Airlines in India are asking the government to help them obtain unsecured credit from oil companies and airports, as fuel-price increases push them deeper into losses and imperil their survival. Competition and aggressive pricing are stopping fares from rising to reflect higher input costs, the Federation of Indian Airlines said in a letter sent to the aviation ministry’s top bureaucrat last week. A spokesman for the group confirmed the letter and its contents, but couldn’t comment further. Airlines are “facing challenging times and substantial losses in the domestic environment,” the communication addressed to Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said. The plea is the latest signal of the crisis facing airlines in India, where the world’s fastest-growth in air travel has created a capacity glut that’s keeping fares below cost, while fuel prices and a weaker rupee squeeze them further. Jet Airways India, the market’s second biggest player, is struggling to stay afloat after delayed payments to staff and lessors, and is in talks with investors to raise funds. The FIA consists of Jet, InterGlobe Aviation’s market leading IndiGo, SpiceJet and Go Airlines India, which together account for almost 80% of the domestic market. Losses at Indian carriers will balloon to as much as $1.9bi in the year ending March 2019, and they need to raise more than $3b in working capital in the near term, according to CAPA Centre for Aviation. <br/>
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On a dusty, 3,600-foot-long airstrip in Rajasthan, India, a two-seater white Cessna 152 pivots into position. A few moments later, it's soaring over the empty desert into a cloudless blue sky. This is the private runway at 1,100-acre Banasthali Vidyapith -- one of India's premier women's universities. Since its establishment in 1962, the university's School of Aviation has produced more than 5,000 alumnae, with dozens more in the pipeline. "In a country where many people don't want to invest in girls, which is the mentality of most traditional families, Banasthali Vidyapith creates a place where women are equally important," said Captain Tarana Saxena, a recent graduate. "They give girls a chance to learn about aviation ... a chance to fly." Story has full background.<br/>
Airbus is hiring staff to help develop a proposed new narrow-body jet and a revamped version of its latest A350 wide-body, both due to be powered by a new generation of engine from the middle of next decade. The company is recruiting designers and engineers in Toulouse and Madrid to work on the short-haul model, as well as a “new engine option” or Neo version of the A350, according to job postings seen by Bloomberg. The short-range jet would be the first entirely new narrow-body that Airbus has brought to market since the A320 was offered to airlines in 1984, and the first clean-paper model of any kind from the planemaker since the A350 was proposed in 2006. When asked about the job notices, Airbus said the projects described aren’t guaranteed to be launched or to enter production. “As a leading aircraft manufacturer we are looking at many ways to advance our product line,” it said. “There are many studies, but not all see the light of day.” Airbus has in the past advertised jobs on a Neo version of the A380 superjumbo -- an upgrade that in 2016 was taken off the drawing board.<br/>
Travellers around the globe are one step closer to seeing a plane with its wings folded up being taxied to their gate. Slated to be one of the next darlings of commercial aviation, the Boeing 777X hit a production milestone this week when its major fuselage sections -- the airplane's nose, mid and aft sections -- were brought together. It has the longest body produced by the manufacturer, of 252 feet, and the widest wingspan of any aircraft in the company's 102-year history: 235 feet, five inches. The aircraft is the 777-9 variant, building on the 777 and 787 Dreamliner, and offering the largest, and most efficient, twin-engine in the world, Boeing said. Its hinged wingtips alone measure 12 feet, with locking pins to prevent them from folding during flight. The wings give the jetliner extra lift, similar to that of a giant sailplane glider, helping the plane to save an overall 12% more fuel than the Airbus A350, according to Boeing. Its first flight is scheduled for 2019 and first deliveries are in 2020. Seating 400 to 425 passengers, the plane features new lighting, architecture, a wider cabin and larger windows that are located higher on the fuselage than the current 777, the company said. Folding wings are a feature of military aircraft, such as the F/A-18 fighters which need to squeeze onto US aircraft carriers.<br/>
Airports of Thailand (AoT) has put the brakes on a second terminal scheduled to be built at Suvarnabhumi airport, pending steps to glean opinions from relevant parties including the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Several organisations including the Council of Engineers (CoE) and the Architects Council of Thailand have railed against the plan, saying the proposed new facility is poorly located and veers away from the original Suvarnabhumi master plan drafted in 1990. An AoT source said the board agreed to put the construction of the terminal on hold in line with the management's proposal. This was because some critics pointed out that the structure does not comply with the master plan, which has been studied by the ICAO. <br/>