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Policy Framework Sought by Indian Private Air Operators to Encourage Growth

April 4, 2014
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Indian Air Operators Seek PolicyThe Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) have lodged their displeasure at the lack of policy framework for private operators and non-scheduled operators, blaming in part a shortage of qualified staffing for the DGCA’s downgrade by the FAA. They claim that the surprise checks and subsequent public observations ‘misrepresent the proven safety consciousness prevailing among NSOPs and private aircraft operators’.

BAOA secretary, Capt R K Bali said, ‘It is not fair to make Indian NSOP operators a scapegoat to showcase DGCA’s authority by subjective reporting of the observations during these inspections.’

The BAOA wrote to the Civil Aviation Ministry days after the DCGA grounded a business jet belonging to the Ambani Group, finding fault with several aircraft owned and operated by other corporate houses and charter companies.

The BAOA remain concerned that general aviation has and will continue to suffer due to the ‘complete lack of infrastructure, high taxes and specific policy framework’, adding that the ICAO had requested that India prepare a ‘roadmap for general aviation til 2036’, back in 2012.

“It is not understood why no follow-up action has been taken on this even after two years, while general aviation continues to suffer due to complete neglect of its infrastructural requirements,” Bali said.

A spokesperson for the DCGA has said that the private charter and business aircraft operators will be called for a meeting over the coming weeks to discuss their grievances and issues.

Higher Taxes for Business Aviation Passengers in the UK

April 4, 2014
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Business Jet Fares May Rise in UKLast month the UK government announced revisions to the air passenger duty of more than 50%, which could affect business aircraft passengers as the cost is passed on. From 1st April 2015, aircraft weighing more than 20 metric tons with fewer than 19 seats on flights of more than 2,000 miles will race a higher rate of £426. The rate will be £78 for shorter flights, but broader changes mean that flights longer than 6,000 miles will see lower charges.

The APD changes have come as a ‘complete surprise’ to the British Business and General Aviation Association, who have requested a meeting with UK tax officials to attempt to secure amendments to the changes before they come into force next year, warning of ‘unintended consequences’. It is feared that the potential rise in fares for business passengers could damage the business aviation sector and ultimately, the ‘inward investment it brings to the UK’.

Advanced Passenger Information System Requested by IATA

April 4, 2014
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Advanced Passenger Information System ~ Find Out More...The International Air Transport Association (IATA) today called for greater use to be made of Advanced Passenger Information System data as the industry still reels in the aftermath of the missing flight MH370 search.

Director General of IATA, Mr Tony Tyler said, ‘It is important to remember that airlines aren’t border guards or policemen, the checking of passports is the well-established responsibility of governments.’ His comments were made at a conference in the Malaysian Capital earlier this week as he spoke of the need for a review of government data-review procedures, which would importantly include the comparison of names against Interpol’s lost and stolen passport lists. Although no link has been established with the two Iranian passengers that boarded with stolen passports and any terrorist organisation, the fact that they were allowed on board ‘rings alarm bells.’

In addition to Advanced Passenger Information System data, Mr Tyler, who is also a former chief executive for Cathay Pacific Airways, placed emphasis upon a need for better aircraft tracking. ‘In a world where our every move seems to be tracked, there is disbelief both that an aircraft could simply disappear and that the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are so difficult to recover,’ he said.

IATA plan to assemble a team of experts to study the available options for aircraft tracking, which is expected to reveal its conclusions at the end of the year.

Self-Service Bag Drop Solution for Finavia

April 3, 2014
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Self-Service Bag Drop Solutions ProvidersAll over the world, self-service and common use bag drop systems and check-in systems are promising ease of use and expedited passenger processing. Finavia has been using bag drop solutions in Helsinki airport in a pilot scheme since 2012 and now plan to expand the scheme with a further ten machines to be placed in Helsinki and two at Oulu Airport later in the year.

The success of the self-service bag drop solution has not been confined to Finavia, as the machines were in use by SAS and Norwegian airlines as well. Positive feedback has been received for all machines from passengers, airline and airport staff.

Ville Haapsaari, Director of Helsinki Airports said, ‘Increasing the number of machines is a global trend in air traffic services. Self-service, such as bag drop machines, makes the check-in times of passengers much more flexible, evens out the busy periods at the airport and increases the check-in capacity of terminals. More effectively produced airport services also provide airlines with cost advantages, which are also ultimately the precondition for moderate flight ticket prices’.

Automated self-service bag drop solutions carry the luggage from the passenger to the cargo hold with no other intervention from airline staff. Self-service check-in allows passengers to check-in online, attend the airport with less time to wait for the flight, drop off baggage with self-printing baggage tags and board the plane.

This is why scanning machines are critical to the success of the process. All baggage must still be checked enroute to the aircraft effectively and efficiently to minimise delays, while maintaining utmost safety.

Virgin America Select Cloud-Computing Solution for Aircraft Records Management

April 2, 2014
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Aircraft Records Management Solutions ProviderAirlines are seeking more efficient and scalable solutions for aircraft maintenance and critical information management and Virgin America are no exception. As an award-winning airline, Virgin America need to maintain high-performance levels, high-quality service, efficiency standards and compliance and have selected the latest cloud-based computing service to manage maintenance records for their expanding fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft.

Cloud-based technological solutions can maintain the integrity of the information stored and allow for efficient data-sharing with DCS, supply chain and regulatory authorities.

Virgin America will use AirVault, it has been announced today, to implement their solution, AirVault Mx Records Management.
‘Providing an inventive systems approach was a key driver of our decision. AirVault’s experience with airlines around the world offered Virgin America a framework of best practices specific to aircraft maintenance records that was easy to configure and integrate with our current aircraft engineering systems,’ said Nick Brohm, Virgin America Director of Quality Assurance.

AirVault CEO John Oldham said, ‘We are proud of Virgin America’s choice of AirVault as their mission-critical information management service for aircraft maintenance. AirVault shares Virgin America’s vision of innovation and providing premier service, pushing the use of advanced technology to improve their aircraft maintenance operations and environmental sustainability.’

Malaysia Tightens Airline & Airport Security

April 1, 2014
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Airport Security Solutions Providers

While the reason for the disappearance of flight MH370 is still unclear, Malaysian Defence Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein spoke earlier this week about the suggestion from investigators that the behaviour of the aircraft before vanishing from radar and radio contact was ‘consistent with deliberate action’ by someone onboard. Malaysia has agreed to ‘step up’ airline and airport security measures.

The comments followed strong advice from industry experts to consider better security measures across the world to minimise the threats against security. Malaysian Home Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed that officials were re-examining security within airports and particularly at Kuala Lumpur International and consistently around airport security procedures and protocol for key entry points.

Malaysian authorities have confirmed that they do not check the Interpol database of lost and stolen passports, explaining that there are compatibility and speed issues with the system. This is in spite of the fact that the database contains more than 40 million entries. Early indications show that the stolen passports used to board flight MH370 had been reported missing more than 12 months before.

According to security experts, Malaysia could effectively enhance passenger screening with the use of current security measures if carried out correctly and efficiently without causing severe ground delays and by working with International law enforcement groups, such as Interpol.

“It’s very much the case that global organized criminal networks have exploited the lax government arrangements in Southeast Asia,” said Mr Carl Ungerer, lecturer of International relations at Australian Bond University, ‘Countries in the region should improve coordination between law enforcement agencies on intelligence sharing.’

‘We have increased security and enhanced monitoring procedures on board all our aircraft. However, for security purposes we are unable to discuss any such procedures publicly,’ a Malaysia Airlines spokeswoman said.

ACARS Training made Mandatory for Airline Crew in India

March 31, 2014
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Pioneering Providers of ACARS Messaging It has been announced that the aviation regulator for India has issued a mandate for airline crew to be given training on the ACARS system, following the disappearance and issues surrounding flight MH370.

ACARS delivers and receives mission critical messaging throughout the flight, unless manually deactivated. These messages may include NOTAMs, OOOI, engine information and aircraft performance figures, including air speed, issues, position and weather reporting.

Currently, the only area where ACARS coverage is mandatory is within the North-Atlantic route.

Although some Indian airlines have incorporated ACARS into their aircraft, with the largest operator, IndiGo having used ACARS from their earliest flights, several airlines do not have ACARS capability. Murmurs around the aviation industry suggest that every flight should carry the latest that technology has to offer for mission critical messaging.

Flight MH370 Prompts Aviation Security Messaging Questions

March 29, 2014
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Aviation Security Messaging ConcernsThe recent disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has raised global questions about the effective use of aviation security messaging for both aircraft communications systems and passenger data transfer.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) suggest that a more refined, tailored approach to security messaging is needed, as current measures appear to be unsuitable in a general sense. With the technology available today, such as biometric security and electronic passports, information can be shared in real-time, allowing passengers to be screened more effectively.

Although the mysterious disappearance of the Boeing 777-200ER has encouraged tighter security in airports across the world, questions are being asked why passengers were allowed on board with stolen passports, whether the incident is linked to the disappearance or not, as has been speculated.

The aircraft’s communications systems were allegedly switched off intentionally and continued to ‘handshake’ with the satellite network, Inmarsat until 8.11 am, when over the Indian Ocean and low on fuel.

Finding a balance when conducting security measures means treading a fine line. Security within airport operations should work in conjunction with border control agencies and government bodies to ensure that security should be tight, but effective, without causing major ground delays.

Airport operations software can help to streamline passenger processing, while maintaining high biometric screening levels and allowing passenger data to be checked, such as with the provision of advance passenger information, now mandatory in the U.S. since the events of 9/11.

Radar ‘Black Spots’ Regular for NZ Flights

March 28, 2014
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Data Link Communications ProvidersSince the disappearance of Malaysia flight MH370, questions have been asked about the ability of radar to track aircraft worldwide. We know the technology exists, so how is it possible to ‘lose’ an aircraft to such an extent.

According to NZ Airways, who are responsible for the country’s 30 million square kilometres of airspace, a mere 60% of flights were tracked using satellite. Head of Auckland operations, Tim Boyle said, “It’s either radio or via what we call data link… through satellites.”
‘If data link updates were missed, and the aircraft remained out of radio contact, then Airways would have no way of knowing where the aircraft was’, he added.

The only route that has data link satellite mandates in place is within the North Atlantic route, according to Inmarsat senior vice-president of external affairs, Chris McLaughlin. It was an Inmarsat network that picked up data ‘handshakes’ from the missing Boeing 777 for up to five hours after it had left Malaysian airspace.

Black spots exist across the globe, for airlines that choose not to ‘opt into’ a contract for data-link systems. Neither Australia or New Zealand have any mandatory regulations to specify position reporting and it is thought that many aircraft are flying for long hours without reporting their positions.

 

Next-Gen Airport Processing Technology Launched by Amadeus

March 27, 2014
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Airport Processing Technology - In-Cloud SolutionsAmadeus, European technology firm, has revealed their latest airport platform, designed to focus upon next-gen passenger processing and integration for airport operations.

The common-use system will bring cost effective solution for airport management with an opportunity to lower operational expenses, improving flexibility with simplified messaging and passenger processing capabilities.

With the cloud-based software-as-a-solution (SaaS) system, airlines and ground based operations are able to share both space and resources without costly hosting, development or infrastructure expenses.

John Jarrell, head of airport IT for Amadeus said, “The airport industry has advanced tremendously from the days of dedicated airline check-in desks towards a much more flexible and shared environment.”