Airport screening desks for swine flu

New Delhi: With the Ministry of Civil Aviation directing international airports to facilitate enhanced surveillance and screening of passengers arriving from nations affected by swine influenza, special desks were set to become operational from midnight on Wednesday at nine international airports. [According to a PTI report, on the directions of the Maharashtra government, passengers from specified countries were being screened from Wednesday at the Mumbai airport.
The Ministry asked the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to instruct all the 17 international airports, including five that are with private operators, to set up such facilities manned by medical and paramedical personnel provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security will grant entry passes to the personnel.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation was told to arrange for all pilots to provide a general declaration on health to the airport health organisations declaring any illness among passengers other than airsickness or the effects of accidents in the aircraft.
Crew members are to be vigilant about passengers coming from affected countries and report to immigration authorities and airport health officials any suspected cases.
Passengers and crew arriving from affected countries have to declare fever and respiratory symptoms, history of visits to any swine flu-affected area or history of contact with the affected cases, in a pro forma statement.
30/04/09 Aarti Dhar/The Hindu

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Screening passengers to start from Thursday

New Delhi: India will begin screeningpassengers from countries affected by the swine flu fromThursday, as it gears up to meet the threat by setting upspecial counters at airports and stocks up on the drug whichtreats the disease.
A total of eight counters were set up at theinternational airport in Delhi where 32 doctors and eightnurses would screen passengers from affected countries likeMexico, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand andFrance from 8 am tomorrow morning.
A central team lead by Dr Randeep Guleria of the AIIMScirculated treatment guidelines across the country and theCentre procured two million additional doses of Tamiflu, thedrug which is used to treat the disease.
The screening process would be done at nine airportsacross the country and would include quarantine facilities forthose reporting any symptoms.
29/04/09 PTI/Sify

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Air passenger traffic in Pune up by 3%

Pune: The ongoing economic slowdown seems to have barely affected the flow of air passenger traffic from the city. In fact, in 2008-09, the air passenger flow has increased by three per cent as compared to 2007-08.
"We have sustained the air traffic growth," said Pune airport director G Chandramouli, while speaking to TOI on Wednesday. He pointed out that the progress was better than some other airports in the country.
However, there are no signs of new flight services commencing from here, despite the Airport Authority of India's (AAI) readiness to accept additional flights "subject to clearance by the Indian Air Force (IAF)", said Chandramouli. The city's Lohegaon airport is part of the IAF's strategically vital Lohegaon air base.
"So far, no airline has approached us for starting flight services to any new destination," Chandramouli said. As of now, the Pune airport handles 37 flights, which means 74 aircraft movements (landings and take-offs) on a daily basis. This includes two flights to international destinations Dubai and Frankfurt.
According to Chandramouli, the Pune airport handled 17.9 lakh passengers in the period between April 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009. "This represents a three per cent growth over the 17.26 lakh passengers handled in 2007-08," he said.
On a daily basis, the number of air passengers handled by the city airport works out to a little over 4,900. The number of aircraft movement throughout 2008-09 was 21,350 as compared to the 19,208 movement recorded in 2007-08.
30/04/09 Vishwas Kothari/Times of India

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Pune airport gets 123 additional staff from Mumbai

Pune: The city airport has gained a lot from the Airports Authority of India's (AAI) move to redistribute its employees in Mumbai to various field stations across its western region jurisdiction in the wake of the privatisation of the Mumbai airport.
Pune airport director G Chandramouli told TOI on Wednesday that the AAI, Pune, has got as many as 123 staffers on transfer from Mumbai, to add to its existing strength of 60 employees.
"We expect more employees to join here soon," Chandramouli said. "The augmentation of staff would result in improved efficiency of work at the airport." The airport handles over 4,900 passengers on a daily basis for the 37 flights that are in operation from the city.
It may be noted that Dineshwar Prasad took charge as the deputy general manager (operations) at the Pune airport earlier this week.
According to Chandramouli, a major chunk of the employees transferred from Mumbai to Pune fall in the Group C and D categories, which includes those engaged in electrical and civil works, drivers, operators etc.
30/04/09 Vishwas Kothari/Times of India

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GMR ties up Rs 3,800 cr for power project

Hyderabad-based GMR Infrastructure has tied up funds for its 1,050-mw power project at Kamalanga in Orissa, the second major power project to
cross the key financial milestone in recent days after ADAG group-promoted Sasan power project achieved financial closure last week.
GMR, best known for its work in modernising airports in Hyderabad and New Delhi, said it had tied up funding worth Rs 3,800 crore from a consortium of seven domestic financial institutions, led by IDFC and the State Bank of India (SBI).
IDFC has committed Rs 700 crore, while SBI will lend Rs 600 crore to the thermal power project, which will use coal from the captive field allocated to it by the Orissa government. Canara Bank, Corporation Bank, Central Bank of India, UCO Bank and IDBI will provide the remaining funds.
30/04/09 Ashwin J Punnen & Ruchira Saxena/Economic Times

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Pune airport director transferred to Calicut

Pune: Director of Airports Authority of India (AAI), Pune, G Chandramouli has been promoted and transferred to the Calicut international airport in Kerala. J P Mathur will take charge from Chandramouli as the airport director in Pune from Thursday.
The director's post at the Pune airport is of the rank of joint general manager, while the same at the Calicut airport is of the general manager. Chandramouli had taken charge of the Pune airport in August 2008, and had presided over the modernisation work, including two newly raised international departures and arrival lounges.
30/04/09 Times of India

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Two aerobridges to go operational soon at Pune

Pune: In a move that will ensure better convenience for air passengers, the Lohegaon airport will have two new aerobridges by the end of June or early July.
The aerobridges would enable passengers to directly access the main terminal building from the aircraft and vice-versa, G Chandramouli, director, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Pune, told TOI on Wednesday.
The move forms part of the modernisation drive that is currently on at the Pune airport, including construction of two new international arrivals and departures lounges and a swank new look to the existing main terminal building.
Over the last one year, the airport has seen major expansion, including an increase in the apron size (space for parking the aircraft), which can now accommodate eight aircraft, as against four earlier, and creation of additional space for services such as vehicle parking, among others.
Chandramouli said, "Civil works for the aerobridge facility is in progress and the AAI headquarters in New Delhi has ordered two new imported passenger boarding bridges." The Pune airport is expected to receive these bridges by June and it will go operational by the end of that month or early July, he added.
30/04/09 Vishwas Kothari/Times of India

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Police rule out business rivalry in Ambani chopper sabotage case

Mumbai: The Mumbai police on Wednesday held out hopes that it was close to cracking the case involving the alleged sabotage of Anil Ambani’s helicopter last week and promised arrests soon, as it all but ruled out any possible “business rivalry” angle into the incident that has become the talking point of corporate India.
Bharat Borge, the technician who first discovered pebbles and gravel in the gearbox of Mr Ambani’s chopper, was found dead on Tuesday evening on a railway track, triggering a wave of conspiracy theories. On Wednesday, a top police official said Mr Borge was a “good witness” and that his death will not have any bearing on the case. “We are headed in the right direction and there would be some arrests soon,” joint commissioner of police (crime) Rakesh Maria told mediapersons. He parried the question if the probe had revealed any business rivalry as claimed by the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG). When asked if Mr Borge was under any pressure, Mr Maria refused to comment.
Maharashtra home minister Jayant Patil too dismissed any business rivalry links in the case, saying that investigators did not believe that corporate rivalry was behind the alleged sabotage attempt.
The railway police, in charge of probing Mr Borge’s death, said they may summon two ADAG officials for questioning. “The letter clearly mentions two Reliance officials. We suspect that two officers from a Reliance group company met Mr Borge. We would be calling them for questioning in the case.”
A senior police official claimed that police is very close to solving the case and that they suspect rivalry between the company and some employees to be the reason for the sabotage attempt.
30/04/09 Economic Times

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Air Works men behind plot to sabotage Anil's helicopter?

Mumbai: A breakthrough is expected in the investigations into the Anil Ambani chopper sabotage case, with the needle of suspicion now pointing towards rivalry between the non-technical staff union and the Air Works management.
Ravi Menon, director of Air Works, the company entrusted with the maintenance of the ADAG chairman Anil Ambani’s Bell 412 helicopter, has hinted at the possibility of a rivalry between the non-technical staff union and the Air Works management for the chopper sabotage.
Meanwhile, ADAG is said to have cancelled its deal with Air Works. What is the issue between Maharashtra General Kamgar Mahasangh, Air Works non-technical workers union and Air Works management? Is it big enough even to be a probable cause of the sabotage attempt?
If Air Works’ decision to keep 52 non-technical staff off duty till the time investigations are over is any indication, then it would seem that at least the management felt that labour dispute could have led to the incident.
30/04/09 Times of India

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Borge was 'nervous wreck'

Mumbai: The Government Railway Police (GRP) investigating the death of Air Works technician Bharat Borge - a key witness in Ambani's helicopter
sabotage case - will summon former state director general of police K K Kashyap, currently the chief security advisor of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani (ADA) group . The police had found a note on Borge in which he mentioned that he was disturbed after an alleged meeting with Reliance officials.
On Monday, Kashyap had reportedly met Borge along with two Reliance officials at the Air Work's hangar in Kalina. After this meeting, Borge visited the Bandra crime branch office to report the discussion but left when he allegedly saw the police beating up two people.
Borge's colleagues claim that he was "a nervous wreck" after being grilled by the crime branch. Two technicians, Borge and Rajaram Chauhan, and two helpers, Uday Warekar and Balraj Ganpathy, were interrogated over three days. "The crime branch had called Ganpathy and me for questioning to their Bandra office on April 25. Later that day, Borge and Chauhan were also called in," Warekar told TOI.
"We were detained till late in the night. Borge was tense and was sweating profusely," said Borge's co workers. Ganpathy alleged he was slapped around by police officers after which he couldn't hear properly. According to Warekar, "officials claimed they had learned about a signed statement given by Borge in which he mentioned that he knew the person who had sabotaged the aircraft. Borge flatly denied this. The police even asked Borge if he himself was involved. He replied that if that was the case, he wouldn't have reported the incident to the authorities."
Responding to the allegations, crime branch chief Rakesh Maria said, "If they claim to have been beaten, they should get a medical examination done."According to Airworks helpers, the sabotaged aircraft was lying in the hangar for nearly two to three days and was left unguarded at night. The airport police had questioned technicians (including Borge) and helpers for nearly six hours and recorded their statements on April 23.
30/04/09 V V Singh, S Ahmed Ali & Nitasha Natu/Times of India

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Borge's death: Eye-witness accounts

On April 28 at around 7.50am, Bharat Borge crawled under the level-crossing- which is usually closed between 7am and 11am-in an attempt to cross the tracks. Lever-man Gopinath Pawar, an eye-witness said, "I was sitting in my cabin, when I saw this man trying to cross the tracks from the Eastern side to the Western part of Vile Parle. When the man (later identified as Borge) saw the train hurtling towards him near platform no. 4, he crouched, probably in fear. Moments later, the train hit him, and dragged him for nearly 50 metres. I rushed to the spot where he was lying. I immediately informed the station manager."
Motorman P K S Pillai was driving a Churchgate-bound fast local train when he spotted Borge trying to cross the tracks at the Vile Parle level-crossing. In Pillai's opinion, it appeared as if Borge was attempting suicide. "I had honked when the train was 100 ft away from Borge. He was on the tracks of platform no. 4 tracks. He could have moved away if he had wanted to. Instead, he crouched low on the track till the train hit him."
John Burkman, a resident who lives in area, was near the Vile Parle level-crossing on April 28 when he saw Borge crawl under the closed level-crossing. "A Borivli-bound train passed him on the tracks of platform no. 3 in front of him. it looked like he was waiting for the train to pass so that he could cross. But suddenly, he saw a train approaching him on the tracks of platform no. 4. He crouched low, not knowing whether to go ahead or not, when the train hit him.'' said Burkman.
30/04/09 Times of India

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'Satisfactory progress in chopper sabotage case'

Mumbai: Even while the Mumbai police claimed that they have made "satisfactory progress" in its probe into the Anil Ambani chopper sabotage case, there were reports on Wednesday that the Anil Ambani-led ADAG has cancelled its aircraft maintenance contract with Air Works.
Air Works, however, claimed that it had not received any official communication, either verbal or written from ADAG on the termination of its contract even till 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday. "The company is working with the customer to replace the damaged component and get the aircraft airworthy at the earliest.
ADAG continues to be one of our key customers," it said.
Talking to presspersons, Rakesh Maria, Joint Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, said the police had got some good leads and was confident of cracking the sabotage case fast.
30/04/09 Business Line/Sify

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Police examining Borge's phone records

Mumbai: Phone records of Bharat Borge, the Airworks technician who was run over by a train, are being examined by the police in an attempt to understand why he went to the Vile Parle railway level crossing.
"As per his routine, Borge would board a train at Bhayander, where he resides, and alight at Santacruz after which he would go to his workplace. However, on the day of the incident, Borge seems to have alighted at Vile Parle and walked to the level crossing," Government Railway Police (Commissioner) A K Sharma told PTI.
The police are examining phone records to find out where Borge was going and if anyone had contacted him prior to his being run over by the train, he said.
Borge, a technician with Airworks who had found pebbles in the fuel tank of Anil Ambani's helicopter, was run over by a train on Tuesday at suburban Vile Parle.
The GRP has also questioned the Crime Branch official to whom Borge had written a letter in which he alleged that some "Reliance" officials had met him and taken his telephone number.
30/04/09 PTI/Economic Times

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Borge case: Former DGP may be questioned

Mumbai: Former state Director General of Police K.K. Kashyap may be questioned by the police in connection with Bharat Borge’s death. Borge (45) allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday.
A suicide note was found on him, saying he was scared he may be implicated after some Reliance (he did not specify which group) officials questioned him in connection with the discovery of pebbles in the filter of Anil Ambani’s helicopter.
On Wednesday, Kashyap, now associated with the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group of Reliance, told HT he had “seen” Borge following the discovery of pebbles in the chopper’s gearbox filter on April 23.
“We are investigating the incident. If Kashyap has information about him (Borge), we will question him and record his statement,” Assistant Commissioner of Police, Western Railways, Prakash Sawant said.
“When I went to the airport (hanger), I saw Borge. I didn’t talk to him. I was told he was a good person,” said Kashyap. Asked to comment on Bhorge’s suicide note where he spoke of the visit by Reliance officials, he said, “The note recovered from Borge is very confused and presumptuous.”
Asked if the Crime Branch would look into the issue, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria said, “What we are interested in is the (suicide) letter.” He said that while the thrust of the investigation was restricted to the helicopter mischief, Borge’s suicide was being investigated by the Railway Police.
The Crime Branch claimed it was “on the verge” of solving the mystery behind the attempted sabotage. “We know the exact time and place where the mischief took place,” Maria said.
“Once we find the persons responsible, we will know the motive too... We are pretty confident of a breakthrough soon.”
30/04/09 Hindustan Times

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Central probe agencies seen on the job

With the Anil Ambani helicopter mystery getting more sensational by the day, central investigative agencies have quietly started sniffing around to decipher the conspiracy theory. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) are on the lookout, but the entire exercise has been kept under wraps since the case is considered extremely sensitive. Officially, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) is investigating the death of Bharat Borge, who had reported pebbles and gravel were found in the helicopter which was meant for use by Mr Ambani, while the Mumbai police is investigating the conspiracy angle.
The central intelligence agencies have put their information gathering machinery into action since the plot is thickening and the case could blow up into a major row. Government managers feel the case might have to be ultimately handled by CBI since suggestions for such a move have already started lining up. Hence, the central agencies are keeping a close watch to ensure that evidence is not tampered, highly-placed government sources said. It is a high profile case and we cannot take chances, they added.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation would also be involved in the formal investigation, though the role of DGCA officials would be restricted to providing technical inputs. A DGCA team has already been put in place.
30/04/09 Economic Times

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Did Anil Ambani's saviour commit suicide?

New Delhi: The mystery behind the alleged plot to kill Anil Ambani has deepened after the man who discovered that the billionaire businessman's helicopter had been sabotage was found dead on Tuesday in Mumbai.
On April 23, mud and pebbles were found in the gearbox of Anil Ambani's Bell 412 chopper.
But on Tuesday, Bharat Borge, a senior technician of Airworks who discovered the alleged sabotage attempt was found dead on the railway tracks near Vile Parle level crossing.
Borge had found pebbles and mud in the gear box of Ambani's helicopter, hours before the industrialist was to take off.
Police have sought help from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and have sent the pebbles to Forensic Science Laboratory to determine type and composition and aid the investigation.
Borge had also reportedly written a suicide note. The letter written in Marathi is addressed to an investigating officer of the Crime Branch.
In the letter, Borge has apparently written that people from Reliance went to his house and took his number and said they would come and meet him.
Borge wrote that he decided to write the letter after he saw one of the accused being beaten up and felt scared.
His death has left several key questions unanswered.

• Who were the men from 'Reliance' who went to Borge's house?
• What secrets did Borge know?
• Had Borge unwillingly become a part of the sabotage conspiracy and then backed out?
• Why did Borge feel that he was being used and for what?
• The body was found on Tuesday morning, why was the news buried till the evening?
• Is the note recovered from the body authentic?

29/04/09 CNN-IBN

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Anil Ambani chopper case: Key unanswered questions

On April 23 Bharat Borje , a service technician with Air Works in charge of maintaining Anil Ambani's chopper, found sand and stones in the oil
tank of the gear box of the Bell 412 helicopter. Had the 'copter flown it could have almost certainly have led to an emergency.
The next day Anil Ambani's company made the sensational claim that unnamed business rivals were behind the sabotage.
On Tuesday, Borje's body was found near the tracks at Vile Parle. On his person was a note for crime branch officer Sanjay Bhole. Borje's mysterious death points to many key unanswered questions:
Q1) Borje lived in Bhayander and worked at Air Works office in the old airport at Santacruz with an entrance from Kalina. Normally he alighted at Santacruz station, but his body was found at Vile Parle. Why?
Q2) The note found on Borje's person does not speak of suicide but he says, "Me he kelele nahi" (I haven't done this). My parents did not teach me this." Was Borje himself being suspected of sabotage?
Q3) Going further the note says: "Though your investigations are going in the right direction, I saw an accused being beaten up and I got frightened (to tell you anything )." However, crime branch chief Rakesh Maria on Tuesday night told the media that his team got the "relevant case papers only on Tuesday morning and our investigations have JUST begun." Why this discrepancy in the status of inquiry ?
Q4) In his note Borje says that the way officials from Reliance (he does not specify which group) questioned him the previous day led him to believe that "I was being used." Used in which way? Borje's statement was to be recorded by the Crime Branch on Wednesday. Was he being pressured by the company to say certain things?
Q5) A day after the sand and stones were discovered, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group lodged a specific complaint that business rivals were behind the sabotage. Did they have any specific tip-off . If so, have they shared it with the investigators?
29/04/09 Mumbai Mirror/Economic Times

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ADAG withdraws contract with Air Works

Mumbai: Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group has withdrawn its agreement with Air Works Engineering India, which had the maintenance contract for Ambani's chopper.
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) company Reliance Transport & Travels alleged a possible sabotage attempt by business rivals of chairman Anil Ambani after the junior Ambani's Bell 412 helicopter had been tampered with.
It was noticed that the filler cap fitted on the combining gear box at the top of the helicopter did not appear to be fitted in a correct position.
The filler cap, which is about 10 feet from the ground, was then opened by Bharat Borge, a senior technician. There were pebbles and gravel in the filler neck.
Air Works Engineering India, which had the maintenance contract for Ambani's chopper, reported the incident at its Mumbai airport facility on April 23rd.
Bharat Borge, the technician who discovered the plot to sabotage industrialist Anil Ambani's chopper last Thursday was found dead Tuesday under mysterious circumstances.
29/04/09 Diksha Gupta/SamayLive

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Mechanic who found stones in Anil Ambani's chopper dead

Mumbai: In a mysterious turn in the case of alleged sabotage of industrialist Anil Ambani's helicopter, the man who spotted pebbles in its fueltank was found dead today on the railway track near Vile Parle here.
"Bharat Borge's body was found by police. A letter was found on his person," Government Railway Police Commissioner A K Sharma told reporters. He, however, refused to divulge the contents of the letter.
Borge was among the first persons to have spotted the fuel cap of Ambani's helicopter open on Thursday last and on inspection found pebbles and gravel inside.
Confirming the death of Borge, his employer Airworks India, the company, which had the contract for the maintenance of Ambani's helicopter, said in a statement that his demise was "unfortunate and tragic".
Borge's body was found dead on the railway track this evening between Vile Parle and Andheri suburban stations. He is suspected to have been run over by a Churchgate-bound fast local train near Vile Parle. His body has been sent for post-mortem.
Police were non-committal as to whether it could be a case of suicide, murder or accident.
The Mumbai Police, which is probing the sabotage case, has sought the opinion of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and aviation experts to determine the consequences if the helicopter had taken off.
"Preliminary investigations have suggested that if the helicopter had taken off, the pebbles would have damaged one of the two engines. This would have eventually forced the pilot to opt for an emergency landing,'' said a police officer.
Earlier, sources said the helicopter was on the tarmac which was not covered by CCTV cameras.
28/04/09 ET Bureau & Agencies/Economic Times

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IGI airport main runway to be shut for 5 months

New Delhi: Get ready for some major chaos at the IGI Airport in the coming few days. The main runway will probably be closed for recarpeting in the first week of May, leaving airlines with no option but to depend on the `jinxed' new runway and a smaller secondary runway for the about five months that the work will go on. Combined with an Airports Authority of India's (AAI) indefinite strike from May 1 and a swine flu scare, passengers will have a tough time coping with the confusion.
In a bid to reduce the total closure time of IGI Airport's main runway, the Delhi
International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) has scaled down its grand plans for modernising this airstrip. The earlier plan envisaged closing the runway for eight months and rebuild it completely.
Following advice from aviation ministry that DIAL must reduce the total closure time, the airport operator has now submitted a new plan to the government. Under this the top 50-cm layer of the runway would be removed and relaid. This work is proposed to be completed in five months. DIAL has sought permission to begin the work maximum by mid-May so that runway 28 which has the most reliable CAT III instrument landing system is back in use by the time foggy winter sets in.
"Ideally they want the work to begin in first week of May as the five month includes two months of monsoon when no work will happen. They will put a glass grid under the 50-cm layer. The runway surface has indeed deteriorated and after being scaled down, the new plan seems justified,'' said sources. The new plan is going to be considered at the earliest as a delayed approval may mean risk missing the winter deadline. Runway 28 has the most reliable ILS as IGI's newest airstrip (29) also has CAT III but its lights malfunction routinely.
29/04/09 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Dum Dum airport faces 48-hr shutdown

Kolkata: Two days before the state goes to the polls, Kolkata airport faces the prospect of a complete shutdown as the CITU-backed Airport Authority Employees Union (AAEU) has decided on a 48-hour strike starting from the midnight of April 29.
“Around 2,000 people cast their votes and 1,400 voted in favour of the strike while the others voted against it. But we are all united in this,” said CITU leader Swapan Gupta.
If the Union goes ahead with the strike as planned, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata will be the worst affected, as CITU’s writ runs large here perhaps the reason why the Left Front government is shying away from invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).
Members of AAEU alleged that around 4,500 employees in Delhi and Mumbai had been identified as surplus after the privatisation of these airports. “They have been asked to take voluntary retirement or get a transfer to any other airport that is still under AAI,” said an AAEU member, adding they have asked the management to let people complete their full term. “If not, we can go on an indefinite strike,” he said.
With all cleaning, electricity and other maintenance staff taking part in the strike, there would be dirty toilets and terminal buildings, power supply could be sabotaged and air conditioning systems may not work.
29/04/09 Express India

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India's Airport Expansion Stuck on the Runway

Those who have recently travelled through the spanking new domestic Terminal 1D at Delhi or the barely 12-month-old airports at Bangalore and Hyderabad know that world class infrastructure is possible in India. But travel by air through the country and you cannot escape the impression of how much still remains undone.
India's Ministry of Civil Aviation has estimated that the country needs an infusion of no less than U.S. $8 billion-$10 billion in its airport infrastructure to upgrade and modernize, expand its existing airports as well as building new ones.
Almost half that amount ($4.8 billion) will be sucked up by private companies who have built the airports at Kochi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and are in the process of vastly expanding the country's biggest aerodromes at Mumbai and Delhi. Delhi's new airport will have the capacity to handle 100 million passengers a year when it reaches its saturation point some time around 2026.
“In the current economic climate, that's not something any government should take lightly.”
With government debt estimated to rise to a dizzying $680 billion by March next year, there seems to be little chance of the government throwing in the missing billions of dollars needed to sort out the creaking aviation infrastructure in the country.
It's all the more surprising, then, that well-intentioned plans by the government to develop 35 smaller airports (so called non-metros) following the public-private partnership approach have come to nought.
Much time and effort has been invested by bidders, potential investors, central and state government officials, aviation consultants and other stakeholders to draft a Master Concession Agreement. It was to serve as a model for the transparent and efficient award of contracts – and, equally important – for the swift development of the selected airports.
Five companies including Anil Ambani-led Reliance Energy, Larsen & Toubro, Fraport AG (my company), Tata Infrastructure and Lanco Infrastructure had been shortlisted for the upgrading of Amritsar airport located in Punjab near the border with Pakistan.
We've been waiting for nearly two years without any information when or how the process would proceed. Strong opposition from the Airports Authority of India which does not want to see any more of its airports move into private hands and the Left Parties are the most plausible reasons for the government's procrastination and, if one is to believe unofficial sources from the AAI and MoCA, the likely scrapping of the bidding process altogether.
29/04/09 Ansgar Sickert, Managing Director,Fraport India/Wall Street Journal, US

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Airports to screen passengers

New Delhi: International airports in the country are gearing up to screen passengers for the swine flu virus.
Starting tonight, private airports in cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad will set up extra counters for medical screening of arriving international passengers.
According to a civil aviation ministry spokesperson, nine airports across the country, including Jaipur, Goa, Kochi, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, have been identified to set up special medical facilities.
Facilities including special screening areas, quarantine spaces for the likely victims of the flu and ambulances will be provided at the airports.
In addition, there will be a special form, which the airlines from the affected countries will have to get filled from their passengers arriving in India.
29/04/09 Business Standard

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Dozen wings to Dubai this winter

Calcutta: British Airways did not find it viable to operate even one flight a week from Calcutta but Emirates will fly a dozen a week from the city this winter.
The Dubai-based airline, which launched its operations in Calcutta in 2006 and now has a daily flight, will have two flights a day on five days of the week and one each on the other two days. The additional flights will start operating from the first week of December.
This is the first time that Calcutta will have “regular double daily flights” to any international destination. One flight will take off from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 8.30pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and arrive in Dubai at 12.30am. The other flight will operate daily, taking off at 8.55am and arriving in Dubai at 12.55pm.
The seven Calcutta flights are said to be recording an 80 per cent-plus average passenger load, on the wings of the withdrawal of British Airways and Gulf Air.
Emirates sources said the airline would be able to add the extra flights after acquiring a new aircraft in December. To lure passengers, the airline is also offering pick-up and drop for first class and business class passengers.
Calcutta airport officials were upbeat with the news of Emirates increasing frequency.
29/04/09 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Air staffer grounded for extortion

Mumbai: An Etihad Airways staffer was arrested by the airport police on Monday for not only allowing a passenger with a forged passport to board the flight but also extorting money from him. Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates.
According to police officials, this could help them to unearth another human trafficking racket; two Air India staffers were held by the crime branch for human trafficking in March. This is the second time an Etihad official has been arrested for irregularities (the first time, an official was held for `alleged' human trafficking in 2008).
The matter came to light when a passenger, Shyamlal Chand, was deported from Abu Dhabi on Monday and revealed the role of Sanjiv Kumar Gupta, an airline official, in allowing him to board the flight even though he had a false passport. Gupta works as a security agent for the airline and had `allegedly' asked Chand for an additional $200 to allow the latter to board the Mumbai-Abu Dhabi-Ireland flight. The passenger had managed to sneak in through the immigration counter at Mumbai airport.
"The role of the airline official was detected because the passenger was sent back from Abu Dhabi for travelling on a forged passport. The passenger has been detained and the airline official has also been held,'' senior inspector Dilip Patil said. "This could lead us to a bigger racket as we have always suspected the involvement of airline officials in human trafficking,'' he added.
29/04/09 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Don't travel to US, UK, Delhi warns citizens

New Delhi: India on Monday put its airports and seaports on high alert after the outbreak of swine influenza-A in parts of the world.
Over 5,000 passengers entering India from affected countries will be scanned daily for flu-like symptoms, while efforts are on to track people who have already entered from infected countries over the past 10 days.
After a health ministry and animal husbandry department's joint monitoring committee meeting, the government prepared a detailed plan to prevent and contain an outbreak. The government issued a travel advisory, asking Indians to "restrict or defer non-essential visits" to Mexico, US, UK, Spain, France, Canada and New Zealand -- the countries affected by swine flu.
Dr VN Katoch, director general, Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) said, "There is no infection in India so far. All measures are being taken."
He said: "Doctors will work round-the-clock at nine busy airports to screen travellers [from the affected countries]. We have alerted airlines to inform passengers to carry a fitness certificate with them. Passengers suspected to be infected with any flu will be isolated and tested for the H1N1 virus."
Over 40 specially trained doctors have been deputed to Delhi and Mumbai airports, as they handle bulk of the international traffic. However, in the absence of body temperature scanning machines, officials acknowledge it will be a chaotic exercise.
28/04/09 Vineeta Pandey/Daily News & Analysis

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AAI employees may go on strike from May 1

New Delhi: In a move that would have a major impact on flight services across the country, around 15,000 employees of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are planning to go on an indefinite countrywide strike from May 1.
The major point of contention is the “forceful” transfer of employees from privately-operated Mumbai and Delhi airports to other airports. Mumbai airport is operated by the GVK-led consortium Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) and the Delhi airport is operated by the GMR-led Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL).
Of the about 4,000 AAI employees at Delhi and Mumbai, around 3,000 have declined to join the consortia as had been proposed at the time of the privatisation of the airport. The reason, according to AAI employees, is that the private companies are not offering any kind of job security.
28/04/09 Business Standard

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Ambani chopper: DGCA opinion sought; pebbles sent to FSL

Mumbai: Mumbai police probing Anil Ambani's chopper sabotage case has sought the opinion of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and experts to establish the outcome had the chopper taken off, a top police official said today.
The officials have also sent seven pebbles found in the chopper's fuel tank to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis to establish their type and composition.
"We are taking the help of DGCA and other experts in the case. Pebbles which were found have also been sent for forensic test," Joint Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria told PTI.
Besides pebbles, some more samples found near the helicopter were also sent for forensic analysis.
Based on the opinion of experts, the culprits may be booked on charges of attempt to murder, police sources said, adding that now a case of creating mischief which may have endangered a life has been registered against the culprits.
So far, seven persons including two of management staff of the Air Works, which maintains the chopper, have been questioned in this case, police said.
28/04/09 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Six questioned in Anil Ambani chopper case

Mumbai: Six employees of Air Works Engineering India Pvt Ltd were on Monday questioned by the crime branch of the Mumbai Police over pebbles and mud being found in the oil tank of the gearbox of industrialist Anil Ambani's helicopter.
The police think a tiff between the maintenance firm's staff and management or a business rivalry could have led to the incident.
"We have written to the directorate general of civil aviation to seek their opinion," joint commissioner of police (crime) Rakesh Maria said. "It will help us to decide whether to apply section 307 of the IPC (attempted murder) in the case. As of now, the case is registered under section 440 (mischief)."
A crime branch officer said the police are also consulting helicopter experts. "They will help us to ascertain what would have happened in case of a mishap and who could be the person with knowledge about the gear box," the officer said. "We have seized a roster containing the names of those who could have visited the helicopter at the time of the incident."
On April 23, some pebbles were found inside the oil tank of the 13-seater twin-engine Bell 412 chopper.
28/04/09 Somendra Sharma/Daily News & Analysis

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Air India, Jet says to follow advisories on swine flu

Mumbai: Leading carriers the Air India and the Jet Airways today said that they would abide by the advisory issued by health authorities following the swine flu epidemic in several countries, including Mexico and the US.
"We will abide by advisories issued by any health authority, guiding authority, to take requisite measures to deal with the flu," an Air India spokesperson told PTI here.
Private airline, Jet Airways, also maintained a similar line and said that it would do everything in compliance with national and international health authorities to prevent the epidemic from spreading.
"We are evaluating the situation and will do everything in compliance with national and international health authorities," a Jet Airways official said.
The airline had a contingency plan in place and it would be activated as and when necessary, the official said.
27/04/09 Noor Khan/SamyLive

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Move to impose user fee draws flak

Tiruchi: A proposal to levy a “hefty” user development fee on passengers at the new airport terminal in the city has caused much consternation among the travel trade and air operators.
While the new terminal, built at an investment of Rs.80 crore by the Airports Authority of India, is yet to become functional, news about the proposed levy has come as a dampener for the travel industry which eagerly awaits the terminal to become operational.
According to sources, airlines have been informally told that passengers departing from the new terminal on international flights would have to shell out Rs.1,000 each towards the user development fee. For domestic passengers, it will be Rs.200 per head.
The fee is expected to be collected directly by the AAI at the airport.
Sources say that this will be a uniform levy in the airports recently developed by the AAI.
The user development fee was fixed at the government level and there was nothing they could do about it.
While officials say that the user development fee charged in some of the airports, especially the private ones, were much higher, air operators and travel industry representatives say that Tiruchi cannot be put on par with airports in the metro cities.
“This is still a developing airport and an emerging market. Here, labour traffic accounts for a major portion of passengers flying out to destinations abroad and these travellers would demur at such a high fee,” says an officer of an airline operating flights out of Tiruchi.
27/04/09 Hindu

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Open sky? Trust A-I to make it an open fly

Kolkata: If it weren't so absurd it would be funny. Passengers on the domestic Kolkata-Delhi-Kolkata sector of Air-India's international flights are asked to declare that they possess valid customs clearance documents for the zip fasteners on their pants. Such documents are also required for watches and mobile phones made overseas, and even for carrying more than Rs 5,000.
Air-India operates two flights in either direction on this sector every day. The flights use the international terminals at Kolkata and Delhi airports. They are popular because the fares offered are generally about 30 per cent lower than the cheapest budget airlines.
But passengers on these flights have to sign a declaration to the effect that they either do not possess a specified list of goods, or that if they do possess them have valid customs clearance documents.
The list includes watches, watch movements or parts of foreign origin; transistors and diodes; photographic cameras including video cameras; TV sets, VCRs, VCPs and video tapes; zip fasteners; any other electronic items; gold bullion and gold jewellery; silver bullion and coins and foreign currency. “They talk about liberalization. But this is just the sort of puerile, socialist-era nonsense we can expect of the Indian bureaucracy,” said an irate passenger on board AI-102 to Kolkata.
“When I told the Customs officer who handed out the declaration forms that this was silly beyond belief, he told me not to worry as it was only a formality,” said another passenger. “Of course, it will only be a formality for educated people, but imagine the sort of mischief they can get up to with illiterate or semi-literate people who choose the service because of its competitive fare.”
Another passenger asked: “Included in the list of goods of foreign origin is ‘Indian currency beyond Rs 5,000'. Do they mean we are allowed to carry counterfeit Indian currency printed overseas up to Rs 5,000? Or do they intend to ban possession of more than Rs 5,000 on a domestic flight?”
Most of the goods on the list are freely imported and sold in the country, especially cameras, video-cameras, mobile phones, watches, televisions and electronic goods.
27/04/09 The Statesman

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Better security sought after Ambani chopper sabotage complaint

New Delhi: A leading chamber has sought better security for corporate chiefs and sensitive establishments after an attempt was allegedly made to sabotage a chopper that belongs to the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group.
Most industrialists declined to comment on record over the specific issue, saying the matter was sensitive, but they maintained that lax security for corporate chiefs and industrial establishments was a matter of concern.
"This is a very unfortunate incident that has happened," said Sajjan Jindal, president of the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) and a leading industrialist himself.
"More shockingly it has happened to a leading industrialist and it shows the loopholes in our security system," Jindal told IANS.
"Assocham condemns this incident and urges that security at such sensitive places must be looked into afresh so that such incidents do not happen in future."
The Anil Ambani Group had alleged a conspiracy by possible business rivals to murder the company chairman after pebbles and gravel were found in the gear box of his chopper and demanded a probe into the possible sabotage.
The group also wrote a strongly-worded letter to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, even as the Mumbai police Crime Branch started investigations into the matter.
25/04/09 IANS/Economic Times

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Mud in copter: Cops study case details; yet to decide on charge

After the Anil Dirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) alleged on Friday that the sabotage of Anil Ambani's Bell 412 helicopter was engineered by a business rival with the intention of killing him, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Saturday stated that it was closely studying the complaint and the case details before taking a call on whether a charge of attempted murder should be applied in the case.
On Friday, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch on orders from Mumbai Police Commissioner Hassan Gafoor. A special team of hand-picked officers, which includes policemen with past experience in airport procedures, has been assigned the task of probing the case.
So far, the police have applied Section 440 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), pertaining to mischief committed after preparation made for causing death or hurt, but they are yet to apply Section 307 (attempt to murder) in the case.
“...If necessary, we will also seek the opinion of someone with expertise in aviation,” said a senior Crime Branch official, who did not wish to be named.
“We are probing who all had access to the helicopter at different stages. We are still questioning four employees of the maintenance company Air Works for details, but no concrete leads have emerged yet,” said the officer. The four persons who were detained for questioning have been identified as Bharat Borge, Ramshankar Chauhan, Uday Warekar and Palraj Thevar. While two are technicians, the other two are helpers.
According to an official statement released by Air Works on Saturday, the company has asked its non-technical helpers to stay off-duty while the probe is on.
According to Air Works, the existing security at the hangar has been beefed up and they are working with the ADAG to replace the damaged component and get the helicopter airworthy at the earliest. On Thursday night, while the helicopter was going through a maintenance check at Air Work's hanger in Kalina, a technician noticed that the cap of the fuel tank was open, and then found mud and gravel inside the fuel tank. According to the complaint lodged by ADAG, the mud and gravel could have caused mid-air loss of power in the engines if it had reached the gear-box.
26/04/09 ExpressIndia

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Airworks uses copter incident as excuse to do away with Rs 4 crore dues: Workers Union

Mumbai: In response to the incident where pebbles were discovered in the chopper of industrialist Anil Ambani, Air Works Engineering Private Limited (AWEPL) has stopped 52 of its workers from entering their premises till the matter is solved. The action came after the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) and the Airport police pointed out the involvement of insiders and lax security. However, the restrained workers found it difficult to digest the action as it was taken a day after ADAG had approached the Mumbai crime branch.
On the evening of April 24, AWEPL issued letters to 52 out of 180 of its employees asking them not to report to work till further intimation. "Due to the April 22 incident that took place within the premises of Airworks hangar, we prohibit 52 suspected employees from entering the premises due to security reasons," reads the letter. The prohibited employees include helpers, drivers and carpenters.
Protesting against the order, disheartened employees held a dharna near gate number 8 at old airport, Kalina. "This incident has given an excuse to the AWEPL management to wash away their hands off the Rs4 crore dues they are supposed to pay us," says Arjun B Jadav, president, Maharashtra General Kamgar Mahasangh and employees union of the AWEPL workers.
"For the last 10 years we have been fighting for our dues in the labour court.The management had appealed in the Mumbai high court and lost. Still they are not giving us our dues and have now come up with such tricks to harass us. If they do not retract their orders we will go and meet Anil Ambani," he said.
26/04/09 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Stay off duty, 52 Air Works staffers told

Mumbai: Taking a serious view of the Anil Ambani helicopter sabotage case, Air Works has asked 52 of its non-technical helper staff to remain off duty till the investigations are over.
Air Works handles repair and maintenance for Anil’s Bell 412 chopper, which was recently found with stones in one of its fuel tanks.
“Air Works has “advised’’ 52 of its non-technical helper staff to remain off duty till the investigation is over,’’ a company spokesperson said. Air Works has 60 non-technical helpers; there are a total of 200 employees, officials and managerial staff in Mumbai.
Police officials suspect that a dispute between an employees’ union of Air Works and the management is the reason behind the sabotage attempt.
The matter pertains to a police case filed by an Air Works official on Thursday alleging that unknown persons had tried to sabotage Anil’s chopper, which was parked in their hangar for repair and maintenance. The case was transferred to the crime branch the next day after a senior Reliance pilot alleged that stones were put in the fuel tanks with an intention to kill.
On Saturday, four Air Works employees were questioned by a crime branch special team. Officials said two of these employees were part of a team that was assigned the maintenance and repair work of the particular chopper; the other two employees were called in on suspicion. Crime branch officials also visited the Mumbai airport and examined the spot where the chopper was parked.
26/04/09 Manju V & Vijay V Singh/Times of India

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Tulihal airport expansion tasks speeding up

Imphal: In connection with upgradation of the Tulihal Airport at Imphal to International standard, the tasks related to expansion of the airport is likely to be taken up on war footing very soon.
According to a source, a joint meeting presided over by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh was held at the CM's Secretariat today and discussed issues on expansion plan and necessary measures in this regard at the earliest possible.Officials of the Transport Department, Deputy Commissioner of Imphal West District and representatives of Airport Authority of India attended the meeting. During the meeting, the State Government assured that the land acquired for expansion of the airport would be handed over to the Airport Authority of India along with taking up necessary measures for expansion of the airport.
The source informed that disbursal of 80 percent of the compensation for the acquired land for expansion of the airport has been completed.
But payment of compensation for the standing properties is yet to be started though it is expected to begin very soon, the source added.
Today's meeting had also deliberated on the necessity of erecting fencing around the acquired land where there is no more dispute at the earliest possible, the source further informed.
25/04/09 The Sangai Express/E-Pao.net

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Defence Ministry to decide fate of ‘modern’ Chandigarh airport

Chandigarh: The modernisation process at the Chandigarh Airport faces a speed breaker with the issue of land transfer pending for sometime now.
Though talks on acquiring land surrounding the airport were initiated a long time ago with the Army and Air Force authorities, the official request was made on February 15, 2008.
The Airport Authority of India (AAI), on behalf of the Chandigarh Airport, had requested the UT Administration to transfer a total of 5.1 acres of Army and Air force land for the expansion of the tarmac area, cargo terminal operations and extension of the connecting road to the airport.
Officials of the UT Administration now blame the delayon part of the defence authorities. “The proposal is still pending with the Ministry of Defence. The Administration has received no communication from the authorities,” said Finance Secretary Sanjay Kumar, who is dealing with the case.
According to airport officials, nearly an acre of land has been requested from the
Air Force for the expansion of the parking area. In lieu of these 5.1 acres, land has been offered in Hallomajra, Chandigarh.
The modern airport boasting of latest facilities is likely to be declared open to the public by August this year.
25/04/09 RituSharma/Indian Express

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Delhi handles more air passengers than Mumbai

New Delhi: Delhi has replaced Mumbai as the airport handling the maximum number of air travellers.
The latest data collated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) show that during January-March this year, Delhi handled 5.93 million passengers, while Mumbai handled 5.75 million passengers.
The data show that Mumbai handled 102,498 fewer international passengers than the 2.06 million international passengers that Delhi handled during January-March. During the period, 3.86 million domestic passengers passed through Delhi while Mumbai handled almost 74,731 fewer passengers.
Interestingly, Mumbai continues to see more aircraft land there compared with the airport here. The latest data show that during the first quarter while Mumbai handled 56,129 aircraft Delhi saw 53,173 aircraft pass through during the corresponding period.
Industry analysts point out that one reason for Mumbai handling more aircraft despite passenger traffic declining could be because of the smaller variety of aircraft that are operated by several international airlines.
25/04/09 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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Chandigarh-Delhi airfare hits rock bottom

Chandigarh: With holiday season at hand, airlines have started introducing attractive offers to lure passengers. While private airline GoAir is offering a cheap plan where passengers have to pay only Rs 800 (all inclusive) from Chandigarh to Delhi, public sector giant Air India has offered heavy discounts in its fares for various domestic flights.
GoAir has recently introduced a flight from Chandigarh to Delhi, Mumbai and Goa. According to GoAir officials, it would charge Rs 800 (economy) all-inclusive from Chandigarh to Delhi and Rs 1,300 under business class for the same route under their special summer vacation plan. It has also offered the benefit of carrying luggage up to 25 kg in economy and 35 kg in business classes.
The plan is available under their Go-Promo plan and would be in force for a limited period. According to company officials, those keen to avail the offer should purchase tickets by April 30, 2009 which will be valid for travel till August 31, 2009.
Air India has also offered heavy discounts in its domestic flights for various destinations. They have offered Rs 2,909 (all inclusive) from Chandigarh to Mumbai and Rs 1,899 from Chandigarh to Delhi. To avail the plans of Air India, passengers have to book their flights 30 days in advance.
25/04/09 Ajay Sura/Times of India

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Radar snag: 15 flights delayed at Bengaluru

Bangalore: Travel plans of passengers went haywire as they were stranded at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) on Friday for five hours. Operations were affected between 5.30 am and 11.30 am due to malfunctioning of the primary radar equipment.
During this time, four flights were diverted to Chennai and several other flights (departing and arriving) were delayed by approximately 30 to 40 minutes. The operations resumed after 11.30 am.
Sources said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) which is in charge of air traffic control had sought time to rectify the snag and had chosen the wee hours of the day to do it as the flight density is low. However, they could not set it right on time and flights had to be diverted and a few delays occurred as well.
“They had conveyed that things would be set right by 5.30 am and then extended it by an hour. Finally, they were able to set it right only by 11.30 am,” said sources.
25/04/09 ExpressBuzz

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Anil Ambani alleges chopper sabotage, murder conspiracy

Mumbai: Industrialist Anil Ambani has alleged a "conspiracy" to murder him after pebbles and gravel were found in the gear box of his helicopter and demanded a probe into the "sabotage". The Mumbai Crime Branch on Friday evening decided to take over the investigations.
The Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group wrote a strongly-worded letter to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, alleging "a conspiracy to murder" its chairman Anil Ambani and demanding a thorough probe into the incident.
Announcing that the Mumbai Crime Branch was taking over the probe, Joint Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria told reporters late on Friday evening: "We have asked the local police to transfer the case to us and we shall carry out further investigations into the matter."
The police plan to set up a special probe team to inquire into the incident which has sent shockwaves in business and aviation circles.
Air Works India Engineering Pvt Ltd, which was engaged in maintaining the 13-seater, twin-engined Bell 412 helicopter (No. VT-RCL) since October 2006, has put off duty its entire maintenance engineering staff of 52 for at least one day, or till the police probe into the incident is completed, a company spokesman said.
"We are fully co-operating with the investigators and we felt that till the probe is over, none of our engineers should be present or hamper the investigations in any manner," the spokesman said in Mumbai tonight.
In the letter addressed to Chavan, Capt RN Joshi, senior pilot with Reliance Transport & Travels Pvt Ltd, giving a detailed account of the incident, said: "The planned manner in which the pebbles and gravel were put in the filler cap, at a height of 10 feet above the ground in the gear box, and the gear box cap was closed thereafter, clearly shows that some persons and possible business rivals were attempting to take away the life of Anil Ambani. This is clearly an attempt to murder."
The letter adds that this would not have been possible without the active involvement of Air Works technicians and the operation was carried out with expert help. Only 13 Air Works technicians - whose names are given in the letter - had access to the helicopter, Capt Joshi added.
Though the Santacruz Airport police station, where Air Works lodged a complaint at 5.30 pm on Thursday, has detained four and questioned several other Air Works employees in connection with the incident, there is no further progress in the incident, a police official said.
24/04/09 Indo-Asian News Service/Hindustan Times

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Four detained for suspected sabotage of Ambani chopper

Mumbai: Four people have been detained in connection with Thursday's suspected sabotage of industrialist Anil Ambani's chopper that he was supposed to have flown from the Mahalaxmi Race Course helipad to his office in Navi Mumbai before the incident was detected.
"We are still investigating the matter and questioning the people concerned with the helicopter's maintenance," said Senior Inspector S.M. Ghuge of the Santacruz Airport Police Station.
Ambani didn't finally take the 20-minute flight on Thursday, a company source said, as he was tied up with a board meeting. Later in the day, maintenance personnel discovered pebbles, small stones and mud in the fuel tank, and said if it had gone undetected, it could have led to a disaster while in flight.
"Usually, on all Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays, he (Anil Ambani) takes this chopper to fly to his office in Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City," the source said.
The source said there were several other big and small choppers parked near Ambani's, but none was touched by the suspected saboteurs.
A senior official of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said the Bell 412 13-seater helicopter was for non-scheduled operations. "We are in no way connected with their regular operations, or any other issue," the official said.
A spokesman for Air Works India Engineering, which is responsible for the maintenance of the helicopter, told IANS that a technician discovered that the chopper was tampered with after he noticed that the oil tank valve cap was not fitted properly.
24/04/09 IANS/Economic Times

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‘Chopper fuel tank had seven stones’

Mumbai: Reliance ADA Group chairman Anil Ambani’s workhorse, his Bell 412 helicopter, was allegedly sabotaged. ‘‘Around 4 pm, a technician noticed that the cover of one of the fuel tanks was not fitted properly. When he opened the lid, he found seven small stones inside,’’ said Somnath Ghughe, senior police inspector, airport police station.
A Bell 412 chopper has two fuel tanks with a combined capacity of 2,150 pounds and can fly for about two-and-a-half hours with full tanks.
The complaint filed by Sudhakar Surve, an Air Works official, stated that the stones could have entered the gear combine and caused serious damage to the aircraft while in flight.
24/04/09 Manju V & Vijay V Singh/Times of India

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Worker-management tiff behind Anil's chopper trouble?

Mumbai: The rivalry between workers and management of Air Works Engineering Private Limited (AWEPL) could have resulted in pebbles and mud landing up in the oil tank of the gearbox of Anil Ambani's helicopter.
AWEPL is in charge of aircraft maintenance of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) and the aircraft was in their premises when the incident happened.
An officer from the airport police station in Santa Cruz said AWEPL management owed Rs4 crore as dues to its employees. "The matter is pending in the Bombay High Court and labour court," the officer said.
"Employees keep creating trouble. In November 2007, wheel parts worth Rs6 lakh of an Essar India charter plane were stolen. Investigations showed that an insider was involved," he said. Essar India too is a client of AWEPL.
"The incident happened on the airport tarmac. Now, we might have to post security guards near the choppers," Ravi Menon, the AWEPL director, said.
25/04/09 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Rivals attempting to murder Anil Ambani, allege his group

Mumbai: Anil Ambani led group alleged on Friday that business rivals may be behind an "attempt to murder" the industrialist by trying to sabotage his helicopter, even as the police were questioning four employees of an aircraft maintenance company.
"The planned manner in which the pebbles and gravel were put in the filler cap at a height of 10-feet in the gear box and the gear box cap was closed thereafter, clearly shows that some persons, possible business rivals, were attempting to take away the life of Anil Ambani, India's second richest with a networth of USD 10.1 billion.
Shortly after the complaint was made, Mumbai Police Commissioner Hassan Gafoor ordered the transfer of the case, lodged after a complaint by the aircraft maintenance company Airworks India Ltd, to the crime branch. In his complaint, Joshi, a senior pilot, said the entire incident would not have been possible "without active involvement and aid of the persons working for Airworks, without the permission of cooperation of which no one could have had access to the said helicopter Bell-412," which Anil was scheduled to fly this morning.
24/04/09 Agencies/Indian Express

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Chandigarh International Airport to be launched in October 2009

Mumbai: International flights will not be able to take off from the upcoming Chandigarh International Airport in Mohali at least till October this year, with the requisite infrastructure needed at the upcoming airport. The earlier plan of launching these operations by June this year have run into rough weather as the proposed Joint Venture comprising representatives from Airport Authority of India, Haryana and Punjab has failed to take shape. As a result no international carriers have come forward with a proposal to begin operations. According to a report in Times of India by Anand Bodh, Sunil Dutt, Director, Chandigarh Airport said that before they can begin flying, international players need to apply to Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) for required permission. Once that comes through, it takes two to three months to take off.
The failure of authorities in improving facilities seems to be keeping the project in a slow mode. Officials said with the new terminal building yet to be completed, there’s no space for custom officials to set base.
24/04/09 TravelBizMonitor

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BIA off radar, many flights hit

Bangalore: Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) went off the radar of air travellers for six hours on Friday morning. The primary radar equipment at the new airport’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower malfunctioned resulting in severe delays and forcing several incoming flights to be diverted to Chennai. The malfunction is being attributed to certain software issues with the radar equipment.
As a result, ATC personnel had to switch over to back-up instruments to control the air traffic over Bangalore air space. BIA officials said operations at the airport were affected between 5.30 am and 11.30 am. “During this time, four flights were diverted to Chennai and several other flights (departing and arriving) were delayed by 30-40 minutes,” officials said.
About 17 of Kingfisher Airlines flights were delayed by 45 minutes. The airline’s flight IT064 from Colombo was diverted to the Chennai airport. Due to this, Kingfisher’s flight from Bangalore to London was delayed by over 2 hours, as 45 passengers on-board the Colombo flight were on their way to London.
Some of the other flights diverted to Chennai include Jet Airways flight 9W411 from Mumbai and flight 9W801 from Delhi. A SpiceJet passenger, who was scheduled to arrive at 9.15 on Friday morning, said he landed an hour late.
25/04/09 Times of India

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Man flew in from Delhi abandons suitcase with drugs in Malaysian airport

Kuala Lumpur: An alleged smuggler who flew in from New Delhi nonchalantly walked out of a Malaysian airport leaving behind a suitcase with 25 kgs of drugs, after sensing that he was being watched.
The incident occurred at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport where customs officers found a suitcase containing 25 kg of ketamine worth around Rs 13 lakh. The officers found the suitcase at the arrival hall in which the drugs were packed in 25 packets labelled as food supplements.
The daily did not identify the nationality or the identity of the alleged smuggler.
24/04/09 PTI/Indopia

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Govt may appoint chiefs of AI, AERA today

New Delhi: A high-level meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar is likely to take a decision on the appointment of chiefs of national carrier Air India and the newly-created Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) on Friday.
The meeting, to be attended by civil aviation secretary M Madhavan Nambiar and public enterprises selection board chairman Naresh Narad, was earlier slated to decide only on appointing the chairman of AERA, a bill for which was passed in Parliament six months ago.
However, later the search for a new CMD of the national carrier was added on its agenda, official sources said.
While denying speculation that Air India CMD Raghu Menon had quit, AI officials had last night said that he was on leave for personal reasons till month-end.
Menon, an IAS officer of 1974 batch, was appointed CMD of Air India last April. As per his appointment, he can remain at the helm of Air India till 2010. He was the front-runner for the post of the AERA chairman, along with former AAI chief K Ramalingam and others.
The AERA, which would have a chairman and two members, would monitor standards, regulate tariff and adjudicate disputes.
24/04/09 PTI/Times of India

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Court allows transfer of 2,000 AAI employees

Mumbai: Observing that privatisation of airports is in public interest, the Bombay High Court on Thursday allowed the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to transfer nearly 2,000 permanent employees to airports outside Mumbai.
Vacating the stay granted by a single judge last week on the transfer orders, justice DK Deshmukh and justice RS Mohite observed that privatisation is in public interest and workers' fundamental rights are subject to it.
The order is a jolt to airport workers' unions, who are fighting to hold on to their jobs in other cities where airports have also been privatised. The workers' plea for a stay of the HC order was rejected. The workers are now likely to approach the Supreme Court.
The 2,000-strong workforce of AAI's non-executive staff in Mumbai will be rendered surplus from May 3 when the three-year settling in period of AAI's 2006 agreement to lease out of airport maintenance to the Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL) ends. As per the operation management development agreement (OMDA) between AAI and MIAL, the AAI employees could continue to work in the same positions for three years after MIAL took over the Mumbai airportin 2006. Of the 2,112 AAI employees, 161 joined MIAL and 600 were given the option of transfers to other airports. AAI contended that if the workers were not transferred then from May 3 there would be chaos at the Mumbai airport owing to surplus staff. The workers had contended before the court that the OMDA envisaged that those who did not join MIAL would become surplus and would eventually be retrenched.
24/04/09 Anshika Misra/Daily News & Analysis

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Major brands make beeline for new terminal at Delhi airport

New Delhi: Major retail and food and beverage (F&B) brands like Swarovski, Croma, Satya Paul, Fresco and Haldiram’s are lining up to set up shop at the new domestic departure terminal at the Delhi airport.
These would add to the already existing big names like Pizza Hut, KFC, Cream Bell, osta Coffee, Fab India, Hidesign and Odyssey that have already opened shop at the terminal.
However, while most companies are positive about business at the terminal, called T1D, there are others who find the revenue-sharing model on their outlets unviable.
According to information from the GMR-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the consortium operating and modernising the Delhi airport, a total of 12 F&B and retail outlets are already operating at the terminal, while 10 more are going to set up shop in a span of 2-3 weeks. Barring the new terminal, the total number of F&B and retail outlets in all the other four domestic and international terminals is less than 15. Out of a total area of 35,000 square metres in T1D, the total commercial area would be 1,800 square metres. The existing departure terminal has an area of 650 square metres out of a total of 18,000 square metres allotted to the commercial segment.
Dilip Kapur, CEO of fashion accessory major Hidesign whose outlets are present at the Hyderabad and Bangalore airports, said that he was expecting the highest turnover from the Delhi airport.
Unlike in older terminals wherein the companies had to give DIAL a share of there revenues, as well as a monthly space rental, the deal in T1D entails a minimum guarantee amount as well as around 10 per cent share of the revenue, sources said.
23/04/09 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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Works at Coimbatore airport nearing completion

Coimbatore: The ongoing development works at the Coimbatore Airport for handling the increase in passenger and air traffic are nearing completion, said M.R. Vasudeva, Airport Director.
Talking to The Hindu, Mr. Vasudeva said that the airport runway earlier was 7,500 ft and the same had been extended to 9,520 ft. With works on for fixing threshold and approach lights, very shortly the runway would become operational.
Airport Authority of India is planning to give NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) on the extended runway and could be used after 56 days. This would enable landing of wide-bodied and fat-bellied aircraft without major restrictions on load or fuel.
The glide path in the Instrument Landing System (ILS) would be shifted to guide the landing aircraft. The final objective was to extend the runway to 11,000 ft.
Works are already under way for expanding the terminal building with a capacity for 300 passengers in order to accommodate 700 passengers at a cost of Rs. 78 crore by increasing the area from 6,000 sq.m. to 14,700 sq.m.
The terminal building expansion would include modern arrival hall besides improvements to the structure. The new building would have additional lounges such as VIP and Executive.It would also have two aerobridges with visual docking guidance system, four escalators and elevators and modern passenger baggage handling systems.The approach road from Sitra Junction to the airport would be widened and the AAI was waiting for the local body to hand over the road.
23/04/09 V.S. Palaniappan/The Hindu

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Cochin international airport profits touch Rs.60.32 crore

Thiruvananthapuram: Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) Wednesday announced a pre-tax profit of Rs.60.32 crore (Rs.603.2 million) for the fiscal year 2008-09.
Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who is also chairman of CIAL, after a meeting of the board of directors said the profit after tax has seen a sharp rise from Rs.47.12 crore (Rs.471.2 million) in 2007-08.
“The meeting also approved a budget for the current fiscal for Rs.207 crore (Rs.2.07 billion) and we foresee an expenditure of Rs.155 crore (Rs.1.55 billion),” he told reporters.Achuthanandan also added that CIAL plans to set up a management academy in the current year.
According to the company’s website, CIAL had an annual passenger movement of over 2.6 million and 386 aircraft movements per week. Currently, 10 domestic and 16 international airlines operate from CIAL.
22/04/09 IANS/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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AAI employess union on srike over transfers

New Delhi: The largest workers’ union at airport regulator Airports Authority of India, or AAI, has begun a protest across the country’s airports, blaming the management and the civil aviation ministry for overlooking employees interests three years after privatization of Delhi and Mumbai airports, and has threatened to strike work if issues are not resolved early.
At least 4,000 employees have to be relocated from the two biggest airports in India by early May as per terms of a May 2006 privatization agreement between the AAI and the private consortia running the two airports: Delhi International Airport Pvt. Ltd, or DIAL, and Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd, or Mial.
Most of the AAI workers at the two airports have declined to join DIAL and Mial because job security is not guaranteed to them under the 2006 agreement. AAI runs airports through an eponymous unit.
“When a firm promise (at the time of privatization) was made by honourable minister (civil aviation minister Praful Patel) that nothing will happen to employees, now arbitrarily how can (AAI) send people from Delhi and Mumbai to small stations where there is no requirement of people,” said M. K. Ghoshal, general secretary at the Airports Authority Employees Union.
AAI employees were being asked to go to smaller airports such as Dehradun or Imphal or take up the “voluntary retirement scheme”, dates for which have been extended till end of this month, Ghoshal said.
22/04/09 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Kingfisher Airlines contract employees stage protest

Hyderabad: Nearly 120 contract employees, including drivers, luggage boys and handlers working with Universal Aviation Services for Kingfisher Airlines at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Shamshabad, held protests demanding wages on Wednesday.
According to RGIA inspector S Jayaram, the airport authorities have made alternate arrangements at the airport for not causing inconvenience to passengers in view of the protest. A representative from Kingfisher Airlines, Chennai, arrived on Wednesday and held talks with the employees regarding payment of wages. After the talks, the employees resumed their duties, the inspector added.
23/04/09 Times of India

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IHC Obtains Extension for Its Delhi Air Catering Unit

London: India Hospitality Corp. today announced that it has obtained a contract extension for its Delhi Air Catering Unit until March 2011. The contract was originally set to expire in March 2009.
The extension enables SkyGourmet to continue its operations in the state-of-the-art facility and grow its business from the existing facility, which was built in March 2007, without incurring any additional capital expenditures. As a part of the privatization initiative, Delhi International Airport is currently being remodeled and expanded by a consortium led by GMR Group, which will position Delhi as the largest airport in India and amongst the biggest in Asia.
"We are pleased to extend our relationship with Delhi International Airport and look forward to its expansion," said Chief Executive Officer Ravi Deol. "This extension provides additional cash flow visibility for SkyGourmet and demonstrates that SkyGourmet remains the premier air catering service in India."
22/04/09 PRNewswire

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Airlines reluctant to shift to new terminal at Delhi

New Delhi: Even as the Delhi airport’s sparkling new domestic departure terminal opened on Sunday, full-service carriers including Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines are already complaining about the extra costs they will have to incur in shifting to the new terminal.
Executives of Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines told Business Standard that they found it unnecessary to shell out an extra Rs 10 crore for this new terminal, especially since they would have to shift to the new integrated terminal — T3 — in less than a year. T3, when it begins functioning in March 2010, will be an integrated terminal for all operators.
Kingfisher, Kingfisher Red and IndiGo have already started operations from the new T1D terminal, while Jet Airways, JetLite and SpiceJet are yet to shift.
“Setting up back-offices would cost us Rs 2-3 crore. Also, for contracts for the common user terminal equipment (CUTE), we would have to shell out Rs 10 crore more,” said an executive from one of the carriers.
“We are being shifted to T3, which DIAL says will come up in March 2010,” he added. Executives also said there were problems due to faulty baggage belts and air conditioning system at the new departure terminal.
When contacted, a DIAL spokesperson said, “We can say that the executives of the highest levels in all these airlines are very keen to shift to the new terminal because of the new experience it offers the passengers. Unlike what has been spread, the CUTE charges only come to Rs 35 per passenger, which will not be high as Rs 10 crore.”
“We had to shift to the new terminal because the older one had become too congested. There have been some teething problems but they are much less compared to other airports. We had only three flights delayed yesterday and those delays were only for 5-10 minutes,” he added.
21/04/09 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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Kingfisher A320 took out runway edge lights on landing

A Kingfisher Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration VT-KFT performing flight IT-432 from Hyderabad to Bangalore (India) with 138 people on board, was landing in rain and high winds around 9:35pm local (16:05Z), when the airplane veered to the left of the runway and took out 10-12 runway edge lights. The airplane stopped on the runway and taxied to the gate. At the gate it was detected, that the airplane received structural damages. All four main wheels were found damaged as well.The runway was closed for about one hour to clear the debris and replace the edge lights.
A local (non-aviation) weather station reported winds from 290 at 10 knots and a rapidly increasing QNH at the accident time.
20/04/09 Simon Hradecky/The Aviation Herald

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Man held with forged passport

Kolkata: Emigration officials at NSC Bose Airport today held an Indian resident, who was born in China and later took Canadian citizenship, for travelling with a forged passport. A page of the passport was also torn. Mr Peh Chee Chiu (38) resided in Tangra area and left for Canada in 1990. He obtained Canadian citizenship in 1993. In 2004, he came to India with a Canadian passport with two years visa. In 2006, he renewed the visa for another two years which expired last year. He tried to renew his Canadian passport from Delhi but his appeal was rejected. With Canadian passport having become invalid, he managed to procure an Indian passport on a Tatkal basis. While he was trying to go to Hong Kong via Bangkok early this morning, emigration officials detected some discrepancy in the passport and started questioning him. Initially pleading innocence, the man later broke down and confessed to having procured the forged passport. He was handed over to the police.
20/04/09 The Statesman

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Chemicals on AI plane put 114 lives at risk

New Delhi: The recent smuggling of 210 litres of acetic anhydride on an Air India flight to Kabul not only exposed the chinks in India’s airport security but also put the lives of 114 passengers at risk as the banned chemical is known to be highly combustible.
In a mockery of the stringent security measures put in place at all airports, the consignment passed through Customs scanners at Indira Gandhi International Airport and was loaded onto Air India’s flight IC-843 to Kabul on March 22 along with luggage and other shipment.
Initial investigation has revealed scary details. A highly corrosive and inflammable substance, acetic anhydride was concealed in consignments of clothes and medicines along with luggage of passengers — turning the Air India flight virtually into a flying coffin. Even a small leakage of the substance could have triggered a blast.
Sources said acetic anhydride, if it comes in contact with water, causes blast. The acid, used to refine opium into high-grade heroin, was smuggled into Afghanistan despite an alert issued by Kabul.
The Air India flight, besides the luggage of passengers, had five consignments that included more than 1,500 kg of apparel, 2,000 kg of medicines and 300 kg of printed matter. Given the high-priority attached to security of passenger aircraft and a host of anti-hijacking measures deployed by the government after the Kandahar incident, the smuggling of acetic anhydride by the official carrier has come as a big blow to the security apparatus.
It is quite surprising that Customs’ high-density scanners could not detect the huge pack of highly inflammable chemical when even a small bottle of deodorant is identified and not allowed to be carried in hand baggage, a senior home ministry official said.
In fact, Kabul had alerted New Delhi just a month ago to take preventive steps to ensure that no drug precursor was sent to Afghanistan as there was no legitimate use of that chemical on its land. The alert had the undertone of a warning as Kabul believes that part of the acid used by drug traffickers in Afghanistan to refine opium into heroin is smuggled from India besides other sources such as the CIS countries and Pakistan.
20/04/09 Pradeep Thakur/Times of India

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Fence plan for Calcutta airport jackals

Calcutta: The forest department has proposed that the two runways in the airport be fenced to keep jackals at bay, putting the authorities in a fix since rules prohibit construction in the area.
“The rules say there should not be any obstruction within 280 metres on either side of a runway. This is the first time any airport has received a proposal to fence the runways to stop jackals,” said a senior Calcutta airport official.
“We will forward the proposal to the Delhi headquarters and wait for its decision,” he added.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had last year requested the state forest department to conduct a survey for relocating jackals that live in the airfield. The forest officials recently suggested that 10ft high metal wire fences be erected on both sides of the primary and secondary runways (see graphic).
The primary runway is 3,627 metres while the secondary runway is 2,819 metres. The secondary runway is being extended by 410 metres on the southern side. According to International Civil Aviation Organisation rules, there should be no obstruction within 280 metres of the runways for the safety of aircraft. “The wings of an aircraft can hit the fence. Safety issues need to be discussed before implementing the proposal,” said an airport official.
The forest department has also proposed that the AAI set up a team to observe the movement and behaviour of jackals round the clock for three months. Implementing the proposals would cost the AAI around Rs 3 crore.
20/04/09 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Finally, new terminal opens at IGI

New Delhi: Passengers travelling out of Delhi on Kingfisher and Indigo airlines on Sunday got a taste of what awaits all passengers by 2010. The
new domestic departure terminal, 1D, finally became operational and, barring a few hiccups, was well received by passengers.
The swank terminal is a far cry from the over-crowded 1B ^ spacious, also because only three airlines are operating at present, and well-lit. There were a few teething troubles in the morning, when several passengers first ended up at the old departure terminal and had to be guided to the ramp from where they could access 1D. Similarly, many passengers headed for the old terminal also managed to get to 1D.
``There was a sign at the beginning that pointed this way for the departures. I'm not a Delhiite and didn't know that the airport had changed so much. I had to catch a Jetlite flight but accidentally came here. Now I'll have to go back to 1B,'' said Vinod Khetarpal, a businessman.
Several more airlines will shift to terminal 1D in the next few days as the old 1B shuts down. For the next year or so, domestic flights will depart from terminals 1A and 1D.
Since many signages in front of the entry gates had also not been put up, there was a lot of confusion on which passengers were to enter from where. Another passenger, who checked-in three hours before his flight was to take off, complained that it was extremely hot in the check-in area. ``The area where we had queued up to get our boarding passes was almost claustrophobic as the AC didn't seem to be working. It was extremely hot and I had to wait almost three hours before boarding my flight at 8.45 pm,'' said Atul Goel, a resident of Bangalore.
Autos were also not permitted on the ramp and passengers travelling by the three-wheelers had to travel to the lower level from where they took the elevator up to the terminal.
20/04/09 Times of India

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As Mumbai prepares to face monsoon, airport gets the jitters

Mumbai: With heavy rains wrecking the daily lives of Mumbaikars becoming an accepted feature, the operations at the Mumbai airport also remains one of the areas that is affected when clouds burst over Mumbai every monsoon season. While the city side of the international airport is usually seen flooded after heavy showers, flight operations at the country's busiest airport are affected only in case of heavy showers. However, the airport's primary runway remains vulnerable to the Mithi's waters in case the river overflows.
According to an airport official, while the culverts — river channels — in the river preceeding the runway area have been deepened and widened by the MMRDA, the fact that the channel becomes extremely narrow immediately before the main runway makes it vulnerable to flooding.
“There needs to be coordination between the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), that operates the airport, and MMRDA on the issue as the problem only lurks a few feet below our main runway,” said the official.
“The airport is not prone to perennial flooding during the monsoon and usually flooding of the runway doesn’t happen immediately but it is definitely a concern,” said another official.
The issue has also gained importance after Additional Chief Secretary (home) Chandra Iyengar pulled up the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for its inactiveness on a three-year-old project to create an additional diversion of the Mithi’s waters, which would pass through the nearby slums.
20/04/09 ExpressIndia

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Guwahati-bound flight to mark opening of IGI terminal today

Passengers of budget carrier Indigo’s flight to Guwahati will be the first lot to depart from the newly built domestic departure terminal of the Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi on Sunday.
The Indigo flight (6E 201) would take off for Guwahati at 5.35 a.m. with 150 passengers from the new terminal, a spokesperson of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the airport’s operator and developer, said on Saturday.
Airlines have taken a slew of measures to provide a hassle-free ride to the passengers. The airlines would shift its operation to the newly built terminal building, constructed at a cost of Rs 500 crore by DIAL, after the last flight takes off.
According to sources, passengers departing from the new terminal may have to shell out about Rs 40 as a cost for Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE) to be used by the airlines for automated check-in.
19/04/09 Freshnews.in

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Now, fly your way to Jammu and Srinagar from Chandigarh

Chandigarh: With the introduction of two new daily flights by Kingfisher Airlines today, air travel in the city is surely going to get a boost. Adding two new destinations-Jammu and Srinagar — to its route through one flight and another flight to Delhi — in addition to the one already in place, the airlines seeks to cater to the long-pending demands of frequent flyers.
With this new development, the flight activity stands at a total of ten departures or 20 movements of five different airlines from Chandigarh.
The 66-seater plane took off with 35 passengers for Jammu today at its scheduled departure time of 9.30 am while the other flight for Delhi was boarded by 25 passengers, which left the city at 3.30 pm.
The one-hour air journey between Chandigarh and Jammu is covered at a minimum fare of Rs 2,879 and that of Chandigarh-Srinagar is covered within two-and-a-half hours at a minimum fare of Rs 2,829. Both the fares are inclusive of taxes.
The new flight to Delhi has been introduced almost two hours prior to the existing flight. It took off at 3.30 from Chandigarh and reached Delhi within an hour while the existing flight departs at 5.35 pm and reaches Delhi at 6.30 pm.
There is, however, no confirmation yet of the MDLR Airlines flight from Chandigarh to Jamshedpur.
19/04/09 Express India

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Airport to put out Sunday best: some work left, schedule final

New Delhi: With no long queues for baggage X-rays and smart shops and cafes dotting its interiors, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport’s new domestic terminal (T1D) promises to offer passengers a totally different experience from what they are accustomed to. Work at the airport, however, is far from over and workers are toiling at a furious pace to meet the Sunday deadline when commercial operations are scheduled to start.
The exteriors still need to be plastered and painted and the road to the terminal is still being laid.
“I don’t know if this building will start functioning on Sunday. It might, if the big people are saying so but the exterior construction will take months to finish,” said Ram Prasad standing on a tall ladder to work on the ceiling.
Airport developer Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) on Friday announced that three airlines — Indigo, Kingfisher and Kingfisher Red — would kickstart the new terminal’s commercial operations on Sunday.
While Indigo and Kingfisher Red are shifting base from Terminal 1B to Terminal 1D, Kingfisher Airlines is making its shift to Terminal 1A.
18/04/09 Express India

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Kingfisher, Indigo to shift to new terminal from Sunday

New Delhi: Kingfisher Airlines, its low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red and Indigo Airlines will operate from the new domestic terminal (1D) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here from April 19, the airport developer announced Friday.
Jet Airways and its low-cost carrier JetLite, as well as SpiceJet will begin operating from the new terminal later this month. Currently, Kingfisher Airlines operates from IA along with Air India, while the others operate from terminal 1B.
“Other airlines would be shifting their operations to the new terminal in the next phase. The schedule of remaining airlines’ transfer would be announced shortly,” airport developer Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a GMR-led consortium, said in a statement. By the end of this fiscal, Air India, Kingfisher and Jet Airways will shift to the upcoming T3 integrated terminal, while terminal 1D will be for low-cost carriers.
17/04/09 IANS/Sindh Today

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