Category Archives: Aviation

World’s First Parallel Airline Company ‘WINAIR’ has just been formed in India. A parallel airline is a new concept that means utilising an existing operator who has equipment (Aircraft, NOC, NSOP) and an operating permit. In short, the aircraft are leased utilising their license and viable routes are planned. In other words, it is just like utilising the idle hours of the existing airlines. This is the first time in the world that such a module is being framed by an Indian. Samuel Timothy, Chairman & Managing Director, Winair Aviation, says, “The term ‘WINAIR’ means We Indian Nationals. The Indian aviation story is all set to undergo a huge change in the coming year and the markets are going to grow faster than they were ever before. The growing number of airports, the increasing per capita income, and the fierce competition resulting in one of the lowest ticket prices globally has boosted the number of people traveling by air.”

Tata Sons have announced that Ilker Ayci has been appointed the CEO & MD of Air India. The Air India board met this afternoon to consider the candidature of Ilker Ayci and N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, was a special invitee to the meeting. The board approved the appointment after due deliberations. Before taking up this role, Ilker Ayci, was the Chairman of the Turkish Airlines and he was on the board of the company prior to that. Ayci will assume his responsibilities on or before 1st April 2022.

SpiceJet has offered to pay Rs.600 crore in cash in the share transfer case with its former promoter Kalanithi Maran and his firm KAL Airways for a full and final settlement of all disputes. The offer was made during the hearing in the Supreme Court today. Out of the principal amount of Rs. 578 crore awarded in arbitration, SpiceJet has already paid Rs. 308 crore in cash and deposited a bank guarantee of Rs.270 crore. Mukul Rohatgi, Senior Counsel appearing for SpiceJet proposed to pay the bank guarantee equivalent amount of Rs.270 crore in cash and top it up with additional Rs.22 crore aggregating the total payout to Rs.600 crore as full and final settlement of all disputes between the Parties. The Court has advised the other side to consider the proposal of SpiceJet and has listed the matter on 14 Feb 2022. Earlier an arbitration tribunal consisting of three retired judges from the Supreme Court, Arijit Pasayat, Hemant Laxman Gokhale and KSP Radhakrishnan in a unanimous decision had rejected the damages claim of Kalanithi Maran and Kal Airways against SpiceJet.   

ANA HOLDINGS INC. (hereafter “ANA HD”)  has been awarded Gold Class status in the S&P Global Sustainability Awards for 2022, making it the first and only firm in the aviation industry to do so. In 2018, 2019, and 2021, ANA was appointed to S&P Global’s premium Gold Class rating. This is the latest in a long history of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) accolades for ANA HD, which has also been honoured by other organisations such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Out of the 7,554 firms assessed, ANA HD was one of only 75 companies (including four Japanese companies) to get Gold Class designation from S&P Global, putting the ANA Group in the top 1%. Companies are rated Gold, Silver, or Bronze based on their contributions to the economy, environment, and society. Companies with a very excellent track record are granted Gold, Silver, or Bronze ratings.

Ajay Singh, CMD, SpiceJet, at a post-budget interaction with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, put forth the difficulties being faced by civil aviation, travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. He requested her to consider granting infrastructure status to these sectors to facilitate lending by banks and financial institutions. He also requested the Hon’ble Finance Minister’s support for inclusion of Aviation Turbine Fuel under GST. The FM gave a positive response to consider these issues.

Union Minster of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday announced that 16 new airports will be built in five Central Indian states. He said that 16 new airports will come up in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa, Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur, Bilaspur and Jagdalpur, while nine airports will be built in Uttar Pradesh, one in Rajasthan and two in Maharashtra. Scindia also highlighted the need of better integration between the central and state governments for the success of PM-Gati Shakti scheme.

Recovery of the pandemic-hit Indian aviation sector will benefit from the sale of Air India and the handover of the airline to the Tata Group, the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament said. The annual report card of the economy that comes a day ahead of the Budget said the Air India handover, coupled with a boost to digital infrastructure and structural reforms in telecommunications, would have a positive impact on the pace of recovery of the aviation sector.

The Philippines will relax an almost two-year ban on foreign visitors and businesses entering the country next month, officials said, in an effort to resuscitate the country’s devastated tourism economy as the latest coronavirus outbreak eased. Returning Filipinos would be exempt from quarantine beginning February 1 and foreign visitors from February 10, but they must be vaccinated and test negative for COVID-19.

The 2022 travel forecasts by Bain & Company states that the Covid-19 Omicron variant’s surge continues to stall the travel recovery. It is projected that the global airline revenue for 2022 shall reach $432 billion in the baseline recovery scenario, representing 65% of 2019’s revenue. By the end of the year, global air travel demand could recover to 84% of 2019 levels in the baseline scenario.  

The WHO recommended at the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on COVID-19 that, the nations should remove the travel bans and restrictions. As per report, they do not provide value and continue to contribute to the economic and social stress and further stated that these restrictions have been incompetent in capping the international spread of the Omicron variant.