The Asiana Airlines plane with 194 people aboard was heading to the southeastern city of Daegu from the southern island of Jeju.
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Tag: Plane
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Asiana Passenger Opens Plane’s Emergency Door During Flight, Several Injured
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SpiceJet Denies Insolvency Rumours Despite Receiving Notice From NCLT
Days after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) issued a notice to Indian low-cost airline SpiceJet on a petition filed by an aircraft lessor seeking initiation of insolvency resolution proceedings against it, the airline has categorically stated that it has no plans whatsoever to file for insolvency. “We want to scotch any speculation that may have arisen due to the filing by another airline. The airline is firmly focussed on its business and remains in active talks with investors to raise funds,” the airline said in a statement issued on Thursday while announcing that it has also initiated the process of reviving its grounded fleet with the $50 million funds received by the airline from the government`s Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) and internal cash accruals.
According to SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director, Ajay Singh, there is absolutely no question of filing for insolvency. “Any rumour regarding the same is completely baseless. We are focussed firmly on reviving our grounded fleet and getting more and more planes back into the air. Work on this front has already begun and the company is using the $50 million ECLGS funds and our own cash,” he said.
“We have a great relationship with all our partners. Our lessors have supported us through the thick and thin and continue to do so and we are grateful for their support and confidence.”
SpiceJet had last week announced plans to revive 25 grounded aircraft that will help it capitalise and make the most of the upcoming peak travel season. SpiceJet is facing bankruptcy proceedings as Ireland-based aircraft lessor Aircastle Ltd has moved the principal bench of the NCLT to launch a bankruptcy process against the airline.
Agreeing to hear the lessor`s plea, a two-member bench of the NCLT issued a notice to the airline and posted the matter for further consideration on May 17. The bench, headed by NCLT President Ramalingam Sudhakar, directed SpiceJet to attend the hearing on the given date. Claiming default in dues payment, Aircastle has sought initiation of corporate insolvency proceedings against SpiceJet.
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A spokesperson for SpiceJet had commented that the notice was issued routinely in connection with the Aircastle matter. “In the Aircastle issue, notice was issued in normal course. There was no adverse ruling against SpiceJet. The court has recognised the fact that parties are under settlement discussions and they can continue to pursue the same,” the spokesperson had said.
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Go First Crisis: Lessors Now Seek To Reregister 45 Planes Of Low-Cost Airline, NCLT Hearing Today
As Go First awaits the NCLT verdict on its voluntary insolvency resolution plea, lessors have sought deregistration of nine more aircraft of the crisis-hit airline. In one week, various lessors have approached aviation regulator DGCA for deregistration and repossession of a total of 45 planes of Go First. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) is set to pronounce the order on the carrier’s petition on Wednesday.
Go First stopped flying from May 3 and aviation regulator DGCA on Monday directed the airline to stop sale of tickets till further orders. Lessors have sought deregistration of nine more planes of the airline, according to an update from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The airline had 55 aircraft in its fleet as on May 2 when it filed the petition and also announced suspension of operations.
On Tuesday, the Wadia group-owned carrier said it will respond to the DGCA’s show cause notice in due course and is taking all possible measures to reduce inconvenience to the passengers.
Before the NCLT, lessors of the carrier have opposed Go First’s plea for an interim moratorium contending that it would have “harmful and serious consequences”.
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Go First Bankruptcy: DGCA Issues Show Cause Notice As Airline Cancels Flights Till May 5
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show cause notice to Go First after the airline cancelled fresh bookings from May 3-5. In a statement, DGCA said that no prior intimation was given to the DGCA for such cancellations and Go First (formerly Go Air) has failed to adhere to the approved schedule which would lead to passenger inconvenience thereby violating the provisions of CAR, Section 3, Series M, Part IV. DGCA has sought a reply from Go First Airlines within the next 24 hours of the issuance of the show cause notice.
Go First, a Wadia Group owned airline earlier filed for insolvency proceedings with NCLAT amid severe cash crunch, said airline in a statement. “It has come to the notice of DGCA that Go First has cancelled all scheduled flights of 03rd May 4th May 2023 respectively. No prior intimation has been given to DGCA for such cancellations which is non-compliance with conditions for approval of schedule” said DGCA.
“Thus Go First has failed to report in writing the cancellations and reasons thereof. Go first has failed to adhere to the approved schedule which would lead to passenger inconvenience thereby violating the provisions of CAR, Section 3, Series M, Part IV” it added.
The airline’s chief Kaushik Khona said on Tuesday said the budget carrier has temporarily suspended all the flights, domestic and international and has also filed an application for voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Delhi. Khona said the airline has grounded 25 planes, more than half of its fleet, due to non-supply of engines by Pratt & Whitney (P&W).
“It is an unfortunate decision (filing for voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings) but it had to be done to protect the interests of the company,” he said speaking to PTI. Flights will be suspended on May 3 and 4. Further, once the NCLT admits the application, then the flights will be restarted, Khona said.
“GO FIRST has had to take this step due to the ever-increasing number of failing engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney’s International Aero Engines, LLC, which has resulted in GO FIRST having to ground 25 aircraft (equivalent to approximately 50% of its Airbus A320neo aircraft fleet) as of 1 May 2023. The percentage of grounded aircraft due to Pratt & Whitney’s faulty engines has grown from 7% in December 2019 to 31% in December 2020 to 50% in December 2022,” said Go First.
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Exclusive: Belson Coutinho, Co-Founder, Akasa Air On Gender Neutral Crew Dress, Pet Policy And More
Akasa Air started its operations in 2022, becoming the India’s newest airline with an all Boeing 737-8 MAX fleet of planes. The brand was founded by Vinay Dube, Aditya Ghosh and backed by Late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. The airline ordered 72 Boeing 737-8 MAX planes an industry first for India, all painted in a new orange-purple livery, along with multiple other industry-first initiatives, including a dedicated Pet Policy to allow pet travel, a new comfortable and gender neutral dress for cabin crew among other things. Here’s a snippet of the conversation we had with Belson Coutinho, Co-Founder, CMO & CXO of Akasa Air.
Fleet and Route
Akasa Air, in 2019, signed a deal with Boeing Co and ordered 72 Boeing 737-8 MAX aircrafts in one of its kind deal. Of these, Boeing has already delivered 19 planes to the Indian brand, while the 20th plane is all set to be delivered, all within 8 months of Akasa Air starting its operations. As per Belson, the rest of the planes will be delivered in a time frame of 5 years.
As for the routes, Akasa Air has announced 17 cities, where the airline operates, 14 of which are already operational, while some of them will be connected in a few days time. Akasa Air is also planning to go international by the end of this year, with the existing fleet of aircrafts. Which means, they will fly either to the Middle East or Central Asia as and when operations start.
Gender Neutral Cabin Crew Dress
In June 2022, Akasa Air unveiled the airline crew uniform, becoming the first Indian airline to have introduced custom trousers, jackets, and sneakers for its in-flight crew. As told by Belson, the idea behind the uniform was to offer a comfortable dress to its cabin crew, and hence a use of gender neutral design. The trouser and jacket fabric has been specially made for Akasa Air, using recycled polyester fabric which is made from pet bottle plastic salvaged from marine waste.
The crew dress is designed by Rajesh Pratap Singh, the jacket draws inspiration from the Indian bandh gala. Not only the dress, but the footwear is specially designed for the comfort of the cabin crew, who spend long hours standing. The Vanilla Moon designed sneakers contains extra cushioning from heel to toe and the sole of the sneakers is carved from recycled rubber and manufactured without any use of plastic.
Dedicated Pet Policy
In October 2022, Akasa Air became the first Indian airline to formulate a dedicate pet policy, permitting domesticated dogs and cats in the cabin as well as cargo. Speaking on it, Belson said each pet will have to be in a cage and fall under the weight limit. As per the rules, if your pet is below 7 kg, it can travel in the aircraft cabin. Those between 7-32 kg must be checked in at the counter after passing through security and a pet heavier than 32 kg needs to be sent via the cargo terminal.
“We did have a lot of pet lovers asking… We all believe that we need to have an inclusive environment for pets as well. It (the decision) comes out of our love for pets,” Coutinho said. The airline has partnered with an NGO with respect to the carrying of pets such as how to be prepared and what all things pet owners should know as well as the dos and don’ts, he added.
Cafe Akasa
Speaking about the Café Akasa, which is the in-flight catering service of Akasa Air, Belson said the airline serves a wide choice fusion meals, farm-inspired and plant-based offerings, varied menu options like pasta, Vietnamese rice rolls, hot chocolate and a year-round festival menu inspired by Indian cuisines and celebrations. Akasa Air’s packaging of perishable meals is ethically sourced from sustainably grown crops.
Further, these meals are available on pre-booking only and festive season menu is also introduced from time to time, apart from the regular menu. However, the regular food options are also global cuisines, including, Middle Eastern Falafel platter, Vietnamese Rice paper roll, Continental Bagels, Burgers and Sandwiches, Insta friendly Salad and various Pie, Cakes and Puddings.
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Akasa Air Adds Bagdogra, Bhubaneshwar To Its Network; Now Connects 16 Cities
Akasa Air, India’s newest airline, has announced the addition of Bagdogra in West Bengal and Bhubaneshwar in Odisha as its 15th and 16th destination respectively. The airline will operate flights between Pune-Bhubaneshwar and Bengaluru-Bhubaneshwar from 17th April 2023 with a total of 14 weekly flights. The airline will also operate non-stop daily flights between Bagdogra and Bengaluru starting 17th April 2023. This network expansion marks the airline’s entry into the state of West Bengal and Odisha, strengthening the airline’s domestic presence in the eastern part of the country.
Since its launch in August 2022, the Rakesh Jhunjhnuwala-led Akasa Air has carried over 1 million revenue passengers and crossed the milestone of operating over 700 weekly flights connecting 16 cities, namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Bagdogra, Kochi, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati, Agartala, Pune, Visakhapatnam, Lucknow, Goa, Hyderabad, and Varanasi.
Akasa Air has placed a firm order of 72 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes, powered by CFM fuel efficient, LEAP-1B engines. With the order, Akasa Air becomes the second airline in India to operate the 737 MAX family of aircrafts, after SpiceJet.
Akasa Air, also announced the addition of new routes from Ahmedabad, connecting it with Lucknow, Goa and Hyderabad as it marks over seven months of operations from the city. Effective 15 March 2023, the airline will connect Ahmedabad with double daily non-stop return flights to Hyderabad as well as conveniently timed flights to Goa’s New Manohar International Airport with double daily flights.
From 7 March 2023, Akasa Air has further enhanced connectivity from Ahmedabad to Mumbai and Lucknow with a seamless through flight (no change of aircraft) in both directions.
Akasa Air joins fastest growing domestic aviation market of India, joining the established airlines like IndiGo, GoAir, Vistara, Air India, SpiceJet among other regional players. Akasa is currently strengthening its Tier 2 and Tier 3 city connectivity, not announcing any plans for international operations.
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DGCA Deregisters SpiceJet’s Two Boeing 737 Max Planes, Airline Says No Impact On Ops
Two Boeing 737-800 aircrafts of the budget air carrier SpiceJet have been deregistered by the aviation watchdog – DGCA. The carrier has confirmed that the return of these aircrafts will not hamper operations. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) deregistered VT-SZK and VT-SYA on March 6 and 9, respectively, according to notices on the regulator’s website. Under the Cape Town Convention, lessors and lenders can seek deregistration of a leased aircraft in case there is a default. Such requests are done under the Irrevocable De-registration and Export Request Authorisation (IDERA). “While one of the aircraft is grounded for a long period and was to be returned earlier, the other is being returned due to certain engine issues with the lessor.
Both aircraft are being returned in the most efficient manner consensually. This will have no impact on our operations,” the spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. The number of aircraft in SpiceJet fleet could not be immediately ascertained. As many as six Boeing 737 aircraft of the carrier were deregistered in August last year.
Even though the budget airline has been grappling with multiple headwinds for the past many months, on February 24, it posted a multi-fold rise in net profit to Rs 107 crore in the 2022 December quarter on the back of better performance in passenger and cargo businesses. The carrier is also set to tap the Qualified Institutional Buyer (QIB) route to raise up to Rs 2,500 crore.
On February 27, SpiceJet announced that Carlyle Aviation Partners will acquire a 7.5 per cent stake in the airline by converting outstanding dues as well as snap up shareholding in the cargo business. The move will help the airline trim its debt by USD 100 million. Shares of SpiceJet fell nearly 1 per cent to close at Rs 35.20 apiece on the BSE on Friday.
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Air India Business Class Passenger Finds Insect In Meal Served On Mumbai-Chennai Flight
An Air India passenger, travelling in business class from Mumbai to Chennai, on Monday shared a video of an insect he found in his in-flight meal. “@airindiain insect in the meal served in businessclass. Doesn`t look like hygiene was taken. My flight was AI671 -Mumbai to chennai Seat 2C,” passenger Mahavir Jain tweeted. Responding to the video, Air India said: “Dear Mr. Jain, we`re sorry to note your experience while flying with us. This is not something good to hear. We strictly follow measures to ensure hygiene at every step of the process.”
“However, could you please DM your date of travel, and flight details along with the seat number? We`ll highlight this to our catering team for immediate review and action,” the airline said. Earlier, on the same day, two such complaints surfaced regarding Air India.
An Indian diplomat alleged the poor facilities at the airline`s business class lounge at the John F. Kennedy airport in New York. India`s High Commissioner to Guyana, Antigua & Barbuda, St.Kitts & Nevis, Dr K.J. Srinivasa, alleged that the Air India business class lounge at JFK Airport had “empty” food containers, disposable plates and cutlery and “unresponsive” staff.
On the same day, renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor on Monday hit out at Air India after he was served unsatisfactory meals on a flight from Nagpur to Mumbai. “Wake Up @airindiain. Nagpur-Mumbai 0740 flight. Cold Chicken Tikka with watermelon, cucumber, tomato & sev Sandwich with minuscule filling of chopped cabbage with mayo Sugar syrup Sponge painted with sweetened cream & yellow glaze,” Kapoor said on Twitter.
“Really! Is this what Indians should eat for breakfast?” he said in another tweet.
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Indian Diplomat Complains Of Poor Facilities At Air India’s Lounge At JFK Airport in New York
An Indian diplomat on Monday complained about the poor facilities at Air India’s business class lounge at the John F. Kennedy airport in New York. Dr K.J. Srinivasa, India’s High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Antigua & Barbuda, and St.Kitts & Nevis, alleged that the Air India business class lounge at JFK Airport had “empty food containers, disposable plates and cutlery and unresponsive staff”.
“Pathetic state of affairs at @airindiain business class lounge @JFKairport. empty food containers,bad food,disposable plates/cutlery,unresponsive staff. @TataCompanies can splurge billions on buying new aircraft why not pay some attention to revamping existing lounge @RNTata2000,” he said in a tweet.
The diplomat also shared photos which showed food trays with cut vegetables, a few dishes, cup noodles and other things. Air India responded to Dr Srinivasa`s complaint saying they are looking into it.
“Dr. Srinivasa, we appreciate you taking out time and sharing your feedback. Our aim is to deliver a comfortable and memorable experience whenever you fly with us. We are looking into this and are sure you will give us another opportunity to serve the best in-class the next time you travel with us,” said the airline.
Earlier, during the day, renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor on Monday hit out at Air India after he was served unsatisfactory meals on a flight from Nagpur to Mumbai. “Really! Is this what Indians should eat for breakfast?” he said in a tweet.
“Wake Up @airindiain. Nagpur-Mumbai 0740 flight. Cold Chicken Tikka with watermelon, cucumber, tomato & sev Sandwich with minuscule filling of chopped cabbage with mayo Sugar syrup Sponge painted with sweetened cream & yellow glaze,” Kapoor said on Twitter.
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Delhi International Airport Inducts Disabled Aircraft Recovery Kit To Rescue Planes During Emergency
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport has commissioned a Disabled Aircraft Recovery (DAR) kit that it used to recover an aircraft which is unable to move under its own power or through the normal use of an appropriate tow tractor and tow bar. In an emergency, the DAR Kit can be deployed within 120 minutes, post mandatory clearances, drastically reducing response time and inconvenience to passengers or flight movement.
The mobile kit has been procured from the Germany-based KUNZ and is capable of fully recovering narrow-body aircraft, including the A320 and 737, as well as carrying out one-sided recovery of wide-body aircraft within a short span of time.
With a maximum capacity of 90 tonnes, the kit can recover Code F-compliant aircraft during an aircraft incident on the runway, ensuring minimal runway closure. While the DAR Kit requires a 15-member crew to carry out a recovery operation, a team of 36 Delhi airport personnel have been specially trained in collaboration with KUNZ, to ensure readiness at all times.
The kit consists of recovery lifting bags to lift the aircraft fuselage/wing, Tethering equipment to balance the aircraft and avoid tilting, De-bogging kit to pull the aircraft from soft land, Recovery trailer & fuselage transition to carry the disabled aircraft.
Speaking on the occasion, CEO-DIAL Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said: “The DAR Kit commissioned today, uses the latest technology to ensure minimum hindrance to flight operations during a disabled aircraft situation, in accordance with DGCA guidelines. Our airport staff have received specialized training in operating the DAR Kit in Germany and India, for deployment in case of any emergency. This deployment of DAR Kit once again resonates with our constant effort to provide passengers with a truly world-class experience.”