Showtime @ Paris!

The 53rd edition of the Paris Air Show would have gone down in history as possibly the first one where US aerospace giant Boeing entered as a 'loser' but emerged as a 'winner'courtesy Willie Walsh and his 200-B737 MAX order. There were, however, other innovations to look forward to at the show: electric, supersonic and autonomous aircraft. A show of shows!

Pakyong Airport: Only Visuals, No Action

Nestled amidst the clouds at 1400 meters above sea level, with a breath-taking view of the beautiful Pakyong valley amidst the Himalayas, is Pakyong Airport in Sikkim.

A Scorcher Of A Show

The 2018 edition of the Farnborough Airshow once again delivered in terms of record deals for jetliners. It once again underlined the fact that the commercial aircraft industry remains in good health.

India Spiced Up

Ajay Singh has had a dream run with SpiceJet. The low-cost carrier has become a showpiece for the world: on its way to higher skies with improved performance on all fronts. K SRINIVASAN pieces the SpiceJet saga.

Ability Of Q400 To Carry More Passengers Is A Big Advantage

Speaking to Cruising HeigHts on the sidelines of the Farnborough Airshow, Francois Cognard, Vice President, Sales, Asia-Pacific, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft pointed out that the Q400 was the best suited for India’s aviation needs.

Saab Sees A Huge Potential For Its Remote ATCs In India

As the country invests substantially in upgrading its infrastructure in all domains – with the focus on smaller, regional airports – Saab’s remote tower concept is being widely discussed by both the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Saab believes its technology will provide the perfect solution that can help AAI operationalise airports in far-flung areas. JOHAN LANDIN, Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions and VARUN VIJAY SINGH, Marketing Director, Air Defence and ATM from India Office talked to Cruising HeigHts. Excerpts from the conversation:

GA Wishlist: Pit Stops And More

Business jet operators clearly want smaller airports to stay open longer and be better equipped in terms of refuelling facilities and parking bays. But are we ready?

Will Slower Growth Be The Norm Now?

IATA data for air cargo in May showed that the growth trend had come down and cited three reasons for that.

Acquisition Season

It can be a major jolt to Airbus! Carriers are opting Boeing for their long haul plans. Vistara is eyeing to buy B787 Max whereas IndiGo, an Airbus dominated airline is ready to induct B777s, 787s for its expansion plans.

Fewer Indian Bizjet Fliers in 2018

Unlike the world over, the business jet market saw its best quarter since 2015 with aircraft deliveries increasing 1.5 per cent. In India, however, business was slow with little use of general aviation aircraft.

Ready For The Future

The recent International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit could not have been in a more perfect location than Sydney. With the city preparing to become the hub for ultra-long haul flights in Qantas’ CEO ‘Project Sunrise’ programme, it also saw some candid assessments about the future of the industry and active debates on gender equality in the aviation business. Highlights:

Down, down, down…

That is the way airline stocks have been going over the last few months. Most of these aviation stocks have been in the spotlight after global brokerage firm HSBC initiated coverage on major stocks.

Is Udan Ready For International Skies?

The UDAN or regional connectivity scheme remains virtually on paper. Regular operation of regional flights continue to lag behind due to a variety of reasons. And even as these issues continue to trouble the scheme, the government has unveiled a draft scheme to extend the ‘affordable’ UDAN air travel programme to international destinations.

First Dedicated Cargo Airport No Longer A Dream

Andhra Pradesh ties up with SCL-Turbo Consortium to set up a dedicated cargo airport at Nellore.

IATA Prescribes Three-pronged Approach

Countering the gloomy future, the IATA chief outlined three priorities that would help air cargo to gain some growth: Modernisation, enforcing Global Standards and opening borders for trade. A report

A Bird, A Tiger, A Shark? No, It's A Plane

Spanning the three worlds – Earth, Water and Sky – Embraer’s ‘Profit Hunters’ fly around looking for new markets.

Boeing Has Plenty On Its Plate

2018 has been a tough year for Boeing. The trade war with China, the cancelled Iran deal, the regulatory woes over the Embraer deal and the Lion Air Max crash have all come back to back. A special report on the issues.

GMR's CSR arm pledges to create tomorrow together

The GMR Varalakshmi Foundation ends its Silver Jubilee year with promises to continue its services for the under-served communities of India.

Network Planning Team Size

However, having an aircraft is not cheap and an airline cannot afford multiple types of planes. Over a period of time, as airlines have moved to dual categories of planes, they have started adjusting the flights. Take the case of indigo.

Will Trump's tariffs affect Indian pharma?

As the international pharma market grows at a steady pace, Indian suppliers could be affected if US imposes tariffs on air cargo.

Challenges In The Sky, Countered On The Ground @FSTC

If there is one organisation that has been working over the last few years to keep Indian carriers in the air, it is Flight Simulation Technique Centre (FSTC). Having trained more than 1100 pilots – both Indian and foreign – the Centre feels that the government should help out and reduce taxes to enable it to be competitive, as TIRTHANKAR GHOSH found out.

Bangalore's Prepping To Unveil Its Airport In A Garden

A few years ago the word ‘Bangalored’ meant losing one’s job to outsourcing in dia, and more specifically, to Bangalore. Well, the manner in which Bangalore irport has chalked out plans for growth, it will probably ‘Bangalore’ all other rports in South India.

A380: Going, Going – Almost Gone

Is the lifeline deal for the A380 superjumbo between Airbus and Emirates on the brink? That is ever since Bloomberg put out a story on November 4, stating that the deal “has reached an impasse amid drawn-out talks involving the engines”.

VEECON ROK Ties Up With BSNL

Tie-up announced for citywide wi-fi network in 25 Indian cities; Veecon Rokit will launch mobile handsets that will include India’s first 3D glasses free handsets.

Air Cargo Means More Revenues

Domestic carriers are no longer averse to picking up cargo – thanks to e-commerce – to boost bottom lines.

Flying Abroad On Private Jets Becomes Easy

Flying Abroad On Private Jets Becomes Easy

Falcon 5X Ends Journey Even Before Flight

The first deliveries of 5X had to be pushed back to 2020, which prompted at least 12 customers to cancel their orders for the $45 million jet.

Brexit: Conundrums

No one really knows what will happen in the next 15 months to aviation stakeholders after the UK leaves the European Union in March 2019.

The Monarch Is Dead...And So Is Air Berlin And Niki

“Important! Monarch has stopped operating. Please do not go to the airport.” A simple enough message but one that Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was forced to send out. The October 2, 2017 message was blunt but what else could the CAA do when the 49-year-old Monarch airline stopped flying.

The Year Of The Upstarts

If there is one segment that most carriers are interested in, it is the middle of the market, often abbreviated MoM, the airliner market between the narrowbody and the widebody aircraft. Over the last year, a number of aircraft manufacturers have put their best foot forward to get into the hallowed MoM segment.