14 May 2018

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 14 May

Chinese carriers look to increase services to India, says Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey Chinese airlines are looking to increase their services to India, the fastest growing aviation market in the world, quoted a senior government official. Carriers from both sides are keen to operate more flights into each other's territory amid the thaw in the Indo-China ties, particularly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an informal summit last month, according to a source. At present, five Chinese carriers together operate 42 weekly services to three Indian cities -- Delhi, Mumbai nd Kolkata -- from five cities in China. ECS Globe Air Cargo is GSSA for Ukraine International Airlines in India The Indian arm of ECS Group, ECS Globe Air Cargo India, has bagged the contract for comprehensive GSSA services for Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) from its New Delhi headquarters. UIA operates three weekly flights between Delhi (DEL) and Kiev-Boryspil (KBP), Ukraine with the fourth frequency to be added on June 7, 2018. The UIA flights are operated on Boeing 767-300ER with available cargo capacity up to 8-10 tonnes / 50-63 CMB. ECS Globe Air Cargo India expects to generate a cargo volume of about 2,000 tonnes per annum for UIA / PS – with pharmaceuticals, leather goods, chemicals, machinery, textile being among the most important commodities. Harris wins $141m contract to modernize India’s ATM comms Harris has been selected to modernize India’s air traffic management communications infrastructure and support a fast growing aviation market that is expected to double in size over the next 10 years. The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which owns and maintains 129 airports, awarded Harris the 15-year, $141 million contract to serve as the prime contractor and systems integrator for AAI’s Futuristic Telecommunications Infrastructure initiative. Iceland’s WOW Air poised to announce flights to India Icelandic LCC WOW Air appears to be on the verge of announcing flights to India, firming up plans for a strategic shift toward Asia, as reported by ATW in April. A WOW Air press conference invite has now been shared to social media site Airliners.net, giving May 15 as the date for the Indian launch announcement. A related Twitter post suggests that WOW Air’s initial Indian route will be Reykjavik-New Delhi. India ‘positive’ about giving Nepal more air entry routes India has positively responded to Nepal’s request for expanding cooperation in civil aviation sector including permission for additional air routes via Indian territory. The two countries have agreed to hold early discussions on technical issues regarding the additional air entry routes to Nepal, according to a 16-point joint statement issued before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up his two-day state visit to Nepal. India to build second airport in Pune The Indian government has announced clearance for the construction of a new international airport in Pune. Located in the western state of Maharashtra, the Chatrapati Sambhaji Raje International airport will be the city's second. Jet Airways - JetLite merger fails to win approval Jet Airways announced that India's Ministry of Civil Aviation has not approved the scheme for its merger with subsidiary Jet Lite. As a result, the scheme stands revoked and canceled. Despite receiving shareholders’ approval in 2017 for the proposed merger, it was still rejected by regulators. Jet Airways, which had hoped to improve its cash flow efficiency post-merger, still plans to reduce its debt over the next 2-3 years by utilizing operating cash flow. Both carriers will continue to operate as two separate legal entities. Smiths Detection commemorates multi-million contract by Airports Authority of India at U.S. - India Aviation Summit Smiths Detection announced a multi-million contract with Airports Authority of India (AAI) at the U.S.-India Aviation Summit. AAI has placed an order for CTX 9800 DSi^TM systems with a combined value of over $50 million. The first group of machines is expected to be installed in the second half of 2018. AAI will implement ECAC Standard 3 screening of hold baggage at Level 1 for inline systems across the country, complying with regulations set by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the regulatory authority for civil aviation security in India. Acumen Aviation © 14 May 2018 All Rights Reserved.