Category Archives: Aviation

According to ICRA estimates, considering the operating expenses of the Indian aviation industry in FY2019 and that 35-42 per cent of their expenses are fixed in nature, it is estimated that the industry will report a net loss of Rs 75-90 crore per day of shutdown of operations. While some airlines have sufficient liquidity and/or financial support from a strong parentage, which will help them tide over this disruption, some airlines, who are already in financial stress, will face serious troubles.

According to the latest data provided by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), passengers carried by domestic airlines during Jan-Feb 2020 were 251.50 lakh as against 238.56 lakh during the corresponding period of previous year, thereby registering annual growth of 5.42 per cent and monthly growth of 8.98 per cent. The passenger load factor in the month of February 2020 also saw an increasing trend primarily due to airlines offering promotional fares resulting in increased demand.

On 25th March 2020, a Lufthansa A380 aircraft departed at 12:45 pm CET as repatriation flight LH9912 from Frankfurt to Delhi. It arrived at around midnight at Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi. The return flight, LH343 to Frankfurt, departed from Delhi at 1:30 am local time. It brought German citizens back home at a time when no international flights were operating to and from India and most air traffic worldwide had come to a halt. “Carrying out repatriation flights and bringing people back home is the responsibility that Lufthansa Group airlines bear being part of the critical infrastructure in the home countries of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium said George Ettiyil.” For us being able to operate the repatriation flight with the A380, it was very helpful that Indian authorities decided to extend visas of foreigners in India last week.” Since 14 March, Lufthansa Group airlines, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and Eurowings have flown about 220 special flights back to the home countries of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium, involving more than 40,000 holidaymakers. Over 70 further flights are already in preparation. Clients are and have been tour operators, cruise operators (mainly return flights from the Caribbean, Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and North Africa) and the German Federal Government (Federal Foreign Office). Wide-body aircraft, namely the Boeing 747, A380 and Airbus A350 are being used to provide as much capacity as possible on these return flights. “These are challenging times for everyone – we are in this together with the Indian people,” said Ettiyil. “Together with them, we are looking forward to the day when regular travel will return to their country.”

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s latest analysis, the annual passenger revenues will fall by $252 billion if severe travel restrictions remain in place for three months. That represents a 44 per cent decline compared to 2019. This is well-over double IATA’s previous analysis of a $113 billion revenue hit that was made before countries around the world introduced sweeping travel restrictions. Sharing his remark, Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, IATA said, “Failure to act now will make this crisis longer and more painful. Some 2.7 million airline jobs are at risk. And each of those jobs supports a further 24 in the travel and tourism value chain. Some governments are already responding to our urgent calls, but not enough to make up the $200 billion needed,” he said. In urging more government action, de Juniac demanded Direct financial support by government to passenger and cargo carriers to compensate for reduced revenues and liquidity attributable to travel restrictions imposed as a result of COVID-19, loans, loan guarantees and support for the corporate bond market by the Government or Central Banks and rebates on payroll taxes paid to date in 2020 and/or an extension of payment terms for the rest of 2020, along with a temporary waiver of ticket taxes and other government-imposed levies.

Former Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer (CSCO) at Vistara, Sanjiv Kapoor has joined GoAir as Advisor. Kapoor’s career spans for over two decades with airlines in Asia, Europe, and the US as the investment advisor, portfolio manager, and management consultant. He will advise GoAir on important business and government matters. Before Vistara, Kapoor has also worked with SpiceJet as its Chief Operating Officer. Commenting on his appointment, Vinay Dube, Chief Executive Officer, GoAir said, “I welcome Sanjiv to the ever-growing GoAir family. His strong domain knowledge and deep expertise in the aviation sector will help GoAir in multiple ways.” Kapoor has an MBA in Strategic Management from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College, Hanover. The other companies he worked with include Northwest Airlines, Bain and Company, Temasek Holdings (Singapore), and BCG (the Boston Consulting Group), among others.

Vistara is constantly working to maintain the highest standards of safety and is taking all necessary precautions and measures to fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the efforts, the airline had set up a Specialized Task Force in January 2020 to orchestrate various preventive, containment and decontamination measures. Vistara has adopted the WHO guidelines, stepped up safety measures on its aircraft, in offices and airport areas. The airline is reviewing this regularly as the situation continues to evolve. AIRCRAFT CLEANING: Vistara is now cleaning its aircraft at the turnaround of every single flight with disinfectants recommended by aircraft manufacturers and as prescribed by the authorities. This means all cabins of Vistara’s aircraft, including seats, tray tables, latches, galley, seatbelt buckles, all lavatories and flight deck etc. are being disinfected after every flight. Additionally, thorough deep cleaning of all aircraft in Vistara’s fleet is being carried out every 24 hours using approved higher concentration of disinfectant cleaner. Callington 2200 (CH2200) is being used as the disinfectant cleaner, and the cleaning procedures are carried out by teams equipped with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as body suits, hand gloves, face masks, as required. OTHER PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES: Vistara is continuously monitoring flights across its network for risks. If a suspected case comes to the airline’s attention, either voluntarily or reported/observed by our crew (i.e. passengers exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19), Vistara’s operations and maintenance control centers are immediately informed for necessary action. This includes immediate sanitization of the affected row including three rows ahead and behind of it, lavatory, sidewalls, tray tables, overhead compartments and carpets by approved cleaners. If any confirmed cases are reported, Vistara will immediately carry …

Doing its bit to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Vistara today announced temporary fleet-wide removal of all reading material from seatback pockets, including the Vistara in-flight magazine, newspapers and other magazines of passengers’ interest. The step has been taken to prevent the spread of the virus.   Vistara is also proactively cleaning all aircraft in its fleet at the turnaround of every single flight. Disinfectant cleaners approved by aircraft manufacturers are being used for the purpose. This means all cabins of all of Vistara’s aircraft, including seats, tray tables, latches, galley, seatbelt buckles, all lavatories and flight deck etc. are being disinfected after every flight. Additionally, Vistara is carrying out thorough deep cleaning of all aircraft every 24 hours using approved higher concentration of disinfectant cleaner, Callington 2200 (CH2200). The airline’s teams wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as hand gloves and face masks, as required, to perform the cleaning procedures.   OTHER PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES:   Vistara is continuously monitoring flights across its network for risks. If a suspected case (passengers exhibiting any symptoms of Covid-19) comes to the airline’s attention, either voluntarily or reported/observed by the crew, the airline’s operations and maintenance control centers are immediately informed for necessary action. The subsequent action includes immediate sanitization of the affected row including three rows ahead and behind, lavatory, sidewalls, tray tables, overhead compartments and carpets by approved disinfectant cleaners. If any confirmed cases are reported, Vistara will immediately carry out complete sanitization of the entire aircraft. Vistara’s cabin crew practice a high level of personal hygiene and wear disposable gloves during processes such as clearance of trays. Vistara’s fleet is equipped with the HEPA (High Efficiency-Particulate Arrestors) air recirculation filters that …

Aeroflot has adjusted its schedule of flights from Moscow. Aeroflot will continue to operate flights from Moscow to the following destinations in Europe: Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, Dublin, Geneva, London, Madrid, Paris and Rome. Following the decision by Russian authorities to halt flights between Moscow and Dubai, from 23 March one flight will operate daily on this route. From 29 March, Aeroflot will continue to operate flights to the US only between Moscow and New York. Aeroflot is working hard to help Russian citizens return home. We ask all passengers holding tickets for cancelled flights to regularly check the email associated with the booking, or check the booking on the Aeroflot website, or contact the airline directly to make changes. Passengers (Russian citizens) holding tickets for later dates on routes where service is being suspended are requested to contact the airline as soon as possible to rebook their flight on the earliest operated regular or charter flight. Aeroflot has temporarily suspended flights between Moscow and the following cities: — Aktau (23 March to 23 April) — Aktobe (23 March to 23 April) — Almaty (23 March to 23 April) — Athens (24 March to 18 April) — Atyrau (24 March to 23 April) — Baku (29 March to 30 April) — Barcelona (21 March to 23 April) — Beirut (18 March to 29 March) — Belgrade (21 March to 23 April) — Budapest (23 March to 30 April) — Bukhara (16 March to 15 April) — Cairo (19 March to 31 March) — Chisinau (16 March to 31 March) — Copenhagen (21 March to 23 April) — Delhi (22 March to 28 March) — Frankfurt (19 March to 23 April) — Helsinki (24 March to 2 April) — Karagandy (19 March to 23 April) — Kostanay (21 March to 22 April) …

Etihad Airways will temporarily suspend all flights to, from, and via Abu Dhabi following a decision by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), to suspend all inbound, outbound, and transit passenger flights in the UAE. This decision has been made to limit the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus and to protect citizens, residents, and international travellers. The suspension of flights to and from Abu Dhabi International Airport will commence at 23:59 (UAE local time) on Wednesday 25 March, and will last for an initial 14 days, subject to further directives by the relevant authorities. Cargo and emergency evacuation flights are exempt and will continue. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “These are unprecedented times and unprecedented decisions are being made by governments, authorities and companies, including Etihad, to contain the spread of the coronavirus and to help minimise its effects around the world. “We stand with our loyal customers, who are having to endure disruption and inconvenience to their travel and their daily lives, and we dedicate all our efforts and resources to ensuring we do all we can to assist them with their travel planning during this challenging period. “As the national airline, we stand in full support of the UAE government’s decision, and are confident that we’re well prepared to weather the commercial and operational impact this suspension will have on our services.” Guests will be notified if their flight is cancelled. However, prior to proceeding to the airport, all guests should still check the status of their flights, using the Etihad Airways Flight Tracker at: https://www.etihad.com/en/manage/flight-tracker Etihad Airways continues to follow UAE and international …

Singapore Airlines will be cutting 96% of the capacity that had been originally scheduled up to end-April, given the further tightening of border controls around the world over the last week to stem the Covid-19 outbreak. This will result in the grounding of around 138 SIA and SilkAir aircraft, out of a total fleet of 147, amid the greatest challenge that the SIA Group has faced in its existence. The Group’s low-cost unit Scoot will also suspend most of its network, resulting in the grounding of 47 of its fleet of 49 aircraft. The SIA Group diversified its network and set up Scoot to spread its risks and cater to a wide range of passenger and market segments. However, without a domestic segment, the Group’s airlines become more vulnerable when international markets increasingly restrict the free movement of people or ban air travel altogether. It is unclear when the SIA Group can begin to resume normal services, given the uncertainty as to when the stringent border controls will be lifted. The resultant collapse in the demand for air travel has led to a significant decline in SIA’s passenger revenues. The Company is actively taking steps to build up its liquidity, and to reduce capital expenditure and operating costs. As mentioned on 17 March 2020, SIA will continue to aggressively pursue all measures to address the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the Company. These include: • ongoing discussions with aircraft manufacturers to defer upcoming aircraft deliveries. If agreed, this will consequently defer payment for those aircraft deliveries; • salary cuts for the SIA Group’s management with the Company’s Directors also agreeing to a cut in their fees, and a voluntary …