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MoCA releases draft ‘National Air Sports Policy’ for public feedback

New Delhi, 2nd January 2022: Ministry of Civil Aviation has released draft National Air Sports Policy (NASP) for public feedback. The draft policy is available on the website of the Ministry and can also be accessed through the link: https://www.civilaviation.gov.in/sites/default/files/Draft-NASP-2022.pdf The suggestions can be sent by 1700 hrs on 31st January, 2022. India has the potential to be among the leading nations in the world of air sports. It has a large geographical expanse, diverse topography and fair weather conditions. It has a large population, especially the youth. It has a growing culture for adventure sports and aviation. Other than the direct revenue from air sports activities, the multiplier benefits in terms of growth of travel, tourism, infrastructure and local employment, especially in hilly areas of the country, are several times greater. Creation of air sports hubs across the country will also bring in air sports professionals and tourists from across the world. The Government of India therefore plans to promote the country’s air sports sector, by way of making it safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable. Systems and processes need to be simplified and made more transparent; focus on quality, safety and security needs to be enhanced; and investments in infrastructure, technology, training and awareness building need to be facilitated. The draft National Air Sports Policy (NASP 2022) is a step in this direction. It has been drafted on the basis of the inputs received from policy makers, air sports practitioners and public at large. It is an evolving document and will be modified from time to time. The key features of the Draft National Air Sports Policy are: 1: NASP 2022 covers sports like aerobatics, aeromodelling, amateur-built and experimental aircraft, ballooning, drones, gliding, hang gliding and paragliding; microlighting and paramotoring; skydiving and vintage aircraft. 2: The vision is to make India one of the top air sports nations by 2030. The mission is to provide a safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable air sports ecosystem in India. 3: NASP 2022 seeks to leverage India’s huge potential for air sports given its large geographical expanse, diverse topography and fair weather conditions. 4: An Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) will be established as the apex governing body. Associations for each air sport will handle day to day activities e.g. Paragliding Association of India or Skydiving Association of India etc. 5: The air sports associations shall be accountable to ASFI with respect to the regulatory oversight and for providing safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable conduct of their respective air sport. 6: ASFI shall represent India at FAI and other global platforms related to air sports. Greater participation and success of Indian sportspersons in global air sports events will be facilitated. 7: Domestic design, development and manufacturing of air sports equipment will be promoted in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. 8: The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland is the world governing body for air sports. All competitions in India will be conducted as per the guidelines laid down by FAI. 9: Air sports by their very nature involve a higher level of risk than flying a regular aircraft. NASP 2022 places strong focus on ensuring international best practices in safety. 10:Inability to enforce safety standards by an air sports association may lead to penal action by the ASFI against such association including financial penalties, suspension or dismissal. 11: All persons and entities providing air sports services shall be required to register as members of the respective air sports associations. Key equipment used for air sports shall be registered with the respective air sports association, till such equipment is decommissioned, damaged beyond repair or lost. 12: An airspace map of India has been published on DGCA’s DigitalSky Platform (https://digitalsky.dgca.gov.in). The map segregates the entire airspace of India into red zone, yellow zone and green zone. Air sports practitioners may rely on this easily accessible map for guidance. Operation in red and yellow zones requires permission from Central Government and the concerned Air Traffic Control authority respectively. Operation in green zones for aircraft with all-up weight up to 500 kg does not require any permission. 13: For air sports centred around a fixed location – for instance, Bir-Billing in Himachal Pradesh, Gangtok in Sikkim, Hadapsar in Maharashtra or Vagamon in Kerala – the said location can be declared as a ‘Control zone’ for air sports with necessary permissions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Defence (MoD), State Government and the local Air Traffic Control authority. This will enable hassle-free flying by air sports enthusiasts in such control zones without creating any risk to national security or safety of other manned aircraft. 14: During peak winters, the level of air sports reduces in Europe and North America and the air sports aficionados migrate to milder climates. ASFI and the air sports associations will work towards developing a hassle-free process to enable their movement to India. This will enable Indian air sports enthusiasts to learn from the experience of the visiting professionals, get exposed to global best practices and create opportunities to host global competitions in India. 15: The Government will consider allowing import of air sports equipment without any import duty for a particular number of years. Import of previously used air sports equipment may also be allowed free import, subject to laid down norms of airworthiness. 16: Schools, colleges and universities will be encouraged to have air sports included in their curriculum. 17: Long term funding for development of air sports in India shall come from corporate investors, sponsors, membership fees, events and media rights. ASFI may seek financial support from Government of India for promotion of air sports, especially in the initial years. 18:To make air sports affordable to the common public, the Government will request the GST Council to consider rationalising the GST rate on air sports equipment to 5% or less. ( News Received by PIB.The content is published on as shared basis.)

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Airliner MС-21-300 with wings made of Russian composites performs its first flight

Moscow, December 25, 2021: An MС-21-300 aircraft, whose wings are made of polymer composite materials produced in Russia, recently performed its first flight. The airliner became airborne from the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, a branch of Irkut (a subsidiary of UAC of Rostec State Corporation). The flight was performed in normal mode. The aircraft was piloted by a crew consisting of test pilot, Hero of Russia Roman Taskaev, and test pilot, Hero of Russia Oleg Kononenko. “The flight mission wasfullycompleted. The aircraft systems were operating normally,”Roman Taskaev said. MС-21-300/310 is a new generation medium-haul aircraft with capacity of 163 to 211 passengers. Its key distinction consists in its wings made of composites. “The first flight of an airliner with wings made of Russian composites corroborates the fact that we have done everything right, the MC-21 program is developing consistently and unswervingly in spite of sanctions and unfair competition. This is a result of accumulating knowledge and expertise in the aviation industry, as well as unprecedented government support. The total amount of funds allocated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the creation of a composite wing adds up to 4.4 billion rubles. This Russian technology has a number of advantages over the traditional prepreg autoclave technology, which makes it possible to increase productivity, reduce labor and production costs, provide conditions for forming large parts and high quality of mass-produced products. To date, a composite wing has already been made for two aircraft, and the manufacture of a third set is in progress. We plan to obtain changes to the type certificate regarding the composite wing made of Russian materials in the second half of 2022,” said Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. Domestic materials for composite bearing structures of the wings were developed in close cooperation with scientists from Moscow State University, Rosatom and aviation industry specialists. The qualification tests of the materials showed that they meet requirements of MС-21 structure. Wing panels and the center section of the MС-21-300 aircraft are made at the AeroComposite-Ulyanovsk plant. The wing is manufactured using unique vacuum infusion technology, patented in Russia. “The share of composites in the MС-21 airframe is about 40%, which is unprecedented for medium-haul aircraft. The use of strong and lightweight composite materials has enabled the design of a wing with unique aerodynamic characteristics unattainable for a metal wing. Improved aerodynamics have made it possible to increase the width of the MC-21 fuselage and expand the cabin, which brings new advantages in terms of passenger comfort. MС-21 is the world’s first ever mid-haul aircraft with such solutions,” said Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Rostec. MС-21 is focused on the most mass-market segment in passenger transportation in Russia and in the world.At present, the certification of the MС-21-300 aircraft is nearing completion, we plan tolaunch deliveries of it to airlines in 2022. At the same time, tests are underway of MС-21-310 with the new Russian PD-14 engine. “There are six MС-21-300 aircraft in production, intended for delivery to customers. All of them are equipped with wings made of Russian composites. An impressive step forward has been made in strengthening cooperation between Russian aircraft manufacturing plants as part of the MС-21 program. Centers of competence have been created within the UAC system, specializing in the production of individual units, e.g., Aviastar produces fuselage panels and tail unit for MC-21, andVoronezh Aircraft Plant makes engine pylons and landing gear fairings. AeroComposite-Ulyanovsk manufactures the wing box, and KAPO-Composite – the wing high lift devices. These centers are involved in ambitious projects in the Russian aircraft industry,”said Yuri Slyusar, General Director of United Aircraft Corporation.

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Jalan Kalrock Consortium to Infuse Funds in Jet Airways; to start operations by early 2022

To implement the approved plan towards re-commencement of operations .The operations will commence in 2022 with six narrow body aircraft and reach 100+ aircraft fleet as a 5-year plan. New Delhi, December 17, 2021: In a press shared by the Jalan Kalrock Consortium, the company has mentioned that it is ready to commence domestic operations by early New Year. Jalan Kalrock Consortium is the Successful Resolution Applicant of Jet Airways after being given the approval by NCLT in June 2021. The Jalan Kalrock Consortium has approached the Hon’ble National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to fast track the implementation of the Approved Resolution Plan by infusing capital in Jet Airways. The Consortium wants to commence payments to all stakeholders including ex-employees, workmen, ticket claimants and lenders of Jet Airways as per the plan approved by the NCLT in June 2021. In its latest filing before the NCLT, the Consortium has intimated December 22, 2021, as its plan “effective date” and seeks to forthwith implement the plan as approved previously by NCLT in June 2021. Murari Lal Jalan, Lead Member of the Consortium and Proposed Promoter and Non-Executive Chairman of Jet Airways said, “We are excited to embark on the next phase of revival of India’s most loved airline. We at JKC await the Hon’ble NCLT’s decision on our last filing and look forward to recommencing operations of Jet Airways at the earliest. Jalan further clarified that,“The Consortium is ready with its investments and given the progress the team has made operationally since NCLT Approval in June 2021, we feel it is time to fund the company immediately for revival of the business, without delay”. He reiterated that “We are aiming to start Domestic Operations at the earliest in 2022 as a Full-Service Carrier and look forward to creating history with Jet Airways revival.” On the plans of revival and fleet type of Jet Airways 2.0,Florian Fritsch of Kalrock Capital Partners and Partner of Jalan in Jet Airways said, “I am totally aligned with Mr. Jalan and his vision for Jet Airways. I feel the people of India deserve Jet Airways to come back and our teams are working tirelessly to ensure its revival.” Florian clarified that ,“the decision to invest in Jet Airways has been well thought off by me and Mr. Jalan and we both feel that now is the time that next steps of plan implementation be complied with as per orders of the NCLT.” On the fleet type, Florian said, “Jet Airways will commence its operations in 2022 with 6 (six) Narrow Body Aircraft and reach 100+ Aircraft Fleet as a 5-year plan. Even with an aggressive expansion strategy, Jet Airways intends to be a ESG Compliant Aviation Company.” On his relationship with Mr Jalan and future plans of the Consortium, Florian said “I am very fond of Mr. Jalan. He is a true visionary who wants to maintain a low profile but has big plans. It was his idea to invest in Jet Airways and Kalrock is glad to have partnered with him on this transaction. We are also exploring other business opportunities together in Indo-Pacific Region and in Eastern Europe”. On the revalidation of its existing Air Operator Certificate (AOC), the Consortium clarified that the process of revalidation was initiated in August 2021 itself, within days of receiving the NCLT approval, and the process has now been fast-tracked. The Consortium is confident of receiving the AOC in the coming months and will start operations soon thereafter. The Consortium said “We are in regular touch with the DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to have Jet’s AOC revalidated and we thank the authorities for their continued support. Jet Airways has an existing AOC valid until 2023, which was only suspended in 2019 due to the financial health of the company then, and the current process taken up is towards removing the said suspension and therefore the time required for getting the AOC revalidated will be substantially lesser in comparison to obtaining fresh AOC by a new company”. On slots at key airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, the Consortium clarified that it is working closely with the relevant authorities and airport coordinators on slot allocation, required airport infrastructure, and night parking and is confident to get the initial slots required by to commence operations. The Consortium said, “We have held multiple rounds of discussions with all key airports which form part of the initial network plan and are confident to get the required slots in the Summer Schedule of 2022.” On operational details and manpower engagement, the Consortium said, “Jet Airways is a brand which has grown bigger and stronger over the last two decades and people are excited to join and work for Jet Airways. The company has received more than 35,000 applications across job categories and the team is shortlisting candidates as per its business requirements. Jet Airways 2.0’s new corporate office is in Gurugram and the Consortium is looking for a bigger office in Delhi NCR to house the entire team in one office.” On senior management hirings, the Consortium said that, “Most of the Senior Management Positions as per our approved organization structure has been filled and the Consortium will introduce the Entire Senior Management Team to all stakeholders soon.” The Consortium is ready with the required capital and have applied to the Hon’ble NCLT for the necessary approvals to start capital infusion in Jet Airways for further implementation of the plan approved by Hon’ble NCLT in June 2021.

Airports, Top Stories

25 AAI airports earmarked for asset monetization under National Monetization Pipeline

New Delhi, 10th Dec 2021 As per National Monetization Pipeline (NMP), 25 AAI airports have been earmarked for asset monetization over the years 2022 to 2025 namely Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Raipur, Calicut, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Madurai, Surat, Ranchi Jodhpur, Chennai, Vijayawada, Vadodara, Bhopal, Tirupati, Hubli, Imphal, Agartala, Udaipur, Dehradun and Rajahmundry. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has identified Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) International Airport in Tamil Nadu among 13 airports for operations, management and development of the airports through Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode in public interest and for better management of the airports. Even after bringing these airports under PPP mode of operations, AAI will remain the owner of the airports and all these airports will revert to AAI once the Concession Period is over. This year in August, the government proposed to raise Rs.20,782 crore within four years till FY25 by monetising 25 airports across the nation as part of the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP).

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India’s CDS dies in a massive chopper crash along with his wife and other air force officers

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)

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SriLankan Airlines is committed to serve India, says Ashok Pathirage Chairman, SriLankan Airlines

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.

Civil Aviation, Top Stories

Ministry of Civil Aviation mandates Air Suvidha Portal for Ease of Travelling

New Delhi, 07th December 2021: To ensure the smooth passage of international travellers arriving in India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has mandated contactless self-declaration at Air Suvidha Portal. The Air Suvidha portal was launched in August 2020 and now has been strengthened to accommodate travel guidelines issued on 30 November 2021. Air Suvidha is first of its kind digital portal for easing international passenger arrival in India. This portal is developed by MOCA aids passengers in providing their details of travel and final stay along with RTPCR, Vaccination status etc. In today’s time, this helps state officials in contact tracing. The implementation of the Air Suvidha intends to provide hassle-free, queue free, and convenient air travel to all international passengers arriving in India. Air Suvidha portal has already assisted2,51,210 passengers from 1st Dec 2021 to 05th Dec 2021 since the updating of the new travel guidelines on 30th November 2021. Furthermore, over1 crore passengers have been benefitted from the Air Suvidha portal since its launch in August 2020. To ensure the necessary prevention of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, the exemption forms from the Air Suvidha portal have been discontinued, and filling of the details have been made compulsory for all international passengers arriving in India. All international passengers arriving in India are mandated to declare their current health status prior to boarding on the Air Suvidha Portal along with the required documents: Copy of Passport, PCR Negative Certificate from a Test conducted within 72 hours of departure and the Vaccination Certificate. For immigration, the copy received in e-mail is essential on arrival in India and has to be verified at the APHO counter. Updates made to make Air Suvidha friendlier for passengers and health/State officials: • All applications from ‘at risk’ countries are marked with H and red band and others are green. This helps in smooth on arrival segregation and processing. This list is dynamically updated to keep up with MOHFW updates. • Application also takes into account countries visited in the last 14 days to highlight ‘at risk’ applications. This field is also made into multi-select drop-down option for standardization. • Standardization of fields by providing drop-down list E.g. district and state for address. • Updated FAQ list and customer care link along with the latest advisory at the start of the portal. • For ‘At Risk’ countries passengers are advised to pre-book their test on arrival test and the link to respective testing facility is provided to the passengers on SDF submission. All international passengers are mandated to follow the below measures arriving/transiting from Countries at-risk • Submit self-declaration form on Air Suvidha portal • Upload negative RT-PCR report (conducted within 72 hrs. before the journey) • Post-arrival COVID-19 test at arriving Airport (self-paid) • Home quarantine for 7 days, • Re-test on the 8th day and if negative, self-health monitoring for next 7 days List of Countries from where travellers would need to follow additional measures on arrival in India, including post-arrival testing (Countries at-risk)(Updated as on 6th December 2021) 1. Countries in Europe including The United Kingdom 2. South Africa 3. Brazil 4. Botswana 5. China 6. Ghana 7. Mauritius 8. New Zealand 9. Zimbabwe 10. Singapore 11. Tanzania 12. Hong Kong 13. Israel Air Suvidha Portal Link: https://www.newdelhiairport.in/airsuvidha/apho-registration For more details, visit: https://bit.ly/NewTravelGuidelinesOct2021

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SriLankan Airlines wins PATA Gold Awards 2021

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.

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Domestic passenger traffic accelerates in September 2021 : ICRA

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.

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Vistara Named Best Airline in India & Southern Asia By Skytrax

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.”

FOREWORD

Dear Readers,

 

Welcome to the latest edition of Aviation World. This is an incredibly significant issue for us, perfectly timed to align with several prominent aviation events unfolding across the globe.

 

Chief among them is the Farnborough International Airshow, taking place from July 20th to 24th, 2026, in Hampshire, United Kingdom. Ranked as one of the world’s premier events for aviation, aerospace, and defense, this year’s airshow arrives at a crucial moment. Against a backdrop of geopolitical turbulence, Farnborough provides an invaluable platform to engage with global leaders and gain firsthand perspectives on the future of the industry. Inside, you will find our comprehensive curtain-raiser report focusing on the show’s core themes, as well as the highly anticipated static and aerobatic aircraft displays.

 

On our front cover, we are proud to feature Capt. Vaibhav Goutham Suresh, Director of the School of Aviation, Logistics and Tourism Management (SALTM) at Galgotias University. In an exclusive interview, Capt. Suresh highlights how SALTM bridges the gap between academia and the runway, delivering a comprehensive curriculum that ensures graduates are industry-ready from day one. Complementing this, our special feature on SALTM dives deeper into how the institution maintains world-class academic standards and a cutting-edge learning environment.

 

We are also privileged to bring you exclusive insights from a stellar lineup of industry trailblazers in this edition, including:

  • Robin Glover-Faure, Chief Customer Officer of Acron Aviation
  • Karim Makhlouf, CCO of Royal Jordanian Airlines
  • Pallavi Joshi & Vimal Priya, the leadership powerhouse behind AirFleet Managers &Aviatrics Global
  • Wg. Cdr. Prem Kumar Garg (Retd.), CEO of IndiaOne Air

Each shares a detailed perspective on driving innovation, navigating current market dynamics, and establishing progressive frontiers within their respective sectors.

 

Beyond these highlights, this issue is packed with curated features and analytical pieces designed to keep you informed and inspired.

 

Finally, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our esteemed advertisers and partners. Your unwavering support empowers us in our ongoing endeavor to make Aviation World a truly world-class publication with global reach and recognition.

 

Happy Reading!

 

The Editorial Team

 

Aviation World

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

Disclaimer

The contents published in this website are news covering Aviation, Aerospace and Defence sector. The objective is to provide news in informative form to keep our readers updated of the latest development. We also publish content featured in our print publication Aviation World.We try our best to avoid any factual errors or image displayed here but we ensure immediate corrections to any such thing brought to our notice that might have been published inadvertently. All images and contents are sourced from the relevant organisations media team.

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