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At the onset of India’s premier exhibition and air show, “Wings India 2024,” Gp. Capt. RK Bali (Retd.), Managing Director of the Business Air Operator Association (BAOA), engages in an exclusive interview with Vishal Kashyap on the issues within the GA/BA industry. Here are the key excerpts: *Current Business Aviation Scenario in India:* Regarding the current business aviation scenario, the industry is experiencing the most favorable times due to economic growth and the proactive support from the government. Previously, during the beginning of this century, there was unplanned growth driven by increased business activities and related need to possess aircraft for efficiently running the business thus, leading to purchasing of aircraft without a clear understanding of their optimum business utility. Presently, there is a growing awareness of how to align business needs with aircraft use. Although the number of aircraft has remained stagnant, around 200 helicopters and 300 small aircraft, there is a slow but evident consolidation in the industry in terms of type of aircraft best suited for growing business needs. The number of Non-Scheduled Operators (NSOPs) has decreased from a peak of 139 in 2010 to about 99-100, showcasing a trend toward consolidation rather than mere ownership. *Government’s Emphasis on Aviation Industry Growth:* With the growth of airlines outpacing that of small aircraft due to affordability, the Indian government recognizes the need for a well-developed General/Business Aviation (GA/BA) sector. The government is aligning its plans to foster holistic growth in the domestic aviation industry by focusing on the growth of GA/BA. There’s a growing recognition within the government that growth of GA/BA is indispensable for safe and efficient aviation industry in the country and ensuring last-mile connectivity. Working in tandem with the government, BAOA, representing the GA/BA industry in the country, anticipates robust growth in the coming years. *Challenges Hindering Business Aviation Growth:* Acknowledging existing roadblocks, such as inadequate infrastructure specifically tailored for GA/BA, efforts are underway to address these issues. New airports are being planned with separate infrastructure for General/Business Aviation, including terminals. Despite a projected increase in demand, necessitated by the growth of startup companies, consolidation within the GA/BA industry is crucial to reducing the overall cost of owning and operating small aircraft. *Average Age of Operational Business Jets in India:* The average age of aircraft in India is comparable to that in the Far East, though not as much with the Middle East. Future developments in the GA/BA industry, including the introduction of new aircraft, are expected to bring down the average age. The emphasis remains on proper maintenance, airworthiness, and not solely on age for safe and efficient operations. *Key Issues Raised by BAOA with Authorities:* With infrastructural issues in the pipeline, attention is turning towards regulatory requirements. BAOA is advocating for proportionate regulations aligned with international standards, similar to those in the FAA but adapted to Indian conditions. Addressing issues related to taxation, including rationalisation of GST rates in the non-scheduled category, is also a priority. The association is actively collaborating with the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Civil Aviation to resolve these challenges. *BAOA’s Stance on Fractional Ownership:* BAOA supports fractional ownership of business jets and has proposed its implementation in the non-scheduled category in the first phase of implementation. The government is working on a on a consolidated policy expected to allow fractional ownership, aligning with practices in other industries. This move aims to facilitate the growth of Business Aviation in India with numerous small owners sharing aircraft use, reducing overall costs. This,the fractional ownership, is a tested way of ensuring optimal growth of GA/BA industry across the globe, in all developed nations. *Status of GIFT City in Supporting the Business Aviation Sector:* Although GIFT City faced initial challenges, progress is expected over time. Full utilization of GIFT City for supporting the business aviation sector may take another 2-3 years. Efforts to secure financial support from Indian banks are underway, with individuals in the small aircraft industry exploring leasing through GIFT City. This interview offers valuable insights into the current state and future trajectory of Business Aviation in India.

Ayodhya, 30th Dec 2023: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the newly built Ayodhya Airport. The airport has been named as Maharishi Valmiki International Airport. The airport has 2200m long runway with complete Aeronautical Ground Lights (AGLs) infrastructure and is supported by Doppler Very High Frequency Omni Range (DVOR)& Instrument Landing System (ILS). The Airport will be suitable for day&night operations as well as during low visibility conditions of more than 550m. Both AAI and DGCA officials collaborated together to complete this project successfully.The much-awaited Ayodhya Airport will have a terminal building with an area of 6500 sqm, equipped to handle 600 passengers during peak hours and 10 lakh passengers annually. Air India Express operated its inaugural flights between Ayodhya and Delhi on December 30 and it has announced the commencement of new routes from Ayodhya to two major metros – Bengaluru and Kolkata, starting January 17. The airline will operate direct flights on these routes, significantly boosting connectivity to and from Ayodhya, its third station in Uttar Pradesh. Speaking about the launch of the new routes, Dr Ankur Garg, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India Express, said “Our dedication to expanding connectivity throughout India remains steadfast, driven by our expanding fleet. The introduction of non-stop services connecting Ayodhya to Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata underscores this commitment. As pivotal hubs in our network, Bengaluru and Kolkata will serve as gateways to Ayodhya, providing pilgrims from South India and Eastern India with convenient one-stop itineraries.” IndiGo has also announced direct connectivity between Mumbai and Ayodhya effective from January 15.These daily flights will offer travelers direct accessibility to Ayodhya, ensuring smoother and shorter journeys.

Kuwait,9th August 2023: Jazeera Airways announced financial results for the first half (1H) of 2023 with total revenues up 26.1% to KD97.85 million and operating profits of KD9.35million.Net profit for the period was KD6.27 million compared to KD 7.38 million for the same period last year. Profits for the last year also included a “one-off” gain of KD1.73 million from the airline’s sale and lease-back of engines. With a strong demand for air travel, Jazeera’s passenger traffic showed a 40.9% increase to 2.1 million for the first half of the year. Load factors also increased by 4.1% to reach 78.1% in H1. Announcing the results, Marwan Boodai,Chairman, Jazeera Airways said, “As we share our positive results for the first half of 2023, we remain optimistic and confident of our performance. Demand for travel is high and we are pleased to see that reflected in the increased passenger traffic as well as consistent load factors. We have introduced several new and attractive destinations and look forward to launching others in the next half of the year. While doing so, we continue to focus on maximizing our operational and financial performance through different products, services, and initiatives, in the best interest of all our shareholders, partners and customers.” The Jazeera Airways Board of Directors approved an interim cash dividend of 28 fils per share, a total of KD6.16 million for H1 that reflects the company’s strong cash position. Financial and Operational Highlights: H1 2023 Highlights: ● Operating revenue: KD97.8 million, up 26.1% from 1H2022 ● Operating profit: KD9.35 million, down 4.9% from 1H2022* ● Net profit: KD6.27 million, down 15.1% from 1H 2022* ● Passengers: 2.1 million, up 40.9% from 1H 2022 ● Load factor: 78.1%, up 4.1% ● Yield: KD42.83, down 10.5% Second Quarter 2023 Review In the second quarter of the year, Jazeera considerably expanded its network by adding direct flights to Moscow, Samarkand, Larnaca, Shiraz, Belgrade, Tirana and Tivat.The airline also became the first GCC carrier to fly direct from Kuwait to Sphinx International Airport in Cairo, Egypt making it Jazeera’s seventh destination in the country. Continuing its growth plan, the airline welcomed two additional aircraft to its fleet and has signed an order for more than 2,000 of the world’s lightest aircraft seats to renovate its fleet. With these new seats, each aircraft in the Jazeera fleet will deliver a substantial weight saving of 1.2 metric tons, reduce jet fuel consumption and increase passenger capacity with an additional row of seats. With a focus on improving and enhancing product offerings, Jazeera Airways also introduced online pre-ordering from their Duty Free and On-board shop. 2023 Outlook In the second half of the year, Jazeera will be announcing several new routes that will cater to the demands of both business and leisure travellers. By the end of the current financial year, Jazeera Airways will be en route to adding three more aircraft to its fleet. With the additional destinations planned for the rest of the year, these will help serve the airline’s fast-growing network.

New Delhi, 30 March 2023: Vistara today became India’s first carrier to operate a wide-body aircraft using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on a long-haul route. The ground-breaking ferry flight from Charleston International Airport, South Carolina to IGI Airport, Delhi was operated in partnership with The Boeing Company and GE Aerospace, on Vistara’ s newest GEnx-powered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, the fourth in its fleet. By using a blend of 30% SAF with 70% conventional jet fuel, Vistara was able to reduce approximately 150,000 pounds of CO₂ emissions over the fuel’s life cycle. Vinod Kannan, CEO, Vistara, said, “We take immense pride in carrying out another pioneering initiative to operate a wide-body aircraft on a long-haul route using SAF, as we took delivery of our all-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. This is an important milestone in our commitment towards achieving carbon neutrality.” Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India said, “We congratulate Vistara on the significant achievement of becoming the first Indian airline to operate a wide-body aircraft, the Boeing 787-9, on a long-haul route using SAF. This is a major milestone in the Indian aviation industry’s journey towards decarbonization, and we are proud to have been a partner in this endeavour.” Vikram Rai, Country Head – South Asia & Indonesia, GE Aerospace said, “GE Aerospace congratulates Vistara on this milestone. The GEnx engine, like all GE Aerospace engines, can operate on approved SAF blends today. Compatibility with existing aircraft engines is one of the reasons SAF is critical to helping the aviation industry reach its goal to be net zero by 2050 and collaborations like this encouraging greater adoption of SAF globally helps bring us closer to this target. The GEnx is also up to 15% more fuel efficient than its predecessor, helping reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in flight in addition to the benefits of SAF.” Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to conventional jet fuel, lowering carbon emissions by up to 80% over the fuel’s life cycle, depending on the feedstock. Vistara is constantly looking at improved ways to do business, keeping sustainability at the heart of those innovations and this ferry flight on SAF, another industry first initiative in India, is a testament to that. The airline is currently working under the TATA Aviation Sustainability Working Group along with the other aviation arms of the TATA group for reducing carbon emissions. Vistara, along with other airline companies of the Tata group – Air India and Air Asia India, recently signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Indian Institute of Petroleum to collaborate on the research, development and deployment of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). The airline would also be jointly working through the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), to lower CO2 emissions for international flights and to curb the industry’s impact on climate change.

Mumbai, March 10th, 2023: AirAsia India in collaboration with DGCA integrated the Pilot’s Flight Duty Logbook directly from its Crew Management system to the eGCA platform. The eGCA platform provides end-to-end solutions and connectivity with regional offices to improve transparency and accountability across all functions of DGCA. This initiative, as part of DGCA’s digitization program, will eliminate the need for pilots to hand-fill their flight and simulator duties carried out during their career in physical logbooks, thereby improving efficiency and transparency. Pilots were traditionally required to update their Pilot LogBook in physical logbooks, as required by the MOCA’s Aircraft Rule, 1937 (67A). However, with the integration of AirAsia India’s Crew Management system with eGCA’s LogBook API (Application Program Interface), this process will now be digitised, making it simpler, more user-friendly, and more sustainable. Talking about this initiative, Capt. Manish Uppal, Head of Operations, AirAsia India, said, “We are proud to collaborate with DGCA in integrating our Crew Management System with eGCA’s LogBook API. This initiative is a significant step towards improving the efficiency and transparency of the aviation industry and also contributing to sustainability. By eliminating the need for pilots to manually update their Pilot LogBooks, we are simplifying the process and making it more user-friendly. This initiative in conjunction with DGCA is a testament to our commitment to innovation and digitization, and we are excited to continue working towards making services simpler and more user-friendly for pilots.” eGCA provides 298 services, including pilot licensing, with the goal of adding value to DGCA safety regulation, eliminating operational inefficiencies, improving personal interaction, regulatory reporting, increasing productivity, and increasing transparency. With this partnership, AirAsia India and DGCA are striving to make services simpler and more user-friendly for pilots, while also enhancing the overall efficiency and transparency of the aviation industry. In addition to providing accurate real-time pilot flying hours, this integration will also facilitate the timely submission of applications for pilot licensing, renewal, and endorsement by eliminating multiple data validation steps. As manual intervention in the process is significantly reduced, this will result in faster processing of applications, as the verification of flying data in submitted applications will be considerably streamlined. This initiative will greatly benefit both pilots and DGCA, improving the efficiency and accuracy of the licensing process.

New Delhi,31st January 2023: Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia along with General Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh (Rtd.) inaugurated a flight connecting Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, and Jamshedpur, started by IndiaOne Air. IndiaOne Air will operate this route from 31st January 2023. These operations shall be increased to daily operations effective from 01st February 2023 under the RCS-UDAN scheme. Jyotiraditya Scindia said that it is an auspicious moment that three important cities of three different states are being connected through this network of flights. Earlier airlines were closing one by one, but now the UDAN scheme has given birth to three new regional airlines. Before 2014 there were only 74 operational airports in the country. Now after the initiation of commercial operations at Jamshedpur, it has increased to 147 and it will touch 148 after the inauguration of commercial operations at Shivamogga airport, Karnataka in February 2023. Scindia added that the central government is taking multiple steps for the development of civil aviation infrastructure in Jharkhand. He said that earlier there used to be only one airport in Jharkhand. The Prime Minister inaugurated the second airport in Deoghar a few months ago. The Airports Authority of India is investing Rs 30 crore in Dumka and Rs 75 Crore in Bokaro airport and flights from these airports will be operationalised soon. Minister of State congratulated IndiaOne Air and said that this connectivity will play a big role in improving communication and boosting economic activities in the region.

Akasa Air signs two contracts with AFI KLM E&M through its wholly owned subsidiary EPCOR, for both component and APU services in order to support their ongoing operation development. Mumbai, 25th January 2023: Akasa Air has enlisted the support of AFI KLM E&M for component services as well as dedicated APU solutions from its subsidiary EPCOR. The Group MRO will supply the airline with an adaptive package of flight-hour solutions including repair services, access to a spare parts pool, provision of a Main Base Kit (MBK) and dedicated logistical support. The agreement covers an extensive range of components, including the Line Replaceable Units (LRU) for the engines as well as the APUs fitted on Akasa Air’s fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8s. On the APU side, the services delivered by EPCOR, AFI KLM E&M’s center of excellence for APU maintenance, will cover the repair and maintenance of GTCP131-9B APUs (fitted on the 737 MAX), the provision of replacement units, Health Monitoring/Fleet Management assistance using the PROGNOS® for APU platform, and engineering-as-a-service. The AFI KLM E&M Group worked closely alongside Akasa Air in the lead-up to the operational launch phase, listening to the needs and challenges faced by the airline and adapting their commercial service packages to fit these requirements. AFI KLM E&M has capitalized upon its expertise in the 737 product and its Airline-MRO profile, pro-actively suggesting ways to reduce costs and develop a competitive, adapted offering aimed at optimizing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and achieving a high level of operational reliability.EPCOR has amassed extensive experience and expertise on the Honeywell GTCP131-9B APU, with over 470 shop visits for 59 customers around the world under its belt. Ton Dortmans, EVP KLM Engineering & Maintenance, stated, “We’re fully committed to supporting their ambitions and development by providing the best available solutions in component support, drawing upon our extensive expertise with the 737/737 MAX product.” Commenting on the occasion, Neelu Khatri, Co-Founder and SVP – Head of Operations at Akasa Air said, “We are delighted to enable AFI KLM E&M’s group to further expand its leading position into the Indian market through this partnership.

Bengaluru,12th January, 2023: Damodar Bhattad S has taken charge as the Director (Finance) of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) with effect from January 11, 2023. He was working as General Manager (Finance) at BEL’s Corporate Office prior to his elevation. Damodar Bhattad is a Chartered Accountant, who had secured All India Rank in ICAI final examination. A B.Com Graduate from the University of Madras, he joined BEL as Accounts Officer at its Chennai Unit in 1988 and in a career spanning over 34 years, served the company in various roles and capacities. As Head of Finance at BEL Corporate Office, he played a significant role in the formulation of various company policies and procedures. He also played a pivotal role in BEL recording its highest ever turnover of Rs. 15,044 Cr in FY22 and achieving an order book of more than Rs. 50,000 Cr. As Head of Funds, he efficiently managed Working Capital and ensured BEL remained debt free. He and his team played a key role in efficient collection of Trade Receivables, in the last two years (FY 2021 and 2022). He also initiated investment of surplus funds in Mutual Funds, which increased the company’s returns from Treasury Management. Damodar Bhattad has ensured that adequate internal financial controls are put in place in BEL and the company’s Risk Control Matrix is current and updated. He has been a member of various Management Committees — Management Audit Committee, Corporate Risk Management Committee, CSR Screening Committee and Invitee of Audit Committee and Capital Investment Committee to name a few, and has been able to provide valuable insights to BEL Management from the Finance perspective. Damodar Bhattad was Lead Member (Finance) for devising a business-cum-growth plan for BEL with respect to a strategic advisory services contract signed by the Defence major with a leading consultancy firm. He has been an integral part of the BEL Management team at various analysts/investor conferences. He has played a major role in BEL making the leap from conventional financial reporting to the more holistic approach of bringing out its first Integrated Annual Report in 2021-22. He believes and supports initiatives which increase BEL’s value for shareholders, in terms of higher Dividend payout and capitalisation of reserves. As a member and Finance representative of BEL’s Pension Trust and Gratuity Trust, Damodar Bhattad has ensured that the trust portfolio is suitably diversified in order to minimise risk and maximise returns. Earlier, during his tenure as Head of Finance (Operations), he played a crucial role in finalising contracts and selling price of major equipment and systems with customers. As a member of BEL’s Price Negotiation Committee, he was instrumental in obtaining significant price reductions from suppliers. He believes that BEL being a socially responsible corporate citizen must maximise its value for all its stakeholders.