14 Oct 2019

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 14 October

GoAir invites bids from Airbus and Boeing for aircraft, plans expansion GoAir has invited bids from Airbus and Boeing for 20 wide body and 200 narrow aircraft as it prepares for the next phase of growth according to media sources. GoAir has 144 Airbus A320neo aircraft on order, which were booked in two tranches in 2011 and 2016. Currently, its fleet includes 37 A320neo aircraft and the rest consists of conventional A320s. Indian aviation recovering fast after Jet collapse, number of planes crosses 600 again Six months after the collapse of Jet Airways due to a lack of funds, India’s civil aviation sector seems to be getting back on its feet. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the number of aircraft in the country is back up over 600, after having gone down to 530 when Jet’s fleet was grounded. DGCA chief Arun Kumar said “We’ve managed to come out of the Jet Airways disaster in less than four months. There are 608 planes in the sky now, and the number is expected to go up this year. We are hoping that it will touch 640 in December.” Indian aircraft maintenance industry takes off A number of Indian and foreign airlines have started getting a part of their aircraft maintenance done in India as the country's aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry has come of age, helped by the government’s Make in India initiative. Government initiatives such as exempting MRO service providers from customs duties on aircraft parts and toolkits and extension of storage period for aircraft spares to up to three years have helped companies such as Airworks, Max Aerospace Group and other MROs run by Air India and GMR post a boost in their business in about 18 months, industry executives said. The industry in India generates about $900 million annually and the industry is growing at a modest rate over years despite the aviation industry growing in double digits. IndiGo becomes first Indian carrier to have 245 aircraft in fleet Airbus last Thursday delivered its 1,000th A320 Neo family aircraft, an Airbus A321NEO to IndiGo Airlines. IndiGo is the world’s biggest customer for the A320neo Family with orders totaling 430 aircraft. Since its first NEO was delivered in March 2016, its fleet of A320neo Family has grown into the world’s largest with 96 aircraft operating alongside 129 A320s. Send SMS to passengers about flight delays over 30 minutes, DGCA tells airlines The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to ensure that passengers are not inconvenienced during travel and are informed of flight delays well in advance. The regulator held a meeting in this regard today with Appellate Authority and Nodal Officers of all scheduled domestic airlines and asked airlines to adhere to a series of measures including informing passengers of flight delays beyond 30 minutes by sending a text message. Turkish Airlines seeks greater access to Indian market To cater to the ever-growing transfer passenger traffic demand from India, Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines plans to exponentially expand services and add several new destinations, once bilateral air traffic rights between the two countries are enhanced, a senior company official told IANS. Accordingly, Turkey's government has again approached India's Ministry of Civil Aviation to start negotiations on a new air service agreement for allocating more airport slots to airlines of both the countries. Acumen Aviation © 14 October 2019 All Rights Reserved.