Cruising Heights - September 2022

In this issue

Cruising Heights’ September, 2022 issue mainly focusses on the planned beef up of Air India’s fleet. The edition analyses the story of SpiceJet’s widening losses and the stake sale lollipop. The issue also carries a detailed article on Pieter Elbers joining IndiGo. The edition also carries a comprehensive report on Boeing B-787 jet’s return to business. Two Panorama presentations on the upcoming inauguration of Mopa Airport in Goa, and the planned launch of NASA’s Orion spacecraft to the moon makes the issue a very interesting read. A back-page story on Zoya Agarwal finding a place at the prestigious SFO aviation museum in the United States of America takes the edition to a logical conclusion. The September, 2022 issue of the magazine is a must-read for everybody.

Landing at Mopa!

Goa's ready to inaugurate the "Today, we have completed the international airport at Mopa completed a Required Navigation Performance (RNP) with the landing and take-off of the first commercial aircraft from its runway. Once operational, it will be the second international airport in Goa after the one in Dabolim.

1 min

Tatas Plan To Beef Up Air India Fleet

Air India is in the final stages of closing orders for around 200 narrow body and widebody jets, it is planning to take aircraft from the secondary lease market to beef up capacity in the short term. Tata Group has chalked out an aggressive expansion plan for Air India and Air India Express, inducting six Boeing 777200 aircraft and 25 Airbus A320 Neos by the first quarter of next year. Currently, Tata Group's three airlines Air India, AirAsia India, and Vistara - hold a 24 per cent share of the Indian aviation market.

6 mins

SpiceJet's widening losses and stake sale lollipop

SpiceJet is exploring multiple options, including a stake sale to other airlines, to raise up to $2,000 crore so that it remains a "strong and vibrant" carrier, its chairman and managing director, Ajay Singh, said on Tuesday. SpiceJet has been making losses for the last four years. Moreover, it is currently operating less than 50 per cent of flights, following the July 27 order of the aviation regulator in the wake of a spate of incidents.

5 mins

Pieter takes over at 6E, eyes 'new frontiers'

IndiGo's new chief executive officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers has formally taken charge at the company's Gurugram headquarters. According to the announcement in May, Elbers was to replace Ronojoy Dutta, from September 30.

4 mins

The Zephyr flight ends in a crash

An Airbus Zephyr high-altitude drone was a few hours away from breaking a 63-year-old flight endurance world record when it suffered a catastrophic failure and crashed.

2 mins

Boeing resumes 787 deliveries after 14-month pause

A 14-month halt in Dreamliner 787 deliveries ended on August 10 with the handover of a 787-8 to American Airlines.

5 mins

The Max is getting delayed

It also seems more and more apparent that Boeing will not be able to certify its MAX 10 aircraft by a year-end deadline, but it remains possible that U.S. lawmakers could give it more time.

3 mins

SLS VERSUS SATURN-V:

A COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO GIANT ROCKETS

2 mins

ORION IS LIGHTYEARS AHEAD OF APOLLO

Development of the Apollo spacecraft began in 1961 at North American Aviation, the company that built the spacecraft for Nasa. Early designs were predicated on the idea that the Apollo spacecraft would itself land on the moon.

2 mins

Elon Musk 'Building His Own Private Airport'

Elon Musk's use of his private jet has raised concern that he may want to build a private airport.

2 mins

Airbus Corporate Jets Eyes Growing U.S. Market

Airbus Corporate Jets has released Lan analysis of industry data finding that 14,632 private jets are based in the U.S., with heavy/long-range aircraft accounting for the largest share of those.

1 min

Elon Musk 'building his own private airport'

Elon Musk's use of his private jet has concern raised that he may want to build a private airport.

2 mins

Russian Bizav recovering

AT INonline had an interesting piece on Russian Business Aviation: "The Russian business aviation industry is steadily recovering after the sharp drop in the first half of the year caused by sanctions and the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine, according to some leading local experts in the field of business aviation and Russian media reports.

1 min

Russian Bizav recovering

AINonline had an interesting piece on Russian Business Aviation: "The Russian business aviation industry is steadily recovering after the sharp drop in the first half of the year caused by sanctions and the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine, according to some leading local experts in the field of business aviation and Russian media reports.

1 min

Etihad Cargo posts record mid-year revenue

Etihad Cargo announced record setting profits for the first half of 2022, achieving year-on-year revenue growth of six per cent compared to H1 2021 and contributing 35 per cent of Etihad Aviation Group's operating revenue.

1 min

Worldwide air cargo flown tonnages drops further

Worldwide air cargo flown tonnages continued to decline in August with a further minus five per cent drop in the last week alone and a minus ten per cent decline in the first three weeks of the month, the latest figures from WorldACD Market Data reveal.

1 min

Lufthansa Cargo grows A321 freighter fleet

Lufthansa Cargo will welcome a second A321 P2F in October, thus further expanding its pan-European network. The new destinations served by the airline will be Birmingham, London and Madrid. Two additional A321 freighter aircraft will be added to the fleet in the first half of 2023.

1 min

Qantas expanding freight fleet to meet shopping demand

In order to meet a surge in demand for online shopping, Qantas Airways will add six A321 converted freighters to its domestic fleet to replace five ageing Boeing 737s and expand capacity.

1 min

Airbus-GMR to power aircraft maintenance

Nair Airbus has signed a contract with the GMR Group to provide aircraft maintenance training to young aviation engineers making a trending career choice.

1 min

Rolls-Royce Engine Model Reaches Landmark Flying Time

The he Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 engine, developed specifically for the Airbus A350-900, and the only engine to power that aircraft, had reached ten million flying hours. The A350-900 is a member of Airbus' next-generation A350 XWB family (the other member being the longer-fuselage A350-1000).

1 min

Pratt & Whitney's new turboprop engine certified

Commercial aviation is working hard to make itself greener. In this scenario, the engine makers have high sustainability goals.

2 mins

TFE731 Milestone

Honeywell Aerospace is marking La purpose-built business jet engine, the TFE731, which turned 50 years old in August.

1 min

CR929 Programme faces pressure of engine delay, sanctions

Funding shortages will delay by up to three years the development of the engine that Russian industry hopes will power the prospective Sino-Russian widebody known as the CRAIC CR929.

2 mins

Air China and Rolls-Royce JV

Air China and Rolls-Royce have announced they are entering into a new joint venture in Beijing.

1 min

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Cruising Heights Magazine Description:

CRUISING HEIGHTS is India's best known monthly aviation magazine with equal interests in air cargo, travel and tourism. In its four years of existence, Cruising Heights has received accolades from the Minister of Civil Aviation, Aviation CEOs, Airport Developers, Travel Agents Associations and others for its path-breaking stories.One of the first true aviation magazines of the country, Cruising Heights was started with the idea of supporting professionals in the airline business to make informed choices on a variety of subjects from ground handling to cargo to airport development-all of which are transforming the Indian aviation scene in mind-boggling ways. Later, due to the interest it generated and in response to demands from the travel and tourism industry stakeholders we have targeted the general reader-the educated Indian who is keen to be an informed Indian-to know what's happening in the business.