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Indian Government Try to Save Jobs in SpiceJet Rescue Plan

December 18, 2014
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Airline Messaging Consultancy ServicesThe Indian civil aviation ministry has said that it ‘may request banks to lend up to $94 million’ to the ailing airline, SpiceJet in loans to be guaranteed by Kalanithi Maran, the company chairman, in a bid to try to save jobs without directly placing a burden on the taxpayer.

Aviation consultancy firms can often help airlines to cut the cost of operational messaging and communications, but with 24% aviation fuel tax, the financial burden of flight operations can prove difficult.

With a lack of bankruptcy law, and to prevent the repeat of another Kingfisher Airlines failure, the government is also asking its debtors to give them more time to make payments such as airport fees and fuel costs.

SpiceJet made losses of $49 million in Q3 this year in spite of efforts to cut costs and with a net debt that is almost five times as large, the ailing company may find an investor unwilling to step in unless Mr Maran can put together a rescue plan and fast.

SpiceJet has been stopped from taking advance orders beyond 30 days by the airline regulators, but the government wants this to be removed to offer the airline another chance of climbing out of the financial hole that has been growing steadily larger over the course of the year. Crippling fuel taxes and economic pressure could put an end to the carrier, which would place the Indian aviation industry on very unsteady ground.

The government wants to do whatever it can to save the airline in an effort to protect the staff.

Strong Passenger Traffic Growth in 2014 Says ICAO Report

December 17, 2014
Business Aviation News
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The Latest Aviation Industry NewsAccording to a preliminary report from the ICAO, an estimated 3.2 billion passengers used air transport in 2014. This shows growth of approximately 5% on last year and demonstrates accuracy in the predictions for the industry as a whole.

Based on the current predictions, we can expect more than 6.4 billion by 2030 as we saw aircraft departures reach 33 million – a new record and beating 2013 figures by around a million flights.

The largest air travel market was the Asia-Pacific region, claiming more than 30% in terms of RPKs. Second was Europe, with a 27% share and third North America with 25%.

Showing the fastest growth, however, was the Middle East at a rate of 12.8%, while African growth was shown at a more modest 1.5%, but is expected to grow stronger this year, particularly in the business aviation sector.

New Self-Service Bag Drop & Security Systems for Gatwick Airport

December 14, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Providers of Baggage Handling Systems in AirportsA £1 billion investment plan has been announced for Gatwick Airport as it marks its five-year milestone of independent ownership.

The airport has seen improvements to its South Terminal and the next investment plans are for the North Terminal, where £36 million will be spent on a brand new check-in area, featuring what is hailed to be the world’s largest self-service bag drop zone. 60 bag drop units will be expected to virtually eliminate queueing and will free up valuable terminal space while helping airlines with cost-sharing opportunities in a multi-airline bag drop facility.

A new security area will benefit from £30 million and is expected to open in 2016. Gatwick anticipate that the streamlined process of passenger screening will enable them to handle 5,000 passengers per hour with new features such as reconfigured lanes and floor wayfinding; systems that have been rigorously tested during the ‘Generation 2’ trials.

Queues are also expected to be reduced by the introduction of 15 new e-gates, effectively speeding up the passenger processing system and greatly enhancing the experience for travellers.

Stewart Wingate, CEO at London Gatwick is delighted with the new plans and said, “It’s been an incredible five years and this is just the start. Gatwick is changing for the better and the fresh £1 billion investment is a clear signal that we intend to become London’s airport of choice.”

Self Check-In Kiosks Improve Queues at Kolkata Airport

December 13, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Baggage Handling Solutions ProvidersAs one in four passengers are making the most of the recently-installed self check-in kiosks at Kolkata Airport, queuing is expected to be cut in half according to airport staff.

The six kiosks were installed last month and already, the time savings are said to have been brought down by almost half an hour during peak times for frequent fliers, who can now issue their own boarding passes in under a minute.

Now that almost a quarter of all travellers through Kolkata are using the kiosks to such advantage, the airport are planning to introduce another four kiosks over the next few months to further streamline the check-in process.

Previously, the queues at Kolkata were described as serpentine, and many of the commuter passengers were struggling to meet the flights. One passenger, Rajesh Dwivedi, who takes weekly flights in and out of the airport spoke of his previous problems with the queues. “I was twice denied boarding as the system shut down 45 minutes prior to scheduled departure,” he said. “The kiosks have come as a boon. At have been using the facility at other major airports and am glad that it’s finally come to Kolkata.”

Self-service check-in is a system that is proving itself all over the world as passengers prefer to take greater control of their journey. The introduction of the multiple airline common-bag drop also gives airlines and airports increased flexibility and offers the opportunity for cost-sharing and space saving with a better utilisation of airport personnel, particularly at peak times.

Rockwell Collins’ New ARINCDirect Fully Integrated

December 13, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Rockwell Collins' ARINCDirect New Features with IntegrationFollowing the introduction of the new ARINCDirect portfolios for cabin services and flight support services at MEBA last month, it is clear that Rockwell Collins have fully integrated the business aviation arm of its empire.

Rockwell Collins’ Ascend Flight Information Solutions division has now been merged with the former ARINC Direct services to create the new Rockwell Collins’ ARINCDirect portfolio, which is a part of the Information Management Services division.

ARINC Direct has held firm the position within the business aviation community and now promises to deliver even greater use of the latest technological developments while holding true to the key ideology of their core business practices which has made them an industry leader over the past decade.

Rockwell Collins’ ARINCDirect highlighted four key technologies at MEBA this year:

  • Integrated weight-and-balance/performance calculations in the improved iPad application
  • A new fuel tankering feature
  • Integration with Rockwell Collins’ Flight Operations System (FOS) software
  • New passenger and flight crew connectivity solutions

Combining the proven flight planning tools and flight support services with Rockwell Collins’ own solutions, the integrated services are now designed to fit every segment of the industry, offering owners and operators flexibility with solutions that can be ‘scalable to fit the mission’ according to Brian Kruger, senior director of the ARINCDirect unit.

Aviation Biofuel from Tobacco Investigated by Boeing

December 11, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Eco-friendly Aviation Biofuel SolutionIn a fascinating development, Boeing have announced that they will be using South African farmed tobacco plants to make sustainable aviation biofuel in conjunction with South African Airways (SAA).

Project Solaris, named after the GMO-free tobacco plant, is a collaboration between the global aviation giant, SAA, SkyNRG and Sunchem SA in a joint effort to develop an aviation biofuel supply chain.

The first test crop is due to be harvested this month in Limpopo Province, where 50 hectares of Solaris plants have been planted. Once harvested, the oil from the seeds could become biofuel during the first quarter of 2015.

Ian Cruikshank, environmental affairs specialist from South African Airlines said, “SAA continues to work towards becoming the most environmentally sustainable airline in the world and is committed to a better way of conducting business”.

With a test flight planned as soon as practically possible, the airline have high hopes for the biofuel, whose future production is scaled at 400 million litres by 2023.

“The impact that the biofuel programme will have on South Africans is astounding: thousands of jobs, mostly in rural areas; new skills and technology; energy security and stability; and macro-economic benefits to South Africa; and, of course, a massive reduction in the amount of CO2 that is emitted into our atmosphere.”

In addition to these savings, the cost of operational productivity will be vastly improved for the SAA, who currently spend in the region of 40% on fuel.

Boeing International managing director for Africa, J Miguel Santos is clearly excited to see such early progress and said, “Boeing strongly believes that our aviation biofuel collaboration with South African Airways will benefit the environment and public health while providing new economic opportunities for South Africa’s small farmers. This project also positions our valued airline customer to gain a long-term, viable domestic fuel supply and improve South Africa’s national balance of payments”.

Aviation biofuel made from Solaris plants can massively impact carbon emissions, reducing them effectively by 50% to 75%. This ensures that the sustainable solution meets the threshold set by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB).

Advanced Border Control Improvements for Zurich Airport

December 10, 2014
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Other Advanced Border Management Systems ProvidersZurich Airport has made improvements to its border management system with the installation of a new biometric Advanced Border Control System from Secunet AG. The system upgrade has given Zurich Airport an almost automated process for checking passenger documentation and has also increased flexibility for the airport, almost completely replacing the previous infrastructure for border management.

The inclusion of a fingerprint reader ensures Swiss compliance with mandatory regulations (VIS II) and electronic passport readers have streamlined the passenger processing system for the inspection and checking of identification.

The new system offers airport police the opportunity to access real-time information as the Secunet technology serves as a central interface.

“Travellers and border control staff now have access to the most state-of-the-art border control system in Europe,” said Dr. Rainer Baumgart, chairman of the board at Secunet AG. “The highly modular Secunet biomiddle solution and the new user interface, developed in partnership with the Zurich Cantonal Police, have set new standards in border control technology.”

Airport workstations have been connected to Swiss Police databases as a major part of the infrastructure upgrade process.

As airport traffic increases exponentially each year by an average of 5%, the need for streamlined automated border control processes also increases if ground delays are to be minimised and operational productivity at a high level.

Automated border control technology providers are under increasing pressure to maintain high levels of security across borders all over the world.

$4m Investment in Bangladeshi Airports

December 10, 2014
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Leading Physical Airport Security ProvidersIn a project that is to start next year, Bangladesh will be investing $4m to improve security at four airports in a bid to bring a halt to smuggling.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has issued approval for the improvements at Hazrat Shahjahal International and Hazrat Shah Amanat International Airports for the installation of primary and secondary surveillance radar in addition to a state-of-the-art security system at Shahjahal.

The project, named Bangladesh Airports Safety & Security System Improvement, will also see enhanced vehicle parking control systems, pedestrian access control, additional CCTV and baggage X-ray scanners, specifically designed to halt the gold smuggling activities that were reported earlier this year.

During the meeting, the ECNEC stated that to develop the system infrastructure for the airports would cost an additional $5m to the original estimate of $2m.

$4m will be sponsored by Denmark, and it will be left to the Bangladeshi Government to raise the additional required funds.

Physical airport security is growing increasingly necessary at airports across the globe. With the threat of terrorist movements and smuggling, airport security providers are searching the very latest technological advancements to ensure national security in addition to the safety of passengers, aircraft and flight crew.

Rockwell Collins New Mobile Training Solution Gives Weather Data Access

December 2, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Flight Deck Aviation Weather Data Solutions Today, Rockwell Collins unveiled their latest program that will give pilots, flight line maintenance and service repair technicians access to training solutions on mobile devices.

Amongst the training applications, and one that will be demonstrated this week in Orlando at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, is the Rockwell Collins MultiScan ThreatTrackTM weather radar on a mobile tablet.

Also at the conference, Rockwell Collins will be introducing new capabilities that will allow subscription customers to view and download task-specific training and publications online.

LeAnn Ridgeway, vice-president and general manager of the Simulation and Training solutions for Rockwell Collins acknowledged that people use mobile devices for almost everything they do and said, “This new offering demonstrates our commitment to providing our customers with the right content in the right format, when and where they need it. Our new mobile training and publication offerings allow our customers to access, manage, and interact with information as they need it.”

Indira Ghandi International Airport Step Up Physical Security After Bomb Threat

November 30, 2014
Business Aviation News
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Physical Airport Security Solutions ProvidersLast month security concerns were raised after Indira Ghandi International Airport (IGI) received a bomb threat. Not unused to hoax messages, IGI have taken the threat seriously for many reasons, including the fact that this one arrived just three days after threats were made to bomb flights from Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kochi – all three airports were also put on high alert.

The ensuing review revealed areas of vulnerability at IGI, including parts of security fencing that are completely concealed with overgrown, dense foliage. These areas have already twice experienced security breaches in the past year.

Airport physical security has been stepped up, which involve vehicle checks and monitoring, additional personnel on-site and a review of the overgrown areas located behind airport buildings, including the offices of the Airports Authority of India, the Bureau of the Civil Aviation Authority and New Customs House – all of which could be potentially targeted.

All over the world, airports are realising an increasing need for airport physical security measures to be tightened and more securely monitored. The aviation industry as a whole relies upon physical security to ensure that passengers, aircraft and personnel are kept safe at all times, both on the ground and in the air.