Airlines may charge extra for upto 20% seats only

New Delhi: Indian carriers may have to limit the seats for which they can charge extra to about 15-20 per cent of the total seats on each flight, with the government planning to soon issue a directive in this regard.
The total seats on a two-class single-aisle Airbus A-320 or a similar Boeing-737 aircraft number around 130-140, of which the airlines would be able to charge more for a maximum of about 30-odd seats, official sources said.
"We think six seats each in the front and emergency exit rows (which offer extra legroom) can be put up for preferred seating charge. Apart from this, window and aisle seats from the second to fifth rows could also attract these charges," they said.
A notification limiting the number of preferred seats is likely to be issued soon, the sources said.
In order to ensure transparency in charging for the preferred seats, the airlines would have to make it known to the public through their websites and agents about the charges and the preferred seats on sale, they said.
30/05/13 PTI/Indian Express

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Neither government nor airlines are playing fair on fares

Airline balance sheets often resemble a train wreck because of rising operating costs and declining passenger traffic.
For airlines to make money, taxes and fuel prices will have to relent. But as neither will - at least not in a hurry - they have been forced to charge high fares. Hence, the shrinking traffic. Pretty bleak, right? You bet. Yet, airlines found a way to make money: charge passengers extra for meals, checked bags, more legroom and the like.
The charges for ancillaries have become the best bet for airline profitability in recent times. Are these fees reasonable?
That depends on whether you are a passenger or an airline executive. In any case, airlines began to eventually "unbundle" ancillary services, which essentially means customers can pay for only what they want. To cite an example, low-cost carrier IndiGo charges extra for a prepaid meal on board or faster check-in . It boils down to a passenger paying a lower fee for basic products and a higher price for valued-added products. "Not everybody has to pay for everybody's luxury," says IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh.
31/05/13 Binoy Prabhakar/Economic Times

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Can't use cockpit nap to raise duty hours: DGCA

Mumbai:  Cockpit napping should not be an excuse to extend a pilot's flight duty said the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA). After allowing cockpit napping two days ago, the DGCA released a draft on Thursday stating that the provision cannot be used to extend the flight duty time limit (FDTL) of pilots. The DGCA said that the napping or controlled rest shall not be considered while creating a roster.
On Tuesday, the DGCA allowed cockpit napping practice on long-haul flights (those with duration of more than three hours). This means, that 30 minutes after take-off and before touch-down, one of the two pilots can nap for about 20-30 minutes if the weather and other aircraft conditions are clear. This decision was made after a NASA research stated that these short naps increase efficiency and fight work fatigue.
In a circular, the DGCA said that while cockpit napping may be practiced, it is not a substitute for proper pre-flight sleep. "Controlled Rest is not a means of deferring duty or extending a flight duty period. Controlled Rest is not intended to reduce sleep debt, rather it is an option should tiredness overcome an otherwise well-rested and prepared crew," states the circular.
31/05/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Seaplane lands in Kochi

Kochi: The country’s first commercial seaplane landed at Nedumbassery on Thursday and would soon head for the Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam for its first commercial take-off from there on June 2. Chief minister Oommen Chandy would officially launch the service.
“Seaplane service is the new product of Kerala Tourism. This will be a non-scheduled chartered operation, also providing the last mile connectivity to tourists, touching down at destinations like Alappuzha and Kochi. This is the smallest aircraft (six-seater) being run by Kairali Aviation and Pinnacle Aviation in a joint venture,” tourism minister Anil Kumar said.
“Five more agencies have registered with us and by the year-end, we’ll see seven to eight seaplanes (10-seater, 20 seater) picking passengers in the state,” the minister said, after officially receiving the aircraft flown in by Belgian pilot Captain Michael Fabry.
A half-an-hour ride on the amphibious aircraft would cost `4000 (on an average). For facilitating the rides, the government has set up four water dromes at a cost of `12 crore — at Ashtamudi Lake, Punnamada Lake, Kumarakom and Bekal.
31/05/13 Deccan Chronicle

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Seaplane service to take off tomorrow

Nedumbassery: The state is all set to start its first seaplane service in June. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will officially inaugurate the service on Sunday, Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar said here. The amphibian aircraft Cessna 206H which arrived here from New Delhi at around 12.30 pm was given a traditional water salute welcome. Two Air Crash Fire Tenders pumped water to a height of 20 meters as the aircraft taxied from the runway to the hangar tarmac.
 A P Anil Kumar, Minister for Tourism who was present at the MRO hangar greeted Captain Michael Fabry who piloted the aircraft by presenting him a bouquet.
 Welcoming the guests, Minister Anil Kumar said that the realisation of the seaplane project was the result of over one-and-a-half years of hard work by the Tourism Department.   “We are starting off with one aircraft but in due course 11 more will be added. For that, five new operators have already approached the department showing their willingness,” he said.
 There’s no reason for the fisherfolk to be worried as the aircraft produces less sound than a fishing boat when it starts, and there’s no scope of damaging the sealife underwater, he said.
31/05/13 Joseph Mampilli/New Indian Express

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Domestic air traffic sees marginal decline in April

New Delhi: India's domestic air traffic saw a marginal decline in April compared to a year ago in face of a strong growth of almost 11 per cent in China during the same period, the IATA has said.
Indian domestic traffic slipped 0.3 per cent in April compared to a year ago, latest data of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.
"This followed a sharp rise in March traffic attributable to fare discounting," the analysis said.
The air capacity mounted by Indian airlines or the number of seats offered in April fell 0.2 per cent, while passenger load factor (percentage of seats filled on each flight) remained unchanged at 75.5 per cent, it showed.
31/05/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Pilatus PC-7 to be inducted into Indian Air Force on Friday

New Delhi: The Pilatus PC-7 aircraft will be inducted into the Indian Air Force on Friday as the basic trainer for pilots, an official in New Delhi said.
Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh will formally induct the PC-7 Mk II aircraft, which has been manufactured by the Swiss aviation company Pilatus, at the Air Force Academy at Dundigul in Hyderabad.
India has contracted for 75 Pilatus PC-7 aircraft. Of these, 10 have already arrived at the Air Force Academy. The aircraft will be used for first stage of flying by pilots.
30/05/13 NDTV.com

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IAF inducts basic trainer aircraft in Hyderabad

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force's (IAF's) premier academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad, inducted the basic trainer aircraft Pilatus, PC 7 Mk II on Friday.
Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh formally inducted the aircraft into the service.
Three PC-7 MK II aircraft got airborne in a vic formation led by Group Captain R.S. Nandedkar to put up a brief display for the audience.
It was the first formal flight of the basic trainer aircraft over the skies at the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad.
This was followed by the handing over of technical documents of the aircraft by Air Commodore Nagesh Kapoor, Chief Instructor (Flying) to Minister Singh.
After the unveiling ceremony, Singh said: "The induction of PC-7Mk II as a basic trainer aircraft in Indian Air Force is a very important landmark in our nation's quest to modernise its armed forces. As part of the ongoing transformation, the IAF is being equipped with cutting edge technology and state of the art aircraft and systems. However, the need to train our ab-initio pilots on modern trainers is crucial to prepare them for the exacting requirements of combat flying."
31/05/13 ANI/News Track India

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Pilatus may set up aircraft manufacturing facility in India

Hyderabad: Swiss aviation major Pilatus, which has a tie-up with IAF for trainee aircraft, is looking to set up a manufacturing facility in India for its PC-12 nine-seat airliner, a top company official said here.
The Swiss aircraft maker which will set up a training facility for its PC-7 MK-II aircraft as part of the agreement with the Indian Government, proposes to set up a support facility for its PC-12 aircraft, Vice-President of Pilatus Jim Roche said.
Currently Pilatus has two support facilities in Portugal and Poland for PC-12, Roche said.
"We see India as a large market for the future. We are in discussions with various companies on how we can expand the operations here in India to produce aircraft in India," Roche said on the sidelines of the function to induct Pilatus PC-7 Mk II into the IAF at Air Force Academy at Dundigal here.
31/05/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Sonakshi Sinha hires choppers to fly from one film set to another

Actors are known to book private planes and choppers to travel, the way some of us book movie tickets. However, actresses prefer to travel by road when it comes to short distances. Last week, Sonakshi Sinha broke that rule when she hired a chopper to travel from Wai (which is a five-hour drive) to Mumbai.
Says a source, “Last Friday Sonakshi was in Wai shooting for Rambo Rajkumar and she was required to come down to Mumbai for the shoot of AR Murugadoss’s Thuppaki. It was an important train sequence and she had to be there. Travelling by road would have meant five hours each way at the very least, so she finished shooting for RR early morning, took the chopper to Mumbai, shot for Thupakki and returned the same night.
31/05/13 Upala KBR/Daily News & Analysis

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IAF pilots have to be geared towards fast-paced, intense air battles: Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne

New Delhi:  IAF pilots have to be well geared towards future air battles, which will be "extremely fast paced and highly intense", said Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne on Friday.
Speaking during the induction ceremony of the new Swiss basic trainer aircraft Pilatus PC-7 Mark-II at the Air Force Academy at Dundigal, Hyderabad, the IAF chief said, "While operating their aircraft within the entire operational envelope, our pilots will have to fully exploit on board systems in order to gain a decisive advantage over the adversary."
"Multiple airborne and ground based threats will have to be engaged and complex tasks will have to be executed simultaneously. The extreme demands of modern combat aviation therefore, warrant that our young aviators have a good foundation in terms of flying training exposure," he added.
31/05/13 Rajat Pandit/Times of India

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Air Works to supply spares to Gulfstream

Bangalore: Leading aviation services provider Air Works India Engineering Ltd. will supply spare parts and components to civil aircraft maker Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a company official said Thursday.
As a third party MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) player, Air Works will also provide warehousing, custom clearance and delivery to Gulfstream customers from its warehouse adjacent to the Bangalore international airport at Devanahalli, about 40km from the city centre.
"By having inventory in India, we can expedite delivery of spares to domestic and in-transit customers, saving hours or even days," Gulfstream vice-president Derek Zimmerman said in a statement here.
The value of inventory is estimated to be $15 million in this calendar year.
"The arrangement with Air Works will lower costs for operators and reduce aircraft downtime on ground," Zimmerman asserted.
30/05/13  Business Standard

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Indian aviation industry's outlook for FY14 remains weak: Capa

Domestic commercial airlines piled up loss of $1.65 billion (Rs 8,910 crore) on a revenue of $9.5 billion ( Rs 51,300 crore) during 2012-13 with more than 40 per cent of the annual loss coming from operations in the last quarter (January-March), according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa).
The aviation think tank in its India Aviation Outlook 2013-14 report further stated that average fares increased by 15-20 per cent year-on-year in the last fiscal and aggressive discounting during the traditionally weak period between January and March resulted in loss of $700 million during the last quarter alone.
"The fare levels in the current fiscal are expected to be softer than in 2012-13, and there is no significant easing around the corner in terms of costs. Fuel, the largest input cost, is expected to remain high," said Capa. Capa's profitability outlook for 2013-14 has projected that Air India would end up losing $750-$800 million (Rs 4,050-Rs 4,320 crore) during the year.
29/05/13 Business Today

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Air travel to get dearer

Mumbai: Want an aisle seat or carry 10 kilograms (kg) more luggage? Pay anywhere between Rs 200 and Rs 2,000 more. With the government allowing airlines to unbundle air fares, the cost of flying is beginning to go up. So much so that low-cost airlines are becoming as expensive as their full-fare counterparts, if one wants some additional services.
Some airlines, such as Air India, have already reduced the free check-in baggage from 20 kg to 15 kg. Others like Jet Airways announced the reduction, but revoked it. And new entrant Air Asia has no free baggage policy. In other words, with the reduction in the weight allowed, one will either have to carry less or pay more while flying Air India while Air Asia will charge you per kg.
Until now, there was no additional charge for choosing a particular seat while booking your ticket. But now if you want a seat with extra leg space (usually the front row or the emergency exit row) or if you want a window or an aisle seat, then be prepared to shell out anywhere between Rs 100-500 depending on the choice of seat.
29/05/13 Priya Nair/Business Standard

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Why IndiGo was the only profitable airline in FY13

IndiGo again surged ahead of its peers and not only remained the only airline in India to declare a positive net income but increased it four fold in 2012-13 over the previous fiscal. According to a report by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), IndiGo closed the last fiscal with net income of $100-110 million against $23 million in FY12.
Every other listed and unlisted airline in India posted losses, though those losses were smaller for each airline compared to FY12. The least loss-making airline was the smallest, GoAir at $14-16 million, followed by SpiceJet at $34 million and Jet Konnect at $53 million. Air India’s negative net income was the largest at $950 million while Jet Airways was at $87 million in FY13. Kingfisher was at $500-520 million.
So why did airlines continue to remain the red, except IndiGo? CAPA says things were fine for the first nine months of FY13 but the January-March quarter spoiled the party. Airlines together generated losses of approximately $700 million in the last quarter alone.
29/05/13 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

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Geetika suicide: Police, accused told to file written submissions

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the city police and co-accused Aruna Chaddha to file written submissions on the plea of latter seeking quashing of fresh charges, including abetment of rape, against her in the former airhosetess Geetika Sharma suicide case.
"Brief synopsis be filed, indicating the evidence relied upon by both the parties with the respective page numbers, within four weeks. Renotify on July 3," Justice G P Mittal said.
The court had earlier issued the notice to Delhi Police summoning trial court records in the case involving former Haryana Home Minister Gopal Kanda and Chaddha as accused.
Besides the charge of abetment of suicide, the lower court had recently invoked some other harsher penal provisions relating to rape, unnatural sex and their abetment, against Kanda and Chaddha. She had sought dropping of fresh charges.
29/05/13 PTI/ZeeNews

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IIT-Kanpur first to have helicopter service

Kanpur: The Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K) will on June 1 become the country's first academic institution to offer a helicopter ferry service. To be run by Pawan Hans from the institute's runway, the facility would initially offer flights to Lucknow. It would be extremely handy for IIT guests, faculty, academicians, students, local industrialists and others willing to fly to Lucknow.
The first flight would take off from the IIT-Kanpur runway on June 1 and the seven-seater helicopter will have a capacity to carry five passengers at a time.
Merchant's Chamber of Uttar Pradesh, which is the driving force behind the launch of the helicopter service, has termed it as "an epic moment in the history of the IIT-K and the industrial city".
29/05/13 Abhinav Malhotra/Times of India

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Airlines can levy preferred seating charge only on 15% of seats

New Delhi: The Government plans to set a limit on the number of seats for which airlines can levy the preferred seating charge.
This follows protests by passengers within a month of the unbundling of airfares that allows airlines to charge separately for preferred seats and baggage beyond a certain weight.
A senior Civil Aviation Ministry official said the preferred seat charge will now be limited to 15 per cent of the total number of seats available on a flight. A circular will soon be issued on this.
“We think that six seats each in the front seat and emergency exit rows (which offer extra legroom) can be put up for preferred seating charge. Apart from this, window and aisle seats in rows between 2 and 5 may also attract preferred seat charge,” the official said.
28/05/13 Shishir Sinha/Business Line

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DGCA may allow pilots to take a short nap on long flight

New Delhi: Don't be surprised if you get to know that your pilot is sleeping in the cockpit on a long flight! Rules have now been framed to allow them to take a power nap to fight fatigue, of course under stringent conditions.
Taking cue from global best practices, aviation regulator DGCA has drafted rules to allow a pilot take a short nap on flight deck, with the other pilot taking full control of the aircraft on a long-distance flight, official sources said.
The rules were framed after several pilots' unions sought changes in Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) provisions on adequate rest to mitigate fatigue so that pilots remain alert and perform aircraft operations as per the safety norms. Many countries already have rules to allow 'controlled rest' to pilots while on their cockpit seats. This is among measures which are part of what the International Civil Aviation Organisation calls Fatigue Risk Management Systems.
Global aviation regulators started allowing controlled rest (CR) after a 1992 NASA study concluded that a pilot would be more alert for the approach phase of a flight if he or she rested 45 or less minutes during the pre-descent part of the flight. Air safety regulations in many countries, including the US and those in Europe, already allow this practice. But on-duty cabin crew members are not allowed napping on duty.
28/05/13 Press Trust of India/IBN Live

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Private airlines to post profit in FY14

New Delhi: Private airlines are estimated to post combined profit of $250-300 million in the current financial year on the back of approvals from the government, unbundle services, to directly import aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and from savings in fuel consumption from introduction of satellite-based navigation systems and flexi use of civil and military airspace, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said in its report.
The overall industry, however, expected to remain in the red due to projected losses of $750-800 at Air India in FY13. In the last financial year, Indian airlines had posted combined losses to the tune of $1.65 billion as compared to $2.28 billion registered the previous fiscal.
While full service carrier Jet Airways is projected to return to profitability with net profit of over $125 due to paring of high interest rupee debt by $600 million and access to cheaper financing options by way of the alliance with Etihad, SpiceJet and GoAir are expected to book profits of $25-30 million and $8-10 million in the current year.
28/05/13 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard

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Govt moots steps to improve regional air connectivity

To improve air connectivity in remote areas, the civil aviation ministry is considering a proposal to allow scheduled regional airlines to induct smaller aircraft for deployment on regional routes. Under the existing guidelines, regional airlines can fly aircraft with 19 seats (excluding the pilot’s seat) or more.
The ministry is also considering a recommendation to waive the interim requirement to induct a fleet of three aircraft within two years from commencement of regional operations with at least one aircraft, while retaining the requirement of having an operational fleet of five at the end of five years.
In what would be a reprieve for passengers, the ministry has decided against levying a cess on travellers flying out of metropolitan cities to cross-subsidise air fares in regional and remote areas.
28/05/13 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard

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Kerala Tourism to start seaplane service next month

The Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala will unveil its seaplane service next month, with the inauguration to be held at Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam on June 2. The initial operations will be in a prioritised circuit consisting of Ashtamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Munnar, Bolgatty and Bekal, with Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut and Mangalore airports as base stations. The objective is to provide an additional layer of transportation by offering last-mile connectivity by air to various destinations of the state, said Suman Billa, Tourism Secretary, Government of Kerala.
Houseboats will serve as terminals at the landing and takeoff sites with lounges for tourists. Seaplane operations will be limited to daytime. The project aims to connect 25 tourist destinations. "The seaplane project was among various ideas showcased at the Emerging Kerala Global Connect event held in Kochi last year," said Billa.
Billa said that the product offers tremendous potential to boost tourism in Kerala. "The service will provide a unique experience to travellers, both as a joy ride and as an effective mode of air transport to distant destinations. For example, a tourist who travels from London to Kerala to visit Munnar, can reach the destination via a seaplane from Cochin Airport within twenty minutes instead of six hours by road," he explained.
28/05/13 Anish V Punnackattu/TravelBizMonitor

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AK Antony dedicates IAF base at Thanjavur to nation

Thanjavur: Strengthening India's presence in the Indian Ocean region, the defence minister A K Antony on Monday dedicated to the nation a new Air Force Base at Thanjavur in a colourful ceremony in the presence of Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne, Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Jolly, commanding-in-chief, southern air command (SAC) and other civilian dignitaries.
"Thanjavur airbase is going to be another strategically important air base in the southern peninsula under the control of southern air command and the establishment of this premier fighter base assumes significance in view of the current geo-political scenario and security perceptions in the oceanic region around the peninsula," Antony said.
The government decided to increase the country's air power capabilities in the southern peninsula to provide air defence protection to the high value national installations and the island territories. There was also a growing need to protect India's maritime trade, and so the government decided to create a southern air command in Trivandrum in 1984 when it gave approval for the formation of 47-wing in Thanjavur which the IAF took over in March 1990 from the Airport Authority of India to whom the erstwhile Royal Air Force had been handed over after Independence.
28/05/13 Times of India

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Aviation Min to cap privilege seats for airlines

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is in talks with the Aviation Ministry to finalise the number of preferred or privilege seats that an airline can charge separately, if booked in advance.
Almost all airlines had earlier decided to put a price-tag on almost all seats and this was not acceptable to the regulator, which is of the opinion that operators need not be allowed to put more than 10 percent seats under the 'privileged' category for which they can charge a slight premium.
Last month, the ministry had permitted airlines to unbundle services by which they can charge for preferential seats, meals, baggage in excess of 15 kg and carriage of sports equipment.
Following these instruction airlines including IndiGo, Air India Express directed travel agents and online booking websites to charge for window and aisle seats. Airlines are now charging anywhere between Rs. 200-Rs 1500 for seat reservation.
27/05/13  CNBC-TV18/moneycontrol.com

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Air hostess suicide case: Trial against Kanda begins

New Delhi: A fast track court today commenced trial in the suicide case of ex-air hostess Geetika Sharma in which former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda is the main accused.
Kanda is facing trial for alleged offence of rape, unnatural offence and abetting suicide of Sharma, who had worked in his company.
His aide Aruna Chadha is also an accused and has been charged with abetting the offences of rape, unnatural sex and the victim's suicide.
Eight formal witnesses were examined before additional sessions judge M C Gupta. They included police personnel and also the doctor who had conducted post-mortem of the victim.
The matter is now fixed for July 22.
27/05/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Airport capacity constraints are a concern for aviation: CAPA

Mumbai: Capacity of Mumbai airport is a cause of concern, said a recent report by the Centre of Asia pacific Aviation (CAPA). The constant delays in the land acquisition for the Navi Mumbai airport means that there will be no growth in aviation once Mumbai airport is saturated by 2012-15.
The report said that Mumbai airport is currently operating at a maximum runway capacity of around 35 movements per hour for 19 hours a day. Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) has asked NATS to develop a plan for maximization of capcity. As per NATS study, the movements per hour may go up to 46-50. CAPA said that 50 movements per hour is "likely to be a stretch".
26/05/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Airbus A380 Operators Seek Entry to Indian Market

With increasing numbers of Airbus A380s in their fleets, Asian and Middle East airlines are growing impatient to start deploying the super-large widebodies on services to and from India. But the Indian government’s policy of sheltering national carrier Air India from competition is preventing carriers such as Lufthansa, Emirates and Singapore Airlines (SIA) from using aircraft larger than the Boeing 747 under the terms of existing air services agreements.
The number of Indians traveling abroad is set to rise from the current 15 million to 50 million by 2020, according to a study by Tourism Australia. “The increase in international traffic last year by 4 to 5 percent over the previous year is music to the ears of A380 operators as volumes are essential and India has the numbers,” said Kapil Kaul, CEO for South Asia with the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation.
For now, India’s civil aviation ministry continues to send mixed signals as to whether it will give clearance for A380s to be deployed on routes serviced by the country’s Jet Airways when its Abu Dhabi-based shareholder Etihad takes delivery of the aircraft from next year. This is adding to the confusion over the Indian government’s policy.
27/05/13 Neelam Mathews/AINonline

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Monsoon may play spoilsport with seaplane

Thiruvananthapuram: The onset of the heavy rains across the state has cast a shadow over the inaugural flight of the much-hyped Seaplane service.
If the rain continues posing visibility issues, it would affect the landing of the seaplane at the water dromes. “We will review the situation vis-a-vis the launch day and if the visibility is below the desired limits, the timing of the service would have to be changed accordingly,” said Col (retired)K.S. Sasikumar who runs the Kairali Aviation which is gearing up to operate the first seaplane service in the state.
The launch of the Seaplane service is now tentatively fixed for May 31. Though about five other operators have also expressed their interest to operate seaplane service in Kerala, they are waiting for the end of monsoon season.
27/05/13 Arjun Raghunath/Deccan Chronicle

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Jamshedpur-Ranchi flight service to be started by DTDS

Jamshedpur: DTDS Travel and Tour Planner Private Limited, which is operating flight service between Kolkata and Jamshedpur, on requests from Corporate customers, was planning to introduce flight between Jamshedpur and Ranchi.
Shyamal Chakraborty, Sales Manger (East)of the Bangalore based DTDS said to help the corporate officials who can do business in the Jharkhand capital Ranchi, the company was thinking of starting the flight between Jamshedpur and and Ranchi,
While the proposed Jamshedpur-Ranchi flight service would be provided in the morning, the return Ranchi-Jamshedpur service would be in the evening, he said adding that the service would help the officials save time as it would take only 20 minutes journey.
27/05/13 Economic Times

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How the air force killed drone wars in Chhattisgarh

India’s super-secret drone war over the Maoist corridor is stalling because air force pilots have shot down plans to be relocated in the region citing lifestyle concerns, intelligence sources have told Firstpost. Twelve Israeli-made Searcher tactical drones committed to intelligence gathering over the violence-torn Chhattisgarh-Orissa border — part of an $220 million fleet — have been operating at the extremities of their range from a base near Hyderabad, leaving them little time to hover over their targets.
Last year, the sources said, the air force rejected calls for the fleet to be relocated at Jagdalpur — not far from the site of Saturday’s murderous Maoist ambush, which killed at least 27, including top Congress leader Mahendra Karma. The Air Force, sources said, argued that living facilities at the Defence Research and Development Organisation-run airstrip in Jagdalpur did not meet the standards its pilots expected.
26/05/13 Praveen Swami/First Post.com

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Lack of airlines connecting non-metros to each other a cause of concern: CAPA

Mumbai: India has no successful regional airline which can facilitate connectivity between tier II and tier III cities, a fact that should be a cause of concern for the government.
In a recent analysis, the Centre of Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said that while government is trying to device policies for creating a robust regional connectivity, they lack feasibility. The scenario is not supportive of small regional ventures like MDLR and Deccan shuttles, which have succumbed to high costs of operation.
The CAPA report said that currently, 36% of the total domestic capacity is deployed only to connect six metros in the country.
26/05/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Kerala seaplane service ready for launch; carrier set to reach Kochi

Thiruvananthapuram: The first seaplane scheduled to go into service in the State is expected to reach Kochi soon, one of the base stations identified.
International airports in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Mangalore will be the other base stations for the service, an official spokesman said here.The seaplane is learnt to have been given mandatory clearances by the Customs and the Director General of Civil Aviation, New Delhi.
The five-plus-one carrier has been taken on lease by a Bangalore-based company from a Dubai-based player.
The inaugural service is slated to take off soon from a waterdrome (water-borne landing strip) in Ashtamudi Lake in nearby Kollam.
The project aims to connecting 25 tourist destinations. To begin with, services will be introduced in ‘prioritised circuits’.
26/05/13 Business Line

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Hitting the spot-light

A few months ago, a bunch of people trooped down to the Bangalore International Airport at 2am to see a plane land. The aircraft they were tracking was a Boeing 747-8I, and it was flying in for the first time from Frankfurt. A new acquisition by German carrier Lufthansa, the 747-8I is the world's longest passenger aircraft, and Bangalore was only the third city it counted as a destination. This made it extremely attractive to this group, who thought nothing of going all the way to BIA to catch a glimpse and take a few pictures.
They are the planespotters -- people who spend hours outside airports to catch aircraft in flight and take pictures of them out of a sheer love of aircraft and aviation. The group started in the IT city as an informal club with 10 members who called themselves the Bangalore Spotters. Today, they're organized as the Aviation Photographers India (API), a legally registered trust. It's the only planespotting group in India registered with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and has 27 members including 15 from Bangalore.
"The main objective was to provide a common platform and voice for the planespotting community in India. We're very passionate about our hobby, but it is also a hobby that is looked upon with suspicion by agencies involved in airport security," explains Siddarth Bhandary, secretary, API.
26/05/13 Shrabonti Bagchi/Times of India

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AirAsia India launch seen in Q4; may order 50 more jets

Monaco: AirAsia, which smashed order records for Airbus jets to become Asia's largest budget carrier, could buy another 50 planes as it targets aggressive expansion in India, Chief Executive Tony Fernandes said.
Discussion of an order for another 50 A320-family jets, worth $5 billion at list prices, comes weeks ahead of the Paris air show and five months after the Malaysian carrier added 100 jets to its order book to lift total purchases to 475 planes.
AirAsia plans to launch an airline in India in partnership with the Tata Group to cash in on rising demand for domestic air travel among India's expanding middle class. It would start with planes already on order but potentially trigger new orders.
"We're looking at putting in almost a plane every month. We decided that sometimes when we pussyfoot around it takes too long to catch up so we decided just to go for it," Fernandes told Reuters in an interview.
"We've bought a lot of planes but we're still short, we're still leasing planes at the moment, so I was right buying these planes, and we may have to put in another order...(for) 50 or something like that," Fernandes said.
25/05/13 Reuters/Economic Times

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People will fly if price is right: Neil Mills

New Delhi: SpiceJet Ltd narrowed its net loss to Rs 186 crore in the last quarter despite the sluggish growth in domestic traffic. Chief Executive Officer Neil Mills tells Sharmistha Mukherjee how the promotional offer of making available one million discounted seats and the focus on scaling up international and regional operations helped in boosting passenger traffic and load factors. Edited excerpts :
SpiceJet had posted a net profit of Rs 102 crore in the third quarter despite operating in a high-cost environment. What are the factors that put pressure on your margins in the last quarter?
The third quarter is traditionally the strongest with lots of holidays generating incremental traffic. In January and February, fuel prices went up considerably, which increased our operational expenses. We needed to increase fares, but could not because of the sluggish demand situation. The continuing weakness of the rupee additionally hit our operations. The rupee has depreciated by 13 per cent year-on-year. Since 70 per cent of our costs are dollar denominated, the overall impact was to the tune of Rs 220 crore.
25/05/13 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard

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Abu Dhabi flying rights deal with Cabinet for post-facto nod

New Delhi: The air services pact signed by India and Abu Dhabi in April, allowing a four-fold increase in weekly seat entitlements for airlines between the two destinations, has been sent to the Cabinet for 'post-facto approval'.
The pact helped seal the Jet-Etihad deal. The move to secure a Cabinet nod, a first for such a bilateral air services agreement, is learnt to have been initiated at the behest of the Prime Minister's Office.
In 2011, the CAG had criticised the expansion of flying rights given to airlines based in the Middle-East saying it went against the interests of state-owned Air India.
"The PMO wanted us to get it approved by the Cabinet. We have sent it for post-facto approval. As a result, the increase in bilateral entitlements pact will be kept on hold until the approval comes from the Cabinet," said a senior civil aviation ministry official.
25/05/13 Mihir Mishra/Indian Express

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Indigo will face tough competition from other low-cost carriers: CAPA

Mumbai: With other Indian carriers focusing more on enhancing their domestic network, low-cost-carrier (LCC) Indigo is likely to face more competition, predicts a recent report by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).
By 2014, Jet airways is likely to pay more attention on its low cost subsidiary JetKonnect. Similarly, Spice Jet and GoAir too will increase routes and strength through new investors. With the advent of Air Asia, new market dynamics are expected. These will fuel competition and urge airlines to offer better services.
26/05/13 Chimayi Shalya/Times of India

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Aiming to develop India into design outsourcing hub: Anand Sharma

Hyderabad: Union government aims to make India the "design outsourcing hub of the world" in the next decade by creating more designers in different fields, Union Minister for Commerce Anand Sharma said today.
"Finland has 145 designers per million population, Japan 90 per million whereas India has a dismal two designers per million population. This needs to be changed in the next five years and we should aim to create a pool of 15,000 top designers", Sharma told reporters here.
Earlier in the day, he laid a foundation stone for the proposed National Institute of Design at Gopannapalli near here, in the company of Union HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.
"The NID caters to many verticals like industrial designing, communication, automobiles, civil aviation, animation and interior designing. India should eventually become an outsourcing hub for designers. For this we need to weave in a philosophy of design into education and build linkages with education system", Sharma said.
25/05/13 PTI/Economic Times

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SC urged to dismiss contempt plea over 'flouting' CAR

New Delhi: The DGCA has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss a contempt petition filed against its top brass for “selectively implementing” the civil aviation regulations (CAR) with regard to flight duty time limitation (FDTL), in disregard of safety of millions of passengers.
“The CAR was issued on 11.08.2011. For domestic and neighbouring countries operation, new CAR has been implemented with effect from 24.03.2012. For international operations, it has been implemented with effect from 18.03.2013,” said an affidavit filed by the DGCA.
The contempt petition filed by the Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP) has contended that even though the apex court passed an order on May 3, 2011, directing the DGCA to bring new CAR in FDTL for pilots to minimise flight fatigue, the regulator has been “very casual.”
24/05/13 Deccan Herald

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APAI writes to ministry against "unbundling" by airlines

Mumbai: The Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) has taken a tough stand against the recent unbundling policy adopted by Indian carriers. The organization, which fights for passenger rights, has written to the ministry of civil aviation asking for the rationale behind the charges on preferred seats, reduction of baggage allowance and an enhanced charge on excess baggage.
The APAI chairman, Sudhakar Reddy, said that no airline across the world charges for preferred seats. Reddy, in his letter pointed out that charging for services is a practiced followed by airlines in other parts of the world where the low-cost-carrier (LCC) fare model is followed. Though carriers like Indigo and Spice Jet call themselves LCC, their fares are most often at par with those offered by full service carriers like Air India (AI) and Jet airways.
24/05/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Full-fledged IAF airbase at Thanjavur from May 27

Thanjavur: This ancient town renowned for grand temples will soon have a new feature on its skyline - fighter planes.
A new “strategic air base” of the Air Force will be dedicated to the nation in Thanjavur on May 27 by Defence Minister A.K. Antony.
An airfield of World War I vintage has been done up to house the Thanjavur Air Force Station, a full-fledged base that will handle fighters, transport planes and refuelling aircraft.
The Indian Air Force will base a squadron of Sukhoi Su-30 super-manoeuvrable fighter aircraft here, making it the first fighter squadron in Tamil Nadu.
A new runway has been created for the airfield, which already had a runway and served as a civil airport two decades ago.
24/05/13 The Hindu

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No free baggage allowance may soon become a reality in India

Mumbai: No free baggage allowance, a charge for airport check-in and payment for every seat may soon be an air traveler's reality. The recent unbundling of charges has sparked a controversy, with airlines charging for services without reducing fares, but aviation experts predict all services, except for a constant base fare, will come with a price tag in two to three years.
Airlines in India may emulate low-cost carriers (LCCs) in the US and Europe which keep a basic fare and charge for ancillary services.
Passengers may have to check in early through the web to avoid a counter charge. There may be a scenario where no seat is assigned till a passenger picks one and pays for it, and all baggage will be charged for. The alteration will be in base fare, which will be very low, and cover operation cost. LCCs like Ryanair and easyJet operate on this model, which India-based low-cost carriers are trying to emulate.
23/05/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Double whammy for flyers: High fares, extra charges

Mumbai: No free baggage allowance, charge on airport check-in, payment for every seat may soon be an air travellers' reality. The recent unbundling of charges has sparked controversy with airlines charging on services without reducing the fares, but aviation experts predict that all services, except for a constant base fare, would come with a price tag in the next two to three years. Airlines in India are likely to emulate low-cost-carriers in US and Europe which keep a basic fare and charge for all ancillary services offered.
Passengers may have to check-in early though web to avoid a counter charge. There may be a scenario where no seat is assigned till the passenger picks one and pays for it; the baggage, no matter how less it is, would be charged for. The alteration would be in the base fare, which would be very low and cover the operation cost. Low-cost-carriers like Ryan Air and Easy Jet operate on this model, which India-based LCCs are trying to emulate. "LCCs across the globe keep the fares low and charge on the services. Indian carriers will also be doing the same in the next two to five year," said Kapil Kaul, CEO, South Asia, Centre For Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).
23/05/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Paramount Airways yet to take off

New Delhi: A Rs 550 crore debt to a clutch of banks has come in the way of grounded Chennai-based airlines Paramount Airways from taking to the skies. Paramount Airways, promoted by M Thiagarajan, lost it licence in 2010 when aviation regulator, Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stopped its services for failing maintain the mandatory five aircraft in its fleet. The airline has now missed its earlier target of April to restart its services.
Thiagarajan met Union Aviation Minister Ajit Singh and DGCA officials in the capital in January. But soon after the meeting, six banks that had extended loans to Paramount Airways wrote to the DGCA asking the regulator to not to allow the airlines to commence operations till it settled its dues. Lenders including Bank of India, State Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Indian Bank and IDBI Bank wrote to the DGCA in February. The total exposure of Paramount Airways by all the lenders is around `550 crore.
23/05/13 Shutapa Paul & Vishakha Talreja/New Indian Express

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Seaplane likely to take off on May 27

Thiruvananthapuram: Ignoring mounting protests from eco-groups and traditional fishermen, the State government has given the nod to Kerala Tourism to kick off the seaplane project aimed at linking remote tourist destinations by this month.
The first seaplane for Kerala has reached New Delhi for the mandatory clearances from the Customs and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and is expected to arrive in Kochi, the base of the seaplane operations, later this week.
The five-plus-one seat plane has been taken on lease by a Bangalore-based company from a Dubai-based aviation company. Tourism Secretary Suman Billa told The Hindu that the aim was to enable the takeoff of the seaplane, preferably on May 27 from Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam.
23/05/13 S Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Aviation, IT, ITES top suggestions in Goa industrial policy

Panaji: Industries like aviation, aero space, IT and ITES, pharma and integrated educational hubs have been shortlisted by a state-government appointed taskforce, which is cobbling together suggestions for the Goa's Industrial Investment Policy.
Speaking to reporters here, Atul Kane, head of the taskforce, said these industries were suitable to Goa, even as mining did not feature in the first batch of suggestions made by the taskforce.
"We have chosen sectors like tourism-related light engineering and tourism-oriented industries too which will supplement in ongoing business activity in the state, but at the same time we are looking to initiate other non-polluting industries too," Kane said.
23/05/13 News Track India

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Kudumbashree plans inflight catering

Thiruvananthapuram: Kudumbashree is now exploring the scope of inflight catering, after it has marked its presence in retail food industry. A recent query from Air India has encouraged it to consider setting up an inflight kitchen, albe-it on a low scale.
A team of Kudumbashree officials visited some of the flight kitchens in the state for a study of the scenario. They found it would involve considerable investment. “A flight kitchen facility will require a minimum investment of 10 crore. It would not be viable if the idea is to cater to the needs of only one airline. Hence we are enquiring the scope of setting up a miniature version of a flight kitchen,” said Kudumbashree executive director K.B. Valsalakumari.
23/05/13 Arjun Raghunath/Deccan Chronicle

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Centre may levy cess on air fliers

The civil aviation ministry is considering a proposal to levy about `40 to `50 as an air-travel cess on every passenger catching a flight anywhere in the country in order to subsidise flight operations of airlines to smaller towns.
The ministry is considering a proposal to establish an area essential services fund (AESF) and money for the fund to the tune of about `400 crores could be raised through such a levy on passengers in order to boost regional connectivity to smaller towns. A meeting was held in the ministry on Tuesday on the matter. Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh is understood to have expressed some concerns over any move to impose a levy on passengers, but well-placed ministry sources said there may be no other option but to impose such a levy. Air-fares therefore may go up further marginally.
Incidentally, the ministry is also considering another proposal to levy about `5 per passenger for another cess after proposed creation of a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that will replace current aviation regulator DGCA.
Sources said that at Tuesday’s meeting on the issue of proposed creation of an AESF, there was a discussion on whether the fund can be created by lowering airport charges alone.
22/05/13  Sridhar Kumaraswami/Asian Age

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Youngest pilot flying around the world stops over in Mumbai

Mumbai: "Doing what you love is the easiest thing in the world," says the affable Jack Wiegand, all of twenty years of age. The young American pilot steered piloted his single-engine aircraft, Mooney Ovation-20, into Mumbai late on Tuesday evening.
The youngster, word 'easy' acquires a whole new meaning when applied to the case of this youngster who has a penchant for made it a habit of celebrating his birthdays by amassing record aviation feats, piloted his introductory glider flight on his 13th birthday. The following birthday, Wiegand became the youngest pilot at the Central California Soaring Club to solo a glider. On his 16th birthday, he soloed his first single-engine power plane. And when he turned 20 this month, Wiegand took off from his hometown in Fresno, California to circumnavigate the globe. His plan is to break the Guinness World Records title for the youngest person to fly solo around the world. In an age when one can turn an put an aircraft on auto-pilot after take-off, the challenge in flying solo presents itself comes when cruising over crossing oceans or when on encountering rough weather.
22/05/13 Manju V/Times of India

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Despite bribery charges, Agusta Westland continues to bid for new contracts

Mumbai: Anglo-Italian defence firm Agusta Westland continues to participate in bids to procure choppers for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, despite the company being investigated over bribery allegations in another contract.
Agusta Westland remains in the running for the $200-million Coast Guard deal for 16 ship-launched helicopters. Agusta Westland has submitted bids for Naval Utility Helicopters of the Navy and twin-engine helicopters proposal of the Indian Coast Guard. The Government has said it has no plans to bar Agusta Westland from bidding for further aviation contracts, even though the company is under scrutiny in Italy and India. The earlier case refers to light helicopters for VIP transport.
Though India has put on hold the $733-million deal for 12 three-engine AW 101 helicopters signed in February 2010, better known as Agusta Westland VIP contract, because of bribery allegations, the Anglo-Italian aerospace company continues to bid for new contracts.
21/05/13 Amrita Nair-Ghaswalla/The Hindu

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Geetika suicide: HC summons records, asks police to reply

The Delhi High Court today summoned the trial court records and asked the city police to respond to a plea of co-accused Aruna Chadha seeking quashing of fresh charges, including abetment of rape, against her in former airhosetess Geetika Sharma suicide case.
Besides the charge of abetment of suicide, the lower court had recently invoked some other harsher penal provisions relating to rape, unnatural sex and their abetment, against former Haryana Home Minister Gopal Kanda and Chadha.
Justice G P Mittal issued a notice to Delhi police and summoned the judicial records.
"Issue notice. The trial court records are being summoned. Fix it for hearing on May 29," the court said.
During the hearing, Additonal Solicitor General (ASG) Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Delhi police, opposed the plea of senior advocate U U Lalit, the counsel for Chadha, that the trial be stayed.
22/05/13 PTI/Business Standard

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IndiGo flies to top spot

New Delhi: Budget carrier IndiGo Airlines has clocked the highest market share of 29.8 per cent in air traffic in April.
In March, the airline had captured 27.4 per cent of the domestic passenger market.
According to data compiled by the civil aviation ministry, the low-cost carrier regained the top spot with an 83.8 per cent passenger load factor during the month.
The passenger load factor (PLF) is a measure of how much of an airline’s passenger-carrying capacity is used.
In March, Air India had outperformed IndiGo and reported PLF of 81 per cent, while the low-cost airline had 79 per cent. Air India had a 19.2 per cent share of the domestic passenger market in April.Domestic air traffic, however, decreased 0.27 per cent in April to 50.77 lakh from 50.91 lakh in the corresponding month last year, the civil aviation ministry said.
20/05/13 The Telegraph

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Gulf Airlines engulfed in Indian fare dogfight, offer cheaper tickets

New Delhi: Middle-Eastern carriers have upped the ante to snare overseas-bound Indian travellers with lower fares this season, with Etihad and Emirates being the first to stir the market with discounts, much to the dismay of India's national carrier Air India.
On Sunday, Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad, which bought a stake in Jet Airways last month, quietly announced discounted fares for a limited period for travel to cities in the EU, US and Africa from various Indian cities. On Monday, arch-rival Emirates, the largest foreign carrier in India by market share, responded by offering network-wide savings of 8% to foreign destinations.
Air India fears the discounts are part of Etihad's long-term strategy of pulling fares down in order to capture a large chunk of Indian traffic to overseas destinations.
21/05/13 Anindya Upadhyay/Times of India

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Growth in domestic air traffic flat in Apr

Mumbai: Growth in domestic air traffic slowed in April, after a spike in March, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. In April, domestic traffic fell to 5.07 million from 5.09 million in April 2012, a drop of 0.27 per cent. Overall capacity rose 0.4 per cent, while demand fell 0.2 per cent.
With market share of 29.8 per cent, low-cost airline IndiGo increased its lead over Jet Airways (22.6 per cent). SpiceJet and Air India stood third and fourth, respectively.
Industry experts attributed the sluggish demand to high fares. "In the last couple of months, the fares have been rising. Now, the average ten-day fare is about Rs 5,600, about 10 per cent higher than in May 2012. If fares remain at current levels, we expect May and June could also be weak months for air travel," said Sharat Dhall, chief operating officer of Yatra.com.
21/05/13 Business Standard

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Ministry asks airlines to clarify unbundling of services

Its early days yet for unbundling of services by domestic airlines, which allows them to charge for services like preferential seats and airport lounges, but it holds the promise of lower fares for passengers in the future. However, two days after some airlines implemented unbundling measures, the ministry of civil aviation swung into action and asked airlines to bring clarity for consumers on services offered and charged for . CNBC-TV18’s Sunanda Jayaseelan reports.
It was low-cost carrier Indigo's move to charge for all seats that set alarm bells ringing in the civil aviation ministry. While a flier will not be charged extra for a seat if no seat selection is made, those who want to sit together will have to shell out Rs 100 extra even for a middle seat. And while the ministry has sought to rectify this anomaly, those are not the only charges passengers will have to pay extra under as a part of such unbundled services.
Indigo charges Rs 500 for seats with more leg room, Rs 200 for window/aisle seats, and Rs 100 for middle seats.
Further, the airline on its website, says it will charge an additional Rs 1500 for every unaccompanied minor, Rs 1000 per infant, Rs 250 for every kg of excess baggage, Rs 4000 for 10 kilogram (kg) of prepaid baggage which is a service airlines use to allow customers to pay in advance for excess bags and Rs 2000 for bulk baggage which can be purchased over and above the minimum allowed.
20/05/13 CNBC-TV18/moneycontrol.com

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Too many people in the airline business have an ego the size of an A380: Tony Fernandes

India's perception of low-cost carriers has been badly damaged and bruised by failed promises, said AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes in an exclusive interaction with Entrepreneur magazine.
Not one to mince any words, Fernandes said that "too many people in the airline business have an ego the size of an A380."
"If we need to be successful in the Indian market, we need to be innovative. We have to do things that have not been done before," he said.
AirAsia Berhad has received an approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to invest into a proposed Indian joint venture airline together with Tata Sons Ltd and Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace Pvt Ltd.
The joint venture, where AirAsia would invest 49 percent, Tata Sons would invest 30 percent and Bhatia would invest the remaining 21 percent, would operate from Chennai, focusing on providing Tier II and Tier III city connectivity to travellers.
20/05/13 Ankush Chibber/moneycontrol.com

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Deccan winds up chartered flights

Ahmedabad: Within just eight months of launching chartered flights in Gujarat, Deccan Shuttles has suspended its operations here. Promoted by Capt GR Gopinath, Daily Charters Ltd’s specialised wing, Deccan Shuttles had commenced daily chartered flights between Bhavnagar and Surat in the third week of August 2012. A month back, the company decided to fold up its wings in the region.
The ‘hub and spoke’ model of the Gujarat government failed to lift the business enough to make it viable for the aviation company. An official from Airport Authority of India (AAI) informed that the services were discontinued a month back. A senior state government official also confirmed the development and said that the high price of air tickets for the flights made the model unviable.
Deccan Shuttles commenced 9-seater flights between Bhavnagar and Surat in August last year and, a few months later it had also started another flight between Ahmedabad and Kandla. Tariff turned out to be the downer for both.
“Paying Rs4,000 or more, it still took almost four to five hours to reach Kandla, including two to three hours spent at both the airports. Against that, traveling by road takes around six hours, and costs less than half the price of the air ticket. Hence, flying to Kandla was simply not viable,” the official said.
20/05/13 Daily News & Analysis

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Domestic airlines register decline in passenger traffic

New Delhi: Domestic passengers flown by Indian carriers declined marginally in the first four months of this year compared to last year, even during peak season operations.
Official statistics released today showed that domestic passenger traffic between January and April this year fell to 202.89 lakh as against 203.60 lakh during the same period last year, registering a negative growth of 0.35 per cent.
The month-on-month air traffic fell 0.27 per cent in April to 50.77 lakh compared to 50.91 lakh in the same month last year, a fall of 0.27 per cent. The decline came during the peak travel season that begins in April.
No-frill carrier IndiGo continued to corner the largest market share of 29.8 per cent, followed by Jet Airways-JetLite combine at 22.6 per cent, SpiceJetBSE -0.37 % 19.6 per cent, Air India Domestic 19.2 and Go Air at 8.9 per cent.
The data showed that the passenger load factor or the percentage of seats filled on an average flight was the highest for IndiGo at 83.8 per cent, followed by 79.5 for GoAir, 78.9 for Air India, 75 for SpiceJet, 71 for JetLite and 69.4 for Jet AirwaysBSE 0.45 %.
20/05/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Tired of paying extra for your choice of seat on plane? Not any more!

Are you too tired of paying a little more than extra for your preferred seat on plane? With the recent increase in air fares caused due to extra charges levied on the choice of seat and luggage, passengers are having a hard time shelling out bucks more than necessary.
Though, the situation might get a little better in times to come as the government is contemplating to step in for damage control.
The recent ‘unbundling’ of some  services such as seat preferences or meals on board might be  helping airlines to earn a lot of ancillary revenue, but the government is considering whether it could limit the number of ‘preferred seats’ on sale on each flight.
According to a report published in PTI, “The government has been prompted to step in just days after it unbundled these services, following reports that some airlines were charging for a very large number of seats, with one of them even imposing fees for the ‘congested’ middle seat.”
20/05/13 Dailybhaskar.com

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4 DGCA officials censured, children had jobs with airlines

New Delhi: Four DGCA officials, including a Director, have been censured for not informing the aviation regulator's office about employment of their children in airline companies.
Under the Rules of Conduct, the officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation have to intimate or obtain permission from the government regarding employment of their dependents in the civil aviation sector.
The four officials -V P Massey, Director (Airworthiness), James George, Assistant Director (Airworthiness), R K Yadav, Assistant Director (Airworthiness) and Rajiv Gaur, Assistant Director (AE) were awarded the penalty of censure for violating the Conduct Rules, a Civil Aviation Ministry statement said.
20/05/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Fineprint of air ticket may reveal extra cost

There is a pricing revolution in the offing in air travel. Pricing currently follows simple lines whereby a full-carrier ticket price includes the cost of travel, food and other services. Low-cost carriers can charge extra for food and additional services so their ticket price reflects just the cost of travel.
In the altered scenario, airlines will be able to charge extra for the services they provide and additional ones if they think passengers are ready to pay for them. Here’s a peek into the shape of things to come.
Overall charges: Ticket prices will come with a base fare plus the taxes to be paid. There could be additional charges for food, baggage handling at check-in and other services airlines might offer. The low-cost ones already charge for these. The same principle will extend now to all carriers irrespective of size. What the flyer must ask now is whether such separation of the charges will bring down the base fare. The reality is: the trend is just the opposite for low-cost airlines where the fares are often no different from those of full-service arlines.
19/05/13 Arnav Pandya/mydigitalfc.com

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Civil Aviation Minister Takes Action Against Erring Officers

The Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Ajit Singh has taken a decision to award minor penalty of censure to four officers of DGCA namely Shri James George, Assistant Director (Airworthiness), Shri V.P. Massey, Director (Airworthiness), Shri R.K. Yadav, Assistant Director (Airworthiness) and Shri Rajiv Gaur, Assistant Director (AE) for non-intimation of employment of their dependents in the private airlines or any sector under Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Disciplinary proceedings were initiated against these officers with the approval of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and a detailed enquiry was conducted by the DGCA in the matter. During the enquiry, it was established that the officers had not intimated or obtained permission from the Government regarding employment of their dependents in the civil aviation sector. Their said act was a violation of Conduct Rules and, accordingly, Minister for Civil Aviation took a decision to award minor penalty of censure for their non-compliance of Conduct Rules.
20/05/13 Press Information Bureau

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Soon, flyers won’t get long credit period from agents

New Delhi:  Air travellers buying tickets from travel agents will no longer get long credit periods — something that used to be the agents' USP over travel portals and airline websites where payments have to be made instantly.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has decided to reduce the payment cycle of agents to airlines from the current fortnightly to a weekly basis from July 1. This means, agents will have to sell tickets for cash or ask for payment within a day or two.
While the move will help the financially-strapped airline industry, travel agents are clearly unhappy. "Agents will have to stop giving credit and need to collect cash for ticket sales in a maximum of two to three days. Small players who survived on credit facility will now go out of business," said Delhi-based Ambey Travels head Anil Kalsi.
20/05/13 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Now Zaidi wants to be exempted from frisking

New Delhi: AS civil aviation secretary, S N A Zaidi had strongly advocated reducing the list of over 30 categories of VIPs exempted from security checks at airports. As Election Commissioner, Zaidi has raised the matter again — now he wants to be exempted from frisking at all Indian airports.
In a letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the first week of May, Zaidi said that as EC he enjoys the status of a Supreme Court judge and was, therefore, eligible for exemption from frisking.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Supreme Court judges are exempted from security checks at airports, and Zaidi noted that all election commissioners enjoy the same status.
Zaidi told The Sunday Express that he would not like to comment on the matter. Asked about the change in stance from the time he was a civil aviation secretary, he said: "That was in a different context. In any case, it is for the Ministry of Civil Aviation to decide on this."
19/05/13 Ajmer Singh/Indian Express

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Passengers rejoice over limits on preferred seating

Air passengers can heave a sigh of relief in the wake of the civil aviation ministry’s announcement that airlines will have to limit their ‘preferred seats’— where passengers can be charged a fee over the ticket fare. In the last week of April, the government permitted scheduled airlines to charge passengers for a host of services including preferential seating, meals and checked-in baggage. Almost immediately, IndiGo charged Rs.500 for seats in row 1, 2 and 12 and 13.
D. Sudhakar Reddy of Air Passengers’ Association of India (APAI) said, “We wrote to the minister immediately seeking the limiting of the number of preferred seats since it may greatly affect air passengers, particularly those belonging to the middle income group. If it is not limited, then several passengers will be forced to pay through their nose. A maximum of 25 per cent of the seats should belong to the preferred category.” He observed that the excess fee charged by airlines may be exorbitant and has to be reduced.
P.A. Devanathan, an air passenger, said that he would not opt for a preferred seat as it may not be worth paying that much. “Economy class passengers like me are mindful of cost. So, there is no way I would pay more for a seat.
19/05/13 The Hindu

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Airline emissions deal may not come before EU deadline

Hope is fading for a global deal to regulate the airline industry's greenhouse gas emissions ahead of a fall deadline, even though failure could push the industry back to the brink of a trade war over the European Union's emissions trading system.
Last November the EU suspended its controversial scheme to force all airlines to buy carbon credits for any flight arriving in or departing from European airspace.
The scheme had pitted European states against China, the United States, India and others, who said it violated their sovereignty. The EU said it had to act, after more than a decade of inaction on the environmental impact of aviation.
European officials gave the United Nations' agency that governs aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), more time to craft a compromise in the form of a global regulatory regime.
19/05/13  Reuters/Economic Times

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Aviation ministry asks airlines to limit number of ‘privileged’ seats

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry on Friday asked airlines not to put a price tag to all seats in an aircraft and limit it to a few, which could be charged in case a passenger opts for it.
This has come after IndiGo, country's largest carrier in terms of passengers flown, have put a price tag to all seats of its Airbus 320 aircraft, after the government allowed airlines to unbundle services and charge them.
"We have asked the airline to not charge for all seats in an aircraft and identify a few that should be put up for extra charge. We have not set any limit on the number of seats to be charged and asked the airline to decide on it and report within ten days," aviation secretary KN Shrivastava said after a meeting with top airline officials.
The Indian Express had reported on Thursday that the airlines have put a price tag on each seat in, which the civil aviation ministry says was flawed.
18/05/13 Indian Express

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Unbundling of air fares – will it impact the way Indians travel?

Mumbai: Times are changing, so is air travel. The year 2013 has been an eventful one for the aviation sector.
First came the news of the entry of a new player in the domestic scene – Air Asia India. Then, the Jet-Etihad deal was finalised. Even as the industry and consumers were evaluating the likely impact of the changes in the sector, the unbundling of air fares came as another surprise for air travellers.
Introduced at a time when the summer travel season is at its peak, travellers have not got a respite from soaring air fares. Though low cost carriers in many countries charge for, among other things, checked-in baggage, meals and even a preferred seat, internationally air fares are significantly lower than in India.
The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently allowed airlines in India to start charging separately for services such as preferred seats, extra leg-room and meals, known as unbundling of fares.
17/05/13 Nivedita Ganguly/Business Line

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Aerospace Engineering Firm Quest Global's Changing Lanes

The skies over Bangalore’s Yelahanka airbase thundered with the sound of fighter planes, helicopters, turboprops and other aircraft. As the biennial air show—its 2013 edition in February is considered Asia’s biggest-ever aviation event—was in action, one aircraft had a different flight path: Business jet Embraer Phenom-100 made chartered flights to Belgaum. Perhaps it was the right time for Quest Global Inc to show potential customers that the aerospace hub it has been building is ready for take-off.
On the outskirts of Belgaum, nearly 500 km from Banglaore, is the 300-acre special economic zone (SEZ) set up by Quest. Driving through the beautiful landscape, it is difficult to believe it could soon be the most sophisticated industrial belt in the region. It is already notified as the state’s first precision engineering region. “You can walk away from this place with a finished [aerospace/automotive] product without stepping out of this facility,” says Aravind Melligeri, co-founder and chief executive of Quest Global Inc, the manufacturing arm of Quest Global Engineering. No other facility in India, other than state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics, can claim such a design-to-build capability in aerospace.
19/05/13 Seema Singh/Forbes India.com

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Navy pilots to train in civil aviation institute

As the demand for pilots in the Navy is set to rise in the coming years, Indian Navy will send its first batch of pilots to a civil aviation training institute in Uttar Pradesh to find out if the centre, which is training commercial pilots for close to two decades, is good enough for the  men in service uniform.
The first batch of 20 officers will begin their six-month long basic flight training course at Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) at Rae Bareli on May 27. The rookie pilots will take off in DA-40 aircraft from a runaway at Fursutganj.
Till now, the?Navy was sending its would-be aviators to the Indian Air Force flight training institutes for basic training after which they were given advanced training in Kiran jet trainer at the naval aviation base in Goa.
But with Kirans set to retire in a year or two, the Navy is getting 17 Hawk advanced jet trainers, which will be stationed at Visakhapatnam (INS Dega). The first Hawk is expected to arrive in July, 2013 and the first batch of advanced flight training will commence from January.
17/05/13 Kalyan Ray/Deccan Herald

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Monsoon plans to green Aviation Research Centre campus

Cuttack: If the forest department plans work out, the Aviation Research Centre (ARC) campus here would soon go green. The department has proposed to plant various saplings, including medicinal plants, in July.
Divisional forest officer Sudarshan Behera said a plan has been mooted to plant 10,000 saplings of different varieties on the campus. The trees belong to the fast growing variety and are expected to blossom within six years.
"This is the first time that the ARC campus would witness such a massive plantation drive. Seven hectares have been demarcated inside the ARC for this purpose. Chakundi, Simarubba, Pathoria, Karanj, fruit saplings like jamun, oil sapling, would be planted. Forest department workers would plant the saplings within a span of 10 days in July this year," said Sudarshan Behera.
18/05/13 Manabesh Mohanty/Times of India

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Airlines unbound, fliers in a bind?

In India, the concept of domestic airlines unbundling services — including preferential seating and check-in baggage — and charging separately for these, is still in its early days. But this has really caught on in the West. In the US, for instance, airlines are estimated to have collected more than $6 billion in baggage and reservation change fees from passengers last year, the highest amount since these add-on charges became the norm five years ago. In fact, these fees — along with extra charges for boarding early or picking prime seats — have helped return the aviation sector in the US to profitability.
The entire idea of this unbundling of fares is to give the passenger the discretion to decide the add-on service that he or she wants while taking a flight, even as airlines correspondingly cut down on their base fares. According to a November 2011 American Aviation Institute study, the unbundling trend in the US has had profound positive impact for the consumer. Base airfares are less expensive (on an inflation-adjusted basis) than in 2001. In 2001, the inflation-adjusted average base fare per passenger segment flown by major carriers was $164, versus $158 in 2010.
17/05/13 Anil Sasi/Indian Express

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VVIP helicopter deal: CBI quizzes IAF official

New Delhi:  The CBI on Thursday quizzed a senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officer as witness in connection with alleged corruption in the Rs 3,546-crore VVIP helicopter deal in which former Air Chief Shasi P Tyagi is one of the suspects. Without naming the officer, CBI sources said an Air Marshal-level officer was examined as witness to clarify technical issues related to the tender of 12 helicopters for which UK-based AgustaWestland was chosen as successful bidder.
Sources said the agency wanted to know details of alterations done in the chopper's specifications and whether it had suited the UK firm. ACM Tyagi was booked by the CBI along with 12 others, including his three cousins, for alleged cheating, corruption and criminal conspiracy in the deal and searches were carried out at 14 locations, including his residence.
17/05/13 Times of India

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Why airlines are stonewalling govt’s ombudsman proposal

The Ministry of Civil Aviation is pushing for an ombudsman – a key person who would look to address passenger complaints – but private airlines have been resisting any such move for more than three years. As of today, if an airline loses your bags, makes you run around for a refund or if its staff misbehave with you, all you can do is write letters of protest and wait. There is no systematic redressal of passenger complaints.
Which is perhaps why Civil Aviation Secretary K N Shrivastava has called a meeting of all airline CEOs today where, among other things, he is expected to once again bring up the issue of an airline ombudsman.
An airline CEO told Firstpost that private airlines are worried about any Government-appointed ombudsman being “intrusive” in their day-to-day functioning. Not only do airlines fear that an ombudsman could become a tool for competitive snooping, they also wonder about the very concept of an ombudsman when no clearly defined service standards really exist for the airline industry.
17/05/13 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post.com

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Europe considers emission fines for Chinese and Indian airlines

Brussels: The European Commission said Thursday that Air China and Air India were among 10 Chinese and Indian airlines facing the prospect of fines and exclusion from airports in the European Union for refusing to comply with rules aimed at regulating greenhouse emissions.
The carriers are accused of not providing emissions data, as required by the European rules, and not participating in a permit system that entitles airlines to emit greenhouse gases in European airspace.
The volumes of carbon dioxide that the European Commission said the 10 carriers emitted through their jet engines in Europe last year was comparable to the emissions from burning about 130 rail cars of coal.
The commission said the eight Chinese carriers could face fines totaling 2.4 million euros ($3 million), and the two Indian airlines face total fines of 30,000 euros.
So far the emissions rules apply only to flights within Europe, and European carriers and most non-European airlines have complied. Still hotly debated, though, is the planned expansion of the system next January to include international flights in and out of Europe.
17/05/13 James Kanter/The New York Times/NDTV

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New batch passes out from Army Aviation Training School

Nashik: Thirty-two Army officers today passed out of the aviation training school here after completing a 17-week course.
They will join the Army Aviation Corps (AAC) as combat helicopter pilots. These officers underwent rigorous training at the Army Aviation Training School (CATS) here in North Maharashtra and were part of the 19th batch of the premier institute. CATS is the only institute that trains helicopter pilots for the Army.
Captain Akshay Ghorpade was adjudged best candidate overall and won the 'Silver Cheetah' trophy at the hands of Lt Gen K Surendranath, Chief of Staff of Pune-based Southern Command, who was chief guest at the passing out ceremony.
The ceremony was attended by senior Army officials and civilian dignitaries, among others.
17/05/13 ZeeNews

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Airlines unbundle services but keep base fares high

New Delhi: Indian airlines have been quick to unbundle select services and announce separate charges for them, less than a fortnight after the government allowed them to do so, but have not pruned base fares simultaneously as they were supposed to.
Over the last few days, leading airlines have listed charges for some services since the government announced on April 29 that passengers could be made to pay separately for preferential seating, meals and drinks except water, usage of airlines' lounges, carrying check-in baggage, sports equipment carriage, musical instrument carriage and luggage specially declared valuable.
The civil aviation ministry had said that the move would allow airlines to keep a lower base fare and give passengers the flexibility to pay for services they need, thereby reducing the overall cost of travel.
16/05/13 Mihir Mishra/Indian Express

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First Boeing P-8I maritime patrol aircraft arrives in India

The first Boeing P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft arrived May 15, on schedule, at India Naval Station Rajali. The P-8I is one of eight aircraft Boeing is building for India as part of a contract awarded in 2009.
“Boeing is proud to deliver this advanced aircraft to meet the Indian Navy’s unique maritime patrol requirements,” said Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft. “The P-8I team, which includes our customer and Indian suppliers, has done a fantastic job working together, and we’re on track to deliver the next two P-8I aircraft later this year."
15/05/13 Skies

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From fashion to aviation: Who is Air Asia India CEO Mittu Chandilya?

A man of fashion, someone who admires Richard Gere and Amitabh Bachchan, will steer AirAsia’s new airline in India.
Tony Fernandes just named Mittu Chandilya as the new CEO of AirAsia India on Twitter.
Chandilya, an unknown name in India till now, has already attained much fame but not for any role in the corporate world – last November, he was chosen by the international men’s lifestyle magazine ‘August Man‘ as an A-lister.
According to a profile of Chandilya which Indian Express carried in November, he is a sharp dresser and won the coveted title of the “August Man A-Lister” after the magazine’s seven month long search . The magazine was searching for a man who wasn’t just good-looking but embodied the combination of “style, substance and success” in everyday life, the IE story said. Chandilya graced the magazine’s November cover.
The Express story says he “was chosen off the street, while he was finishing off a conversation outside a coffee shop”.
Looks like Tony has once again given Chandilya an off-the-street moment by asking him to steer this much anticipated airline because Chandilya’s linkedin profile makes no mention of any experience in the aviation sector.
Chandilya’s linkedin profile says his last job was Head of Services Practices for APAC, Egon Zehnder International which is a management consultancy firm. He joined Egon in October 2009 and previous employers include Ingersoll Rand and S.O.S. Among the languages he knows are Tamil and English besides Hindi, French and Chinese.
15/05/13 First Post

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Chennai's Mittu Chandilya will pilot AirAsia in India

Mumbai: He is just 33, which makes him one of the youngest head of an airline in India. Mittu Chandilya, who will take charge as the chief executive officer of AirAsia in India from June 1, has made his mark in the fashion world, too.
Last year, readers of August Man, a fashion magazine in Singapore, elected him for the A-list award for style and elegance from amongst 300 participants.
Chandilya, who had a brief stint in modelling before charting a corporate career, had said after winning the award that fashion had been in his "blood and spirit" through his mother.
The MBA degree holder has no aviation background.  "Mittu has always been a passionate follower of the aviation industry,'' Air Asia said in a statement. Chandilya’s last job was Principal and head of service practice at management consultancy firm Egon Zehnder in Singapore.
AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes is, however, more than convinced about his abilities. "Mittu is coming home to change Indian travel and make it affordable for all Indians to fly, " he tweeted. Fernandes also said he was an “outstanding young man with great entrepreneurial skills. He is very passionate about the low-cost carrier business and possesses the crucial understanding on how our business model work.''
 Fernandes is known to select executives from non aviation backgrounds to head his airlines. Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X was a senior director of television channel while heads of his airlines in Thailand and Philippines worked in Warner Music before joining aviation.
15/05/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Singapore based Mittu Chandilya appointed CEO of Air Asia India

Mumbai: The board of Air Asia India on Wednesday appointed Singapore based Mittu Chandilya to head the operations of the company in India.
Air Asia's founder Tony Fernandes announced via his official twitter handle that the board appointed Mittu Chandilya as the CEO of the company.
"The board of Air Asia has appointed Mittu Chandilya as the CEO of the company. Mittu is coming home to change Indian travel and make it affordable for all Indians to fly", Fernandes tweeted.
Mittu Chandilya, 32, will be amongst the youngest CEO's to operate an airline in the country. Chandilya, educated at INSEAD in France, was formerly the head of services practices for Asia Pacific at Egon Zehnder International, an advisory firm with more than 420 consultants spread across 40 countries.
Earlier, putting speculations to rest, Fernandes had announced via his twitter account that he had selected the CEO for AirAsia India. He had tweeted from his official handle that the new CEO is a very smart boy from Chennai. "An amazing CV, will impress all", Fernandes had tweeted.
15/05/13 Economic Times

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AirAsia: The low-cost card may not fly in India

New Delhi: Low-cost carriers (LCCs) in India say they do not expect AirAsia to commit hara-kiri in the domestic skies, what with net average fares already in the low range of Rs 4,000-4500 per passenger. They point out that AirAsia would have learnt - from its not-too-successful debut in India through their international operations - that low-cost fares, which it offers in Malaysia, are unsustainable in India.
LCCs will, however, brace for average net fares to go down by 8-10 per cent because AirAsia is expected to begin operations with rock-bottom promotional fares for a few seats. "Such fares can only be promotional in nature in India and can't be sustained for long. Even we will bring down prices. But we are not worried," says a top executive of a leading LCC in the country.
But AirAsia's signature is its mega low-cost fare. For instance, it is offering two million seats for travel to Southeast Asia at fares which are available for as low as 30 per cent of its regular fare. Yet, for domestic passengers in India, there is no novelty in such a scheme anymore. After all, domestic LCCs have used a similar marketing tack to get passengers to fly in the lean seasons. SpiceJet kicked off a price war, a few months ago, by slashing fares for one-way travel across the country, down to a consolidated Rs 2,013, inclusive of all taxes. The offer of one million such one-way tickets for a limited period soon had other LCCs following suit.
AirAsia's challenge in establishing the brand in India is a classic one. Unlike Malaysia where it did not have competition from other LCCs, its new market has quite a few thriving players. It is entering when this indigenous competition already controls over 60 per cent of the market. So, for the late entrant, Fernandes' ambition to press 36 aircraft into operation by 2017-18, will still lend it a size that will only be a third of that of the biggest player, IndiGo. It will fly over 120 aircraft to as many as 40 cities by then.
15/05/13 Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard

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Get ready to book seaplane tickets

Thiruvananthapuram: As the countdown for the launch of seaplane service has begun, the Bengaluru-based Kairali Aviation will be soon opening bookings for the service. Though the government is looking for a date around May 25 for the launch,  it will be finalised only after the aircraft reaches India and gets the mandatory clearance.
“We are in the process of finalising the tariff, schedules and facilities for online payment.  The online booking facility will be opened for the public within a week,” said Col (retd) K.S. Sasikumar of Kairali Aviation which is operating the first seaplane. He also said that the fares would be cost and time-effective compared to road transport facilities.
A Cessna six-seater being taken on lease from a Dubai firm is expected to reach New Delhi by Thursday or Friday. Being a small flight, it will have to land at Oman, Karachi and Ahmadabad on its way to Delhi.
15/05/13 Deccan Chronicle

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Foreign airlines keen on investing in Indian aviation: Ajit Singh

New Delhi: Upbeat over the Jet-Etihad deal and the proposed launch of Air Asia India, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Tuesday said foreign airlines have realised the massive growth potential of the Indian aviation sector and were evincing keen interest in it.
With the government allowing foreign airlines to invest in Indian carriers, “it is clear that foreign airlines have realised the growth possibilities of the Indian aviation sector and are keenly interested,” he told reporters here.
Jet Airways has clinched a deal with Gulf carrier Etihad Airways, while IndiGo already has 49 per cent FDI, Mr. Singh said.
Caelum Investments, a US-based firm owned and run by former CEO of US Airways Rakesh Gangwal, owns 48 per cent of IndiGo. Other stakeholders include IndiGo’s parent company InterGlobe Enterprises which owns 51.12 per cent.
“While Air India has the best deal as they have the government as their bank, SpiceJet and GoAir remain to be taken-up. Only they can tell you (about their investment plans),” he said, adding that as far as Kingfisher Airlines was concerned, it was non-existent.
14/05/13 PTI/The Hindu

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Airlines look to make a killing, without informing you of extra charges

New Delhi: Airlines are scrambling to charge for small things like priority seats, check-in at counters where you may not need to stand in a long queue and some have already lowered baggage allowance for domestic travel. But here’s the funny part: no one is willing to talk about these charges.
If you are flying an LCC this week, take a few minutes to browse the airline’s website and see which services are being offered for what charges, else you may get an unpleasant surprise at the airport.
Not only are new charges not being adequately advertised, many airlines have still not filed the mandatory information on these charges with aviation regulator DGCA.IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, has advertised on its website about preferred seat charges of Rs 500, Rs 200 and Rs 100. The first one is for seats in rows 1, 2, 12 and 13 (where more leg space is available), the second charge is for all other window and aisle seats and the last one for all middle seats.
13/05/13 First Post.com

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RBI eases overseas borrowing rules in housing, aviation sector

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank today eased overseas borrowing norms to allow companies access to cheaper funds for key infrastructure sectors.
"The RBI has extended the external commercial borrowing (ECB) relaxation for affordable housing which was there for one year to two more years (now) and aviation for a few more months," RBI's deputy governor H R Khan told reporters.
He was speaking after a meeting of the high-level committee on external commercial borrowings (ECB), which was chaired by Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) Secretary Arvind Mayaram.
Khan, however said that there has been no overall change in ECB limit which is $40 billion, adding the central bank will soon come out with a uniform definition for infrastructure companies.
14/05/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Competition Commission probes IATA for unfair trade practices

New Delhi: Fair trade watchdog CCI is probing allegations of anti-competitive practices against the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and its India arm with regard to air cargo transportation services.
A trade association of airlines, IATA accounts for about 84 per cent of total air traffic worldwide.
The allegation pertains to cargo agents' being required to seek accreditation from IATA to carry out international air cargo transportation services for the latter's member carriers.
Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered its Director General (DG) to investigate the complaint filed by the Air Cargo Agents Association of India.
"... the Commission is of the opinion that the decisions/ resolution prescribing the rate of commission to be paid to the intermediaries or similar other decisions pertaining to prices/charges were prima facie in contravention of Section 3(3) of the (Competition) Act," it said.
13/05/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Aircraft imports grounded after govt scraps panel

Mumbai: At least 30 proposals seeking government approval for import of over 90 aircraft have been left unattended for the past few months as there is no system in place to process such applications.
In February this year, the ministry of civil aviation's Aircraft Acquisition Committee was scrapped by the government and the job of granting permission for aircraft imports was entrusted to the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Ironically, the ministry-held committee was disbanded to cut short the time taken to get aircraft import permission. "But with the DGCA yet to form a committee that will review such applications, those who have applied for import permissions like airlines, flying clubs, aircraft charter operators and private individuals have been affected," said an aviation source. A senior official from the ministry of civil aviation said a separate cell, called the Aircraft Acquisition Cell (AAC), will be created in the Air Transport Directorate of the DGCA to handle import permissions.
13/05/13 Manju V/Times of India

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Early birds leave airport on time

Mumbai: Most flyers, especially those travelling frequently, often find that early morning flights almost always depart on time. Now, that is corroborated by data of domestic flights from Mumbai airport. Statistics for April showed that flights which left before 9am had the best on-time record while those in the evening and night were the worst.
Statistics of airlines' on-time performances released by Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) clearly indicated that flights departing or arriving prior to 9am were the least delayed.
Of the 1,995 total departures from Mumbai airport between 3am and 9am in April, only 85, that is 4% of flights were delayed (behind schedule by more than 15 minutes). In this category, 9% each of Air India and SpiceJet departures were delayed. Air India, which operates almost double the number of flights compared to SpiceJet, had the largest delays in terms of numbers, with 39 out of its 420 departures delayed. Only three of Go Air's 210 departures in that time were delayed. For arrivals in that timeframe, SpiceJet had 27% and Air India had 25% delays respectively, while Go Air had only 1% delayed arrivals.
13/05/13 Times of India

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Seaplanes are here but who will fly them?

Kochi: Aviation companies waiting in the wings to launch seaplane services in Kerala are scouting for pilots across South Asia for want of commanders trained in amphibian operations in the country.
The aviation companies will have to source pilots initially from Maldives and Mauritius. They will be recruited in advance to familiarize them with the weather and the condition of water bodies.
These foreign pilots will then serve as instructors and equip Indian crew to handle the task, aviation experts told TOI.
"We will be getting a pilot along with the seaplane we are bringing from Dubai. But we have already shortlisted three Indian captains, who will be trained in Canada first and then allowed to gain flying experience in the country. They will fly with the foreign instructor as co-pilots during the training period," said Col. Sasikumar of Kairali Aviation.
12/05/13 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Will Mukesh Ambani's defence aerospace gambit pay off for RIL?

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), which enjoys absolute monopoly in India's military aviation, is the butt of many jokes. American defence historian and strategist Edward Luttwak refers to it as a "fossil of a company" famous for not delivering "operationally ready Tejas Light Combat Aircraft after 30 years of trying". Notes Neelu Khatri, head of defence and security advisory services at KPMG India: "HAL is overbooked (with orders). And it is a fait accompli that giants will emerge."
Khatri is referring to the "emergence" of big private sector players in Indian aerospace. One of them is Reliance IndustriesBSE 0.15 % Ltd (RIL). "They will focus more on technology partnerships and on building up infrastructure [to start manufacturing products]," she forecasts. Dhiraj Mathur of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has no doubts either. "As a company that has a track record of working on large-scale projects, it (RIL) definitely has an advantage like other players such as the Tatas and Mahindra. Having deep pockets helps," he says.
12/05/13 Economic Times

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