25 Years Back

From Vayu Aerospace Review Issue III/ 1996

Sukhoi Su-30 programme

The formalisation ( including initial payment) of a massive Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft contract between Russia and India has so far been thwarted by political challenges starting with the Indian national election in May 1996 which resulted in a “hungparliament” where the largest party (BJP) were voted out within 12 days of assuming reins of the government and the longevity of the new, multi-faced, splintered United Front ( with left- of- centre inclinations) tenuously supported by the Congress party, is fraught with uncertainty.

Alliance Air into service

On 15 April 1996, with an ex-Indian Airlines ( IA) Boeing 737- 200 painted over and the new logo depicted on its tail, Alliance Air (AA), a subsidiary of IA, flew its first commercial service from Delhi-to-Goa and onto Cochin. In December 1995, PC Sen, Managing Director of the Indian Airlines approached the board to revitalise the airline. It was decided that instead of trying to cut costs in an unwieldy airline, it would make more sense to form a subsidiary to complement the parent company, but at the same time, function as an independent unit.

TransIndia Airlines

A new private operator, Bangalore-based TransIndia Airlines Pvt. Ltd., intends to start scheduled air services later in 1996. TransIndia will operate as a regional airline in the South, according to Kesani Chadrasekhar, Chairman and Managing Director, looking at destinations which promise at least one flight a day.

Air-India’s on-time performance

Air-India has commenced the financial year 1996- 97 on a promising note in regard to on- time departure of flights.

Its April 1996 achievement of 83.01 per cent is the national carrier’s finest on-time performance in the recent years.

The improvement in on- time performance, which started from the month of March 1996, is the direct outcome of several management decisions including creation of Control Cells at the airports, close monitoring of each and every flight, analysis of causes leading to delays elimination of factors like delaying a scheduled flight for a delayed connection flight from a domestic point etc. The trend for the month of May indicates that the performance is set to improve still further.

Blue Dart Cargo freighter service

Blue Dart Aviation, a subsidiary of Blue Dart Express Ltd. and a licensee of Federal Express, has started its exclusive air cargo operations from May 1996. The company will operate the two Boeing 737- 200s already purchased from Indian Airlines, for the purpose.

HAL highlights of 1995-96

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. the biggest defence public sector unit under the Department of Defence Production and Supplies, Ministry of Defence has met its targets of 1995-96, achieving a turnover of Rs. 1404 crores against a target of Rs 1350 crores and has posted a profit of Rs 75 crores against a target of 68 crores. Both the sales and profits are highest so far. The exports during the year were Rs 32.5 crores.

40 more Mirage IIIs for PAF

Thwarted over the past many years in its endeavor to procure more F- 16s from the United Sates, the Pakistan Air Force has sought to build up its combat aircraft strength with additional, second hand, MirageIII/ 5s. This French- origin deltawinged fighter now constitutes the second largest aircraft inventory of the PAF, with nearly two hundred aircraft on strength or in the pipeline. In 1989, Pakistan bid for and bought some 50 ex-Royal Australian

Air Force Mirage IIIs. After overhaul and some updating, at least 30 of these aircraft have gone into the squadron service, the balance being cannibalised for providing spares. Another dozen odd Mirage IIIBLs were bought from Lebanon some years back and now, according to the Defence Ministry sources at Islamabad, Pakistan has bought 40 Mirage IIIs from the French firm for a total of $120 million. The Company will be overhauling and refurbishing the Mirage IIIs at a cost of $3 million per unit, the PAF will have a fairly potent additional force of Mirage IIIs in front line service for the next decade.

F-16s for Indonesia

According to “Defence News”, the final price is the only stumbling block to selling nine of the 28 US F-16s to Indonesia, which Pakistan had orginally bought from the US but which were embargoed. It has been reported that the Indonesian Military would spend around $8-9 million per aircraft in a deal expected to be completed in June. (Pakistan had paid $23 million each for the airplanes). Pakistan officials want the US to make up the difference between the price at which the F-16s can be sold now and what Islamabad had originally paid. (The Pentagon has already paid $124 million to Pakistan as a partial refund for the F-16s).

Malaysia rejects F-5 upgradation

The initiative by the local industry to upgrade the remaining Nothrop F-5E/F fighters of the Royal Malaysian Air Force has been rejected by the government. The plan costing $200 million is considered to be too expensive by Malaysia’s Defence Minister Sayed Hamid Albar. The upgrade proposal had come unsolicited from Malaysia Airlines Aerotechnology (MASA) in conjunction with the Bristol Aerospace from Canada. The available funds, feels the Malaysian government, should be utilised for meeting the “heavy commitment” to absorb 18 Mikoyan MiG- 29N/ NUBs, 28 British Aerospace Hawk 100/200s and, from 1997, 8 McDonnel Douglas F-18s.