ATF prices raised by steep 7.6 pc

New Delhi: Jet fuel price was today hiked by a steep 7.6 per cent, the biggest ever increase that took ATF price to all-time high of Rs 72,282 per kilolitre.
The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF), or jet fuel, in Delhi was hiked by Rs 5,146.16 per kilolitre (kl), or 7.6 per cent, to Rs 72,281.92 per kl with effect from midnight tonight, Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest oil firm, said.
This biggest ever increase in price in absolute numbers comes on back of firming international oil rates and dip in rupee value against the US dollar. And new rates will have surpased the previous high in ATF price of Rs 71,028.26 per kl hit in August, 2008.
The hike in percentage terms is however lower than the 12 per cent hike in rates effected from June 16, 2009 when prices were hiked by Rs 3,948.59 per kl to Rs 36,251.51 per kl.
31/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Indian aviation the worst performer in slowing Global Aviation market: IATA

Mumbai: Confirming the worst fears of airline companies and aviation analysts the global airline body International Air Transport Association (IATA - has 254 scheduled airline as members) said in its latest report that Indian domestic market contracted by 1.1% compared to last July and got itself a not so an envious position as it is the worst performer globally.
The rest of the world too slowed down in July but aviation markets in Middle East and Africa grew bucking the trend the airline body said. But the increasing fuel prices will make airlines sweat and make it a tough second quarter for them.
"Indian domestictraffic fell 1.1% compared to a year ago, the worst performance for any market, reflecting the weakening economy among other factors. After expanding at 20%-plus rates through 2010 and early 2011, the Indian market stopped growing at the end of 2011. July capacity rose 2.1%, dropping the load factor to 69.6% from 71.8% last year," IATA's report for the month said.
30/08/12 Manisha Singhal/Economic Times

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Indian domestic air traffic fell 1.1% in July

Mumbai: Indian domestic air traffic fell 1.1 per cent in July year-on-year.
This is the worst performance for airlines in any market, reflecting the weakening economy among other factors, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA).
A new IATA report has indicated that overall the domestic markets experienced slow growth in July, continuing the trend that began early this year.
In total, traffic rose 3.1 per cent year-on year, down from 4.2 per cent in June. However, the slowdown was not universal, with China and Brazil recording strong growth that was offset by the weakness in India and Japan, the report said.
30/08/12 Business Line

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Flying a private aircraft becomes costlier as AAI increases MRO royalty charges

Mumbai: Owners of business jets and other private aircraft who want their flying machines to be serviced in India will have to pay at least 33-37.5% more to their maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) service providers as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has increased levies sharply at all AAI-owned airports in the country from this month. The earlier cess, or royalty charge as it is called, was 13%.
The move by AAI to increase this royalty charge will directly impact the MRO service providers who operate from the airports that are run by the state-owned airport authority (it owns 89 domestic airports) as these companies would now have to charge their clients the additional tax along with 12% service tax, a big negative for business and growth.
Irked by the move and poor timing of the government decision, some of the big MRO players are even considering re-locating business to Middle East. A major player said it is evaluating this re-location.
30/08/12 Manisha Singhal/Economic Times

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Fraud case lodged against Kanda

Jamshedpur: A case of fraud has been lodged against MDLR Airlines Managing Director Gopal Kanda, who was arrested in connection with the suicide of the company’s former airhostess Geetika Sharma, in a local court today.
Anis Khirwal, a local agent of MDLR Airlines here lodged the case of criminal breach of trust and cheating and dishonesty under IPC alleging that the company owned by the former Haryana minister had not returned the advance of Rs 1.68 lakh paid in lieu of the sale of the company’s air tickets.
The case also made MDLR’s Head Finance, V K Gupta a party to the case.
30/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Supreme Court refuses to stay increase in airline ground handling charges

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today refused to stay government's order increasing royalty charges from private airlines for ground handling.
A bench headed by Justice H S Thakur declined to give a stay order on a petition filed by Federation of Indian Airlines which alleged that state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) has increased the royalty by nearly three times during last one month.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Federation, pleaded that it is a violation of apex court order which had directed the Centre to maintain status quo pertaining to ground handling charges while hearing its plea.
30/08/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Two Mi-17 choppers collide, nine dead

New Delhi: Nine Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel, including five officers, were killed when two Mi-17 helicopters collided mid-air near Jamnagar air force base in Gujarat on Thursday. The collision took place near a firing range in Sarmat village, 20 km from the air force station and 15km from Jamnagar town.
“The helicopters crashed five minutes after they took off from Jamnagar air force station for a routine flying training mission,” said wing commander Gerard Galway.
The IAF has ordered a court of inquiry to establish the cause of such an “unusual” mid-air collision which claimed the lives of three wing commanders, a squadron leader, a flying officer and four personnel below officer rank.
The court of inquiry will ascertain if the pilots violated the standard operating procedures (SOP). Prima facie, it appears that both the helicopters were not maintaining the required distance while carrying out such drills. “Normally the distance between two helicopters is about 60 metres when they take off simultaneously or are flying in close formation. The investigation will find out if there was any deviation from the SOP or a case of cockpit indiscipline,” a senior IAF official said.
30/08/12 Daily News & Analysis

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Geetika Sharma case: Court extends Aruna Chaddha's judicial custody till Sept 11

New Delhi: A Delhi court today extended till September 11 the judicial custody of former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda's employee Aruna Chaddha, accused in the Geetika Sharma suicide case.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Devender Kumar Jangala remanded Chaddha to 12-days judicial custody after the police said that the investigation in the case is still going on.
Chaddha was produced in the court after expiry of her 14- day judicial custody. The police had failed twice to secure the custody of 40-year-old Chaddha as the investigators were unable to give fresh and cogent reasons to the court for her custodial interrogation. She had remained in police custody for eight days. Police had again sought her custody to confront her with case's key accused Kanda, who is also in judicial custody till September 11, and the documents recovered at the behest of the former Haryana minister after his arrest and custodial interrogation.
30/08/12 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Air India plane crash: 46 years later, Indian diplomatic bag discovered on Mt Blanc

A bag of Indian diplomatic mail is set to be delivered more than 46 years late after it was found on Mont Blanc in the French Alps, close to where an Air India plane crashed in January 1966.
The jute bag, stamped "Diplomatic mail" and "Ministry of External Affairs", was recovered by mountain rescue worker Arnaud Christmann and his neighbour Jules Berger on August 21.
"Some tourists came and told us they had seen something shining on the Bossons glacier," so he and his neighbour decided to go have a look, Christmann said.
The diplomatic bag was handed over to police in the town of Chamonix at the base of the mountain. The Indian embassy in Paris today said it had not been informed of the discovery but that officials would be looking into it with a view to recovering the bag.
29/08/12 Indian Express

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Competition Appellate Tribunal to decide aeronautical tariff disputes: Centre to Delhi HC

New Delhi: The Competition Appellate Tribunal has been given additional power to decide aeronautical tariff disputes, the Centre today told the Delhi High Court.
"The notification is out. The Tribunal (Competition Appellate Tribunal) is already functional. It is already in place. They have been given additional powers of Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal (AERAAT)," Additional Solicitor General Rajiv Mehra told Justice Sunil Gaur.
The court then disposed of a petition filed by Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), an industry body that represents airlines, against the recent tariff decisions and asked it to approach the Competition Appellate Tribunal with its plea on August 30.
28/08/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Safety Audit by ICAO

ICAO would be conducting an ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) of India to assess and validate the corrective actions taken by India on the findings and recommendations of the audit of India conducted by ICAO in October, 2006.
The audit of October, 2006 resulted in 70 findings and recommendations in the areas of legislation, organization, operations, airworthiness, licensing, aerodromes, air navigation services and accident investigation. The main areas of concern related to shortage of manpower in DGCA, lack of regulation of air navigation services in India, independence of aircraft accident/incident investigation and enforcement of aviation regulations. A majority of the findings and recommendations have been implemented. Though there is a shortage of manpower in the DGCA, it is functioning effectively by engaging/hiring the consultants and technical inspectors on secondment etc.
28/08/12 Press Information Bureau

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Airlines use combo offers to bypass rules, make money

New Delhi: Cash-strapped Indian carriers are finding innovative ways to generate revenue — even if it means bypassing regulatory norms. Some months back, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had barred airlines from charging passengers for pre-booking seats at the time of buying tickets. Now some low-cost carriers (LCC) are offering "combo packs" where they are giving passengers option of ordering meals and getting a seat of choice at the time of booking for a charge of Rs 600. "Technically, airlines are not charging for pre-booking seats and not violating any DGCA directive. This is an additional service combined with pre-booking meals that is being offered and there is no ban on selling food on board aircraft," said an airline official.
29/08/12 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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DGCA asked to remove ‘financial’ from safety report

In a move that could raise eyebrows, the civil aviation ministry has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to drop the word “financial” from the title “Assessment of Impact of Financial Stress on Safety of Operations” of the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR). The CAR is a guideline that lays down requirements for aviation sector players in the country and how an airline will be judged on a particular parameter.
DGCA, the aviation regulator, had earlier carried out a financial audit of the airlines to ascertain the impact of bad finances on their safety. The audit found that the stress on pilots and engineers due to non-payment of salaries for months would impact the safety of airline operations. However, the DGCA, for now, has maintained that this is just a name change as the regulator does not look at the overall financials of the airline.
28/08/12 Indian Express

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AP government likely to lease aircraft for Rs 14 crore

The state government is poised to lease an aircraft to ferry VVIPs, primarily the chief minister, around the state in fair weather or foul.
The government feels constrained by the logistics of transporting VVIPs to remote places at short notice. The flight timings of commercial airlines do not always match the tour schedule of VVIPs, and chartered aircraft are often not available at short notice besides being expensive.
So, the government thinks that the lease of a fixed-wing aircraft with a seating capacity of up to six and the capability to fly four hours without refuelling would be useful.
Though the aircraft is to be kept available to all VVIPs, it will mostly be used by the chief minister for his frequent district visits.
According to reliable sources, the decision has been all but finalised.
28/08/12 New Indian Express/IBN Live

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Geetika suicide: Nupur says, 'Playboy Kanda likes sexy girls'

New Delhi: The suicide saga of airhostess Geetika Sharma is turning complicated with new revelations being made each day.
In the latest revelation, former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda during his interrogation has reportedly said that he had gifted a 500-sq yard flat in Gurgaon to Bollywood startlet Nupur Mehta.
Kanda's startling revelations came days after Nupur claimed that the Kanda-owned MDLR airlines and casino employed a number of beautiful girls since the Haryana strongmen was interested in sexy women.
According to reports, Nupur stayed in the flat during her stint with MDLR Airlines but was evicted from the house in Sector 31 after she left Kanda 2009.
Police sources were quoted as saying that Kanda forced her to sign the property documents. However, Nupur denied of getting any flat as a 'gift' from Kanda.
28/08/12 Daily Bhaskar

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Appointment of CVO in DGCA

The regulatory mechanism in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is working smoothly. With the approval of the Cabinet, a post of Joint Director General has been created in DGCA to exclusively look after the work of Finance, Administration and Vigilance. An Officer at the level of Joint Director General was appointed on 15.02.2012.
The Joint Director General, who was looking after the vigilance work in the DGCA has been transferred to Ministry of Civil Aviation on 26.07.2012 with the approval of ACC. The Central Vigilance Commission has already been requested to accord their approval for assigning the additional charge of vigilance work of DGCA to Chief Vigilance Officer of Air India Charters Limited.
28/08/12 Press Information Bureau

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BMC may defer cloud-seeding experiment

Mumbai:The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is likely to defer the cloud-seeding experiment, which was slated to be carried out from September 1, pending clearance from aviation regulator DGCA.
"The DGCA has sought reply on certain things like who will be responsible for the cloud seeding operations, how the civic body will go ahead with it ?..Hence the process may be delayed and the experiment might commence in the second week of September," said R B Bambale, Hydraulic Engineer in BMC.
The exercise aimed at increasing water-level in catchment areas in the metropolis, following deficient rains, was earlier scheduled from September 1-28.
28/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

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India’s Light Combat Aircraft Prepares For Operational Clearance

New Delhi: India’s indigenously developed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is likely to win its final operational service clearance, following testing as part of an air exercise in February.
The single-seat, single-engine supersonic fighter will be put to the test during the “Iron Feast” exercise to be held in Pokhran in the western Indian state of Rajasthan.
“The Tejas will display its capabilities in the exercise, where its lethality, endurance and precision will be tested, and if the aircraft meets all parameters, its first squadron will be deployed in Bengaluru,” says Air Marshal Anjan Kumar Gogoi, chief of Southwestern Air Command.
The Tejas is designed to carry air-to-air, air-to-surface, precision-guided and standoff weaponry.
27/08/12 Jay Menon/ Aerospace Daily & Defense Report/Aviation Week

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Action taken against erring airlines, employees by DGCA

New Delhi: Civil aviation regulator DGCA has found 13 cases of violation of rules by various airlines and 283 cases of airline employees flouting norms and Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) since 2009 and has taken action against them, Lok Sabha was informed today.
"There have been instances of violation of norms or CAR by various airlines. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken administrative action relating to enforcement provisions during the last three years and the current year," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
24/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Poor investment scenario: Airlines ground Odisha flights

Bhubaneswar: With big ticket investors showing little interest for more investments in Odisha, airlines are cancelling a number of fights to the State capital city of Bhubaneswar.
“One after another, the airlines have stopped their flights to Odisha as traffic is dwindling,” said an industry watcher.
At one point of time, at least 50 flights were operating daily from Bhubaneswar. But in the changed circumstances, major airlines are showing little interest in the capital city of Odisha, said he.
Air India, Jet Air, Kingfisher and IndiGo have cut down a number of flights to the State, thanks to the indifferent attitude of the big ticket investors towards the State, he said. A sluggish economic situation, coupled with slowdown in the mining sector, has hit the airlines badly, said a leading tour operator.
25/08/12 The Pioneer

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Of first flights and old planes

Chennai: The first flight in Madras took off on February 15, 1911, with Pilot J. Tyck Bleriot attempting the feat in unfavourable weather. “Back then, eight men held the plane till the engine attained full speed and rose,” said K.R.A. Narasiah, historian and former consultant to the World Bank, while talking of the history of civil aviation in Madras.
The first flight deck chief of aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, Mr. Narasiah spoke about his relentless research that led him to the skeletal remains of one of the earliest planes in Madras today.
25/08/12 The Hindu

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Kanda remanded to 3 more days in police custody

New Delhi: Former Haryana Minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, key accused in the Geetika Sharma suicide case, was today further remanded to three-day police custody by a Delhi court after investigators alleged “non-cooperation” and sought to quiz him to recover mobile phones and a missing hard disc.
Delhi Police, which sought seven days custody of Mr. Kanda for recovering three mobile phones of MDLR employees that he was using, was allowed by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate D.K. Jangala to interrogate him for three more days in its custody.
Public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan said that Mr. Kanda was evasive in his replies regarding these mobile phones and the calls made from them.
25/08/12 PTI/The Hindu

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20 cases of irregularities against DGCA officials since 2009

New Delhi: Civil aviation regulator DGCA has recommended 20 cases for disciplinary or criminal action against its officials for alleged involvement in various irregularities since 2009, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said today.
"The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had forwarded two cases in 2009, 13 in 2011 and five this year of the DGCA officials in which disciplinary or criminal action had been proposed against them for alleged irregularities.
"These cases have been examined in the Ministry in consultation with Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and disciplinary action has already been initiated in all the cases," Singh said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
24/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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RBI bats for more FDI in retail, insurance and aviation

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India said there is a need to further improve foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in sectors such as insurance, retail, aviation and urban infrastructure.
The central bank, which has made this suggestion in its Annual Report for 2011-12, said this will augment non-debt creating flows and keep the composition of India’s external liabilities at a comfortable level.
On the apprehensions over FDI in multi-brand retail, the RBI said international experience on the whole suggests that allowing FDI in retailing space leads to increased competition.
23/08/12 Business Line

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Kanda exploited Geetika, she was under pressure: Police

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Friday claimed to have pieced together the jigsaw puzzle of the suicide of air hostess Geetika Sharma and the alleged role of Haryana ex-minister Gopal Goyal Kanda in the case.
Geetika (23), who earlier worked in Kanda's now-defunct MDLR Airlines, had hanged herself on the night of Aug 4-5 at her house here. Her suicide notes said she was committing suicide due to harassment by Kanda, now a key accused in the case, and his key aide Aruna Chadha. Both denied the allegations.
The police said on Friday that a series of events led Geetika to end her life, including “exploitation and harassment” by her employer. She wanted to sever all relations with Kanda and his airlines, but the Sirsa MLA was adamant to retain her, police said. Geetika had worked in several of Kanda's companies in the last six years.
24/08/12 The Tribune

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Suspended DGCA official reinstated; probe to go on

Senior DGCA official A K Sharan, who was suspended in March for allegedly causing loss to the state exchequer by granting undue concessions to 28 flying schools, has been reinstated but the probe against him will continue, official sources said.
Sharan has taken charge as Joint Director General in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) yesterday, the post he was holding before he was suspended, they said.
"The case against him will continue and the enquiry was still on," they said, now the probe would be conducted against him by the chief vigilance officer of the civil aviation ministry.
23/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

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NE mission: Chartered flights to Maha, free Onam kits in Kerala

Itanagar/Thiruvananthapuram: In a bid to reach out to Northeasterners, Chartered flights from Guwahati to ferry students back to Maharashtra at concessional rates and free 'Onam festival Kits' containing food provisions in Kerala are among the measures taken by respective state goernments.
Three Nagaland-based Muslim organizations have also constituted a goodwill team to visit Bangalore, Pune and other cities from today to help bring the present situation to complete normalcy after the exodus of Northeasterners from these places.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is reported to have told a goodwill team from Arunachal Pradesh led by MP Takan Sanjoy that concessional chartered flights from Guwahati would be offered to students from the northeast wanting to return their educational institutions in Pune or Mumbai.
22/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Southern skies to see new airline routes

Chennai: The sky over south India is likely to get crowded in coming months. If plans floated by a few new airlines take off on time, travelling time between smaller cities in the peninsula could soon reduce. Most tier-II cities here are not well connected to each other by air despite a large potential clientele, which is thereby forced to rely on roads and railways. But regional airlines are coming up in a big way to bridge the demand-supply gap and a vacuum created by the downsizing of Kingfisher Airlines.
Air Pegasus and Air Costa are gearing up to start services in a couple of months having received a no-objection from the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). They will interconnect tier II cities and connect tier II cities with the nearest metro as well. Under licence rules, regional airlines are allowed to fly to only one metro.
23/08/12 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Airlines concerned about 49% FDI cap: Lufthansa's Hilgers

New Delhi: Lufthansa German Airlines’ south Asia director, Alex Hilgers, says global airlines have raised concerns over India’s proposed liberalisation of foreign direct investment in aviation, questioning the 49 per cent cap that would not give them a majority control over domestic carriers.
They have also raised issues pertaining to the level of government intervention they might face in the country even after they enter. In an interview with Business Standard, Hilgers talked about the concerns raised by global airlines at an IATA (International Air Transport Association) conference in Beijing in June 2012. “The issue is that 49 per cent is not enough. There are still doubts as to can I do what I want to do with 49 per cent?” he said.
Saying there were also concerns about government intervention, Hilgers added, “I think the guy who comes wants 51 per cent and not 49 per cent and he wants certain freedom from the government side.”
23/08/12 Disha Kanwar & Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard

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Soon, India’s own eye in the sky

Chennai: India’s efforts to build its own Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system crossed a milestone on Wednesday when a fully modified Brazilian Embraer-145 aircraft, on which the system will be installed, arrived on Wednesday night at the HAL airport in Bangalore.
The aircraft, with the indigenous Active Electronic Scanning Array (AESA) radar, will be an “eye in the sky.” The radar can look 240 degrees within a short time and has a range of 350 km. It can track more than 500 targets simultaneously.
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), with its various laboratories, is spearheading the (AEW&C) system programme. The aircraft was given an enthusiastic welcome by engineers of the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), nodal agency for building the AEW&C system. The CABS is a DRDO facility.
23/08/12 The Hindu

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Talks on only with French company for 126 Rafale aircraft:Govt

New Delhi: The Defence Ministry today said it was talking only to the French Dassault Aviation for procuring 126 Rafale aircraft under a multi-billion dollar tender.
"We are not talking to anyone except Dassault Aviation whose Rafale aircraft has been selected as the lowest bidder in the multi-billion dollar contract," Defence Ministry sources said here.
The Ministry was responding to reported claims made by German and Russian officials that India was discussing the contract with them and there was a possibility of the project being retendered.
23/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Kanda denies contact with Geetika

New Delhi: Former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda on Thursday told Delhi Police he had no connection with ex-air hostess Geetika Sharma for the last 45 days before she committed suicide.
Kanda, who had floated MDLR Airlines, is the prime accused in the Geetika Sharma suicide case. The Delhi Police on Thursday said Sharma had left two suicide notes before committing suicide on August 5. She wrote both the letters on the same day, police sources said. According to reports, the police have also got in touch with one Ankita whom Geetika had named in her suicide note. The police said Ankita is currently out of India and will be questioned soon in connection to the case.
23/08/12 India Blooms

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Air tickets get costlier

New Delhi: Air tickets have become costlier with the airlines increasing the fuel surcharge by Rs 100 to Rs 150 following a steep hike in aviation fuel prices by the oil companies this month.
The airlines have issued a circular to their travel agents informing them about Rs 100 hike in the fuel surcharge till 1,000 km and Rs 150 for flights going beyond that distance, a travel agent said.
Oil marketing companies have hiked the jet fuel or ATF price by over 3.2 per cent on August 16, the third straight increase since July.
22/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Offer sops to woo airlines, Karnataka govt told

Bangalore: The Infrastructure Development Department (IDD), in an effort to woo airline companies to operate at minor airports in the State, has planned to submit a proposal to the government for offering the much-needed support to the companies to make their operation at these airports sustainable.
The IDD wants the government to either underwrite a certain number of seats on every flight or reimburse a portion of operational cost on flying-mile-basis for a fixed duration. This will be over and above four per cent VAT concession on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) already offered to the airlines operating in the State, IDD Secretary Rajkumar Khatri said.
About five small airlines, including Rahi Air, Ventura Airlines and Master Aero Space, have shown interest in operating at minor airports in the State. The support is planned to be extended for only intra-State flights.
21/08/12 P M Raghunandan/Deccan Herald

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Air tickets get costlier on fuel surcharge

New Delhi: Air tickets have become costlier with the airlines increasing the fuel surcharge by Rs 100 to Rs 150 following a steep hike in aviation fuel prices by the oil companies this month.
The airlines have issued a circular to their travel agents informing them about Rs 100 hike in the fuel surcharge till 1,000 km and Rs 150 for flights going beyond that distance, a travel agent said.
Oil marketing companies have hiked the jet fuel or ATF price by over 3.2 per cent on August 16, the third straight increase since July.
22/08/12 Financial Express

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GMR to ink more facility maintenance contracts for Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: The MAS-GMR Aerospace Engineering Company (MGAE) is in talks with three more domestic and international airlines for offering aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here.
MGAE is a 50:50 joint venture partnership between GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) and Malaysian Aerospace Engineering Sdn.Bhd (MAE), a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines Systems Berhad (MAS).
R V Seshan, CEO, MGAE said that the MRO facility has already signed five customers - Go Air, Spice Jet, Bank of China Aviation and another two undisclosed key companies.
"There are few other companies in the pipeline also. I cannot divulge the names at this time. We will for sure close another three customers in this quarter. It is both Indian and international," Seshan told PTI.
22/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Maharashtra to arrange chartered flights to bring back NE students

Itanagar: Maharashtra government will make available chartered aircraft to take students of Northeast back to educational institutions in Pune or Mumbai from Guwahati.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told a goodwill team from Arunachal Pradesh, led by MP Takan Sanjoy, yesterday that concessional chartered flights would be offered to students willing to go back.
In a statement, Sanjoy quoted Chavan as saying, "If state governments send written requisitions, officials will be ready to receive students at airports to escort them to their institutions with full security."
22/08/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Malaysia Airlines gets strong in the Indian Sub-continent

Malaysia Airlines will increase from September 1st its presence to the Indian subcontinent by adding 10 more extra-flights between Kuala Lumpur and the cities of Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai. This will bring the total of weekly flights to India to 50 return. Malaysia Airlines wants to react to an increase of 15% in passenger numbers from India in 2012. The carrier justifies its move by the resilience of the Indian travel market despite a rather difficult economic environment worldwide and the declining value of the Indian Rupiah.
Malaysia Airlines recently announced the introduction of its thrice weekly direct services between Kuala Lumpur and Kathmandu effective 1 September 2012.
22/08/12 Travel Daily News

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Air shuttle service begins from Surat

Ahmedabad: The air shuttle service of Deccan Charters officially began from Surat on Monday, with the first flight connecting the city with Bhavnagar, taking off at 9:30 am. The number of planes and frequency will increase in the days to come.
The nine-seater Cessna Grand Caravan 208B reached Surat airport at 9am, but there were no passengers inside.
At the airport, five persons boarded the plane to Bhavnagar, which would cover the distance in just 40 minutes. Deccan Charters is expecting minimum 70% occupancy for all its flights from Surat.
“The response for our air shuttle service is very good and people like the idea. We have got a good number of bookings for all our flights. Once everything gets streamlined, we will increase our frequency,” Captain Madhu Valsaraj, chief pilot of Deccan Charters, said.
21/08/12 Rishi Banerji/Daily News & Analysis

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First Tata-made Sikorsky S-92 helicopter airframe flies

London: The first Sikorsky S-92 - a large, twin-engine helicopter that can be used for both civil and military purposes - with a Made-in-India airframe is now flying in Brazil.
Air Vice Marshal (retd) Arvind Walia, Sikorsky's regional executive for India and South Asia, told India Strategic defence magazine (www.indiastrategic.in) that the Tatas have supplied 15 airframes to the US company, which is fitting them with cockpits, engines, systems and rotors. The completed helicopters are then ready for supply to global customers.
The flight tests on the first Tata-made S-92 cabin have progressed satisfactorily and the helicopter is now being customised for supply to Lider Aviacao of Brazil. Lider charters both aircraft and helicopters for multi-applications, including servicing offshore oil installations.
20/08/12 ZeeNews

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After Deccan Shuttle, AirConnect offers to fly intra-state in Guj

Mumbai/Ahmedabad: After Deccan Shuttles which is set to foray in Gujarat from Monday with its daily charter services from Ahmedabad to places like Kandla and Jamnagar, Gurgaon-based airline Ventura AirConnect is set to fly intra-state in Gujarat soon.
The airline that launched its first intra-state services in Madhya Pradesh has begun initial process for approvals to fly in Gujarat. What's more, the company is also learnt to have evinced its interest of foraying in the state to the Gujarat government.
"Launch of Deccan Shuttles is part of our initiative to open up tourism in remote parts of the state as well. The Madhya Pradesh player AirConnect has also approached us with an interest to fly intra-state in Gujarat. While Deccan Shuttles launches soon and AirConnect is set to follow soon, we have some more operators in the pipeline," said Vipul Mittra, principal secretary, tourim and civil aviation, Government of Gujarat (GoG). An emailed query to Ventura AirConnect did not solicit any response.
According to Mittra, all the major towns in Kutch and Saurashtra region will be tapped through intra-state airline services in Gujarat.
20/08/12 Business Standard

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Finally, fly within Gujarat starting today

Ahmedabad The man who redefined the aviation industry in India is all set to do it again. Captain G R Gopinath will finally launch Deccan Shuttle on Monday, connecting the cities of Ahmedabad, Surat and Bhavnagar by air. Attempts to start the service have seen many hurdles in the recent past, but it has finally been given the green signal.
The service will initially connect the three cities and will go on to have 12 daily flights between nine major cities of Gujarat. Jamnagar and Kandla are expected to be added next.
Gopinath had announced the service last year but the plans were grounded after the lease agreement under which the aircraft had been procured was not acceptable to the Director General of Civil Aviation. The captain has now procured two Cessna Grand Caravan 208 B aircraft under 'dry lease'.
20/08/12 Times of India

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Denied boarding: Travelers to get bigger compensation, linked to fares

New Delhi: Denying boarding to travelers with confirm tickets who reach airport well in time for their flight could soon cost airlines dearly. The government is planning to hike the current denied boarding compensation of about Rs 2,000 by making it directly proportional to the price at which the air ticket was bought.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has circulated a note on this issue to airlines and DGCA chief Arun Mishra has called them for a meeting this week.
The regulator had three years back framed rules for airlines to pay flyers up to Rs 4,000 for denied boarding which actually meant Rs 2,000 in majority of such cases. A rethink on this happened due to two reasons .
A consumer court recently termed the current compensation amount inadequate as airfares have shot up dramatically from 2009 when the compensation amounts were set and when low cost flying was a reality in India. Secondly, cash-strapped airlines trying to increase their ancillary revenue (generated from things other than ticket sales) have hiked no show and rescheduling charges.
20/08/12 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

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Amritsar man launches service for sky ads

It was literally high-flying marketing in Amritsar on Sunday. A city-based man launched a banner towing advertisement service with American Champion 8GCBC aircraft imported from the United States. Scores of people watched with surprise after a plane flew over different parts of the sky in the Holy City carrying the billboard of a developer for about an hour.
“This is the fastest way to reach maximum number of people in very little time,” said Vijay Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director of Fly High Airways Private Limited, who launched the aircraft banner towing services. Sharma, who has an all Indian permit from the Civil Aviation department for Aerial works (banner towing) for his American Champion, claimed that he was being approached by different business establishments to carry their ads in the air.
20/08/12 Naveevan Gopal/Indian Express

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My Mobile Payments plans to tie up with IRCTC, airlines

Kolkata: Now you can book movie, bus, rail and air tickets using your mobile wallet (M-wallet).
My Mobile Payments Ltd (MMPL), which retails M-wallet services, plans to tie up with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC), various airlines as well as multiplex operators to offer booking services to its customers.
M-wallet service, provided under the ‘Money-on-Mobile’ brand, is like a prepaid debit card on mobile. It allows customers to load their mobile phones with cash at retail touch points and use this virtual money to top-up any prepaid mobile or DTH (satellite television) recharge or pay post-paid mobile bills and utility bills at present.
19/08/12 Shobha Roy/Business Line

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More than one motive behind Geetika’s harassment?

New Delhi: Delhi Police suspect there was more than one motive behind the unabated harassment of Geetika Sharma, the 23-year-old former flight attendant who hanged herself earlier this month, allegedly at the hands of her employer Gopal Goyal Kanda. The former Haryana Minister, who surrendered amid high drama in the early hours of Saturday, is presently in police custody.
According to a police source, investigations so far have thrown up concrete evidence indicating that Mr. Kanda and his close associates were pressurising Geetika mentally in various ways.
“There were several motives about which we cannot comment at this stage, as the accused might take advantage in building his defence during trial,” said the source, adding the police were confident of connecting Mr. Kanda to the case of abetment to suicide.
20/08/12 The Hindu

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Kanda may undergo brain mapping test: Delhi Police

New Delhi: Delhi Police today appeared mulling the option of brain mapping test on former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda who is refusing to cooperate in the probe in connection with the Geetika Sharma suicide case.
Kanda had on Saturday morning surrendered before police after evading arrest for ten days. Sharma, a former employee of his now defunct MDLR airline, accused him and another senior colleague Aruna Chaddha of harassing her.
Police sources said Kanda has been evasive during questioning and denied any involvement with 23-year-old Sharma.
When asked whether police will subject him to brain mapping, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West) P Karunakaran said, "If required, we will do that. We will take him to all places where we feel probe is required."
20/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Geetika suicide: Kanda evades reply to 7 key questions

New Delhi: Former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, accused of abetting the suicide of Geetika Sharma, was proving to be a hard nut to crack as investigators zeroed in on "seven questions" to prove his guilt, police said Sunday.
"Kanda is still misleading the interrogators as we are in need of some crucial evidence to prove him guilty of abetting Geetika's suicide. We are working on more than seven points," an investigating officer, who did not want to reveal his identity, told IANS.
Kanda, former flight attendant Geetika's employer and the owner of the now-defunct MDLR Airlines, has been undergoing interrogation since his arrest early Saturday but has refused to admit anything more than the fact that Geetika was his employee, sources said.
Not only was Kanda trying to mislead police, but he had remained stubbornly quiet on his whereabouts in the last 10 days since Geetika's suicide note blamed him and his employee Aruna Chaddha, now under judicial custody, they said.
19/08/12 IANS/News Track India

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Gopal Goyal Kanda in tow, cops raid MDLR office again

New Delhi/Gurgaon: Investigators today seized computers from the Gurgaon office of former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda, arrested in connection with the suicide of his former employee Geetika Sharma, even as he remained mum on where he hid for the ten days he managed to evade the police.
Police took Kanda, who surrendered yesterday morning, to the office of his defunt airline MDLR and his residence in Gurgaon on Delhi's outskirts and searched the premises.
He was questioned by police for the second consecutive day in the presence of his lawyers.
Sources said Kanda, who resigned after he was booked in the case, did not provide details about where he was hiding for ten days ignoring summons by police in connection with suicide on Geetika on August five at her Ashok Vihar residence.
19/08/12 Financial Express

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Now, fly from Kochi to Sabarimala in a helitaxi

Delhi-based Chipsan Aviation on Saturday began chartered helicopter services to Sabarimala from Kochi.
The helitaxi service, which starts from Kochi International Airport at Nedumbassery, was formally inaugurated by Excise Minister K Babu. “The government would provide all sorts of support to the venture as it aims not only to transport pilgrims to Sabarimala but also to carry out critical operations like rescue services, VIP visits and tourism promotion,” the minister said.
The French-made Eurocopter AS 350 B3 will be put into service, which can carry six passengers, including the pilot, on an average speed of 230 km per hour.
19/08/12 New Indian Express/IBN Live

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Geetika suicide: Gopal Kanda taken to MDLR office in Gurgaon

New Delhi: Gopal Kanda, the former Haryana minister and owner of the MDLR Group, who is accused of abetting Geetika Sharma's suicide, was taken to Gurgaon office of the now-defunct MDLR airlines by Delhi Police on Sunday.
Kanda is reportedly believed to have hidden some electronic data from the office, available in three hard disks, which according to the police, may hold vital clues concerning the case.
Kanda, who was yesterday remanded to 7-day police custody, is being quizzed by Delhi Police in connection with Geetika Sharma suicide case.
Having evaded the police for 10 days, Kanda finally surrendered at Ashok Vihar Police Station on late Saturday night.
19/08/12 ZeeNews

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Kanda reached Dubai to force Geetika to return to India'

New Delhi: Former Haryana Minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, key accused in ex-airhostess Geetika suicide case, had followed her to Dubai where she had received a fake letter about extradition proceedings initiated against her, Delhi Police today a court here on Aug 18.
Police said when Geetika refused to come back, Kanda got a false case registered against her and allegedly sent a letter to her about extradition proceedings initiated against her.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate D K Jangala, who remanded Kanda to seven days in police custody, was told by the police that they have found that the letter sent to Geetika about the extradition proceedings against her in Dubai was fake as no such proceedings were ever initiated.
19/08/12 One India

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Air carriers told to submit foreign operation plans

New Delhi: Indian carriers, most of which have planned to expand foreign operations from this winter, have been asked by Civil Aviation Ministry to submit their international flight plans till 2014 by this month end.
The ministry’s move comes in the wake of aggressive expansion carried out so far by foreign carriers, especially those from the Middle East.
Official sources said the global operation plans of the Indian carriers would be discussed at a meeting early next month. The data have been sought to assess the capability of Indian carriers to operate international flights, in terms of their fleet, crew and bilateral rights used, they said.
At present, foreign airlines weekly operate 1,356 flights to India as against just over 800 by Indian carriers. Indian carriers permitted to operate international flights are Air-India, Jet, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Kingfisher.
19/08/12 PTI/Oman Tribune

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Civil aviation ministry, DIAL face the heat

New Delhi: Slamming the levy of airport development fee (ADF) on passengers, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Friday said the civil aviation ministry had violated bid conditions, giving benefits of Rs 3,415 crore to Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), in which the GMR Group holds majority equity stake.
The ADF benefit was given to DIAL to bridge the financing gap between the airport’s actual and original project costs. The CAG report said DIAL also secured land valued at Rs 24,000 crore for commercial use at a lease rental of Rs 100 a year, and this could potentially lead to DIAL earning Rs 1.6 lakh crore over 60 years.
“According to the operation management development agreement (OMDA), it was the responsibility of the joint venture company to bring in equity. Levy of development fee is against the OMDA,” A K Patnaik, additional deputy, CAG.
18/08/12 Business Standard

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Private airlines make a killing

Bangalore: Private airlines have hiked air fares exorbitantly for flights from Bangalore to Guwahati and other destinations in the North East. They seem to feel that the perfect time to make a fast buck is now.
Monica from Manipur was in for a shock when one of the airlines quoted Rs 20,000 as the air fare to Imphal from Bangalore.
“On regular days, I used to fly to Imphal at Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000. What the airlines are doing is unfair,” she said.
Manu Sharma, headed to Guwahati, said he wanted to leave the City at any cost as most of his friends from the region had left.
18/08/12 Deccan Herald

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Gopal Kanda surrenders, arrested

New Delhi: Former Haryana Minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, who was absconding after being accused of abetting the suicide of his former employee and air hostess Geetika Sharma, surrendered before police in the wee hours of Saturday. He was immediately arrested.
Kanda told newspersons waiting before the Ashok Vihar police station night long that he was surrendering on his own will.
Kanda will be produced in a court Saturday and police is likely to seek his custody for questioning.
The surrender followed rejection of Kanda’s anticipatory bail plea by the Delhi High Court on Friday.
A Delhi court on Thursday issued a non-bailable warrant against Kanda.
18/08/12 India Blooms

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Air traffic takes a dive for third straight month

New Delhi: In what could be seen as a harbinger of tough times ahead for air carriers, the domestic air passenger traffic has fallen for the third consecutive month this year since May, according to data released by the union civil aviation ministry.
The number of passengers who flew in July was 45.37 lakhs, down 3.84 per cent from 51.08 lakhs in June, and 54.48 lakhs in May. The figure for June and May last year were 53.12 lakhs and 54.96 lakhsrespectively.
The cumulative data for the period January to July this year was encouraging, as the number of passengers who flew stood at 354.52 lakhs, up 1.74 per cent from 348.47 lakhs in the correspoding period last year. The respective share of the carriers were IndiGo (27 per cent), Jet Airways (19.4 per cent), Air India (18.2 per cent), SpiceJet (17.8 per cent), JetLite (7.2 percent), Go Air ( 7 per cent) and Kingfisher Airlines 3.4 per cent.
17/08/12 Deccan Herald

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Civil Aviation Ministry, DIAL refute CAG's findings

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Ministry today refuted the loss figures given out by government auditor CAG in its report on Delhi airport, saying the calculation of presumptive gain was "totally erroneous and misleading" and claimed its views were not incorporated in the report.
The Ministry "strongly refutes the loss figures and other allegations made in the report" and the calculation of "presumptive gain from the commercial use of land at Delhi Airport was totally erroneous and misleading," an official statement said.
Asked about the report, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said "it is not for us to comment or say whether we accept it or not. The report will go to the Public Accounts Committee which will take a decision."
17/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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'14 pilots, 31 cabin crew members failed pre-flight alcohol test'

New Delhi: Fourteen pilots and 31 cabin crew members failed alcohol test during the pre-flight medical examination between January and March this year, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said on Friday.
"This year 14 pilots and 31 cabin crew members failed the breathalyzer test, compared to four and 21 last year," Singh said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
Of the 14 pilots, four are of Jet Airways, three of Air India, two each of Kingfisher Airlines, SpiceJet and IndiGo while one was of Jetlite, he said, adding that last year only pilots were found under the influence of alcohol, of which two were of Kingfisher and one each of Jet Airways and Jetlite.
17/08/12 PTI/Times of India

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Aircraft import requests to be analysed in-depth: Aviation ministry

New Delhi: With cash-starved domestic airlines turning defiant, the civil aviation ministry is reconfiguring its policies to tame them. In one such move, the ministry is adding an expert in the aircraft acquisition committee to do an in-depth analysis of the import requests by several airlines and operators.
“Currently, all the acquisitions we clear are on the basis of macro numbers of demand and supply. Now, we have decided to do a route or region-wise demand and supply analysis for which the import request is made,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official, who did not want to be identified.
The official added that to facilitate such analysis they have decided to add the economic advisor of the ministry in the aircraft acquisition committee.
17/08/12 Indian Express

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Nigeria, India to revive direct flights

India is set to review the bilateral air service agreement (BASA) with Nigeria so that airlines can operate non-stop flights to both countries. Indian high commissioner Mahesh Sachdev said direct flights were necessary as trade and investment between the two countries now stands at $26 billion.
"We are negotiating with Nigeria renewal of BASA. Ideally, it should be possible for us to use the opportunity to ensure direct flights, especially for medical tourists," Xinhua quoted him as saying. According to the envoy, the excellent relations between Nigeria and India were evident in the current volume of trade.
16/08/12 Business Today

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Jet fuel price hiked by 3.2 percent

New Delhi: Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price was hiked Thursday by over 3.2 percent, according to the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Jet fuel constitutes over 40 per cent of an airline's operating costs and the price hike will put fresh burden on the cash-strapped airlines.
The third such rate hike since July, it comes after the steep 4.5 percent increase in rates made on August 1, offsetting the reduction in prices effected in May and June.
ATF price in Delhi was hiked by Rs.2,130.17 per kilolitre (kl), or 3.27 percent, to Rs.67,135.76 per kl.
According to IOC, jet fuel in Mumbai will cost Rs.68,103.26 per kl from Thursday as against Rs.65,884.34 per kl earlier.
16/08/12 IANS/News Track India

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Geetika suicide: Non-bailable warrant against Kanda

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday issued a non-bailable warrant against former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda in the Geetika Sharma suicide case.
Kanda has been charged with abetment to suicide of the former air hostess. The Sirsa strongman has been on the run for ten days ever since the case was lodged against him and his aide Aruna Chaddha. Both of them were named by Geetika in her suicide note.
The non-bailable warrant was issued by the Rohini court even as his plea in Delhi High Court for anticipatory bail has been postponed till August 24.
Yesterday night, the Delhi Police again conducted raids on Kanda's residence in Sirsa and took into custody a relative of the former minister. The police conducted raids after tracking several mobile numbers.
16/08/12 ZeeNews

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Chartered airlines Invision Air to set up operations in multiple states

Ahmedabad: Mumbai-based chartered airlines Invision Air is eyeing setting up operation bases at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Jaipur, said company Vinit Phatak. It is also planning to add 10 jet aircraft by 2014.
The company has two four-seater Embraer Phenom 100 jets and operates from Mumbai, Delhi and Nashik. "We need at least six clients in a city to set up a base, otherwise it is not feasible," Phatak told ET in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
He hopes to add 5-6 corporate clients from Ahmedabad. At present the company has only one client in Ahmedabad. "A lot of demand is coming up for last mile air connectivity from corporates, who want its managers to visit its facilities in remotest areas. Companies provide this service to their lawyers as well," he said.
16/08/12 Keyur Dhandeo/Economic Times

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Air traffic growth to be affected by sharp hike in fares: CMIE

Mumbai: A major financial think-tank has scaled down its forecast on air passenger traffic growth this year from 11 to seven per cent, citing a sharp rise in fares due to a major hike in charges by private operators of Delhi and Mumbai airports.
"We now expect air passenger traffic to grow by seven per cent in 2012-13 as against our earlier estimate of 11 per cent," the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) said in its latest report.
A sharp rise in air fares in order to pass on the high user development fees at various airport particularly at Delhi and Mumbai was a major contributing factor that has hit passengers volumes, the Mumbai-based think-tank said.
The total passenger volume is expected to stand at 1,737 lakh by March next year, the CMIE projected in its report.
16/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Helicopter service opens in Mizoram

Aizwal: Mizoram’s helicopter service linking district headquarters and other places was inaugurated on Tuesday by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla. The Chief Minister emphasised that the helicopter service was crucial due to problems in road communication and absence of other means of transport like inland water and railway.
Speaking at a function at the Thuampui helipad near here, he said that the safety of the passengers should be given top priority by Pawan Hans, which provided the service.
14/08/12 PTI/Business Line

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Government to overlook Trinamool Congress, clear aviation FDI

New Delhi: The government is ready to give the go-ahead to foreign airlines to buy stakes in domestic carriers, even though the Trinamool Congress, the second-biggest member of UPA, remains opposed to the proposal.
Participants at the last meeting of the UPA coordination panel agreed with the view that the issue should be cleared without delay, persons familiar with the matter told ET. Though the coordination panel may meet again towards the end of the month, Congress leaders are not likely to allow the issue to be reopened.
Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's resistance had earlier forced the government to put the decision on foreign direct investment in aviation on hold.
15/08/12 Economic Times

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Case against a DGCA employee

New Delhi:A case has been registered against a DGCA employee for misusing norms for official air travel for personal purposes, Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said during the Question Hour that a case of misuse of Aeronautical Information Circulars (AIC) has been detected against a DGCA employee, who has since been placed under suspension and an FIR has been filed against him. Besides, major penalty proceedings have been initiated.
14/08/12 Zee News

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HAL units put under strict vigil on Independence Day

Lucknow: Security around all the units of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in the state and Kanpur Airport has been beefed up and police of the districts concerned have been put on alert following inputs from the intelligence headquarters of a possible threat to these installations in view of the Independence Day.
According to sources, the input that the headquarters received from a Central agency was specific about the possible threat to these establishments especially during I-Day celebration.
Talking to TOI, Kanpur police chief Amitabh Yash did confirm that an advisory of such nature from the intelligence headquarters was received earlier. However, he refused to divulge the details, saying: "We don't discuss details".
15/08/12 Rajiv Srivastava/Times of India

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Air hostess suicide: Police clueless about ex-minister Kanda's whereabouts

Ten days after former air-hostess Geetika Sharma killed herself, Delhi Police is yet to trace former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda who is accused of abetting her suicide.
Investigators have conducted searches and raids in around 50 places and questioned around 25 people but they were unable to trace Kanda, the owner of erstwhile MDLR airline where 23-year-old Sharma was working.
Kanda was served with a notice to join investigations last Wednesday but the former minister had gone underground with police declaring him as an “absconder” while his employee Aruna Chaddha was arrested.
A senior police official said they were trying to locate him.
15/08/12 Indian Express

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Like Geetika, Aruna too left MDLR — only to return and rise

New Delhi: Until last week, Aruna Chadha, Deputy General Manager of the MDLR Group, moved around in an Audi and a BMW. Now, the 40-year-old is being driven to court in a police Gypsy.
Named in a note by former air hostess Geetika Sharma who hanged herself on August 5, Aruna has been arrested for abetment to suicide.
Before she joined the MDLR, Aruna worked with two private airlines.
Aruna said she did not know Kanda till she joined the MDLR as an in-flight instructor and rose to be the Deputy General Manager. Aruna told police that during her six-year stint with MDLR, she left the company twice and returned in August 2010.
15/08/12 Indian Express

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Geetika Sharma suicide case figures in LS

New Delhi: The suicide by former air hostess Geetika Sharma was raised in the Lok Sabha today with a BJP member demanding immediate arrest of an absconding former Haryana Minister allegedly responsible for the tragedy.
Raising the issue during zero hour, Virendra Kashyap said the Centre should ensure justice to the family of 23-year old Geetika, who in her suicide note, has held the former Minister responsible for taking the extreme step.
He alleged that the Haryana police has been trying to save the former Minister, who has been an influential man and had even owned an airline.
14/08/12 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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If police want they can arrest anybody: Delhi high court

New Delhi: Absconding former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda is destroying evidence and has removed laptops and computers from his office, hampering investigation, the Delhi Police informed the Delhi high court on Tuesday, saying his custodial interrogation is required.
Admitting that they have a problem in the investigation with Kanda fleeing, cops said they need to arrest him to find out the conspiracy between him and co-accused Aruna Chaddha, senior executive in Kanda's company who has since been nabbed. Justice P K Bhasin, after hearing both the police and Kanda's arguments reserved his verdict but did comment wryly "if the police want, it can arrest anybody."
15/08/12 Abhinav Garg/Times of India

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London Olympics hit India-UK air traffic

London: The London Olympics have been blamed for a drop in passengers to and from India and other destinations during July, according to latest figures of arrivals at UK airports.
Airport operator BAA, which operates Heathrow and other airports, today said passenger numbers in July were down across the company's five airports by 4.1 per cent in the month to 9.6 million.
This included a drop of 4.4 per cent at Heathrow to 6.6 million passengers.
There was a drop of 11 per cent in passengers to and from Indian destinations during the month, BAA said.
"The drop was more pronounced in the second half of the month and it is likely that the Olympics played a part, with UK passengers staying at home as well as non-Olympic visitors from overseas choosing to defer their journeys," BAA said.
14/08/12 PTI/Economic Times

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J-K to discuss direct Haj flight with Centre

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government will hold a meeting with the Centre next week to press for the resumption of a direct flight from Srinagar to Saudi Arabia during Haj this year.
"Minister of State for Haj, Ajaz Ahmad Khan, is holding a meeting with Union government after Eid-ul-Fitr to seek a direct Haj flight from Srinagar to Jeddah," Chief Executive Officer of State Haj Committee, Abdul Salam, said here.
The government is keen to see early resumption of flights from Srinagar to Jeddah, which were introduced in October, 2008, but later suspended.
14/8/2012 PTI/Business Standard

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DGCA to do safety audit of all Indian airlines

New Delhi: The rising fear of financially stressed airlines possibly compromising air safety by not being able to spend required amounts on their aircraft or on personnel has led the government to put them under a scanner. New Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Arun Mishra has ordered a comprehensive safety audit of all Indian carriers.
The process, which will begin this month, is going to examine the entire spectrum of operations. Based on the findings for each operator, the regulator will come out with a corrective action list for them with a time-bound compliance period. "We hope to complete the process by next month. It is going to be a complete safety review and audit," Mishra, a seasoned aviation administrator, said.
13/08/12 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Aviation safety of India could be downgraded by US if urgent steps not taken: Experts

New Delhi: The lives of passengers were put at risk on at least 22 occasions since June 2011 in "near miss" incidents of aircraft coming too close to each other, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revealed in response to an Right to Information query.
The data show that during the 10-month period between June 2011 and April 2012, two near-miss incidents were being reported every month from the country's air space on an average.
According to the DGCA data, of the 22 incidents, as many as 11 cases were reported from the Chennai flight information region alone. Delhi with five such incidents and Mumbai with four remained at second and third places. On five occasions, one or both aircraft involved were those of IndiGo airlines and SpiceJet.
13/08/12 Business Today

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Germany seizes Russian engines destined for Algeria, India

German customs officials have confiscated two shipments of military aircraft engines, seizing MiG-29 engines destined for Algeria and Tu-142 engines for India.
According to Spiegel, the four Tu-142 engines and a shipment of MiG-29 engines were seized because they lacked the necessary permits, in violation of Germany’s strict arms control laws.
Officials intercepted the Tu-142 engines at Hahn airport in Rhineland-Palatinate state. According to Spiegel, they are worth US$3.3 million. The Indian Navy has eight Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft in service. It is expected that they will be replaced by Boeing P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
13/08/12 defence Web

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Major airlines resume bookings for Patna

Patna: Even as the cloud of uncertainty hovers over the Patna airport, there is a temporary reprieve for air passengers here.
All the major airlines have resumed their bookings which were earlier suspended following the Airport Authority of India (AAI) directive which restricted the landing of big aircraft here with effect from August 15. The deadline has now been extended to August 31 as the AAI has decided to put on hold its decision to implement the revised runway distance.
The fresh decision follows after the Bihar government informed the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the AAI that most of the hindrances under its jurisdiction, especially hundreds of tall trees at the adjoining zoo, which posed an obstruction in the approach funnel of runway, had been removed.
12/08/12 Deccan Herald

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One in every 5 flights got delayed in July

Mumbai: One in every five flights operating from Mumbai airport was delayed in July due to several reasons including air congestion, operation and technical problems.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport which handles around 29 million passengers a year is considered to be one of the busiest airports in Asia.
As per records, a total of 7,093 flights operated from Mumbai airport in July, out of which, 995 were delayed.
Indigo Airlines had the best on-time performance (OTP) among all airlines as it topped with 90%. Indigo was followed by GoAir, Jet Airways and Jetlite.
13/08/12 Daily News & Analysis

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Gopal Kanda says Geetika Sharma lacked 'ethical' balance

New Delhi: Absconding former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda today moved the Delhi High Court for anticipatory bail in the Geetika Sharma suicide case, saying she was "hypersensitive" and the act of suicide was a handiwork of "un-sound mind and of a frustrated individual."
Kanda has been accused of abetting the suicide of Sharma, an ex-airhostess of his defunct MDLR airline.
Challenging the trial court's August 9 order dismissing his bail plea, Kanda contended Sharma was not able to strike a balance between her personal life and work.
"The deceased was a person of hypersensitive nature who was unable to deal with the ordinary petulance or strike a balance between her personal life and work ethics," the bail plea, which will be heard by the court tomorrow, said.
13/08/12 Financial Express

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Submit foreign operation plans by Aug-end: Min to airlines

New Delhi: Indian carriers, most of which have planned to expand foreign operations from this winter, have been asked by Civil Aviation Ministry to submit their international flight plans till 2014 by this month end.
The ministry's move comes in the wake of aggressive expansion carried out so far by foreign carriers, especially those from the Middle East.
Official sources said the global operation plans of the Indian carriers would be discussed at a meeting early next month.
The data have been sought to assess the capability of Indian carriers to operate international flights, in terms of their fleet, crew and bilateral rights used, they said.
At present, foreign airlines weekly operate 1,356 flights to India as against just over 800 by Indian carriers. Indian carriers permitted to operate international flights are Air India, Jet, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Kingfisher.
12/08/12 PTI/Zee News

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Geetika suicide case: Aruna Chadha's police custody extended again by a day

New Delhi: The police custody of Aruna Chadha, an accused in the former airhostess Geetika Sharma's suicide case, was on Sunday extended by a day by a Delhi court after the police said it has recently recovered an email in which Sharma talked about her will to build career by her own.
The police told the court that it has recently recovered an email written by Geetika to Chaddha where she had said. "I will build my career on my own...no matter how many obstacles one puts in my way."
Additional public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan argued the email goes to show that Geetika was being forced to join MDLR by Chadha and that the word "one" refers to the prime accused, former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda. "The mail shows that Kanda was creating obstacles in her way by persuasions, allurements and even threats to keep her in MDLR even as she wanted to get out of it," the APP told the court.
12/08/12 Press Trust of India/IBN Live

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Navy floats tender for buying 56 choppers

New Delhi: The ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters is on its way out. As part of the ongoing drive to modernize its aviation wing, the Navy has floated a global tender for 56 light utility helicopters worth over `4,000 crore to replace the Cheetahs and Chetaks.
With increased responsibility of coastal security in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks and anti-piracy role, the Navy plans to extensively use these helicopters for anti-terrorism and anti-piracy operations.
US-made Sikorsky, Eurocopter (conglomeration of UK and Germany), Kamov (Russia) and Italy’s Augusta Westland were invited to bid for the contract, sources said here on Friday.
The helicopters will be used for both shore-based and offshore operations and the Navy has specified they should be capable of operating from ship decks in adverse weather conditions during day and night.
11/08/12 The Pioneer

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Air Kerala 'set to be launched'

Muscat: In a move to ease the woes of non-resident Indians (NRIs) who travel between Kerala and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the south Indian state is getting ready to soon launch its own airline 'Air Kerala', an Indian Parliament member said here yesterday.
"We are aware of the travel woes faced by the NRIs, especially those who travel to Kerala from the GCC.
During peak seasons, they have shell out huge amounts to purchase air tickets. So, the government of Kerala is moving ahead to start its own airline,- E. T. Mohammed Bashir, the Indian parliament member, told Times of Oman in Muscat.
The company, named Air Kerala, was registered in India around four years ago. The new airline will follow the same model that was adopted while setting up the Cochin International Airport -” the first airport in India that was constructed with private participation, outside the ambit of the Airports Authority of India.
"The airline project is ready and is waiting for its approval from the central government. Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy has held talks with the central government for the airline. The airline will be launched in public -private partnership model,- the parliamentarian said, adding that funds for the project "will not be a problem-". There are reports that the formal announcement of the commencement of the new airline is expected at the 'Emerging Kerala' investment meeting, scheduled to be held from September 12.
11/08/12 Rejimon K/Times of Oman

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‘Glad-eyed' Kanda pulled out all stops

New Delhi: Investigations into the suicide of Geetika Sharma point towards a pattern of threat, coercion, blackmail and obsession. Gopal Goyal Kanda, the former Haryana Minister, was after her life.
Geetika, a former air-hostess with Kanda’s MDLR (Murli Dhar Lakh Ram) airlines, had tried to wriggle out of his clutches but his vice-like grip never allowed her to break free and live a life of her own.
Kanda’s obsession with Geetika demonstrated itself in callous behaviour. While she insisted that he sever all relations with his mistresses, Kanda was in no mood. Police have now unearthed hundreds of messages that Kanda sent to Geetika. These messages are a pointer to Kanda’s obsession for Geetika.
Delhi Police is all set to book Kanda under Section 201 of IPC for destruction of evidence. Kanda is proving elusive while Delhi Police has launched 30 teams comprising its best inspectors to hunt down the Sirsa MLA whose meteoric rise has been linked to many monetary scandals.
11/08/12 Pramod Kumar Singh/Daily Pioneer

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Geetika suicide: Kanda's kin detained

Gurgaon: A close relative of former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda was detained Saturday here in the case of suicide of a former flight attendant and Kanda's employee in the national capital Aug 5, Delhi Police said.
Kanda, who owned the now-defunct MDLR Airlines where the 23-year-old Geetika Sharma was earlier employed, was booked for abetment to Geetika's suicide and criminal intimidation. Kanda is untraceable and on the run.
Over a dozen investigators, led by Inspector Pankaj Malik, Saturday afternoon raided Kanda's house in the Civil Lines here and searched it for more than an hour.
"We detained an 18-year-old man who was present there," a police official said, describing him as a close family member of Kanda.
11/08/12 IANS/Times of India

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To get local carriers soaring, wings of global airlines may be clipped

New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation is against allowing international airlines operate more flights into India till domestic carriers catch up.
With this in mind, it has asked all domestic airlines to submit, within 15 days, their plans for operating international flights till March 2014.
“If foreign airlines keep operating more and more flights into India then what chance do Indian carriers have to grow and become big players in the international arena?” a senior Government official asked.
At the moment, Air India, Jet, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Kingfisher are permitted to operate international flights from India. Currently, Air India’s international schedule is truncated due to the effects of the 58-day pilot strike, while Kingfisher has withdrawn from international routes because of its financial woes.
10/08/12 Business Line

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Virtual pilots flying the world from homes

New Delhi: Inside a Boeing 737 cockpit, a co-pilot announces, “We are set to take off from Kai Tak airport... the temperature is set to 15 degrees.” He then tells a young boy in an aviator hat sitting next to him how much throttle the aircraft will require to take off. The monitor in front displays the runway of Hong Kong’s famous airport, while the engine’s roar signals that the plane is ready for take off. Seconds later, the airport’s glittering lights disappear behind the clouds.
The cockpit — with a control column, a throttle quadrant, instrument panels and overhead panels — is only a replica of the real thing. It is a flight simulator, the kind used to train pilots in real life, with a cockpit that resembles a real one, and software/hardware to re-create crises such as bad weather, engine failure and technical glitches.
Of course, this one at Flight 4 Fantasy in Bangalore is purely for “hobby purposes”. It was set up in May this year by Vybhava Srinivasan, an accountant, who quit a job with PricewaterhouseCoopers India to build a replica of a Boeing 737 cockpit in his home. His friend and business partner, Deepak Agarwal, similarly quit his job with the Aditya Birla group. Sourcing parts wasn’t easy, however, and the duo travelled all over the US, Canada and Europe looking for the control column, instrument panels, rudder pedals, throttle quadrants and even the cushy chairs that pilots sit on. The partners have now shifted the cockpit to the Forum mall where they charge a cool Rs 1,000-1,800 (higher on weekends) for hourly sessions. Flight 4 Fantasy also boasts of a 4D fighter jet and a Cessna 172S simulator. The duo have invested around Rs 2 crore into the project.
The aviation industry in India, feels Srinivasan, saw a boom a few decades after other developed nations. Similarly, virtual flying as a hobby has taken longer to come to India, owing to the unavailability of components and flight simulation centres.
11/08/12 Priyanka Sharma/Business Standard

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Rossell India ties up with Canadian firm CAE Canada

Kolkata: Rossell India has tied up with Canadian firm CAE Canada to provide simulation training solutions to the Indian defence market, a top official of the company said.
Rossell India Limited has restructured itself into three divisions - Tea, Aviation & Defence (Technology and Engineering) and Product Support Services (Aerospace), according to the company.
"We have entered into a partnership with CAE Canada for providing simulation training solutions for the Indian defence market," Rossell India Executive Chairman H M Gupta said.
10/08/12 Economic Times

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Kanda evades arrest, relatives questioned

New Delhi/Sirsa: Former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda, accused of abetting suicide of a former employee, dodged police for the third day today even as fresh raids were conducted at his premises and close relatives questioned to trace him.
There was speculation that Kanda may surrender before a Delhi court on Monday. Asked about this, his brother, Govind, said no decision has been taken as yet.
Geetika (23), a former air hostess with Kanda's now defunct MDLR airline, was found hanging in her flat in north west Delhi on Sunday. In a suicide note found at her residence, Geetika said she was ending her life due to harassment by Kanda and MDLR official Aruna Chaddha.
10/08/12 PTI/Times of India

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Air Hostess suicide: Most wanted Kanda in real trouble

New Delhi: Former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda will face the real trouble now as Delhi police on Friday, Aug 10 issued a look out notice to locate the most wanted person in Geetika Sharma's suicide case.
Citing tremendous criticism for their slow investigation into the case, Delhi police on Thursday confirmed that they will arrest Kanda soon after tracking his whereabouts. Earlier, a court in the national capital rejected Kanda's anticipatory bail plea.
Kanda's lawyer KTS Tulsi argued before the court that "Nowhere has Geetika said in her note that Kanda instigated her to commit suicide."
Kanda went missing on Wednesday when he was summoned to appear before the investigators at police headquarters. The former minister asked to postpone his questioning date but the police rejected to accept Kanda's plea.
10/08/12 One India

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Delhi Police carries out fresh raid at Gopal Kanda's residence

Sirsa: Delhi Police carried out fresh raids at the residence of absconding former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda, who is wanted in air hostess Geetika Sharma's suicide case.
A police party headed by ACP Shailender Singh entered the former minister's Rania Road house around 10:30 PM last night, officials said today.
This is the second such raid within 24 hours at the sprawling mansion of Kanda.
As the team that carried out the raid on Wednesday night was an all-male contingent and might have faced difficulty in questioning the women present in the Kanda residence, a woman constable was also part of the raiding party last night.
The police team remained inside the premises for almost 20 minutes.
10/08/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Capacity on India-Asia routes to go up by October

Kolkata: India's private airlines Jet Airways, IndiGo and SpiceJet are set to add a large number of international flights by October, which are expected to ease fares. This is a long-awaited result of the Ministry of Civil Aviation's move to cease Air India's right of first refusal on overseas routes.
Having been granted permission for capacity increases, Jet Airways will add 14 weekly flights to Singapore, and seven each to Dhaka, Chittagong, Male and Dar-e-Salam. IndiGo will increase frequencies to Bangkok, Kathmandu and Singapore with 28 weekly flights. SpiceJet will start 35 additional weekly flights to Bangkok, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Kabul and Male.
Iqbal Mulla, president, Travel Agents Association of India, said: “It augurs well for fliers and travel companies, as the increase in flights will offer a wider choice of itineraries and bring fares down.”
10/08/12 Shekhar Niyogi/TTG Asia

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Relief dropped in flood-hit Uttarkashi

Dehradun: Indian Army helicopters on Thursday dropped relief materials in flood-hit areas of Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district.
The relief operations continued in the district amid reports that a cloud burst occurred in Mori area of Uttarkashi on Wednesday.
Confirming the cloud burst, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said MI-16 and MI-17 choppers of the Army were dropping the relief materials in the flood-hit areas.
He said the district administrators were working on collecting reports on any loss of life and property in the area due to the calamity.
09/08/12 India Blooms

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Airlines offer monsoon discounts

Mumbai: With the peak travel season behind, airlines have come up with discounts, though not very attractive, in a bid to boost the off-season domestic traffic on routes that are expected to see a fall in demand.
Among the airlines offering these discounts are Jet Airways, Air India, Kingfisher Airlines and Spice Jet. Last week, Jet Airways launched packages for corporate travellers underwhich one could avail two night group packages within India to Goa, Kochi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Udaipur starting from Rs.12,000. On the international front, Jet has three night's packages to Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong starting from Rs.32,737. JetEscapes has monsoon packages to Goa, Kerala, Mumbai and the Golden Triangle starting from Rs.13,330, which includes air tickets , airport transfers, three star accommodation, sightseeing and insurance, the Jet Airways release said.
09/08/12 Manju V/Times of India

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Tata seeks land for aircraft factory

Hydreabad: The Tata group has proposed to establish a large aircraft manufacturing factory in city. The Tata group, in joint ventures with international players in the aviation sector, has already launched helicopter assembling and aerostructure manufacturing units successfully. Sources said the group recently approached the state government with a request to provide 300 acres of land with an airstrip for the proposed aircraft manufacturing facility. The government is actively considering allotting the Nadergul airstrip on the Nagarjunasagar highway. “The land is leased to the Airports Authority of India and is now used by the pilot training academies, but they can be given alternative sites,” sources said.
The Nadergul airstrip has two runways, one of which is in use. A runway is compulsory for the manufacturing facility and it would be cheaper to use the existing airstrip rather than build an expensive new one, said an official. The government is keen on the project as it will put Hyderabad on the international aviation map, besides attracting ancillary units that will boost economic activity.
09/08/12 N Vamsi Srinivas/Asian Age

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Kanda will be arrested soon, says police

New Delhi: Delhi Police Thursday said former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, an accused in the suicide case of former flight attendant Geetika Sharma, was an absconder and would be arrested soon.
"He is absconding. We are after him and he will be arrested soon," Deputy Commissioner of Police P. Karunakaran told reporters.
Police Thursday continued their raids on the offices and homes of Kanda after his farmhouse, mansion, hotel and office were raided Wednesday. Kanda's associate, Aruna Chaddha, who was arrested Wednesday, would be presented in a court Thursday, police said.
09/08/12 Deccan Herald

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Cops question aide whose cell phones Gopal Goyal Kanda used to call Geetika Sharma

New Delhi: New Delhi: Police on Wednesday questioned a close aide of Gopal Goyal Kanda, whose cellphones were allegedly used by the absconding Haryana politician to call former MDLR Airlines airhostess Geetika Sharma.
The call records of Geetika, who committed suicide on Sunday leaving behind a note accusing Kanda of “ruining” here, led police to three mobile phone numbers registered in the name of Mandeep Singh, an executive of Kanda’s now defunct MDLR Airlines.
Mandeep, sources in Haryana said, is among Kanda’s most trusted men. He is the son of a truck driver, has a small house in Namdhari locality in Kanda’s political base Sirsa, and started out being Kanda’s driver in Sirsa. He has been working at MDLR’s office in Gurgaon for the past 10 years. Mandeep’s cousin Meera and father Randhir Singh have reached Delhi, sources said. Mandeep’s two younger sisters are at his home in Sirsa
09/08/12 Financial Express

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Police arrests Aruna Chadha, Gopal Goyal Kanda absconding

New Delhi: The police had summoned Haryana politician Gopal Goyal Kanda for questioning on Wednesday in connection with the suicide of former MDLR airhostess Geetika Sharma. Kanda, who is the chairman of MDLR airlines, has been made an accused in the FIR along with his company general manager Aruna Chadha.However, according to police he has failed to show up and is reportedly absconding. He is missing and the police have no clues about his whereabouts except the fact that he left his house in the morning. Police has launched raids on his house and other places in panic.
08/08/12 Financial Express

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Geetika suicide case: Gopal Kanda's anticipatory bail plea rejected

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail application of former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda in the ex-airhostess Geetika Sharma's suicide case. Kanda had sought bail after the police declared him absconding. Six police teams are on the lookout for him. Kanda's homes in Delhi and Sirsa were raided earlier on Thursday. His lawyer insists that there is no evidence that Kanda instigated Geetika to commit suicide.
Kanda, who is accused of abetment to suicide and criminal intimidation, has refused to appear for questioning before the Delhi Police which carried out searches at his residence and office in Sirsa in Haryana besides his recently launched MDK International School, a day after they raided his farmhouse and hotel.
09/08/12 CNN-IBN/IBN Live

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'Hypersensitive' Geetika Sharma may have been 'jilted', says Gopal Kanda

New Delhi: Former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, fearing arrest in Geetika Sharma suicide case, sought anticipatory bail from a Delhi court on Thursday, saying she was a "hypersensitive girl" with "mixed emotions of love and hatred towards him" and she might have been "jilted".
Kanda's counsel KTS Tusli told additional sessions judge Rajnish Bhatnagar that Geetika's suicide note shows she had "an element of jealousy and mixed emotions of love and hatred" towards his client.
"Nowhere has Geetika said in her note that I instigated her to commit suicide" he argued before the court, which reserved its order for 4 pm. Tulsi referred to Geetika's August 4 suicide note, in which she had said she is "shattered from inside" as her trust is broken and that Kanda is a "fraud" and had purportedly held him and his aide Aruna Chaddah responsible for her death.
09/08/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Polish air carrier Eurolot selects IBS Soft solution

Thiruvananthapuram: Eurolot, a Polish airline headquartered in Warsaw, has implemented ‘iFly Res’ solution from IBS Software to manage passenger reservations of its fleet.
The iFly Res solution combines distinct benefits of a new generation airline system with extensive support of traditional functionalities, a spokesman for Technopark-based IBS Soft said here.
It is a comprehensive customer sales and services solution providing internet booking and Web check-in facilities.
It also facilitates opportunities for shopping, pricing, and inventory control to serve customers at every point in their journey. The solution is expected to reduce cost of operation, increase efficiency and enhance convenience and ease of travel for Eurolot passengers, the spokesman said.
09/08/12 Business Line

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Travel agencies confused about flights from Patna after Aug 16

Patna: The state civil aviation department has not received any reply till date from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding the revised length of runway at the Jaiprakash Narayan International airport, Patna.
Principal secretary, cabinet coordination and state civil aviation department, Ravikant said, "We have not received any communication from the DGCA so far. We had sent the letter to the DGCA on August 3 about the removal of obstructions identified by the Airports Authority of India (AAI)."
But after the circulation of the NOTAM regarding the revised length of the approach funnel, three leading airlines - Jet, IndiGo and GoAir - have stopped booking tickets for flights after August 16. But the city flyers are confused over the booking and cancellation process.
09/08/12 Sayantanee Choudhury/Times of India

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Banks have Rs 40,000-cr debt on airline companies, says finance minister

New Delhi: As many as 25 banks had debt of Rs 40,621 crore on airline companies until June 30 this year, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. The debt was huge, considering that Rs 47,056 crore were given to the carriers since 2009-10 till the last day of June. Banks have Rs 32,961 crore of securities against which loans were given, data given by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the Lok Sabha showed. Wherever, the advances are not covered by tangible security, exposure of these banks is secured by a charge on the cash flows of the airline companies, Chidambaram said.
09/08/12 Business Standard

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Aviation companies owe Rs 40,621 cr to banks

New Delhi: Aviation companies owed Rs 40,621 crore to banks as on June 2012, of which the outstanding loan by country’s largest lender, State Bank of India, is over Rs 5,000 crore, the Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The banks have disbursed Rs 47,056 crore to airline companies from 2009-10 to June 30, 2012.
08/08/12 Business Line

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Top DGCA officer could face axe on malpractice charges

New Delhi: A top DGCA officer could face the axe on charges of serious malpractices by giving clearance to a private flight training school which did not even have an aircraft to train pilots.
After a probe by DGCA itself, the Civil Aviation Ministry has recommended initiation of 'major penalty proceedings' against Joint Director General A K Sharan for granting approval to M/S Touchwood Entertainment to start a flying school in Raipur without necessary facilities including an aircraft, official sources said, adding Sharan has already been under suspension for several months now.
Inspections carried out by DGCA had found that the flying school "had not acquired any aircraft" on the date of inspection, neither did it have a hangar to park the plane and its maintenance base was "far off" from the main training base at Raipur, they said, adding that all these findings were overlooked by Sharan and license was granted to the school.
07/08/12 PTI/Business Standard

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A newspaper that wanted to fly

Hyderabad/ New Delhi: How did the Reddys, with their opulent lifestyle and ambitious, high-profile, new ventures in sports and aviation, as well as top political connections, fall from grace?
Reddy, known for his fleet of Bentleys, custom-made cigars and flashy parties, was also building a niche aviation business. While DCHL, the listed firm, owns the 75-year-old newspaper business, the IPL team and the bookstore chain, Odyssey, the aviation business are outside its balance sheet and run by a firm called Aviotech, “created with the clear objective of capitalising on vast, untapped niche areas in the rapidly-growing corporate aviation and defence aerospace segments in India”, by providing “seven-star luxury experiences at a fraction of the cost of owning or chartering a private jet,” according to the company website. This was the second attempt at the aviation business, after an earlier one to launch a cargo airline, named Flyington Freighters, got caught in the turbulence of the slowdown.
Sources said both Flyington and Aviotech had placed orders for some 10-12 aircraft each. While the former had placed those with Airbus, Aviotech was said to have placed orders for 10 Sukhoi Superjet 100s with the Russain plane maker. Reports in trade journals suggest both these orders were in the middle of payment disputes. In early 2011, Flyington reportedly cancelled orders for 12 Airbus A 330s, placed in 2007, and its name did not figure in the January 2011 list of order and delivery figures. Cancelling such huge orders comes at a cost, as an airline would have to forfeit deposits that run into millions of dollars.
An email sent to Jeff Livings, CEO, Aviotech, did not elicit a response. Livings, a veteran with 35 years in the aviation business, was the chief operating officer of Flyington before he moved to lead Aviotech a couple of years ago.
07/08/12 Prashanth Chintala, B Dasarath Reddy & N Sundaresha Subramanian/Business Standard

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Air Hostess suicide case: Pics with Kanda brings new twists

New Delhi: In the latest development in the suicide case of Geetika Sharma, pictures released by her family members showing they were close to Gopal Goyal Kanda brings new twist in the case on Tuesday, Aug 7.
Geetika's family members released some photographs capturing Geetika and the former Haryana minister of state, urban local bodies, Gopal Kanda. Her family has so far claimed that Geetika was not just an employee for Kanda but also shared personal relationship with him.
However, Kanda denied all such allegations and asserted that he did not have any connection with Geetika who was a former employee in the MDLR airlines owned by Kanda.
The photographs also proved that Kanda and Geetika had visited several places such as Shirdi, Mumbai together. Her family members also informed that a phone call from Kanda allegedly made Geetika restless on the fateful morning and she committed suicide.
07/08/12 One India

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Airlines regain pricing power on supply squeeze

Mumbai: After five quarters of losses, low-cost carrier SpiceJet and full-service carrier Jet Airways veered back into profits in June.
This, say analysts, signals the worst may be over for airlines in the country and that pricing power will not desert them for at least a few quarters to come.
Anand Kumar, analyst with BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research, on Monday upgraded both SpiceJet and Jet Airways to ‘buy’, mainly on expectation of better pricing power, higher yields and route rationalisation.
Pricing power has improved, led by slower-than-anticipated increase in supply, Kumar noted.
In the past few months, overall supply growth in aviation has been restrained as Kingfisher Airlines significantly cut down capacity. According to analysts, the airline is currently flying only 10 aircraft — down from 64 in early 2011 — and even these are not fully utilised.
07/08/12 Amritha Pillay & Yuga Chaudhari/Daily News & Analysis

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Indian airlines to return to profit in FY2014: Merrill

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch upgrades Jet Airways and SpiceJet to 'buy' from 'underperform', saying improving industry trends such as signs of ticket price hikes and reduced capacity will improve profitability.
"This should see these carriers substantially lower their losses in FY13 and return to profit in FY14," Bank of America-Merrill writes in a report dated on Monday.
The investment bank has also increased its price target on Jet to 480 rupees from 210 rupees, while raising SpiceJet's to 42 rupees from 21 rupees.
The unexpected profits posted by Jet and SpiceJet last week have raised hopes for a turnaround in India's ailing airline industry after its carriers lost a combined $2 billion last year.
06/08/12 Reuters/Asian Age

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Why Gulf carriers won’t invest in India airlines

India represents a major market for Gulf carriers, and with a developing middle class, a significant potential market for hundreds of millions of travellers by air. With India closing in on new regulations to permit foreign investment of up to 49 per cent in airlines in India, the market would seem ripe for Gulf carriers to quickly snatch up market share by investing in India’s domestic airlines and creating a market for feed traffic and connecting flights. While that is certainly the intent of India’s legislation, unfortunately, that scenario is quite unlikely.
Several factors that permeate the Indian airline industry will result in airlines from the Gulf concluding that the potential returns from investing in airlines in India will simply not materialise, and foreign direct investment makes no sense in this case.
07/08/12 Ernest S. Arvai/Gulf News

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MoD approves Army’s demand for air assets

New Delhi: Undeterred by the stiff opposition from the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Indian Army’s plan to get combat air assets of its own is set to fructify. According to sources, ‘‘the Army’s demand for air assets has got the approval of the ministry of defence (MoD), which has asked the Army to bring about ‘‘organisational’’ changes to expedite acquisition and prioritise its requirements.’’
Last week, during Army chief General Bikram Singh’s first review meeting with defence minister AK Antony for the next two years’ acquisition, the Army’s demand to build a ‘mini’ air force by procuring Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and improving the airlift capability in the North-East was approved.
The IAF contends that ‘air assets’ are ‘scarce resources‘ that should be handled by a force with operational expertise and requisite ‘air-mindedness’.
07/08/12 Huma Siddiqui/Financial Express

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Indian venture may trigger 1000 UK aviation jobs

Cambridge UK property company Wrenbridge is partnering Norwich International Airport to develop a new aviation business park that could create 1,000 new jobs.
The catalyst for the 850,000 sq ft aviation-related business hub is a 160,000 sq ft pre-let to Air Livery.
The aircraft painting facility will accommodate planned expansion at the airport and provide 120 jobs.
Air Livery was recently acquired by Airworks India – India's leading MRO organisation – and Julian Duffen, one of the founders and managing director said: “Our prime objective is to grow our business throughout Europe, India and the Far East.”
The new aviation business park will be developed on 100 acres to the north east of the main runway and sits inside the operational boundary of the airport, offering occupiers bespoke buildings with direct access to the airport’s infrastructure. The land is currently jointly owned by Norwich City and Norfolk County Councils.
As part of a long term commitment to the airport and to encourage the creation of new jobs, both councils have agreed to release land to enable this development proposal to come to fruition.
07/08/12 Business Weekly

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Airlines, get ready for your safety audit next week

Aviation regulator DGCA will begin an operational safety audit of all airlines next week. It has already formed teams to do this extensive survey and sent out notices to all airlines to be ready for this audit.
Speaking to Firstpost, the new DGCA Arun Mishra said this would not be a financial audit and would examine each airline’s safety preparedness on certain select parameters.
The last such audit was conducted in November last year by Mishra’s predecessor E K Bharatbhushan and became a major bone of contention between him and the Civil Aviation ministry since he included financial health of airlines also in this audit. Eventually, Bharatbhushan’s stand against Kingfisher’s precarious financial health and its implications led to his sudden removal from the post of DGCA last month.
07/08/12 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post.com

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Ex-Airhostess Suicide: Haryana Minister Quits

Gudgaon: Hours after being booked by Delhi Police for abetting the suicide of a former airhostess, Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda tonight resigned from the government, saying he was taking the step to ensure an "impartial" probe.
"I have tendered my resignation and requested Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to accept it. I have resigned to ensure an impartial probe. I have full faith in the law of the land. I am confident that I will come out clean after investigations are held," the Independent MLA told reporters at his residence here.
Kanda, 46, denied having any direct links with the victim Geetika Sharma.
Kanda, who was minister of state for Home, Urban Bodies and Industry and Commerce, said that he has resigned from all departments.
Kanda today landed in trouble as Delhi Police registered a case of abutment to suicide against him after a former woman employee of his now defunct airline MDLR allegedly took her life accusing harassment by him.
05/08/12 PTI/Outlook India

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MDLR Airlines managed to fly for barely two years

MDLR Airlines, whose ex-director committed suicide here on Sunday and blamed company owner-cum-Haryana minister Gopal Kanda for ending her life, had a short-lived and tumultuous existence. It started operations in March 2007 as a regional airline based in north India. The airline had a twin class cabin with both business and economy seats and boasted of a luxurious all-vegetarian meal service on board.
But despite all the hype, the airline barely survived for two years. Failure to pay aircraft leasers, employees and airports; violation of licence terms and absence of safety mechanism made it among the first airlines in India to be shut down till such time that it could put its house in order. Something that hasn't happened so far.
06/08/12 Times of India

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A supersonic flight from footwear to ministry high

When he named his IT and telecom networking company Supersonic, it reflected the speed at which he had risen from a being a shoe dealer, an unsuccessful one at that.
Gopal Kanda, who later became Haryana’s minister of state for home, was facing bankruptcy in his shoe business by the mid-1990s. The turnaround came when he invested in real estate, amassing enough wealth between 1996 and 2008 to become one of Haryana’s richest businessmen by the second half of the previous decade.
He expanded to IT with Supersonic in Gurgaon, to aviation with the MDLR Airline he launched in 2007, and then to politics in 2009.
06/08/12 Varinder Bhatia/Indian EXpress

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BCAS under CAT scanner for flouting government rules

Kolkata: Even as Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-the airline industry's apex watchdog body on safety in the skies-struggles to extricate itself from Central Vigilance Commission's charges against 21 officials that range from breach of government rules to abuse of position to favour airlines, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)-the agency that deals with security on the ground-may also come under the scanner over flouting government rules and procedures.
A case of senior BCAS officials abusing their positions and levelling frivolous allegations against a colleague-assistant commissioner of security SK Lodh-came to light in a judgment by the Central Administrative Tribunal. In the order, the CAT court ruled that the official he had been victimised for not toeing the line of seniors who had made persistent unreasonable requests on issuing of airport entry passes that could compromise security at the Kolkata airport.
06/08/12 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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Aviation essential for economic growth: Naresh Goyal

Mumbai: The clear blue skies may well be a mirage in the Indian aviation sector, even as two Indian private airlines posted profit.
In uncharacteristic candour, Naresh Goyal, the founder and promoter of Jet Airways, which reported on Saturday a profit for the June quarter, after five gruelling quarters of losses, said high taxes and levies in the aviation sector are killing airlines in India and argued for a need to rationalise taxes for the sector to survive.
With rare candour, normally not associated with Jet's promoter when it comes to reacting on government policies and taxation issues, Goyal quipped: "Aviation should not be treated as luxury, it is essential for the economic growth of the country."
06/08/12 Manisha Singhal/Times of India

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