Issuu

P&W inaugurates 100th eLearning Centre in India p 25

SHOW REPORT DUBAI AIRSHOW 2019 p 26

New Dawn for IndoPak Cooperation in Civil Aviation p 32

AIRBUZ

December 2019-January 2020

`100.00 (India-based Buyer Only) Volume 12 • issue 6

RNI NUMBER: DELENG/2008/24198

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A n E x c l u s i v e M a g a z i n e o n C i v i l Av i at i o n f r o m I n D I A

MRO INDIA SPECIAL

 Impetus Required for the Indian Aviation MRO Sector  Correct Policy Imbalances by BHARAT MALKANI, Max Aerospace and Aviation  technology in aviation mro An SP Guide Publication

PAGE 10 onwards

“In a country like India with limited support from the industry and market, initiating 50 years ago (in 1964) publishing magazines relating to Army, Navy and Aviation sectors without any interruption is a commendable job on the part of SP Guide “ Publications. By this, SP Guide Publications has established the fact that continuing quality work in any field would result in success.” Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India (*message received in 2014)

table of contents

MRO / Industry

The MRO sector is a tough industry, is highly regulated, is all about flight safety and is thus very important as a sector of the Indian civil aviation industry

Cover: The government needs to tackle four key areas with incisive focus – GST, royalties, customs procedures and skills retention to boost MRO business in India. Cover Photograph: Air Works

SHOW REPORT DUBAI AIRSHOW 2019 P 26

P&W INAUGURATES 100TH eLEARNING CENTRE IN INDIA P 25

NEW DAWN FOR INDOPAK COOPERATION IN CIVIL AVIATION P 32

AIRBUZ

DECEMBER 2019-JANUARY 2020

`100.00 (INDIA-BASED BUYER ONLY) VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 6 WWW.SPSAIRBUZ.COM

RNI NUMBER: DELENG/2008/24198

P10 Impetus Required for the Indian Aviation MRO Sector

A N E X C L U S I V E M A G A Z I N E O N C I V I L AV I AT I O N F R O M I N D I A

MRO INDIA SPECIAL

 IMPETUS REQUIRED FOR THE INDIAN AVIATION MRO SECTOR  CORRECT POLICY IMBALANCES by BHARAT MALKANI, MAX AEROSPACE AND AVIATION  TECHNOLOGY IN AVIATION MRO AN SP GUIDE PUBLICATION

PAGE 10 ONWARDS

SP's AirBuz Cover 6-2019.indd 1

02/12/19 12:05 PM

MRO / Policy P14 Correct Policy Imbalances

With airlines fleets in India set to more than double from 500 to 1,000 during the coming decade, supported by favourable government policies, the size of the Indian airline MRO Industry can grow from $1.4 billion to $5 billion with the potential direct employment growing to three lakh employees over the next decade MRO / Technology P19 Smart Warfighting Array of Reconfigurable Modules (SWARM) Technology in Aviation MRO

The next generation of cloud solutions are here to help process data from predictive maintenance to in-flight performance and aging of the aircraft can be better tracked and understood

Industry / Forecast P22 Boeing Forecasts $770 Billion Civil Aviation Market in India over 20 Years P24 Interview with Salil Gupte, President Boeing India, and Darren Hulst, Sr. Managing Director, Market Analysis & Sales Support, Boeing Commercial Airplanes departments P2 A word from Editor P3 NEWS BRIEFS P32 FInally

Training / Pratt & Whitney P25 P&W inaugurates 100th eLearning Centre in India

Pratt & Whitney’s sponsorship of eLearning Centers in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam builds on the efforts the company has made in India over the last decade to inspire the next generation of engineers

Show report / Dubai airshow 2019 P26 Middle-East sky painted in colours of the aviation industry

Hosting over 84,000 visitors, Dubai Airshow’s 2019 edition successfully connected the aerospace industry amid significant innovation, discussion, exhibits, trade and much more

Special

Contribution to Business Aviation SP’S AIRBUZ • ISSUE 6 • 2019 • 1

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n important SECTOR of the Indian civil aviation industry is its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) segment which rather unfortunately in India, has not registered a growth rate that matches that of the industry. In this issue of the magazine, in a comprehensive analysis of the problems faced by the MRO industry in India, Sukhchain Singh has catalogued in detail, the measures the Government of India needs to adopt to provide the necessary impetus to enable it achieve a healthy rate of growth. Also, there is a report by Bharat Malkani, Chairman & Managing Director, Max Aerospace and Aviation on the need to correct the glaring policy imbalances in the MRO industry in India. In the report, he has attributed the slow rate of growth of this segment of the industry essentially to the flawed policies of the Government of India especially with regard to the high rate of taxes imposed as compared to the neighbouring countries. Companies owning and operating aircraft based in India quite understandably, opt to avail of MRO services in the neighbouring countries that do not levy such high rates of taxes. This has been seriously impinging on the health of the MRO industry in India. In another article on MRO in this issue, Sukhchain Singh delves into SWARM Technology in MRO industry. This is the next generation of cloud solutions that will help process data from predictive maintenance to in-flight performance and ageing of the aircraft can be better tracked and understood. Despite all the impediments and challenges that the Indian civil industry is confronted with today, Boeing appears to be highly optimistic about its growth prospects in the coming years. As per a Commercial Market Outlook report by Boeing released in the first week of November this year, India will be a $770 billion market in the next two decades. Consequently, this phenomenal rate of growth will drive a demand for 2,380 new jet aircraft, a highly inspiring projection for the global aerospace industry. This issue of SP’s AirBuz carries a report by Vishal Thapar on the forecast by Boeing as also an interaction between Jayant Baranwal, Editor-in-Chief of SP’s AirBuz with Salil Gupte, President Boeing India and Darren Hulst, Senior Managing Director, Market Analysis and Sales Support, Boeing Commercial Airplanes during the release of Boeing’s “2019 India Commercial Market Outlook”. From innovative ideas to significant announcements, the world’s aviation leaders were all seen displaying their capabilities at the recently held Dubai Airshow 2019 (DAS). With about 80 per cent of the global population located within eight hours of one of the UAE’s airports, Dubai Airshow is certainly “connecting the aerospace industry”, as was its motto this year. The 2019 edition of DAS was one of the busiest till date with a footfall of over 84,000 trade attendees, over 161 aircraft on static display, over 1,288 exhibitors, and the order book on site reaching $54.5 billion. Ayushee Chaudhary maps the show highlights in her report in this issue. All this and more in this issue of SP’s AirBuz. Welcome aboard and we wish you many happy landings! Jai Hind!

B.K. Pandey Editor

2 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

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quently, what elevated the business jet from a luxury toy to what is increasingly seen as a vital corporate tool? In the US, hundreds of Fortune 500 companies now flaunt their own aircraft, with companies arguing that this vital conveyance saves time and boosts productivity. A recent CNN report quoted

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( AIRLINE NEWS SpiceJet to Set Up Joint Venture Airline in UAE

In October this year, Ajay Singh Chairman and Managing Director of SpiceJet stated that his company will be setting up an airline at Ras Al Khaimah with a local partner and will have a 49 per cent shareholding in the joint venture (JV). The carrier, which is the second-largest in India, inked a memorandum of understanding with Ras Al Khaimah International Airport and will launch its first flight from Delhi to the Emirate in December 2019. Ajay Singh stated that the airline had been eyeing an international hub for some time as India’s airports become more congested and as SpiceJet prepares to expand its aircraft fleet. He believes there is “tremendous potential” in a partnership with Ras Al Khaimah, which is still untapped. By December this year, the budget carrier plans to have five aircraft based in Ras Al Khaimah to be deployed on medium-haul flights of six to seven hours. This would include destinations in Eastern and Western Europe, as SpiceJet sees the new hub as its stepping stone into European markets. SpiceJet has already started freighter operations into Ras Al Khaimah and plans to expand that to create a logistics hub at the airport. Additionally, the airline is looking at the potential for maintenance and overhaul operations out of the UAE airport. Shaikh Khalid Bin Saud Al Qasimi, Vice-Chairman of Ras Al Khaimah’s Investment and Development Office, said the deal with SpiceJet is in line with the Emirate’s strategy to develop its airport. Al Qasimi said the emirate is targeting 2.5 million tourists in the next five years, up from the current figure of one million and sees huge potential for growth in the Emirate’s aviation sector.

Qatar Air interested in Buying Stake in IndiGo, Not Air India Gulf major Qatar Airways, is not interested in buying a stake in India’s national carrier

Pratt & Whitney HonoUred with Two Major Aviation Week Awards

ratt & Whitney President Bob Leduc has been honoured with Aviation Week’s “Lifetime Achievement” award. Aviation Week writes, “Leduc came out of retirement and used his leadership skills to shake up the corporate team and guide the PW1000G geared turbofan program through its challenging service introduction and production ramp-up and onto the road to success.” This is a significant honor, a capstone to Bob’s 40+-year career in aviation and most recently, as the leader who spearheaded P&W’s production and oversight of our most successRobert F. Leduc ful programs, the GTF, F135, PW800, and of course, the PT6-E. Speaking of the PT6-E, the latest program from Canada was also honored with a Laureate this year, in the general aviation category. This new PT6 variant offers single lever control, maximum efficiency, quicker climb and greater speed. This is the second consecutive Laureate for the Canada team, having been selected last year for the PW800 program, for which they also won the Grand Laureate prize earlier this year. 

Boeing 737 MAX 10 Makes its Debut

oeing marked a key milestone on November 22, as thousands of employees gathered for the debut of the first 737 MAX 10 at the company’s Renton, Washington factory. During a ceremony, Boeing leaders highlighted the team’s accomplishments and recognised their efforts in completing production of the newest member of the 737 MAX family. “Today is not just about a new airplane. It’s about the people who design, build and support it,” said Mark Jenks, vice president and general manager of the 737 programme. “This team’s relentless focus on safety and quality shows the commitment we have to our airline

customers and every person who flies on a Boeing airplane.” The 737 MAX 10, the largest variant of the MAX family, can seat up to 230 passengers and offers the lowest seatmile cost of any single-aisle airplane ever produced. The airplane will now undergo system checks and engine runs prior to first flight next year. “I’m honored to take this airplane on its first flight and show the world what you’ve put your heart and soul into,” 737 Chief Pilot Jennifer Henderson told the employee crowd. The 737 MAX 10 currently has more than 550 orders and commitments from more than 20 customers around the globe. 

SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 3

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Air India, which will be up for sale soon. The airline neither sees any synergy with Air India’s operations, nor believes that acquiring the airline will help it to boost its operations in India. “No! We are not interested in Air India,” Akbar Al-Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, replied to a question on the airline’s interest in Air India.Al Baker, however, reiterated his interest in buying a stake in IndiGo. “We are only interested in IndiGo,” he said to a follow-up question on the airline’s interest in inorganic growth opportunities in India.The government is brainstorming to make the sale of Air India a success after a failed attempt last year. The government this time has decided to sell 100 per cent of the airline and pass on only about half the total debt to the buyer. Attracted by the Indian market’s exponential growth, Al Baker had earlier expressed desire to start an airline out of the country. However, he blamed restrictive rules of India as the reason for not going ahead with his plans. “India has one of the most restrictive markets. It should look at further opening the aviation sector in favour of economic growth and to enhance employment,” he said. India doesn’t permit a foreign airline to hold more than 49 per cent stake in indigenous airlines which is according to the Substantial Ownership and Effective Control Norms of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Qatar Airways’ growth in India has suffered as the country has been reluctant towards increasing flying rights to the gulf nation.

Virgin Atlantic’s India Expansion

Virgin Atlantic made its India debut in July 2000 when the airline launched its flight to New Delhi. Back then, Virgin Atlantic was a boutique airline fuelled by the ambitions of a maverick entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson. A lot has changed since then. Today, Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group holds just 20 per cent stake in the airline with Delta Air Lines, the world’s most profitable airline, being the largest shareholder with 49 per cent along with Air France-KLM holding 31 per cent. The airline, till date, continues 4 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

appointments ATR

With effect from November 1, 2019, Eric Segura, 55, has been nominated SVP Procurement and Supply Chain of ATR, the world number one regional aircraft manufacturer.

BOEING

On November 12, 2019, Boeing announced the appointment of Conrad Chun as Vice President of Communications for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, effective immediately.

EMBRAER

On November 7, 2019, Board of Directors of Embraer elected Antonio Carlos Garcia as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer and Investor Relations Officer, replacing Nelson Salgado, who will serve as Embraer’s Chief Operations Officer.

SAFRAN

The Board of Directors of Safran has selected Olivier Andries as successor to Philippe Petitcolin in the position of Chief Executive Officer with effect on January 1, 2021, after a transition period of one year starting on January 1, 2020.

to fly to New Delhi daily. The route has stood the test of time and completes its twentieth anniversary next year. That is an achievement for an airline of its size and credit should be given to teams in India and the world over, who have made this route a success. On November 20 this year, Virgin Atlantic announced that the airline was going to double its flights to New Delhi starting Summer 2020. The second daily service to New Delhi will depart London in the morning and will offer customers a choice of departures at both ends. This joint venture helps Virgin Atlantic flights to India as they have sister airlines who will help market these flights to their customers. Currently from New Delhi, the airline only offers seamless connections to two destinations in the US i.e. Boston and New York – JFK. These are made possible by the late evening departures to both the cities from London. Virgin Atlantic has not had the same success with its flights to, Mumbai, the financial capital of India, as it has with its flights to New Delhi.

( AIRLINE FINANCE IndiGo Q1FY20 results

In the last week of October this year, IndiGo Airlines reported its Q2FY20 results reflecting a loss of `1,062 crore as against a profit of `1,203 crore in the previous quarter. The huge loss in the second quarter was undoubtedly surprising. Overall this was one of the few instances where the cost of flying each seat (CASK) exceeded the revenue

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earned per seat (RASK) by `0.40. That is, the airline lost 40 paise for each seat it flew each kilometre. Take the total capacity flown of 24.2 billion ASKs and the operational loss figure is clear. The quarter also witnessed two arbitration cases filed by one of the promoters Rahul Bhatia as a part of the ongoing dispute in the management. The dispute as it relates to impact to the company seems to be settled for now. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) saw several proposals being approved and implemented – many of them being the ones that were highlighted as a matter of concern in the promoter dispute. The quarter saw IndiGo launch a number of international routes including to China, Middle East, Hong Kong and Vietnam. This continues to be a focus area and for the half-year, approximately 50 per cent capacity has been deployed on international routes. These routes take time to mature and the impact has been seen in the operational cash-flow. Additionally, not all international routes are a net positive. Much like the Istanbul flight which continues to see challenges – for some of the routes the sector length is far too long. This eats into the cost base as crews cannot be flown back, the yields are lower compared to the full-service carriers.

( INDUSTRY NEWS Japan to Enhance Capabilities of Manufacturing Aircraft

The Government of Japan is promoting technological cooperation between local

NewsBriefs

BUSINESS AVIATION: IBAC announces new Governing Board

he International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has announced its new Governing Board Executive Officers, selected at its 70th meeting following the Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas, U.S.A. Ali Alnaqbi, Founder and Chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association will become Chairman of the IBAC governing Board from January 1, 2020. Alnaqbi is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Board. Juergen Wiese, Chairman of the European Business Aviation Association, will become Vice-Chairman. Sudhir Nayak of the Business Aircraft Operators Association of India will continue to serve as the treasurer of the IBAC governing board. This is another feather in BAOA’s cap and indicative of the growing influence of Indian ‘Business Aviation’ (BA) community at global level. Mr. Sudhir Nayak expressed his happiness over his re-election and said that he is looking forward to this as another

Event Calendar HAI HELI-EXPO

27–30 January, 2020 Anaheim Convention Centre, Anaheim, CA, USA www.rotor.org/home/heli-expo

MRO SOUTH ASIA SUMMIT

6–7 February, 2020 Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi, India www.stattimes.com/mrosa2020

SINGAPORE AIRSHOW

11–16 February, 2020 Changi Exhibition Centre, Singapore https://singaporeairshow.com

AVIATION FESTIVAL ASIA

18–19 February, 2020 Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre, Singapore www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/aviationfestival-asia/index.stm industry and Boeing in aircraft electrification and high-rate composites manufacturing with the aim of expanding the country’s traditionally limited roles in aircraft manufacturing. Japanese industry has for decades,

Sudhir Nayak will continue as Treasurer of the new IBAC Governing Board

opportunity to promote best safety practice for BA in India through IBAC’s International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) and International had a strong presence in making aircraft structures and engine parts, noted Hiroyuki Hatada, the Director of the Ministry’s Aerospace and Defence Industry Division. But it has been largely unable to challenge foreign makers of onboard systems, companies that have entrenched positions and enjoy the low costs of high volumes. Now prospective changes in aircraft technology are presenting Japan with opportunities to foray into areas of the industry where everyone is going back to square one or close to it. If a new technology largely displaces an old one and prompts major changes in manufacturing or system design, incumbent manufacturers lose many of their advantages.Application of new electric technology to aircraft is seen as one such opportunity. It was listed alongside high-rate, low-cost composites manufacturing and automation in the agreement that the Ministry signed with Boeing in January this year. Also close is the use of new techniques for making composites more quickly and more cheaply as low costs can follow from high production rates. A third area of technology in the agreement with Boeing is greater automation in aircraft manufacturing, with obvious value to increasing production rates.

Standard for Business Aircraft Handlers (IS-BAH). “I appreciate the commitment to IBAC and the global business aviation community that each of these gentlemen has demonstrated in their participation in IBAC and their respective associations,” said Kurt Edwards, Director General of IBAC. “It will be a pleasure to work with them and the board over the next three years as we expand IBAC to meet the needs of a growing, vibrant industry.” Like BAOA, IBAC is also a nonprofit association representing the interests of business aviation worldwide. Established in 1981, IBAC serves an international voice for the business aviation community. IBAC governance is exercised through the governing board with representatives from each of the 14 member associations. IBAC has permanent observer status at International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN Specialist Agency for aviation matters, in Montreal, Canada. 

IndiGo Places Order for 300 Aircraft

Low-cost carrier IndiGo has placed a firm order for 300 A320neo family aircraft. The order consists of the A320neo, A321neo and the new long range A321 XLR. The airline already operates the A320neo and the A321neo. The order is valued at around $33 billion at current list prices and will bring IndiGo’s total number of A320neo orders to 730. The announcement was made days after IndiGo announced its biggest quarterly loss, which showed the airline being significantly damaged by the problems surrounding its current A320neo fleet. The notable feature in the new order is the A321XLR, the recently launched long-range jet will put a significant number of new destinations within the airline’s range, especially in Europe. The A321 XLR could even be used to fly non-stop from Delhi to SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 5

NewsBriefs

London. However, it is very unlikely that IndiGo would go down that route. Until the airline decides on a wide body strategy, the A321 XLR will be a strong middle ground for it to expand its operations on international routes.

Airports Authority of India Indo-Canadian Cooperation in Aviation – Emerging Strategic Dynamics

Wide- Body Airliners for Indian Carriers

The Indian airline industry is expanding, but the number of wide-body airliners has shrunk from 63 out of a total aircraft strength of 614 in 2018 to 43, a development is not in conformity with the global norm in which wide-body aircraft make up 20 per cent of an airline’s fleet. In India, currently, the share of these planes is only seven perc ent, down from over 10 per cent in the beginning of this year. Without these planes, which have more space and can carry more fuel, airlines cannot offer a comfortable experience on medium or long-haul flights or carry a larger number of passengers. The collapse of Jet Airways has everything to do with the falling number of widebody aircraft. “You cannot have a shrinking wide-body aircraft market in a country where aviation is growing. We see a large opportunity in this space where now we only have Air India operating,” says Vikram Rai, head of GE Aviation in India which has virtual monopoly in the wide-body aircraft engine market. GE and CFM, which is a joint venture with Safran Aircraft Engines, has over 300 narrow-body and 40 wide-body aircraft engines in operation in India. It is a key player with current orders of 800 narrowbody and six wide-body aircraft engines. The industry needs to add 80 more widebody aircraft to reach the global average. In India, in 2018-19, there were 344 million passengers, of which 68-70 million were outbound, which is 20 per cent, say estimates. Without a sufficient number of such planes for these medium- and long-haul flights, Indian carriers are being displaced by global carriers whose share of outbound international traffic on the medium and long-haul routes is going up.

Boeing Targets December for New MAX Deliveries

Boeing believes it could resume deliveries of its grounded 737 MAX model as early as in December, according to a progress report released by the company on November 11 this year. The report also outlined five key milestones the company needs to reach with the FAA before the aircraft returns to service in the US. The first, an FAA eCab 6 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

Canadian delegation led by Nadir Patel, Ambassador of Canada in India and Airports Authority of India Team led by Anil Gupta, Executive Director (Business Development & Land Management)

high level Canadian delegation led by Nadir Patel, Ambassador of Canada in India visited Airports Authority of India Corporate Headquarters along with Andrew Smith, Minister (Commercial), Viney Gupta, Trade Commissioner, High Commission of Canada and Senior officials from Bennett Jones LLP and met with the team of senior officials of AAI led by Anil Gupta, Executive Director (Business Development & Land Management) to discuss cooperation in field of Aviation Infrastructure, Airport Development of Indian Airports. simulator certification session, has been completed. Boeing emphasised that it is still targeting the final quarter of 2019 for certification of the aircraft’s updated flight control software. “Based on this schedule, it is possible that the resumption of MAX deliveries to airline customers could begin in December, after certification, when the FAA issues an Airworthiness Directive rescinding the grounding order,” Boeing said. “In parallel, we are working towards final validation of the updated training requirements, which must occur before the MAX returns to commercial service and which we now expect to begin in January.” The milestones still to be accomplished include a “multi-day simulator session with airline pilots to assess human factors and crew workload,” an FAA certification flight test, submission of the “final certification deliverables and artefacts” to the FAA and a simulator training evaluation by the Joint Operational Evaluation Board (JOEB). In the beginning of November this year, both

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During the meeting, Ambassador of Canada in India complimented AAI for its professionalism in development and modernisation of aviation infrastructure in India. AAI also presented to Nadir Patel, Ambassador of Canada in India E-Book on SkyFit – Stress Management through simple breathing techniques, which was very recently launched by Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri during the 40th Triennial ICAO General Assembly in ICAO Headquarters Montreal in the presence of delegates from 193 countries.  Southwest and American Airlines pushed the expected return to service dates for their MAXs to March 2020. The MAX was grounded in March 2019 after the fatal crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.

SpiceJet and Gulf Air Sign a Codeshare Agreement

Indian budget carrier, SpiceJet and the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Gulf Air signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore greater cooperation between the two airlines. This includes interline

NewsBriefs

and codeshare agreement, coordinated cargo services, engineering services, and pilot training, read the statement released by the Indian airline. The MoU was signed on November 20 by Ajay Singh, Chairman, and Managing Director, SpiceJet and KrešimirKucko, Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Air. The scope of the MoU also consists of exploring growth opportunities beyond network expansion for both airlines by leveraging each other’s strengths. The press statement also stated, “SpiceJet and Gulf Air will look at collaborating in the field of pilot training to nurture talent in order to deliver the finest resources for both the airlines. The airlines will also engage and collaborate to enhance their respective cargo and engineering services.” The aim through the signing of this MoU between the two carriers is also to initiate collaboration between the two carriers, and further, strengthen the strong ties between India and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

( REGULATORY AFFAIRS FAA Downgrades Malaysia’s Aviation Authority

The FAA has downgraded the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia to a Category 2 rating, on the grounds that it “does not meet the safety standards laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).” Malaysian airlines can continue to operate existing service in the United States (US), but cannot add new flights, including those code-sharing with US airlines. According to the FAA, “A Category 2 International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) rating means that CAAM that is a body equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters, is deficient in one or more areas such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping, and/or inspection procedures.” Malaysia achieved a Category 1 rating, “meaning CAAM complied with ICAO standards for aviation safety oversight,” in 2003. The downgrade to Category 2 follows in-country assessments in April 2019. The FAA noted that the assessment does not reflect the status or safety of individual airlines, but is a reflection of the country’s aviation authority. “As part of the IASA programme, the FAA assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that have applied to fly to the United States, currently conduct operations to the United States, or

participate in code-sharing arrangements with US partner airlines and makes that information available to the public. The assessments determine whether foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations,” says the FAA. “In order to maintain a Category 1 rating, a country must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations’ technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance.”

development projects”, shares Egle Vaitkeviciute, BAA Training CEO.

( ROTARY WING Helicopters for the Urban Air Mobility Market

( TRAINING BAA Training China

On October 25, 2019, following the Joint Venture agreement between Avia Solutions Group and Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Company signed in July, 2019, construction of BAA Training China, a modern six full-flight simulator aviation training centre commenced. The training centre is scheduled to be functional in the second half of 2020 and will be designed to provide 40,000 flight hours per year and train approximately 4,000 pilots. As aviation experts predict, Asia Pacific area demand for new commercial pilots will account for 38 per cent of the global demand with more than half of it for the market in China. Boeing has just recently updated their forecast for the upcoming twenty years, stating that Chinese carriers will need 8,090 new planes till 2038, which exceeds the previously predicted figure by 5.2 per cent. With the land plot of almost five hectares chosen in Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone (ZAEZ) the companies are to build a state-of-art training facilities of almost 5,000 square meters accommodating six Airbus and Boeing family full-flight simulators, training devices, modern classrooms and luxury lounge zone. Strategically located in Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone, the training centre will be 15 minutes’ drive from the Zhengzhou Airport, allowing pilots to cut down on time spent travelling for training. The well-developed infrastructure is ready to fulfil not only the technical needs for the training centre establishment, but also the future development projects. Not only we are eager to enter China’s aviation training market, but also work on synergies with local government and partners in order to contribute to the Henan aviation market

The development of electric and hybrid VTOL (eVTOL) aircraft around the world promises to usher in a new era of aerial mobility, changing the cost of access to vertical flight and potentially opening new markets. Each of the four major helicopter manufacturers namely Airbus, Bell, Leonardo and Sikorsky, are taking a different approach to confronting the market disruption eVTOL aircraft and urban air mobility will leave in their wake, with the former two companies investing heavily in public projects on the bleeding edge of the vehicle revolution while the latter two maintain more of a “wait-and-see” approach to the vehicles themselves. Interaction with helicopter executives from Airbus, Bell, Leonardo, Sikorsky and industry analysts shed light on what the near-to-medium term market impact is likely to be and the reasoning behind each OEM’s strategy. Analysts largely agree that traditional rotorcraft sales will not be impacted in the near future, despite variance in the expected size and arrival timeline of the UAM market. Michael Dyment, managing partner of Nexa Advisors, is more confident that electric air taxis will create new markets, though he expects to see peaceful coexistence between the new aircraft and traditional helicopters. Richard Aboulafia, Vice President of the Teal Group is skeptical that new eVTOL aircraft will result in a brand-new urban air mobility market that justifies the current investment into the space. “What will matter is to what extent these aircraft open up airspace and markets and people begin to think differently about helicopters,” he added. “There are a lot of places where helicopters just are not all that welcome.”

•

SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 7

MRO

Industry

An Air Works’ employee undertakes transit checks on an aircraft (Line Maintenance). Established in 1951, Air Works is India’s largest independent MRO provider with a presence in 23 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Impetus Required for the Indian Aviation MRO Sector The MRO sector is a tough industry, is highly regulated, is all about flight safety and is thus very important as a sector of the Indian civil aviation industry

“ PHOTOGRAPH: Air Works

by Sukhchain Singh

t is proposed to leverage India’s engineering advantage and potential to achieve self-reliance in this vital aviation segment. The government will adopt suitable policy interventions to create a congenial atmosphere for development of MRO in the country,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said during the Budget speech in the Parliament indicating the government’s serious intent in bootstrapping the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) industry in India. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), India’s airlines operate 614 aircraft and have 700 more on order. India has 99 10 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

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approved aircraft maintenance companies of which 12 are capable of undertaking major maintenance of large aircraft. Major players in India’s MRO industry include Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) owned by the Air India group, GMR as well as Air Works. By 2040, the MRO industry in the country is projected to contribute $540 million in annual revenue from the current $50 million. As the third largest and fastest growing aviation market in the world, the share of two per cent of MRO business globally is a huge opportunity since only about 10 per cent of India’s commercial aircraft fleet is being serviced by Indian MRO companies.

MRO

Industry

MRO Business Issues. The MRO business is capital intensive and requires significant investment in terms of infrastructure, material, training of manpower and technology. Expenditure in MRO accounts for 15 per cent of total revenues, which is the second highest expense after fuel cost. The MRO sector is a tough industry, is highly regulated, is all about flight safety and is, thus, very important as a sector of the Indian civil aviation industry. Of course, things take time to build, but in the last five years, things have come a long way and now basic building blocks are in place. The low-cost base and educated labour force should make India a major player in the global MRO business. However, with India’s aviation sector, a lot needs to be done on fast track to achieve the desired goal. In India, the skewed tax structure, enormous royalties, skill retention challenges and regulatory inconsistencies, have let foreign MRO service providers gain a lion’s share of Indian business. The Indian government needs to tackle four key areas with incisive focus – GST, royalties, customs procedures and skills retention. MRO companies in India pay a GST rate of about 18 per cent. While this has reduced in the recent years, it is still higher than India’s nearest MRO competitors, Singapore and Malaysia, who charge seven per cent. The Indian airlines, therefore, avail MRO services out of the country. IndiGo’s fleet of over 200 Airbus A320 aircraft move to the Philippines or Malaysia for heavy checks. GoAir gets the CFM56 engines of its Airbus A320 aircraft for overhaul at MTU Aero Engines’ facility in Zhuhai in China. One exception is Air India which undertakes its fleet checks at its subsidiary, AIESL. The Indian National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016 will help the aviation sector to grow. NCAP 2016 removed many procedural hurdles faced by the MRO industry and have been duly welcomed by them. The duty-free period for component import was increased from one to three years. Foreign aircraft were allowed to come to India for MRO for a period of six months instead of 15 days earlier, without any permission. MROs were required to provide proof of their requirements of parts or orders from their clients. This has been done away with. Foreign pilots and MRO experts will be provided visas and Temporary Landing Permits promptly. Airport royalty and additional charges will not be levied on MRO service providers for a period of five years. The government of India does impose a GST of five per cent on the invoice value of the MRO done abroad, but airlines can take a set-off against the same. To facilitate repairs of damaged sub-assemblies like engines and landing gears of foreign carriers, the notification has been revised to enable advance export of serviceable parts. There is also a cash flow issue. Most Indian carriers are facing a cash crunch. They do not want to pay 18 per cent GST today and then claim a set-off later. It is much simpler to fly the aircraft abroad and work with established global MRO providers.

The MRO industry in India should have a master plan for robust development and build an ecosystem to fuel its growth

The country’s successful Regional Connectivity Scheme to stimulate regional air links hopefully will allow the MRO industry to grow as well. These two in tandem need to be dovetailed and must be armed with a detailed plan.The Budget has increased allocation to the regional connectivity scheme (UDAN) by around 10 per cent to `480 crore in Financial Year 2019-2020. The MRO industry in India should have a master plan for robust development and build an ecosystem to fuel its growth. This will possibly bring more investment into India, building a robust domestic MRO industry and more importantly, bring back jobs that we have consistently lost to competition outside, in an uneven playing field. These services include periodic engine checks, propellers and airframes, besides the intensive and multiple checks at the end of lease tenor of aircraft. Aircraft Leasing Propositions. With the prevalence of sale-and-lease-back model among Indian carriers, redelivery maintenance forms a major part of an airline’s and lessor’s MRO requirements. This presents a large opportunity for both component repair and heavy maintenance. Currently, this is done mostly outside India due to various legal and technical reasons. The MoCA had set up a working group last year to formulate policies for aircraft leasing in India. As per the Ministry, passenger traffic is expected to grow six-fold to 1.1 billion by 2040, and the number of operational airports would double to 200 till that period. The fleet size of domestic airlines will reach 2,350 planes in 2040, from the present 614. According to Boeing and Airbus, this would require $5 billion financing each year. Experts believe the government will have to amend banking regulations for leasing business to take shape in India. The government should allow banks to participate in leasing. The proposal to introduce aircraft financing and leasing will bring down the costs for carriers. Technical and legal conditions for leasing or re-possessing planes should be simplified. India’s MRO Canvas. As per Economic Survey 20182019, the annual import of MRO services by airlines in India is currently worth `9,700 crore. With airlines’ fleet growing annually by 100, the size of the domestic and imported Indian airline MRO is set to grow annually to `36,000 crore once the fleet size reaches 2,000. Policies would have to be redrafted and fine-tuned to foster growth in MRO services with discussions of the MRO players. Currently, the size of operations to have big MRO players is not there in India. It will take some more time but we should be ready for it. We need a fiscal push as favourable tax regime to get overseas carriers to undertake MRO services here. For the plan to succeed, planning needs to be done with the global market in mind. It is not easy to wean away Indian carriers from their well-established MRO service providers outside India. It has to be a five year mission, involving continuous dialogue between central and interested state governments, DGCA, airlines, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and the MRO industry. Currently, however, the Indian MRO sector is able to provide TypeI services only and cannot handle more complex tasks such as checks and maintenance of airframes, systems and engines. Nearly 60 per cent of the MRO spend is on engine and component repairs. This is where India has to focus on. Aircraft painting is labour intensive and requires intense attention to detail. Even a task like this was not done in India earlier, a country where manpower has always been in abundance and was instead outsourced to the United Kingdom SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 11

MRO

Industry

GMR Aero Technic (GAT) MRO facility based at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, India

PHOTOGRAPH: GMR Aero Technic

(UK) which has one of the highest labour rates in the world. Air Works acquired a company in the UK, learnt the skills of aircraft painting and is now offering painting facility in India, to large international customers. The challenge for Air Works remains the high import duty which even now is 15 per cent, rendering the company uncompetitive against overseas MROs. Making paint duty free in India will also help India compete with the UK, the UAE and Singapore, where there are no duties on painting aircraft. Airbus India also welcomed the Budget proposals for the aviation sector. “We look forward to support from the government for tax reforms to incentivise airlines and to boost the MRO industry so that the cost of servicing aircraft in India is not only competitive, but distinctly attractive,” said Anand Stanley, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia. The Government of Gujarat has ambitions of developing a major MRO hub at Dholera near the capital Gandhinagar, with

Policies would have to be redrafted and fine-tuned to foster growth in MRO services with discussions of the MRO players

12 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

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the potential of manufacturing aircraft parts and capable of competing at the global level. As per reports, an Air India MRO facility in Hyderabad is seeking to expand and upgrade its operations to serve a wider range of aircraft while working towards EASA 145 certification. The MRO set up in 2015, is in talks with ATR, maker of smaller passenger aircraft, to set up a servicing facility and certification aligned to the maintenance will enable the Air India facility to re-certify foreign aircraft being deployed in the country. Migration of Indian skilled labour to overseas markets is a major challenge that MRO businesses in India are facing because of strict regulations on workforce certification and employment norms by the OEMs and third party service providers. Recommendations: l Task Force: A high-powered task force for an aggressive promotion of MRO needs to be considered under the leadership of a Joint Secretary of MoCA. The task force may have members from relevant Ministries and regulators. It should also have representatives from the airlines, OEMs and MRO providers. The military MRO segment also needs to be seamlessly dovetailed into the overall MRO sector and hence, a representative from the military may also be included in this task force. The task force may analyse the various options and action required to make India a global MRO hub, develop a clear roadmap and report outcomes to the Minister of Civil Aviation. l Free Trade Zones: MROs and component warehouses need to be declared as free trade zones with zero rate of GST

MRO

Industry

Ecopower Engine Wash by AIESL owned by Air India group

The government may consider restricting Indian airlines from taking aircraft abroad for repairs, except in cases where the required facilities are not available in India

PHOTOGRAPH: AIESL

and a ten-year holiday on corporate tax, capital gains tax and dividend distribution tax. There is no loss of indirect tax revenue since the GST will be recovered from the end consumer – the airlines. Additional Incentives: In order to build an MRO ecosystem in high-tech systems such as engines and avionics, there could be additional incentives provided for MROs investing in these categories. The MRO facilities will require ancillary industries and services. These include repair and testing facilities for avionics, electrical equipment, hydro-mechanical and pneumatic components, composite structures and aircraft interiors. There will be a large requirement for super-specialised training facilities. This has to be captured in the incentive package in close coordination with the Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council.

States Ecosystem: An MRO ecosystem needs to be established near large airports. Busy airports such as Mumbai are already congested. This creates an opportunity for progressive state governments to create an incentive package over and above the central package and attract large OEMs or MRO providers to their state. Abolish Royalties: The MoCA may consider the issue of a notification abolishing all royalties and charges other than reasonable lease rentals levied by airport operators on MROs for a period of five years. MRO Flight Out Restriction: The government may consider restricting airlines from taking Indian aircraft abroad for repairs, except in cases where the infrastructure and technical knowhow is not available in India. Such a restriction may be applied five years after the tax anomalies are removed, giving ample time to develop the MRO ecosystem in India. Disrupting existing relationships between Indian carriers and foreign MROs is not easy. The MRO task force may consider additional incentives like capital subsidy and interest subsidies to attract investments. MRO as Asset Management: There is a possibility that OEMs and lessors may provide aircraft as a service, selling seat hours instead of aircraft. MROs will then shift into being asset management platforms instead of simply fixing defects and performing planned checks. This may require a radical change in mindsets, capabilities and financial strength of Indian MROs. SP SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 13

MRO

Policy

Correct Policy Imbalances With airlines fleets in India set to more than double from 500 to 1,000 during the coming decade, supported by favourable government policies, the size of the Indian airline MRO Industry can grow from $1.4 billion to $5 billion with the potential direct employment growing to three lakh employees over the next decade Bharat Malkani, Chairman & Managing Director - Max Aerospace and Aviation

aintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) of aircraft, its components and engines is globally regarded as a strategic business. The skills required to support civil and military aircraft are similar. The ability of a nation to perform these tasks within the country is imperative to ensure sovereignty of its air power. India is in the midst of an aviation boom of its civil aviation industry. Growth rates are consistently at 20 per cent for the last few years. Based on data from Airbus and Boeing the current fleet of 550 airliners will grow to 1000 by 2023. Due to historical lopsided tax policies of the previous government the MRO industry was literally ‘handed over’ to foreign MRO companies and the situation we face today is that 90 per cent of the MRO requirements of India are imported. MRO is essentially a services industry and unlike other service industry planes have the ability to fly to foreign locations, which is the very nature of their existence. The industry estimates due to these imports we have lost 40,000 direct jobs to countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, France and Germany. These can easily be brought back to India by correcting the fiscal imbalance that has affected this industry since Independence. Indian engineering is amongst the best in the world and in our humble opinion; there is no valid argument that continues to allow this drain of precious forex and capability to foreign locations. The current MRO import bill (2017) of $850 million will rise to $2 billion by 2023 unless the Government realises the potential of this industry and takes quick and serious corrective action. India has the ability to be the MRO hub of South Asia given its scale and technical capabilities. We only need our Government to support Indian industry. We can convert this $2 billion of net import of MRO into a $5 billion export potential in five years. To achieve this, we must evolve a tax and regulatory mechanism that rewards Indian MRO’s as opposed to penalising them as it stands today. We are subsidising imports by offering our entire nations MRO on a silver platter to foreign MRO companies. This is why no FDI has accrued in this sector even though 100 per cent FDI has been allowed. The reason is simple: it continues to be advantageous for Indian carriers/operators to import MRO. Our request is that the Indian Government understands the value of this strategic industry and creates a fiscal environment 14 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

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that gives Indian MRO industry an advantage over its foreign competitors for a limited period of five years so that they are able to create necessary infrastructure that we can use to compete. We have benefited foreign MRO companies for over 70 years, now is the opportunity to change the balance in favour of local MRO industry.

Impact analysis of adding a Customs Duty @ 20% on MRO imports Current GST collection from Indian MRO estimated at 18% of $50 million

$9 million

If import duty is applied on MRO imports @ 20% on $850 million

$170 million

Average global cost of MRO as a percentage of Airline revenues

15%

Duty @ 20% on MRO imports

20% on 15% of the airline revenue = 3% cost increase of air ticket

(This is assuming everything is imported and the entire Indian industry fails, which we are confident will not happen) Average price per ticket being unknown, `3,500 3% cost increase on the we assume a national average ticket = 0.03 x 3500 = `105

This 3% cost increase is lesser than even the fee charged by airport operators! Thus this policy achieves both objectives simultaneously. It brings revenues to the Indian Government with a minimal impact on airline ticket prices as well as encourages domestic MRO by finally offering a level playing field. As Indian MRO’s ramp up their capability, this cost burden will keep reducing and even the direct taxes recoverable from direct staff employed on revenue of $1 billion generated from local industry will surpass the same in multiple numbers. Indirect employment is not even taken into account in this calculation neither are benefits from exports that have the ability to touch $10 billion in 10 years. SP

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an Indispensable Reference Document the ONLY ONE in the region

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WHO SHOULD READ IT?  Policy makers  Aviation Regulatory bodies  Airport Operators  Aircraft manufacturers  MRO companies  Engine companies  Aviation Equipment &

Service providers  Airlines  NSOPs  Aviation Associations  Pilots and crew

…if it is information you require this will save a lot of time on Google or other research to get the information all in one place....” —Alan Peaford, Editor-in-Chief FINN, (Farnborough International News Network), Editor of Arabian Aerospace African Aerospace and UK’s ADS Advance

w w Fo w r .sp m sc ore iv d i l a et vi ail at s, io lo ny g ea on rb to oo : k. co m WHAT AILS INDIAN CIVIL AVIATION

Despite the fact that the Indian civil aviation indus-

India’s national carrier, Air India (AI), was once the Maharaja of the global skies and envy of the world. Today, the loss-making airline is estimated to have a debt burden of more than `50,000 crore and the government’s efforts for strategic disinvestment of the airline seems to repeatedly fail. Air India’s debt is unsustainable. The tax payer’s money has had to sustain a losing airline. Question is how long? Kingfisher Airlines Limited (KAL) was an airline built by its parent company, United Breweries. Until December 2011, KAL had the second largest share in India’s domestic air travel market. However, the airline ran into continuous losses since its inception, ran high debts and finally closed its operations in 2012. Its Chairman Vijay Mallya subsequently fled to London to hide from creditors. Jet Airways, an Indian international airline as recently as October 2017, was the second-largest airline in India after IndiGo, with a 17.8 per cent

Can you indicate on what all factors are kept in mind when you design and manufacture a jet?

FUNDING AND BUDGETARY INITIATIVES

Allocation to the Ministry of Civil Aviation stands at `6,602.86 crore in 2018-2019 budget. `15,000 crore have been allotted for expanding existing terminals and constructing 15 new ones through the AAI. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the aviation sector in the period 2000-2017 was around $1.6 billion. 100 per cent FDI under automatic route in scheduled air transport service, regional air transport service and domestic scheduled passenger airline, has been cleared. Significant FDI investment is now expected.

9 SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2019

SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2019

www.spscivilaviationyearbook.com

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

Gulfstream offers a carefully curated mix of aircraft sizes and performance capabilities to suit many different mission requirements and have a healthy fleet mix around the world. Nicolas Robinson, Regional Vice President International Sales, Middle East and South Asia, Gulfstream, on why their aircraft are so popular and successful around the globe.

Safety is the highest priority at Gulfstream. After we have ensured the safety of our aircraft, processes and manufacturing, we consider what our customers want most from their business jet, and that is speed, performance and cabin comfort. What are the key features of the technologies that are involved in your business jets?

Gulfstream invests heavily in research and development to ensure we are bringing advanced safety technologies to our customers and the industry. The Symmetry Flight Deck on the G500 and G600 is the latest example. It features the first active control sidesticks in civil aviation, the most extensive use of touchscreen technology in a flight deck, the next generation of Gulfstream’s Enhanced Flight Vision System and a robust and highly redundant data concentra-

INDIA – A HIGH GROWTH MARKET

AIR INDIA, KINGFISHER AND JET AIRWAYS

EXPERTS’ VOICES

EXPERTS’ VOICES passenger market share. Since November 2018, Jet Airways has been reporting a negative financial outlook due to increasing losses. Cost-cutting measures as well as talks with potential investors or buyers have been on. In March 2019, nearly a fourth of Jet Airways’ aircraft were grounded due to unpaid lease charges. The lenders’ consortium is expected to invoke their entire 51 per cent stake in the airline to clear their dues. The other equity partner, Etihad, has to decide to either rescue or sever ties with Jet Airways. On March 25, 2019, Naresh Goyal and his wife stepped down from the Board of Directors. The employees have not been paid dues for some months. Meanwhile, lessors have begun to repossess the airline’s Boeing 777 long-haul fleet over unpaid leasing charges. As of April 17, 2019, Jet Airways has suspended all flight operations. All three airlines are a case of accumulated losses and inability to service the high debt.

price wars. Air India is losing money, but has the government financial backing. Same was not the case of Jet Airways and Kingfisher airlines. According to IATA estimates, airlines in Asia-Pacific are expected to report profits to the tune of $10.4 billion in 2019. However, Indian airlines have fared badly this year. They will probably make a loss. The $10 to $12 billion profits will come from China, Indonesia, Australia and other emerging countries in the region.

INDIA – A HIGH GROWTH MARKET

try in expected to become the third largest domestic civil aviation market in the world, the industry is suffering from several problems. These days few are making money in the airline business. On an average, Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for 34 per cent of airline operating costs in India, according to the IATA, compared with the international average, which hovers around 24 per cent. Indian airline operators also do not hedge against volatility in fuel prices, a common practice among most major international carriers and this makes them more vulnerable to swings in global energy prices. Governments do not pass onto the consumer, the ATF price reduction in proportion to the fall in international crude oil prices. Conversely, it actually increases ATF price when crude rises. Government agencies often make bureaucratic regulatory interference including slashing airfares without tax concessions. The airport charges levied by the Indian airports are amongst the highest in Asia. There is also a cutthroat competition on ticket pricing. The low-cost carriers are eating up market share of bigger players. Thus top premium airlines were forced to reduce their ticket fares, further aggravating price wars. Increasing ATF price and depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar are depressing airline revenues. There is strong competition in the industry particularly as India’s domestic traffic is largely driven by low-cost carriers. The very low air ticket prices in India are actually pushing the air traffic growth and this is a strong stimulant for demand. But, it is costly for airlines that have limits to continue with

REFERENCE DATA & WHO’S WHO

Apart from flight and ground safety, environmental

Technology and Performance Leading the Way!

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

Air India is estimated to have a debt burden of more than `50,000 crore and the government’s efforts for strategic disinvestment of the airline seems to repeatedly fail.

AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

protection is the most important issue for all aircraft operations. Aviation-related CO2 emissions are currently approximately two per cent of the global GreenHouse Gas emissions and is increasing with the growth in aviation. Managing the airport construction-related pollution, operating waste, noise and chemical emissions are many of the concerns requiring technological solutions. Ecological airport re-design and changes in air and ground operating procedures and eco-friendly initiatives can alleviate environmental pressures without causing passenger and operational stress. The environmental programmes have to be scientifically evolved specific to each airport. Balance has to be maintained between social, economic and environmental imperatives. The aim is to produce the greatest improvement in the quality of life of the citizens.

CHAPTER 3

tion network, all of which reduce pilots’ workload and enhance safety. Recently G650ER has been interpreted as the fastest business jet. What all has enabled this factor?

REFERENCE DATA & WHO’S WHO

PHOTO: Boeing

Speed is a differentiator for Gulfstream, and with a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925, the G650ER can fly farther, faster than any other business jet in the industry. This is achieved through advanced aerodynamics designed by Gulfstream engineers and high-powered yet fuel efficient engines. Gulfstream incorporated similar aerodynamics into the all-new G500 and G600, which share that maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925.

AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS

CIVIL AVIATION - HIGH GROWTH AND CHALLENGES PHOTO: Airbus

Indian carriers IndiGo and GoAir use the Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines to power their A320neo aircraft

onto the aircraft and will allow handling increasing volumes of passengers. Airports will be able to better allocate resources to respond to peak times, foresee the impact of flight delays and make optimal use of the runway. There are however, complexities of technologies and also the difficulties of ‘transplanting’ digital concepts into people’s day-to-day roles. Also, airports must contend with lengthy and complicated transition of new IT solutions.

PERSPECTIVES & OUTLOOK

A SNEAK PEEK...

The interiors and the windows, in particular, which enable panoramic view during the flight; seem to be one of the best in the industry. What

57 SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2019

www.spscivilaviationyearbook.com

Viewpoint and perception of Aviation Experts on various aspects and issues directly related to civil and business aviation.

Vision, views and outlook of Industry veterans on the state of the industry, the trends and the upcoming technologies for aviation.

Source: China Civil Aviation Annual Report 2017

PROPORTIONS OF TOTAL TRANSPORT TURNOVER BY AIRLINES (GROUPS) IN 2017 China National Aviation Holding Group

26.4% 19.7%

Other Airlines

China Eastern Air Holding Group

13.1% 25.2% 15.5%

2 20 7 42 41 0

3 1 7 34 57 14

0 7 0 9 10 0

0 0 0 0 3 6

5 29 16 98 142 31

2 0 0 0 0 146 3 0

13 4 9 0 0 70 0 0

1 0 1 2 6 101 35 0

0 3 0 0 0 50 0 0

0 0 0 2 4 2 7 3

16 4 10 2 6 317 38 0

China Southern Air Holding Group

20 264

0 208

6 268

0 79

0 27

26 740

0 0 0 264

0 5 5 213

2 7 9 277

0 0 0 79

0 0 0 27

2 12 14 754

Hainan Airlines Group Source: China Civil Aviation Annual Report 2017

ay Airw

Air

ra India Vista Air

Jet

Spice

o Air ess om IndiG Expr Zo India Air

14.2

sia AirA

9.8 11.7

Passenger Yield

Fuel Rentals of Flight Equipment General and Administrative Flights Equipment Maintenance & Overhaul User Charges Ticketing sales and Promotion Other Expenses Depreciation and amortization Flight Crew salary & Expenses Pax Services

12h

The chart depicting the general trend of cost structure of aviation industry has been worked out from available information in AT-II division, DGCA.

1D 1W

OPERATING COST PER ASK, 2016-17

1M 65

1Y 2Y

5Y 10Y

55 2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

12.0

Operating cost per ASK adjusted for industry average stage length of 1152.8

10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 Allian

SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2019

www.spscivilaviationyearbook.com

Jet

29 Aug 2014 00:00 UTC - 28 Aug 2019 05:07 UTC USD/INR close: 71.62119 low: 60.21000 high: 74.35849

75 SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2019

e Jetlit

XE CURRENCY CHARTS USD/INR CHART

Source: China Southern Airlines Annual Report 2017

t Truje

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

0 8 2 22 44 17

9.7

Air

t e o ia ia ss ra ys Jet Air ce Air TruJe Vista om Air Airwa JetLit Air Ind Spice Go Air As IndiG Expre Zo ia Jet Ind Air

Unadjusted Operating cost per ASK USD - US Dollar

INDIA – A HIGH GROWTH MARKET

–5.0

nce Allia

REFERENCE DATA & WHO’S WHO

2017

0.0

Passenger Yield = Passenger Revenue/RPK

Adjusted Operating cost per ASK

INR - Indian Rupee

178

179 SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2017-2018

SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2019

www.spscivilaviationyearbook.com

AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS

2016

Number of aircraft at the end of the reporting period

3.1

3.0

3.1 2.9

2015

Disposal during the reporting period

6.2 3.6

2.4 3.4

2014

Delivery during the reporting period

3.6

5.7

2013

Number of aircraft purchased

3.7

4.0

–2.5

100

Number of aircraft under finance lease

Airbus A380 A330-300 A330-200 A321 A320 A319 Boeing B787-8 B787-9 B777-300ER B777-200 B757-200 B737-800 B737-700 B737-300 Other EMB190 Passenger Aircraft Freighter B747-400F B777-200F Freighter Sub-total Total

0.0

200 0

5.0 2.5

300

Number of aircraft under operating lease

3.8

3.5 3.1

400

Models

3.8

1.0

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES - FLEET

7.5

3.9

2.0

Source: Air China Annual Report 2017

10.0

5.6

6.2

5.9

500

668.0

629.3

594.1

561.3

3.9

3.3 3.2

600

4.4

4.0

3.6 3.1

700

4.8

5.0

4.2 4.5

0.0

2017

705.9

31.2

5.5

6.0

4.5 3.8

2016

Year-on-Year Increase

6.5

4.1 3.4

2015

Cargo and Mail Turnover

800

4.6

7.0

10.8

2014

CARGO AND MAIL TRANSPORTED BY CIVIL AVIATION 2013-2017 10,000 tons

3.4

3.8

8.0

8.6

2013

Source: China Civil Aviation Annual Report 2017

APPROXIMATE COST STRUCTURE OF AVIATION INDUSTRY IN INDIA, 2016-17

9.5

9.0

8.5

5.0

200 0

10.0

REVENUE-EXPENSES-PROFITABILITY

COMPARISON OF PASSENGER YIELD OF SCHEDULED INDIAN CARRIERS, 2016-17 10.0

5.3

7.9

8.0

INDIA – A HIGH GROWTH MARKET

4.8 4.6

10.9 8.4

Average age (year) 6.45 6.63 10.67 5.87 6.05 6.26 6.42 9.96 5.79 0.94 10.54 15.53 21.35 3.26 5.28 6.53

Operating cost per ASK (in Rupees)

15.0

10.8

400

20.0

Operating leases 198 95 9 58 28 103 95 0 6 2 0 0 0 0 5 203

EXPERTS’ VOICES

731.5

600

923.8

856.6

793.3

Finance leases 171 89 6 73 10 82 64 2 16 0 5 0 0 5 0 176

INDIA – A HIGH GROWTH MARKET

800

Self-owned 265 127 32 72 23 138 110 9 8 11 10 3 4 3 1 276

REFERENCE DATA & WHO’S WHO

1 000

Sub-total 634 311 47 203 61 323 269 11 30 13 15 3 4 8 6 655

Passenger Aircraft Airbus A319 A320/321 A330 Boeing B737 B747 B777 B787 Cargo Aircraft B747F B757F B777F Business Jets Total

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

1,024.9

EXPERTS’ VOICES

CHINA

AIR CHINA - FLEET

Year-on-Year Increase

Aircraft Movements at Airports

Rupees Per RPK

HIGH GROWTH COUNTRIES

CHINA

AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS AT CIVIL AIRPORTS 2013-2017 10,000 movements

AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

PERSPECTIVES & OUTLOOK

EXPERTS’ VOICES

PERSPECTIVES & OUTLOOK

PERSPECTIVES AND OUTLOOK

Detailed analysis of various types of aviation data supported by charts and info-graphics on 16 most significant markets across the Asian region for both scheduled and non-scheduled operations.

Extensive study of the trends in the Indian aviation sector based on graphs, numbers and statistics. Both scheduled and non-scheduled services included.

AIRCRAFT CATALOGUE

Undersecretary, Ports and Maritime Affairs

Poste Regulations Directorate

Assistant Undersecretary, Air Navigation and Meteorology

Assistant Undersecretary, Ports Affairs

Assistant Undersecretary, Post

Assistant Undersecretary, Maritime Affairs

Assistant Undersecretary, Air Transport and Aviation Safety and Security

Assistant Undersecretary, Logistic Zones and Port Security

Assistant Undersecretary, Land Transportation

236 21.2 tonnes / 46 lb x 1,000

Wing span

35.80 m / 117 ft 5

Wing span with Sharklets

35.80 m / 117 ft 5 in

Overall length

37.57 m / 123 ft 3 in

Overall length

44.51 m / 146 ft 0 in

Height

11.76 m / 38 ft 7 in

Height

11.76 m / 38 ft 7 in

37.57 m

Overall length

EXPERTS’ VOICES

185

Max Max payload

DIMENSIONS 27.51 m

Cabin length

34.44 m / 113 ft 0 in

3.95 m

Fuselage width

3.95 m / 13 ft 0 in

Max cabin width

3.70 m

Max cabin width

3.70 m / 12 ft 1 in

Wing span (geometric)

35.80 m with Sharklets

Wing span (geometric) with Sharklets

35.80 m / 117 ft 5

Height

11.76 m

Height

11.76 m / 38 ft 7 in

Track

7.59 m

Track

7.59 m / 24 ft 11 in

Wheelbase

12.64 m

Wheelbase

16.91 m / 55 ft 48 in

PERFORMANCE 6,100 km with Sharklets

Mmo

M0.82

Max ramp weight

73.9 (78.4) tonnes

CAPACITY (PAX) Typical seating

165

Max

180

PERFORMANCE Range

DIMENSIONS Overall length

37.57 m

5,950 km with Sharklets

CAPACITY (PAX) Typical seating

247

Max

406

DIMENSIONS

Mmo

M0.82

Overall length

58.82 m

Max ramp weight

89.4 (93.9) tonnes

Cabin length

45.00 m

Max take-off weight

73.5 (78.0) tonnes

Cabin length

27.51 m

Max take-off weight

89.0 (93.5) tonnes

Fuselage width

5.64 m

Max landing weight

64.5 (66.0) tonnes

Fuselage width

3.95 m

Max landing weight

75.5 (77.8) tonnes

Max cabin width

5.28 m

Max cabin width

Max zero fuel weight

61.0 (62.5) tonnes

3.70 m

Max zero fuel weight

71.5 (73.8) tonnes

Wing span (geometric)

60.30 m

Max fuel capacity

up to 24 210 (27,200) litres

Wing span (geometric)

35.80 m

Max fuel capacity

24 050 (30 030) litres

Height

17.39 m

Engines x2

V2500-A5, CFM56-5B

Height

11.76 m

Engine

V2500-A5, CFM56-5B

Track

10.69 m

Thrust range

98 (120) kN

Track

7.59 m

Thrust range

120 (148) kN

Wheelbase

22.20 m

Wheelbase

12.64 m

FREIGHT LD3 capacity underfloor

26 (27)

7 LD3-45W

Max pallet number underfloor

8+3 LD3

FREIGHT LD3 capacity underfloor Max pallet number underfloor

Bulk hold volume

19.70 m³

Airlines

Contact

Designation

Add

City Pin

Country

Bulk hold volume

5.90 m³

Total volume (Bulk loading)

136.0 m³

Gulf Air

Krešimir Kucko

Chief Executive Officer

P.O. Box 138,

Manama

Kingdom of Bahrain

Total volume (Bulk loading)

37.40 m³

Deputy CEO

P.O. Box 138,

Manama

Kingdom of Bahrain

Gulf Air

Captain Suhail Abdulhameed Ismaeel

Chief Operating Officer

P.O. Box 138,

Manama

Kingdom of Bahrain

Vincent Coste

Chief Commercial Officer

P.O. Box 138,

Manama

Kingdom of Bahrain

Gulf Air

Jamal Abdulrahman Hashim

Chief Technical Officer

P.O. Box 138,

Manama

Kingdom of Bahrain

Gulf Air

Abid Siddiqi

Chief Financial Officer

P.O. Box 138,

Manama

Kingdom of Bahrain

193 www.spscivilaviationyearbook.com

SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2019

AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS

Gulf Air

PERFORMANCE

PERFORMANCE Range

6,500 km with Sharklets

Range

13 450 km

MMO

M0.86

Mmo

M0.82

Max ramp weight

230.9 (242.9) tonnes

Max ramp weight

73.9 (78.4) tonnes

Max take-off weight

230.0 (242.0) tonnes

Max take-off weight

73.5 (78.0) tonnes

Max landing weight

180 (182) tonnes

Max landing weight

64.5 (66.0) tonnes

Max zero fuel weight

168.0 (170) tonnes

Max zero fuel weight

62.8 (64.3) tonnes

Max fuel capacity

up to 23,760 (26 750) litres

Engines x2

PW1100G-JM, CFMI Leap-1A

PHOTOS: Airbus

Captain Waleed Abdulhameed Al Alawi

PHOTOS: Airbus

Gulf Air

REFERENCE DATA & WHO’S WHO

WHO’S WHO - AIRLINES

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

44.51 m / 146 ft 0 in

Cabin length Fuselage width

INDIA – A HIGH GROWTH MARKET

Undersecretary, Civil Aviation Affairs

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

Undersecretary, Land Transportation and Post

AIRBUS A330-200 5,950 km / 3,200 nm

CAPACITY (PAX) 180 16.6 tonnes / 36 lb x 1 000

Range

INDIA – A HIGH GROWTH MARKET

Assistant Undersecretary Resources and Information

Typical seating

Max

DIMENSIONS

Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Public Relations and Marketing Directorate

AIRBUS A321 Range with Sharklets

150

Max payload

Overall length

ORGANISATION CHART - MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Telecommunications Directorate

AIRBUS A320NEO

6,100 km / 3,300 nm

CAPACITY (PAX) Typical seating

REFERENCE DATA & WHO’S WHO

BAHRAIN

COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS

AIRBUS A320 Range with Sharklets

EXPERTS’ VOICES

This section is all about the flag bearers of aviation in Asia from regulatory bodies like the Ministries and Departments of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority, Airlines (including National Carriers), Operators and Associations. Given here are exhaustive details of these leaders, like their profiles, the structure of their organisation and the contact details of their senior and middle management. These opinion leaders are the policy makers and decision takers not just for their organisation but for the aviation sector in their country as well. Their visions have a direct and indirect bearing on the entire sector in the region.

Max fuel capacity Engines x2 Thrust range

1,39,090 litres PW4000, GE CF6-80E1, RR Trent 700 303 to 316 kN

282

283

SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2019

www.spscivilaviationyearbook.com

SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2019

AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS

INTRODUCTION

PERSPECTIVES & OUTLOOK

INDIA - A HIGH GROWTH MARKET

PERSPECTIVES & OUTLOOK

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

REFERENCE DATA AND WHO’S WHO

AIRCRAFT CATALOGUE

Organisational structures with names, contact details and profiles of Leaders and Policy Makers in the region. The Who’s who of civil and business aviation in Asia.

Exhaustive specifications of various types of fixed-wing aircraft currently operating in the region for commercial purposes.

SP’s

Civil Aviation Yearbook 2019

A set of kind words from Dr S. Radhakrishnan, Second President of India, addressed to our Founder Editor-in-Chief, in March 1966 in the context of our first Yearbook - the ‘Military Yearbook’ launched in 1965, and now known as SP’s Military Yearbook. SP’s Civil Aviation Yearbook is striving to follow the glorious path set by our Military Yearbook in becoming an unmatched reference document.

WHY SHOULD YOU READ IT  Thoroughly updated information on Asia-

Pacific, South Asia and Middle East  Perspectives and Outlook on Aviation across Asia  Aviation Experts’ Voices  Major Technological Advancements in Aviation  Data and Analysis of significant trends across Asia

 In-depth study of Indian Aviation market  Extensive use of Infographics/charts/

graphs  Profiles of Policy makers in Asian Aviation  Detailed sketch of CEOs of National Carriers in Asia  Contact details and organisation structures of Regulators and Operators  Specifications of Aircraft used in Asia

w w Fo w r .sp m sc ore iv d i l a et vi ail at s, io lo ny g ea on rb to oo : k. co m

Order Form

Yes! I want SP’s civil aviation Yearbook 2019 Price in US$ 565.00

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MRO

Technology

At just 4 cm long, these prototype SWARM robots are pioneering our Intelligent Engine vision. Collaborative and enabled with Artificial Intelligence, these tiny robots will transform the future of engine maintenance.

Smart Warfighting Array of Reconfigurable Modules (SWARM) Technology in Aviation MRO The next generation of cloud solutions are here to help process data from predictive maintenance to in-flight performance and aging of the aircraft can be better tracked and understood

PHOTOGRAPHs: Rolls-Royce

by Sukhchain Singh

hen “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) and aviation are thought of, we think of drones. Autonomous aircraft are however, only a fraction of the impact that advances in machine learning and other AI technologies have in aviation. Aircraft manufacturers and airlines are investing heavily in AI technologies with applications that range from the flightdeck to customer’s experience and MRO sphere.

AI IN MRO. Rolls-Royce has introduced the SWARM robots. These miniature robots can be inserted within the centre of an engine and then these crawl into hard-to-access areas to carry out visual inspection. The camera-equipped robots send live video to the operator, who can quickly check the engine for problems. The FLARE is another sophisticated diagnostic tool that consists of two snake-like robots that can travel throughout the engine and carry out patch repairs. The final one of Rolls-Royce’s new toys is a remote bore blending machine that can be installed on the engine and then controlled remotely by one of Rolls-Royce’s own trained SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 19

MRO

Technology

technicians to do specialty work like grinding parts with lasers. With miniaturised sensors and motion control devices now available, is it time to use the advantages of digital tools to change the way that aeroplane engines are maintained? This forms the basis of Rolls-Royce’s Intelligent Engine programme, which aims to use the developments in hardware and digital technology to fuse product and service together. ‘Inspect’ is a network of ‘periscope’ optical sensors permanently embedded within the engine, enabling it to inspect itself to spot and report any maintenance requirements, which is reported back to the operations centre. These pencil-sized robots are protected from the extreme heat generated within the engine and the visual data created is used alongside the millions of data points already generated by today’s engines as part of their engine health monitoring systems. Local staff insert devices that provide information, are controlled from a single site and repairs are carried out remotely. Savings in time and money would be considerable, but more importantly, it would ensure maximum availability of engines.

drone, originally developed by MIT researchers and named after a Greek mythical character who was turned into a partridge, is now in its sixth iteration and able to withstand speeds of Mach 0.6 and temperatures of -10 °C during release. At roughly a few metres in length, the missile-shaped drones that will make up the US Gremlin UAV Programme are built to be launched from the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. Once the mission is complete, the C-130 fishes the Gremlins out of the air using a special capture device and carries them home where ground workers prepare them for their next mission within 24 hours. The programme provides an affordable solution to conduct air combat operations in the growing Anti-Access/AreaDenial (A2AD) environment. Gremlins are small and affordable unmanned vehicles that can be deployed in higher risk scenarios unsuitable for manned aircraft.

AI IN PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE. The loudest industry buzz has been about using big data and AI for predictive maintenance or turning unscheduled events into scheduled ones by forecasting failures. But surprise events still occur AIR LAUNCHED MINIAand AI can also help troubleTURE DRONES. What’s shoot them faster and more small, fast and launched from effectively. fighter jets? Not missiles, but a Any tool that enables swarm of drones. On January predictive maintenance 10, 2017, US military officials also helps troubleshooting, had announced that they caras it often points to causes ried out their largest ever test of likely failures. Predictive of a drone swarm released analytics can help optimise from fighter jets. In the trials, maintenance planning and three F/A-18 Super Hornets capacity by reducing the need released 103 Perdix drones for routine maintenance and which then communicated only triggering repairs when with each other and went needed – helping increase about performing a series of fleet availability by up to 35 formation flying exercises that per cent and reduce labour mimic a surveillance mission. costs by 10 per cent. AI is But the swarm doesn’t helping bring this to reality know how exactly it will perby using data from in-service form the task before release. aircraft to predict potential Rolls-Royce swarm Robot Perdix drones are not pre-proissues. These algorithms are grammed synchronised platlearning to predict delays and forms. These are a collective faults, giving airlines, airports organism, sharing one distributed brain for decision-making and and MROs a better chance of avoiding them. adapting to each other like swarms in nature. Because every PerBoeing is now testing augmented reality on smart glasses dix communicates and collaborates with every other Perdix, the to show mechanics hands-free, interactive 3D wiring diagrams, swarm has no leader and can gracefully adapt to drones entering rather than forcing them to view two-dimensional, 20-ft-long or exiting the team. drawings and retain that information while doing repairs. Releasing drones from a fast-moving jet isn’t straightforward, as high speeds and turbulence can cause damage. But the Perdix CASE STUDIES. Casebank Technologies has been helping airlines with diagnostics since 1999 and now supports 10,000 aircraft operated by 300 companies, including some very large airlines. Casebank has two basic applications, SpotLight and ChronicX. SpotLight stores data on symptoms, causes and soluArtificial intelligence is tions of component failures. Then, through diagnostic reasonmaking aviation operations and ing, it recommends optimal troubleshooting steps. The data maintenance more efficient and come from both OEM manuals and customer experiences in fixing past defects. The application recommends diagnostic steps, effective but not repair instructions. These are given in the OEM manu20 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

www.spsairbuz.com

MRO

Technology

als to which SpotLight links. Casebank’s second application, ChronicX, detects and manages recurring defects, ranks chronic problems and highlights new trends in defects. It uses natural language processing to interpret unstructured data from pilot and maintenance records and then spots the clusters of recurring defects. Cognitive computing can enable mechanics to see, based on past experience, which troubleshooting steps are most likely to fix a problem. Korean Air began using IBM’s Watson-powered tools for cognitive computing about four years ago. The carrier started with a single fleet, but soon extended the solution across all its aircraft. IBM solutions work best for airlines that perform their own repairs because they have extensive repair data. Artificial intelligence is making aviation operations and maintenance more efficient and effective. Airbus is taking proactive steps to improve performance and reliability in the area of aircraft maintenance. It is doing this by migrating historical maintenance information from aircraft and fleets to a cloud-based data repository known as Skywise. Airbus is also installing systems on each aircraft to collate and record thousands of data parameters in real-time. After each flight, this data is uploaded to Skywise to be analysed and to enable maintenance predictions for the future. The Skywise analytics and AI system used by Airbus alerts aerospace operators of predictive maintenance needs and timelines so they can take proactive steps that enable them to sidestep maintenance issues before they appear. Skywise works in conjunction with onboard diagnostic systems which can also generate an ‘alert’ while the aircraft is in flight, transmitting details of the problem to the airline’s technical ground staff before landing. The transmission system which uses VHF radio and/or satellite communications, is called Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). COMMERCIAL TRENDS HITTING AVIATION: DIGITAL TWINS. Despite longer-lasting aircraft, more durable engines and innovations in maintenance techniques, recent research has shown maintenance spending continues to increase. How can airlines keep aircraft in the air while reducing maintenance costs? Digital twins, a state-of-the-art method of monitoring engines when in use, will help airlines achieve these aims. A digital twin refers to a virtual replica of a physical asset like an aircraft engine, which can display how the engine is running to engineers on the ground. These can then be linked to IT systems to help streamline and optimise maintenance processes and operational availability. To make this happen, engineers compile thousands of data points specific to each asset during the design and manufacturing phase of the engine. These are then used to build a digital modal that tracks and monitors an asset in real-time, providing essential information throughout an asset’s lifecycle such as engine temperature, pressure and airflow rate. By implementing digital twins and creating a virtual model of the asset, organisations can receive early warning, prediction and even a plan of action by simulating “what-if ” scenarios based on weather, performance, operations and other variables, helping keep aircraft longer in service. GE helped develop the world’s first digital twin for an airplane’s landing gear. Armed with this sort of data, engineers and MROs can compare data gathered by sensors on the asset to that of its digital twin, which can be put through the same paces the engine experiences as it takes off, flies through different types of weather and undergoes regular wear and tear. If the two data sets

One of the main challenges facing AI adopters is that storing and analysing vast quantities of data can overwhelm IT systems don’t match, then a request can be put in for the engine to enter servicing.Companies that invest in digital twins will see a 30 per cent improvement in cycle times of critical processes, including maintenance. Industry expects to see more benefits as the technology matures. AI AS A SERVICE. As digitalisation transforms business models, the application of advanced analytical methods from AI will no longer just be good to have as it will soon be business critical. One of the main challenges facing AI adopters is that storing and analysing vast quantities of data can overwhelm IT systems. The next generation of cloud solutions are here to help process data from predictive maintenance to in-flight performance and aging of the aircraft can be better tracked and understood. Software as a service solution are helping drive new efficiencies into commercial aviation operations particularly for business needs such as line maintenance execution and planning. Previously, airlines and MROs were concerned about the amount of physical hardware they might need to adopt new technologies, but the transformation into a SaaS/mobile environment using tablets or devices and eliminating the cost of purchasing and managing on premise technology, is proving to be attractive. Cloud-based mobile solutions can be rolled out to the workforce with no physical installation required. Drones and Future Trajectory of AI. Drones as an autonomous inspector is gaining ground. Typical visual inspections of commercial aircraft can take up to six hours. Drones have the potential to cut this time dramatically while offering greater accuracy of checks, freeing up engineer time, reducing maintenance costs and improving safety. Initial drone systems have already been used to enhance visual checks made by engineers. Low-cost carrier easyJet has been testing drones for fuselage inspections and is looking to fully implement the solution for hail and lightning strike damage. Workers would still control the flight of the drone, but by using visual processing algorithms combined with enterprise IT systems. This means the drone can send work orders straight to the maintenance crew as soon as a fault is identified. But challenges remain. Drones must receive FAA approval for both outdoor and indoor flights. FAA Part 107 requires unmanned aircraft operators to ensure that aircraft and controls are fit for safe operation prior to flight. Regional regulations that change from country to country must also be considered, as do operational complications such as security safeguards, communication with ongoing air traffic and airport authority approval to make sure drones are used safely. Airlines, MROs and other parties are constantly looking to make major improvements in operational processes and, although these technologies may be at the start of their aviation lifespan, the commercial aviation industry is fully aware of the benefits they will bring. SP SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 21

Industry

Forecast

Boeing Forecasts $770 Billion Civil Aviation Market in India over 20 Years Indian demand for 2,380 new jet aircraft worth $330 Billion projected, but no plans to shift assembly lines out of US by Vishal Thapar

ndia will be a $770 billion (`54,67,365 crore) market for civil aviation over the next 20 years, and drive a demand for 2,380 new jet aircraft, according to Boeing’s Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) which was released in New Delhi on November 6. Presenting a bullish forecast based on the current trend of India/South Asia being the fastest growing aviation market, Boeing’s Darren Hulst said the 2,380 new commercial aircraft, besides replacing the existing fleet, would quadruple India’s civil aviation fleet by the year 2038. The projected demand for the new aircraft is valued at $330 billion (`23,43,319.9 crore) while another $440 billion (`31,24,679.8 crore) is expected to be spent on operating and maintaining this fleet. Beyond India, the global commercial jet fleet is expected to double in size by 2038 as airlines will need 44,000 new airplanes valued at $6.8 trillion, and demand more than $9 trillion in aviation services, according to the Boeing forecast. All aircraft manufacturers globally produced 1,700 aircraft in 2018. The market outlook for 44,000 new airplanes over the next 20 years suggests an average demand for 2,200 annually, which will drive growth for

Over the past decade, domestic air traffic in the Indian skies has tripled, while international air traffic has more than doubled

the aircraft manufacturing Industry, Hulst, Boeing’s Senior Managing Director Market Analysis & Sales Support (Commercial Airplanes), said. Since 2009, operations by low-cost carriers (LCC) have increased from 392 flights to 28 airports up to 2,380 flights to 54 airports. This reflects a six-fold increase in the number of flights by LCCs. In the wide body, long-haul segment, there are now over 300 international city pairs from India, of which 30 new pairs have been added over the last one year.

India will Need 2,380 New Airplanes Airplane deliveries: 2,380

New airplane values: $330 billion

2019-2038 2,500

2019-2038 300

2,070

2,000

200

1,500 1,000 500 0

$240B

310

Regional jet Single-aisle Widebody Freighter <1% 87% 13% 0%

22 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

www.spsairbuz.com

$90B

100 0

$<1B

$0B

Regional jet Single-aisle Widebody Freighter <1% 73% 27% 0%

Industry

Forecast

Indian Airlines Seeing Strong Network Growth 5,000

115 4,501

4,500

111

110 105

4,000

100

3,500

3,000

2,500

85 2,022

2,000

80 75

1,500 1,118 1,000

2008

2013

2008

2018

2013

Weekly flights

Airports served

400% growth in 10 years

37% growth in 10 years

2018

Indian LCCs: Domestic Market has seen Impressive Growth 2009

2019 #

Flights

# #

# # # #

# # #

# #

# # #

# #

28 airports served; 392 flights

# #

# # # # #

Airports

54 airports served; 2380 flights

”It is impressive to witness the passenger growth in India. This market continues to be one of the fastest-growing in the world. Over the past decade, domestic air traffic has tripled, while international air traffic has more than doubled. And we see tremendous potential for even more growth as India’s middle class expands and more consumers are able to fly,” said Hulst. “In the next few years, we see commercial operators expanding their networks to offer more direct flights domestically and open new long-distance options for passengers.” he added. “To support this successful and continued growth of the aviation market in India, Boeing is committed to developing

the Indian aerospace ecosystem,” said Salil Gupte, President of Boeing India. “Our ongoing investments in India span across development of aerospace technology, innovation, production capacity, supply chain, aerospace skilling centres, manufacturing and modernisation of airport infrastructure and airspace,” added Gupte. Significantly, there are no plans to set up a Boeing assembly line in the fastest growing market. “There’s no roadmap to shift airframe assembly outside of the US,” Gupte said in a response to a question by Jayant Baranwal, Editor-in-Chief of the SP’s AirBuz. SP SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 23

Industry

Forecast

Boeing upbeat on Make in India and Futuristic Technologies Jayant Baranwal, Editor-in-Chief, SP’s AirBuz speaks to Salil Gupte, President Boeing India, and Darren Hulst, Sr. Managing Director, Market Analysis & Sales Support, Boeing Commercial Airplanes at the unveiling of Boeing’s “2019 India Commercial Market Outlook” Salil Gupte President Boeing India

Darren Hulst, Sr. Managing Director, Market Analysis & Sales Support, Boeing Commercial Airplanes

PHOTOGRAPHs: SP Guide Pubns

Jayant Baranwal (Baranwal): How is Boeing connected with the ‘Make in India’ story? Salil Gupte (Gupte): Boeing is a proud partner of ‘Make in India’. We are doing aeronautical development for commercial and defence airplanes and innovating through our engineering centres in Bengaluru with our 3,000 strong work-force. We are also robust on manufacturing, we have partnered with Tatas in Nagpur for manufacturing the advanced composite floor beams for Boeing 787. The floor beam is critical to the structure of the 787 airplane, it is a part of extremely complex manufacturing and very critical to one of the most advance airplanes in the world. Over 25,000 floor beams have been manufactured in the past decade.

“We are working on every sort of future technology, whether it is supersonic or urban mobility or any futuristic mobility” —Darren Hulst, Senior Managing Director, Market Analysis & Sales Support, Boeing Commercial Airplanes

24 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

www.spsairbuz.com

Baranwal: Do you foresee the integration and execution of the entire airframe, as part of ‘Make in India’ in near future? Gupte: There’s no roadmap to shift airframe assembly outside of the United States. But, on the defence side, I want to share the example of Apache. The entire fuselage of Apache is manufactured in India, except the engine systems, engine transmission and weapon systems. The entire main part of the aircraft is Make-in-India and it is not just for India, but over the next couple of years, it will be made in India for the entire world. On the commercial side of the aircraft, we are focused on the critical parts of the aircraft. Baranwal: How does Boeing perceive the Unmanned Taxi Service development? Darren Hulst (Hulst): We are working on every sort of future technology, whether it is supersonic or urban mobility or any other futuristic mobility. We are looking at potential mobility and how complementing, it can be, to the existing air transport system. We are also looking at the evolution of the feeder network in the short-haul domestic market and how it can integrate and work with the manned and unmanned air taxis. Baranwal: You mentioned supersonic, is Boeing engaged in that development? Hulst: We are investing in technology and partnering in the market place with those who are investigating how we can potentially make it a commercial reality. SP

Training

Pratt & Whitney

P&W inaugurates 100th eLearning Centre in India Pratt & Whitney’s sponsorship of eLearning Centers in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam builds on the efforts the company has made in India over the last decade to inspire the next generation of engineers Geoff Hunt, Senior Vice President – Engineering, Pratt & Whitney inaugurates the 100th eLearning Centre

PHOTOGRAPH: Pratt & Whitney

einforcing its commitment to driving electronic literacy in India, Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. commemorated the opening of its 100th eLearning Centre in Hyderabad on November 11, 2019. The Centre was commemorated in the presence of Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Government of Telangana. Also present at the occasion were Geoff Hunt, Senior Vice President – Engineering, P&W and Amit Pathak, General Manager of Pratt & Whitney’s Customer Training Center in India. Located at Zila Parishad High School (Boys and Girls), the two centres (99th and 100th) which were inaugurated are equipped with modern facilities including tools and technologies to support both teachers and students. These resources include computers, wireless internet, digital projectors, display screens, audio systems, software, and furniture. By establishing the eLearning Centres since 2011, Pratt and Whitney is focusing on providing high-quality digital education to Government schools in India. The company has been driving these eLearning projects in close partnership with an NGO, Engineers Without Borders India (EWB-India) and other partners. Speaking on the occasion, Jayesh Ranjan said “For the goals of Digital Telangana to become a reality, it is important that all the stakeholders, particularly common citizens, start valuing the benefits and impact of technology. Digital literacy and digital education creates a predisposition for people to seek technology solutions for the challenges they face in their day-to-day lives. The efforts of P&W to set up eLearning Centers in our schools would greatly support us in reaching the goals of Digital Telangana faster.”

Commenting on the milestone, Geoff Hunt said, “As part of our focus on serving communities in which we operate, our eLearning initiatives in India are aimed at equipping young students with high-quality digital education. We are committed to supporting these future leaders by providing them an environment and the resources to think critically and grow.” Amit Pathak said, “We are proud to open Pratt and Whitney’s 100th eLearning Centre. The announcement is a testimony of our commitment towards promoting digital education in the country. Together with our project partners, we stand committed to further strengthening our in-country network of eLearning Centres in alignment with the government’s priorities on skills and education.” Pratt and Whitney works on eLearning projects in partnership with companies such as QuEST, RGBSI, Cyient, Jaisara, Larsen and Toubro, Genpact amongst others. Members of the Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh and Bengaluru chapter of Engineers Without Borders-India and members of the University of Connecticut chapter of Engineers Without Borders-USA have also contributed to the construction of the eLearning Cnters in the past. Pratt & Whitney’s sponsorship of eLearning Centers in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam builds on the efforts the company has made in India over the last decade to inspire the next generation of engineers. Since 2004, Pratt & Whitney has made annual contributions to the Association Saikorian that now total more than $200,000 (`13,729,000). Additionally, Pratt & Whitney has funded major projects with Project Krushi in Gowdavally, Hyderabad and Project KGNMT in Hyderasakote, Hyderabad. SP —By SP’s Correspondent SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 25

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Dubai airshow 2019

An aerobatics demonstration over the static display of aircraft at the Dubai Airshow 2019.

Middle-East sky painted in colours of the aviation industry

PHOTOGRAPH: Dubai Air Show

Hosting over 84,000 visitors, Dubai Airshow’s 2019 edition successfully connected the aerospace industry amid significant innovation, discussion, exhibits, trade and much more by Ayushee Chaudhary

tarting from November 17, the four day biennial Dubai Airshow was officially inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates(UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, along with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces. The 2019 edition of the Dubai Airshow (DAS) has been one of the busiest till date with a packed schedule, witnessed by the footfall of over 84,000 trade attendees. With over 161 aircraft on static display and over 1,288 exhibitors, the airshow attested 26 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

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booming sales with the order book on site reaching $54.5 billion by close of business. An array of prominent conferences offered industry-specific keynotes, Q&A sessions and networking opportunities, attracting huge crowds of professionals. The Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) conference, a unique convention set across two days peaked closely into the future of traffic control, with virtual towers proving to be a particularly hot topic. With evident impact of technology as well space research on all possible aspects of the industry, exhibits at the show ranged from Dubai Police’s new flying bike for hard to reach emergencies to new products in the medivac field, through to the first com-

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Dubai airshow 2019

Dubai Air Show 2019 did let the biggest of the players have a ball during the event but at the same time, it also allowed the first timers leave their mark. As many as 100 new exhibitors participated in the show.

mercial space flight suits from Virgin Galactic. From innovative ideas to significant announcements, the world’s aviation leaders were all seen displaying their capabilities at the Dubai Airshow. With about 80 per cent of the global population located within eight hours of one of the UAE’s airports, Dubai Airshow certainly is one stop that’s been “connecting the aerospace industry”, as was its motto this year. Ending on a high note, the show is set to return from November 14 to 18, 2021. PAINTING THE SKY. While the exhibits on the ground were exciting enough for the visitors with the latest aircraft on static

display from manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, Russian Helicopters and many more, the flying displays certainly took the breath away at the airshow. Some of the aircraft that were seen flying during the show included Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner, an eye-catching formation of three Chinook, 3 Black Hawk and three Apache helicopters, opening the way for the Emirates A380, soon followed by the UAE's air display team, Al Fursan, positioned in an arrow formation. UK-based aerobatic team, The Blades was also among the many more manmade birds that served a visual treat for the aviation enthusiasts under in the Dubai sky. FIRST TIMERS. Dubai Airshow did let the biggest of the players have a ball during the event but at the same time, it also allowed the first timers leave their mark. As many as 100 new exhibitors participated in the show. Among them was Saudi Arabia’s The Helicopter Company, which was also a key event sponsor. EDGE, a group comprising 25 local entities working in five aerospace capability clusters, launched shortly before the show also made its debut. The Saab GlobalEye was a first-timer too at the show that boasted a detection range of over 300 nautical miles. The multisensor surveillance system monitors air, land and sea and is set for delivery to its first customer in the first half of 2020. An all-electric racing plane, White Lightning, too made its debut at this year’s airshow. SP

Aviation leaders come together at the 2019 Dubai Airshow Signing up for new aircraft to enhance the fleet, agreeing for better maintenance, and coming together to work better; many aviation leaders gain through trade during the MiddleEastern airshow. Emirates Airline orders 50 A350XWB at Dubai Airshow 2019 

PHOTOGRAPH: Airbus

 ayushee chaudhary

No airshow is complete without some active trade moments with deals, announcements, agreements, etc. going around through the course of the event and the 2019 Dubai Airshow was no different. Below are some of those major highlights that happened during the Dubai Airshow: l Emirates Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum made an order to Airbus of 50 A350-900s worth $16 billion at list prices. The deliveries are to start in 2023 and continue till 2028. Emirates also signed a purchase agreement $8.8 billion for 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The new Dreamliners are also to start being delivered in 2023 and span five years. Emir-

ates still has 126 of Boeing's 777Xs on order and remains the world’s largest 777 operator with 155 of the twinjet in its fleet. The new agreement also covered the provision of 777 spare parts by Boeing Global Services. A deal worth $14 billion was signed by Air Arabia with Airbus for a purchase of 120 new aircraft, consisting of A320neos, A321neos and A321 XLRs. The airline currently operates mainly from Sharjah with a fleet of 53 Airbus aircraft. Airbus was probably among the most benefitted one at the 2019 Dubai Airshow. While the manufacturer unveiled interesting initiatives towards its sustainability commitment, it also announced new business for its wide-body and singleaisle commercial jetliners, alongside bagging various orders. SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 27

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Dubai airshow 2019

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Collins Aerospace received a contract by the Indian start-up carrier, FlyBig to provide its Arinc PaxLink system l ✈

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PHOTOGRAPH: C ollins Aerospace

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Airbus’ A220 enthralled new African customer as it signed a letter of intent covering eight of the A220-300 variant from Air Senegal to start deliveries in 2021. A220 has a list price of $81 million apiece. Apart from regional and intra-continental services, Air Senegal plans to fly the airplanes from Dakar to European destinations. Saudi Arabia’s Flynas signed a firm order for ten A321XLRs, raising its total order count for A320-family jets to 90. The order is a conversion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed at June’s Paris Airshow. EasyJet, Europe's second-biggest budget airline, used it purchase rights to enhance its fleet of A320neos with 12 new aircraft, taking its total order count for the A320neo family to 159 aircraft and its overall orders for A320-family jets to 480. Boeing and the Republic of Ghana signed an MoU for three airplanes with a list price value of $877.5 million as the country intends to re-launch an airline starting with the 787-9 Dreamliner. Boeing also announced at the Dubai Airshow services, orders and agreements with leading airlines and governments including Egypt Apache, TAAG Angola Airlines and FlySAFAIR. FlySAFAIR joined over 300 international customers using Boeing Maintenance Performance Toolbox to access their fleets' real-time digital maintenance data and engineering and certification information. The manufacturer sold of a pair of 787-9s worth $585 million at list price to Biman Bangladesh Airlines. LATAM Airlines Group, one of Latin America's leading passenger and cargo airlines, announced multiyear agreements that will provide LATAM access to Boeing's global supply chain for 787 and 777 Landing Gear Exchange services. Boeing previously announced agreements with EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, and Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) at the show for a range of aircraft lifecycle solutions

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spanning Global Services' robust suite of offerings, including landing gear, engine support, digital solutions, and materials parts access. Air Astana's intent to order 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes to serve as the backbone of its new low-cost airline FlyArystan was also announced during the show. Egyptian flag carrier, EGYPTAIR also announced to lease two more 787-9 jets from leading lessor AerCap. SunExpress too exercised it options for 10 additional Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes to continue renewing its fleet and growing its position in the leisure travel industry. Honeywell Aerospace signed a deal with Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines (MEA) to provide flight deck avionics suites for 19 aircraft MEA has ordered from Airbus including eleven A321neos, four A330neos, and four A321XLRs. The airline also serves as the launch customer for the XLR and the Honeywell contract also puts the company among the first flight deck technology suppliers for the newly launched aircraft. Honeywell’s integrated multi-mode receiver, IntuVue RDR4000 weather radar, Pegasus II flight management system, emergency locator transmitter, and enhanced ground proximity warning system as part of the suites will be provided under the deal. Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saudia also extended its partnership with Honeywell to include maintenance services for auxiliary power units (APUs) installed on the airline’s Airbus A330s and Boeing 777s. Sales of three Dash 8-400 turboprops from De Havilland Canada were also announced to Elin Group of Nigeria in a deal worth US$99million. While Palma Holding, a Dubai-based property leasing company signed a letter of intent to purchase 20 of the De Havilland Dash 8-400s. Once the purchase agreement is finalized, Palma would become the first lessor worldwide to order the Dash 8-400 turboprops in a dual-class configuration. Nigeria’s Air Peace topped up its fleet with the purchase of three Embraer 195-E2s, while Egyptian lessor CIAF purchased three E190s and Omani low-cost carrier SalamAir agreed the lease of two Airbus A321 Neos from GECAS. Collins Aerospace received a contract by the Indian start-up carrier, FlyBig to provide its Arinc PaxLink system covering reservations and inventory management, distribution and departure control with “one integrated cloud-based system”. FlyBig is expected be operational with PaxLink by the first quarter of 2020. Collins also signed a 10-year support agreement with Etihad Airways covering the airline's fleet of Boeing 787-9s, which will be included in Collins's Dispatch flight-hour maintenance programme. Collins Aerospace will provide “critical on-site spares, maintenance services including upgrades, access to worldwide 787 asset pools, and technical assistance for avionics.” Another agreement was announced between GE Aviation and Sanad Aerotech for the Abu Dhabi-based MRO to provide maintenance services for GE’s GEnx-1B engines as well as continued time (quick turn) overhauls on CFM International’s Leap engines, both of which power next-generation narrowand wide-body airliners. Dubai-based Empire Aviation Group (EAG) launched a fresh aircraft management arm in Egypt and has also received approval to provide continuing airworthiness management organization (CAMO) services for third party operators, the company announced at the Dubai Airshow. SP

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Dubai airshow 2019

Peeking into the times to come for aviation Dubai Airshow 2019 shows how the future of the aviation industry will transform not just through unmanned passenger vehicles but also automation bots, counteractive systems, concepts and more Boeing Passenger Air Vehicle mockup at the airshow 

 ayushee chaudhary

A lot of attention was attracted by Boeing’s NeXt division through its three electric aircraft projects—the Passenger Air Vehicle (PAV), Cargo Air Vehicle (CAV), and Odysseus ultra-long-endurance UAV. A PAV prototype was on display along with scale models of CAV and solar/battery-powered Odysseus. PAV and Odysseus have been designed and built by Aurora Flight Sciences. Inspired by biomimicry, Airbus revealed Fello'fly, a project aimed at demonstrating the technical, operational, and commercial benefits of having two or more aircraft flying together in order to reduce fuel consumption, much as birds do. “When birds fly in formation, they are using the updraft of the wake of the previous bird, therefore they have 'free' lift that reduces their own consumption” of energy, said Sandra Bour Schaeffer, head of Airbus Group Demonstrators. Calling the concept “wake-energy retrieval,” the demonstrator project aims to harvest the otherwise wasted kinetic energy generated by an aircraft wing, letting a properly positioned aircraft in trail to reduce its energy consumption from 5 to 10 per cent, without affecting

Clean, blue skies and green initiatives gain momentum

PHOTOGRAPH: Wikipedia

To answer environmental concerns in the aerospace industry, creative solutions and attempts find a way at the airshow to sustain a more eco-friendly aviation.  ayushee chaudhary

Many alliances are being witnessed in the aviation industry that are driving advancements in aerospace sustainability and emissions reductions plugging in their resources to deal with the great challenge facing the industry; to become more sustainable

passenger comfort. Tests conducted last year with two A380s confirmed the findings, Schaeffer informed. For 2021, operational trials are also planned in oceanic airspace “with real airlines and traffic management that will define the procedures for such flights,” Schaeffer said. Roxo, an autonomous delivery device was displayed by headline sponsors FedEx Express, as it delighted delegates gliding up on to the stage to bring notes to conference MC and obeying voice commands. Jack Muhs, Regional President, FedEx Express MIESA said Roxo, created in collaboration with DEKA Research and Development Corp, will be an important part of the FedEx ecosystem and serve as a demonstration of FedEx’s goal to connect people and possibilities around the world. Muhs also announced a partnership with Dubai Airports, and the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) to define ways in which the autonomous bot can meet delivery needs in the UAE. Russian arms exporting agency, Rosoboronexport demonstrated Russian systems designed for the counteraction to unmanned aerial vehicles of all types, at the international aviation and space exhibition Dubai Airshow 2019. SP

while managing exponential growth rates. Many of these leading innovators from the aerospace sustainability sector were present at the airshow, where sustainability was advocated not just by exhibitors but also by the organisers. l Electric buggies and segways were used to move visitors around the show. l Etihad Airways and Boeing lead the industry’s move to reduce emissions through a first-of-its-kind ‘eco partnership’ with their green liner, a specially-themed Boeing 787 Dreamliner which will be used as a flying laboratory to test products, procedures and initiatives designed to reduce aircraft carbon emissions. The aircraft is expected to be introduced next year. A special Boeing 787 ‘eco flight’ to Brussels will take place during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2020, announced Etihad. l The world’s first eco-friendly air race – Air Race E, the Airbusbacked electric racing series, unveiled the first electric race plane, ‘White Lightning’. Announced and unveiled by Air Race E race promoter Jeff Zaltman, it is the first-ever example of an electric race plane by Yorkshire-based Team Condor and SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 29

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Dubai airshow 2019

will compete in the inaugural Air Race E event in 2020. The first afternoon of Dubai Airshow 2019 flying the display was opened by Emirates Airbus A380 through a special flypast. To make a special nod to Expo 2020 theme, sustainability, the Airbus A380 was in green livery. Aerospace company, Leonardo and Falcon Aviation Services demonstrated a rotorcraft-dedicated terminal concept to meet the growing demands for sustainable and vertical lift mobility and greater access to urban areas. This new rotorcraft terminal combines a helipad, a showroom and lounge areas in a single city-based heliport in a unique manner, ideally supporting the development of a network of point-topoint connections for both urban transfers as well as connections between cities. The rotorcraft terminal features strong environmentally friendly design and modularity using recyclable materials and, if required, it can be transported. SP

Team Condor Aviation e-racer model for Air Race E on static display

Business Aviation EXHIBITORS AT the airshow In the benefit of the Middle East market, the business aviation industry also fetched time to take note of business aviation services Embraer Praetor 500 and Phenom 300E on static display 

PHOTOGRAPHs: Dubai Air Show

 ayushee chaudhary

Michele van Akelijen, Managing Director of Dubai Airshow organisers Tarsus F&E LLC Middle East had remarked, “The Middle East is seeing a boom in the business aviation sector. It has always been a significant part of the Dubai Airshow and we expect this recent growth in business aviation exhibitors and attendees to continue at the 2019 edition.” And with the commitment from many key industry names including Embraer, Boeing, and DC Aviation at the Dubai Airshow, this indeed was demonstrated at the show. l Embraer turned heads as they displayed the largest number of aircraft on this year’s static display and also put on show the company's new Praetor mid-size business jet during the airshow, the first of its kind to be equipped with full fly by wire and turbulence reduction technologies. Embraer also announced that Falcon Aviation’s latest facility located at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), Dubai’s new airport, has been approved as an Embraer Authorized Service Center (EASC) to expand their support for Legacy 600/650 and Lineage customers in the region. The UAE’s leading business aviation services, charter, MRO and aircraft management company, Falcon Aviation may perform scheduled and non-scheduled maintenance, component 30 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

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and part exchange, types of inspections at different levels of complexity for those aircraft platforms Boeing Business Jets landed at the airshow on the heels of October’s announcement of two BBJ 787-9 Dreamliners orders from a single, undisclosed customer. The purchase contract, placed in August, is worth $564 million at list price, bringing orders for the executive variant of the composite wide-body to 16. Honda Aircraft arrived at Dubai Airshow amidst growing global acceptance of its HondaJet Elite. “My goal is to expand business aviation in international markets by introducing light jets with the HondaJet,” said Fujino, CEO of the Honda Aircraft Company. On static display at Al Maktoum International Airport, the HondaJet Elite exhibits innovations including the overthe-wing engine mount configuration, natural laminar flow nose and wing, and composite fuselage. While the flight deck features Garmin's G3000 avionics suite and the cabin boasts a full-service galley, private lavatory, and an exclusive Bongiovi speaker less sound system. Certified for single-pilot operation, Honda Aircraft claims the Elite is also more fuel-efficient and emits fewer greenhouse gases than any similarly sized twin-jet. Gulfstream exhibited three business jets at the airshow’s static display: the Gulfstream G650ER, the newly-in-service Gulfstream G600 and the high-tech Gulfstream G500. “Gulf-

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Dubai airshow 2019

Gulfstream G500 on static display

stream continues to expand its support of the growing Middle-Eastern market — now more than ever with the reveal of our new ultra long-range flagship, the Gulfstream G700,” said Mark Burns, President, Gulfstream. “Our high-speed, largecabin offerings have proven ideal for customers traveling to and from the Middle East and surrounding regions. Our latest aircraft to enter service, the G500 and G600, have been hard at work showcasing their favor and capabilities with more than 30 deliveries and 45 city-pair speed records.” The ability to fly at high altitudes and ultra long ranges allows Gulfstream’s aircraft to support a diverse scope of critical missions, such as medical evacuation and head-of-state transport. Dassault Falcon also had a very strong presence at the event. Their display included the Falcon 8X, Falcon 900LX and the full-scale mockup of the Falcon 6X cabin –the tallest and widest in business aviation.

AIR FREIGHT INDUSTRY TOO COMES INTO FOCUS WITH CARGO CONNECT Cargo Connect returns for the third time in the airshow to bring the cargo and logistics supply chain sector together and pave the way for the cargo industry’s future

PHOTOGRAPHs: Dubai Air Show

 ayushee chaudhary

To take note of the current status of the cargo industry in this evergrowing digital and connected world and provide a platform to every voice from freight forwarders and airlines, to airports and OEMs, Cargo Connect brings together every aspect and stakeholder in the supply chain that has a part of the development of this industry. As the essential meeting place for the global cargo community, it also facilitates to display international developments in the next generation freight, automation, and digital cargo.

F alcon 8X on static display

Switzerland’s Pilatus Aircraft showcased its PC-24 “Super Versatile” twin jet, which can operate on short, unprepared runways. PC-24 is a faster, longer-range version of PC-12, the single-engine turboprop that established Pilatus in the business aviation arena. Making its Dubai Airshow debut, Signature Plating exhibited its custom metal-plating capabilities, spanning over 150 finish options and custom color matching. Vision Systems is displaying at the Dubai Airshow it’s electronically dimmable window (EDW) technology, which allows passengers to change the opacity of their windows from clear to opaque and helps keep cabins cool and quiet. Suitable for first-class commercial and private VIP aircraft applications, the French company’s shading systems also incorporate an integrated infrared barrier to enhance heat blockage and multiple layers of noise-attenuating films to reduce cabin noise. SP

With on the air freight industry, Cargo Connects allowed the cargo industry to discuss global trends, regional challenges and the future of the cargo industry with a key focus on data sharing across both geographical as well as business boundaries. It placed the airlines, airport authorities, port authorities, police, customs, freight forwarders, cargo operators and carriers closely to talk about the important matters surrounding the industry, also giving them an opportunity for a wide range of networking and understanding through many leadership programmes during the event. Some of the key points in the limelight at this year’s Cargo Connect conference included the effect of automation, artificial intelligence and digitalisation. Speakers like Dennis Lister, Vice President, Cargo Commercial Development, Emirates SkyCargo, were present to deliberate upon the impact of the aforementioned key topics on the future of cargo and freight. However, there has not been much of news coming out of the show with respect to cargo, contrary to the Paris Air Show held in June where a large amount of activity was witnessed around freighters, particularly the 737-800BCF. One highlighted announcement was a partnership between Etihad and online cargo booking platform Cargo One, made by Abdulla Mohammed Shadid, Managing Director, Cargo and Logistics, Etihad. SP SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019 • 31

Finally

New Dawn for Indo-Pak Cooperation in Civil Aviation Finally, there are favourable signs of change in the Pakistani mindset that could herald a new era of cooperation between the civil aviation industry of India and Pakistan

ILLUSTRATION: Anoop Kamath

ver since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in August 1947, the relationship between India and Pakistan has been extremely turbulent both in the political and military domains. There have been four major military conflicts between India and Pakistan since partition and despite some determined steps taken by India, the problem of terrorism in Kashmir continues to fester. However, one segment of the economy of both India and Pakistan that has been badly affected on account of the strained relations, is the civil aviation sector. Given the perpetual military tension prevailing on the border and frequent closure of airspace, the Indian civil aviation industry has not been able to fully utilise the airspace over Pakistan to fly to the Middle East and Central Asian Republics via the shortest route to save fuel which a major component of operating cost of aircraft. Apart from the problems experienced by the aircraft of the Indian civil aviation industry, even the special Air India aircraft that was to carry Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia in the last week of October this year to participate in an international business conference there on October 29, suffered the same fate. Request by the Indian Government was turned down by the Government of Pakistan and the Air India aircraft was denied permission to fly through its airspace. India lodged a formal complaint in this regard to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) against Pakistan for its refusal to let the aircraft carrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fly through its airspace to Saudi Arabia. The ICAO did acknowledge India’s concern pertaining to Pakistan restricting its airspace and sent a request to Islamabad seeking further information on this episode. The ICAO pointed out that aircraft carrying national leaders are not subject to any restrictions in the use of airspace if the intention is to merely transit through the airspace of another country. But the biggest disaster so far in the regime of civil aviation on account of the perpetual hostility between India and Pakistan has been the downing of a Beechcraft business aviation aircraft on September 19, 1965 at the height of the Indo-Pakistan war of that year. It was on this fateful day that a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jet fighter shot down the Beechcraft that was carrying Bal32 • SP’S AIRBUZ • Issue 6 • 2019

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wantrai Mehta, Chief Minister of Gujarat, his wife, three members of his staff and one journalist. The aircraft was piloted by Jahangir Engineer who had retired from the Indian Air Force. On that day, the Beechcraft carrying Chief Minister Balwantrai Mehta was flying in the vicinity of the Indo-Pak border in Kutch after stopping at Mithapur, 400 km from Ahmedabad. Minutes after taking off from Mithapur, the Beechcraft was intercepted by a combat aircraft of the PAF that was being flown by a 25 year old pilot Qais Hussain. With approval from his superiors, the PAF pilot fired at the Beechcraft that was waggling wings to indicate that it was a harmless civil aircraft. The Beechcraft exploded in the air and turned into a ball of fire before crashing into the ground. The Chief Minister along with his team and the two pilots on board perished in the ghastly episode. The Beechcraft was flying well within Indian territory and posed no conceivable threat to the hostile neighbour. But there have also been some encouraging developments in the recent past. On September 23, 2019, a SpiceJet aircraft flying from Delhi to Kabul, was intercepted by PAF fighter jets. Fortunately, the airliner was not harmed and was escorted till it was out of Pakistani airspace. Apparently, there was some confusion over the call-sign assigned by the DGCA to the SpiceJet aircraft that led to interception by the PAF. Fortunately the PAF pilots exercised restraint and did not shoot down the Indian airliner that had 120 passengers on board. In the second week of November this year, a Pakistani air traffic controller guided an Indian civil flight that had taken off from Jaipur for Muscat. The airliner got into an emergency situation on account of extremely bad weather. The Pakistani air traffic controller responded to the emergency call by the pilot and directed the Indian aircraft through dense air traffic while flying through Pakistani airspace. These two incidents reflect a change in the Pakistani mindset to one that is not hostile and in fact can be humane. Finally, there are favourable signs of change in the Pakistani mindset that could herald a new era of cooperation between the civil aviation industry of India and Pakistan. SP — B.K. Pandey

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