Sanjay Kumar, former Chief Commercial Officer, Indigo.
| Photo Credit: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu waving to the crowd at the launch of a seaplane demonstration at Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: G. N. RAO

VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched a seaplane demonstration, jointly organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and A.P. Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), at Punnami Ghat on the banks of Krishna River here on Saturday (November 09) by flying in a SpiceJet operated De Havilland amphibious plane, built by DH-Canada, to Srisailam.

This set the stage for the commencement of commercial seaplane services by SpiceJet in Andhra Pradesh starting with Vijayawada-Hyderabad and Vijayawada-Nagarjuna Sagar routes by March 2025. SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh, who was a special guest, made an announcement to that effect in his brief remarks earlier.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said the future belongs to tourism and that seaplanes would give a major fillip to the sector and promised to extend all possible support to making the State a hub for seaplane operations, while stating that the government was according industry status to tourism in the upcoming policy to take it to the next level.

He observed that A.P. has several tourist attractions in the country like Srisailam, Konaseema, and Gandikota in Kadapa district, which was considered the Grand Canyon of India, that have tremendous potential but access to which was not easy. Seaplanes would enable the tourists to reach them in far less time than what was possible with conventional means of travel (road and rail). 

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said he requested Mr. Rammohan Naidu to help operate at least 10 seaplanes in the State, including one or two in Vijayawada, in the coming five years and that he was appreciative of the fact that the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has revised the guidelines for seaplane operations in order to make it a thriving business proposition. 

The tourism policy was so drafted to realise the potential of the multiple places of tourist attraction in the State, he said and stressed the need for good hotels and transport services and the importance of maintaining law and order at such sites, the CM added.

Mr. Rammohan Naidu said seaplane operations were started in the country a few years ago but the COVID-19 pandemic and some other extraneous factors stifled them. Keeping in view their potential, the MoCA has recently made seaplane operations easier by issuing revised guidelines under the Regional Connectivity Scheme — Udan, with due focus on aspects like safety and licensing.

Minister for R&B and Infrastructure and Investments B.C. Janardhan Reddy and Minister for Tourism Kandula Durgesh, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath, MoCA Joint Secretary Asangba Chuba Ao and DH-Canada Regional Vice-President of Sales (Asia Pacific & Middle East) Yogesh Garg was among those present.

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New Delhi:

With the number of flights that have received hoax bomb threats in four days crossing 25 on Thursday, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said initial investigations do not point to a conspiracy and that most of the calls had been “made by minors and pranksters”.

A 17-year-old boy was taken into custody by the Mumbai Police on Wednesday for issuing threats to four flights on Monday, including three on international routes. Officials had said the teenager wanted to frame one of his friends, with whom he had a dispute over money. 

Mr Naidu also said his department is considering changes in rules and legislation to ensure that such hoax bomb calls do not happen in the future. 

“We can’t comment on a conspiracy but whatever little we have known, it (the threats) is coming from minors or some pranksters. For very little, petty things, they are trying to issue threats on social media or through phone calls. So these are isolated incidents, there is no kind of conspiracy we can comment on,” the minister said on Thursday.

“From what we know, they are all individuals, most of them minors, who don’t understand the whole idea of what they are doing, and they are creating this kind of inconvenience,” he added.

Mr Naidu said steps are being taken to ensure that a “strict barrier is created for people trying to do these kinds of pranks” and his department is pursuing changes in rules and legislation to achieve this. 

“The police are pursuing the cases and trying to find out who is behind this. The Ministry of Home Affairs is also helping us a lot. Airlines and passengers are facing a lot of inconvenience, so we don’t want these kinds of situations to be repeated. We are ensuring action is being taken on these kinds of issues so that they don’t become a precedent for the future,” the minister asserted. 

The civil aviation minister said his department has held meetings with airlines and security agencies as well.

Series Of Calls

Police had said four bomb threats were issued on Monday and two flights were delayed, including Air India flight AI 119 from Mumbai to New York, which was diverted to New Delhi, and one had to be cancelled.

At least seven flights were impacted on Tuesday, including Air India flight AI 127 from Delhi to Chicago, which was diverted to the remote Iqaluit airport in Canada. IndiGo flight 6E 98 from Damman in Saudi Arabia to Lucknow made an emergency landing in Jaipur and threats were received by Air India Express, Akasa Air and Alliance Air as well. 

On Wednesday, a New Delhi-Bengaluru Akasa Air flight (QP 1335) returned to the capital and Indigo’s Mumbai-Delhi flight 6E 651 was diverted to Ahmedabad. Five other flights also received bomb threats, including two from SpiceJet.

The threats continued on Thursday and an Air India Mumbai-London flight was forced to declare an emergency an hour before landing. The Mumbai-London flight was one of at least five operated by Air India and two each by Vistara and IndiGo that received bomb threats, taking the total since Monday to over 28. 

Teenager’s Arrest

A 17-year-old school dropout from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh was taken into custody by the Mumbai Police on Wednesday over Monday’s threats. Officials said the teenager allegedly created a handle on X in the name of a friend with whom he had a dispute and posted bomb threats from it.

The Mumbai Police has registered seven first information reports (FIRs) in connection with the threats and so has the Delhi Police.

Image for representation.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said that it had removed SpiceJet from enhanced surveillance, but would continue to carry out spot checks on the airline to ensure flight safety.

SpiceJet was placed on heightened surveillance on September 13 following sporadic disruption in flight services due to non-payment of dues to service partners even as the regulator expressed concern over the airline’s financial difficulties impacting maintenance at the airline.

Also Read: SpiceJet flights face delays as oil companies deny fuel over pending dues

The regulator said that a total of 266 spot checks were carried out on SpiceJet by the DGCA across various locations following which the airline took a rectification action. “In light of the same and the financial infusion of additional funds into the company, Spicejet has been taken off the enhanced surveillance regime,” the DGCA said in a statement. The airline had recently raised ₹3,000 crore through a QIP.

Image for representation.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said that it had removed SpiceJet from enhanced surveillance, but would continue to carry out spot checks on the airline to ensure flight safety.

SpiceJet was placed on heightened surveillance on September 13 following sporadic disruption in flight services due to non-payment of dues to service partners even as the regulator expressed concern over the airline’s financial difficulties impacting maintenance at the airline.

Also Read: SpiceJet flights face delays as oil companies deny fuel over pending dues

The regulator said that a total of 266 spot checks were carried out on SpiceJet by the DGCA across various locations following which the airline took a rectification action. “In light of the same and the financial infusion of additional funds into the company, Spicejet has been taken off the enhanced surveillance regime,” the DGCA said in a statement. The airline had recently raised ₹3,000 crore through a QIP.

SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh addressing a press conferenc in New Delhi. File photo
| Photo Credit: PTI

Budget carrier SpiceJet on Wednesday (October 9, 2024) said it has amicably settled a USD 132-million dispute with aircraft leasing firm Babcock & Brown Aircraft Management (BBAM).

The dispute, valued at USD 131.85 million (₹1,107 crore) with the lessors — Horizon Aviation 1 Ltd, Horizon II Aviation 3 Ltd, and Horizon III Aviation 2 Ltd — has been resolved for USD 22.5 million, SpiceJet said in a statement.

All these lessors are under the management of BBAM.

The settlement, which comes after the company raised ₹3,000 crore through a QIP last month, will help SpiceJet strengthen its balance sheet and reduce overall liabilities, it said.

By resolving this major dispute, SpiceJet has cleared a significant hurdle, paving the way for improved financial stability and operational efficiency, the airline added.

“This settlement with BBAM allows us to significantly reduce our liabilities. Together with the funds raised through our QIP, we are well-positioned to focus on growth, ungrounding our fleet, and expanding our services,” said Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of SpiceJet.

 In a release, the carrier said it has cleared all the GST dues. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Debt-ridden SpiceJet on Friday (September 27, 2024) said it has cleared all its Goods and Services Tax (GST) dues.

The airline, which raised ₹3,000 crore through the Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) route last week, had GST dues worth over ₹145 crore.

In a release, the carrier said it has cleared all the GST dues.

As per the preliminary placement document related to ₹3,000 crore fund raise, the airline had GST dues of ₹145.1 crore as on September 15.

After receiving the fresh capital of ₹3,000 crore, SpiceJet has also cleared salary dues of employees for July and August as well part of pending June salaries.

Shares of the company rose around 1% to ₹62.39 apiece in the morning trade on BSE.

New Delhi:

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Monday issued notice to debt-ridden air carrier SpiceJet over the plea filed by one of its operational creditors.

A two-member NCLT bench, comprising Mahendra Khandelwal and Sanjeev Tanjan, has directed Spicejet to file a reply and list the matter for the next hearing on November 14.

SpiceJet is already facing several insolvency petitions from creditors, including Willis Lease, Aircastle Ireland Ltd, Wilmington and Celestial Aviation at NCLT and the appellate tribunal NCLAT.

The latest petition is by Techjockey Infotech Pvt Ltd, an operational creditor, filed under section 9 of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, through Karanjawala & Co.

Techjockey Infotech claimed a default of nearly Rs 1.2 crore owed by SpiceJet against software services availed by them and requested to initiate a corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) against the air carrier.

It contended that its debt has been acknowledged by SpiceJet, though it has not been yet complied.

Earlier in June, NCLT had issued notice to SpiceJet over the petition filed by Engine Lease Finance (ELF). Based in Ireland, ELF is the world’s leading independent engine financing and leasing company and claimed a payment default of over USD 12 million (around Rs 100 crore).

The NCLT rejected the pleas of Willis Lease Finance and Wilmington Trust. Spicejet settled the case with Celestial Aviation.

The petitions filed by Aircastle and Alterna Aircraft are pending before the insolvency tribunal.

Both Wilmington Trust and Willis Lease Finance have moved the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) challenging the dismissal of their insolvency plea by NCLT.

SpiceJet has raised Rs 3,000 crore through the sale of shares to qualified institutional buyers, which will provide a much-needed tailwind for the struggling airline.

Among others, the proceeds will be used for settling liabilities of creditors, including aircraft and engine lessors, engineering vendors and financiers.

Five allottees each have received more than five per cent of the shares offered in the QIP. They are Authum Investment and Infrastructure Ltd (9.33 per cent), Discovery Global Opportunity (Mauritius) Ltd (8.33 per cent), Troo Capital (6.67 per cent), Societe Generale – ODI (6.04 per cent) and Goldman Sachs (Singapore) Pte – ODI (5.33 per cent), as per another regulatory filing The carrier’s statutory dues totalled Rs 601.5 crore as of September 15 and net proceeds from the placement will also be utilised towards clearing the dues. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

SpiceJet said on Tuesday that Carlyle Group’s commercial aviation investment and servicing unit will write off $40.2 million of the airline’s lease arrears and convert $30 million of its arrears into equity.

The conversion, at 100 rupees ($1.19) per share of SpiceJet, is a 56% premium to its close on Monday.

The budget carrier’s shares jumped as much as 6% after the announcement.

The write-off comes days after the airline said it will convert dues to Carlyle Aviation into equity and debentures. The airline has been struggling to fully restore operations despite multiple fundraises over the last year, trailing rivals IndiGo and Tata-owned Air India in terms of market share.

The conversion will “significantly” increase Carlyle Aviation’s stake in the carrier, SpiceJet said.

Carlyle Aviation currently holds a nearly 6% stake in SpiceJet, the latter said in a response to a Reuters inquiry. The airline did not disclose the stake Carlyle Aviation will hold post-conversion.

Late last month, the country’s aviation watchdog placed SpiceJet under enhanced surveillance after a recent audit revealed “certain deficiencies”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

SpiceJet said on Tuesday that Carlyle Group’s commercial aviation investment and servicing unit will write off $40.2 million of the airline’s lease arrears and convert $30 million of its arrears into equity.

The conversion, at 100 rupees ($1.19) per share of SpiceJet, is a 56% premium to its close on Monday.

The budget carrier’s shares jumped as much as 6% after the announcement.

The write-off comes days after the airline said it will convert dues to Carlyle Aviation into equity and debentures. The airline has been struggling to fully restore operations despite multiple fundraises over the last year, trailing rivals IndiGo and Tata-owned Air India in terms of market share.

The conversion will “significantly” increase Carlyle Aviation’s stake in the carrier, SpiceJet said.

Carlyle Aviation currently holds a nearly 6% stake in SpiceJet, the latter said in a response to a Reuters inquiry. The airline did not disclose the stake Carlyle Aviation will hold post-conversion.

Late last month, the country’s aviation watchdog placed SpiceJet under enhanced surveillance after a recent audit revealed “certain deficiencies”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)