Top Stories

New Delhi, 9th December 2021: In one of the major air crash India has witnessed in recent times, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff(CDS), the country’s most senior serving soldier, General Bipin Rawat, died in a helicopter crash in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, when he was flying to give a lecture at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington. He was traveling in a Russian made Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17V-5 helicopter along with his wife, Madhulika Rawat, and 11 other armed forces personnel. The only survivor was the pilot, Group Captain Varun Singh, who is battling for his life in Military Hospital Wellington. The incident shocked the entire top the Indian government and PM Narendra Modi in his message said, General Bipin Rawat was “an outstanding soldier” and “a true patriot” who greatly contributed to modernising India’s armed forces and security apparatus. “As India’s first CDS, General Rawat worked on diverse aspects relating to our armed forces including defence reforms.” Rawat and his team flown in the morning in an Embraer Legacy jet from Delhi to Sulur Air Force Base, near Coimbatore. At Sulur, they transhipped to a Mi-17 helicopter for the short trip to Wellington and land at the DSSC helipad. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh said the bodies of the victims will be flown to Delhi. A tri-service enquiry, led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh, is presently underway, he added. He also said Group Captain Varun Singh, decorated with the Shaurya Chakra on Independence Day this year, who was the lone survivor of the crash, is on life support and all efforts are being made to save him. It remains unclear whether the accident took place because clouds caused the pilots to misjudge the terrain, or whether a mechanical failure had occurred. General Bipin Rawat, India’s first CDS, was a visionary who initiated far reaching reforms in the Indian military’s higher defence organisation. He was instrumental in creating the foundation of India’s joint theatre commands and giving impetus to the increased indigenisation of military equipment, a legacy which will be carried on and strengthened by successive generations. ( Pix Courtesy: Internet)

Exclusive Interview with Mr. Ashok Pathirage Chairman, SriLankan Airlines Aviation World,New Delhi,India SriLankan Airlines has assured Indian travelers that the airline is committed to increase the flights to destinations that were temporarily halted due to the pandemic, restore operations to pre-COVID-19 levels, and offer a wide range of connections to SriLanka. In an exclusive interview, Ashok Pathirage Chairman, SriLankan Airlines briefs Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World about the future plans and strategies of the national carrier. Excerpts… How do you see India from business prospective? India is our biggest market and we are dedicated to re-establish operations to full scale where the Indian market is concerned. We continued to operate both passenger and cargo flights to and from India even during periods of lockdown and despite many global travel restrictions. Now, things are moving on appositive note and we see getting back to normal India operations soon. What strategies SriLankan Airlines is taking to restore travel from India? It is an ideal time to create awareness about SriLankan Airlines’ operations in the Indian market and build confidence among travelers to book with the Airline as lockdown are being lifted and global travel restrictions are eased out. The inflow of tourists from India to SriLanka has increased considerably in the last few months, with Sri Lanka being one of the first few countries to open borders and welcome fully vaccinated Indian travelers. Undoubtedly, India is one of Sri Lanka’s most significant source markets for international travelers. How did you capitalize the Covid slowdown? When global aviation was at its lowest point, SriLankan Airlines continued to launch flights to new destinations like Nairobi, Korea, Moscow, Frankfurt, Sydney, Kathmandu and Paris during 2020 and 2021.SriLankan Airlines’ global network expanded significantly, and all new destinations were introduced after thorough studies of factors such as demand, frequency and response. The new routes are indicative of the Airline’s continuous commitment to enhance its network and the travel options available to its passengers worldwide. Are their plans to add more aircraft in your fleet to manage the enhanced capacity of 250-300 weekly flights to India in the next few years? Absolutely, I mean our current fleet is not good enough for us. I also mentioned that that we are planning to be a very strong force in the region. New terminal building is also being developed in Colombo a s[part of the expansion plan which will further increase the passenger capacity by about three- to four times from the current level. So, we are planning for that with or without the newer aircraft and fleet renewal. It might not be 300 flights, who knows, it may be even more. “At SriLankan Airlines it is one of our priorities to see the challenges. We have survived (the pandemic) now we want to build the airline. We do not just want to survive, we want to build a powerful airline which can help our economy” How you see the situation now when the market is opening for your airlines in perspective to India as well as overseas? Now, most of the countries are relaxing as large number of citizens have received the vaccines. We have seen strong demand especially from the Eastern Europe .UK has been our strongest market and from our perspective now we have launched flights to France and Moscow after 6-7 years lapse. So, with all these we feel like things are getting back to normal. We can see lot of traffic going out to Middle East and coming in, that’s mainly the labor traffic that’s almost back to normal. But then India is as you said it’s a very important market for us. Today, we are operating about 54 flights a week compare to 120 flight pre-Covid. Hopefully, we feel that India should comeback to normalcy within one calendar year as pre-Covid levels and from there we hopefully want to increase. There is so much of opportunity in India and obviously SriLankan Airlines and also our tourism authorities has overall put much focus here to take up the market. How are you planning to make a balance between commercial and cargo operations as during lockdown cargo seemed to be key revenue generator? Primarily we are a passenger airline, so we are not going to sacrifice passenger business because of any short term business like what we did during Covid lockdown. It’s all amount to foreign revenue as the national airline what we bring to SriLanka by way of tourism. It’s a direct and indirect process from that perspective. Of course cargo as I said, there is export which is also important. But the passenger aircraft are used for passengers and with whatever capacity left behind will be used for cargo. There is a big focus going on for cargo where we are looking for freighters exclusively for our cargo business. Accordingly, Cargo operations emerged as a key activity in the Airline’s business model, and SriLankan plans to introduce more dedicated Cargo flights to its operation. On the pilot training part are there any plans to enhance in-house simulator training facility? Our pilots are completely getting trained in SriLanka in our in house facilities. At , we have two simulators, one for A-320 and second for A330. Of course, if someone wants to go abroad and get trained they do that. We do have our own aviation regulator which certifies all such pilots as per the standard process. Finally a hypothetical question I want to put across. When do you see 100 per cent resumption of flights? If everything goes well than I see in one year’s time by December 2022 things will be normal and we will resume to 100 per cent of our capacity.

New Delhi SriLankan Airlines, the National Carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the oneworld alliance, continuing to reaffirm the universal appeal of its marketing communication content won a Gold award for its campaign ‘#SriLankanPromises’ in the category ‘Marketing-Carrier’ at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2021 This year’s virtual Award ceremony crowned 20 Gold Award winners and two Grand Title winners out of 113 entries submitted by travel and tourism organizations and individuals worldwide, adjudged by a panel of 18 industry experts. This is the third consecutive PATA Gold Award won by the Airline out of the overall count of four awards that it has managed to win so far. SriLankan Promises is the brand retention campaign steered by the Airline during the first global wave of the COVID 19 pandemic where all activities across the world, including air travel, came to an indefinite standstill. Therefore, in the absence of an actual opportunity to serve its valued customers, and openings where the customers and supporters could actively engage with the Airline brand, the campaign was aimed at spreading positivity, advocating the importance of staying home and retaining the enthusiasm and anticipation for future travel, all the while emphasizing the underlying message of safety and wellbeing. The campaign was well-received by the social media community with over 2 million impressions. SriLankan Airlines Chairman Mr Ashok Pathirage said, “We are honoured to receive this award, especially at a time that we are resuming our global connectivity and inviting the world to experience our warmth and hospitality once again. As we look ahead for better days, an award is a validation that we are on the right track, and an inspiration to undertake more of such rewarding projects. I take this opportunity to thank PATA for this recognition, our supporters, well-wishers, and our valued customers across the globe for their support, goodwill and loyalty over the years.” #SriLankanPromises campaign carried out through the Airline’s corporate social media pages present a threefold promise of the Airlines’ renowned service, the promise of taking the traveller to the marvels of its home base Sri Lanka and travellers across the globe to their desired destination on the wings of SriLankan Airlines. One of the extensions of the campaign is the in-lockdown content collectively created by the Airlines’ staff in commemoration of cultural festivities such as Vesak and Eid. SriLankan Airlines also congratulates Cinnamon Hotel Management Limited, a PATA Grand Title winner for Sustainability and Social Responsibility for its initiative ‘Cinnamon Travel Pledge’ and considers it a privilege to stand alongside the renowned hospitality leader to make Sri Lanka proud at the much-coveted global forum. Some of the other award winners were, Tourism Authority Thailand, MGM China, Meridian Adventure Dive Resort USA, Catalan Tourist Board Spain and Plaza Premium Group Hong Kong.

New Delhi: October 06, 2021 •September 2021 witnessed a 2-3% sequential growth and 74% YoY growth in domestic passenger traffic as infections declined •However, elevated aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices continue to pose a near term challenge; sequential increase of 9.0% witnessed in October 2021The domestic air passenger traffic grew by ~2-3% at around 68-69 lakh in September 2021, compared to ~67 lakh in August 2021. The same reflects a Y-o-Y growth of ~74%. The airlines’ capacity deployment for September 2021 was around 54% higher than September 2020 (~61,100 departures in September 2021, against 39,628 departures in September 2020). On a sequential basis, the number of departures in September 2021 were higher by ~6%, as Covid-19 infections demonstrated a downward trajectory. Mr. Suprio Banerjee, Vice President & Sector Head, ICRA said: “For September 2021, the average daily departures were at ~2,100, significantly higher than the average daily departures of ~1,321 in September 2020, and higher than ~1,900 in August 2021, though they remained lower than ~2,200 in Jan 2021. The average number of passengers per flight during September 2021 was 113, against an average of 117 passengers per flight in August 2021. Though the recovery continued in September 2021, demand continues to be subdued from the corporate traveller segment as reflected by passenger traffic being lower by ~38% in September 2021 compared to pre-Covid levels. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), reduced the permissible capacity deployment to 50% of pre-Covid levels, with effect from June 01, 2021 due to the resurgence of the second wave of the pandemic. It had increased the permitted capacity to 72.5% with effect from August 12, 2021, but has now permitted increasing the capacity to 85.0% with effect from September 18, 2021 until further orders. Additionally, effective September 18, 2021, the Ministry relaxed the fare cap rule wherein the fare caps in each of the bands shall be applicable up to next only 15 days on a rolling basis. Hence, the minimum and maximum fare chargeable shall continue to be rolled over for the next 15 days cycle compared to 30 days earlier. In ICRA’s view, the increase in permitted capacity to 85.0% levels is a step in the right direction, given the onset of the festive season. Also, reduction in fare cap roll over period from 30 days to 15 days is a move towards market driven pricing as applicable during the pre-Covid period, wherein the pricing was determined by the actual demand-supply dynamics and real passenger load factors. While the scheduled international operations have been suspended further till October 31, 2021, under the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) for evacuation of Indian citizens from foreign countries, which started from May 07, 2020, international passenger traffic (inbound and outbound) for Indian carriers stood at ~46 lakh for the period May 07, 2020 to September 30, 2021. For September 2021, international passenger traffic for Indian carriers under the VBM was estimated at ~4.0 lakh, a sequential growth of ~30%. As for the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, there has been a sharp increase of 78.6% on a YoY basis till October 2021, attributed to increase in crude oil prices. This coupled with low capacity utilisation of aircraft fleet will continue to weigh on financial performance of Indian carriers in FY2022. Furthermore, the credit profile of most Indian carriers continues to be characterised by a weak liquidity position.

Delhi/London, September 29, 2021: Indian full-service carrier,Vistara has been named as ‘Best Airline in India & Southern Asia’ and ‘Best Airline Staff in India & Southern Asia’, at the 2021 World Airline Awards by Skytrax.Vistara was voted for by global air travellers based on their experiences, elevating the airline to the 28th position amongst 350 global airlines (up from 69th in 2019 and 86thin 2018). Additionally, Vistara also won the award for ‘Best Cabin Crew in India & Southern Asia’, besides getting ranked the highest in India for Cabin Cleanliness. The World Airline Awards are based on surveys of more than 13 million travellers for the period between September 2019 and July 2021. Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara said, “We are very delighted to have won these prestigious awards that recognise the consistent efforts by each and every team member towards offering a world-class travel experience to our customers. We would like to thank Skytrax for the recognitions and express gratitude to all our customers for placing their trust in us.” Commenting on the Awards for Vistara, Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax said, “Vistara has achieved a remarkable success by winning these two major awards, demonstrating their leadership for the highest product and staff service standards. Vistara also jumped up the global ratings to be ranked at No 28 out of 350 airlines. We look ahead with optimism for 2022 that air travel may be restored to more normal times.”

New Delhi, September 13th, 2021: Jet Airways is all set to resume domestic operations in Q1 2022, according to the Jalan Kalrock Consortium, the successful resolution applicant of Jet Airways. The process of reviving the grounded carrier is on track with the existing Air Operator Certificate (AOC) already under process for revalidation. The Consortium is working closely with the relevant authorities and airport coordinators on slot allocation, required airport infrastructure, and night parking. Senior Members of the Jalan Kalrock Consortium along with Jet 2.0 Operations Team led by the newly appointed Capt. Sudhir Gaur, Accountable Manager, and acting CEO visited key airports last month and held productive meetings with them. Elaborating on details, Murari Lal Jalan, Lead Member of the Jalan Kalrock Consortium and the proposed Non-Executive Chairman of Jet Airways said “We received the NCLT approval in June 2021, and since then we have been working closely with all concerned authorities to get the airline back in the skies. Jet Airways 2.0 aims at restarting domestic operations by Q1-2022, and short haul international operations by Q3/Q4 2022. Our plan is to have 50+ aircraft in 3 years and 100+ in 5 years which also fits perfectly well with the short-term and long-term business plan of the Consortium. The aircraft are being selected based on competitive long term leasing solutions. It is the first time in the history of Aviation that an airline grounded for more than 2 years is being revived and we are looking forward to being a part of this historic journey. The brand Jet Airways has a huge loyalty-base and we are confident that with industry stalwarts like Capt Gaur, we will be able to capitalize and create new benchmarks. We would like to assure all our loyal Jet Airways guests that your favourite airline will soon be back in the skies.” The revival plan for Jet Airways is being implemented as approved by NCLT and all the creditors will be settled as per the plan in the coming months. Sharing operational details, the new Accountable Manager and acting CEO of Jet Airways, Capt. Gaur said “Jet Airways is a brand which has grown bigger and stronger over the last two decades. In its new avatar, Jet Airways will now be headquartered in Delhi NCR with its senior management working from the Corporate Office at Gurugram. However, Jet Airways will continue to have strong and significant presence in Mumbai where it will work from its ‘Global One’ office in Kurla. Jet Airways also has a state-of-the-art training centre located at Global One, which will be retained and used for in-house training for the Jet Airways team.” Adding further, Capt Gaur said, “We will start with domestic operations on an all narrow-body aircraft fleet leased from major global aircraft lessors who have approached us, and with whom we continue to engage. Jet Airways has already hired 150+ full time employees on its payroll and we are looking to onboard another 1,000+ employees FY 2021-22 across categories. The hiring will be in a phased manner and will be strictly on merit, to meet the operational requirements of the airline. The team at Jet Airways is committed to ensure that Jet Airways will restart its operations with its first flight from New Delhi to Mumbai by Q1 2022.”

NEW DELHI, 06 SEP 2021: *Naval Aviation has distinguished itself with exceptional service to the Nation over the last seven decades *The Naval Aviation Arm came into being in 1951 and now has over 250 aircraft *The President recalled the glorious contribution of INS Vikrant during the liberation of Bangladesh *The President lauded the indigenisation efforts of the Indian Navy in keeping with the Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision of the Government Shri Ram Nath Kovind, the Hon’ble President of India and the Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces, presented the President’s Colour to Indian Naval Aviation at INS Hansa, Goa on 06 Sep 2021. To mark the momentous occasion, a ceremonial parade with a 150-men Guard of Honour was presented to the President. Shri PS Sreedharan Pillai, the Governor of Goa; Dr Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa; Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State for Tourism, Ports Shipping and Waterways; Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Naval Staff; Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command and Rear Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil, Flag Officer Naval Aviation along with other civil and military dignitaries attended the ceremony. The President’s Colour is bestowed on a military unit, in recognition of exceptional service rendered to the Nation, both in peace and in war. Naval Aviation has distinguished itself with notable and gallant service to our Nation over the past seven decades. The Indian Navy was the first Indian Armed Force, to receive the President’s Colour, from Dr Rajendra Prasad, the then President of India on 27 May 1951. Subsequent recipients of the President’s Colour in the Navy include Southern Naval Command, Eastern Naval Command, Western Naval Command, Eastern Fleet, Western Fleet, Submarine Arm, INS Shivaji and the Indian Naval Academy. Award of the President’s Colour to Indian Naval Aviation, is in recognition of the yeoman service rendered both during peace and combat. The arm came into being with acquisition of the first Sealand aircraft on 13 Jan 1951 and commissioning of INS Garuda, at Kochi on 11 May 1953. Today, Naval Aviation boasts of nine Air Stations and three Naval Air Enclaves, along the Indian coastline and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Over the past seven decades, it has transformed into a modern, technologically advanced and highly potent force, with more than 250 aircraft comprising Fighters, Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft, Helicopters and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). Today, Naval Aviation assets are capable of undertaking missions along the entire gamut of military operations. Naval Aviation is a vital component of the main roles of Indian Navy – Military, Diplomatic, Constabulary and Benign. Speaking on the occasion, the President recalled the glorious contribution of INS Vikrant with its integral aircraft, which played a crucial role in liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. The President added that, Naval aircraft have also been at the forefront of numerous peacetime as well as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations, providing relief not only to our countrymen but also to friendly foreign nations. The President lauded the indigenisation efforts of the Indian Navy in keeping with the Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision of the Government. The President also made a mention of the significant progress made in aviation technology, facilitation of state-of-the-art indigenous weapons, sensors and data suites for Naval aircraft. The President congratulated the officers and sailors on the momentous occasion and added that, Naval Aviation has come of age with the perseverance of the National Leadership. He also congratulated all veteran and serving Naval Aviators, for their selfless service to the Nation. Courtesy: PIB

New Delhi, 01st September 2021: Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, MoS, Civil Aviation, General Dr. V K Singh (Retd.) along with Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Shri Pradeep Kharola virtually flagged off two flights today strengthening the international & domestic aerial connectivity of Madhya Pradesh. The event marked the commencement of Indigo’s new direct flights on the Gwalior – Indore (Madhya Pradesh) – Delhi route & resumption of Air India’s Indore (Madhya Pradesh) – Dubai (UAE) direct flight. Several other dignitaries including Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Cabinet Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Pradhuman Singh Tomar, Energy Minister (Madhya Pradesh), Shri Bharat Singh Kushwaha, Minster of State – Horticulture and Food Processing (Independent Charge), Shri Vivek Narayan Shejwalkar, Member of Parliament – Lok Sabha, Dr. Satish Sikarwar, Member of Legislative Assembly – Gwalior East joined the event virtually from Gwalior. Shri TulsiramSilavat, Minister – Water Resources, Fisheries Welfare and Fisheries Development, SmtUsha Thakur, Minister – Tourism, Culture, Adhyatm, Shri Shankar Lalwani, Member of Parliament – Lok Sabha, Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, National General Secretary BJP, Shri Ramesh Mendola, Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA)- Indore, SmtMaliniLaxman Singh Gaur, MLA, Shri Mahendra Hardia, MLA, Shri AkashVijayvargiya, MLA, Shri. Sanjay Shukla, MLA, Shri Vishal Jagdish Patel, MLA joined the inauguration virtually from Indore. Senior officials of MoCA & AAI were also present during the ceremony held at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, New Delhi. Shri. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation said, “The establishment of direct flight connectivity on the Indore – Gwalior – Delhi route aligns with the objectives of the Sab Uden Sab Juden initiative of the Government of India.With the aerial connectivity of the 2 cities of Madhya Pradeshwith immense potential, new opportunities will get a boost in sectors of trade and tourism. Shri Scindia further informed that “in last 53 days, Madhya Pradesh got 58 new flights and with 314 new aircraft movements the number of aircraft movements in the state has increased from 424 to 738. Indore, which was earlier connected to 8 cities, has now been connected to 13 cities. In a similar way, aerial connectivity of Gwalior has expanded from 4 to 6 cities.” Gwalior is known for its beautiful forts, temples, tomb, museum, and palaces. The increased accessibility will not only enhance tourism but also promote trade and commerce in the region. Air India group currently operates flights from/to Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Bilaspur to various destinations within India. On the international route, Air India has been operating a direct flight from Indore to Dubai from 2019 which is recommencing now with this non-stop connection.