05. February 2007
Bangalore gears up for carnival in the sky
Date: 05. Feb. 2007
Flaps and ailerons will replace bits and bytes in Bangalore when Aero India, the Bangalore air show begins on Wednesday. The who’s who of the global aerospace industry have already begun descending on the city for what promises to be the biggest aerospace exhibition ever in India.
With global media attention at the event, airlines, aircraft and equipment manufacturers as well as IT companies have lined up announcements worth millions of dollars on deals, mostly from deals that have been in the pipeline for some time.
No major defence contracts will be awarded though sources said HAL will announce collaborations with Russian aerospace companies on new programmes. On the commercial aviation front GoAir, Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan are expected to come up WITH some contracts in the aircraft, helicopter and aviation infrastructure space.
Like its larger global counterparts at Farnborough, Le Bourget and Dubai, Aero India, a biennial event, has evolved to be a meeting ground for buyers and sellers in defence and civil aviation in south Asia.
The show has a skew towards defence, which is visible from the array of uniforms in attendance at the event. Much of the jousting among the participants, will be directed towards the 126 aircraft multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) deal, for which the Indian Air Force is expected to announce requests for proposal later this year.
Boeing IDS (integrated defence systems), Lockheed Martin, Saab, the Russian MIG, and Eurofighter are among the top contenders for the order. Dozens of other companies supporting the fighters with avionics, radars and missile systems and other equipment will attend the show.
Networking is a high priority for most participants and most large companies have booked chalets for the more discrete meetings with the brass over wine and cheese.
The advantage of an air-show is that for a real touch and feel experience, potential customers can be taken for a spin in the aircraft. So while Boeing IDS has the F-18, the C-17 and the Chinook heavy lift helicopter that senior IAF officers can try out, rival US company Lockheed-Martin is bringing out the F-16 fighter and the C-130J.
Vendors who could not bring in aircraft, like the European fighter jet maker Eurofighter, will have cockpit demonstrators at their stands. IAF pilots can do virtual sorties with the planes on the simulators.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
Air India may fly budget carrier to Europe, US
Date: 05. Feb. 2007
With Malaysia-based Air Asia proposing to start a low-cost global airline, Air India may look at the long-haul budget carrier business following the success of its subsidiary, Air India Express, in the segment.“We are open to the idea of flying a low-cost airline to Europe and the US... who knows, it might catch on in future and we would like to gear up to meet such a demand,” Air India Chairman V Thulasidas said.
Air Asia, which offers fares equivalent to Rs 700 between two south-Asian destinations, proposes to offer flights to Europe from Asia for as low a price as $100, revolutionising long-haul travel. “Taking a cue from this, Air India is now mulling a budget airline to Europe and US,” he said, adding the national carrier now has low-cost flights to several destinations in the Middle-East from a number of cities in India.
Barring Dubai, where Air India operates both budget flights and regular ones, it does not operate regular flights to other destinations in Middle-East which have low-cost flights.“With Europe and US requiring at least 8-10 hours of air travel, Air India could consider even a budget, first-and- business-class travel in such long-haul sectors,” Thulasidas added.
Source:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
High-flyer Ratan Tata hits F-16 circuit
Date: 05. Feb. 2007
Aviation buff and Tata group chairman Ratan Tata will fly in an F-16 fighter jet at the Aero India show in Bangalore on Thursday. Mr Tata is among the few corporate chieftains in a list of primary defence and IAF officials, who will check out the multi-role fighter plane at the show.
The move to get Mr Tata to fly on the plane is being seen as a coup for the Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, especially after Mr Tata’s recent success with the Corus takeover.
The 69-year-old Mr Tata, a keen flier who pilots his own fleet of corporate jets that includes the Falcon 2000, has already undergone a fitness test for the flight, sources said.
Fighter aircraft fly at very high speeds compared to commercial jets and Mr Tata will be in the plane with a Lockheed test pilot. He will also undergo a ground briefing before going on the sortie in the aircraft that is in commission with about 25 air forces around the world, including the Pakistan Air Force.
Lockheed is keen to get a slice of the Indian market even as competition hots up for IAF’s order for 126 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) that is expected to be awarded by the year end. Apart from Lockheed, global defence giants like Boeing IDS (integrated defence systems), Saab, the Russian Mig group, Eurofighter and the French Rafale are also in the race.
Most manufacturers have promised lucrative offset deals with Indian companies in return for the contract. Lockheed Martin had a vendor conference in August in Bangalore, to establish links with Indian companies like HAL, TCS, Verdant and ITC Infotech.
The Tata group’s interests in the aviation industry go back more than half a century to JRD Tata, who was among the first commercial pilots in the country. India’s flag carrier Air India was a Tata group company that was eventually taken over by the government. “Flying is a passion with Ratan Tata, who had unsuccessfully tried to convert his hobby into a business by starting an airline with Singapore Airlines,” says an airline industry source. The Tata group has recently picked up a 7% stake in domestic low cost airline Spicejet through its investment arm.
However attention is now focused on the defence side of the business. It’s a little-known fact that UK company Corus is a large supplier of special steel used to build warships in Europe. Various Tata group companies in manufacturing and software production, are also keen to get into the business as vendors to large defence contractors.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
