A Word from Editor

The overwhelming mandate with which the Narendra Modi led BJP government has come to power at the centre, has rekindled hopes in the Indian civil aviation sector that, with the help from the new government, the industry will be able to face and tide over the crisis that is staring in its face. The task before the government is undoubtedly challenging as apart from the Indian civil aviation industry, there are a number of other segments of the economy, some possibly more important, that also need urgent attention. However, the Indian civil aviation industry is still hopeful that the government will give it the attention it deserves for it to once again forge ahead. It is now up to the new Minister of State for Civil Aviation (Independent Charge) Hardeep Singh Puri to get a grip on the situation as he now in the Pilot’s seat!

The world has been privileged to be witness in recent times to two events that pertain to the global civil aviation industry. The first event, EBACE 2019, had on display new products and technologies as well as new business models. Of particular interest among the products being showcased were electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that would be of great relevance to business aviation as also business jets that use sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF) in place of normal Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) derived from fossils. Both these are of immense significance for the times to come. Also making their debut after receiving certification from the concerned regulatory agencies i.e. FAA and EASA, were two new entrants in the domain of business jets namely the Global 7500 from Bombardier and the Praetor 600 from Embraer of Brazil.

The second major event related to the global aerospace industry is the Paris Air Show, a biennial congregation scheduled to be held from June 17 to 23 this year. Running since the year 1909, this will be the 53rd edition of the largest and the longest running Air Show in the world. This event that has ‘INNOVATION’ as its central theme, is expected to attract all major players in the aerospace industry from across the globe.

A major milestone recently accomplished was Airbus completing 50 years. The company has constantly marked many industry milestones as an aerospace giant through its extraordinary journey of 50 years. In this issue, Ayushee Chaudhary takes you through these five decades of an eventful journey that was transformative not just for Airbus itself in its rise as a global aerospace giant but also the international aviation industry, particularly the civil aviation domain.

With the ease of commute and rising travel demands, air transport as the mode of travelling is only gaining more popularity, accelerating the need to redesign and reinvent with some of the most innovatively conceptualised futuristic airliners. In an article in this issue, Ayushee Chaudhary traces the imminent air travel transformations.

All of this and much more is in this issue of SP’s AirBuz. Welcome aboard and we wish you many happy landings!

Jai Hind!