Farnborough Airshow 2018 Review
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FOCUS WILL THE A220 BE THE RIGHT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BY AIRBUS AND BOMBARDIER? CruisingAugust 2018 `90 Volume XIII Issue 3 Heightswww.cruisingheights.in FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW 2018 REVIEW SPICE MASTER Having tasted success with ethnic flavours – SpiceJet has expanded and touched a number of new domestic stops – Ajay Singh is getting ready to serve international destinations and even contemplating to set up a dedicated freighter unit. The clear advantage The clear advantage From the fastest ramp-up in commercial aviation history to achieving 1.5 million engine flight hours in less than two years. From the fastest ramp-up in commercial aviation history to Clearly, the LEAP engine is delivering. achieving 1.5 million engine flight hours in less than two years. Clearly, the LEAP engine is delivering. www.cfmaeroengines.com CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines www.cfmaeroengines.com CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines C40094.035_CFM_TranspEngine_CruisingHeights_Aug18_273x205_v1.indd 1 20/07/2018 12:13 Cruising Heights AUGUST 2018 CONTENTS www.cruisingheights.in FEATURES 36 36 COVER STORY From a massive order of Boeing 737 Max, being the first operator of the 90-seater Q400s to being the launch customer of Boeing freighters in India, SpiceJet is all set to nearly double its fleet in the coming years. Plus, an interview with the man at the helm, Ajay Singh, Chairman, SpiceJet. 28 SHOWCASE As the curtain fell on the 2018 Farnborough Airshow, exhibitors and attendees took stock of what was the most important aviation 28 7450 expo of the year. From Vistara’s much-anticipated 737 Max 8 orders, to bursting order books of Airbus and Boeing, the E2 and A220 being showstoppers, the show had everything for everyone. 50 UPDATE Increasing the efficiency on ground, Saab’s Remote Tower concept 56 holds a lot of possibilities in India, considering the fact that India is upgrading its infrastructure in all domains for UDAN. 56 BUSINESS AVIATION Aircraft operators want airports to be open for business longer than usual and be better equipped in terms of refuelling facilities and parking bays. But, are we ready to meet this added need, considering the fact that the airports are already operating beyond capacity? August 2018 3 Cruising Heights XXXXXXXXXXXXX CruisingHeights VOLUME XIII n NO 3 Letters to editor Editor-in-Chief K SRINIVASAN Managing Editor TIRTHANKAR GHOSH Letters to editor Consulting Editor S VASANTHAKRISHNAN The cover story, ‘MAX8: Will it bring joy was a treat for all aviation geeks. We Assistant Editor to Jet?’ (Cruising Heights, July 2018), are definitely living in a time where was a well formulated one. Marking its connecting the last man in the last mile NIDHI SHARMA debut in the country with Jet Airways, the is becoming a reality day by day. With Senior Proof Reader aircraft holds a much larger importance airlines buying planes for their long haul RAJESH VAID for the once-reputed airline of the plans, flying over every possible ocean country — in its 26th year of operation and land to enhance connectivity seems Correspondents – that has seen its graph sinking over the to be reality. Merely goes to show that JAGRITI MONGA past few years. The story deliberated on the aviation sector is thriving. Packaged SHWETA MENON the fact that this delivery not just marked all together, this infographic was a visual NITISHA DUBEY a major milestone in the airline’s fleet treat. Kudos to the research work. Senior Designers renewal plan but was also a stepping * Ragini Verma, Surat NAGENDER DUBEY stone on its way towards profitable future MOHIT KANSAL quarters. Much is on stake for the airline as the competition gets tougher. With the Are we ready for the future? Your take Designer induction of this new generation modern on IATA-AGM of 2018 with ‘Ready for VIKAS CHANDRA aircraft, Jet Airways hopes to claim the the future’ (Cruising Heights, July leadership position it once held. 2018) gave an optimistic view. A lot was Picture Editor heard and said at the AGM. With Mr PRADEEP CHANDRA * Samyukta Sarin, Hyderabad Big Mouth Al Baker around, it was quite Photo Editor obvious! Also, the Editor’s note on the H C TIWARI The world knows about the record sexist comment of the Qatar Airways breaking stories and various anecdotes boss was quite a treat. However, the Staff Photographer about Mumbai’s Chattrapati Shivaji Spotlight section brilliantly summed up HEMANT RAWAT International Airport. The recently- the highlights of the AGM which saw the celebrated 1003 flights is a record that this leaders of the airlines gathered together Director single runway airport has made. However, to discuss the future of the sector for the RAJIV SINGH what is definitely a shocker for everyone readers. Aviation is indeed the future of Director (Marketing) is that there seems to be no way out for travel. RAKESH GERA this choked airport. That fact was well dealt in your Focus, ‘Choked, yet fighting * Punnet Verma, Bengaluru Subscription fit (Cruising Heights, July 2018) story. ALKA SHARMA The fact that this airport had been making Much to my delight, your Cargo section and breaking its own records seems ironic story ‘Rooting for a cause’ (Cruising Distribution when the figures released by Airports Heights, July 2018) was a great piece. PANKAJ KUMAR, BHUSAN KUMAR Authority of India (AAI) showed that it Catering to the huge Bengali diaspora Legal Advisor had been registering single digit growth and gastronomes around the major VASU SHARMA unlike all the other biggies in the business. cities, ‘Justmyroots.com’ seems to be Being the second busiest in the country, the reality of future, giving a tough time Executive Director this definitely left us scratching our heads to Swiggy, Zomato and all other online RENU MITTAL as to what could be the reason and how food delivery sites. It’s not merely a sales For advertising and sales enquiries, please contact: was it possible that even after this slow and service, but also delivery and that is +91-9810030533, 9810159332 pace, the airport managed to record such where air cargo comes in. Certainly, the Editorial & Marketing office: Newsline Publications Pvt. Ltd., a number? Well for that we definitely have cargo business has gone one level up and D-11(Basement) Nizamuddin East, to give credit to the operator. modern ventures of this sort holds much New Delhi –110 013, Tel: +91-11-41033381-82 of our attention. All information in CRUISING HEIGHTS is derived from * Brijesh Sharma, Mumbai sources we consider reliable. It is passed on to our * Sagrika Sengupta, Kolkata readers without any responsibility on our part. Opinions/ views expressed by third parties in abstract or in interviews Cruising Heights’ Panorama (July are not necessarily shared by us. Material appearing in the magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part 2018) ‘Flying longer, flying faster’, (s) without prior permission. The publisher assumes no responsibility for material lost or damaged in transit. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise All correspondence may be addressed to deal with all advertisements without explanation. All Editor, Cruising Heights, D-11 Basement, Nizamuddin East, New Delhi -110013, advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any loss caused by OR mail to [email protected] any delay in publication, error or failure of advertisement to appear. Owned and published by K Srinivasan 4C Pocket-IV, The total number of pages Mayur Vihar Phase–I, Delhi–91 and printed by him at Archna in this issue: 76 Printers, D-127, Okhla Indl Area Ph-1, New Delhi -110020 4 August 2018 www.cruisingheights.in Cruising Heights FIRST DRAFT K SRINIVASAN, Editor-in-Chief IS IT ONLY A MATTER OF NUMBERS? n March this year, Jet Airways, aircraft from a measly 340 to 14,628 – SpiceJet and Vistara wrote to a whopping 40 times more snags than the government outlining their originally reported. IndiGo said the concerns at the manner in which fantastic increase in numbers were data was being presented. They because the regulator had directed were in particular referring to that they be stricter in reporting Itheir reservations over the details glitches. The 24,791 defects in 2017 of the “technical snags” that had had originally reflected 340 snags by been reported in airlines in the year IndiGo (with a fleet of 151 aircraft) 2017. Considering that the data was by the end of 2017, it reported. It was presented in Parliament, one would much lower than what was reported have thought it was sacred. by GoAir (32 aircraft), Vistara (17 Nothing of that sort. In fact, aircraft) and AirAsia (14 aircraft) with the airlines in their missive said fleet sizes at the end of 2017. that the data was actually creating Earlier last year MIAL (Mumbai “false illusion” on the state of safety International Airport Ltd) had of airlines. “Reporting of snags and suspended two of its executives after defects is mandatory in India and internal enquiries found that there INDIGO REVISED accurate reporting of such snags is had been hanky-panky in measuring THE NUMBER OF in interest of passenger and aviation On-time Performances (OTP) of safety. We request you to get this airlines. At that point in time, it was SNAGS IN ITS matter investigated by DGCA IndiGo that had questioned the OTP. AIRCRAFT FROM (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) IndiGo's had raised questions A MEASLY 340 so that accurate information may be about the OTP and said outright that TO 14,628 - A made available to the travelling public.