04 Sep 2017

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 4 September

Bhogapuram airport will spur growth in Andhra Pradesh: Aviation Minister As per The Hindu report by K Srinivasa Rao, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister for Civil Aviation, Government of India said the proposed Bhogapuram international airport-Vizianagaram would spur economic activity and industrial growth in Andhra Pradesh. Cargo business would be significant, with anticipated export of marine, pharmaceutical products and other goods. Cathay Pacific eyeing more tie-ups with Indian carriers Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flag carrier, is open to more tie-ups with Indian carriers, Mark Sutch, Regional General Manager for South Asia, West Asia and Africa, told BusinessLine. “The Indian aviation market is growing faster than anywhere else in the world,” Sutch said. “We’re making real investments in India and increasing capacity by flying bigger planes since we can’t increase frequency. There are government-to-government bilateral agreements between India and Hong Kong and we’ve reached where we can with that.” Indian Aviation Industry In Sweetest Spot, Elara Capital Says The Indian aviation industry is potentially in the sweetest spot led by strong domestic demand, along with accommodative government policy and a benign fuel outlook, according to an Elara Capital report. The domestic air traffic, which grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 20 percent in the last three years, is expected to maintain the same growth trajectory in the coming five years, the brokerage said. India eyes remote air traffic control towers India is considering setting up remote air traffic control (ATC) towers to cut costs and overcome labour shortages, government sources told Reuters, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks to open dozens of regional airports to boost air travel. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has initiated a study on remote monitoring of flights, with a recommendation expected in September, one of the sources said. India, Japan set to sign ‘open skies’ agreement India has finalised an Open Skies Agreement with Japan, allowing designated airlines of both signatory countries to operate freely. This is likely to be formalized during Japanese Prime Minister Shino Abe’s visit to India later this month. The agreement may allow airlines from Japan to fly directly to Chennai and Bengaluru. All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines and Air India are the only carriers that connect the two countries, now. Japan joins a growing number of countries with which India has an open skies agreement. These include the US (2005), Jamaica, Guyana, Czech Republic, Finland, Spain, Sri Lanka (last year) and with Greece (2017). Qatar firm on India airline plan Qatar Airways is firm on its plan to start an airline in India despite facing business challenges because of sanctions imposed on Qatar by some Gulf countries. “India is a big market and we will definitely start operations there,” Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said after inaugurating the carrier’s direct flight from Doha to Prague in the Czech Republic. Acumen Aviation © 4 September All Rights Reserved.