AERO MRO DIGEST

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2019

A UNITING FORCE FOR THE INDIAN MRO INDUSTRY

A QUARTERLY NEWS DIGEST FOR INDIAN MROs

Airbus Flapping Wings

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Interview with Mr. Pulak Sen

Founder Secretary General

MRO Association of India

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(8) Airbus & Safran team up for a greener vertical flight

(11) Airbus develops a Flapping wing-tips aircraft scale model

(1) Govt may remove landing charges at 15 defence airports

(1) Skytrax awards Best Airlines for 2019

(1) AIESL Hyderabad to upgrade operations

(2) Mitsubishi buys CRJ jet

(3) AAI to study future slot allotment at six major airports

(3) Airports dues to be cleared by ministry in 3 years

(5) States to identify land for second airport

(5) Boeing agrees to deficient communication

(7) Rolls-Royce-Aeroflot sets an Engine record

(9) RFID baggage tracking set for global deployment

(9) AAI spends Rs 4 crore to maintain non-operational air-

ports

(10) DIAL working with stakeholders to further improve ROT

(10) Rolls-Royce agreement with EASA for accelerated in-

spection

(12) Delhi may get second airport in Jewar, bids invited

(2) Saudi Arabia finalises on SITAONAIR’s ATC services

(3) Gulf Air to purchase $1 billion worth CFM Leap-1A en-

gines

(4) Pawan Hans signs MoU with Airbus

(5) Cyient signs MoU for Drone pilot training

(6) Embraer Launches Predictive Maintenance System IKON

(7) Russian Helicopters exhibits modernised light Ansat heli-

copter

(9) Eviation’s Alice – electric plane ready to target commut-

ers

(12) India's first 'Cold Spray' SMART lab launched

(13) Interview - Mr. Pulak Sen

(13) Top Management Appointments

COVER STORY

IN THE NEWS

BUSINESS DECLARATION

LATEST TRENDS

CONTENTS

Disclaimer : The views expressed in the articles are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the publisher or the

publishing house. Unless otherwise noted, the author writes in his/her personal capacity. They are not intended and should not be thought of, to

represent official ideas, or policies of any agency or institution mentioned thereof. The information in this newsletter is for information purposes

only. The articles may also be from a syndicated source, but are rewritten (retaining original facts, to the best of our knowledge) to meet the office

policies. MRO Association of India assumes and/or bears no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information, nor for

any actions taken in reliance thereon. The information contained about every individual, event or organization is known to have been provided by

such individual, event organizers or organization without verification by us. Sources of information may vary. Feedback is welcome.

SPECIAL REPORT

TOP MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENT

AERO MRO DIGEST

July 2019 Vol 3 Issue 3 A

Publisher : MRO Association of India

Office : MRO Association of India, 402, Wellington Business Park 2, Marol, Andheri East, Mumbai-400059 India.

Email: admin@mroassociation.in

Website : www.mroassociation.in

Govt may remove landing charges at 15 defence airports

With an intention to boost Regional Connectivity, govern-

ment may remove the 'landing charges' for aircraft having

less than 80 seats at 15 defence airports in the country. A

senior government official said, "An airline has requested

the Civil Aviation Ministry to waive the landing charges on 15

defence airports for aircraft that have less than 80 seats. It

has been decided that the Civil Aviation Secretary would for-

mally take up this matter with the Ministry of Defence

soon."

Another senior government official said, "The aircraft, which

have less than 80 seats, are helping in ensuring regional con-

nectivity from the cities where these 15 defence airports are

located. Therefore, the (civil aviation) ministry thinks that

landing charges should be waived by the Defence Ministry."

There has been no official communication between the

MoCA and MoD, but it is learnt that Ministry of Defence has

informally stated that this proposal of waiving landing charg-

es is feasible.

Defence airports across the country are controlled by the

Indian Air Force as it uses them as an air base. When a part

of such defence airports are classified as "civil enclave" and

handed over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), it is

used to start commercial flight operations. The AAI comes

under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and manages around 100

airports across the country.

Skytrax awards Best Airlines for 2019

For the 19th year Skytrax has held a

World Airline Awards ceremony, also

termed as the Oscars of the aviation in-

dustry, to name the best carriers of 2019.

The accolades were a result of 21.65 mil-

lion eligible survey entries which were

counted to choose the best from over

300 airlines.

The title of World’s Best Airline in 2019 went to Qatar Air-

ways, which has held this title four times previously. Also,

the carrier took the awards for the World’s Best Business

Class, the World’s Best Business Class Seat and the Best Air-

line in the Middle East.

Winner of 2018, Singapore Airlines, took the second place

this year and won a top accolade as the World’s Best Cabin

Crew. SA was also honoured with awards for the World’s

Best First Class, the Best Airline in Asia and the World’s Best

First-Class Seat.

Among the low-cost carriers, the crown of the best one went

to AirAsia. World’s Best Economy Class award was presented

to Japan Airlines. World’s Best Regional Airline was named

Bangkok Airways. Award for World’s Cleanest Aircraft Cabin

was given to EVA Air, while World’s Most Improved Airline

was voted Philippine Airlines

AIESL Hyderabad to upgrade operations

Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), Hyderabad,

one of the engineering services subsidiaries of the national

carrier, plans to expand its operations to serve a wider range

of aircraft while working towards EASA 145 certification. The

MRO has approached ATR to set up a servicing facility and

Indigo, which has a big base here, to offer services. with ATR

to set up a servicing facility and Indigo, which has a big base

here, to offer services. While the government and Air India

are seeking to divest stake across various businesses, the

MRO is continuing to explore expansion of business.

G Soloman Jayabalan, General Manager (Engineering) and

Station Head, Hyderabad, said, “The MRO has capacity to

handle ATR-72 and A320 aircraft. We plan to capitalise on

this capability and expand the services both for AI and non-

AI business.”

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NS Chakravarthy, DGM of MRO said, “Indigo has a sizeable

fleet in Hyderabad, where it has a hub. Our marketing de-

partment is engaged in talks to offer services and efforts are

on to add other airliners. Apart from component servicing,

which is as big as maintenance of aircraft, re-certification will

be new area of focus once we get EASA certification.”

Saudi Arabia finalises on SITAONAIR’s ATC services

Saudi Air Navigation Services (SANS) has SITAONAIR to ele-

vate the Kingdom’s air traffic management capabilities,

through to 2025. It is learnt that SITAONAIR will deliver its

country-wide, VHF and Digital Automatic Terminal Infor-

mation Service (D-ATIS) solutions for Saudi Air Navigation

Services (SANS). This will serve to be benefitting for all air-

lines flying in Saudi Arabia. Further SITAONAIR will establish

additional VHF stations providing coverage in new locations,

which includes the Empty Quarter desert. It will also further

optimise datalink coverage and services by upgrading both

existing stations and SITAONAIR’s AIRCOMcats D-ATIS gate-

way server to better serve airports and airspace users. The

project will specifically aim to ensure coverage in the south-

east and northwest of Saudi Arabia for enroute traffic, in-

creasing the availability of VHF/VDL networks at all main air-

ports in the Kingdom and beyond.

Ryyan Tarabzoni, SANS CEO said: “Safety is one of the fore-

most and primary factors at the heart of our operations, and

in order to ensure that we operate at the highest safety

standards we always strive to implement the best global

safety practices and latest technologies. SANS selects various

industry leaders – in this case SITAONAIR, who will be

providing enhanced datalink communications to support

increasing air traffic in Saudi skies and enhance communica-

tions between air traffic controllers and pilots. We look for-

ward to seeing this project develop and cementing our place

as a regional ANSP leader.”

Stephan Egli, Commercial regional VP Middle-East, Africa &

Europe, SITAONAIR said: “We’re exceptionally proud to be

Saudi Air Navigation Services' official partner in enhancing

air traffic services in the kingdom for the entire air transport

community. This official seal to our partnership demon-

strates our mutual commitment to providing best-in-class

solutions to SANS and their airline customers.”

Mitsubishi buys CRJ jet

On 25th June 2019, Japan’s Mitsubishi agreed to buy Bom-

bardier’s loss-making regional jet program. The company

plans to utilise the Canadian company’s support network

and global customer list to revive its delayed efforts to con-

quer the jet market. In an attempt to return to the aircraft

market after 50 years, Mitsubishi faced obstacles, as the

Mitsubishi Regional Jet hit seven years of delay. But Bom-

bardier’s withdrawal from the cut-throat commercial aero-

space sector gives Japan a second chance.

The deal comes days after Mitsubishi announced a rede-

signed 65-88-seat regional jet at the Paris Airshow and gave

the MRJ a facelift and new brand: Spacejet, promoting high

cabins which it says will allow passengers to store rollerbags

in overhead bins.

Alex Bellamy, Chief Development Officer, Mitsubishi Aircraft

said, “One of the strongest barriers to entry is the ability to

build the relationships with customers and the support net-

work to keep those relationships moving. We know that

(manufacturers) succeed or fail based on the support they

give the product.” This is especially true in regional markets

which rely on utilising assets to its fullest, with planes flying

up to 10 times a day.

Presently Bombardier has completed its exit by selling its

mature CRJ regional jet program to Mitsubishi, whose own

new development is billions of dollars over budget. Owing to

the financial stability of Mitsubishi, the Japanese company

plans to establish itself in the Regional Jet market.

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AAI to study future slot allotment at six major airports

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has initiated a year-long

study to analyse air traffic, slot distribution and infrastruc-

ture at six major airports - Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi,

Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The study is performed to

gain insight for improving the mechanism of slot allotment.

The AAI owns and manages more than 100 airports across

the country. "After one year, the results of this year-long

study will be presented back to the DGCA and the ministry

to take a call on how to improve slot allotment in the next

year. We will take help of the central ATFM (Air Traffic Flow

Management) in this year-long study," a senior AAI official

informed PTI.

When Jet Airways temporarily shut down its operations in

April 2019, other carriers tried their best to grapple the slots

which were vacant post the airline shutdown. The slots at

congested airports of Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai were in

much demand. The fight for slots had erupted as there is no

written mechanism in India to allocate slots if an airline, in

this case it was Jet Airways, temporarily shuts down its oper-

ations.

Another senior AAI official told the PTI, "Six major airports;

Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai;

have been identified where the analysis needs to take place.

This exercise has been started in the month of May this year,

and it will continue till March 2020. We have been asked to

study all aspects - air traffic, slot availability and its allot-

ment, infrastructure availability and its future requirement,

etc. - so that slot distribution mechanism can improve from

next year onward."

The official further informed that the AAI is doing one year

of analysis as the flight schedule changes every six months.

This happens due to summer season and winter season. The

wind keeps changing weather-wise. Hence the airlines also

seek for different slots during the two seasons.

Gulf Air to purchase $1 billion worth CFM Leap-1A engines

To power the Gulf Air’s fleet of Airbus A320neo family, the

airline has finalized the purchased of 65 LEAP-1A engines.

The agreement, which includes engines for 17 A320neo and

12 A321neo, is valued at approximately $1 billion U.S. at list

price. CFM has had Gulf Air as a customer since 1992. The

airline presently operates a fleet of 16 Airbus A320ceo air-

craft powered by CFM56-5B engines. With its new LEAP 1A-

powered A320neo fleet, Gulf Air will strengthen its footprint

in the Middle East with new routes, while enhancing its ser-

vices for customers.

Krešimir Kučko, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air. “We are

delighted to expand our long-term relationship with CFM

International. We have been operating CFM engines for

three decades, and we are excited to introduce the LEAP

engine into our new fleet of A320neo family aircraft. This

state-of-the art combo will be definitely a key asset of our

sustainable growth in the near future”

Olivier Andriès, President of CFM parent company Safran

Aircraft Engines, said “It is an honour to celebrate this agree-

ment which reflects Gulf Air’s confidence in the CFM prod-

ucts. We are committed to further develop this great collab-

oration while providing Gulf Air with the proven efficiency

and reliability that are the trademark of the CFM LEAP en-

gines.”

Airports dues to be cleared by ministry

in 3 years

A collective decision by Amit Shah-led home ministry and

Hardeep Singh Puri-led aviation ministry, was taken to clear

the Rs. 2100 crore dues owed by various airports towards

the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The PM office

intervened this issue when, in July last year, there was a

forewarning to pull out CISF force from airports if the dues

were not cleared. The issue of dues owed to CISF by both

private airports and those operated by AAI had been a

matter of concern with the Home ministry.

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A senior aviation ministry official said, “Dues will be cleared

with increased Passenger Services Fee (PSF) that we have

announced to hike. We have calculated the increase in a

manner that dues will be fully cleared in three years starting

July this year.” The govt. has addressed the long-pending

demand to hike the PSF as cost of security was not being

met through existing charges, officials said. “One of the big

concerns the home ministry had was that airport operators

were not utilising the collected fee judiciously, leading to

deficit in collection and utilisation. Hence, it has now been

decided the aviation ministry will get collections from PSF.”

Previously, each airport used to collect the PSF respectively.

Now, it will be deposited in an escrow account that the civil

aviation ministry will have with the Airports Authority of In-

dia (AAI), to be managed by a trust with AAI as its trustee.

Under the new arrangement, the government has also de-

cided to waive off the penal interest charged on the dues.

“With the waiver of penal interest, the total dues have gone

down by about Rs 400 crore,” the official said.

Pawan Hans signs MoU with Airbus

Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) plans to two new categories of helicop-

ters over five years, in its fleet. For this PHL has signed an MoU

with Airbus Helicopters to collaborate on the future introduction

of two new categories of helicopters; the H145 and H225. The

MoU also includes maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of its

existing AS365N Dauphin helicopters. Both parties are in duscus-

sion about the number of new helicopters and the estimated cost.

As per the MoU, Airbus Helicopters will support PHL in growing its

onshore, offshore and inland travel markets by introducing best-in-

class H145 and H225 rotorcrafts into its fleet. Airbus will also pro-

vide predictive and scheduled MRO services for the AS365N Dau-

phin helicopters. It also covers customised training and an on-site

Safety Management System (SMS) for PHL pilots.

PHL is Airbus Dauphin helicopters’ largest customer in the world. It

currently has 37 helicopters deployed for offshore oil and gas op-

erations, VIP transportation and other utility operations.

A statement issued by Airbus Helicopter said, the H145 and H225

are multi-role helicopters. The 11-tonne twin-engine H225 helicop-

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July 2019 Vol 3 Issue 3

ter can also be used for long-distance offshore operations,

such as PHL’s inter-island operations around the Andaman &

Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands.

States to identify land for second airport

Acting in the lines of the infrastructure-development fo-

cussed PM Naredra Modi's government, the Airports Author-

ity of India (AAI) has asked state governments to identify

sites for second airports in relatively smaller cities also. In

terms of doing so, the states have been requested to impose

height restrictions in such cities, to ensure no structures are

built beyond the permissible height in area around airports

and which could impede work on secondary airports in these

relatively smaller cities, when it starts.

AAI chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said, “Not just metros

require secondary airports, even relatively smaller cities now

need the same. While work has already started in some plac-

es like Delhi, Mumbai and Goa, there is a need to for the

same in other many other cities. State governments are be-

ing requested to identify suitable size land for the secondary

airports and notify height restrictions in those places. This

will enable work to start there at a later date without any

hinderance (of pre-existing tall structures).”

A majority of Indian airports are handling passenger way

beyond the built capacity of terminals. Few cities whose pas-

senger capacity demands a secondary airport are Visakha-

patnam, Jaipur, Pune, Ahmadabad, Rajkot, Patna, Kolkata,

Chennai and Bangalore. Airports in places like Patna and Gu-

wahati are highly constrained and metros like Delhi, Mumbai

and Bangalore had no free slots till the Jet crisis erupted ear-

lier this year.

We are soon going to start work at Dholera as second airport

for Ahmedabad. Bhubaneswar will also get the same. Tamil

Nadu government is trying to finalise site for Chennai’s sec-

ond airport,” Mohapatra said.

Boeing agrees to deficient communica-tion

Post two fatal crashes, Boeing on Sunday admitted that the

company should have been transparent about communi-

cating issues with the 737 Max. Boeing spokesman Gordon

Johndroe said, "We clearly fell short in the implementation

of the AOA disagree alert and we clearly should have com-

municated better with our regulators and the airlines," as

quoted by The Hill.

The 737 Max was first introduced in May 2017. Its design

was said to be a newer, better version of Boeing's 737. To

make the plane more fuel-efficient, Boeing had included new

engines that had to be positioned differently on the jet's

wings. It also added a new flight control system called the

Maneuvering Characteristic Augmentation System (MCAS) to

adjust the direction of the plane's nose in certain situations.

Problems arose when MCAS relied on faulty data from the

plane's external sensors, pushing the plane's nose down-

ward.

The model 737 MAX came under scrutiny following two

deadly plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia within six

months that claimed the lives of more than 346 people. In-

vestigations are ongoing into both the incidents.

Cyient signs MoU for Drone pilot training

Cyient has signed a tripartite MoU with the Govt of Telanga-

na and Telangana State Aviation Academy (TSAA) to estab-

lish and conduct Remote Pilot (Drone Pilot) Training and Cer-

tification Programs. As per the MoU, Cyient will provide the

training tools and TSAA to provide the training services and

infrastructure requisite for conducting the programme. The

curriculum for the training will be developed as per DGCA

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curriculum guidelines. This is the first of its kind initiative in

Telangana, aimed at developing a pool of skilled drone pilots

that are equipped to meet the industry needs.

Cyient and TSAA will work towards setting up a drone pilot

training infrastructure at TSAA. The facility will include a va-

riety of rotatory and fixed wing drones along with simulators

to train pilots. While both the organizations will work on cre-

ating customized courses suited to various industries, the

current course will be a 5-day training program that will be a

combination of theory, realistic simulations and actual drone

flying exercise. The participants will be awarded a DGCA au-

thorized Remote Pilot License/Certification upon successful

clearance of test at the end of the course.

Considering Cyient's expertise in the area of UAV technolo-

gy, it has been entrusted to work closely with TSAA for de-

signing the training modules, test modules, content and syl-

labus for the course in compliance with the DGCA regula-

tions. Cyient will also assist TSAA in conducting the courses

and imparting the training.

Embraer Launches Predictive Mainte-nance System IKON

On 19th June 2019, during the 53rd International Paris Air

Show, Embraer announced the launch of IKON, a cloud sys-

tem for capturing, storing and analyzing high volume data

for the predictive maintenance of the E-Jets family. The new

system is totally based on the Amazon Web Services (AWS)

platform and was developed by Embraer, with the support

of the suppliers AWS ProServe and Claranet, using Big Data

and Analytics technologies. The system is anticipated to de-

liver 96% productivity gains in the aircraft analysis and data

processing, setting new standards in aeronautical services

and support.

Offering a high degree of scalability, elasticity, durability and

analysis, the system delivers efficient management of data

processing and storage capacity, making possible for Em-

braer to optimize the data ingestion time of the E-Jets E2.

Using AWS’s set of analytics services, this new technology

identifies data patterns, and is even able to pinpoint and

solve potential aircraft issues before they occur. This ability

to perform predictive maintenance will help deliver new fea-

ture enhancements to the E2 and accelerate the delivery of

improvements to previous models.

Additionally, the system is a step forward in the process of

aeronautical industry digitalization. Today, Embraer's second

-generation of commercial aircraft produces about 100GB of

directly accessible information per year. With IKON's expe-

dited routing and analysis system, this high volume of data

can be transmitted for rapid action. The automatic data col-

lection has reduced from 12 days to an immediate process,

guaranteeing data is ready to be analyzed 5 minutes after its

generation in the aircraft.

The high volume of data and the demand for faster and

more accurate decisions require technologies to capture,

store and connect information across a network. At the time

the plane lands, this data is automatically transferred to

IKON via a module installed on the aircraft, called Wireless

Server Unit (WSU). To ensure that the information is re-

ceived with assertiveness and agility, Embraer Ground Serv-

er (EGS) uses AWS to automatically connect to the aircraft

and handle flight data downloads. After landing, the trans-

mission to the platform is completed in about five minutes.

Next, it is transferred to the IKON data lake, allowing engi-

neers to analyze this information efficiently.

AWS is the provider of the entire cloud infrastructure, which

offers security, agility, high processing power, analytical

tools and cost management – a pay-per-use service, mean-

ing that users only pay for what they use. The AWS ProServe

team, the company's professional services division, joined

forces with Claranet on the design and implementation of

the IKON project and worked to ensure the quality and best

practices of data analysis, providing state-of-the-art architec-

ture in terms of efficiency, data quality and scalability.

“Embraer constantly invests in new technologies. We see

IKON as a totally agnostic tool that opens new horizons to

deal with data and an evolution that recognizes possibilities

AERO MRO DIGEST

6 July 2019 Vol 3 Issue 3

for improvements, making us able to function as an aircraft

health monitoring provider. Predictive maintenance trans-

lates into increased efficiency with reduced costs, higher

aircraft competitiveness and availability,” says Johann Bor-

dais, President and CEO of Embraer Services & Support.

Russian Helicopters exhibits modernised light Ansat helicopter

Russian Helicopters displayed a concept of the modernised

light Ansat helicopter at the International Paris Air Show

2019. The machine has new design solutions and options

which will be introduced into serial production in the coming

years. Ansat demonstrated in Le Bourget is equipped with a

"glass cabin" – new avionics which ensure flights in accord-

ance with instrument flight rules. The helicopter also has a

weather radar, enhanced ground proximity warning module,

wreck-resistant fuel system, LED lighting tools, and a wire

cutter for wire strike protection. It has modified tail boom

fins from composite materials and heated bird strike re-

sistant glass.

It is planned that the Ansat fuselage will be partly made

from composite materials which will help to reduce helicop-

ter's weight and operation costs. The number of passengers

will increase up to 8 persons, the range will expand by 30%.

The helicopter can be operated in a temperature range be-

tween -45 and +50 degrees of Celsius.

Alexey Garipov, Chief Designer of Kazan Helicopters Design

Office said, "Today, Ansat has already started entering the

international market. But we understand that the further

development and commercial success require compliance

with the highest civil aviation standards. That's why, in Le

Bourget, we present our solutions that will make Ansat even

safer, more effective and technological. We will be ready to

offer some of these solutions to our customers in 2020."

Rolls-Royce-Aeroflot sets an Engine rec-ord

Setting the record for an in-service engine, one of Rolls-

Royce’s Trent 700 engines has completed more than 50,000

engine flying hours without requiring an overhaul. This feat

was achieved on an Airbus A330 aircraft operated by flag

carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, Aero-

flot. This is considered to be a world record for a widebody

engine.

The Trent 700 engine developed by Rolls-Royce, was first

inducted in service in 2008, and post completing a magnifi-

cent flying of 50000 hours, the engine still runs strong. The

feat holds to be an equivalent of - travelling around the

world more than 1,000 times or the engine running non-stop

for more than five years or even travelling to the moon and

back 50 times!

Andrey Panov, Aeroflot, Deputy CEO for Strategy and Mar-

keting, said: “We are very pleased with the reliability of the

Trent 700 overall and this engine in particular. We’ve

worked closely with Rolls-Royce to continually monitor the

engine to make sure it has been in good condition and it has

provided an outstanding level of reliability for us.” Dominic

Horwood, Rolls-Royce, Chief Customer Officer – Civil Aero-

space, said: “It is great to have Aeroflot with us at Paris Air

Show to mark this achievement. This is the Power of Trent in

action, and this milestone is a testament to the performance

of both this Trent engine and the whole fleet. We look for-

ward to continuing to support this engine as it continues in

service.”

The Trent 700 is part of a Trent engine family of seven vari-

ants that has now completed more than 125 million engine

flying hours. The Trent 700 family powers the Airbus A330.

The very first engine, a Trent 700, went into service in March

1995, inducted by Cathay Pacific. The latest version, the

Trent 7000, entered service in November 2018.

AERO MRO DIGEST

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Airbus & Safran team up for a greener vertical flight

Airbus Helicopters, the world’s largest civil helicopter manu-

facturer, and Safran Helicopter Engines, the global leader in

helicopter turbines, are teaming up to prepare the future of

cleaner, quieter and more efficient vertical flight. The two

companies signed a letter of intent during the Paris Air Show

to jointly investigate a variety of technologies including elec-

trification, higher-efficiency gas turbines, alternative fuels,

and advanced engine architectures that reduce the acoustic

footprint of turbines. The joint effort is in advance of the

launch of the Horizon Europe research programme, which

will take place over the next decade.

Airbus Helicopters and Safran Helicopter Engines have

worked for years on the development of advanced propul-

sion solutions, including most recently an innovative electri-

cally-powered “eco mode” enabling the pausing and re-

starting of a gas turbine in flight on twin-engine helicopters.

This technology, which will generate fuel savings and in-

crease range, will be tested on the Racer high speed demon-

strator, developed in the frame of the Clean Sky 2 European

research program.

Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO said, "We are on the

verge of a green revolution in our industry, and as the

world’s largest civil helicopter manufacturer I believe it is

our responsibility to advance technologies and solutions that

will continue to make vertical flight the best choice to con-

nect cities and carry passengers safely in urban environ-

ments. This future cooperation with Safran Helicopter En-

gines will ensure that we are in the best position to leverage

and mature new propulsion methods that will support the

development of cleaner and quieter helicopter platforms.

The Horizon Europe program is the ideal solution to pull

skills and know-how from across Europe, and I strongly be-

lieve in its ability to drive long-lasting change in our indus-

try."

Franck Saudo, Safran Helicopter Engines CEO, said: “This fu-

ture cooperation with Airbus in the frame of the Horizon

Europe program is a great opportunity to prepare propulsion

systems for future helicopters. Today, Safran is the most ca-

pable provider of integrated and efficient propulsive sys-

tems, with the widest gas turbine power range and a com-

plete range of electric systems for hybrid electric propulsive

solutions, in addition to strong testing, qualification and certifi-

cation expertise. We are very pleased to partner with Airbus Heli-

copters in this journey for a lower environmental footprint of air

transport.”

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8 July 2019 Vol 3 Issue 3

Eviation’s Alice – Electric plane ready to target commuters

Israel-based Eviation Aircraft has debuted its 9-seater all-

electric plane, Alice, at the Paris Airshow. It has a range of

650 miles and a cruising speed of 260 knots. Alice is devel-

oped with an objective to target commuters on high-traffic

routes such as Paris to Toulouse in France, Oslo to Trond-

heim in Norway, or San José to San Diego in the U.S. The im-

pact of air travel on the environment has become a key fo-

cus of environmentalists and hence airlines have long been

looking at ways to address emissions and their costs through

new designs and cleaner technologies. Eviation's Alice is said

to be product of radical rethinking of the cost, experience

and environmental impact of regional travel.

In May 2019, it was announced that Alice will be powered by

the magniX magni250 propulsion system and the timeline

for the aircraft will see fligt certification in 2021, with its en-

try into operation in 2022. Omer Bar-Yohay, Eviation CEO

said, “Operating at a fraction of the costs of conventional

jetliners, our Alice will redefine how people travel regionally

and usher in a new era of flying that is quieter, cleaner and

cost effective.”

Eviation already has its first customer, Cape Air, one of the

largest independent regional airlines in the United States,

serving 35 cities there and in the Caribbean. It was recently

revealed that Cape Air has a “double-digit” purchase option

for Alice. Dan Wolf, Cape Air founder and CEO said, “We see

tremendous opportunities to reduce the environmental im-

pact of our operations.”

RFID baggage tracking set for global de-ployment

During the 75th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Inter-

national Air Transport Association (IATA), a unanimous reso-

lution was passed in order to support the global deployment

of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for baggage track-

ing. The AGM also called for the implementation of modern

baggage messaging standards to more accurately track pas-

sengers’ baggage in real time across key points in the jour-

ney.

The RFID tags read rates are 99.98% accurate which is signifi-

cantly better than that of bar codes. Additionally, the mod-

ern messaging standards will enable airlines to proactively

take action when there is potential for mishandling baggage.

Combined, RFID and modern messaging standards, should

reduce the mishandling rate by 25%.

Year 2018 saw mishandling of less than 0.06% of the esti-

mated 4.3 billion bags carried by airlines, as per the latest

figures from SITA. Since 2007 baggage mishandling has fallen

by 70% and today 99.9% of mishandled bags are reunited

with their owners within two days.

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's Director General and CEO said,

“Passengers want to arrive with their bags. And on the rare

occasion when that does not happen, they want to know

exactly where their bag is. Deploying RFID and adopting

modern baggage messaging standards will help us to cut

mishandlings by a quarter and recover bags that are mishan-

dled more quickly.”

AAI spends Rs.4 crores to maintain non-operational airports

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) owns and manages

around 100 operational airports across the country. Howev-

er, it also has 26 non-operational airports with it that have

no flight operations currently. In 2018-19, the Airport Au-

thority of India (AAI) spent Rs 4 crore to maintain its 26 non-

operational airports, according to an official document. It

also stated that in 2017-18, the AAI had spent Rs 2.66 crore

to maintain these 26 airports.

The 26 airports as identified are, Donakonda in Andhra Pra-

desh; Daparizo in Arunachal Pradesh; Rupsi and Shella in

Assam; Jogbani, Muzaffarpur and Raxaul in Bihar; Deesa in

Gujarat; Chakulia and Deogarh in Jharkhand; Panna, Satna

and Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh. Aizwal in Mizoram; Na-

dirgul and Warangal in Telangana; Vellore and Thanjavur in

Tamil Nadu; Kailashahar, Kamalpur and Khowai in Tripura;

Bareilly and Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh; Asansol, Balurghat and

AERO MRO DIGEST

9 July 2019 Vol 3 Issue 3

Malda in West Bengal.

In 2018-19, AAI spent Rs 85 lakhs to maintain the non-

operational airport at Vellore in Tamil Nadu, as per the docu-

ment. Also, the AAI spent Rs 56 lakhs and Rs 48 lakhs, in

2018-19, on the non-operational airports of Warangal in Tel-

angana and Kailashahar in Tripura, respectively. Further Rs

35 lakhs and Rs 28 lakhs were spent on the non-operational

airports at Rupsi in Assam and Jogbani in Bihar, respectively,

according to the document.

DIAL working with stakeholders to fur-ther improve ROT

Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), the Delhi Airport op-

erator is working with its stakeholders to further enhance its

Runway Occupancy Time (ROT) which will help in dealing

with capacity constraints at the country's busiest aero-

drome. DIAL is working with Air Traffic Control and airlines,

the Flight Operations Performance Committee, to improve

various vital operational parameters, including ROT.

A DIAL communicator informed that various steps are being

taken to improve ROT. A UK-based NATS, which is working

for capacity enhancement project at the airport, is also

providing their know-how for the same. Besides, DIAL is con-

ducting engagement sessions with pilots of airlines to create

awareness on the issue.

"Based on observations during operations, new Rapid Exit

Taxiway (RET) is being constructed as part of master plan

work undertaken by IGI Airport to improve ROT. One of the

Taxiway (F) frequently used for exit from runway 10 has

been commissioned as Rapid Exit Taxiway to improve ROT,"

the spokesperson added.

Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is the busiest in the

country which handles about 1,400 flights every day. On an

average, the aerodrome handles around 74 flight movement

per hour. Following the closure of the Pakistan airspace and

suspension of operations by Jet Airways, the daily flight

movements at the airport has come down to around 1,200

flights.

"ROT is one of the main factors that affects operational

throughput on an hourly basis at airports. There has been a

lot of improvements in ROT at all airports," Vineet Gulati,

Member (Air Navigation Services) at the AAI told PTI.

It is learnt that the ROT is around 50 seconds for runway

11/29 and efforts are on to improve ROT of runway 10/28.

The airport has three runways, including 27/09.

Rolls-Royce agreement with EASA for ac-celerated inspection

Rolls-Royce has announced reaching an agreement with

EASA for accelerated inspection regime, post identifying

premature High Pressure Turbine (HPT) blade deterioration

on Trent 1000 TEN engines. According to an announcement

on 10th April 2019, Rolls-Royce explains that the premature

deterioration of HTP blade was detected in a sample of Trent

1000 TEN engines that have experienced a higher frequency

of flights at the upper end of their operating range, and the

problem affects only a “small number” of engines.

Rolls-Royce have already been developing, and are presently

testing, an enhanced version of the HPT blade. The manufac-

turer expects to start incorporating enhanced blades into

the Trent 1000 TEN fleet in early 2020.

Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace

said, “This blade deterioration is a known issue but it is oc-

curring faster than we expected in some engines. We started

development of an enhanced blade last year, which we are

now testing. We expect to start incorporating enhanced

blades into the Trent 1000 TEN fleet in early 2020.”

Due to this HPT problem, Singapore Airlines grounded two of

its nine Dreamliners earlier in April 2019. In April 2019, Rolls-

Royce announced that Korean airline Air Premia had picked

Trent 1000 TEN to power their 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

AERO MRO DIGEST

10 July 2019 Vol 3 Issue 3

Airbus develops a Flapping wing-tips air-craft scale model

A revolutionary design idea for an aircraft wing is being de-

veloped by engineers at Airbus. A scale-model aircraft with

the first in-flight, flapping wingtips that could reform aircraft

wing-design. The 'Semi-Aeroelastic Hinge' is a concept devel-

oped by Airbus, to achieve reduced drag and overall wing

weight, while combating the effects of turbulence and wind

gusts. Drawing inspiration from nature, the AlbatrossOne, a

remote-controlled aircraft has already taken its first flights

to prove the concept. The team at Airbus is set to conduct

further testing before the demonstrator, which is developed

on the manufacturer’s A321 variant, is scaled-up further.

Tom Wilson, Airbus Engineer explained, “While hinged wing-

tips are not new – military jets employ them to allow greater

storage capacity on aircraft carriers – the Airbus demonstra-

tor is the first aircraft to trial in-flight, freely-flapping wing-

tips to relieve the effects of wind gusts and turbulence. The

AlbatrossOne model will explore the benefits of unlockable,

freely-flapping wing-tips – accounting for a up to a third of

the length of the wing – to react autonomously during in-

flight turbulence and lessen the load on the wing at its base,

so reducing the need for heavily reinforced wing boxes.”

Jean-Brice Dumont, Airbus Executive VP Engineering, stated,

“How nature can inspire us. When there is a wind gust or

turbulence, the wing of a conventional aircraft transmits

huge loads to the fuselage, so the base of the wing must be

heavily strengthened, adding weight to the aircraft. Allowing

the wing-tips to react and flex to gusts reduces the loads and

allows us to make lighter and longer wings – the longer the

wing, the less drag it creates up to an optimum, so there are

potentially more fuel efficiencies to exploit.”

The semi-aeroelastic hinge design was inspired from, as the

name of demonstrator suggests, from the Albatross bird,

which can fly for thousands of miles without flapping its

wings. The albatross doesn't get tired because it has the abil-

ity to lock its wing bones in place. It can then unlock the

wings when it runs into a gust of wind or while maneuvering.

The first test flights of the AlbatrossOne demonstrator was

concluded in February 2019, by Airbus engineers in Filton,

after a 20-month development programme. The Alba-

trossOne was the first Filton aircraft since Concorde. It has

been constructed from carbon fiber and glass fiber-

reinforced polymers, as well as components from additive-

layer manufacturing. Initial testing of AlbatrossOne has ex-

amined the demonstrator’s stability with the wingtips locked

and completely unlocked, says fellow Filton engineer James

Kirk.

AERO MRO DIGEST

11 July 2019 Vol 3 Issue 3

India's first 'Cold Spray' SMART lab launched

On 5th April 2019, the Indian Institute of Technology,

Madras (IIT-M) announced its collaboration with General

Electric (GE) to set up a lab that will develop advanced ser-

vices technology for aircraft engine components. The 'Cold

Spray' Surface Modification and Additive Research Technolo-

gies (SMART) Laboratory is the first-of-its-kind being in-

stalled in any academic institute in India. The technology is a

developing one for advanced manufacturing and services. It

will be utilised to co-develop processes for aero-engine ap-

plications. As part of the collaborative efforts, IIT-M would

develop advanced coatings meeting specifications of aero-

space standard.

Professor M. Kamaraj, IIT, said, "Cold spray technology is

different from other widely used thermal spray processes in

that there is no melting and oxidation of powders. Thus, high

quality coatings can be produced. Moreover, the deposition

rates are very high, leading to less powder wastage and it

can be used for additive manufacturing and repair of compo-

nents."

It is learnt that the new programme will enable the strength-

ening of the MRO ecosystem in the country. Further it will

help develop advanced technology expertise in the country

and skill development of engineers in additive technology.

The smart technology has application temperatures that are

much lower than other thermal-spray and welding process-

es, which means the distortion and stresses associated with

those repair techniques are avoided, leading to longer asset

life.

Steve Pisani, GM, Advanced Services Technologies, GE Avia-

tion, said, "Scientists at GE are already combining gas dy-

namic 'cold spray' deposition technology with robotics and

Machine Learning to build and repair metal parts using addi-

tive manufacturing with greater precision which was never a

possibility earlier."

Delhi may get second airport in Jewar, bids invited

To serve as the second airport for the National Capital Re-

gion, the Jewar airport is proposed in Uttar Pradesh. The

airport is expected to begin operations in 2023 with a capac-

ity to handle 1.2 crore passengers annually, as stated in a

tender document circulated by the State government on

Thursday. The airport, which will be known as Noida Interna-

tional Airport, will be developed in four phases between

2020 and 2040 at a cost of ₹30,000 crore on 1,300 hectares

of land. The first phase is targeted to be complated by finan-

cial year 2023 and is proposed to have one runway, parallel

taxiway, parking bays for 25 aircraft, an ATC building, cargo

terminal building, among others.

The project is expected to be completed fully by 2040. the

airport will have two runways, two terminal buildings, park-

ing bays for 102 aircraft and will be able to handle 7 crores

passengers per annum, compared to Indira Gandhi Interna-

tional airport’s current capacity which is 6 crores.

30th October 2019 will be the last date for submission of

bids by interested bidders and the financial bids will be

opened on 29th November 2019. The concession period for

the airport is for 40 years, which can be further extended by

another 30 years. Bidders are required to have a minimum

net worth of ₹1,250 crore and must have prior experience in

executing projects in aviation, real estate or infrastructure

sector. The airport is expected to reduce congestion at Indira

Gandhi International (IGI) airport in New Delhi which wit-

nessed 63.5 million passengers in 2017, exceeds the built

capacity of 6 crore passengers. IGI is expected to see 10.9

crore passengers by 2024, which is its structural capacity of

the airport beyond which it cannot be expanded.

The nodal authority, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Develop-

ment Authority (YEIDA), which oversees Jewar airport is also

exploring various options to connect IGI to Noida Interna-

tional Airport. Arunvir Singh YEIDA CEO said, “Our proposal

to extend the Greater Noida metro up to Jewar has already

been approved. We have arrived at the decision that the

Rapid Metro from Meerut to Delhi will be connected to

Jewar and IGI via Dhaula Kuan. RITES (Rail India Technical

and Economic Service) is also studying feasibility of multi-

modal connectivity for Noida International airport. An ele-

vated road from IGI to Jewar is planned and the U.P. govern-

ment has written to the Ministry of Urban Development.”

AERO MRO DIGEST

12

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Team SAME lead by CI Rajenra Mane visit Indocopters facilities with Pulak Sen

Team Indocopters headed by CEO Per Smedegaard

Pulak Sen at SAME (School for Aircraft Maintenance Engineering) being facilitated

by Chief Instructor Rajendra Mane and team.

July 2019 Vol 3 Issue 3

OSH India Show Facilitates Exchanges Of Global Best Practices & Seeks Solutions For Challenges In Upholding Workplace Safety And Health

Interview of Mr. Pulak Sen, Founder Secretary General,

MRO Association of India, to understand key challenges

related to implementing safety regulations within a large

organization, the adherence to MRO best practices among

their members, the new and innovative occupational safety

practices as part of MRO of aircraft and his views on OSH

India expo and the role played by it in enhancing OSH

awareness.

Q. What are the key challenges related to implementing

safety regulations within a large organisation?

A. There are many challenges related to implementation of

safety regulations in a large organisation. However, in avia-

tion, safety is sacrosanct and is adhered to without fail. Avia-

tion safety is at the core of Airlines / MROs’ fundamental

objectives.

Q. As the head of MRO Association, how do you ensure ad-

herence to MRO best practices among members?

A. The aviation industry, including MROs, Airlines and Manu-

facturers, follow set down safety standards by regulatory

authorities. Regular safety trainings are imparted to staff of

these organisations. A safety management system (SMS) in

aviation commonly refers to a set of processes and tools to

formally manage a structured safety programme.

Aviation SMS programmes are based on International Civil

Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards or recommenda-

tions. Guidelines for managing safety programmes at a state

level and the individual operator level are found in the "SMS

Bible," ICAO Document 9859. These processes are outlined

in Document 9859 and organized into four components:

Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance,

and Safety Promotion.

These four components are commonly called the four pillars

in aviation SMS programmes. In each component or pillar

are between two to five elements to further organize the

system. If an organisation’s SMS programme lacks any of

these elements, it does not have a compliant SMS pro-

gramme. Each element has general requirements and best

practices.

Q. What are some of the new and innovative occupational

safety practices as part of MRO of aircraft?

A. As described previously, these four components are com-

monly called the four pillars in aviation SMS programmes. In

each component or pillar are between two to five elements

to further organize the system. If an organisation's SMS pro-

gramme lacks any of these elements, it does not have a com-

pliant SMS programme. Each element has general require-

ments and best practices.

Q. Please tell us about your views on OSH India expo and the

role played by it in enhancing OSH awareness.

A. OSH India Expo is a great effort by the organisers. Through

OSH India events you make aware every types industry the

Occupational Safety and Health hazards faced by them. The

show facilitates exchanges of global best practices and seeks

solutions for challenges in upholding workplace safety and

health. As OSH India is an annual affair, it should be held in

all industrial capitals of the country in rotation.

TOP MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENT

Antoine Bouvier

Head of Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions and Public Affairs.

Airbus

Effective 1st June 2019, Airbus has appointed Antoine Bouvi-

er as Head of Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions and Public

Affairs. He served as the Chief Executive Officer and Member

of Executive Board of MBDA Holdings SAS until June 1, 2019.

Previously, he was Executive Vice-President in charge of the

Commercial Helicopter Division of Eurocopter (now AIRBUS

Helicopters). Mr. Bouvier is a graduate from the Ecole Poly-

technique (1981/1984) and of the Ecole Nationale d'Admin-

AERO MRO DIGEST

13 July 2019 Vol 3 Issue 3

istration (1984-1986). In 1990, Mr. Bouvier joined Aerospa-

tiale as Assistant to the Director of the company's Civil Air-

craft Division. In 1991, he became Director of the Division's

Department of Strategic Analysis. From 1992 until 1994, Mr.

Bouvier was Secretary General and Industrial Director of ATR

GIE. From 1994 until 1998, he was Vice-President Operations

of ATR, going on to become President of ATR GIE between

1998 and 2001. Mr. Bouvier has served as the Chief Execu-

tive Officer of EADS Astrium N.V.

Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus said, “Today’s senior leader-

ship announcements are further important elements to

shape the Company’s next chapter. Antoine Bouvier has

demonstrated his leadership at the helm of MBDA since

2007, firmly establishing it as Europe’s premier missile com-

pany. Antoine brings a rich experience in the Aerospace and

Defence sector as well as a strategic vision in an internation-

al environment.”

Surendra Ahuja

Managing Director

Boeing Defence India

Boeing announced the appointment of Surendra Ahuja as

Managing Director of Boeing Defence India (BDI) based in

the national capital, on 25th June 2019. Ahuja will lead BDI

in alignment with Boeing's accel-erated growth strategy for

India. This includes the execution of current and future pro-

grammes across all BDI business sectors in a collaborative

environ-ment with Boeing Defence Space and Security (BDS)

and Boeing Global Services (BGS). Ahuja joins Boeing from

the Indian Navy where he served as Rear Admi-ral before

early retirement in 2018. He has held sev-eral leadership and

operational roles with the Indian Navy as well as an assign-

ment with the US India Defence Trade and Technology Initia-

tive (DTTI), where he led the joint working group of Aircraft

Carrier Technology Cooperation from inception in coopera-

tion with the US Navy. Ahuja has flying experience on 22

different types of aircraft. He also holds the dis-tinction of

becoming the first Indian pilot to fly from a US Navy aircraft

carrier. He was awarded the Vishisht Seva medal by the

President in January 2018 for his exceptional devotion to

duty.

Bernard Barussaud

Executive Vice-President Operations

Safran Helicopter Engines

Safran Helicopter Engines has appointed Bernard Barussaud

as Executive Vice-President Operations. He succeeds

François-Xavier Foubert. Bernard Barussaud graduated from

the Polytech Orléans in 1990. He joined the Snecma (Now

Safran Aircraft Engines) engineering department in 1992.

From 1995 he fulfilled various management roles within the

manufacturing department, like manufacturing support and

fan disk manufacturing. He was appointed as Head of Man-

agement Control at the Corbeil plant in 2002. Later he

served as Head of Services Cost Estimates Department at

Snecma Services1. In 2011 he was appointed Director of the

Snecma1 Manufacturing Excellence Center for compressor

blades. Since 2016, Bernard has served as EVP Manufactur-

ing at Safran Transmissions Systems.

REFER

ENC

E

AERO MRO DIGEST

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reuters.com rolls-royce.com

embraer.com aviationpros.com

avitrader.com aviationvoice.com

thehindu.com arabianaerospace.aero

ainonline.com business-standard.com

aerotime.aero thehindubusinessline.com

in.reuters.com economictimes.indiatimes.com

July 2019 Vol 3 Issue 3