Foreign Airlines Don’t Fly Best Planes To India

                             

 Flying the same airlines between two foreign destinations has been a more pleasurable experience than flying from India to a foreign country? It's not just a feeling, but a reality.

Here is the unspoken truth: Foreign airlines don't deploy to India their best aircraft from hubs like Dubai, Singapore, Frankfurt and Brussels. The India-leg of a long-haul route always has planes which have been in service for a few years.


Passengers travelling from the US or Australia perceive a change in quality of amenities and service inside a flight the moment they change over at a hub like Frankfurt, Dubai or Singapore. Says P Usha, who travelled to London recently, "The aircraft from London to Dubai had the best in entertainment, good reading lights, seats and other amenities. Things turned a little drab on the aircraft from Dubai to India. Seats were slightly worn out and plastic fixtures were yellowing due to overuse."

Air Passengers Association of India national president D Sudhakara Reddy echoes the sentiment. "I have experienced this when I flew recently. Every airline is doing this. Our airports do not bother to encourage airlines to bring their best planes on the India-leg of long-haul routes. This may also be because of a lack of load and airlines do not want to use a new and bigger plane for fear of flying with empty seats," said Reddy.

Passengers from India are able to fly on board A380 from Dubai to London. But they do not get the luxury on the UAE-India route. A bigger plane like   that can seat  passengers or a B747 400 that can seat   passengers cannot be flown into Chennai because it may end up blocking the taxiway or runway. Though the Airports Authority of India claims that Chennai airport can handle an A380, sources said that other operations would have to be brought to a halt till the aircraft lands and is brought to the parking bay

Airlines say that seat limitations mentioned in bilateral agreements between India and other countries, shoddy airside infrastructure at many of Indian airports including Chennai and shortage of passengers are the reasons for them not operating new planes to airports in India other than Delhi which is a VIP destination.

A380 and  are fuel efficient and can carry more passengers. However, airlines are also not able to fly them to a few airports in India including Chennai because of bilateral agreements.

"The bilateral agreements signed between India and other countries are designed to protect Air India. The number of seats a foreign airline and an Indian airline can sell on a route is fixed. This prevents airlines from using a high-capacity aircraft," said an airline official.

                                                 

By

Ganesh Kushwaha [ DIAM ]

Executive Air Ticketing & Reservations

www.AeroSoftCorp.com

www.AeroSoft.in

www.AeroSoft.co.in

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Books by AeroSoft Books P - Productivity S - Speed R - Relevancy    Price: $20.00 USD. Approx. 22,870 words. Language: English. Published on August 23, 2013. Category: Essay. How to Take Off Your Professional Career from an Average to Exceptional with the Hidden PSR in You. A Book By working CEO and Manager with Day to day and live Examples How to Fight with Global Recession. By Shekhar Gupta Surbhi Maheshwari Published: Aug. 23, 2013 Words: 22,870 (approximate) Language: English ISBN: 9781301432448  Be an Aviator Not a Pilot is a story of Pilots in Aviation who are unable to cope. This is not a book to teach you how to get into an Aviation School or even how to live like a Pilot. In fact, it describes how one can become a Successfull Aviator not just an Airplane Driver [ So called Pilot ] with very small changes in life. Also Why abroad trained Pilots are better Aviator and Why FAA, CASA, CAAP, CAA are better civil Aviation Authority then DGCA. by Shekhar Gupta Ankisha Awasthi  Be An Aviator not A Pilot     Price: $1.99 USD. Approx. 4,750 words. Language: English. Published on July 24, 2013. Category: Fiction.  As A Fact Out Of Every 1000 Pilots Only 1 Pilot Becomes An Airline Pilot, The Book Is All About Those 999 Pilots Only. PilotsCareerGuide Pilot’s Career Guide  Price: $20.00 USD. Approx. 25,040 words. Language: English. Published on July 13, 2013. Category: Nonfiction.  International Airline Pilot’s Career Guide Learn Step By Step How to Become an International Airlines Pilot By Shekhar Gupta And Niriha Khajanchi https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/336260 Cabin Crew Career Guide Essay » Literature Published: Aug. 26, 2013  Words: 2,160 (approximate) Language: English ISBN: 9781301001965

Indian Regulatory Approval for Etihad’s Investment In Jet Airways

                                               

 Indian regulator approves Jet Airways stake sale to Abu Dhabi’s Etihad
 Local airlines’ global role key to Arabian Gulf’s diversification
Topic India Dispatch Emirates Airline Boeing Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways remains confident that its US investment deal with Jet Airways is “on a good track” despite facing India’s regulatory hurdles that have repeatedly delayed the ratification of the agreement.

Reports on Tuesday said the Securities and Exchange Board of India had given its nod for the deal after both airlines made revisions to comply with its conditions.

However, regulatory approval is still needed from the competition commission of India and the cabinet committee on economic Affairs.

“We are not there yet, but we are on a good track,” said Peter Baumgartner, Etihad’s chief commercial officer. “There are a couple of final regulatory hurdles but we are confident about the future to complete the deal.”

Etihad in April announced the agreement to acquire aper cent stake in Jet Airways for  It is investing a further in Jet’s frequent flyer programme and  to buy Jet’s six landing slots at Heathrow Airport through a sale-and-leaseback agreement.

India’s foreign investment promotion board gave its approval of the deal in July.

At the start of last month, Etihad extended the deadline for the second time for regulatory clearances for the deal to the end of the month.

Etihad said then that the Indian authorities were expected to approve the deal “imminently”. That deadline lapsed on Monday.

                                                                 

                                Analysts say it is unclear how long it will actually take for the final approvals to come through.

Saj Ahmad, the chief analyst at StrategicAero Research,says the protracted deal approval process is a consequence of India’s complicated bureaucracy.

“It seems that the powers that be in India are happy to make Jet and Etihad wait until the deal is ratified,” Mr Ahmad said. “Etihad’s patience is to be applauded. It’s a surprise they haven’t taken their millions and walked away from this perennial mess that India seems to wallow in.”

 The securities and exchange board of India had to be satisfied that Jet would not relinquish significant control to Etihad before it gave its approval, according to the Press Trust of India.

When all the approvals are given, Etihad would become the first foreign carrier to acquire a stake in an Indian airline after New Delhi in September last year permitted foreign investment of up to 49 per cent in India’s carriers.

Etihad’s investment in Jet is part of its strategy to invest in foreign airlines and expand its global network.

Mr Baumgartner said Etihad was “not closed for future partnerships”.

Etihad said last month it planned to dramatically increase its passenger capacity and flights to India over the coming months, including tripling the capacity on its routes between Abu Dhabi, Mumbai and New Delhi.

                                                                     “The Indian subcontinent is a major growth market … and the deal will give us a strategic partnership,” Mr Baumgartner said.
Etihad is also evaluating orders for a range of aircraft from Boeing and Airbus after Emirates Airline said it was planning an “enormous” contract for 
“We are in discussion with both manufacturers pretty much right across their entire portfolio of aircraft,” Mr Baumgartner said.
Tim Clark,the president of Emirates, said on Tuesday the airline was looking to replace  twin-engine wide-bodies in its fleet.
Etihad was operating   passenger and cargo aircraft in July, including  wide-bodies and 
It has orders for superjumbos and  rival to Boeing’s – as well as 41 smaller Boeing Dreamliners.
Etihad’s fleet is scheduled to increase to planes by


                                           

 By

Ganesh Kushwaha [ DIAM ]

Executive Air Ticketing & Reservations

www.AeroSoftCorp.com

www.AeroSoft.in

www.AeroSoft.co.in

www.AeroSoftseo.com

Books by AeroSoft Books P - Productivity S - Speed R - Relevancy     Price: $20.00 USD. Approx. 22,870 words. Language: English. Published on August 23, 2013. Category: Essay.  How to Take Off Your Professional Career from an Average to Exceptional with the Hidden PSR in You. A Book By working CEO and Manager with Day to day and live Examples How to Fight with Global Recession. By Shekhar Gupta Surbhi Maheshwari Published: Aug. 23, 2013  Words: 22,870 (approximate) Language: English ISBN: 9781301432448  Be an Aviator Not a Pilot  is a story of Pilots in Aviation who are unable to cope. This is not a book to teach you how to get into an Aviation School or even how to live like a Pilot. In fact, it describes how one can become a Successfull Aviator not just an Airplane Driver [ So called Pilot ] with very small changes in life. Also Why abroad trained Pilots are better Aviator and Why FAA, CASA, CAAP, CAA are better civil Aviation Authority then DGCA. by Shekhar Gupta  Ankisha Awasthi  Be An Aviator not A Pilot      Price: $1.99 USD. Approx. 4,750 words. Language: English. Published on July 24, 2013. Category: Fiction.  As A Fact Out Of Every 1000 Pilots Only 1 Pilot Becomes An Airline Pilot, The Book Is All About Those 999 Pilots Only. PilotsCareerGuide Pilot’s Career Guide   Price: $20.00 USD. Approx. 25,040 words. Language: English. Published on July 13, 2013. Category: Nonfiction.   International Airline Pilot’s Career Guide Learn Step By Step How to Become an International Airlines Pilot By Shekhar Gupta And Niriha Khajanchi https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/336260 Cabin Crew Career Guide Essay » Literature Published: Aug. 26, 2013  Words: 2,160 (approximate) Language: English ISBN: 9781301001965

AgustaWestland firm on expanding footprint in India

Agusta Westland firm on expanding footprint in India



The Hindu Jackie Callcut, CEO Agusta Westland India Pvt. Ltd., at the Naval and Maritime Expo in Kochi on Monday. Photo: K.K. Mustafah
TOPICS
The company is undaunted by probe into corruption charges in VVIP copter deal

Unfazed by the probe by the Indian and Italian governments into charges of corruption in the Rs. 3,727-crore contract for 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters for the Indian Air Force, helicopter major AgustaWestland is keen to expand its footprint in the Indian military and civil aviation markets.

“Notwithstanding the current difficulties, we need to expand our presence in India,” said Jackie Callcut, Chief Executive Officer, AgustaWestland India.

Talking to The Hindu on the sidelines of India’s maiden Naval and Maritime Expo (NAMEXPO-2013) that got under way here on Monday, Ms. Callcut, who insisted the company was in India for a ‘long haul’, said AgustaWestland wished to make a mark in the civil aviation sector through its joint venture with Tata Sons to produce AW119 helicopters in India. “We are bringing more technologies into Indian civil aerospace market,” she said, adding India’s ‘troubled transport sector’ could benefit if the moneyed class made a shift to travel by helicopter.

JV with Tata Sons

Vimal Nagpal, head of business for the company’s India subsidiary, said the JV with Tata Sons was progressing. “We’ve begun to construct the infrastructure, with the long-term plan to shift an assembly line from Philadelphia to Hyderabad,” he said.

On the VVIP chopper controversy, Ms. Callcut said the Indian investigation was largely linked to what was happening in Italy, where the next court hearing was due on October 8. “We welcome investigations, as we don’t have any reason to be ashamed of. Nor do we have anything to hide. We still think we have the best machine ... We’ve heard from Indian Air Force that the three helicopters delivered to them are absolutely the right equipment. The firestorm [that the controversy raked up in the initial days] was not based on facts. The environment is much saner now,” she said, choosing to blame the Comptroller and Auditor General of India  for being ill-informed in its reports.

Rebutting allegations that procurement specifications were altered and trial evaluation was influenced to swing the deal in favour of her company, she said the charges were misplaced. Ms. Callcut had earlier written to CAG citing that the alteration of cabin height requirements of the helicopter hadn’t led to disqualification of any aircraft in the fray.

FDI in defence

She found off-putting the FDI cap in defence, which is  per cent at the moment, and hoped for ‘a bit more liberalisation’. Despite controversies, the company’s AW109 is taking part in the tender for  units of Naval Utility Helicopters. “The bid procedure for down-selection is on,” she said.

Mr. Nagpal claimed that the upgrade of seven AgustaWestland-made Seaking helicopters in service with the Indian Navy under the ‘Recovery’ programme had increased the operational availability of the potent anti-submarine warfare and commando-lift helicopters.

Keywords: AgustaWestland chopper bribery scandal, VVIP chopper deal, Indian Air Force, AgustaWestland, Finmeccanica


















By
Ganesh Kushwaha [ DIAM ]
Executive Air Ticketing & Reservations
www.AeroSoftCorp.com
www.AeroSoft.in
www.AeroSoft.co.in
www.AeroSoftseo.com

Books by AeroSoft Books P - Productivity S - Speed R - Relevancy     Price: $20.00 USD. Approx. 22,870 words. Language: English. Published on August 23, 2013. Category: Essay.  How to Take Off Your Professional Career from an Average to Exceptional with the Hidden PSR in You. A Book By working CEO and Manager with Day to day and live Examples How to Fight with Global Recession. By Shekhar Gupta Surbhi Maheshwari Published: Aug. 23, 2013  Words: 22,870 (approximate) Language: English ISBN: 9781301432448  Be an Aviator Not a Pilot  is a story of Pilots in Aviation who are unable to cope. This is not a book to teach you how to get into an Aviation School or even how to live like a Pilot. In fact, it describes how one can become a Successfull Aviator not just an Airplane Driver [ So called Pilot ] with very small changes in life. Also Why abroad trained Pilots are better Aviator and Why FAA, CASA, CAAP, CAA are better civil Aviation Authority then DGCA. by Shekhar Gupta  Ankisha Awasthi  Be An Aviator not A Pilot      Price: $1.99 USD. Approx. 4,750 words. Language: English. Published on July 24, 2013. Category: Fiction.  As A Fact Out Of Every 1000 Pilots Only 1 Pilot Becomes An Airline Pilot, The Book Is All About Those 999 Pilots Only. PilotsCareerGuide Pilot’s Career Guide   Price: $20.00 USD. Approx. 25,040 words. Language: English. Published on July 13, 2013. Category: Nonfiction.   International Airline Pilot’s Career Guide Learn Step By Step How to Become an International Airlines Pilot By Shekhar Gupta And Niriha Khajanchi https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/336260 Cabin Crew Career Guide

Game-Changer For Indian Aviation

Game-changer for Indian aviation

The easing of foreign investment last year has been a catalyst for long-term reforms in the Indian aviation ‘sky’ scape. Previously foreign investors, but not airlines, had been allowed to hold up to a 49 per cent stake in local airlines. The willingness of foreign air carriers to do business in India is a harbinger of interesting times to come.

Recently we witnessed the creation of the Tata-AirAsia joint venture (JV), which is likely to create a highly competitive domestic low-cost carrier (LCC) player. With the Tata-Singapore Airelins (SIA) deal, announced last week, the game gets even bigger!

What is the value generated by this deal?

The exit of Kingfisher Airlines created a void in the full-service space despite fast growth of the LCC segment in India.

The country now has only two full-service domestic airlines — national carrier Air India and Jet Airways. The new JV may be in a position to establish a competitive, hybrid business model that offers a high quality product with a lower cost base.

OVERSEAS POTENTIAL

The greatest potential may be in international routes as traffic in and out of India, unlike domestic traffic, has grown every year in the past decade, even during the economic slowdown.

Our assessment is that SIA is not coming just for the domestic routes. Its biggest strength lies in inter-continental long-haul flights.

Nearly  per cent of global traffic from India is west-bound — to the Middle East, Africa, European Unions and the Americas.

Once SIA comes in, they can compete on those routes on the Indian quota of the bilateral agreements. It can also operate direct flights to the Far East and Australia from India.

This deal would help position Delhi as a global hub for long-haul flights. Since the infamous 5/20 rule requires every Indian airline to operate in the domestic sector for five years before it can fly international routes; this opportunity is still some time away, unless the Government decides to do away with this arbitrary and unilateral restriction.

As Tony Fernandes of AirAsia said recently, he can have a one aircraft fleet in Malaysia and fly into India tomorrow. Such myopic and bizarre rules have actually worked against Indian carriers than strengthening them.

The Tata group enjoys high brand equity. J.R.D. Tata was the founding father of Indian aviation and had set up what is today known as Air India. Their tie-up with a top global airline like SIA makes it a premium combination that could pose a significant challenge to the Gulf carriers that dominate the bulk of westward international routes.

Many feel that this deal may create a conflict of interest with the Tata-AirAsia JV.

As long as there is no violation of foreign domestic investment norms and national security, the future of the two JVs are best left to the companies involved and market forces.

This alliance may also open up the joint venture’s entry into Star Alliance, which may invite some resistance from other Indian legacy carriers. The Indian passengers and inbound foreign tourists get one more airline to choose from. The resulting competition will improve services and lower prices.

Hence, there are plenty of synergies to be tapped into from this JV, provided the unilateral  rule is abolished quickly and they are able to commence their international operations as soon as possible.

The Indian passenger lost out on the Tata- SIA combine in 1997 thanks to politics; Tatas had partnered with Singapore Airlines to start a domestic airline but the Government had rejected their proposal.

They were willing to participate in the proposed disinvestment of Air India and Indian Airlines, but stronger forces scuttled the same. The wheel has come full circle now but at the cost of wasting 16 years in the process. Indian aviation industry would have been totally different if the Tata-SIA deal had gone through then.

The current times are definitely interesting but also highly challenging for the Indian aviation industry. Any new entrant has to be prepared for few years of losses and a tough domestic market that is dominated by LCCs, which hold 65 per cent of the market. Indian carriers have already lost about  in the 

The Tata-SIA deal reaffirms India’s reputation as a lucrative aviation market in the long-run, despite the short-term man-made problems, such as excessive taxation and cumbersome procedures. Many progressive state Governments are recognising the multiplier benefits of aviation.

What they may forego as irrational tax on an industrial raw material like ATF and support services like maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) will came back to them multi-fold in terms of growth in travel, trade and tourism. It’s a known fact that for every job created, nearly 50-55 per cent comes back to the Government treasury as income tax and consumption taxes (vat, service tax, excise and customs duties).

The FDI reform and widening of bilateral quotas have opened doors for globalisation of Indian aviation. Rationalisation of taxes and simplification of Government procedures will take India right to the top.

The choice is ours!

(The author is Partner and Head (aerospace and defence) at global consultancy KPMG. He was supported by Namrata Saigal, Consultant at KPMG.

(This article was published on September 

Keywords: Foreign investment, FDI reform, aviation, Tata-SIA deal, international routes, airtraffic, globalisation

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By

Ganesh Kushwaha [ DIAM ]

Executive Air Ticketing & Reservations

www.AeroSoftCorp.com

www.AeroSoft.in

www.AeroSoft.co.in

www.AeroSoftseo.com

Books by AeroSoft Books P - Productivity S - Speed R - Relevancy     Price: $20.00 USD. Approx. 22,870 words. Language: English. Published on August 23, 2013. Category: Essay.  How to Take Off Your Professional Career from an Average to Exceptional with the Hidden PSR in You. A Book By working CEO and Manager with Day to day and live Examples How to Fight with Global Recession. By Shekhar Gupta Surbhi Maheshwari Published: Aug. 23, 2013  Words: 22,870 (approximate) Language: English ISBN: 9781301432448  Be an Aviator Not a Pilot  is a story of Pilots in Aviation who are unable to cope. This is not a book to teach you how to get into an Aviation School or even how to live like a Pilot. In fact, it describes how one can become a Successfull Aviator not just an Airplane Driver [ So called Pilot ] with very small changes in life. Also Why abroad trained Pilots are better Aviator and Why FAA, CASA, CAAP, CAA are better civil Aviation Authority then DGCA. by Shekhar Gupta  Ankisha Awasthi  Be An Aviator not A Pilot      Price: $1.99 USD. Approx. 4,750 words. Language: English. Published on July 24, 2013. Category: Fiction.  As A Fact Out Of Every 1000 Pilots Only 1 Pilot Becomes An Airline Pilot, The Book Is All About Those 999 Pilots Only. PilotsCareerGuide Pilot’s Career Guide   Price: $20.00 USD. Approx. 25,040 words. Language: English. Published on July 13, 2013. Category: Nonfiction.   International Airline Pilot’s Career Guide Learn Step By Step How to Become an International Airlines Pilot By Shekhar Gupta And Niriha Khajanchi https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/336260 Cabin Crew Career Guide