08 Jun 2020

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 8 June

Air India opens bookings for select destinations in USA, Canada, UK and Europe, faces heavy demand Air India last Friday opened bookings for around 300 flights to various destination in the USA, Canada, UK and Europe under phase-3 of the Vande Bharat Mission. The move resulted in "overwhelming" demand from travellers as the airline received around six crore hits on its website during the first two hours of opening the bookings. Aviation ministry targets July for resuming commercial international flights Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has expressed his view on India's plans to resume international commercial passenger flights. On Friday, the minister tweeted: "We are continuously monitoring the situation and will consider restarting international flights as soon as situation normalises a bit and poses no danger to our citizens. We will also have to consider that countries, where we intend to fly, are open to incoming foreign citizens." Under 'Unlock 1.0' guidelines released by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 30 May international flight operations remain suspended till June 30. DGCA Extends Deadline for IndiGo and GoAir To Replace PW Engines on Airbus A320 fleets   Indian aviation regulator, DGCA has extended the deadline for IndiGo and GoAir to replace all the 60 unmodified Pratt and Whitney (PW) engines on their Airbus A320neo fleets from 31 May to 31 August  as the supply chain has been impacted due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. IMD and IndiGo airlines sign MoU for aircraft observations IndiGo said its aircraft will provide crucial data on wind, humidity, and temperature during all flight operations to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to help it make accurate weather predictions. The airline said it has incorporated a plan for its pilots to report high level wind and temperatures at different stages of a flight as desired by the IMD across all flight operations. Senior Vice President Flight Operations Ashim Mittra said "We have made pilot reporting compulsory on our flight operations. We will share observations from every flight within 2 hours to the IMD headquarters so that they can use this data for the benefit of the nation." IndiGo introduces charter flights IndiGo Airline has introduced its first full-fledged charter flight services in India with a to acquire more landscape in the aviation sector,. The move can be seen as an effort to diversify its plan and find out different alternatives to boost business and revenue as the aviation sector has resumed functioning after its biggest hiatus until now. The airline plans to offer both Airbus A320 and ATR72 aircraft for charter flight services. Indigo’s CEO Ronjoy Dutta has said that it will return 120 A320ceos over the next two years and replace them with A320neos, though the rate of replacement will depend on the revenue trend. IndiGo Sees Huge Potential For International Expansion During IndiGo’s fiscal year-end earnings call CEO Ronojoy Dutta provided investors with some insight into the airline’s performance and his outlook for the future. A year from now, or even further down the road, the airline chief thinks that there may be potential for international expansion—an exciting prospect for India’s largest airline. During the call CEO Ronojoy Dutta said “I think there’s a structure within the international which will work to the benefit of Indian carriers in general. There have been too many foreign hubs all around India with a lot of connecting traffic. Long term, and I’m not talking three or four months but more than a year ahead, we think there will be more opportunities for us to expand internationally.” Acumen Aviation © 8 June 2020 All Rights Reserved.