DGCA grounds two aircraft for carrying liquor on board

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) grounded two aircraft — one of Bajaj Auto Limited’s aviation arm and another of real estate firm Sobha Puravankara — for carrying liquor on board and other safety violations.
“The aircraft were grounded for violating Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) 12/1994 that bans serving liquor on board domestic flights and the Delhi Liquor Licence Rules of 1974. We are will write to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security asking it to probe how the bottles were carried into the aircraft,” a DGCA official said.
While Sobha’s aircraft, which came from Bangalore to Delhi,   had a full-fledged bar, Bajaj Auto’s aircraft, Bombardier Global 5000 (VT-BAJ), had come from Pune.
The officials also found “serious” technical lapses as both aircraft were not carrying the mandatory operations manuals as well as the Jeppesen manual or the comprehensive flight (route) guide.  “Two women facilitators were found on board the Sobha aircraft. The Bajaj Auto aircraft had a woman attendant. They did not have the mandatory cabin crew training,” the official said.
30/04/14 Indian Express

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Bangalore boys come first in aero competition

Bangalore: Bangalore, the aviation capital of India, has often had its young opting for careers in aerospace, many displaying their skills at various forums. Two teams from Bangalore only reaffirmed this fact by bagging the first two places at the recently concluded (April 12) Boeing India-IIT national-level aeromodelling competition.
The four Bangalore boys -- three from ASC College of Engineering, and one from BMS -- competed against 560 participants to clench the contest.
At one point, Tabrez Nadvi Anser, Pavan MJ, and Vignesh Arul of ASC College, who bagged the first place, stared at a missed opportunity. "Selection for the finals was to happen at four zones, IIT Madras (South), IIT Kharagpur (East), IIT Bombay (West), and IIT Kanpur (North). Unfortunately, we couldn't enter the zonal-level competition at IIT Chennai, as it coincided with our semester exams. We finally got permission to participate from the East zone, and our college helped us with the funding," Tabrez told TOI.
30/04/14 Chethan Kumar/Times of India

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Let the Aviator in You Take Wings

Bangalore: Living up to the city’s much talked-about image as the Aviation Capital of India, the Royal Orchid Resort and Convention Centre in Yelahanka is organising a 35-day summer camp for children with a difference.
Powered by Funlab, the unique Science and Technology Summer Special Camp, beginning from April 25, will see some experts in aero-modelling undertaking workshops in plane-making.
Debajani B Mohapatra, communication manager from Royal Orchid, told City Express that the summer camp theme has been designed to increase the scientific temper among the students. “There are hundreds of camps in the city, but we wanted to stay closer to an idea Bangalore has been known for decades. Aviation topped our list and the camp will also host a series of fun-filled activities, in addition to aero-modelling. We have an equally interesting segment for robotics as well,” says Debajani.
Targetted for age groups between seven and 15 years, the camp schedule is being split into three categories. The one-day camp on weekdays is for seven hours, the two-day camp on weekends for 14 hours and the 10-day camp is for two-weeks.
28/04/14 New Indian Express

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Of passion and pure thrill of flying high

Hyderabad: The Air Force Station at Begumpet was one of six heritages of the city to be acknowledged with an award by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) on the occasion of World Heritage Day 2014. The event brought into focus little known facts about Hyderabad's history, including the city's pioneering efforts in the field of aviation which commenced in 1911 when a Belgian aviator, Baron de Caters, along with his assistant Jules Tyck, arrived with a fleet of planes to give demonstration at the Secunderabad Parade Ground.
The three-day affair received wide publicity and drew large crowds of onlookers including quite a few women. A newspaper report preceding the event announced that "a popular society lady will be taken up by the Baron on the first day". Unfortunately the identity of this enigmatic passenger remains unknown and it is believed that it must have been a member of the European community then living in the cantonment.
The first direct association of Hyderabad with aviation was established a few years later when during World War I, a British pilot challenged the enemy while flying an aircraft bearing the name of 'Hyderabad' over the skies of Germany in 1917.
27/04/14 Sajjad Shahid/Times of India

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Kargil Fighter Pilot Fuels IAF's Thrilling Mobile Game Combat

New Delhi: When Sameer Joshi, a former Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, hung his boots a few years after seeing action in the Kargil War, he hadn’t imagined that he would be aiding the IAF in devising new strategies to attract talent to the force sometime into the future. That future is now.
The fighter pilot, with multinational experience flying multiple combat planes, had fought the Pakistanis in 1999 over the icy heights of Kargil. It was a war India won convincingly due to the fire power of the IAF combat planes and helicopters.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Joshi continues to fly a bush-plane to connect the far-flung areas in the North East even after retiring from the IAF. But what is most satisfying for him is his present assignment as the creative director at Threye, described on its website as “a young playful company, which takes the business of fun seriously”.
Threye—a word coined by the confluence of Three and Eye—deals with three-dimensional graphics and Joshi will put to use his knowledge in military history to geo-politics of the region, military aviation and aerospace technology, to develop mobile games for the IAF. Threye recently won the tender to develop the adrenaline-raising ‘Guardians of the Sky’ mobile game for adventure-seeking Indian teens in the 14 to 18 age bracket.
27/04/14 N C Bipindra/New Indian Express

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Uttar Pradesh in sky: Flying netas jack up air traffic

Lucknow: With election fever touching its peak and netas making whirlwind trips to reach maximum voters in minimum time, the air traffic in the state has gone several times up. According to an estimate of civil aviation department, while the chartered aircraft movement in the two airports and 16 airstrips across the state has gone up by 50%, the chopper movement has increased by 200%.
In fact, the flight movement at the Amausi airport alone has gone up by nearly 100%, forcing the airport authorities to find ways to accommodate the aircraft and choppers in the apron area.
Leading from the front are Lucknow and Varanasi airports and airstrips at Saifai and Fursatganj in Rae Bareli, used by top leaders of various political parties. While Saifai has become a take-off point for the entire Yadav belt, accounting for nearly 60 landings of chartered aircraft and choppers in the past 15 days, Varanasi, from where BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi is contesting has witnessed 15 air movements per day in the past 15 days. Lucknow on the other hand, has registered 40 aircraft/chopper movements per day in the past fortnight. The traffic at the Fursatganj airport, used mostly by the Gandhi family, however, has witnessed a low rate registering around only eight aircraft movement in the plast 15 days.
26/04/14 Pankaj Shah/Times of India

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Air travel for the aam aadmi

Back in 2005 when India’s first budget airlines were taking wing, this was a common sight at airports: Swarms of local travellers clicking their way to the first airplane journey of their lives, or thrifty Indian families unpacking home-cooked food onboard in scenes that one might see on a train journey in India. The early offerings from low cost, no-frills airlines revolutionised air travel, so much so that if one got lucky online, tickets could even be cheaper than the to-and-fro airport taxi fare.
Good times they were, until three years back. Thereafter, high fuel costs, taxes and a general mismanagement of air routes quickly pushed up fares. To be sure, economic prosperity has boosted air travel in India at a fast clip. Yet, with average airline tickets now costing way above erstwhile full-service fares, the budget traveller in India has been priced out of the skies.
But can this change? Is the Indian airline industry capable of transforming itself from serving a tiny fraction of the 1.2 billion population to becoming the mode of choice for long-distance travel for the entire country? Simply put, can more train-travelling Indians fly?
The answer is yes, and they must because a well-established air transport industry plays a role in facilitating growth in a nation’s standard of living and economic activity.
26/04/14 Lalit Bhasin/Business Line

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Intra-state air connectivity gets government push

Mumbai: The government is trying to introduce easy and subsidised air connectivity from Juhu aerodrome to tier II and III cities in the state.
A high-level committee headed by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan is in advanced stages of talks with an aviation company in Andheri.
If the project gets implemented, it will be the first time that the government would subsidise air tickets to promote air connectivity. The committee had last year hinted at such a possibility.
The development comes after several such projects across the country failed to take off without state help. India, among the fastest growing aviation markets, has more than 450 used, unused, and abandoned airports and airstrips. So, the future lies in "regional connectivity".
A state official said the government would subsidise up to seven seats. "Senior government employees and bureaucrats might then use these seats for official travel," he said.
26/04/14 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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No-fly zone mooted over Padmanabhaswamy temple

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala police have mooted the urgent establishment of a no-fly zone over Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple to render the landmark shrine and its hoard of antique treasures stored in ancient subterranean vaults “impregnable” to airborne threats.
Officials say the police have recommended that flying of kites be prohibited in the proposed no-fly zone to prevent any attempt at ‘kite aerial photography,’ a relatively new technique of taking above the ground pictures using remote-controlled cameras rigged to the kites.
The police have based their proposal, which in the face of it seems more than necessary, on the ‘possibility’ that non-State actors could use ‘jury-rigged’ kites for covert surveillance of the area or, in a worst case security scenario, attempt an airborne sabotage operation on the temple’s structure.
Once the proposal comes through, possibly after discussions with and the concurrence of the Indian Air Force and civil aviation authorities, a special zone name will be accorded for the temple area and it will be notified on aeronautical charts so that pilots would know and identify in advance the area over which they are not allowed to fly.
An informal arrangement to this end is reported to be existing already on police insistence.
25/04/14 G. Anand/The Hindu

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Aero show gets under way at Nehru College

Coimbatore: Aeroplus 2014 is the destination to be if one has to see a Cessna or a Rolls Royce Avon engine or a MIG aircraft engine. It is also the place to be in to see helicopters – to look up in awe at the length of the rotors and click a ‘selfie’ in front of a helicopter of ones liking.
Organised by the Nehru College of Aeronautics and Applied Sciences, the exhibition is an opportunity for people to see and understand what aeronautical engineering is all about, in addition to looking at the flying machines at close quarters, says P. Krishnakumar, CEO and secretary, Nehru Group of Institutions.
The flying machines on display include ‘Grumman American’, ‘Bell 47 G5’, ‘Augusta 139’, Cessna 150D and a few others. There is also the eight-seater Hawker HS 125 1A.
In addition to the helicopters and small airplanes, the college had also thrown open its labs to the public and students of other institutions. In the labs, the students get to see the how the engines work, how its functioning is controlled, how the pilot gets to control the airflow into the engine to stay afloat and manoeuvre the aircraft and much more.
26/04/14 The Hindu

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DGCA plans to shut doors on low fuel landings

New Delhi: In a highly controversial move, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recommended that "fuel emergency" will not be recognised at Indian airports for making an emergency landing.
A top DGCA official told M AIL TODAY on Thursday that airlines generally carry less than the required amount of fuel so that they can carry more cargo and make money, but this jeopardizes the lives of passengers.
"Airlines are expected to carry at least 1.5 times the fuel that is actually required during a particular flight. We have noticed that many airlines generally carry less fuel than what they are actually required to do for a flight," the official said.
"This weight is adjusted with the cargo and that is how airlines make good money as air cargo charges are very high. However by doing so they (airlines) compromise on safety," the DGCA official said.
The DGCA's recommendations released on Thursday state: "AIP (Aeronautical Information Publication) shall be amended to indicate that the term fuel emergency would not be recognised at the Indian aerodromes."
25/04/14 Sanjay Singh/Business Today

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Intra-Maharashtra air connectivity gets government push

A high-level committee headed by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is in advanced stages of talks with an Andheri-based aviation company to provide easy and subsidised air connectivity to many tier II and tier III cities in the state.
If the project is implemented, it will be the first time in Maharashtra that the government would be taking a financial hit to promote air connectivity. The high-level committee had last year hinted its plans.
The development comes after several similar projects across the country, with no state help, had failed in the recent past. India, which is among the fastest growing aviation market, has over 450 used, unused, and abandoned airports and airstrips. The future lies in 'regional air connectivity', say aviation experts.
Government sources said that the Maharashtra government will subsidise up to seven seats in an aircraft in case it does not get filled. "The seats may then be used by senior government employees and bureaucrats for official work," they said.
25/04/14 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Cessna short flights to Satna resumes

Bhopal: Ventura Airconnect, an intra-state airline may have resumed its services from Bhopal to Satna on Thursday, the operator is not happy with the airstrips at various other destinations where it wants to operate. Services to Satna were discontinued in 2011 due to the unfavorable condition of air strips.
Sandeep Mishra, vice-president of the airline, told reporters, Ventura wishes to start services in Pachmarhi, Datia, Singrauli and Shahdol but the condition of air strips at these places needs to be improved.
"The state government officials need to show willingness. We have received regular calls from travelers who want to fly to these destinations but bad air strips stand in the way," Mishra said.Ventura is India's first dedicated intra-state airline operating with 9-seater Cessna Grand Caravan. At present, the airline runs two aircrafts. Ventura renders its services in Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur a nd Satna. Airline authorities are planning to connect almost all cities that have airports but are not linked to the state capital.
25/04/14 Times of India

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Deve Gowda offers to settle IAF dues

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister and JD-S chief H D Deve Gowda has moved the Delhi high court offering to settle pending dues claimed by the Indian Air Force for the past 18 years.
The IAF is demanding nearly Rs 2 crores from Deve Gowda for the use of its aircraft for non-official purposes during his stint as the Prime Minister of the country. While the principal amount is Rs 54 lakhs the dues have swelled with interest added all these years.
In an application filed before the court of joint registrar S S Malhotra, the ex PM urged him to send the case to mediation so that he can arrive at a full and final settlement with the IAF over pending dues.
In his plea through advocate Dilip Pullakot, the former PM said that nearly 28 lacs is owed to the IAF by the then civil aviation minister C M Ibrahim but the money has been added to Deve Gowda's dues by the government. He told the court he is willing to pay his dues to the IAF for which the case should be sent to mediation.
However, even though the Centre through standing counsel Sumeet Pushkarna indicated it is willing to take the case to mediation, the Jt Registrar refused to allow the plea.
25/04/14 Abhinav Garg/Times of India

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India Receives MiG-29 Modernization Kits

The Russian firm MiG completed the delivery of the modernization kits for India’s MiG-29 fighters, according to ITAR-TASS.
Under a 2009 contract worth $964 million, the Russian corporation agreed to modernize six fighters at its production sites and provide kits for the modernization of other Indian MiG-29 planes into the MiG-29UGP version by the local aircraft industry enterprises.
“In 2012 and 2013 we had delivered three planes each. We also delivered the technological kits that are needed for the assembly, repair and modernization of planes of the Indian Air Force. So, we have fully met all our obligations,” MiG Director General Sergei Korotkov.
24/04/14 Defense World

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Official: Iran's Aviation Industry Prioritizing Cooperation with India

Tehran: The Civil Aviation Organization of Iran plans to expand its cooperation with its Indian counterpart, an official announced.
"Mutual air transportation cooperation between Iran and India is among the priorities of the Iran Civil Aviation Organization," ICAO Director General for Legal and International Affairs Mohammad Saeed Sharif said after a meeting with aviation officials in Tehran.
He noted that Indians plan to build home-made passenger planes, which can pave the way for further cooperation between Tehran and New Delhi in the field of aviation.
"Training expert aviation workforce for India, training expert airport management personnel, airport operations, flight control and other needed expertise as well as export of technical and engineering services are among the opportunities that Iran can seize in India," Sharif said.
23/04/14 FARS News

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Travel agent arrested for giving fliers forged tickets

Pune: The Vimantal police have arrested a travel agent who forged the identities of five passengers to accommodate them on 11:30 am Pune-Delhi flight on Wednesday. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials at Pune’s Lohegaon airport spotted the forged tickets and nabbed the agent on the spot.
The accused has been identified as Navin Satish Goyal (31), a resident of Mahesh Society in Bibwewadi. He has been remanded to police custody for two days.
Police Sub-Inspector Uday Prabhakar Baviskar from CISF has lodged a complaint against Goyal under section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 511 (attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code.
Police Sub-Inspector H B Markad said, “Goyal runs a travel agency and had done group booking of 73 persons for the Pune-Delhi flight in January. The group booking was done for an agriproduct company from Ahmednagar who had sponsored a five-day Delhi tour for their dealers.”
25/04/14 Salil Urunkar/Mid Day

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Soon, you may be able to use your phone in-flight

Mumbai: You may soon be able to keep your mobile phone switched on during flight, with the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) mulling over a proposal to approve it by bringing in amendments in the present laws.
If the rule is implemented, the flyers can turn on their cell phones into 'flight safe mode', thus giving them the independence to work, play video games, listen to music, watch pre-loaded movies or even type their emails. The mails would, however, be sent only after the plane lands at the airport. This, aviation experts say, will give the passengers more time to work, read or play. "It has been a long-pending demand of the airlines," said a DGCA source.
The development will also bring respite to scores of travellers flying in the no-frill airlines, having no access to any form of entertainment during the flight.
23/04/14 Daily News & Analysis

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Bangalore students’ aircraft model wins in a field of 170 teams

Bangalore: Their aircraft crashed five times in a row. The worst part is this. It crashed just ahead of an aeromodelling contest, leaving its builders with only a few hours to put it together again.
The students built it in three hours straight, tested it in the morning and packed it before catching a Delhi-bound train in the afternoon. Their efforts paid off: they stood first in the national level aeromodelling competition organised by Boeing and five IITs.
Meet the trio from ACS College of Engineering, Bangalore who made the city proud by defeating 170 other teams in the National Aeromodelling Competition at New Delhi. Interestingly, the first runner-up position was also bagged by another Bangalore team (BMS College of Engineering).
Tabrez Nadvi, a third-year aeronautical engineering student from ACS was logged into Facebook and by chance, came across the aeromodelling competition page. He and his friends enrolled and stood third in the zonal level competition held at IIT Kharagpur.
23/04/14 Sridhar Vivan/Bangalore Mirror

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Aviation Management Services looks to grow business through IPIndian Premier League

New Delhi: Flight support provider Aviation Services Management (ASM) which is providing flight support services to the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL Tuesday said it is using the mega-event to further penetrate the Indian market.
“As a leading player in flight support services, ASM is very excited to be associated with the IPL. We believe India is a very exciting market for us and being part of the IPL is allowing us an opportunity to showcase our services to a large cross section of potential clients,” said Vito Gomes, founder and managing director, Aviation Services Management.
22/04/14 IANS/Mizo News

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Travel Agents Seek Support of Aviation Ministry

Kochi: IATA Agents’ Association of India (IAAI) national president Biji Eapen has pointed out that the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) has made it clear that ‘commission is a part of the fare’ and that airlines should determine the quantum and no amount over and above the tariff can be allowed. The MCA order, dated August 24, 2007, directed 5 per cent commission and adequate airway bill stock to all cargo agents by all the airlines.
The annual general meeting of IATA Agents’ Association of India (IAAI) has urged the MCA to support the travel agent fraternity in the country and ensure that due commission is paid to the agents by the airline companies.
Since the law does not distinguish between cargo and passenger sales agents, the ministry certainly can issue a similar order for passenger sales agents too, so that there is no discrimination between the two. The IAAI approached the ministry again, categorically mentioning that the ministry is deliberately silent on the issue.
22/04/14 New Indian Express

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HC stays DGCA order grounding GMR crew, says probe will go on

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today stayed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) order grounding 10 pilots and six cabin crew of GMR Aviation, which was being used by political leaders during election campaigning.
Justice Manmohan, however, refused to stay the show-cause notice issued by DGCA to the charter airline for allegedly violating the civil aviation requirement of pre-flight breath analysis of its pilots.
The court also said that the probe against the pilots, cabin crew and the doctor who had conducted their pre-flight medical test will continue and directed the airline and its pilots/crew to cooperate with the investigation.
It said the final report of DGCA will come into effect a week after it is passed by the authority.
DGCA, on the basis of a surprise inspection of the offices of GMR Aviation on April 14, had issued a show-cause notice the very next day asking why the airline's licence would not be cancelled for violation of air safety norms.
21/04/14 Business Standard

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COMPAT upholds CCI order in IATA case related to a/c system

New Delhi: The Competition Appellate Tribunal has disposed of a plea seeking to restrain implementation of International Air Transport Association's (IATA) cargo accounts settlement system.
The tribunal has upheld fair trade regulator CCI's ruling that had rejected Air Cargo Agents Association of India's plea in this regard.
The Air Cargo Agents Association had sought an injunction against implementing IATA's Cargo Accounts Settlement System (CASS).
According to COMPAT order, dated March 25, respondent's learned counsel had submitted that CASS "was only a pilot project and was not compulsory at all and it was completely voluntary".
In its ruling in July 2013, Competition Commission of India (CCI) had said that airlines and agents are not mandated by IATA resolutions to participate in CASS.
21/04/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Made in Hyd, gobbled in Mumbai

Mumbai: The biryani from Paradise Food Court, Hyderabad has a long day ahead of it. After being cooked, it will be double packed in foil, shipped off to the airport and packed again. On arriving at its destination, either Pune or Mumbai, the traditional Andhra rice preparation will makes its way to sundry homes.
Food by Air (Biryani by Air) is a delivery service that launched in Pune last year, and Mumbai in January. "Our idea is to get fresh food from anywhere in the country to the people who want it," says Mohan Rao, speaking of the cross-country takeaway service that delivers within six hours from time of placing an order.
Rao is from Hyderabad but based in Pune. The idea for the delivery came to him after repeated attempts to find authentic biryani. "What was available was an insult to the original Hyderabadi biryani," says Rao.
True to their claim, the mutton biryani from SG Cafe and chicken biryani from Paradise arrived piping hot. The long grain rice preparation was sealed in two foil packets, accompanied by packets of mirchi ka salan (a thick, slightly spicy gravy) that let out a light aroma of meat and spices when cut open.
22/04/14 Mumbai Mirror

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18 pvt pilots ferrying netas grounded over invalid alcohol tests

Mumbai: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded 18 pilots flying top politicians, including members of the Gandhi family, Sharad Pawar and Gopinath Munde, for obtaining alcohol-free certificates from doctors who have no equipment to conduct such tests.
The grounded pilots belong to 14 private jet operators, including GMR, Span Air, Orbit Aviation, Bhaskar Group, Pune-based Poonawala, Pune-based B G Shirke Group, Formula 1, Tata-owned Business Jets India, Pune-based Bharat Forge, Raymond's, Air Airways, Ahmedabad-based Zest Aviation, Invision Air and Reliance Commercial Dealers Association. Sources in the DGCA said officials found these pilots were not undergoing breathalyser tests on certified Alco-Sensor 4 instruments before flying. All the pilots instead had certificates from in-house doctors, clearing them for flying, but using a checking system not accepted by DGCA.
The Alco-Sensor IV is a handheld breath alcohol tester which, using fuel cells, provides a simple, accurate and economical method of determining the alcohol concentration in a person's breath.
21/04/14 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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No Wi-Fi in planes please, we are India

Each time you board an aircraft to fly in India — or even overfly the country — you are journeying back in time. An iron curtain prohibits flyers in Indian airspace from enjoying Wi-Fi connectivity. While international flyers can log on to the net as soon as they are out of Indian airspace, desi ones can do so only before takeoff and after landing.
National carrier Air India stumbled on this archaic — but still in vogue — rule while preparing to have Wi-Fi on its aircraft. A team of senior officials recently met officials of Geneva-based OnAir, which provides both internet and mobile connectivity to almost 30 top airlines globally like British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines and Thai.
"We were shown a real time presentation of aircraft in air using Wi-Fi and/or mobile connectivity. All planes over India were shown in red, meaning they had neither of these two connections. We were told that India does not allow these two things in air and so even planes of foreign airlines equipped with Wi-Fi and/or mobile connectivity have to switch their systems off, while flying over the country," said a senior AI official.
21/04/14 Times of India

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Jet operators' 'poll' flight hit by parking crunch turbulence

New Delhi: The charter plane industry may be going through a purple patch due to extensive use of private jets and choppers by campaign-hopping politicians but the operators say their "booming business" has been affected to some extent by a crunch of parking slots at major airports like Mumbai and Delhi.
A number of leading charter operators said though they are having a "good time" because of elections, the problem of "shrinking" parking space has come out as a major area of "concern".
According to industry figures, around 520 aircraft and choppers are currently in operation under non-schedule airline across the country and the total volume of business in the election season is likely to be between Rs 350-400 crore.
The difficulty is more acute in places like Delhi and Mumbai airports as the operators of these have not increased the parking space for non-scheduled airlines for the past few years.
R K Bali, Secretary of Business Aircraft Operator's Association (BAOA), an umbrella body of non-scheduled operators (NSOPs), said that a lack of policy framework on part of the government was impeding the growth of the sector and alleged that the problem of parking at Delhi airport was "artificially created".
21/04/14 PTI/Zee News

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Operators run out of copters as campaigners take flight

For the first time, there is a shortage of chartered helicopters in the country with political parties hiring around 70 such aircraft for campaigning.
The country's two main political parties - the BJP and the Congress - have hired over 50 helicopters between them for their star campaigners, and now regional parties are making a scramble to get choppers.
Industry experts say that the demand for helicopters for election campaigning is at an "all-time high". During the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, 40 helicopters were chartered for political activities.
"It's not just national parties. Over a dozen regional parties such as the NCP, Samajwadi, JDU and BSP have also hired helicopters. They want to charter more services, but the operators are unable to meet the demand," a source said.
20/04/14 Bipin Kumar Singh/Mumbai Mirror

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Rotary to hold aero modelling today

Nagpur: The Rotary Club of Nagpur, MIHAN Town, along with M/s Aero Vision, is set to organise two aero modelling shows and a workshop as part of an aviation awareness programme for schoolchildren and adults.
The first show will be held at the University Sports Ground, near Ravi Nagar Square, at 8.15am on Sunday. The second show will be held on Delhi Public School grounds on Kamptee Road at 8.15am on April 27. A two-day workshop will also be organized from 9am to 6pm on May 10 and 11 at the Institute of Science.
"We are doing this to encourage the hobby of aero-modelling among children. The workshop will be guided by experienced aero modelling instructor Rajesh Joshi who featured in the Limca Book of Records. During the workshop, students will get hands on experience in designing, making and flying a model aircraft," said Anand Hege, project director.
20/04/14 Times of India

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Pawan Hans takes Vaishno Devi temple trust to court over helicopter tenders

Pawan Hans, India's largest helicopter service provider, has taken Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) to court, alleging that the temple trust issued helicopter tenders to favour private chopper services. Earlier, Pawan Hans's petition was rejected by a district court.
Pavan Hans, a government-run chopper service, was a leading contender to bag the tenders issued by SMVDSB for helicopter services to the temple. The temple trust, which is also run by the government, had issued tenders for two helicopters last October.
According to Pawan Hans, SMVDSB cancelled the tenders and tweaked them to favour private players. "Pawan Hans made several requests asking why the tender was cancelled, but no explanation was given. We then realised that something was amiss," said Pawan Hans in its petition.
20/04/14 Bipin Kumar Singh/Mumbai Mirror

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BRIC to Lead Civil Aviation Market in Next Ten Years

Bangalore: Emerging economy leaders or BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) nations is forecast to lead the civil aviation market in the next ten years.
According to a study by Oxford Economics and commissioned by Amadeus, states that Asia would become the growth leader in outbound travel expenditure overtaking Europe by 2023. APAC outbound travel is expected to reach $752.8 billion or account for 40-55 per cent of the global total, the study has revealed.
Indian domestic air traffic grew 4 per cent in 2013 reiterating the potential for growth in one of the largest markets in the world for  civil aviation.
Adding to this, China is expected to overtake the US within the next decade and become the biggest domestic market by 2017 mostly due to growing GDP, rising employment and higher consumer spending, it was reported.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Indian domestic air traffic witnessed a de-growth of 2.1 per cent in 2012. Indian air carriers saw a total of 60,115,100 passengers in all scheduled domestic carriers here compared to 57,785,210 passengers in all operators in 2013 according to aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
India was close to the 5.2 per cent increase seen globally in passenger demand compared to 2012.
19/04/14 New Indian Express

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Boeing 777 fire sale haunts Air India

New Delhi: After having sold its five new Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft at a throwaway price, Air India (AI) does not expect to do any better with the sale of next three similar widebodied jets. A top AI official told Mail Today on Friday, "We are not very sure on how the bids will fare. There are not many airlines using these planes. We are also largely hoping on leasing aviation companies to participate in the global bidding for our planes.'' AI chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan said, "I hope this time we do not face problems like we did during the sale of these planes earlier." Last October, AI worked out a deal with Etihad Airways to sell the five Boeings, which have an average age of six years, for Rs  2,135 crore, which worked out to a meagre Rs  427 crore per plane.
The Maharaja had ordered these jets for Rs 1,300 crore each in 2005.
While AI is determined to discard these planes claiming that they are fuel guzzlers, there are as many as nine international airlines, including Japan Airlines and Etihad, which use them. Etihad flies the five planes bought from AI to Europe and the US. The competitive global bidding, released on April 17, will close on May 12 and opened a day later. While commercial bids for these three five-year-old planes would be opened on May 13, technical bids would be opened at a later date.
The announcement of the sale comes at a time when the country is in the midst of the Lok Sabha elections and the next government will take over in a month's time.
19/04/14 Sanjay Singh/Business Today

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Charter pilots irked by rule making them check netas’ luggage

Mumbai:  Unlike previous election campaigns, the ongoing one has been rather stressful for charter aircraft pilots, especially those flying helicopters, since the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revised norms and introduced surprise checks.
One of the norms, issued on March 24, says that "operator/flight crew shall ensure that no unauthorized cash, arms, ammunitions, narcotics or illegal items are carried on board the aircraft as laid down in the guidelines issued by the Election Commission, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the ministry of home affairs".
Airports like Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune do not pose a problem as these checks are carried out by the CISF prior to flights. The problems appear when aircraft, helicopters largely, take off from smaller airfields or helipads located in mofussil areas. "Here the job of ensuring that no such items are carried on board lies with pilots. And that has put them in a difficult spot as political party bigwigs are not used to pilots rummaging through their bags," said a charter flight operator. "Cash over Rs 10 lakh is not permitted to be carried on board. So, if there is cash on board, does the DGCA expect the pilots to count and see if it is below the limit?"
19/04/14 Times of India

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Flights Of Fancy

Consider these names: East West, ModiLuft, Damania, NEPC, Paramount. If you have recently taken to the skies and these names don’t ring a bell, let’s add a few more names. Deccan, Sahara and Kingfisher. Aha! We are talking about airlines that have gone out of business or got taken over. Like everywhere else, Indian aviation has been a graveyard for private and public sector airlines over the last two decades. For every major airline that went under after serious effort, there are two more minor ones that flashed by like shooting meteors.
Entrepreneurship in the segment has been driven more by ego than Ebidta. They all came, they tried their hand, and they (mostly) failed. The jury is still out on the ones still flying the Indian skies: Especially Jet and SpiceJet. Industry insiders see IndiGo, and GoAir to a lesser extent, as better placed to remain long-term players. But with low-fare AirAsia and full-service Tata-SIA set to gatecrash the Indian airspace this year, one should not count anybody as sure-fire survivors. Of course, we have left out Air India, India’s public sector carrier. It is fed by taxpayer doles, but the shrinking space for public sector aviation can be deduced from the names that vanished: Vayudoot, Indian Airlines (later named just Indian).
No industry has probably destroyed more value than Indian civil aviation, thanks to bad policy and even worse business sense. Even in an industry that saw irrational entry barriers, limited competition and crony policy-making, the surviving players have barely been able to keep their heads above water, leave alone make profits. In this issue of Forbes India, we chart the declining fortunes of Jet Airways, one of the pioneers of private civil aviation in India, whose promoter Naresh Goyal is thrashing about in turbulent airwaves to save his airline from nosediving. Temporarily rescued by Etihad, Jet’s operations in India have now been partly reduced to playing feeder to Etihad, even while its debt burden remains humongous.
18/04/14 R Jagannathan/Forbes India

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Unilateral airfare hike discrimination, HR violation: SHRC

Srinagar: The J&K State Human Rights Commission on Thursday sought a report from Directorate General Civil Aviation New Delhi as well as airline companies operating in Jammu and Kashmir over unilateral hike in airfare, holding it prima-facie case of “discrimination regarding equality and violation of human rights.”
Hearing a complaint filed by an NGO, J&K Peoples Forum, a bench headed by acting chairman of the Commission Rafiq Fida asked the DGCA and the companies including Indigo, Spice-jet, Air India, Go-Air, Jet Airways to submit report by May 15.
In the compliant, General Secretary of the NGO, M M Shuja, has stated that tourism in Kashmir Valley has been adversely affected by the “unbridled hike” in the airfare.
“The middle class and lower class families are the main source of tourism but the sudden hike in airfare has considerably narrowed the flow of tourists to Kashmir valley in the month of March,” the complainant said.
18/04/14 Kashmir Reader

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MEHAIR may take seaplane service to Kerala

Mumbai: Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt. Ltd. (MEHAIR), which was scheduled to commence seaplane services in Maharashtra, might take it’s the aircraft to Kerala, after waiting for long to get permissions from the State Irrigation and Civil Aviation departments, as per a Mumbai Mirror report by Yogesh Naik. The services were scheduled to commence from March 10, from the Juhu airport to Aamby Valley City. However, the launch was deferred following the arrest of Subrata Roy, Chief of Sahara India Pariwar. Roy has been arrested on charges of failing to comply with Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) regulations that require him to refund Rs 24,000 crore to investors
The seaplane is parked at the Juhu airport. “The expenses are soaring—parking charges, hangar charges and salaries. If things are difficult here, we could take the aircraft to Kerala, which is interested in seaplanes. We are also in talks with authorities in Goa,” said Siddharth Verma, Co-Founder and Director, MEHAIR.
“We were told to defer our operations because of the internal problems of Sahara group,” added Verma. Sources in the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) also concurred that since Roy was behind the bars, the company decided to postpone the operations. Praveen Bharadwaj, who heads the Aviation wing of Sahara, was unavailable for comments.
18/04/14 TravelBizMonitor

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High ATF prices, flat growth in passenger traffic to hurt airlines

The airlines industry is expected to post losses in the March 2014 quarter as high aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices and flat growth in passenger traffic are likely to erode a large portion of their revenues. Also, a weak rupee didn't help the cause of airline companies either: in the year-on-year period, the Indian currency depreciated 14 per cent against the dollar, increasing the operational cost of these companies as most of them pay lease rentals, maintenance cost and pilot salaries in dollars.
It is estimated that the combined losses of Jet Airways and SpiceJet are expected to be in the range of Rs 750-800 crore, against Rs 930 crore in the same quarter last year.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) website, in the first two months of the March quarter, demand and capacity of the airlines industry had been on the decline on a YoY basis. Demand fell by 5.8 per cent in the January-February period, according to the DGCA, prompting carriers to reduce their capacity by 6.4 per cent.
Typically, the March quarter isn't as profitable as the December one, which forces airlines to resort to price wars to attract travellers. At the end of February itself, low-cost carriers announced discounts of up to 75 per cent on travel between April and June this year.
Jet Airways followed with 70-75 per cent discount on tickets booked till February 27, for travel between March 27 and September this year. As a result of these discounts, demand in March shot up 8.8 per cent with a calculated increase of 5.1 per cent in the capacity of the airlines industry.
17/04/14 Rajesh Naidu/Economic Times

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India’s Invision Defers Phenom 100/300s as Plan Changes

India’s Invision Air has abandoned plans to build a wholly owned fleet of Embraer Phenom light jets, switching its business model to one based largely on aircraft management and a scheme to provide flights connecting smaller cities within the state of Maharashta. The Mumbai-based group originally intended to buy six Phenom 300s and six Phenom 100s.
Under a deal signed in 2007, Invision held options for 18 Phenoms. But these are now “deferred and in abeyance,” according to Invision managing director Vinit Pathak, who added that Embraer understands the economic pressures that have forced the change of plan. He also told AIN that the manufacturer has been “very flexible.”
Invision is now evaluating other aircraft for the new services it intends to operate within the state of Maharashtra in the west of India. It intends to use 19-seat twin turboprops and expects to make its fleet decision in November, with plans to buy two or three aircraft for these operations.
17/04/14 AINonline

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SHRC pulls up airlines for steep fare hike

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has taken strong note of exorbitant hike in airfares by airlines operating on Kashmir sector, terming it a violation of right to equality and human rights.
 Acting on a complaint regarding hike in airfares, a division bench of SHRC comprising its acting chairperson Rafiq Fida and member Amalok Singh termed it as a move “to scuttle the flow of tourists to the Valley.” Besides, the bench observed it (the fare hike) would hit the local patients and students going for treatment/studies outside the state.
 The commission sought reports from Director Civil Aviation and all airlines into the matter.
 “The contents of the complaint reveal that tourism in the Kashmir valley has got adversely affected by the unbridled hike. The middle class and lower middle class families are the main source of tourism (to Kashmir) but the sudden hike in airfare has considerably narrowed the flow of tourists to Kashmir valley in March,” the bench observed in its order on the complaint filed by general secretary Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Forum, MM Shuja.
 “The patients, student community and lower business class have been hit by the airfare hike which has rendered the air travel facility impossible for them. During rainy seasons the road connectivity to Kashmir remains cut off with the rest of the country and air travel is the only means of transport available to the people of Kashmir. The airlines are taking undue advantage of the situation and unilaterally hike fares, which in general violates the rights of human beings in Kashmir,” he observed.
17/04/14 Arif Wani/Greater Kashmir

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Foreign airlines, investors not to control Indian carriers' management: report

New Delhi: In a move which could affect the Jet-Etihad deal or start-up carriers like Tata-SIA or AirAsia India, DGCA has made it clear that foreign airlines or investors would not have the right to control the management of an Indian carrier.
    Following apprehensions expressed on these lines by various quarters, the aviation regulator has given effect to amendments in a rule relating to grant of flying permits to new airlines in the country, official sources said here.
    The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has stipulated that a scheduled Indian airline cannot enter into an agreement with a foreign investing institution or a foreign airline which could give these foreign entities the right to control the management of the domestic operator.
    It has also made it clear that such foreign entities could have representation on the Board of Directors of the Indian airline company, but not more than one-third of the total number, the sources said.
15/04/14 PTI/NDTV

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Wings for small cities

The country’s latest regional carrier Air Costa’s business plan has worked well enough for its chairman Ramesh Lingamaneni to say the airline will become profitable from 2015.
In an industry where major players are bleeding from high taxes, Vijayawada-based Air Costa is doing relatively well by keeping its operations restricted to tier-2 and 3 cities.
Larger airlines have also recognised an opportunity in smaller cities. The Wadia-group owned no-frills Go Air plans to introduce flights to smaller cities–in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh—sniffing the strongest growth opportunities in these markets.
The airline is even exploring opportunities to use smaller aircraft like ATR to enter such markets.
“We have recorded a significant increase in our tier-2 operations in places like Patna, Lucknow, Jaipur, Kochi, Chandigarh, and Jammu & Kashmir, while our metro-to-metro business haven’t witnessed significant growth”,
Air Asia India, a venture between Air Asia and the Tatas, is set to start its operations in India this year. The airline’s group CEO Tony Fernandes has made his strategy for India public—smaller cities are to be the key market for AirAsia’s aggressive flight plan in India.
Today, the non-metro airports account for only about 30% of the total air traffic, but is expected to rise to 45% in the next few years, says a civil aviation ministry official.
The government is also currently in the process to identifying the most suitable low-cost viable model for the construction of 15 additional airports under the Greenfield Airport Policy.
16/04/14 Rhik Kundu/Financial Express

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Chandrababu Naidu is top flier, second is cine actor Pawan Kalyan

Hyderabad: Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu is the highest flying politician this election season. He has taken 15 chartered flights in the past two weeks of his election campaign.
A close second is cine actor Pawan Kalyan who has only recently entered politics, but has already notched up 11 flights in two weeks. Begumpet airport has been kept busy with their comings and goings.
Among the other frequent fliers are Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and Mr Ponnala Lakshmaiah who have made 10 trips each in the last two weeks.
At current commercial rates, a single trip costs between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 8 lakh depending on the distance. Five chartered flights were booked from Shamashabad airport (Rajiv Gandhi International Airport) between April 1 and 7, and nine flights from April 8 to date, but the details of passengers is not available.
16/04/14 Amrita Didyala/Deccan Herald

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GMR pilots skip medical tests before flying Rahul, to be grounded

New Delhi: The DGCA has decided to ground for three months the pilots of a private aircraft that flew Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to Bhubaneswar Monday for not clearing pre-flight medical checks, including the mandatory breathalyser test.
It has also issued a notice to the owner of the nine-seater Falcon 2000 plane, GMR Aviation — which Rahul is known to use regularly for his election campaign trips — asking why their licence should not be cancelled.
A DGCA official said all flights operated by GMR Aviation between March 12 and April 14 this year were found to have skipped some tests for the crew and that the breathalyser machine was not “serviceable” for the last one month.
16/04/14 Mihir Mishra/Indian Express

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Boeing gives wings to student endeavours

New Delhi: Tabrez Nadvi has been building planes since he was in 10th standard. His dream is to build a one-seater aircraft for himself and fly across the world.
The 21-year-old aeronautical engineer from ACS College of Engineering, Bangalore, along with his two team members, Pavan and Vignesh, has won the first Boeing National Aeromodelling Competition.
“It took us just three days to build the plane and we bunked a month of college for flying practice,” says Nadvi.
The competition was organised by Boeing, in association with the IITs of Kanpur, Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Kharagpur. About 170 teams participated in the aircraft design and flying competition, of which 14 teams made it to the finals.
15/04/14 Business Line

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India's AEW Tender: Boeing's Next Battleground

India wants to buy 6 Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft and the tender will be closed in July. Boeing (BA) is the only manufacturer that has a suitable aircraft 'on the shelve', but Airbus is lurking in the background again. Airbus might enter another market niche where Boeing traditionally is the leader.
India has a yearly defense budget of $46B and holds the 8th position of largest defense budgets in the world. Since a lot of aircraft and helicopters in their inventory are older, a modernization program has started to upgrade existing air assets and acquire new types.
This program will probably offer the largest foreign military export opportunities for U.S. and European aerospace companies in this decade.
15/04/14 Seeking Alpha

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Aircraft owned by politicians face DGCA heat

New Delhi: While politicians across party lines continue to break rules during the election season, aircraft owned by them are doing the same in the air, shows a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) audit.
The DGCA, on Sunday, grounded a plane of Span Air, a general aviation company owned by the family of urban development minister Kamal Nath. This happened a day after the aviation regulator grounded a Cessna 525A, owned by Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal-promoted Orbit Aviation.
The DGCA also grounded aircraft owned by Business Jets India Private Limited, a Tata Group company, in which Aam Aadmi Party leader GR Gopinath has business interest. Air charter service provider Deccan Charters, owned by Gopinath, had formed an alliance with Taj Air (the charter service of Indian Hotels Company) and Business Jets India (BJETS) in 2011. The deal made Deccan Charters the exclusive marketing concessionaire for BJETS aircraft in India.
Span Air’s grounded aircraft is a Hawker 900XP and bears VT-BKL registration and the one owned by Business Jets India is a Cessna-525A bearing VT-BJA registration. “The violations by both aircraft are serious. The life vest on the Span Air aircraft had expired and the crew were not trained in safety and emergency procedures. On the top of that, the operations and the route guide manuals on the aircraft were outdated,” said a DGCA official, on condition of anonymity.
15/04/14 Mihir Mishra/Indian Express

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Flying high on a election runway!

New Delhi : Around 130 air charter service operators across the country are having a ‘boom time’ making ‘handsome profit’  due to extensive use of helicopters and business jets by parties like BJP and Congress for electioneering, dubbed as most expensive in India’s history.
The sector’s turn-around is significant as it was reporting negative growth of two per cent in the past two years. The business has increased by over 35-40 per cent in the last two months, mainly due to hiring of the flying machines by the politicos for the campaigning. Industry sources said the parties and individual politicos are roughly spending Rs 350-400 crore to criss-cross the country in chartered planes during campaign for the world’s biggest democratic exercise spread over two months. So far BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has clocked maximum number of flying hours to campaign for the party followed by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, experts in the industry said.
An industry insider said BJP was the top spender so far in using choppers and business jets. A number of operators said there has been scramble for aircraft in this election season as availability of the business jets and choppers have outpaced the demand, triggering a huge surge in rates. Secretary of Business Aircraft Operator’s Association R K Bali said the sector was witnessing negative growth of two per cent in the last two years but business has seen impressive growth as leading parties hit an aggressive campaign trail.
15/04/14 Free Press Journal

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‘Air Naga’: a mystery with no blip on the radar

After learning that some technical representatives of Global Aviation Infrastructure had earlier met with officials of Air India Dimapur to promote ‘Air Naga’ efforts were made to track the airline and its representatives but all drew a blank.
Earlier, when contacted Air India sources only revealed that some technical representatives from Global Aviation Infrastructure had met them in Dimapur and could not provide more details about the names or designations of persons who met them.
According to reports, ‘Global Aviation Infrastructure’ in its site (www.airnaga.com), proclaimed Air Naga was to be launched soon as the “first regular airline based out of Nagaland for the north eastern states” and also billed the yet-to-be-launched airline as ‘Pride of Nagaland and North East’.
The promoter of Air Naga has office addresses in Kolkata’s Camac Street and Dimapur’s Circular Road. When Nagaland Post went to the given address in a building in Circular Road, there was no signboard and none of the tenants of the building could provide any clue as to who the people involved were.
The tenants also said no such office existed in the building and that they have no knowledge about the firm.
The promoter of Naga Air-M/s Global Aviation Infrastructure- claims it is involved in airport infrastructure development, airport warehousing handling, air cargo handling and running of freight airlines.
14/04/14 Nagaland Post

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Narrow escape for Mayawati's plane

Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati had a narrow escape on late Sunday when the front wheel of her charter plane got stuck during landing, officials said on Monday.
The incident took place at Lucknow airport when the Bahujan Samaj Party supremo was on her way back from campaigning in Maharashtra. She was accompanied by her close aide SC Mishra.
As the plane neared the runway, all attempts to unstuck the front wheel came to a naught, forcing the pilot to do "something similar to belly landing", an airport official told IANS.
14/04/14 IANS/Times of India

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Debris of Unidentified Chopper Found in Andhra Village

Srikakulam:  Debris of an unidentified helicopter has been found near Dharmapuram village, police said today.  
The police, which has taken custody of the wreckage found yesterday from the farm of a person, has sought help of the Indian Air Force and Navy officials to identify it.     Civil aviation officials informed the district police that an expert team would be sent to gather more details in a day of two.  
13/04/14 New Indian Express 

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Aircraft fuel spills onto road after tanker mishap

Ponda: A tanker carrying about 20,000 litres of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) going towards the Bharat Petroleum refilling plant at Verna which made a sharp turn at Baitakhol-Borim in Ponda late Monday afternoon resulting in it falling on its side and spilling the ATF.
The Ponda police with the help of Ponda fire and emergency services personnel were in the process of lifting the tanker until late evening. Hundreds of liters of ATF poured out from the lid of the last compartment of the tanker. The fuel flowed along the sides of the tarred road at the accident site. A boy was also spotted collecting the flowing fuel in a small can. ATF is a fuel used only in aircrafts and costs 75 a liter in Mumbai as per the hiked rates in September, 2013.
Sources from the ABF Transport Company, Mumbai, (owner of the tanker) initially denied the incident of fuel pouring out of the tanker. "It is quite difficult for the furl to pour out as the lids of the tanker remain airtight. If the fuel pours out from its lid, there  could be damage to the inside of the tanker compartment," he said.
15/04/14 Times of India

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Aviation ombudsman in the offing

Thiruvananthapuram: An aviation ombudsman, on the lines of the one in banking, insurance, and power sectors is on the anvil as a dispute settlement mechanism for flyers.
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation would involve all stakeholders in setting up the institution. A consultation paper, worked out on the basis of the recommendation of a working group, set up under the Civil Aviation Economic Advisory Council, in 2011, was made available to stakeholders recently.
In view of its sensitive nature to take all concerned into confidence, official sources said the stakeholders had been asked to give their comments on setting up an ombudsman by April 15.
The mechanism had been recommended in view of the rising number of complaints from air passengers, passenger associations, consumer groups, and cargo facility users against deficiencies in service by airlines and airports.
A recent passenger traffic forecast had suggested a surge in air passenger traffic in the country by 2020. The domestic traffic segment was expected to touch 165 million passengers. The number of international passengers from the country would be around 92 million per annum, the forecast said.
13/04/14 S. Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Venkaiah goes through yet another emergency landing situation

Hyderabad: Venkaiah Naidu, the senior BJP leader, is a veteran of emergency landings.
The Hyderabad-bound Air India (AI 560) flight by which he was flying made an emergency landing after the take-off from Delhi airport today due to some technical snag, he said here.
"With Lord Balaji's blessings, I am safe here. This is the ninth incident where I happened to be on an aircraft or a helicopter that made emergency landing after taking off," Naidu said, talking to reporters.
On April 2, a private aircraft that was to fly Naidu to Ujjain from Indore developed a snag, forcing him to delay his departure by a few hours.
During the launch of Air Deccan's flight operations in Hyderabad in September 2003, fire broke out in one of the engines of the aircraft. Naidu, then the BJP president, and former civil aviation minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy were on this flight, besides a few journalists.
12/04/14 ZeeNews

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DGCA grounds Orbit Aviation jet for violations

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded another business jet on account of “serious” safety violations, during its ongoing audit to ensure safe flying during the election season.
The aircraft bearing  registration VT-PSB is owned by Orbit Aviation Private Limited, where deputy chief minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal is a shareholder.
“The pilots as well as the cabin crew were not trained in safety and emergency procedures. The pilots of the aircraft were not carrying documents that are mandated to be carried. These are all serious lapses, which cannot be overlooked,” said a senior DGCA official, on condition of anonymity.
The official added that the aircraft would only be allowed to fly after the operator meets all safety requirements.
13/04/14 Mihir Mishra/Indian Express

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After Modi, DGCA grounds a plane flying the Badals

New Delhi: An aircraft belonging to the extended family of Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and reportedly bearing his initials — VT-PSB — was grounded on Saturday. Surprise checks by the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) here reportedly revealed several significant flaws in the Cessna 525 aircraft. The pilots were also grounded because they alleged did not know of safety procedures in emergency situations.
The luxury jet belongs to a charter company called Orbit Aviation owned by Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal's in-laws. Bikram Singh Majithia, Sukhbir's brother-in-law and a minister in the state government, runs Orbit Aviation.
While Orbit has more aircraft, the one grounded on Saturday has been the subject of much discussion in Punjab with the opposition Congress alleging VT-PSB is named after the CM.
13/04/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Chartered flight operators' business takes off in election season

Mumbai: It's election season and, amid politicians' hectic campaign trail across cities, towns and rural locations, base managers of companies running chartered planes are having a field day.
At a time these companies were facing difficulties due to several reasons, such as high operating costs, stiff penalties for extended parking hours in Mumbai and a greater regulatory scrutiny, the election-season rush has brought some cheer to non-scheduled operators and chartered plane companies.
Over the past few days, the average monthly utilisation (flying hours) of small jets, turboprop aircraft and choppers has doubled. Charter rates, especially for twin-engine choppers, which are in demand from top ministers and high-ranking politicians, have soared, too. That is because VIPs are not allowed under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) norms to travel in single-engine choppers.
12/04/14 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Maharaja of Jodhpur used aircraft for LS campaigns in 1952

Jaipur: When the first general election took place in the state in 1952, it was the first brush with democracy for the people who were subjects of various princely states. That was the time when campaigning used to be low key and loudspeakers were used in only a few places. Trumpets were used at street corners to attract people and the candidates would address the motley crowd from a make-shift podium. The candidates would then campaign on a camel's back or on bullock carts.
The transport system was primitive with fewer buses and trucks. Only a handful could afford campaigning by jeeps bought from army disposal auctions.
The railway network was weak and barring Kota and part of Bharatpur, there was no meter gauge and steam locomotives were used to chug the trains.
Now that campaigning can be seen using chartered aircraft and helicopters, candidates hop from one place to the other covering long distances and holding numerous election rallies on a single day.
13/04/14 Prakash Bhandari/Times of India

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MRF rolls out tyres for Sukhoi aircraft

Chennai: After consolidating its presence in the automobile industry, MRF is now rolling out tyres for Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30 range of aircraft.
MRF Chairman and Managing Director K M Mammen, Air Vice Marshal J K Singh and Aero Director General K Tamil Mani were present at the launch of the main wheel tyres - Aeromuscle - manufactured at the company's facility in Medak, Hyderabad.
"Though this tyre look black and round, there are several compounds in it and are not simple. These are made for handling extreme conditions as a Sukhoi 30 lands at a speed of 420 km per hour...," Mammen told reporters here today.
The Chennai-based company was the first to offer tyres for Chetak Helicopter in 2001 as part of foraying into aviation industry and before launching the tyres for Sukhoi-30 the trials were conducted last year.
MRF took up the project for the Sukhoi 30 MKI in 2008 and the project was anchored by CEMILAC - the certifying authority for Military aviation, RCMA (Nasik), DGAQA, Indian Airforce and HAL.
12/04/14 PTI/Business Standard

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WhatsApp comes in handy for smugglers

Hyderabad: After arresting a flight stewardess in the gold smuggling case for the first time in the history of AP Customs, the air intelligence unit has gathered vital details about the gangs operating from the city. Customs sleuths have found out that smugglers are using mobile-based social networking tool like 'WhatsApp' to exchange gold.
On Wednesday, customs sleuths nabbed Sadaf Khan, a flight stewardess of Emirates airlines who arrived at the RGI Airport from Dubai with 13 kg gold concealed in her baggage. During interrogation, Sadaf informed the customs officials that the contraband was given to her by gold smuggler Shujat Mohammed Ali in Dubai.
Sadaf also told customs sleuths that Shujat had travelled with her in the Emirates flight from Dubai to Hyderabad. After this confession, customs officials made Sadaf call Shujat saying she was held up at the airport due to a technical problem and asking him to come and collect the gold.
12/04/14 Mahesh Buddi/Times of India

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DGCA asks airlines to deploy 6 per cent capacity in remote areas

New Delhi: The civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday notified the new regional air connectivity guidelines of the civil aviation ministry under the Civil Aviation Requirements.
As per the new regional air connectivity requirements, scheduled airlines will have to deploy at least 6 per cent of their total operating capacity to "remote or strategic areas" .
The areas identified are North East region , with the exception of Guwahati and Bagdogra, all airports in Jammu & Kashmir with the exception of Jammu, all airports in Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshwadeep.
Apart from this, airlines will also need to deploy 1 per cent of their total capacity on routes operated within the four regions identified by the civil aviation ministry. However, for the purpose of calculation of capacity deployed within the remote or strategic regions, operations to Guwahati , Bagdogra and Jammu will also be included.
12/04/14 Debabrata Das/Economic Times

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Panel orders insurance firm to pay Rs75,600

Mumbai: A private insurance company has been found guilty of not providing proper services and it has been ordered by a consumer panel to compensate the claimant about Rs75,600 on his travel policy.
The Central Mumbai District Consumer Forum has in an order directed ICICI Lombard to pay Mahendra Shedha Rs60,600 towards insurance along with nine per cent interest for the period from December 2011.
An additional Rs10,000 is to be paid for the mental agony caused and Rs5,000 for cost of the litigation.
According to the complaint, Shedha, a former MTNL general manager, purchased a Global Trotter Overseas individual travel policy from ICICI Lombard valid from October 4, 2009 to October 10, 2009, for an official trip to Geneva.
12/04/14 Pranali Lotlikar/Daily News & Analysis

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Indian Bizav Group Accuses Government of Safety Slur

India’s Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) accused the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of trying to undermine the industry’s reputation by leaking observations made about nonscheduled operators during routine safety checks. According to the industry group, government officials have disclosed the findings of the checks to divert blame from the DGCA in the wake of the January 2014 downgrading of India’s safety rating by the U.S. FAA.
“Most of the cases brought to light have been minor and level-two observations, which do not even prescribe the grounding of aircraft or penalties,” BAOA secretary R.K. Bali told AIN. “This is causing damage to the business aviation industry as it tries to limp back to a saner business environment.”
In a letter sent by the BAOA to India’s civil aviation secretary, Ashok Lavasa, Bali argues that India’s safety downgrade “is more a result of deficiencies on the regulator’s part.” He accused DGCA officials of trying “to detract attention and to shift blame for the FAA downgrade onto private aircraft operators.”
10/04/14 Neelam Mathews/AINonline

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Hurdles before new airlines waiting in the wings for long

It was to bring dollars in droves for a beleaguered government and initiate competition in the Indian skies, which would benefit the common man. It had a successful businessman at its helm and a trustworthy Indian conglomerate behind it.
Air Asia India had everything a ‘start-up’ needed but 14 months have gone past after the announcement of the joint venture between Air Asia Bhd, Tata Sons and Telestra, the proposed low cost carrier is yet to hit the runway.
Six months ago in October, it applied for Air Operator Permit (AOP), the last hurdle before the first take-off. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is yet to take a final call though it had more than month ago found no merit in objections raised against the new venture.
The entry of a new low-cost carrier means a drop in airfare due to competition and increased frequency to B-towns attracting more people from otherwise reluctant fliers’ community. With the government easing norms for foreign direct investment, the country’s bleeding civil aviation sector hoped for rejuvenation.
11/04/14 Shemin Joy/Deccan Herald

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Hurdles before new airlines waiting in the wings for long

It was to bring dollars in droves for a beleaguered government and initiate competition in the Indian skies, which would benefit the common man. It had a successful businessman at its helm and a trustworthy Indian conglomerate behind it.
Air Asia India had everything a ‘start-up’ needed but 14 months have gone past after the announcement of the joint venture between Air Asia Bhd, Tata Sons and Telestra, the proposed low cost carrier is yet to hit the runway.
Six months ago in October, it applied for Air Operator Permit (AOP), the last hurdle before the first take-off. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is yet to take a final call though it had more than month ago found no merit in objections raised against the new venture.
The entry of a new low-cost carrier means a drop in airfare due to competition and increased frequency to B-towns attracting more people from otherwise reluctant fliers’ community. With the government easing norms for foreign direct investment, the country’s bleeding civil aviation sector hoped for rejuvenation.
11/04/14 Shemin Joy/Deccan Herald

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Govts should take strict action against unruly behaviour on flight: IATA

New Delhi: International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global alliance of airlines, Thursday called all governments, including India, to take strict action against unruly air passengers as proposed at a conference in Montreal last week.
The aviation body, which represents 240 airlines accounting for 84% of global air traffic, said it was good news that a diplomatic conference in Montreal last week had agreed to ratify the changes proposed in the Tokyo Convention of 1963.
"This agreement is good news for everybody who flies -- passengers and crew alike," said IATA's Tony Tyler, adding the ratification of the convention -- which requires the nod of at least 22 states -- will prove an effective deterrent against unruly behaviour on flights.
"The changes, along with the measures already being taken by airlines, will provide an effective deterrent for unacceptable behaviour on board aircraft," Tyler, who is the director general and chief executive of the body, said in a statement.
10/04/14  IANS/Business Standard

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Pilots’ body writes to DGCA about lax security at helipads

The apex body of helicopter pilots has complained to aviation authorities about the lax security at Juhu aerodrome and other helipads, which could potentially lead to illegal transport of cash and arms during the election season.
In a letter to aviation regulator DGCA, the Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI) has said that there are no security personnel at helipads to subject VIPs, especially politicians, and their luggage to checks. It is the pilots' responsibility to frisk VIPs, most of whom refuse to cooperate.
Also, VIPs often change the lists of passengers travelling with them at the last minute, leaving the pilots with little time to conduct security checks.
On Wednesday, Mirror had reported how private helicopter pilots were being offered between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh per trip by political parties to transport money. The Juhu aerodrome, which handles all helicopter operations out of Mumbai, and the helipad at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, used mostly by industrialists, have become popular destinations for political fixers as there is hardly surveillances at the two places.
10/04/14 Bipin Kumar Singh/Mumbai Mirror

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Turbulence on ground over Modi chopper

Siliguri: The state administration told the BJP Bengal leadership “at the last moment” that the field where Narendra Modi’s chopper was to land here tomorrow was unsuitable because of the soft soil, said party state president Rahul Sinha today.
Late tonight, the PWD was busy building another helipad on firmer land near the rally venue in Matigara, Siliguri.
A BJP state leader later said the leadership had been informed about the development and there was a chance that Modi, the party’s prime ministerial face, would drive from Bagdogra airport to Matigara, a distance that can be covered in 20 minutes. He, however, said that as of now, the party would stick to its chopper plan.
The Bengal BJP accused the state administration of “deliberate non co-operation”.
The ground at Matigara, Panchkelguri Math, is 15km from Bagdogra, where Modi would board a 20-seater chopper to reach the venue. He is scheduled to land in Bagdogra around 10am .
This morning, the Siliguri police commissioner and PWD engineers went to inspect the rally venue. They told BJP leaders there that a 20-tonne chopper could not land on such soft ground — the area is paddy land — as the wheels of the chopper might sink into the soil.
10/04/14 Telegraph India

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Bihar and Jharkhand to cooperate for air patrolling

With first phase of Lok Sabha (LS) polls scheduled tomorrow in six constituencies in the state, Bihar teamed up with neighbouring Jharkhand to make maxmimum use of helicopters for surveillance, logistics and rescue operations.
“We have received three Indian Air Force helicopters for the elections. Jharkhand has got eight of them. The Chief Electoral Officers of both the states have decided to cooperate with each other in their use to ensure smooth polling,” Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshmanan said.
An air ambulance belonging to Apollo Hospital will be stationed at Patna airport to deal with medical emergencies.
All government hospitals in the state capital have also been alerted to be ready for any eventuality.
09/04/14 Indian Express

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Aggressive aviation strategies cause overcapacity in Southeast Asia

Kuching: Analysts believe the aggressive expansion strategies of aviation peers has led to overcapacity within Southeast Asia.
The research arm of TA Securities Holdings Bhd (TA Research) said while the rapid emergence of new low cost carriers (LCCs) will see four new entrants – Thai AirAsia X, Indonesia AirAsia X, NokScoot and Thai VietJet Air – joining the fray this year, the bane of overcapacity for the industry came from peers’ aggressive expansion strategies.
These expansion strategies would add 88 new aircraft to bring fleet size to 573 by the end of 2014.
That said, the research arm highlighted that the deferral of seven aircraft delivery in 2014 and 12 in 2015 by AirAsia Bhd (AirAsia) and to swap to A320neo may help to alleviate the problem of excess capacity.
However, it observed that Lion Air Group is by far the concern of overcapacity and competition. Based on Lion Air’s fleet programme, the group is expected to take delivery of 48 new aircraft in which 28 are expected to operate in Indonesia, 12 for its Malaysia affiliate Malindo Air and eight for its Thailand affiliate Thai Lion Air.
10/04/14 The Borneo Post

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Netas offer copter pilots `10 lakh to fly cash to voters

Pune: Private helicopter pilots are being offered anywhere between Rs 5-10 lakh per trip by political parties to transport money, even as the Election Commission-appointed Election Expenditure Observers seized Rs 14.4 crore in cash from various parts of the state in the past few days (see box).
The Income-Tax Department launched a crackdown on the distribution of money in return for votes last week, with I-T mobile surveillance teams deployed at bus stations, toll plazas and railway stations.
The Juhu aerodrome, which handles all helicopter operations out of Mumbai, and the VIP helipad at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, which is used mostly by industrialists, have become hot favourite destinations for the political fixers, who found that it was easy to send money out of the city as there is hardly any surveillance at the two venues.
“Sending money by road is a huge risk, and I-T officers have maintained a tight vigil at the airports with the help of the Air Intelligence Unit of the Customs.
09/04/14 Yogesh Naik & Bipin Kumar Singh/Pune Mirror

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Rescheduled flights send plans of 900 Pune travellers for a toss

Pune: Last-minute rescheduling by an airline of its flights to Delhi from April 21 to June 6 has put 900-odd travellers from Pune in a soup.
The airline recently rescheduled its flight —originally scheduled for 7.45am departure but rescheduled to 11am — putting numerous travel plans (involving connecting flights ahead) in disarray. These travellers had booked connecting flights from Delhi to Srinagar.
The airline, one of India's major airlines, quickly came to the rescue, but not without causing passengers the inconvenience of having to take alternative flights from Mumbai to Delhi, so as to make it in time for their flight connections to Srinagar.
"We are trying our best to handle this situation and have been on this issue for over two hours. What caused the rescheduling to 11 am is a change in the airline's rotation. The aircraft these passengers were booked on followed the Chennai-Pune-Delhi route, but for some reason, the Chennai to Pune route had to be deactivated. The airline thus had to opt for a better utilization approach, and the 11am slot was the only slot available," said a senior official from the airline.
09/04/14 Times of India

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Netas turn to copter pilots to carry poll cash

Mumbai: Private helicopter pilots are being offered anywhere between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh per trip by the political parties to transport money, even as the Election Commission-appointed election expenditure observers seized Rs 14.4 crore in cash from various parts of the state in the past few days.
The Income Tax Department launched a crackdown on the distribution of money in return of votes last week, with the I-T mobile surveillance teams deployed at bus stations, toll plazas and railway stations.
The Juhu aerodrome, which handles all helicopter operations out of Mumbai, and the VIP helipad at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, which is used mostly by industrialists, have become hot favourite destinations for the political fixers, who found that it was easy to send money out of the city as there is hardly any surveillance at the two venues.
"Sending money by road is a huge risk, and the Income Tax officers have maintained a tight vigil at the airports with the help of the Air Intelligence Unit of the Customs. The situation is no different at the railway stations where the I-T sleuths and the railway cops have set up 24x7 surveillance units. Private helicopter companies are always in demand during elections as choppers are the safest, fastest and a hassle-free mode to transport cash," an aviation source said.
09/04/14 Yogesh Naik & Bipin Kumar Singh/Mumbai Mirror 

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DGCA to inspect all scheduled airlines, charter flights

New Delhi: Taking a grim view on the frequent violation of safety norms by scheduled as well as non-scheduled operators (NSOPs), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to carry out safety inspections on 44 major NSOPs who fly abroad and two aircraft each of all scheduled domestic airlines by June-end.
A senior DGCA official told Business Standard: “It is the responsibility of all operators to ensure compliance with the safety guidelines issued by the DGCA. However, over the past few days, we have had to ground four pilots in two leading airlines for allowing passengers into the cockpit. We have decided to step up surveillance.”
Over the past 10 days, DGCA has suspended the flying licence for a month of three pilots, who allowed their own or their colleagues’ children inside the cockpit.
In the first case, the commander of Air India’s flight AI 660 took his son inside the cockpit, while the plane was flying from Goa to Mumbai. Separately, on March 26, the pilots of Air India’s Delhi-Bagdogra flight took the daughter of their airline’s engineer inside the cockpit to show how the plane flies. In a third instance on April 1, the commander of an IndiGo flight from Goa to Delhi (6E 338) allowed 12 passengers inside the cockpit, while the aircraft was being prepared to take off. The pilot has been taken off flying duties.
09/04/14 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard

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Turbo Aviation Firms up Strategy for South

Bangalore: South India is bracing up for new entrants in the civil aviation market as Hyderabad-based air charter provider Turbo Aviation gears up to enter the Indian skies as a scheduled operator this year.
Turbo Aviation, already listed as a non-scheduled operator by aviation regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), started its foray into aviation business with ground handling services at various airports. The company also provides ground services to major airline operators. “We had applied for an approval (Scheduled Operator's Permit) in March last year (2013). We are expecting to get the approval by this weekend,” V Umesh, Managing Director of the company told Express.
However, this is unlikely to happen with the Lok Sabha elections underway; a fact that Umesh acknowledged as well. The airline is planning to buy three ATR-72/500 aircraft and has earmarked `100 crore for initial operations, he said.
According to DGCA,  all scheduled airlines ferried a total of 60,115,100 passengers on domestic routes in 2013. According to analyst reports, this number expected to reach 321.28 million in 2016-17 (end of 12th Plan).
09/04/14 New Indian Express

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Gulf stream heads to Kerala as tickets fly

Thiruvananthapruam: Not waiting for the Election Commission's decision on online voting for NRIs, hundreds of Malayalees working in the Gulf have been flocking home to participate in the largest democratic carnival in the world.
Non Resident Keralites (NRKs) form the largest chunk of overseas Indian voters who have enrolled in the voters list. Of the total two million Malayalees in the Gulf, 12,000 NRKs have enrolled in the voters list so far.
Indications are that nearly 11,000 of these may cast their vote in the home state on April 10; over 3,000 Gulf Malayalees have already landed in the state in the last few weeks to join the campaigns of their candidates, sources said. A major chunk of these NRIs is from the politically-sensitive northern districts.
"I was a Congress worker earlier. I cannot sit peacefully when an election is taking place here. I came here two weeks ago to work for the party candidate," said Prem Kumar, an accountant in Dubai.
Gulf-based Malayalee organisations are engaged in election campaigning in their host countries too, and are mobilising people to return home to vote. They are also asking their members to persuade their relatives back home to vote for the candidate of their (organisation's) choice.
09/04/14 Jayaprakash K/Daily News & Analysis

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Air travel policy for disabled deficient, needs overhaul: Govt

An unrelenting fight by Jeeja Ghosh, a teacher with cerebral palsy who was deplaned by a SpiceJet pilot in February 2012 due to her disability, has finally shaken the government out of its stupor.
Responding to her PIL in the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has admitted that its policy on providing equitable and comfortable treatment to persons with disabilities for air travel was deficient and needed an overhaul. The ministry said it will come up with a new set of guidelines for the airport managers and airlines to make certain that persons with disabilities did not face discrimination and have comfortable air travel.
A committee that was set up by the ministry to examine the efficacy of the present system regarding air travel by differently-abled people concluded that the DGCA’s ‘Civil Aviation Requirements’ (CAR) was “inadequate” on several counts and required major improvement.
The study was initiated after an uproar over the incident of forcing Ghosh off the airplane at Kolkata despite issuing her a boarding pass. The committee emphasised the CAR was “inefficient” in fastening the responsibilities among the stakeholders, which included the airlines, and also lacked in implementation of the guidelines to ward off discrimination against the disabled.
“The committee considered it necessary to amend the CAR to ensure that persons with disabilities can have access to and enjoy air travel on an equal basis with others and without discrimination, with dignity and in safe and comfort,” stated the government’s affidavit.
06/04/14  Utkarsh Anand/Indian Express

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Heavy rains force Sonia Gandhi to abandon chopper ride

Unexpected heavy rains here today forced Congress President Sonia Gandhi to take the road to Thrissur, where she is to address an election meeting.
Even the special flight in which she arrived here was forced to remain airborne for about 30 minutes over the airport due to the downpour and landed around 4 pm. Gandhi was to take a helicopter to Thrissur, about 60 km  from here. However, due to the inclement weather, the chopper ride was abandoned, police sources said.
07/04/14 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Flights to Bhagalpur likely be launched after LS election

Patna: Two private non-scheduled operators, Skyfisher Airways and Spirit Air, are all set to launch their flights from the Jayaprakash Narayan International airport here to some nearby cities after parliamentary elections, giving convenience to air passengers. Airport authorities, however, refused to comment on the issue.
In its first phase of operations, Skyfisher will operate between Patna and Bhagalpur, to be followed by a flight between Bhagalpur and Kolkata, further enhancing Bhagalpur's air connectivity, said Skyfisher Airways director Rishikesh, adding it is already operating in Assam. However, the firm's proposed flights to Varanasi have been shelved for the time being. He said that nine-seater Cessna Grand Caravan 208B aircraft would be used for the purpose. It may be mentioned here that Skyfisher Airways Pvt Ltd got the operating licence from the directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA) on January 13, 2014.
Rishikesh said the introductory offer for Bhagalpur flights would be easy on pockets. On being asked about the delay in launching Patna-Bhagalpur private chartered flight, he said the services were delayed for want of the non-scheduled operator's permit, a mandatory clearance for chartered operations from DGCA, and later the Lok Sabha elections were announced.
07/04/14 Aditya Vaibhav/Times of India

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Munde’s supporters thrash pilot for refusing to fly without clearance

Mumbai: A helicopter pilot has lodged a complaint against the supporters of senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde, accusing them on beating him and an engineer on Thursday.
Apart from the police, pilot Utpal Banerjee has also registered a complaint with Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI), apex body for helicopter pilots, which is all set to take up the matter with the Election Commission and the civil aviation regulator, DGCA.
Reportedly, Raymond group pilot Banerjee, who was assigned the task of taking Munde on his campaign trail, had refused to make an unscheduled trip to Veda, incensing his supporters. According to Banerjee, they had no permission or requisite clearance, as Munde had decided to fly to Veda, and not to Parli as scheduled, in the last minute. Also, the entourage was supposed to return to the Beed helipad after the campaigning by 3.30 pm, but they returned at 4.15 pm.
07/04/14 Yogesh Naik & Bipin Kumar Singh/Mumbai Mirror

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DGCA detains industrialist Baba Kalyani’s jet over lack of oxygen masks

Mumbai: An aircraft owned by industrialist Baba Kalyani of Bharat Forge has become the latest in a line of private jets to be detained for inspection by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) at Mumbai airport. The aviation watchdog had recently grounded a jet owned by Reliance and detained jets belonging to business tycoons like the Jindals and the Poonwawallas.
In January, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had downgraded India's aviation safety ranking from category I to category II. A DGCA team specially constituted in the wake of this downgrade conducted a 2-hourlong surprise check on Kalyani's private jet when it arrived from Pune at around 9 pm on Saturday.
The 12-seater Falcon 900, registered in 2007, was not grounded (prohibited from flying till notified by DGCA) as there was no major violation. However, sources said that the inspection had shown that the aircraft did not have a single oxygen mask or any flight manuals.
07/04/14 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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Third party ground handling business in India could increase by USD130 million overnight

After more than three years of legal challenges, India’s Supreme Court is likely to rule in mid-Apr-2014 in favour of the government’s ground handling policy which was first proposed in 2007.
Things can move slowly in India; but when they do move, the scope of change can often be transformative. Such would be the case with the country's ground handling industry. But it would not all be smooth sailing.
If the Court does rule to uphold the policy, the size and structure of India’s ground handling sector will be dramatically transformed - significantly increasing the size of the contestable market for third party handlers almost overnight. CAPA estimates the market will be worth USD1 billion annually within the next ten years.
Indian carriers currently self-handle the majority of their domestic and international operations. The primary customers of third party handlers in India are foreign airlines, who are not permitted to self-handle. This is supplemented by some under-the-wing activities for Indian carriers. CAPA estimates the third party handling market was worth around USD200-220 million in FY2013.
However, under the incoming policy Indian carriers will no longer be permitted to self-handle at the six metro airports or at Cochin, and will be required to appoint one of the licensed handlers at each airport for both terminal and ramp handling.
07/04/14 Centre for Aviation

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Choppers churn cash, as netas fly for campaigning

New Delhi: Choppers and fixed-wing charter aircraft are churning out serious cash for their owners these days, thanks to political parties which are using these to traverse the length and breadth of India.
So frequently are these state-of-the-art flying machines being used that local party workers have started referring to them as 'Pushpak Viman', the mythical flying machine from the epic Ramayana.
Be it a Bell, Eurocopter, AgustaWestland or Whirlybird, these power-horses of election campaigning can cruise at an average speed of 160 km an hour and provide a comfortable ride to leaders who have to address at least three rallies a day in far-flung areas.
Operators and brokers say the demand is going over the roof, and operations have shifted from ferrying business honchos, miners and engineers to worksites and tourists to religious and other destinations to campaign activities.
"On an average a chopper which operates 30 hours per month is now flying for 45-60 hours," Colonel (retired) Sanjay Julka, director operations, India FlySafe Aviation, told IANS.
So lucrative has the chopper rental business has become that some private companies owning a small fleet are renting them out. Their deals with political parties are confidential.
Others who offer these services on a daily basis are charging hefty cash by flying leaders to their destinations.
06/04/14 Zee News

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AP tourism proposes 'heli-tourism' in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation is planning to revive its heli-tourism project, which will offer a bird's eye view of historical sites in the city and elsewhere in the region.
APTDC plans to introduce helicopter rides for tourists, in association with private firms.
06/04/14 PTI

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Travelport launches app to monetise ancillary revs of airlines

New Delhi: Aiming to help airlines better manage services and increase ancillary revenues, distribution services and e-commerce provider Travelport has launched its application Smartpoint in India.
The application, which has 110,000 users globally, is at present being tested with 100 travel agents in India.
"The app will help in increasing options for airlines and travel agents to monetise profits by offering consumers more services from a single point like hotels, transport, travel and medical insurance, WiFi etc," InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ) President and CEO Anil Parashar told PTI.
ITQ, a unit of aviation, hospitality and travel related services firm InterGlobe Enterprises, is official distributor of Travelport Galileo in India and Sri Lanka and Travelport Worldspan, through Calleo Distribution Technologies in five markets across the Asia Pacific region.
Smartpoint provides a single global access point to travel agents to check for flight bookings as well as other services connected with air travel, thus aiding airlines boost their ancillary revenues, he added.
06/04/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Biz jet operators protest as DGCA reports go public

New Delhi: The Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) has written letters of protest to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the ministry of civil aviation at the publicising of reports on inspection of planes operated by general aviation operators.
In a letter to Ashok Lavasa, the ministry’s secretary, dated Friday, BAOA has said, “...undue and subjective publicity is being given to the inspection reports of DGCA, involving aircraft of non-scheduled operators and private operators... totally uncalled for, especially since these inspections are a matter of routine.” It had written earlier this week in a similar vein.
BAOA says the recent downgrade of India by the America’s Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) was triggered primarily by a shortage of qualified staff for conducting safety and airworthiness inspections of aircraft, not due to deficiencies on the part of non-scheduled operators. R Bali, secretary of BAOA, said: “Reports in the media initiated by DGCA are a clear attempt to detract attention from the essence of this issue and shift blame of the FAA downgrade to the private aircraft operator.”
05/04/14 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard

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