23 Jul 2018

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 23 July

Airbus appoints Ashish Saraf to head its helicopters business in India Ashish Saraf, who had been serving as vice president – Industry Development, Strategic Partnerships and Offsets, since 2015 at Airbus India, focusing on ‘Make in India’ initiatives, is now the head of the helicopter division of Airbus India to lead its initiatives across the civil, defence and parapublic rotorcraft markets. Saraf, whose appointment is effective July 1, 2018, is based in New Delhi; he takes over from Xavier Hay who leaves India after six years to take over new responsibilities. Boeing, Jet Airways Announce Order for an Additional 75 737 MAX Airplanes Boeing and Jet Airways confirmed that the Indian carrier placed an order for an additional 75 737 MAX 8 airplanes during a signing ceremony at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow. The order, valued at $8.8 billion at current list prices, was previously posted as unidentified on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website. This order for an additional 75 MAX airplanes helps the Indian carrier expand its network to meet surging demand in the fastest-growing aviation market in the world. GKN Aerospace establishes new wiring facility in India GKN Fokker Elmo and the State of Maharashtra (India) have signed an MOU for investment in a second manufacturing facility for wiring interconnection systems in India at the Farnborough Airshow. The new site, a fully-owned GKN Aerospace business, is located in Pune in the state Maharashtra and is scheduled to come on line in the fourth quarter of 2018. Production will start in the first quarter of 2019, the work force is expected to grow to 800 in 2027. IAI TaxiBots Are Heading To Delhi and Mumbai New Delhi and Mumbai International Airports will soon be operating environmentally friendly Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) TaxiBot vehicles. IAI's agreement with Delhi-based KSU Aviation includes the first phase of the contract to carry out controlled trials at the airports till end 2018. The second phase includes delivery of 38 additional vehicles within four years to the two airports. Indian airlines eyeing international skies Indian airlines are moving towards the international market in search of better returns as the intensifying fight for a bigger share of the world’s fastest growing domestic market drives down profits, says a recent report by Reuters. A data report from the travel firm Rome2Rio, says that, India is among the cheapest domestic airlines market in the world, with an average fare of 13 cents per kilometer flown, less than half the 27 cents per km average in China and the United States of America (US). Promotional offers on a two-hour flight from Mumbai to Delhi, such as, USD 50 one-way tickets, are easier to find, and for the airlines that are expected to take delivery for more than 500 aircraft in the next five years, the pressure on profits and fares are also increasing. The Indian airlines market is growing by 30 pc. Indian Airline Fleet Set to Double in the Next Decade According to Avolon Avolon 16 July issued a white paper titled ‘India, a 21^st Century Powerhouse’, which provides an in-depth analysis of India’s air travel market. The paper is divided in two parts; the first section details the factors impacting India’s commercial airline sector, while the second part contains an analysis of the Indian aviation market, including a detailed breakdown of the major passenger markets, airline fleets and future growth projections. The White Paper is available from the Avolon website: www.avolon.aero Nigeria launches national carrier that it hopes will fly to India Nigeria has released details of its new national carrier, Nigeria Air, which is due to be launched at the end of this year. Hadi Sirika told CNBC he added that the airline had looked at 81 potential destinations, including to China and India, to which it would expand routes “when the time is right.” Acumen Aviation © 23 July All Rights Reserved.