Airlines

Air India’s New Inflight Magazine ‘namaste.ai’ Takes off

As part of its continuous transformational journey, Air India has taken another step forward with the launch of its brand-new in-flight magazine, namaste.ai. Starting today, all domestic and international flights operated by Air India will offer namaste.ai. It is a high-end travel and lifestyle publication that embodies Air India’s goal of building a top-tier, all-encompassing airline with a strong Indian core.

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As a tribute to the ‘Father of Indian Aviation‘ in honour of his birth anniversary on July 29th, the first issue of namaste.ai contains an uplifting cover story on the famous JRD Tata. Air India continues to be motivated to restore its position in the top tier of international aviation by JRD Tata’s legacy of unwavering entrepreneurship and pursuit of perfection.

‘The name namaste.ai derives from the Indian salutation,’ stated Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD of Air India. India is renowned for its cordial hospitality in addition to its diversity of regions, populations, and cultures. We shall try to provide a glimpse of all that and more to our visitors through namaste.ai. The experience of flying with us will be improved for the benefit of our guests.

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Namaste.ai offers a variety of captivating lifestyle content from the IT, culinary, cultural, and entertainment industries, as well as travel locations to discover both near and far. In order to educate visitors about the airline and its current transformation projects, it also includes intriguing information from within Air India.

Airlines

S7 Group Begins Fan Blade Production for Western Engine Models

The privately-owned Russian aerospace giant S7 Group has reportedly commenced production of blades for Western-built aero engines at its subsidiary, the Berdsk Electromechanical Plant (BEMZ), located in Novosibirsk.

This development, reported by the Russian aviation publication ATO.ru, marks a significant step for the company amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.BEMZ has started manufacturing composite fan blades compatible with jet turbine engines, including the CFM International CFM56, which powers popular aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family.

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The technology for restoring blades of gas turbine engines used in Airbus and Boeing aircraft was previously developed by the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and is now being implemented in the production of new aircraft parts at BEMZ.

Currently, BEMZ focuses on producing parts essential for maintaining the airworthiness of civil aircraft. Over the past year and a half, the plant has manufactured approximately 3,500 structural elements and components for replacement on foreign aircraft, which are utilized by airlines such as S7 Airlines, Pobeda, Aurora, and Aeroflot.

The facility is undergoing expansion, with two stages of an investment program totaling 2 billion roubles already completed. These developments are likely geared toward producing blades for the CFM56 engines, which equip more than half of S7’s operational fleet, including 28 Airbus A320-family aircraft and 19 Boeing 737-800s.

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Vasily Yurchenko, CEO of Berdsk Electromechanical Plant, emphasized the shift in focus towards maintaining the airworthiness of the Western-made fleet. The plant has delivered thousands of components to S7 and other Russian carriers since 2022. Notably, according to Russia’s Air Operators Association, 89% of the country’s passengers in 2023 traveled aboard foreign-made aircraft.

Future plans include serious investments to transform the plant into a modern, high-tech aircraft manufacturing facility. In addition to engine blades, BEMZ is also known for producing various spare parts for aircraft, reinforcing its role in the Russian aviation industry as it adapts to new manufacturing needs.