Latest news with #SukalpSharma
Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
‘See huge blue ocean opportunity in India for regional jets, perfect fit between turboprops, larger planes': Raul Villaron
Hitherto a small player in India's aviation landscape, Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has its sights set on India as its next growth market—for commercial as well as defence aircraft. The company is already in the running for the Indian Air Force's (IAF) medium transport aircraft procurement project, and is also pitching its portfolio of regional commercial jets—a segment yet to take off in India—to fast-expanding Indian airlines. As part of the effort to capitalise on the opportunity, Embraer recently announced an India-focussed subsidiary. In a freewheeling interaction with Sukalp Sharma, Embraer's President and Group CEO Francisco Gomes Neto and Embraer Commercial Aviation's Head of Asia-Pacific Raul Villaron discuss the company's India ambitions and vision, including the possibility of local manufacturing. Edited excerpts: The Embraer C390 is seen as a frontrunner for the IAF's medium transport aircraft procurement project. How confident are you about winning the contract? How does the C390 stack up against competing aircraft like Lockheed Martin C130? Neto: We are convinced that the C390 is the best solution for the Indian Air Force. If you look at the last orders we got for C390—Portugal, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria—most of them replaced the C130 with the C390 because our aircraft is more modern, faster, and carries more load. It's multi-mission by design, it is more flexible. With the C390, you can perform the same missions with less aircraft. At what stage are your conversations with the IAF and the government? When do you expect a decision? Neto: I think we're moving well. They are learning more and more about the features of our aircraft, and we believe we have a good chance, although nothing is decided…We expect a decision in a couple of years. But this is not in our hands. This is more in the hands of the Indian Air Force. If you get the IAF contract, you will be setting up an FAL (final assembly line) to build the aircraft in India. Are you also open to having an FAL here for your commercial jets as well? Neto: Everything depends on the size of the order. In the case of a C390, the expectation is to have a deal for 40 to 80 aircraft, which is a lot for that size of aircraft. If the orders (for commercial aircraft) are large enough, it would be possible for us…We are bringing a procurement team already to India because we want to explore a supply chain, even without selling many commercial jets here. We already want to find component suppliers here for aircraft to be sold in other markets. Coming to commercial aircraft, Embraer specialises in regional or small narrow-body planes. This segment did not take off in India, even as the country emerged as a massive market for larger aircraft. What is Embraer's view on the India opportunity in the segment? Villaron: We see a huge blue ocean opportunity in India, where most of the unserved markets are either too long for turboprops or too thin for (typical) narrow-bodies. We see a potential for 300 (small narrow-body) aircraft in the next 10 years, and 500 aircraft in the next 20 years in India. Historically, Indian airlines either ordered turboprops or larger narrow-bodies. We feel turboprops now have a mature network in India and there aren't many growth opportunities left. It's limiting the airlines' ability to expand regional networks because the (turboprops') range doesn't let them go beyond the short sectors. Also, with improvement in India's roads and airport infrastructure, the benefits of turboprops are eroding with time. Meanwhile, the regular narrow-bodies are upgauging (getting bigger). So, the gap between a turboprop and a typical narrow-body is widening and is becoming difficult to bridge. You want to replace a 70-seater (turboprop) due to higher demand, but a 180-seater (regular narrow-body jet like Airbus A320 and Boeing 737) has more seats (than needed). But a small narrow-body like ours—up to 146 seats—fits perfectly in that gap. Why couldn't Embraer break into India's commercial aviation market? Villaron: Embraer didn't have a strong penetration in India compared to the US, Europe, and some other markets, as our earlier E1 (series) aircraft's main value proposition was trip cost, while the seat cost was higher, which did not suit a country like India where yields are very low. But our new E2 (family of aircraft) comes with more seats, and its seat cost is very competitive—same as larger narrow-body planes—while the trip cost is still 20-25 per cent lower than theirs. Are you in active discussions with Indian airlines for your E2 aircraft? Villaron: Yes. Our main partner in India is (regional airline) Star Air (with five previous generation Embraer regional jets), and they have announced their plans to expand their fleet. So, we are talking to them to understand their needs. They took delivery of another Embraer aircraft just a month ago. The business plan and the opportunity that we see for the airline is interesting, so we are talking to them. What about major Indian airlines that are predominantly in larger narrow-body operations? Villaron: As good salespeople, we talk to everyone. We want to present these opportunities that are so clear to us. We want to make sure the airlines visualise that as well. The big ones (IndiGo, Air India, etc), I think are busy with the large aircraft orders they have placed and the expansion internationally. But they also recognise there is a need to work on the regional network. IndiGo has a turboprop fleet, which at a certain point will need to be replaced and we believe that jets are going to be the next phase of the regional network expansion in India. As for Air India, their main competitor (IndiGo) has a regional network, while they don't. So, I believe they would need to look at these opportunities. We are the leaders in the regional segment, so we are confident that we will be considered. Airbus, which has a significant presence in India, also has a small narrow-body product, A220. What is your pitch to the airlines for your E2 portfolio—E190-E2 and E195-E2—vis-à-vis the A220? Villaron: If we do a nose-to-nose aircraft comparison, the E2 is much more efficient. It's about 10 per cent cheaper to operate due to lower fuel burn. It's a much lighter aircraft, has a higher-aspect-ratio wing with better aerodynamics. It has a longer interval, so maintenance cost is lower. We use a similar engine as the A220 but because our aircraft is lighter, it stays longer on the wing…We are confident that even though our competitor is strong in India, when you compare the two aircraft, our product is better. Also, if you're looking for something that really complements the gap in India's fleet, you need to buy something from the gap, not something that's almost as big as the thing you're not looking for. The A220, with around 160 seats, is very close to a (regular) narrow-body that has 180 seats. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Indian Express
India announces closure of airspace over Andaman Sea on May 23-24 for planned air activity
India has announced the closure of airspace over an area around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea for three hours each on May 23-24 for a planned air activity, and no civilian aircraft will be allowed to use the specified airspace at any altitude, according to a recent Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by the Indian authorities. The NOTAM was issued on Friday (May 16) evening. It is not mandatory for the exact nature of the air activity to be mentioned in the NOTAM. A review of past NOTAMs issued for military exercises and weapons tests shows that the specific nature of the activity was mentioned in a number of notices, while a few were non-specific. But the location and certain particulars of this NOTAM may be interpreted as indicative of a missile or weapons system test. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands region has been used time and again by India for missile tests, with the test firing of the BrahMos supersonic missile in salvo mode in January 2025 being a recent example. In April last year, India successfully tested an air-launched ballistic missile in the Adamans, and in March 2022, a successful test firing of the extended range BrahMos missile was done from a launch pad in the island group. According to the NOTAM, the specified airspace—over a polygonal area around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with maximum corridor length of around 500 km—will be restricted between 01:30 and 04:30 UTC (7 am and 10 am IST) on May 23 and 24, and consequently nine international flight routes will be closed for these periods without any alternative routes being made available. The affected altitudes are listed as ground to unlimited, which means that civilian aircraft are not allowed to operate even at very high altitudes over the specified area during the restriction windows. As the NOTAM is for a specified three-hour window on both days, covers a large area, is applicable for all altitude levels from the ground up, and does not make available any alternative routes for civilian aircraft, it could be indicative of a missile test or a high-altitude weapons test. Such broad closures without alternative routes usually signal sensitive or hazardous operations that require civilian aircraft to be kept completely out of range. For activities like aerial surveys, usually lower altitudes are used, which do not interfere with high-altitude flight paths. Emails to the Airports Authority of India, Ministry of Defence, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have not elicited any response so far. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
Indian Express
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Operation Sindoor: Pakistani airspace fully shut for all air traffic till Sunday noon amid escalation in India-Pakistan conflict
Amid a major escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan that saw the neighbouring countries launching multiple strikes at each other's military installations overnight and on Saturday morning, Pakistan has fully shut its airspace to all air traffic till at least 12 pm Pakistan time (12:30 pm IST) on Sunday, May 11, as per a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. With the airspace closure, the entire Pakistani airspace wears a deserted look, flight tracking data shows. Islamabad had initially issued a NOTAM announcing the closure of its airspace to all aircraft from 3:15 am to 12 pm (Pakistan time) Saturday. It subsequently issued another NOTAM, saying that the airspace will remain shut till Sunday noon. Late Friday, India had announced temporary closure of 32 airports across northern and western India for civil aircraft operations till 5:29 am IST on May 15, according to a series of NOTAMs issued by India's aviation authorities. Following India's precision strikes at nine locations in Pakistan as part of 'Operation Sindoor' in the wee hours on Wednesday, New Delhi had announced closure of around 25 airports—close to the India-Pakistan border or housed at key Indian Air Force bases—initially till Saturday 5:29 am in order to keep civilian air traffic away from potential harm. But with tensions escalating and Pakistan resorting to large-scale drone and missile attacks at Indian military installations in northern and western India, and India's proportionate military response to Pakistan, the temporary closure of airports extended, and a few more airports were added to the list. However, Pakistan had so far not shut its airspace or airports to civil aircraft operations, even as it repeatedly mounted drone and missile attacks against India over the past few days. India on Friday and Saturday hit out at Pakistan for using civilian aircraft as 'shields' as it allowed them to operate close to the international border with India, even as both countries were engaged in a military conflict in the region. But that changed overnight after India 'engaged with' Pakistan's military targets at six locations—Rafiki, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur and Juniya—using 'air-launched precision weapons' from Indian fighter aircraft. The Indian response followed Pakistan's 'escalatory' and 'provocative' actions in which it attempted air intrusions at multiple locations, which were thwarted by the Indian armed forces. Most international airlines were already avoiding overflying the Pakistani airspace amid soaring tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. Prior to the closure of the Pakistani airspace on Saturday, most of the commercial flight activity there was largely limited to domestic flights or some international flights to and from Pakistani airports. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
