Cleared To Approach: The Aviation Blog

  MiG-21 Retirement: The Indian Air Force retired the MiG-21 on Friday. The MiG-21 Bison aircraft with callsign Badal 3 was decommissioned at Chandigarh Airbase. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh explained the deep attachment to the aircraft and notable members of the IAF were present on the occasion. DGCA Wins ICAO Award: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has received the prestigious International Civil Aviation Organisation Council President Certificate. The award was presented to the president of India's aviation regulator, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai on Tuesday, at the opening of the ICAO Assembly in Montreal. This has pushed India into the top 50 countries in ICAO's audit. Russian Military Aircraft Intercepted: Over the past month, a plethora of Russian fighters and defence aircraft have been spotted and intercepted, mainly over Europe. On Wednesday, US fighter jets intercepted 4 Russian military aircraft near Alaska, according to the North American Aerospace Defence Command (N...

  Noida Jewar Airport to Open Soon: Noida's Jewar Airport (NIA / VIND) is set to be inaugurated on the 30th of October; and operations should begin about 45 days thereafter.  In its first phase, it will have 1 runway and 1 terminal, with the capacity to handle 12 million passengers annually. Upon completion, it will be India's largest airport with the capacity to handle 70 million passengers annually. It will reduce congestion at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL / VIDP), and augment economic growth in Noida and Uttar Pradesh. Apart from improving connectivity, it is being built with modern technology to focus on sustainability.  Routes Expansion: Indigo is to inaugurate their use of the A321-XLR aircraft with flights to Athens. This comes after Aegean Airlines have expanded to India from Athens of A321-XLRs. Indigo is also flying directly from Mumbai to Copenhagen, Denmark.  Etihad is expected to resume flights to Damascus, Syria by 2026. Cyberattack Affects ...

The new tax reforms (GST 2.0) will be implemented from the 22nd of September 2025 in India. They focus on simplification and rationalization of tax rates, by removing certain redundant GST slabs. After 8 years of GST, the Indian government have removed the 12% and 28% tax slabs. Only the 5% and 18% slabs remain. Additionally, 0% (exempt) and 40% (for luxury items or harmful items (like tobacco)) have been introduced. Ticket Prices: For economy class travel, tickets remain at 5% GST. For premium cabins (premium economy, business and first class), tax rate increases from 12% to 18%. Note that if you book before September 22, the 12% GST still applies. Tax rates on luxury aviation (private jets and charters) increase to 40%, from the previous rate of ~31%. Aircraft Components: Since July 2024, aircraft parts and maintenance services attract a 5% GST, improving MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) industry's efficiency. Aviation Fuel As of now, Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) still remai...

  Indian Airlines Allowed to Lease Turkish Aircraft: Indigo and SpiceJet have been cleared by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) to lease Turkish registered aircraft. This comes after civil aviation ties with turkey were cutoff about 3 months ago, because several drones launched into India by Pakistan were off Turkish origin during the conflict in May. Indigo has received permission to extend its lease for its two Boeing 777-300ERs from Turkish Airlines. Similarly, SpiceJet has received permission to lease 5 B737s from a Turkish Airlines subsidiary- Corendon Airlines. InterGlobe Aviation's Shares drop by 4%: The stocks of InterGlobe Aviation, Indigo's parent company, have dropped by 4%. This is because Rakesh Ganganwal's family sold their 1.3% stack for INR 2,933 crore. Aegean New Routes: The Greek airline Aegean has declared new routes from Athens (ATH / LGAV) to New Delhi (DEL / VIDP) and Mumbai (BOM / VAAB). These routes are supposed to start operating in e...

  Indian Oil - Air India Agreement: Indian Oil and Air India signed a memorandum on Monday, 19 August for the supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Indian Oil has been internationally certified to produced SAF. Click  Click here to see the previous week's article about the same. New SWISS Grand Suite: SWISS just unveiled their new, most premium product, the SWISS First Grand Suite, which could possibly be the best first class in the world. The suite has its own aisle and dining room setup.  It consists of two main parts, which both have their own lie flat beds and are linked by a private aisle. It is suitable for families or groups consisting of multiple people. It will be fit on their new A350s, refurbished A330s, and 777s. It should be available to book by 2026.

  Putin Alaska Visit: As Putin visited Alaska for negotiations about the war in Ukraine, we got to see some pretty cool aviation moments. In an unprecedented move, Putin's IL96 aircraft was escorted by US fighters, most likely F35s as it departed Russia. This is the first documented instance of an official Russian aircraft receiving such an escort in US airspace, making it a historic aviation moment. Italian F35s Intercept Russian Aircraft: On August 13, two Italian Air Force F35A fighters were scrambled as a part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission to intercept Russian Su-24 and Su-27 aircraft. These aircraft were operating near NATO airspace without transponders or flight plans. This was the first ever F35 interception operated by Italy for NATO, highlighting their preparedness. Indigo Tail-Strike: An Indigo Aircraft VT-NCJ suffered a tail strike while operating Indigo Flight 6E1060 from Bangkok (BKK / VTBS).  The tail strike occurred while it was executing a go-around ami...

  Air India Express Flight Suffers Bird Strike at Pune Airport: Air India Express Flight IX1098 was taking off at Pune Airport (PNQ / VAPO) on a scheduled flight to Bhubaneswar (BBI / VEBS) when it suffered a bird strike during takeoff. One engine was damaged, and all 140 passengers were evacuated safely. It occurred during takeoff and the engine in question caught fire. This was before V1 (point of no return), so the pilot could abandon takeoff and halt the plane in time. Pune Airport has a history of bird strikes, and the numbers keep increasing. Just last month, a DEL-PNQ flight faced a similar accident. Cathay Pacific Massive Delay: Cathay Pacific Flight CX883 bound from Las Vegas (LAX / KLAX) to Hong Kong (HKG / VHHH) encountered massive delays. The 13-hour flight turned into 28 on August 4. Due to a storm, the 777 diverted to Taiwan (TPE / RCTP). Instead of disembarking, the passengers were made to sit on the flight. On August 5th, the aircraft took off and made it to Hong Ko...