Aviation Archives - Defence Monitor

29 Oct

Pakistan’s Taiwan airspace U-turn exposes diplomatic balancing act

New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) Pakistan’s abrupt decision to bar Taiwanese commercial airlines from using its airspace, followed by an equally swift U-turn, has exposed the tight diplomatic rope that Islamabad treads to keep open all possible sources of support for the crumbling administration and its economy, and the frequent slips while doing that. While engaging desperately in parleys to solve the vexed issue of being pitted against neighbour Iran with its strategic defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Pakistan is on the edge between “all-weather” partner China and the United States, who Islamabad needs to urge upon financial…

22 Oct

No food for infant on 15-hour flight: Punjab consumer forum directs Singapore Airlines to pay Rs 50,000

Chandigarh, Oct 22 (IANS) The Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Singapore Airlines to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation to a passenger whose family members were not provided proper food during a 15-hour flight from Delhi to Melbourne, including milk for his 11-month-old daughter. The Additional Bench comprising Judicial Member H.P.S. Mahal and Member Kiran Sibal partly allowed an appeal filed by the airline against a January 2023 order of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Ropar, which had directed the airline and a travel agency, Bipasha Aviation, to refund Rs 1.25 lakh towards the air tickets, along…

20 Oct

Flights remain disrupted as airlines face risk due to Middle East conflict

New Delhi, Oct 20 (IANS) Airline operations continue to be affected to the Gulf region despite the resumption in operations at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport late last week, as several flights have been cancelled following the escalation in the Middle East conflict due to the Houthi missile and drone attacks. For Indian travellers headed for the Gulf and Western countries, airline schedules have been disrupted as airlines have cut flights due to security concerns. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has extended its advisory warning airlines against flying over parts of the Gulf, including the waters around the…

14 Oct

Frankfurt-Delhi Air India flight security alert: Passengers deboarded at Jaipur airport, probe on

Jaipur, Oct 14 (IANS) An Air India flight travelling from Frankfurt, Germany, to Delhi was diverted to Jaipur on Wednesday morning following a reported hijack alert. The aircraft, operating as flight AI-2030, made an emergency landing at Jaipur International Airport, where security agencies launched an inspection. Immediately after the aircraft landed, personnel from various security agencies boarded the plane to conduct security checks. The aircraft was subsequently moved to an isolation bay as officials began examining the situation. There was no official confirmation at the time of reporting regarding any suspicious activity on board or the final outcome of the…

30 Sep

Israel probes Flydubai cockpit incident after hijack alert (Ld) Jerusalem, Sep 30 (IANS) Israeli security agencies were investigating an incident aboard a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv after the aircraft transmitted an emergency signal and descended sharply before diverting to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Israel's state-owned Kan TV news, citing an Israeli official, reported that Israeli authorities had not ruled out a possible "terrorist incident" and were examining whether one of the two pilots may have tried to crash the aircraft. It said one of the pilots was injured. In a video circulated on social media, an Israeli…

27 Sep

New 737 MAX glitch raises landing concern

Washington, Sep 27 (IANS) A newly identified Boeing 737 MAX software glitch could disable an automated navigation feature after a missed approach, raising fresh safety questions for a jet widely used by Indian carriers, The Wall Street Journal reported. The problem emerged from an update to cockpit software. It can occur when pilots change their planned flight path after abandoning a landing attempt, according to the Journal. In one scenario, pilots may have to fly manually without some autopilot functions. Industry officials said that could increase the crew’s workload at a critical stage, when the aircraft is at low altitude…

09 Sep

US sanctions 27 Iranian airlines with third country firms targeted

Washington, Sep 9 (IANS) The US Department of the Treasury put 27 Iranian airlines on its Specially Designated Nationals List, thus targeting all remaining Iranian airlines in a bid to step up pressure on Iran. The department said in a press release on Tuesday (local time) that "Iran's commercial airlines have long supported the Iranian regime's destabilising activities," with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps using ostensibly private airlines for the procurement and transport of weapons and the ferrying of personnel. The United States first sanctioned Iranian airline Mahan Air in October 2011, and targeted multiple companies seen as general sales…

09 Sep

UK air traffic control glitch disrupts Air India’s flight services

New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) Air India on Wednesday said that it faced disruptions after a technical fault at Britain's air traffic control provider NATS affected operations at airports across the United Kingdom. Taking to the social media platform X, the airline said it had been forced to divert, delay or cancel multiple flights scheduled to operate to and from UK airports following the disruption. It further warned that the impact could extend to some of its other services as aircraft and crew were left out of position because of the disruption. It advised passengers to check their flight status…

04 Sep

India, Belgium agree to bolster civil aviation ties: Ram Mohan Naidu

New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS) Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu held talks with the Belgium Prime Minister, Bart De Wever, on further strengthening civil aviation cooperation between the two nations, an official statement said on Friday. The discussion included talks on direct air connectivity options between the two countries, air cargo improvements focused on the high-value pharmaceutical sector and advanced air mobility initiatives. The Belgian Prime Minister is on a three-day official visit to India from September 2–4, during which he held high-level bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deepen trade and investment ties between…

31 Aug

Foreign anti-drone technology enters India as armed forces seek kinetic interceptors: Report

New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) US-origin counter drone technology is entering India's defence manufacturing ecosystem at a time when the armed forces are developing requirements for systems capable of physically intercepting hostile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a report has said. As per analysis by The Sunday Guardian, US-based Powerus has granted Paras Defence & Space Technologies exclusive rights to manufacture and commercialise its Guardian interceptor family in India under an agreement disclosed in the company's filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The agreement -- executed through Powerus subsidiary Tandem Defence LLC -- gives Paras exclusive rights to…