Indian Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel, stated the country's airlines are facing an acute shortage of "type rated" pilots. According to Mr Patel, 994 foreign pilots were recruited recently by Indian carriers to meet their expansion needs. Foreign pilots are currently permitted to fly in India under an agreement with the International Civil Aviation Organisation. To combat the pilot shortage issue, the government has raised the pilot retirement age to 65 and is also investing … [Read more...] about INDIA: India facing acute pilot shortage

Jet Airways is extending its code share agreement with Brussels Airline from 30 March to include cities such as Berlin, Lyon in France and Barcelona in Spain. Jet is hopeful that the extension will have a positive effect on the airline's cargo traffic, although it is primarily aimed at the passenger side of the business. Brussels Airport, which is Jet Airways' European hub, will be used for connecting flights to the three new destinations and the group's chairman Naresh Goyal has said the … [Read more...] about INDIA: Jet Airways sticks to expansion plan

The Boeing Company has announced that Aviall, Inc., a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary, plans to open a business office in India during the second half of 2008. Aviall is one of the largest providers of new aviation parts and related aftermarket services in the aerospace industry. Aviall's India operation will serve the rapidly growing Indian aviation industry and be headquartered near New Delhi at the Noida Special Economic Zone in the state of Uttar Pradesh. "Boeing's commitment to … [Read more...] about INDIA: Boeing parts and service centre for India

John Menzies PLC will launch ground handling as the new Hyderabad and Bangalore airports launch commercial operations. "India is a huge growth market for us," he said. "There are so many opportunities in the country," group finance director Paul Dollman said. "A year ago we set two objectives: to stabilise distribution and maintain growth in aviation," he told Thomson Financial News. Menzies also won a licence to operate at 10 airports in South Africa, … [Read more...] about INDIA: Menzies for Hyderabad & Bangalore

India opens new cargo facility for agricultural exports at Nashik, some 200 km from Mumbai. The Halcon air cargo complex is a joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics and the Container Corporation of India. Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development Authority has built a common user packhouse and quality control laboratory near the 1,350 sq metre facility which aims to cater to the agricultural cargo, in terms of cleaning, sorting, packaging and transporting as well. The 49,000 … [Read more...] about INDIA: New agri cargo complex for India