinated efforts. We look forward to continuing to work closely with our stakeholders and partners, and build further on the excellent recovery as the year progresses” Speaking on the tremendous rebound recorded at KKIA, Abdulaziz Al Asaker, Acting VP Commercial at RAC said, “At KKIA, we are thrilled with these tremendous results and thank the efforts of our staff, commercial partners, and customers in helping us generate these industry leading results. Now that we are finally starting to see the regional travel market rebound, we are confident that these results are just the tip of the iceberg, and that we will see new records throughout the year. We can now continue to focus our efforts on transforming KKIA into a leading airport capable of rivalling the best in the world.” Riyadh Airports Company is currently under expansion, with the development of Terminals 3 and 4. The terminals have been designed to cater to the growing number of international events and activities planned for Riyadh as part of Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision, which seeks to expand the Kingdom’s tourism, transport, and aviation sectors.

    Airports, Recent News

    Mumbai’s CSMIA witnesses positive boost in international passenger movement

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    Mumbai, April 29, 2022: With international borders finally open and regular international flights reinstated, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) witnessed around 6.3 lakh passenger movements in the first month. From 27th March to the 27th of April 2022, Mumbai Airport witnessed nearly 120 daily movements to a total of 41 international destinations. The first month witnessed a total of around 2.8 lakh international passengers arriving and around 3.5 lakh international passengers departing from CSMIA. Dubai as a destination scored the top position with approx. 1.62 lakh passengers travelling in a month. While Abu Dhabi and Singapore, ranked second and third, witnessed high passenger traffic from CSMIA with 0.43 lakh and 0.40 lakh passenger movement respectively. For the same time period, a total of 3720 movements to the international routes was observed. IndiGo, Air India and Emirates emerged as the top airlines catering to the highest international passenger traffic to and from CSMIA. Pre-pandemic, of the total 51 international destinations which CSMIA catered to, 44.8% were Middle Eastern countries, 25.8% Asia Pacific countries, 20% European countries, 5.9% to African countries and 3.5% America based destinations. Moreover, CSMIA also flagged off its summer schedule on March 27 with approx. 5000 weekly domestic & international flights. This new schedule is set to see an increase of 111% over the operating roster of FY21 from CSMIA. CSMIA’s summer schedule is curated to suit the growing traffic, with almost a 70% rise in the number of flights compared to approx. 418 daily traffic schedule of 2021. From 27th March 2022, all international passengers are required to show only their vaccination certificates to travel internationally, while those without a double vaccination certificate would require a negative RTPCR test report taken not less than 72 hours before boarding the flight. Whereas passengers departing from Mumbai will continue to abide by the norms laid down by the destination country.

    Recent News

    Runway 34: Ajay Devgn rocks in his aviation thriller

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    Movie Review Runway 34 movie cast: Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, Aakansha Singh, Angira Dhar Director: Ajay Devgn Aviation has zero tolerance toward safety. There are certain rules which has to be followed by everyone, be it passengers or crew. Ajay Devgn’s aviation thriller ‘Runway 34’ starts on a very cruising note with the glamour quotient of being at Dubai Airport and flight commander’s attitude of 16000 Hrs of flying at its best. The superstar boasts of confidence and command over flight, bit of arrogance due to his seniority and some applause for challenging flight operation in Hong Kong . The pilot in command, Capt. Vikrant Khanna is shown as an over confident pilot who scans the flight plan and weather updates within the blink of eye. While cruising at an altitude of 34000 feet, Capt Khanna smells the uninvited turbulent weather waiting on path of the Cochin Airport Runway. He ignores the advice of his co-pilot first officer Tanya Alburqurque, role played by Rakul Preet Singh. The ATC staff who was navigating the flight to Cochin Airport seemed to be exhausted by his personal loss. His casual work approach kept the cockpit aloof of the alarming weather situation and last minute diversion updates to Bangalore from Trivandrum ATC. Ajay Devgn as Capt Vikrant Khanna has played a very sensitive and responsible pilot who knew things are not going to be easy for him and as a result with no options left amid shortage of fuel, he called the ATC “mayday”, which in aviation is a distress call that is used to signal a life-threatening emergency by the pilot in command. After failed landing approach at Trivandrum airport,with his previous experience of landing at this table top runway, Capt Vikrant Khanna asked the ATC to navigate and clear landing from Runway 34, which has harsh tail wind towards approach. Which means, strong winds will push aircraft forward and it will be difficult to control speed and it might fall in the deep gorge ahead. He managed to retard the wing flaps after harsh landing and control the brakes of the aircraft just at the end of the runway which looked slightly filmy better scripted to showcase the heroic act of superstar. This action of him initiated investigation and Amitabh Bachchan as the Chief of Aircraft Investigation Board has done full justice to his role. Aviation is a very subjective matter and one need to very specific about what they say and what they do. Amitabh Bachchan speaks pure Hindi words which sometimes make other co-actors looking for its meaning. Supporting role by Boman Irani as airlines chief, Angira Dhar as corporate lawyer and other actors seemed to be fitting best as per the script requirements. To conclude, I would say that Runway 34 is one good approach of Bollywood that they tried to attempt making movie out of such a serious safety issue. Few scenes are technically brilliant and shooted with best of VFS impact, dialogues are well delivered, actual shoot at sim facility is also well curated which will be certainly new for the mass audience to know about. One inside fact about aviation is that there are many incidents where senior commanders ignore advice of their junior co-pilots so what is shown in this movie is a bare truth of the industry. (By Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World)

    Recent News, Tourism

    Lily Hotels Maldives Hosts Travel Trade Meet In Chandigarh

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    Chandigarh, 27th April 2022 : Lily Hotels Pvt. Ltd. in association with LINKIN Reps. Pvt. Ltd., recently hosted a networking session with travel trade partners in Chandigarh. The resorts operated by Lily Hotels in the Maldives are the pioneering leading all-Inclusive Resort, located in central Maldives – Lily Beach Resort & Spa at Huvahendhoo, a large island hideaway resort located in northern Maldives with privacy at its core – Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa, and its collection of elevated and curated luxury beach villas with dedicated butler service as a ‘resort in a resort concept’ – The Signature Collection by Hideaway. The networking event was followed by the product presentation, by Komal Seth, Founder & Director, LINKIN Reps. Pvt. Ltd. The presentation highlighted the key features of the luxurious properties. The response of the session was extremely encouraging, and it was heart-warming to witness the enthusiasm for Lily Hotels’ products among the Chandigarh trade partners. Highlighting the importance of the north India’s travel market to Maldives, Desislav Gospodinov, Group Director of Sales & Marketing said, “I would like to thank all our travel trade partners in Chandigarh for their continuous support towards promoting the luxurious resorts under Lily Hotels. Chandigarh is one of our most important markets and we eagerly look forward to welcoming travellers from the region. Recently, Lily Hotels Maldives has appointed LINKIN Reps as their India Sales, Marketing & Public Relations representatives.

    Events

    AVIATION FESTIVAL ASIA 2022

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    Date: 14th – 15th June Venue: Suntec Singapore Format: Hybrid Organised By: Terrapinn Pte Ltd Media Partner: Aviation World The event is focused on 6 key themes: Aviation Marketing, Digital Airlines, IFEC, Retail& Payments, Revenue & Distribution and Human capital, we expect an attendance of 800+ attendees. This edition topics will be crucial to industry improvements and recovery with new business models being at the heart of the programme. Over two days Aviation Festival Asia will feature 100 speakers from airlines and airports sharing case- studies and what is needed for the next steps across the industry. This combined with travel technology companies sharing products, solutions and services both onstage and on the exhibition floor then whether you’re in passenger experience, retailing, IT, digital transformation, distribution, loyalty, marketing, operations, communications or innovation, there’s content tailored just for you.For more information contact : Tel: +65 6222 8550 E: enquiry.sg@terrapinn.com https://bit.ly/3vyfWym

    Top Stories

    Jazeera Airways announces KD3.8 million net profit in first quarter 2022

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    Kuwait, April 25, 2022: Jazeera Airways has announced net profit of KD3.8 million for the first quarter (Q1) of 2022, compared to a net loss of KD5.2 million in the first quarter of 2021. Total revenue for the quarter reached KD35.7 million, up 339.2%, while operating profit stood at KD5.3 million, up 199.3%. These record earnings were supported by close to sixfold increase in number of passengers with restrictions at Kuwait International Airport being eased and travel capacity gradually increased to levels near to the pre-pandemic period. Similarly, load factor reached 75.2%, an increase of 28.7%. Commenting on the results, Jazeera Airways Chairman, Marwan Boodai said,“The gradual return of travel capacity at Kuwait International Airport since the second half of last year as well as the lifting of travel restrictions worldwide have shown that there is indeed a latent and strong appetite for travel. Jazeera has focused in the first quarter on expanding its services and capacity in preparation of the launch of new tourist and high demand destinations during the year, all supported with a strong financial position and a cautious strategy to mitigate the risks of recent geopolitical developments.” In comparison, during Q1 2019 before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jazeera had reported a net profit of KD1.5 million and flown 529.6 thousand passengers. Q1 2022 performance shows strong resilience in the commercial travel, as well as positive sentiment to the sector for 2022 and beyond. First Quarter 2022 Review Jazeera Airways achieved a new milestone as an “Approved Training Organization” certified by Kuwait’s Directorate for Civil Aviation, enabling the airline to conduct training programs for pilots and cabin crews from its headquarters in the State of Kuwait. The move enables the airline to expand its capabilities to train the required manpower for future growth. The airline has also been certified to conduct performance of line maintenance on its aircraft; a certification that increases its operational efficiency significantly. Jazeera also inaugurated the VIP service, which offers the first private terminal experience at Kuwait International Airport, serving departing and arriving passengers traveling on airlines operating from Terminals 1 and 5 and for general aviation and private jets. The VIV Terminal gives passengers the benefits of a private check-in reception and handling services. Additionally, Jazeera Airways also continued to grow its network with the launch of a new service to the coastal city of Chittagong in Bangladesh. The service is the second for the airline to Bangladesh following the launch of Dhaka in October 2020, serving over 200,000 Bangladeshi nationals living in Kuwait and connecting to more passengers across the GCC region. 2022 Outlook Jazeera has announced plans to launch new routes ahead of the summer season to cater to high tourist demand. The airline has confirmed the launch of routes to Vienna and Prague in June, in addition to other destinations that will be announced during the year.

    Top Stories

    Nagchala Airport in Mandi to be Developed

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    New Delhi, 25th April 2022: The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Govt. of Himachal Pradesh signed an MoU for development of a Green Field Airport in Nagchala, Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh.Signing Ceremony was graced by Civil Aviation Minsiter Jyotiraditya  Scindia and Jai Ram Thakur, CM of Himachal Pradesh along with senior officials from AAI, MoCA and state govt. officials of Himachal Pradesh including Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, MoCA, Sanjiv Kumar, Chairman, AAI, Rubina Ali, JS, MoCA, Ram Subhag Singh, CS, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh,Devesh Kumar, Principal Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Dinesh Guleria, ATDO, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh, AK Pathak, Member (Planning), AAI, K. Vinayak Rao, Member (Finance), M. Suresh, Member (ANS), AAI, and Ms V. Vidhya, ED (JVC/PPP). The new greenfield airport at Nagchala, Mandi is being developed under the Greenfield Airport Policy of MoCA and a Joint Venture Company between State Government of Himachal Pradesh and Airport Authority of India has been formed. The projected land requirement for airport is 515 acres approx. and the project is estimated to cost around Rs 900 crore excluding the cost of land. Speaking on the occasion, Scindia said, “We are committed to provide last mile connectivity to the people of Himachal Pradesh. With this aim in mind, we are developing new aviation infrastructure as well as upgrading existing facilities in Himachal Pradesh whether it is development of new green field airport in Mandi or acquisition of additional land for extension of runways at existing airports. With this, we are committed to develop civil aviation as a harbinger of economic development for the region.” There are 3 airports i.e. Shimla, Kullu, & Kangra and 5 heliports i.e. Kangnidhar, Shimla, Rampur, Baddi, and SASE(Manali) in Himachal Pradesh that are developed or being developed which would give a massive boost to tourism industry of the state once completed.

    FOREWORD

    Dear Reader’s,

     

    The current edition of Aviation World has covered many areas of Aerospace & Defence based on the latest development in the sector. The front cover highlights three different images, first for the Union Civil Aviation Minister ….. who is leading from the front to steer Indian Civil Aviation sector to witness one of the most interesting phases. He is also facing most tumultuous timing due to the ongoing financial stress in the Aviation sector due to ATF rising cost and long airspace restrictions resulting in mounting losses for Indian carriers. Despite of all the ground level challenges,the minister is addressing new things on regular basis which keeps the sector motivated. We have featured many such developmental works in this edition done under his guidance which will be interesting to read.

    Our lead story on “ The West War” is another important feature which covers the ground level reality of the challenges faced by the Aviation sector. Its though time ahead and we believe it will pass soon .

    There are features on Regional connectivity and MoCA revised rules on the UDAN 2.0 and how its going to transform the flying experience within India.

    In this edition, we have covered topics on MRO,Various Policy changes,Sea Plane Operations by SkyHop Aviation, TATA-Airbus joint project on C295 military aircraft under Make In India which is expected to roll out soon and many other interesting contents which will be good to read.

    We are covering Farnborough International Airshow 2026 from 20-24July 2026 in London and our next edition will be based on the same event.For features, you may contact our team on priority basis.

     

    Happy Reading!

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    NEWSLETTER

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    We have started 2026 on a very positive note and we look forward to increase our footprints to more locations and induct many more new companies in our campaign.. Do write to us at : editor@aviationworld.in

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