Vaccancy in Haryana Governemnt Civil Aviation Department - Infoinhand.com

Applications invited for Helocopter Engineer, Assistant Helicopter Engineer, Flight Dispatcher
on regular basis on the terms and conditions given

Helicopter Engineer-01 Post
Pay Scale: Rs.37400+67000+GP.Rs.1000/-
Age limit: 25 to 50 years
Qualification : Helicopter Licence Airframe and C(Engine), Helicopter Rotary Aircraft and Jet Engine, Person having licence and maintenance experience on a helicopter for 10 years will be preferred, Knowledge of Computer

Assistant Helicopter Engineer-01 Post
Pay Scale:Rs.9300-34800+GP.Rs.4200/-
Age Limit:20 to 40 years
Qualification : Basic Aircraft Maintananace Engineering Certificate, Holder in Rotary Aurcraft anf Jet Engine

Flight Dispatcher-01 Post
Pay Scale:Rs.9300+34800+GP.Rs.4200/-
Age Limit: 20 to 40 years
Qualification : Approved v\flight Dispatcher Course from Director General of Civil Aviation

How to apply :
-Candidates should sent their applications on plain paper addressed to
The Advisor, Civil Aviation Haryana, S.C.O. No.2913-14, Sector22-C, Chandigarh-160022.

Last Date for applying: 14/08/2011

Vaccancy in Haryana Governemnt Civil Aviation Department

Is Air India ready for B787? ask MPs

Air India should make sure that it has the crew and the bookings for the flights that the Boeing 787 will operate before the first aircraft arrives later this year.

This was the opinion of various members at the first meeting of the Consultative Committee attached with Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Coming down heavily on the airline management, former Civil Aviation Minister and member of the consultative committee, Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, demanded that the present the Air India Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Arvind Jadav, be relieved from his duty immediately.

He along with other MPs demanded an investigation to find out the factors responsible for the current mess in the national carrier.

Air India has debt of about Rs 46,000 crore, while the accumulated losses have crossed Rs 20,000 crore. In terms of market share, Air India has fallen to fifth place.

According to Mr Rudy, Air India is likely to receive the first B787 in October, two in November, while the fourth one is expected to arrive in December. There has been a delay of almost three years in the delivery of the aircraft.

Mr Rudy claimed that while he raised the issue of cabin crew availability and booking for routes to be operated by the B787, he did not get any answers.

He apprehended that if preliminary works have not been done, then the cash-strapped carrier might have to ground newly acquired aircraft.

If this were to be happen it would not be the first time in the airline’s history that new aircraft have been grounded. Some years ago, the airline had to ground its new Boeing 777 as it did not have enough crew to operate flights.

Other MPs wanted to know why Air India was losing money on routes on which private airlines were making money.

Is Air India ready for B787? ask MPs - www.infoinhand.com

Indian superjumbo ban hurts Emirates’ A380 growth?

Rules aimed at protecting state-owned Air India bar Emirates from flying the A380 into India

Emirates Airline celebrated the opening of the new terminal at the New Delhi airport last year by flying in an Airbus SAS A380.

The plane has not returned since. India’s government has not acted on requests to change regulations that bar overseas carriers, including Emirates and Deutsche Lufthansa AG, from flying aircraft bigger than the Boeing Co. 747 into the country. That rules out the A380.

The two airlines are eager to tap India’s growing travel market with the A380, the world’s biggest passenger aircraft. They have run up against policies that protect state-owned Air India Ltd., according to Rishikesha Krishnan, a professor of corporate strategy at the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore.

“All these measures are to shore up Air India and they completely distort the market,” said Krishnan, who writes papers about India’s aviation industry. “They are all misguided restrictive practices and not in the best interest of Indian aviation.”

The rules deny more choices for passengers and reduce competition for Air India, Krishnan said. The carrier merged with state-owned Indian Airlines in 2007 and has received 20 billion rupees ($449m) of public funds since April 1, 2009.

Nasim Zaidi, secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, declined to comment when asked if the government was delaying A380 approvals to help Air India. An Air India spokesman declined to comment, and Air India Chairman Arvind Jadhav did not respond to two calls to his mobile phone, calls to his office and emailed questions.

The A380 offers a “significant cost advantage to airlines, allowing them to price tickets cheaper,” said Amber Dubey, a Gurgaon, India-based director at auditing and consulting company KPMG. “That’s the reason some Indian carriers are concerned.”

Lufthansa, which flies to seven destinations in India with 52 weekly flights, is ready to operate the A380 to New Delhi as soon as India allows the service, the airline said in an email response to questions.

Emirates, owner of the world’s largest fleet of A380s, anticipates strong demand for the superjumbo in the country, Tim Clark, president of the airline, said in an interview.

“We want to take the A380 to India. It would be hugely popular,” Clark said. “Our expansion plans depend on the Indian government -- they make the call on whether we can increase our frequencies.”

The A380 can seat 525 people in a typical three-class configuration, while a similar Boeing 747 can fly 416 people. The A380 has a wingspan of 262ft and stands almost 80ft tall from the ground to the top of its tail.

Airports across India, including New Delhi’s, have undergone renovation and runway extensions to accommodate the A380, said V.P. Agrawal, chairman of the state-run Airports Authority of India. Delhi’s airport added three gates -- 15, 17 and 19 -- specifically meant for the plane.

“Delhi and Hyderabad airports are built exactly to the requirement of an A380,” Agrawal told Bloomberg July 14. “A380 operations from Delhi were not permitted. I’m not sure why, but maybe others see a threat.”

Airports in Mumbai, the southern city of Chennai and Kolkata in the east can also handle the plane, Agrawal said. Kingfisher Airlines Ltd., the only Indian carrier to have ordered the A380, will start taking the plane in 2016, Chairman Vijay Mallya said June 6.

Allowing Emirates to fly the A380 into India would intensify competition for Air India on routes to the Gulf, which are among its most lucrative, said P.C.K. Ravindran, chairman of Kochi-based Institute of Applied Aviation Management.

“So long as Air India is a state property, the government will have to take care of its interest,” said Ravindran, who advises on air projects and has written a book about India’s regulatory framework. “Air India is not just competing with Emirates -- it is fighting for room with Etihad, Air Arabia and RAK Airways, and let’s not forget Indian carriers flying to the Gulf.”

Flights to the Gulf region, where 2.2 million Indians migrated for work between 2007 and 2009, accounted for 49 percent of Air India’s overseas services, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry’s annual report for the year ended in March.

Air India has about 53 weekly flights to Dubai, mostly using Airbus 321 jets that can seat 172 people. Its low-fare unit Air India Express operates 54 weekly flights, Chief Operating Officer S. Chandrakumar told Bloomberg by text message on July 12.

The company also has more immediate problems. It may receive 17 billion rupees from the government to help the carrier pay salaries and maintain services, according to a company official familiar with the matter. Air India is seeking as much as 175 billion rupees from the government to help reduce debt and pay for planes on order after posting four years of annual loss. The airline is working on a financial restructuring plan to pare debt of 400 billion rupees as of March.

As of April last year, Indian carriers were eligible to sell 711,356 seats per week on flights to and from 104 countries. They utilized only 170,914 seats a week, compared with 326,705 seats by overseas airlines, official data showed.

Air India’s struggles have come as foreign airlines nearly doubled service to and from India in 2010 compared with six years ago, according to data from the Civil Aviation Ministry. Boeing expects a market of 1,320 new passenger planes in India over the next 20 years.

Indian superjumbo ban hurts Emirates’ A380 growth? - infoinhand.com

Chandigarh to get India’s first Centre for Excellance

Chandigarh: In a bid to provide better training for the unemployed youth in the country, the government has taken a new initiative.

Chandigarh is set to get the first Centre of Excellence in the country that will provide vocational training to drop out students. The central government began the initiative keeping in view the fact that around eighty eight per cent of students across India do not go for higher education.

The centres are being opened up in collaboration with educational institutions and interested parties from the job industry. The Chandigarh centre will b opened at Rayat Bahra, Punjab Info-tech and Industries.

Chairman of the group Gurvinder Singh Bahra told reporters on Thursday that there is good scope for students in automobile, hospitality, IT, hydro and aviation industry. Bahra also said the problem is that the students are not imparted the education that would prepare them for the industry. It is only because of this that the number of unemployed youth is rising by the day.

Singh also said at least forty prominent companies from the automotive sector will open their centres at the new centre for excellence. He further said the syllabi will be prepared for everyone from Class VIII drop outs to graduation drop outs.

The duration of the courses will vary from three months to three years and the forty companies will also provide opportunities of job for the students at the centre.

The courses will be certified by Punjab Info-tech. Punjab Minister for Industries Tikshan Sood will inaugurate the centre on July 23. Chief Secretary of Ministry for Technical Education Suresh Kumar and several CEOs of the companies participating in the project will also be present at the inauguration.

Chandigarh to get India’s first Centre for Excellance - www.daily.bhaskar.com

SpiceJet to tie up with global low-fare carriers

Mumbai: SpiceJet Ltd, India’s second largest low-fare airline controlled by media baron Kalanithi Maran of Sun TV Network Ltd, is exploring a different flight path for the second phase of its international expansion.

It is also talking to two airports in south India and one in Gujarat to set up its second regional base, after Hyderabad.

Currently flying two international routes—Colombo and Kathmandu—SpiceJet has applied for 10 more, including South-East Asia, West Asia and some destinations in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Its rival and India’s largest low-fare airline IndiGo has got permission to fly some key international routes—Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok.

“We will not be just a point-to-point carrier. We will create partnerships with other international low-fare carriers. They will sell our products and we will sell their products,” Spicejet’s chief executive Neil Mills said in an interview.

SpiceJet’s flights will feed into other international carriers and vice versa. Mills did not divulge details of international carriers the airline is negotiating with.

Leading low-fare carriers flying to India include Air Asia, Air Arabia and Tiger Airways.

According to Nawal Taneja, professor emeritus, department of aviation, 

Ohio State University, on almost every continent, there are similar instances of low-fare carriers tying up with each other.

As a majority of the low-fare carriers use Navitaire software for their reservation systems, it will be easy for SpiceJet to work with others, Mills said.

Unlike its rivals, SpiceJet is targeting non-traditional international routes that can be supplemented by alliances with international low-fare carriers.

According to Mahantesh Sabarad, a senior analyst with domestic brokerage Fortune Equity Brokers (India) Ltd, SpiceJet has no options but to opt for such arrangements, which are technically not code-share agreements but much like those in spirit.

Sabarad, who tracks SpiceJet stock, said these arrangements will widen the reach of the airline.

He cited some examples of low-fare carriers partnering with full-service ones to boost traffic. German low-fare carrier Air Berlin has not only entered into a code-share agreement with American Airlines, but has also decided to join a global grouping of international airlines—the oneworld alliance.

Spain’s Vueling Airlines is working with Iberia Airlines and British Airways.

Even as it talks to international low-fare carriers, SpiceJet is preparing to launch flights to smaller cities with 15 Q400 Bombardier planes, which are smaller than the Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 that form the mainstay of domestic fleet.

“We are talking to two airports in south India and one airport in Gujarat for a second base for these operations,” Mills said. The airline has already selected Hyderabad as the base for its regional operations.

It has delayed its plans to fly to smaller cities with smaller planes as its proposal to raise $270 million is yet to be cleared by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

“We are late by three to four weeks,” said Mills. He denied that finance agency Export Development Canada, from which SpiceJet is getting $270 million, has raised concerns over investigations related to 

Dayanidhi Maran, Kalanithi Maran’s brother, and actions he may have taken when he was telecom minister.

“Export Development Canada has given us an unconditional offer. We will be starting operations once RBI gives us permission,” he said.

SpiceJet will face tough competition from Jet Airways (India) Ltd and Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, which are also strengthening operations in secondary cities with smaller planes.

Increases in the price of jet fuel can derail SpiceJet’s plans, according to analyst Vikram Suryavanshi at domestic brokerage Antique Stock Broking Ltd. The company is especially susceptible when oil trades at more than $90 a barrel.

SpiceJet shares dropped 0.42% to R

s.35.85 on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Thursday. The benchmark Sensex fell 0.36% to 18,436.19 points.

SpiceJet to tie up with global low-fare carriers - Corporate News - livemint.com

Civil aviation ministry planning Stricter norms for education in pilot training schools

NEW DELHI: The civil aviation ministry is planning to tighten norms for education in pilot training schools and introduce a screening test for admission seekers after addressing the issue unqualified pilots manning domestic flights.


The move comes at a time when several flying instruction schools in the country have come under the aviation regulator's scanner for fudging logbooks and flouting standard operating procedures. "We want to improve the quality of education imparted by the flying schools by putting in place a central teaching system," a senior ministry official said.


The ministry has constituted a committee to work on the overhaul of the education system in 40 flying schools in the country. The panel, to be headed by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief EK Bharat Bhushan, is slated to have its first meeting on July 28, and submit a report by the end of next month. The screening test will be designed to assess a student's aptitude for the course. A uniform examination system, including fixed number of semesters, is also being considered.


Experts say the move is over due, as flying schools are not adhering to the prescribed syllabus and standards of teaching and examination.


"Barring a few, flying schools do not have proper faculty, and it only remains a stepping stone for another job. Moreover, none of the flying schools have a fixed curriculum, although the DGCA has prescribed a syllabus," aviation safety expert Captain Ranganathan said.


According to Gp Capt (Retd) Kuldeep Kumar, former instructor in the Indian Air Force and now teaching in the civil arena, said though a detailed syllabus for ground studies has been notified by the aviation regulator on June 17, it is unlikely to make a difference because few training schools adhere to any syllabus.


"Theory classes and related exams are conducted mainly on paper in most flying schools due to paucity of qualified ground instructors and it is not very remunerative. It is a malady known to the General of Civil Aviation, but no measures have been taken so far, partly because of a shortfall of requisite trained manpower at the DGCA. No wonder, Airlines have started taking written exams before recruiting fresh pilots over the last few years," Kumar said.


GR Gopinath, who founded India's first budget airline Air Deccan, also feels such systemic changes are long overdue.


"There could be no better time for making such changes, as aviation has suddenly exploded over the last few years, which has stressed the system, leading to all kinds of manipulations at flying schools," he said.

Civil aviation ministry planning Stricter norms for education in pilot training schools - The Economic Times

Companies may no longer need government approval to purchase aircraft

NEW DELHI The civil aviation ministry is considering doing away with the government approval needed for aircraft purchases, a move experts say will help airlines speed-up fleet expansion in a market growing at 20% a year.

India's aviation sector was opened to private players several years ago, but aircraft procurement still needs government clearance.

An airline planning to buy aircraft can enter into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a manufacturer, but it must take the aviation ministry's in-principle approval before placing the order.

"We are reconsidering the requirement for this approval, as an aircraft order is purely a commercial agreement between two parties and companies should be free to do so. We should arrive at a decision by next month," a senior civil aviation ministry official said.

Removing the administrative barrier would shorten the time needed for getting aircraft into the country and put Indian carriers on a par with international players, said an airline's CEO, who did not want to be named. "No other country, to my knowledge, requires airlines to seek such an approval.

Sometimes, aircraft manufacturers become uncomfortable when we tell them that we are keen on a deal, but wait, we need to go back and take a government approval," the executive said. The issue of in-principle approval surfaced with reference to recent reports that low-cost airline GoAir's aircraft order had hit regulatory hurdles, as it was placed without the ministry's approval.

The airline did not respond to an email query on the status of its order. Sector experts and airline executives say doing away with the required approval would give a fillip to the Indian airline industry, which is forecast to need 1,500 aircraft over the next two decades.

Airlines have to pay a signing amount for the MoU and the balance payment is made at the time of aircraft delivery. Sometimes, the in-principle government approval also helps facilitate financing arrangements, done in foreign currency, with banks and funding institutions.

Sector experts think it is a ripe time to do away with the requirement, as demand for air travel in the country is growing in double digits. Last year, Indian carriers flew about 60 million passengers, which is expected to grow to 362 million by 2021.

"Indian carriers have learnt from the mistakes of 2007 and are more prudent now in their fleet expansion plans. It should be left to the maturity of these players and market forces to decide the timing and quantum of aircrafts purchases," said Amber Dubey, director (aviation) at global consultancy firm KPMG .

Companies may no longer need government approval to purchase aircraft - The Economic Times

Empire Aviation Group | Business Excellence Magazine

Steve Hartley, executive director of private aviation specialist Empire Aviation Group, talks to Jayne Alverca about the company’s approach to maximizing asset value and the flight experience in the Middle East and beyond.

Based in Dubai, Empire Aviation Group stands apart as the operator and manager of the Middle East’s largest fleet of corporate and private jets. As well as aircraft sales, the company provides aircraft charter and management services with a focus on high quality luxury and corporate travel throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Executive director Steve Hartley is very clear about the company’s mission. “The purchase of an aircraft, whether for private or corporate purposes, represents a very significant investment. Our entire operation is geared towards managing and maximizing the value of that asset on behalf of our clients in the most professional and efficient way possible,” he states.

Managing the aircraft asset properly ensures that its value is protected, leveraged and maintained during the years of ownership. “Historically, aircraft have either maintained their original purchase price or in some cases even appreciated in value but without the effective management we provide, this would not be the case. We can also help customers to charter their aircraft and so offset some of the costs of ownership,” he explains.

For this reason, he is clear that despite Empire Aviation’s wealth of experience, owning as opposed to operating and managing a fleet could never be an option. “If we had our own aircraft we would inevitably be competing with our customers as charter requests would naturally be directed to our own aircraft first,” he adds.

“For similar reasons we do not offer a direct maintenance service, although we do have an extremely skilled division of maintenance engineers who measure cost against quality control and oversee all maintenance contracts. If we were to offer that service directly, customers could never be certain that they were getting value for money whereas with our third party arrangement, they know we will search out the best supplier. As it stands we can use our expertise to save our customers a great deal of money. For example, Jet Aviation is a preferred supplier, but for the benefit of owners, we also work with a number of other maintenance providers and we regularly put maintenance contracts out to tender.”

Hartley sees the company’s reputation for fairness and sound business ethics as the cornerstone of its success. “Something that sets us apart in this business is that we operate a completely transparent cost structure. Of course, we exist to make a profit, but it has to be a fair profit and we are very happy for all our customers to have access to this information. Transparency is critical to us. Our aim is to create a win-win situation for everyone, but it is imperative that our customers understand we will always treat them fairly.”

All aircraft meet the extensive safety, training, and inspection requirements required by the General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates, but this is merely a starting point. The Empire Aviation business model stresses providing customers with an unsurpassed travel experience, whether it be in terms of security, comfort, flight personnel or catering.

Pilots and crew undergo a rigorous recruitment process—all training is directly supervised by Empire Aviation—and no detail is spared in the search for an incomparable service proposition. For example, an agreement has just been signed to become the first operator in the Middle East of the Vigiplane security system—a completely new concept in aircraft security. The system comprises five day and night cameras in a special composite sealed container which provides high quality pictures and infrared projectors. It is unique, because it is completely independent from the aircraft’s own systems and thus requires no special aircraft certification.

Another agreement that breaks new ground has been reached with global catering services provider Private Flight Global to restructure the catering management operations for the entire fleet. A specially customized version of Private Flight’s online system enables flight personnel to offer the highest level of personalized service with the flexibility to create tailored menus, track customer preferences and ensure a faster response to VIP requests. As well as enhancing the customer experience, the partnership will give Empire Aviation better oversight and control of the catering function, greater cost efficiency and more streamlined administration.

For customers whose requirements centre predominantly on pleasure, the luxury travel division of the company takes the service proposition even further. Empire Aviation has now joined forces with Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces, one of Asia’s most exclusive luxury hotel groups, to create a special portfolio of travel packages, all of which include a private jet.

So far, the business model has worked extremely well in Dubai. Hartley points out that since its inception, the company has typically grown its revenues by a heady 100 per cent per annum. “We are very proud of our achievements to date. Even last year which was one of the worst in aviation history, we still managed to increase turnover by 25 per cent,” he adds.

Empire Aviation is now in readiness to replicate its model further afield. “We are already working with Indian customers operating out of Dubai, so it is a logical extension of those relationships to establish a direct presence in India. In August 2011 we will open our first branch in Mumbai. There is tremendous growth potential in India and Asia generally, but no professional management companies,” he says. Empire Aviation is also considering other geographical options in the Far East but he is reluctant to be drawn on details, as these plans are still at an early stage.

While Hartley sees the composition of the fleet evolving in line with the growing acceptance of aircraft ownership as a business tool, he is adamant that the basic formula with its focus on transparent financial procedures will not change. “There is an old adage that stresses: stick to what you know you do well. We want to preserve all the benefits to customers that we can offer as a wholly independent management company with no possible conflicts of interest. Our model is well received and respected and we have nothing to gain from competing with our customers.” www.empire.aero

Empire Aviation Group | Business Excellence Magazine

DG Bhushan offers to resign from AI board - Indian Express

The Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor to the Civil Aviation Ministry and air safety regulator chief, EK Bharat Bhushan has offered to resign from the Air India Board, according to a civil aviation ministry official. However, the ministry has not responded to his offer yet.

The Board’s strength was reduced to 10 after two independent directors — Amit Mitra and industrialist Anand Mahindra — quit recently. While two functional directors — Anup Srivastava and Amod Sharma — completed their five-year term.

Bhushan, a government appointee on the airline’s board, has been a member for over two years. He was also briefly appointed as the chairman and managing director of the beleaguered airline in April, 2009 in place of CMD Raghu Menon.

In his letter, said sources, Bhushan wrote that there is a potential conflict of interest as he also holds the post of the air safety regulator. In December last year, Bhushan was appointed as the Director General of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for a period of six-months till June.

DG Bhushan offers to resign from AI board - Indian Express

Pilot License Written Examination - July, 2011 session

The Pilot License Written Examination for July session, 2011 will be conducted tentatively in the 3rd week of August, 2011 by Central Examination Organization (CEO) of Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

The candidates desirous for appearing in Pilot License Written Examination, July, 2011 Session may forward their applications to CEO latest by 18-07-2011 by speed / registered post.

Airline commanders can now have fewer flying hours' experience

To meet the growing demand for flight commanders, Indian carriers have resorted to decreasing the minimum flying hour eligibility criteria for a co-pilot to become a commander. The latest to have changed the criteria is Kingfisher Airlines, which has reduced the requirement to 2,500 hours from the current 3,000 hours.

According to the Civil Aviation Requirements issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), any co-pilot with 1,500 hours of flying experience and an Airline Transport Pilots Licence can become a commander.

A Kingfisher executive, on the condition of anonymity, explained they had carried out the process to fill the need for commanders, as many of the carrier’s pilots were leaving for other airlines in which they become commanders without many flying hours.

“Our pilots are leaving for other airlines operating Airbus aircraft with much less minimum flying hour criteria to become commanders. To stop the pilots from leaving, our airline has also brought it (minimum flying hour criteria) down to 2,500 hours,” said the executive. Kingfisher, IndiGo and GoAir operate only Airbus aircraft in their fleet. Air India and Jet Airways also have Airbus aircraft in their fleet.

A Kingfisher spokesperson declined to comment on the issue.

Analysts also feel it is dangerous to promote young pilots with fewer flying hours to commanders. “It is a very dangerous and unfair situation, as the captain flying with just 2,000 hours’ flying experience is like flying with a pilot who has absolutely no experience,” said Mohan Ranganathan, a Chennai-based aviation analyst, who has worked as a pilot with various airlines.

He that a commander of a Boeing 737 or A 320 short-haul aircraft should at least have 4,000 hours of flying experience. “Only with 4,000 hours of flying experience can a pilot experience flying in all weathers, otherwise it is actually risky,” he said, adding he had written to the DGCA to increase the minimum flying hours’ criteria for commanders.

IndiGo, which has the minimum eligibility criteria among Indian airlines, defends its position by saying the minimum flying hour experience should not be the only criteria. “We are now known for our strict selection criteria and training program. Minimum flying hours is only one of our criteria and not the only measure of competence. Ability, maturity, professionalism—all must be assessed,” IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh in a reply.

Airlines like Jet Airways and GoAir have the largest minimum flying hours criteria among Indian carriers for a pilot to become a commander—3,000 hours each.

However, when compared to established international carriers they are poorly placed. Singapore International Airlines' minimum eligibility criteria is 6,000 hours for one become a pilot and Emirates has kept the slab at 5,500 hours. Air Asia, which is aggressively expanding, has also kept its minimum flying hours’ criteria at 5,500 hours.

Airline commanders can now have fewer flying hours' experience

23 Indian engineers ripped off

KATHMANDU, July 10: Police on Saturday busted a cheating racket that ripped off at least 23 engineers from India by promising them jobs in Nepal Airlines. The engineers from different aviation disciplines were lured through an Internet advertisement, the police said.

Of those cheated, the police rescued eight on Saturday afternoon from Tribhuvan International Airport (TAI) when they were about to leave Nepal after the racketeers pretended to have been arrested by the police and warned the engineers to leave the country. 

The racketeers wanted the engineers to leave Nepal forgetting their money, said Inspector Kavit Katuwal who led the operation. "They were terrified." The kingpin of the racket Raju Pahadi was arrested after the Indians were rescued. Taking around IRs 2 lakh from each of the job-seekers, Raju had even provided them fake NA appointment letters during their stay in the capital since June 9. They were put up at three different lodges in the Naya Bus Park area, Gongabu. Fifteen other Indians who are said to have already paid the money to the racketeers were about to come to Nepal within a few days. Among the eight engineers rescued today include Asutosh Raut from Orissa and Abhishek Guhena from Andhra Pradesh. "They were promised jobs with NA as engineers with benefits like a basic salary of Rs 30,000," said officials. Along with Pahadi, one Om Prakash Yadav was also arrested on Saturday. The racketeers have blocked the Google ad following the crackdown, police said. "We are investigating facts and have made considerable progress. We will soon unravel the racket," said Katuwal.

23 Indian engineers ripped off

Pilots quit as Air India again fails to pay salaries

MUMBAI: Eight pilots quit Air India (AI) in two months after the airline failed to pay full salaries to them.

A source in the airline said 15-20 more resignations were likely to be submitted as AI had not paid almost 80% of the total salary due to pilots in three months.

The pilots, all of whom are from the erstwhile Indian Airlines, struck work in April, protesting against the non-payment of salaries and demanding that their amounts should be brought on a par with that paid to AI pilots. They also wanted the government to take action against the policy decisions of the airline, a demand that the management and the government assured to work on. Even after the 10-day strike, the work environment had gone back to square one, said an airline official. "There have been eight resignations since the strike ended on May 7. For the past three months, pilots have not been paid their full salaries," said a senior airline official. "More are ready to quit if the scene doesn't improve."

The salary of a former Indian Airline pilot is broken into two components. The basic constitutes 20% of the total amount, while the rest comprises Performance Linked Incentives (PLI). "The basic salary has been paid but the PLI for three months is awaited," said a senior pilot. "The remuneration due for the Libya evacuation flights and VVIP operations is also pending." The pilot added that they were the only ones in the entire country who were paid PLIs, while their counterparts earned fixed monthly amounts.

Pilots said the airline was delaying PLI payment for the past one year. However, there was prompt intimation from the airline as to when the allowance would be paid. "For the past three months, we haven't received any intimation either. We do not know when the salary would come," said another AI pilot.

The International Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) has been writing to the CMD and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), but to no avail. Even on June 6, the union sent a letter to the DGCA.

"We have been notifying the authorities about the non-payment of salaries. We hope that the next month would be better," said an ICPA member.

"As there has been no assurance from any official, many pilots are losing hope," an ICPA member said. Compared to AI, the pilots in other airlines are better and regularly paid."

An AI spokesperson told TOI that the pilots' decision to quit were personal and had nothing to do with the airline. "It is their individual choice to leave the airline. People often quit to join other airlines. This does not indicate anything," the spokesperson said.

Pilots quit as Air India again fails to pay salaries - The Times of India

Kiwis want to set up pilot training schools

New Zealand plans to foray into the Indian aviation sector with ground schools for pilot training.

Representatives of the New Zealand aviation industry, who visited the country along with Prime Minister H.E. John Key last month, met heads of major private airlines and the officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to float the idea of a joint venture between the two countries to open schools for training pilots.

“The ground schools we are planning to set up would bring in an efficient system of pilot training in India. It would be transparent and help in weeding out the problem of fake pilots. We have spoken to the representatives of major private airlines as well as the DGCA. If all goes well then in the next two years we would be opening up ground schools in various parts of India,” said John Nicholson, chief executive of Aviation New Zealand.

According to the representatives, New Zealand caters to more than 100 pilots from India who go for commercial pilots’ licence training courses.

However, experts from the industry feel differently about the venture. “India has good ground schools which are on a par with and even better than those in other countries. Schools here are enough to fulfil the needs of state-run as well as private airlines. New Zealand’s move is just a method to make its presence felt in the Indian market,” said R.N. Pathak, former director of Indian Airlines.

Kiwis want to set up pilot training schools

New route dispersal guidelines for smaller cities await aviation minister's approval

NEW DELHI: The aviation ministry is reworking capacity distribution norms for airlines to ensure better connectivity for smaller cities and towns, but the move could spell problems for carriers not geared for small airports.

Experts say that while the new route dispersal guidelines, which require airlines to increase flights to small cities and towns, will boost air transport infrastructure, they can also balloon costs for airlines that don't have smaller aircraft and prefer operating only on profitable metro routes.

"In the new guidelines, we are trying to expand Category I by adding to it small cities from Category III, say Ahmedabad for example, which have good connectivity and demand," a senior civil aviation ministry official said.

The new route dispersal guidelines are awaiting the aviation minister's approval and could be cleared within a few weeks. Non-compliance could lead to an airline's licence being scrapped. Route dispersal guidelines sort out domestic routes into three categories.

Category I represents the profitable routes, including major cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai and Trivandrum.

Category II includes the north-eastern region, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep and the Andamans. Small cities such as Coimbatore, Kochi and Pune fall under category III.

Airlines have to deploy at least 10% of their capacity on Category I metro routes on Category II routes, and at least 50% on Category III routes.

Air traffic in India is growing at 15% a year. Experts say the domestic aviation sector will need 1,500 aircraft over the next two decades to keep pace with Indians' growing appetite for air travel. Last year, Indian airlines flew about 60 million passengers, which is expected to grow to 362 million by 2021.

"Though air traffic is growing from small towns at a decent pace, it will be a difficult proposition for airlines lacking the right aircraft to fly to the smaller airports," said Ankur Bhatia, executive director of travel technology solutions conglomerate Bird Group.

Some analysts point to the likely trouble for airlines given their financial condition. "One has to be cognizant of the extreme financial stress that the airline sector is going through. Many of these (small town) routes provide just 40-60% occupancy and are a lossmaking proposition," said Amber Dubey, director (aviation) at consultancy major KPMG.

SpiceJet CEO Neil Mills, however, said problems would not arise if norms were reworked in a logical manner. Among Indian low-cost carrier, SpiceJet is the only one to have ordered smaller aircraft (Bombardier Q400s) for dedicated regional operations that are to commence this month.

According to experts, since big aircraft cannot operate on smaller airports, airlines that have ATRs, CRJs and Bombardiers in their fleet will be better off. "It is good to enhance connectivity and fulfill a social obligation, but not at the cost of the industry's profitability," said Kapil Arora, partner (infrastructure) at global consultancy firm Ernst & Young .

Industry Association Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) secretary general Anil Baijal also said that any restructuring of the route dispersal guidelines will certainly impact the commercial side and viability of operations, though it remains to be seen how the guidelines are restructured. The domestic airline industry is saddled with a collective debt of about Rs 60,000 crore.

According to American aircraft manufacturer Boeing (India) President Dinesh Keskar, Indian airlines will take at least three to five years to clean up their balance sheets.

New route dispersal guidelines for smaller cities await aviation minister's approval - The Economic Times

Expat pilot nos fall by half in 2 years in India

MUMBAI: Some airline chiefs believe an expatriate pilot's accent adds to their carrier's brand value, some maintain a sizable number of foreign contract pilots on their employee rolls and pay them handsome salaries on time, as they will never join a strike. Others look at immediate savings and hire trained expatriate pilots, cutting down on command training bills--money spent to train and upgrade a co-pilot to a commander. But the fact is that expatriate pilots have been an integral part of the Indian airlines growth story in the last one decade. The country cannot do without expatriate pilots as there are insufficient trained desi commanders to fill up the left-hand seats in cockpits of its passenger aircraft.

In the last two years, the number of foreign pilots has dwindled by half. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Indian civil aviation regulatory authority, there were 686 foreign pilots with airlines in India in 2009. As of March 2011, the number was 356. Jet Airways is the largest employer of foreign pilots, with 120 on its rolls as of March, compared to 192 in 2009. The number of foreign pilots employed with charter aircraft companies too went down from 406 in 2009, to 145 as of today.

The recent reason for decreasing numbers is DGCA's decision to have common medical tests for Indian and foreign pilots. Last December, DGCA made Class I medicals--for Indian Air Force doctors at medical centres across the country--mandatory for foreign pilots too. Foreign pilots used to clear medical tests mandated by their country's aviation regulator. India's medical tests are more stringent, with a higher failure rate among pilots. "Many foreign pilots have thus been declared temporarily unfit. Also, the fear of failure increased attrition among foreign pilots," said a commander.

Airlines have launched incentives to attract foreign pilots. Three months ago, a private carrier introduced a 'loyalty bonus' (payment of $7,000 per year for every foreign pilot who joins). Indian carriers regularly hold roadshows in Europe to recruit foreign pilots, and incentives have increased.

Airlines can recruit foreign pilots only to fill vacancies to the commander's post. But if an airline retains its foreign commanders, it stops the career progression of its Indian co-pilots who are eligible to be trained and promoted as commanders. That in turn, affects the jobless commercial pilot licence (CPL) holders of the country as such an airline does not throw up vacancies to the co-pilot's post. India has over 6,000 jobless CPL holders. These pilots, fresh out of flying schools, can be employed by airlines as trainee co-pilots after completion of a type-rating programme (simulator and class-room training, exams to fly a particular aircraft type, like an A320 or a Boeing 737).

The number of expat pilots started going down a few years ago due to pressure from Indian pilots' bodies on DGCA to force airlines to phase them out.

Expat pilot nos fall by half in 2 years in India - The Times of India