Recent News

Drones, Recent News

Skye Air Mobility takes off for a drone enabled future

New Delhi, 15th March, 2022: Skye Air Mobility, a Drone Delivery logistics firm with headquarters at New Delhi is changing the face of businesses as it continues to achieve its key milestones cutting across diverse sectors such as healthcare, diagnostics, ecommerce and agri-commodity. The tech start-up which recently completed its 1000 deliveries via its flagship Skye Ship One, last Friday has achieved several key milestones. Skye Air marks a milestone of 1000 flights in 6 months; making India the 12th nation in the world to lead the drone delivery space. This is a step forward for the entire industry towards making India a Global Drone Hub by 2030. Some notable ones which have made a buzz have been its association with the Telangana Government’s ‘Medicine from the Sky project’. Skye Air under different consortiums- Flipkart Air consortium, Blue Dart Med Express Consortium & Dunzo Med-Air Consortium, enabled an all-round ecosystem for drone based logistic transportation. These flights were a part of the live demonstration trials conducted in real-time with vaccines, covid diagnostic samples and medicines in Vikarabad (Telangana). Further adding a feather in the cap, Skye Air has been the first drone delivery company from India which has showcased Indigenised drones at the Dubai Air Show marking a defined space for India in the drone logistics ecosystem globally. Commenting on the milestone Ankit Kumar, CEO, Skye Air Mobility said, “The Drone Rules 2021 has given wings to the Drone Delivery space in India. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has been on the forefront with a mission to make India a global drone hub by 2030. We are very grateful to the authorities for providing the right push to this industry. Our clients such as Dunzo Digital, Flipkart, Blue Dart Express, Redcliffe Labs have entrusted us with a greater responsibility of transporting packages in a safe and secure environment. We thrive on the success and happy smiles of our clients and this day when we celebrate 1000+ delivery milestone, we dedicate this to our clients, regulators and our well-capable team who have made this possible. And this is just the beginning, because we are warming up for achieving greater success not just in India but also in other nations. Our goal remains to impact lives of many by providing faster, efficient and cost-effective deliveries”.

Civil Aviation, Recent News

Usha Padhee, JS, MoCA reviews arrangements for Wings India-2022

March 10, 2022, Hyderabad: A preparatory meeting to discuss the matters related to the organization of Wings India 2022 event held on Tuesday under the chairpersonship of Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation at Begumpet Airport along with officials of Telangana Government, AAI and FICCI. The fifth edition of Wings India -2022 which is Asia’s largest Civil Aviation Show and is scheduled to be held at Begumpet Airport from March 24 to 27 with the first two days being the business days and rest for the general public. The event is being organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The event is projected to help the aviation sector stakeholders gain an insight into technology driven innovations which will revolutionize air travel in the coming years.This edition of Wings India will be featuring exhibition, chalets, demonstration flights, CEOs forum, static display, aerobatics, media conferences, B2B meetings and conferences, etc. The meeting was also attended by the officials from various departments/ authorities involved in facilitation of infrastructure, law and order and other services such as Police, Traffic, Fire, CISF, GHMC, Bureau of Immigration, Customs, BCAS, Air India, GMR, Water department, municipality, energy department, APHO, disaster management, Bird group, AIESL, Telangana State Aviation academy, Indian oil and others. FICCI briefed the attendees about the show and its highlights. Over 125 international & domestic exhibitors are expected to participate along with 11 hospitality chalets, 15+ country delegations and 25+ States & Union Territories. Aviation Ministers of several countries and Industry captains are expected to participate in the Global Aviation Summit.The Sarang team of Air Force will be adding glory by their aerobatics at the show.

Recent News

Primaeam Solutions Adds Markforged X7 to their AM Fleet to Provide End Use Parts to the Industry

Chennai, 7th March 2022: PRIMAEAM solutions, an additive part manufacturing service bureau company based in Chennai had partnered with US based Markforged, industrial additive manufacturing platform to cater to the manufacturing aids and also provide end use parts for industries. This will help industries to reduce Inventory and Supply Chain issues.Established in 2019 as a subsidiary of its own parent company SUNFAB, PRIMAEAM Solution provides extensive range of 3D printing materials in metal and thermoplastics. They offer products and services to Aerospace, Automotive, Consumer Electronics & Goods, Healthcare, Industrial Engineering, Process Industries and Transportation. PRIMAEAM Solutions focuses on assisting in adopting additive manufacturing (3D printing) with their dedicated additive manufacturing facility and process to provide the aesthetics and functionalities of the product. They offer wide range of services including Design for Additive Manufacturing (DFAM), Topology Optimization, Data Optimization for Prototyping, Representation models (look and feel), Functional prototype, Miniatures, Batch production and low volume production. Markforged has been fostering innovation with their production ready systems globally and has also helped many corporations to improve their manufacturing processes overall. “With the new Markforged X7, PRIMAEAM’s Mark will forge in the history of Indian additive manufacturing service bureaus as a technologically updated facility. The new addition will offer custom tooling, jigs & fixtures for aerospace, automotive & industrial applications to simply the process and make it durable to our existing & new customers,” Karthik Rajendiran, Managing Director, PRIMAEAM “Markforged X7 brings materials Onyx, Onyx FR, Nylon Carbon Fibre, Fiberglass, Kevlar and HSHT fiberglass adding to our extensive range of material capability under one roof, and this will help us to offer our customers a one stop solution for their AM needs,” says Franklin Dathy, Business Head, PRIMAEAM. “We are very excited to have Primaeam as our esteemed customer. We are witnessing the tremendous growth and demand for 3D printed end use parts in the country. We thank Primaeam to adopt our composite technology to serve these growing demands and leading the way,” mentions Anuj Budhiraja, Country Manager – India, Markforged. “As Partners for Markforged, it’s our responsibility to find Clients who value technology and make things happen! Primaeam, with their world-class State-of-the-Art AM machines had chosen to add the Markforged X7 3d printer so that they could cater to the Manufacturing Aids and also provide End use parts for industries thereby helping industries reduce Inventory and Supply Chain issues. We look forward to working together with Primaeam team to develop new applications and also their support towards services for the vast applications that this machine is capable of,” says Rajesh Mrithyunjayan, VP – 3D Products and Solutions, Monotech Systems Ltd.

Recent News

SriLankan Airlines adorns aircraft with ‘Raid Amazones 2022’ insignia livery

23rd February 2020. Colombo: SriLankan Airlines adorns one of its aircraft with customized livery to reaffirm its status as the official airline of the much-awaited ‘Raid Amazones 2022.’ Raid Amazones 2022 is an annual sporting event that features a large number of French female athletes competing their way to victory through multiple sports events and activities against the backdrop of an iconic tourist destination.Every year, the event highlights an attractive tourist destination through inherent features such as its ecological beauty, citizens’ way of life and culture, which are prominently showcased to the world through global media that follow the athletes in their trail. The 20thedition of the event will take place in the areas surrounding the iconic Sigiriya rock fortress, rich in ecological beauty, cultural heritage and attributes of authentic village life in Sri Lanka. The first leg will take place from 13-23, March 2022 and the second leg is scheduled from 27 March – 6 April 2022. Over 550 participants are expected to join the event, including athletes and officials. The SriLankan aircraft with the special livery features iconic Sigiriya, the vibrant and unique backdrop of this year’s event. This aircraft will be deployed to bring in athletes and officials from Paris to Sri Lanka for the event and would also continue to fly to many of the airline’s other destinations in its scheduled operations, thus portraying Sri Lanka’s stature as a sports and adventure destination. SriLankan Airlines, a forerunner in the country’s tourism promotion endeavors, expects this to inspire many discerning travellers from France to explore Sri Lanka in the future, supported by the airline’s direct connectivity between the two countries.

Recent News

SpiceJet to operate special flight to Kosice, Slovakia to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine

New Delhi, 1st March 2022: SpiceJet will operate a special evacuation flight to Kosice, Slovakia today to bring home Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine. Minister of Law & Justice, Kiren Rijiju will be on-board the SpiceJet flight. He is travelling to Kosice as a Special Envoy of the Indian Government to oversee the evacuation. The airline will use its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for this special flight. The aircraft will fly to Kosice in Slovakia from Delhi and the return fight will operate via Kutaisi, Georgia. This is the second evacuation flight being operated by SpiceJet under Operation Ganga after a special flight that left yesterday night for Budapest from Delhi to evacuate the stranded citizens. The airline is in discussion with the concerned authorities to operate more evacuation flights in coming days.

Recent News

Vipula Gunatilleka Joins as CFO of Jet Airways

New Delhi, February 22, 2021: In a recent development, Jalan Kalrock Consortium has appointed Vipula Gunatilleka as Chief Financial Officer of Jet Airways. He will be joining from March 1, 2022. Vipula Gunatilleka was the CEO of SriLankan Airlines until January 2022 and had joined the airlines in 2018. Prior to joining SriLankan Airlines, Vipula was the CFO & Board Member of TAAG Angola Airlines from November 2015 to July 2018 under Emirates Management. He played a pivotal role to turnaround the loss-making national carrier of Angola. Ankit Jalan, Member of the Monitoring Committee of Jet Airways and part of Jalan-Kalrock Consortium said “We are excited to welcome Vipula Gunatilleka to our young and energic team . Vipula is an aviation expert and regarded as a turnaround specialist in the industry. He has been shortlisted after a rigorous process run by our Executive Team over the last several months. I am certain Vipula will be an asset to the organization and will provide the necessary vision to revive the operations of Jet Airways as per the plans of the Consortium.” Vipula is known for his astute knowledge in aircraft financing, strategic planning, cost-efficient business modelling and openness to adopt hybrid models to keep business costs low and efficiency high. Speaking on his plans, Vipula Gunatilleka said, “I am very excited to join the company and I look forward to contributing my knowledge of last 30 years in Jet Airways’ resurgence in its new avatar. We will capitalize on the strong brand value which Jet Airways has in the market and use it to re-build the lost ground.” He further added,“I first joined SriLankan Airlines as its CFO in 2001, when it was part of the Emirates Group and was establishing its feet in the Indo-Pacific Sub-Continent. Having spent sufficient time in leadership roles in the aviation industry including as CEO of SriLankan Airlines until January 2022, I am aware of the responsibility that lingers on the shoulders of the leadership team, especially the CFO and I am confident Jet Airways will soon regain its lost glory.”

Recent News

SpiceJet adds Khajuraho to its domestic network

GURUGRAM, February 18, 2022: Adding one more sector in its flight map, Indian LCC SpiceJet announced the addition of Khajuraho,a UNESCO World Heritage Site as its 15th UDAN destination under UDAN.The airline will be launching 24 new flights and will be connecting Delhi with Sharjah for the first time on its network. The new domestic and international non-stop flights will commence operations from 18th February, 2022 in a phased manner. CMD, SpiceJet, Ajay Singh and Minister of Civil Aviation,Jyotiraditya Scindia flagged-off SpiceJet’s inaugural flight from Khajuraho to Delhi in the presence of Khajuraho MP Vishnu Datt Sharma and other minsitry officails at MOCA HQ through virtual mode. The airline will operate flights between Delhi and Khajuraho twice-a-week on Fridays and Sundays. The UDAN fare on Delhi-Khajuraho-Delhi sector will start at INR 3,209 plus taxes. Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said, “We are delighted to add Khajuraho to our network as we launch 24 new flights beginning February 18, 2022. Khajuraho, a UNESCO world heritage site which will be our 15th UDAN destination, attracts tourists from all over the world for its rich history of art and culture. SpiceJet will be the only airline connecting Khajuraho with Delhi with a non-stop flight and we are proud to provide the much-needed fillip to boost travel and tourism of this historic city and State.” The airline will be connecting Delhi with Sharjah with a non-stop flight, which will operate four-times-a-week. From March 1st, 2022, SpiceJet will connect Chennai–Jodhpur, Mumbai–Jharsuguda, Mumbai-Tirupati and Varanasi-Dehradun for the first time on its network. The airline will also launch new flights connecting Kolkata-Surat and add additional frequencies on the Pune-Goa, Delhi-Guwahati, Delhi-Jharsuguda, Delhi-Jabalpur and Delhi-Darbhanga sectors. The airline will be deploying the mix of its Boeing 737 and Q400 aircraft on these routes.

Recent News

Jazeera Airways returns to profitability in record time in 2021 with KD7.1 million

Kuwait, February 13, 2022: Jazeera Airways returned to profitability for the year 2021, a period which continued to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel, reporting a net profit of KD7.1 million for the year, up 126.8% from the previous year. The earnings were supported by an increase of 48.2% in the number of passengers flown, which reached 1.0 million, while load factors increased by 3.9% to 66.8% and yield increased by 28.6% to KD73.9. Operating revenue for 2021 stood at KD80.4 million, up 94.3%, and operating profit increased by 152.2% to KD10.8 million. The airline returned to profitability in record time during the third quarter of the year following a second year impacted by restrictions and limitations in capacity imposed on travel at Kuwait International Airport, and globally, in response to the continued spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Jazeera maintained the positive performance in the last quarter (Q4) of the year with a net profit of KD7.0 million, a 164.6% increase from the same quarter of 2020. Operating revenue increased by 285.5% to KD33.1 million while operating profit increased by 204.3% to KD9.3 million. Number of passengers in Q4 increased by 476.6% to 520.2 thousand passengers, while the load factor increased by 35.2% to 74.2% and average utilisation of aircraft increased by 220.4% to 9.2 hours. Commenting on the results, Jazeera Airways Chairman, Marwan Boodai said: “Jazeera’s performance in 2021 is proof that its flexible and resilient business model continues to safeguard customers, employees and shareholders in times of crises. Financially, our airline took the right steps to control costs and limit cash burn, while operationally we focused on new destinations that satisfied an appetite to travel to destinations marked “Covid-safe” as well as catering to a high and latent demand for connecting flights between the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Speaking of the airline’s performance, Jazeera Airways Chief Executive Officer, Rohit Ramachandran, said: “The challenges that the pandemic brought about in the travel industry in 2020 also opened new opportunities for our airline: cargo operations, charter flights and connecting routes were expanded to benefit our business. We were resourceful in adapting our business operations which enabled us to get through a very difficult period and come back strongly in 2021.”

Recent News

SpiceJet reports a Net Profit of INR 23.28 Crore in Q3 FY 2022

GURUGRAM, February 15, 2022: SpiceJet has reported a Net Profit of INR 23.28 Crore (despite one-time exceptional adjustment of INR 77.46 Crore on account of settlement for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. The airline recorded a 74% rise in the third quarter revenue to INR 2,679 Cr as against INR 1,539 Cr in the previous quarter as it added more destinations and newer aircraft to its fleet. For previous quarter, operating expenses were INR 2,100 Cr as against INR 2,579 Cr for the current quarter. On an EBITDA basis, SpiceJet reported a profit of INR 511 Cr as against a loss of INR 106 Cr for the last quarter. On an EBITDAR basis, the Company reported a profit of INR 644 Cr as against a profit of INR 66 Cr for the last quarter. SpiceXpress, the Company’s logistics platform, continued on its growth trajectory reporting increased revenue of INR 584 Cr for the reported quarter as compared to INR 498 Cr in the last quarter, a jump of 17%. The Company plans to significantly increase freighter capacity in the coming quarters. Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, “I am happy that SpiceJet reported a profit in Q3 FY2022 driven by excellent logistics operations, rebound in passenger traffic and various accommodations from aircraft manufacturer and lessors.” “The passenger industry witnessed the much needed turnaround in third quarter as Covid cases ebbed in the first half of the quarter, travel picked up significantly and there was finally hope that the worst was behind us. However, that changed by the second half of December as Omicron halted that recovery. Our performance would have been much better but was impacted by the unexpected delay in the return to service of the 737 MAX, rising fuel costs and certain exceptional adjustments. I am happy to say that there are renewed signs of recovery in the passenger segment and the logistics segment continues to remain strong. ” The settlement with Boeing was a significant event during the quarter. As expected, the Company received cash and non-cash accommodations significantly in excess of the amounts due to lessors during the period of grounding of MAX aircraft. The settlement not only brought back into operations the grounded 737 MAX aircraft but also paves way for the induction of more efficient and younger MAX aircraft into SpiceJet’s fleet. The settlement also ensures the resumption of new aircraft deliveries from our order of 155 MAX aircraft. SpiceJet celebrated the return to service of the 737 MAX with a special flight from New Delhi to Gwalior. On operational parameters, SpiceJet had the best passenger load factor amongst all airlines in the country during the quarter. The average domestic load factor for the quarter was 85.2%. SpiceJet launched 40 new routes to strengthen its domestic network besides adding Kushinagar as its latest UDAN destination. It also became the first and only airline in India to operate non-stop flights on Delhi-Tirupati sector. In an industry first initiative, the airline built Pilot Docs, a digital library to eliminate the need to carry large amount of paper manuals on the aircraft, resulting in operational efficiency. The global airline association, APEX recognized SpiceJet for its Cabin Crew app in the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ category. Besides, SpiceJet also became the first Indian airline to be awarded the Diamond status from APEX Health Safety for ensuring highest standards of cleanliness and sanitization. During the quarter, the airline also took multiple initiatives to enhance customer experience. SpiceJet revamped its website with improved features to offer customers with a personalized experience through superior navigation and functionality. Besides, in an industry-first approach, it introduced Dolby Atmos on SpiceScreen, its in-flight entertainment system to enhance audio experiences on-board for flyers. The airline also launched a new platform for passengers to choose and book tours, activities and experiences from more than 24,000 handpicked activities and experiences across 55+ countries in partnership with Thrillophilia. In addition, SpiceJet also launched the ‘Book Now, Pay Later’ scheme to add more convenience and allow passengers to pay in easy instalments as per their budget. The airline is now aiming for a stronger comeback in 2022 by utilising and expanding its 737 MAX fleet for better yield and flying experience, launching new customer centric services, optimising daily operations based on IT and expanding network both domestically and internationally.

Recent News

India to allow quarantine-free entry for travellers from 82 countries

New Delhi, 10th Feb 2022: In the latest guidelines issued by Ministry of Health & Welfare, Govt. of India, international travelers are bit relaxed with implementation of more friendly travel policies. The new rule will be applicable from 14th February 20022 onwards. The new travel rules allows passengers of 82 countries to upload their double dose vaccine certificate of Covid-19 on a mutually accepted basis. The Union health ministry has also removed the list of at-risk countries and replaced it with another list of countries in respect of which primary vaccination schedule completion certificate is allowed to be uploaded. These include Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Maldives, New Zealand, Netherlands, Qatar, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and USA. China and UAE are among those not on the list of 82 countries as of now. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted,”The demarcation of countries ‘at-risk’ & other countries is removed. Accordingly need for giving samples on port of arrival & waiting till the result is obtained from countries ‘at-risk’ is dispensed with.” The new guidelines are as follows: *No need for mandatory testing on arrival for travellers from “at-risk” countries. *Samples from 2 per cent of the travellers will be collected at random after de-boarding. *Passengers can give their samples and leave the airport. They do not have to wait for the results. *Passengers will no longer be required to do a seven-day mandatory quarantine. They will have to monitor their health for 14 days. *Passengers will no longer be required to get tested on the eighth day after arrival and upload their test results to the government portal. The vaccination certificates of travellers from countries that have an agreement with India on mutual recognition of certificates for vaccination using nationally recognised or World Health Organization (WHO) recognised vaccines. The vaccination certificates of travellers from countries that do not have an agreement but exempt fully vaccinated Indians from quarantine will also be accepted on the “basis of reciprocity”.

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!

NEWSLETTER

Aviation World Magazine is India’s premier aviation magazine and has been actively supporting the development of the Indian and global civil aviation sector. We started our journey in year 2015 and its been 12 years now and the response and acceptance is really encouraging. Thanks to all our associates and writers who remained with us in our progressive journey.

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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