As coronavirus lockdown's lift across the world, carriers, and airports are finally opening for passengers. Safety protocols for passengers are being rolled out. Watch report.

The new air travel post COVID-19: Airlines modify services

Visiting Thailand or Dubai was cheaper than flying to Goa or Kerala a few months ago. The ultra-low or the budget airfares resulted in&nbsp;a travel boom and it helped in turning the dreams of foreign holidays into reality for many.&nbsp;

From Mauritius to Malaysia, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/india-mulls-up-to-16-billion-rescue-plan-for-aviation-sector-after-coronavirus-287453">budget or low airfares</a> enticed many to explore the new holiday destinations with millions in India and overseas flying for the first time. But with the coronavirus pandemic striking travel and aviation world, the dreams of many for foreign holidays may be over for now or delayed indefinitely.&nbsp;

From low-cost pocket-friendly carriers to full-service airlines, no one in the aviation world was prepared for a global crisis of this scale. Coronavirus pandemic has broken the backbone of the aviation industry and with this, it may be a long-lasting goodbye to the popular super saver airfare schemes or pocket-friendly budget airfare schemes.

Analysts point out with the global travel and tourism industry taking <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/banking-systems-may-need-help-if-handicapped-by-disruption-from-coronavirus-lockdowns-imf-289804">a massive hit</a>, the aviation industry might be limited to the essential air or business and need-based travel for some time to come. The low-cost airfares are a result of competition among the airlines to fill seats fast. With many airlines ceasing to exist in future as a result of coronavirus pandemic, low competition can result in airlines resorting to collusion to charge high fares for high margins.&nbsp;

The low-cost airfares were also the result of budget travel that has also taken a massive hit with low-cost holiday destinations like Thailand and Dubai locking down the cities. Also, expensive loans taken for aircraft purchase or high lease costs of the planes won't allow many low-cost airlines to keep flying. Low-cost airlines that started in the US and Europe were quite popular among bag packers or budget holiday goers and the model has been replicated worldwide. But with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/how-badly-is-the-indian-e-commerce-sector-going-to-be-hit-by-the-coronavirus-pandemic-289640">coronavirus pandemic</a>, everything can change. Sydney-based CAPA Centre for Aviation estimates that many carriers might go bankrupt by the end of May 2020 itself. &nbsp;

A Bloomberg estimate says the airline that are in danger of going under are Pakistan International Airlines, Spicejet, Norwegian, American airlines, Skywest, Air Asia, Asiana Airlines, Virgin Australia, Korean Air, China Eastern, and China Southern airlines.&nbsp;

"In short to medium term, the demand for air travel will remain low. Many airlines will go out of business. But the remaining ones will be more sustainable in the long term as there will be a capacity rationalisation. Some fare models will have to be reworked", said a veteran of the aviation industry who has served at managerial positions in both low cost and full-service carriers.&nbsp;

Based on the assumption that the airlines are not grounded beyond April 15, when the current lockdown ends, estimates suggest the Indian airline industry including companies providing auxiliary services like airports and ground handlers could suffer losses ranging from 3.3 billion to 3.6 billion dollars in the first three months of fiscal 2021 ending in June.&nbsp;

But the situation can change if governments across the world go for massive bailouts for the aviation and tourism sector including one in India.

"Advance cheap airfares could still come even after the Covid-19 crisis is over. After all it is an easier way to raise cash much in advance and many airlines will be in dire need of cash going forward", said another aviation industry executive.&nbsp; 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Visiting Thailand or Dubai was cheaper than flying to Goa or Kerala a few months ago. The ultra-low or the budget airfares resulted in a travel boom and it helped in turning the dreams of foreign holidays into reality for many.

Visiting Thailand or Dubai was cheaper than flying to Goa or Kerala a few months ago. The ultra-low or the budget airfares resulted in a travel boom and it helped in turning the dreams of foreign holidays into reality for many. From Mauritius to Malaysia, the budget or low airfares enticed many to explore the new holiday destinations with millions in India and overseas flying for the first time. But with the coronavirus pandemic striking travel and aviation world, the dreams of many for foreign holidays may be over for now or delayed indefinitely. From low-cost pocket-friendly carriers to full-service airlines, no one in the aviation world was prepared for a global crisis of this scale. Coronavirus pandemic has broken the backbone of the aviation industry and with this, it may be a long-lasting goodbye to the popular super saver airfare schemes or pocket-friendly budget airfare schemes. Analysts point out with the global travel and tourism industry taking a massive hit, the aviation industry might be limited to the essential air or business and need-based travel for some time to come. The low-cost airfares are a result of competition among the airlines to fill seats fast. With many airlines ceasing to exist in future as a result of coronavirus pandemic, low competition can result in airlines resorting to collusion to charge high fares for high margins. The low-cost airfares were also the result of budget travel that has also taken a massive hit with low-cost holiday destinations like Thailand and Dubai locking down the cities. Also, expensive loans taken for aircraft purchase or high lease costs of the planes won't allow many low-cost airlines to keep flying. Low-cost airlines that started in the US and Europe were quite popular among bag packers or budget holiday goers and the model has been replicated worldwide. But with coronavirus pandemic, everything can change. Sydney-based CAPA Centre for Aviation estimates that many carriers might go bankrupt by the end of May 2020 itself. A Bloomberg estimate says the airline that are in danger of going under are Pakistan International Airlines, Spicejet, Norwegian, American airlines, Skywest, Air Asia, Asiana Airlines, Virgin Australia, Korean Air, China Eastern, and China Southern airlines. "In short to medium term, the demand for air travel will remain low. Many airlines will go out of business. But the remaining ones will be more sustainable in the long term as there will be a capacity rationalisation. Some fare models will have to be reworked", said a veteran of the aviation industry who has served at managerial positions in both low cost and full-service carriers. Based on the assumption that the airlines are not grounded beyond April 15, when the current lockdown ends, estimates suggest the Indian airline industry including companies providing auxiliary services like airports and ground handlers could suffer losses ranging from 3.3 billion to 3.6 billion dollars in the first three months of fiscal 2021 ending in June. But the situation can change if governments across the world go for massive bailouts for the aviation and tourism sector including one in India. "Advance cheap airfares could still come even after the Covid-19 crisis is over. After all it is an easier way to raise cash much in advance and many airlines will be in dire need of cash going forward", said another aviation industry executive. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Coronavirus impact on aviation industry: Low-cost airfare schemes could be halted for a long time

Travel restriction specially on airlines impact Aviation industry. So many international airlines companies may go bankrupt in the month of May.

Aviation Industry Hit By Coronavirus

It has been reported that the aviation industry has been hit hard by the outbreak of Coronavirus almost globally. Because it is the lowest demand since in the aviation industry since 2008.

Aviation industry hit hard by Coronavirus, demand at lowest since 2008

During a recent trip, as I was about to board my aircraft from Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport, I was surprised when a young girl scanning my boarding pass gave me an extra warm smile. She greeted me with an enthusiastic ‘Good Morning’. &nbsp;

She must have been in her early twenties, but her confidence and poise impressed me. Before I moved on, she told me that she had done her vocational course at an academy, after her graduation. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The warmth of her greetings remained with me on the flight. On my subsequent return, I made inquiries and learnt that she hailed from a small town in western Uttar Pradesh. &nbsp;

She had come to Delhi to pursue her graduation but soon realised that a plain Bachelor’s degree was not of much use to her in the job market. That’s when she took the decision to pursue a professional course alongside her graduation, and the outcome was there in front of me.&nbsp;

This young girl, in my mind, typifies the future of tourism, hospitality, and the aviation sector. Keeping in mind their contribution towards the overall experience of a journey, it is important that these three sectors are viewed holistically, whether while framing policies or while providing training to personnel engaged. &nbsp;

Since these are service-driven sectors, quality training assumes great importance. And as far as training is concerned, like for everything else, the quality of output is dependent on the quality of input and of processing. 
 
Both of these – quality of input, and quality of the training process – are amongst the largest challenges faced by the industry.

The quality of input is a challenge because jobs in the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors even at the entry level, require a degree of sophistication. &nbsp;

This includes good communication skills, emotional intelligence, decision making power, and above all, ability to work under pressure while continuing to smile. &nbsp;

Such skills are not formally taught in any school, college or training programme. So, while the focus of specialised training is on equipping potential and professionals with specific technical skills required for specific jobs, the possession of requisite soft skills are a matter of chance. People like the young girl I met possess them, or develop them instinctively. &nbsp; 
 
The skill gap in the sector is accentuated by several other factors. In order to leverage the massive potential that travel and tourism sectors offer in a culturally rich and diverse country like ours, we need the right talent at every level. &nbsp;

It is important to cast our net wider than just the metropolitan cities to recruit such talent at the entry level. This means being able to bring quality training to smaller cities and towns. &nbsp;

The government supported programmes like the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) are trying to do that, but for these to be more effective, the industry needs to get involved. The industry engagement is specifically useful in ensuring that the training curriculum is designed to meet the practical needs at the workplace.&nbsp;

Availability of suitable trainers is another area that requires committed efforts from the industry. Ideally, trainers need some practical experience of working in the industry and finding such people is always a challenge, especially in smaller cities and towns. &nbsp;

That’s understandable since they have better opportunities available elsewhere. The industry can step in to fill this gap by a two-fold approach. In the short term, they can depute some experienced employees as temporary trainers, as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. &nbsp;

This would be a win-win, as students will benefit from the practical experience of such guest trainers, while the industry will ultimately get better-trained talent. &nbsp;

In the long term, the industry can contribute by helping build capacity of local trainers and by giving them exposure to an actual working environment through short-term familiarisation programmes. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Growth is awaiting us. We have the potential, demand, and demographics. All the pieces for a massive boom in the sector are present, yet we need to find innovative ways to ensure they fit together to make it happen. 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-look-for-service-sector-professionals-in-india-s-tier-2-towns-2742274">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

During a recent trip, as I was about to board my aircraft from Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport, I was surprised when a young girl scanning my boarding pass gave me an extra warm smile.

During a recent trip, as I was about to board my aircraft from Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport, I was surprised when a young girl scanning my boarding pass gave me an extra warm smile. She greeted me with an enthusiastic ‘Good Morning’. She must have been in her early twenties, but her confidence and poise impressed me. Before I moved on, she told me that she had done her vocational course at an academy, after her graduation. The warmth of her greetings remained with me on the flight. On my subsequent return, I made inquiries and learnt that she hailed from a small town in western Uttar Pradesh. She had come to Delhi to pursue her graduation but soon realised that a plain Bachelor’s degree was not of much use to her in the job market. That’s when she took the decision to pursue a professional course alongside her graduation, and the outcome was there in front of me. This young girl, in my mind, typifies the future of tourism, hospitality, and the aviation sector. Keeping in mind their contribution towards the overall experience of a journey, it is important that these three sectors are viewed holistically, whether while framing policies or while providing training to personnel engaged. Since these are service-driven sectors, quality training assumes great importance. And as far as training is concerned, like for everything else, the quality of output is dependent on the quality of input and of processing. Both of these – quality of input, and quality of the training process – are amongst the largest challenges faced by the industry. The quality of input is a challenge because jobs in the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors even at the entry level, require a degree of sophistication. This includes good communication skills, emotional intelligence, decision making power, and above all, ability to work under pressure while continuing to smile. Such skills are not formally taught in any school, college or training programme. So, while the focus of specialised training is on equipping potential and professionals with specific technical skills required for specific jobs, the possession of requisite soft skills are a matter of chance. People like the young girl I met possess them, or develop them instinctively. The skill gap in the sector is accentuated by several other factors. In order to leverage the massive potential that travel and tourism sectors offer in a culturally rich and diverse country like ours, we need the right talent at every level. It is important to cast our net wider than just the metropolitan cities to recruit such talent at the entry level. This means being able to bring quality training to smaller cities and towns. The government supported programmes like the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) are trying to do that, but for these to be more effective, the industry needs to get involved. The industry engagement is specifically useful in ensuring that the training curriculum is designed to meet the practical needs at the workplace. Availability of suitable trainers is another area that requires committed efforts from the industry. Ideally, trainers need some practical experience of working in the industry and finding such people is always a challenge, especially in smaller cities and towns. That’s understandable since they have better opportunities available elsewhere. The industry can step in to fill this gap by a two-fold approach. In the short term, they can depute some experienced employees as temporary trainers, as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. This would be a win-win, as students will benefit from the practical experience of such guest trainers, while the industry will ultimately get better-trained talent. In the long term, the industry can contribute by helping build capacity of local trainers and by giving them exposure to an actual working environment through short-term familiarisation programmes. Growth is awaiting us. We have the potential, demand, and demographics. All the pieces for a massive boom in the sector are present, yet we need to find innovative ways to ensure they fit together to make it happen. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Jobs in travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors require a degree of sophistication

A major conundrum facing India’s aviation industry is the high growth rate of passenger traffic, both domestic and international.&nbsp;

CAPA, a highly regarded private consultancy, has predicted domestic traffic to grow at 14-16 per cent annually, while internationally, traffic is pegged to rise by 10-12 per cent from FY2020.&nbsp;

IATA has also predicted that India will be the third largest air passenger market by 2025.

While the top dozen airports make profits, the rest 100 odd are loss-making. Of these, half-a-dozen private airports also share their revenue with the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The rest are owned and managed by the AAI, which cross-subsidises the balance.&nbsp;

While the present double-digit growth in passenger traffic is likely to continue, massive investments in the airport and air traffic management are needed to overcome a deficient infrastructure.&nbsp;

Despite double-digit growth, profitability is declining. The original national carriers, Air India and Indian Airlines, were merged in July 2007 in a hair-brained scheme devised by the then minister.&nbsp;

The new entity has not managed to survive without the government’s life support. Since it’s fully owned by the government, no attempt has been made by the previous or the present government to revive it, as was done in the case of Satyam in 2009 or the Japan Airlines.&nbsp;

It’s painful to see that recently the government formed an SPV and transferred Rs 29,000 crore out of its Rs 55,000 crore debt, hiving off the profitable Air India Air Transport Services.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Air India is fast losing its market share and may soon become irrelevant. Justifying it as a cost-cutting measure, Air India has reduced its Global Distribution System (GDS) agents to one, Travelport, which is represented in India by owners of Indigo Airlines - a direct conflict of interest.&nbsp;

The result is that the catchment area of passengers for Air India has shrunk, resulting in the once-premier airline announcing the suspension of three flights from Delhi - to Madrid, Birmingham and to Birmingham via Amritsar, respectively.

As for Kingfisher, Vijay Mallya is fighting against extradition in London courts.&nbsp; 
 
Jet Airways, started and owned by the enigmatic Naresh Goyal as a first-class full-service airline since 1992, too is fighting for survival.&nbsp;

In 1997, the business model of airlines in India changed dramatically with the arrival of a low-cost carrier, Air Deccan. This and other airlines gave up on the glamour quotient, providing just point to point services, sans any frills and lower ticket prices.&nbsp;

With the Indian economy growing at 7 per cent plus, there was an air traffic boom. A lot of people who used trains switched to LCCs.&nbsp;

While growth in air traffic has been in double digits for the last ten years, the growth in railway traffic for two-tier coaches and above has been minimal.&nbsp;

Full-service airlines, Air India, Kingfisher and Jet Airways, began their low-cost subsidiaries. However, by not closing their full services, they suffered.

With the high growth of passenger traffic, airlines started ordering new aircraft. Indigo in 2005 astounded everyone by ordering 100 single-aisle Airbus A320-200 aircraft and followed this up in 2011 by ordering another 180 aircraft of the same type, placing yet another order for 250 Airbus A320-Neo in 2015.&nbsp;

Meanwhile in 2016, the government allowed 100 per cent foreign equity in airlines but kept a cap of up to 49 per cent equity for foreign airlines wanting to invest in Indian carriers, mindful of the international requirement that an airline must be majority-owned and effectively controlled by the nationals of their country.&nbsp;

As new aircraft started arriving to join the fleet, the need to fill them up meant that prices had to be kept low, given India’s price-sensitive market.&nbsp;

A new system of computerised ticket price management was introduced to fill up seats. However, as the seat capacity in India grew, the need to keep prices low to attract travellers became desperate.

To add to this, there were two more variables that mattered. The first were oil prices, which keep fluctuating. But in India, domestic oil prices are kept artificially high by oil companies and the government benefits when prices go up as their share of tax revenue also increases. Therefore, there is little reason for them to lower Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) rates.&nbsp;

The second factor are foreign exchange rates. As the rupee slides down, airlines have to pay more for ATF in Rupee terms, which reflect on their balance sheet.

The net outcome is that the airline industry in India lost S1.7 billion in FY2018 and may lose another $550-700 million in FY 2019.&nbsp;

As more aircraft join the fleet, these losses are likely to continue. As airlines go into losses, the banking sector comes into play. While private banks tend to shy away from such risky loans, it is the public sector banks, in particular, the State Bank of India, that gets hit. &nbsp;

Public sector banks are not only nudged to give loans, but when these loans become nonperforming, are nudged to convert them into equity at a high rate, thereby absorbing partially the losses of the airlines.

The government must now reduce the tax burden on airlines, both directly and through unnecessary taxes/charges of supply of ATF, which is both monopolistic and very high.&nbsp;

With such a high growth rate of traffic, it is unlikely that revenues will fall. To avoid becoming an oligopolist structure, indiscriminate ordering of aircraft should be examined by some competent authority like the Competition Commission.

DGCA is obligated under Aircraft Rules to look into ‘excessive and predatory’ pricing.&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-a-curious-case-of-plenty-2740001">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.) 
&nbsp;

A major conundrum facing India’s aviation industry is the high growth rate of passenger traffic, both domestic and international. CAPA, a highly regarded private consultancy, has predicted domestic traffic to grow at 14-16 per cent annually, while internationally, traffic is pegged to rise by 10-12 per cent from FY2020.

A major conundrum facing India’s aviation industry is the high growth rate of passenger traffic, both domestic and international. CAPA, a highly regarded private consultancy, has predicted domestic traffic to grow at 14-16 per cent annually, while internationally, traffic is pegged to rise by 10-12 per cent from FY2020. IATA has also predicted that India will be the third largest air passenger market by 2025. While the top dozen airports make profits, the rest 100 odd are loss-making. Of these, half-a-dozen private airports also share their revenue with the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The rest are owned and managed by the AAI, which cross-subsidises the balance. While the present double-digit growth in passenger traffic is likely to continue, massive investments in the airport and air traffic management are needed to overcome a deficient infrastructure. Despite double-digit growth, profitability is declining. The original national carriers, Air India and Indian Airlines, were merged in July 2007 in a hair-brained scheme devised by the then minister. The new entity has not managed to survive without the government’s life support. Since it’s fully owned by the government, no attempt has been made by the previous or the present government to revive it, as was done in the case of Satyam in 2009 or the Japan Airlines. It’s painful to see that recently the government formed an SPV and transferred Rs 29,000 crore out of its Rs 55,000 crore debt, hiving off the profitable Air India Air Transport Services. Meanwhile, Air India is fast losing its market share and may soon become irrelevant. Justifying it as a cost-cutting measure, Air India has reduced its Global Distribution System (GDS) agents to one, Travelport, which is represented in India by owners of Indigo Airlines - a direct conflict of interest. The result is that the catchment area of passengers for Air India has shrunk, resulting in the once-premier airline announcing the suspension of three flights from Delhi - to Madrid, Birmingham and to Birmingham via Amritsar, respectively. As for Kingfisher, Vijay Mallya is fighting against extradition in London courts. Jet Airways, started and owned by the enigmatic Naresh Goyal as a first-class full-service airline since 1992, too is fighting for survival. In 1997, the business model of airlines in India changed dramatically with the arrival of a low-cost carrier, Air Deccan. This and other airlines gave up on the glamour quotient, providing just point to point services, sans any frills and lower ticket prices. With the Indian economy growing at 7 per cent plus, there was an air traffic boom. A lot of people who used trains switched to LCCs. While growth in air traffic has been in double digits for the last ten years, the growth in railway traffic for two-tier coaches and above has been minimal. Full-service airlines, Air India, Kingfisher and Jet Airways, began their low-cost subsidiaries. However, by not closing their full services, they suffered. With the high growth of passenger traffic, airlines started ordering new aircraft. Indigo in 2005 astounded everyone by ordering 100 single-aisle Airbus A320-200 aircraft and followed this up in 2011 by ordering another 180 aircraft of the same type, placing yet another order for 250 Airbus A320-Neo in 2015. Meanwhile in 2016, the government allowed 100 per cent foreign equity in airlines but kept a cap of up to 49 per cent equity for foreign airlines wanting to invest in Indian carriers, mindful of the international requirement that an airline must be majority-owned and effectively controlled by the nationals of their country. As new aircraft started arriving to join the fleet, the need to fill them up meant that prices had to be kept low, given India’s price-sensitive market. A new system of computerised ticket price management was introduced to fill up seats. However, as the seat capacity in India grew, the need to keep prices low to attract travellers became desperate. To add to this, there were two more variables that mattered. The first were oil prices, which keep fluctuating. But in India, domestic oil prices are kept artificially high by oil companies and the government benefits when prices go up as their share of tax revenue also increases. Therefore, there is little reason for them to lower Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) rates. The second factor are foreign exchange rates. As the rupee slides down, airlines have to pay more for ATF in Rupee terms, which reflect on their balance sheet. The net outcome is that the airline industry in India lost S1.7 billion in FY2018 and may lose another $550-700 million in FY 2019. As more aircraft join the fleet, these losses are likely to continue. As airlines go into losses, the banking sector comes into play. While private banks tend to shy away from such risky loans, it is the public sector banks, in particular, the State Bank of India, that gets hit. Public sector banks are not only nudged to give loans, but when these loans become nonperforming, are nudged to convert them into equity at a high rate, thereby absorbing partially the losses of the airlines. The government must now reduce the tax burden on airlines, both directly and through unnecessary taxes/charges of supply of ATF, which is both monopolistic and very high. With such a high growth rate of traffic, it is unlikely that revenues will fall. To avoid becoming an oligopolist structure, indiscriminate ordering of aircraft should be examined by some competent authority like the Competition Commission. DGCA is obligated under Aircraft Rules to look into ‘excessive and predatory’ pricing. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Government must reduce the tax burden on airlines

Airlines world over make huge investments to hone the skills of pilots in their quest for the maintenance of high safety standards.

It is therefore incomprehensible that an astounding number of pilots of Indian carriers – 181 to be precise, as per statement made in Parliament, failed the mandatory breathalyser test prior to operating flights during the three year period 2015-18.

Pilots, in the course of their exhaustive training, are made to realise the significance of safety; that lives of hundreds of passengers depend on them, etc. Why do some of them then behave so immaturely and irresponsibly so as to fail the mandatory breathalyser test?&nbsp;

It’s a question that has defied a satisfactory response because the number of instances of pilots failing the test hasn’t shown any appreciable decline during the recent years and India’s track record continues to be more abysmal than most other countries.&nbsp;

Even if it is argued that while instances of pilots reporting in a drunken state year after year in absolute number may not have shown a decline, the reality of it going down as a percentage of flights operated cannot be overlooked. This is because the number of flights operated in these years has gone up significantly, as has the number of pilots in various airlines.&nbsp;

What is, however, perplexing is that even the tightening of action by the regulatory agency, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has apparently failed to make the pilots understand the gravity of their lackadaisical approach.&nbsp;

As per new regulations introduced by the DGCA in 2015, more as a consequence of India’s safety rating downgrade by the Federal Aviation Administration of USA in the previous year, to curb the menace, all flights are now mandatorily covered through pre-flight checks whereas earlier checks were conducted only at random.&nbsp;

The punishment too has been made more stringent. Suspension of flying licence for the first instance of violation and revocation of licence for three years for a repeat offence.&nbsp;

Considering that pilots earn between Rs 3-8 lakh a month depending on their seniority, suspension of flying licence does translate into a huge financial punitive loss for them, but it seemingly is still failing to act as a deterrent.

It is imperative to dispel the often-cited, hastily drawn, conclusion that had the pilots not been stopped from operating the flight on failing the breathalyser test it would have resulted in a tragedy.&nbsp;

The breathalyser tests are stringent as even negligible traces of alcohol in breath result in pilots being kept away from operating the flight. The pilot unions have always termed these standards as too stringent, but their reservation is only to be expected considering whose interests they seek to represent and protect.&nbsp;

Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules states “No person acting as, or carried in aircraft for the purpose of acting as pilot, commander, navigator, engineer, cabin crew or the other operating member of the crew thereof, shall have taken or used any alcoholic drink, sedative, narcotic, or stimulant drug preparation within 12 hours of the commencement of the flight...”

Pilots failing breathalyser test is also not a phenomenon restricted to India alone. Nineteen pilots of Japan Airlines since August 2018 have failed the breathalyser test forcing the airline to ban alcohol consumption 24 hours before a flight, instead of the earlier 12 hours.

Likewise, a Singapore Airlines pilot failed a random breathalyser test before captaining a transcontinental flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Wellington, New Zealand, three months ago. The flight had to be cancelled resulting in inconvenience to passengers because at foreign locations substitute pilots are not available.

DGCA may perhaps need to emulate the example of Japan Airlines because restrictions need to be guided by ground realities as they exist in India and not global benchmarks.

The argument that our current 12-hour ban is already higher than the eight-hour ban that exists for pilots in Europe and the USA can’t be held as merited because the problem needs to be curbed as the safety of passengers is paramount.

There are some who argue that the problem of pilots failing the breathalyser test is a consequence of stress caused by increasingly busy schedules as airlines expand operations, but it lacks credibility.&nbsp;

A more plausible reason could be our social environment where good-monied life means partying and partying can’t be without the liquor flowing freely. No one would grudge the pilots enjoying the way they would like to but it can’t be at the expense of the safety of passengers! 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-pilots-must-curb-tendency-to-turn-up-drunk-for-flights-2703194">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

Airlines world over make huge investments to hone the skills of pilots in their quest for the maintenance of high safety standards. It is therefore incomprehensible that an astounding number of pilots of Indian carriers – 181 to be precise, as per statement made in Parliament, failed the mandatory breathalyser test prior to operating flights during the three year period 2015-18.

Airlines world over make huge investments to hone the skills of pilots in their quest for the maintenance of high safety standards. It is therefore incomprehensible that an astounding number of pilots of Indian carriers – 181 to be precise, as per statement made in Parliament, failed the mandatory breathalyser test prior to operating flights during the three year period 2015-18. Pilots, in the course of their exhaustive training, are made to realise the significance of safety; that lives of hundreds of passengers depend on them, etc. Why do some of them then behave so immaturely and irresponsibly so as to fail the mandatory breathalyser test? It’s a question that has defied a satisfactory response because the number of instances of pilots failing the test hasn’t shown any appreciable decline during the recent years and India’s track record continues to be more abysmal than most other countries. Even if it is argued that while instances of pilots reporting in a drunken state year after year in absolute number may not have shown a decline, the reality of it going down as a percentage of flights operated cannot be overlooked. This is because the number of flights operated in these years has gone up significantly, as has the number of pilots in various airlines. What is, however, perplexing is that even the tightening of action by the regulatory agency, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has apparently failed to make the pilots understand the gravity of their lackadaisical approach. As per new regulations introduced by the DGCA in 2015, more as a consequence of India’s safety rating downgrade by the Federal Aviation Administration of USA in the previous year, to curb the menace, all flights are now mandatorily covered through pre-flight checks whereas earlier checks were conducted only at random. The punishment too has been made more stringent. Suspension of flying licence for the first instance of violation and revocation of licence for three years for a repeat offence. Considering that pilots earn between Rs 3-8 lakh a month depending on their seniority, suspension of flying licence does translate into a huge financial punitive loss for them, but it seemingly is still failing to act as a deterrent. It is imperative to dispel the often-cited, hastily drawn, conclusion that had the pilots not been stopped from operating the flight on failing the breathalyser test it would have resulted in a tragedy. The breathalyser tests are stringent as even negligible traces of alcohol in breath result in pilots being kept away from operating the flight. The pilot unions have always termed these standards as too stringent, but their reservation is only to be expected considering whose interests they seek to represent and protect. Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules states “No person acting as, or carried in aircraft for the purpose of acting as pilot, commander, navigator, engineer, cabin crew or the other operating member of the crew thereof, shall have taken or used any alcoholic drink, sedative, narcotic, or stimulant drug preparation within 12 hours of the commencement of the flight...” Pilots failing breathalyser test is also not a phenomenon restricted to India alone. Nineteen pilots of Japan Airlines since August 2018 have failed the breathalyser test forcing the airline to ban alcohol consumption 24 hours before a flight, instead of the earlier 12 hours. Likewise, a Singapore Airlines pilot failed a random breathalyser test before captaining a transcontinental flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Wellington, New Zealand, three months ago. The flight had to be cancelled resulting in inconvenience to passengers because at foreign locations substitute pilots are not available. DGCA may perhaps need to emulate the example of Japan Airlines because restrictions need to be guided by ground realities as they exist in India and not global benchmarks. The argument that our current 12-hour ban is already higher than the eight-hour ban that exists for pilots in Europe and the USA can’t be held as merited because the problem needs to be curbed as the safety of passengers is paramount. There are some who argue that the problem of pilots failing the breathalyser test is a consequence of stress caused by increasingly busy schedules as airlines expand operations, but it lacks credibility. A more plausible reason could be our social environment where good-monied life means partying and partying can’t be without the liquor flowing freely. No one would grudge the pilots enjoying the way they would like to but it can’t be at the expense of the safety of passengers! (This article was originally published on DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Pilots must curb tendency to turn up drunk for flights

Delhi High Court today directed national aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to make sure that no pilot flies for more than 125 hours in 30 consecutive days.&nbsp

The aviation watchdog added that "making pilots overwork is dangerous for the safety of passengers".

Last month, Delhi HC cracked its whip on the DGCA asking for an affidavit stating that the remaining fleet of A-320 neo planes were safe and airworthy.

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Delhi HC tells Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that no pilot should fly for a time of more than 125 hours in 30 consecutive days, adds that, 'making pilots overwork is dangerous for safety of passengers.'
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According to DGCA, IndiGo and GoAir together have a total of 45 A320 neo aircraft, of which 14 have been grounded till date due to engine trouble.

The direction from a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar came on a plea which has sought the grounding of all the A320 neos till the aviation regulator certified that they are safe to fly.

(With inputs from agencies)

Making pilots overwork is dangerous for the safety of passengers: Delhi High Court

Delhi High Court today directed national aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to make sure that no pilot flies for more than 125 hours in 30 consecutive days. The aviation watchdog added that "making pilots overwork is dangerous for the safety of passengers". Last month, Delhi HC cracked its whip on the DGCA asking for an affidavit stating that the remaining fleet of A-320 neo planes were safe and airworthy. Delhi HC tells Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that no pilot should fly for a time of more than 125 hours in 30 consecutive days, adds that, 'making pilots overwork is dangerous for safety of passengers.' — ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2018 × According to DGCA, IndiGo and GoAir together have a total of 45 A320 neo aircraft, of which 14 have been grounded till date due to engine trouble. The direction from a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar came on a plea which has sought the grounding of all the A320 neos till the aviation regulator certified that they are safe to fly. (With inputs from agencies)

No pilot should fly over 125 hours in 30 days: Delhi High Court tells DGCA

The United States might ban laptops from aircraft cabins on all flights in and out of the country as part of a ramped-up effort to protect against potential security threats, US&nbsp;Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said on Sunday.

In an interview on &quot;Fox News Sunday,&quot; Kelly said the United States planned to &quot;raise the bar&quot; on airline security, including tightening screening of carry-on items.

&quot;That&#39;s the thing that they are obsessed with, the terrorists, the idea of knocking down an airplane in flight, particularly if it&#39;s a US&nbsp;carrier, particularly if it&#39;s full of US&nbsp;people.&quot;

In March, the government imposed restrictions on large electronic devices in aircraft cabins on flights from 10 airports, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey.

Kelly said the move would be part of a broader airline security effort to combat what he called &quot;a real sophisticated threat.&quot; He said no decision had been made as to the timing of any ban.

&quot;We are still following the intelligence,&quot; he said, &quot;and are in the process of defining this, but we&#39;re going to raise the bar generally speaking for aviation much higher than it is now.&quot;

Airlines are concerned that a broad ban on laptops may erode customer demand. But none wants an incident aboard one of its airplanes.

&quot;Whatever comes out, we&#39;ll have to comply with,&quot; Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer of United Airlines, told the company&#39;s annual meeting last week.

Airlines were blindsided in January when President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning entry for 90 days to citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, sending airlines scrambling to determine who could board and who could not. The order was later blocked in the courts.

In the case of laptops, the administration is keeping the industry in the loop. Delta Air Lines said in a statement it &quot;continues to be in close contact with the US&nbsp;Department of Homeland Security,&quot; while Munoz applauded the administration for giving the company a &quot;heads up.&quot;

&quot;We&#39;ve had constant updates on the subject,&quot; he said. &quot;We know more than most. And again, if there&#39;s a credible threat out there, we need to make sure we take the appropriate measures.&quot;

More scrutiny of carry-ons

Among the enhanced security measures will likely be tighter screening of carry-on items to allow Transport Security Administration (TSA) agents to discern problematic items in tightly stuffed bags.

Kelly said that in order to avoid paying fees for checking bags, people were stuffing them to the point where it was difficult to see through the clutter.

&quot;The more stuff is in there, the less the TSA professionals that are looking at what&#39;s in those bags through the monitors can tell what&#39;s in them.&quot;

The TSA has begun testing certain new procedures at a limited number of airports, requiring people to remove additional items from carry-on bags for separate screenings.

Asked whether the government would expand such measures nationwide, Kelly said: &quot;We might, and likely will.&quot;

(Reuters)

The government had previously imposed restrictions on large electronic devices in aircraft cabins on flights from 10 airports

The United States might ban laptops from aircraft cabins on all flights in and out of the country as part of a ramped-up effort to protect against potential security threats, US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said on Sunday. In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Kelly said the United States planned to "raise the bar" on airline security, including tightening screening of carry-on items. "That's the thing that they are obsessed with, the terrorists, the idea of knocking down an airplane in flight, particularly if it's a US carrier, particularly if it's full of US people." In March, the government imposed restrictions on large electronic devices in aircraft cabins on flights from 10 airports, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey. Kelly said the move would be part of a broader airline security effort to combat what he called "a real sophisticated threat." He said no decision had been made as to the timing of any ban. "We are still following the intelligence," he said, "and are in the process of defining this, but we're going to raise the bar generally speaking for aviation much higher than it is now." Airlines are concerned that a broad ban on laptops may erode customer demand. But none wants an incident aboard one of its airplanes. "Whatever comes out, we'll have to comply with," Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer of United Airlines, told the company's annual meeting last week. Airlines were blindsided in January when President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning entry for 90 days to citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, sending airlines scrambling to determine who could board and who could not. The order was later blocked in the courts. In the case of laptops, the administration is keeping the industry in the loop. Delta Air Lines said in a statement it "continues to be in close contact with the US Department of Homeland Security," while Munoz applauded the administration for giving the company a "heads up." "We've had constant updates on the subject," he said. "We know more than most. And again, if there's a credible threat out there, we need to make sure we take the appropriate measures." More scrutiny of carry-ons Among the enhanced security measures will likely be tighter screening of carry-on items to allow Transport Security Administration (TSA) agents to discern problematic items in tightly stuffed bags. Kelly said that in order to avoid paying fees for checking bags, people were stuffing them to the point where it was difficult to see through the clutter. "The more stuff is in there, the less the TSA professionals that are looking at what's in those bags through the monitors can tell what's in them." The TSA has begun testing certain new procedures at a limited number of airports, requiring people to remove additional items from carry-on bags for separate screenings. Asked whether the government would expand such measures nationwide, Kelly said: "We might, and likely will." (Reuters)

US might ban laptops on all flights into and out of the country

NASA scientists have chosen five green technology concepts that have the potential to transform the aviation industry in the next decade by reducing aircraft fuel usage and emissions by 75 per cent. 
 
The concepts were selected under NASA&#39;s Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Programme in the US for a two-year study. 
 
The topics, including three specifically targeted at electrically-propelled aircrafts are the use of alternative fuel cells, three-dimensional (3D) printing to increase electric motor output, lithium-air batteries for energy storage, new mechanisms for changing the shape of an aircraft wing in flight and a lightweight material called aerogel in the design and development of aircraft antenna. 
 
These five concepts, in addition to three of the six selected last year, address NASA&#39;s green aviation initiatives to cut fuel use by half, lower harmful emissions by 75 per cent, and significantly reduce aircraft noise, scientists said. 
 
&quot;There definitely was an emphasis in our selections on bringing forward activities that addressed a NASA aeronautics goal to reduce the carbon footprint of aviation during the 21st century,&quot; said programme manager Doug Rohn. 
 
(PTI)

The scientists have chosen five green technology that were selected under NASA's 'Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Programme' in US

NASA scientists have chosen five green technology concepts that have the potential to transform the aviation industry in the next decade by reducing aircraft fuel usage and emissions by 75 per cent. The concepts were selected under NASA's Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Programme in the US for a two-year study. The topics, including three specifically targeted at electrically-propelled aircrafts are the use of alternative fuel cells, three-dimensional (3D) printing to increase electric motor output, lithium-air batteries for energy storage, new mechanisms for changing the shape of an aircraft wing in flight and a lightweight material called aerogel in the design and development of aircraft antenna. These five concepts, in addition to three of the six selected last year, address NASA's green aviation initiatives to cut fuel use by half, lower harmful emissions by 75 per cent, and significantly reduce aircraft noise, scientists said. "There definitely was an emphasis in our selections on bringing forward activities that addressed a NASA aeronautics goal to reduce the carbon footprint of aviation during the 21st century," said programme manager Doug Rohn. (PTI)

NASA aims to reduce aircraft fuel use, emissions by 75%

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