Come July, Surat will be buzzing with 13 direct domestic flights

Until few months ago, Surat airport had only two flights to Delhi. However, come July, the airport will be buzzing with around 13 direct domestic flights to important destinations like Hyderabad, Goa, Kolkata, Patna and Jaipur and one direct international flight to Dubai.
After the announcement of the direct flights from Surat to Goa, Hyderabad and Jaipur starting from June 1, SpiceJet will be launching direct flights to Patna and Kolkata from July 1.
At present, the Surat airport is connected with four direct flights between Surat and Delhi operated by SpiceJet and Air India (AI), Surat-Mumbai flight thrice in a week operated by AI and inter-state connectivity by Ventura Airlines from Surat to Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Amreli.
The Diamond City is inching closer to get an international airport. The internal modification of the terminal building is almost completed to separate the arrival and departure of the domestic and international passengers and creating space for customs and immigration facilities.
Official sources said that the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) is likely to provide the customs notified status to the Surat airport in a month or so, which means that the airport will be ready for limited international operations by June-end.
Air India Express, an Indian low-cost carrier headquartered in Kochi operated by Air India Charters Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of flagship carrier airline Air India (AI), is expected to launch direct flight from Surat to Dubai, three days a week, in July. The flight will arrive from Dubai in the afternoon on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and will depart from Surat in the evening.
28/04/17 The Times Of India

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Jet Airways passenger’s tweet send agencies into a tizzy

A Jet Airways passenger today tweeted that he suspected a Mumbai-Delhi flight had been hijacked, sending security agencies into tizzy at the airport here.
The Delhi-bound flight 9W355–carrying 176 people onboard, including 8 crew members–was diverted to Jaipur due to bad weather at Delhi.
Soon after the aircraft landed here, security agencies carried out a thorough check and the passenger who tweeted the message was offloaded.
The passenger, who was travelling from Mumbai, tweeted in the morning saying, “@narendramodi sir we have been in jet airways flight for past 3 hrs, looks like hijacked, pl help 9W355”.
In a statement, a Jet Airways spokesperson said a passenger tweeted a message involving a security threat necessitating activation of the security protocol.
“The information was promptly shared with the concerned authorities including the CISF, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and local law enforcement agencies in line with Standard Operating Procedures,” he said.
According to the spokesperson, the concerned guest was subsequently offloaded for questioning by security agencies at Jaipur, owing to diversion of the flight.
After the plane landed, the aircraft was checked before it took off to Delhi.
28/04/17 PTI/India

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150 Delhi-bound Air India passengers stranded at Pune airport for 8 hours

Around 150 passengers of a Delhi bound flight of Air India (AI) faced a harrowing time at the Pune airport on Wednesday evening after it got delayed by more than eight hours.
The Pune-Delhi flight (AI-850) was scheduled to depart at 6.50pm but could not take off due to a technical snag. The passengers were accommodated in another flight, which departed around 3.30am on Thursday evening.
The inordinate delay inconvenienced passengers, many of whom were elderly.
"My parents were on their way to Delhi to catch a connecting flight to Chicago where my elder brother stays. My father is 61. He is diabetic and also has severe spondylitis. But in spite of his ailments, he had to wait for long for the flight to take off. Due to the delay, my parents missed the Chicago flight, which was scheduled to depart from Delhi at 2am on Thursday ," said Hasib Shaikh, a doctor at the city-based Jehangir Hospital.
What made matters worse was that there was no information from the airline's offices in Pune and Delhi. "Initially I came to know from my parents that there was a 40-minute delay. Later, when I checked online, I found that the flight had already departed. I called my mother to check but she told me that they were still at the airport. When I called up the Air India helpline number, I was initially told that the flight was in the air. When I informed them that the flight had not departed, they finally said a relief flight will arrive from Delhi and my parents will be accommodated in that flight," Dr Shaikh said.
Many people voiced their grievances on Twitter. Sudeep Dube, a passenger, tweeted tag ging the ministry of civil aviation, "Pune-Delhi AI passengers stranded at Pune airport until 2.30am. No assistance from AI."
28/04/17 Joy Sengupta/The Times Of India

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Prime Minister's UDAN gives Mysuru wings

Time and again, there have been demands to get Mysuru back on the country's aviation map and it looks like this is set to happen soon. The Mysuru Airport, which has not been functional since November 2015, will soon resume operations as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Regional Connectivity Scheme, known as UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagarik).
According to the PM's official twitter account, “UDAN makes air travel accessible to a wider range of citizens and enhances connectivity with many more airports across India.” Under UDAN, 70 airports across India will be connected. The price of airfare is capped at Rs 2,500 for 500 kilometers. Apart from Mysuru, Bidar, Hubballi and Ballari airport will also benefit. In this regard, the state government and Ministry of Civil Aviation recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The Karnataka government has decided to offer tax concessions for a period of 10 years, while also providing land and security free of cost. Water and electricity facilities at the airport will be provided at minimal rates.
28/04/17 Vinay Lokesh/The Times Of India

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CM Devendra Fadnavis to chair airport meet with MADC, Pune administration

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will chair a meeting with officials of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC) and Pune district administration in Mumbai on Saturday to discuss the issue of the proposed new airport.
Vishwas Patil, chairman of MADC, said the compensation package for landowners of villages in Purandar taluka will also be discussed .
"Many issues in connection with the proposed Pune airport will be discussed at the meeting and decisions, including that of finalisation of compensation package, are expected to be taken. MADC had earlier said that a final meeting on the project details was awaited and it will happen this month. We were waiting for the CM's nod," the senior official said.
28/04/17 Joy Sengupta/The Times Of India

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Jewar airport may give much needed push to Noida real estate sector, homebuyers be ready to invest

Ever since Yogi Adityanath has come into power and expressed interest in reviving the Jewar International Airport project, there have been talks of a rebound in real estate sector in Noida and Greater Noida. Jewar International Airport project holds significance as any kind of development in terms of infrastructure indicates a growth of real estate in the region. Experts believe that development like establishing an airport would give a much-needed push to the region’s real estate as demand for property will increase.

Real estate sector is on a revival mode and sentiments are looking positive with consumers/homebuyers coming back into the market. The government has also taken many measures to boost the housing sector. The Real Estate Regulation Act that will come into force from May 2017 is also expected to bring in many positive changes in the real estate sector. With the prices touching high levels in Delhi and Gurgaon, Noida and Greater Noida will become as an affordable choice for many homebuyers, especially the first time homebuyers. If Jewar airport becomes a reality, then all these factors could make Noida and Greater Noida region a strong real estate market.

Amit Modi, director, ABA Corp and vice-president, CREDAI Western UP believes development of infrastructure is directly related to the growth of real estate in the region, hence the development like Jewar airport will give a much-needed push to the demand in the markets of Noida and Yamuna expressway. “An airport in this region is a must as people from Agra come to take flight from IGI Airport, hence it is extremely important for the comfort of the resident population to build an airport in the region. Jewar Airport could prove to be a catalyst for Western UP’s real estate market. Real estate scenario in Noida and Greater Noida will improve with the coming of international airport as there will be residential, commercial, industrial and institutional growth in the area. With the reality of the airport, there will also be economic multiplier effect as it will bring a lot of demand for housing sector and office spaces will erupt along with strong capital appreciation in and around Greater Noida,” he added.
28/04/17 Navneeta Srivastava/Financial Express

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Green signal likely for Bhogapuram airport soon

The Bhogapuram International Airport is now cruising towards take off as the expert appraisal committee (EAC) under the ministry of environment and forests has recommended the airport project for environmental clearance.
Following the EAC meeting, which was held on April 13 in New Delhi, the EAC has recommended the Bhogapuram project for clearance, as per the minutes of meeting released by the MoEF on Thursday. The recommendation by the EAC is for the phase-1 development of the Bhogapuram International Airport at an estimated cost of Rs 2,260.73 crore on an area of 2,004.52 acres in Vizianagaram district.
Sources said subsequently, the MoEF, based on the EAC recommendation, is likely to provide environmental clearance in the near future. Subsequently, the Bhogapuram International Airport Corporation Limited (BIACL) is expected to finalise the bids in the next couple of months for selecting the developer for the mega project.
"Once the official environmental clearance order is received, about one month or 45 days will be given for the prospective developers to submit their final bids for the Bhogapuram Airport project. We are expecting the bids to be finalised by June-end," a state government source said on condition of anonymity.
28/04/17 Manish M/The Times Of India

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ED arrests co-accused of IndusInd Bank loan fraud case at Delhi airport

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made its second arrest in Rs 240 crore IndusInd Bank loan fraud case. On Thursday afternoon, the agency arrested one Pandit Saurabh, Director of Sky Light Ltd, located in Hong Kong, under section 19 of PMLA, 2002.
On the basis of a lookout notice (LOC) and in coordination with the authorities at Delhi Airport, the ED managed to arrest Saurabh, as soon as he arrived from Dubai.
Saurabh is one of the co-accused and main beneficiary in this scam. Earlier, the ED arrested Anil Chokhra, ex-Director of Kanika Gems under the money laundering act for outward foreign remittances using forged import documents.
Since last two years, the agency has been probing this case where three companies i.e. Yogeshwar Diamonds, Kanika Gems and Shree Charbhuja Diamonds had remitted crores of bank loan amount to Hong Kong and Dubai based companies, in the guise of import advances using forged bill of entries.
During the investigation, it was found that outward remittances of about USD $ 12,49,965 was done as import advance and around USD $ 14,18,338 was remitted by Saurabh. In the process, he had submitted forged bill of entry to the account of Sky Light Ltd, Hong Kong.
27/04/17 Virendrasingh Ghunawat/India Today

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Flight check-in at two Metro stations

In a bid to promote check-in facility from Airport Metro Express, the DMRC, Delhi airport operator, airlines and travel portals are going to organise a grand Metro check-in facility week on June this year.

Vistara Airlines is exploring the possibilities to adopt the facility in a big way and is likely to start the operations from both New Delhi Railway Station and Shivaji Stadium Metro Station. This facility would help many airport-bound passengers who can now check-in at these two city centres for their convenience. So far, limited city check-in facility was available for Air India and Jet Airways passengers only at the New Delhi station of the Airport Express Line.

According to the sources, a meeting was held recently in which the DMRC, airport operator, airlines officials and travel portals, discussed to explore the possibilities of promoting the check-in facility from Airport-Metro express.

"The grand metro check-in facility week will be celebrated from June 6 to 9.

This move will aim at popularising the premier line connecting the city to the airport. All the stakeholders, airlines, ministry officials and travel portals officials are likely to participate in the event.
28/04/17 Sunil Thapliyal/The Asian Age

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Govt allots 1,025 ha land for new Rajkot airport

Chief minister Vijay Rupani has put the greenfield airport project in his hometown on fast track, with allotment of 1,025 hectare land to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) at Hirasar, about 15km from the city. The decision of land allotment was approved by the state cabinet on Thursday.
This has paved way for the first international airport in Saurashtra region. The government said in a statement that the decision would entail balanced, overall economic growth of Saurashtra. The proposed airport lands falls under three villages of Dosli-Ghuma, Garida and Lomakotadi.
AAI will develop the new world-class airport on build, operate and maintenance basis. The new airport was necessitated with a view to expand the existing Rajkot airport on 250-acre land for the city's greater connectivity, the state government stated.
"This is great news for Rajkot. The feasibility study was completed and it was positive. The other surveys are underway at the proposed site. Moreover, 97% of land needed (of the 250 acre) for the project is government land while rest is private land which needs to be acquired. Land owners have shown their willingness to give it for the project," said Vikrant Pandey, collector, Rajkot.
28/04/17 The Times Of India

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Garbage mounds pose a risk to HAL airport

With a cesspool that is Bellandur sprawled behind the airport, and garbage mounds popping up everywhere near it, the skies over HAL Airport play host to more kites and birds than man-made machines.

The black kite that flew into the helicopter carrying Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others on Monday was just one among more than 2,500 that are spotted on every day at the airfield.

“HAL Airport is the most affected airport when it comes to birds and bird strikes in the country,” says Wing Commander (Rtd.) S.S. Mahesh, an expert with the National Bird Control Committee, DGCA who also runs Grus Ecosciences in the city.

In comparison, the Yelahanka Air Force Base — where birds come under immense scrutiny during the biennial Aero India Show — which is surrounded by some of the city’s largest waste processing plants sees an average of around 800 black kites a day; while Kempegowda International Airport is believed to have over 340 kites crossing the premises of the airport daily.

Consequently, experts believe that the Yelahanka Air Force base sees up to 25 bird strikes annually; HAL sees over 30 bird strikes a year. This is an increasing risk for HAL, and relatively recent occurrence. In 1982, when the airport was still surrounded by verdant agricultural fields and few townships, ornithologists from the Bombay Natural History Society recorded just 251 black kites in a day. This increase — say HAL officials and birders — is primarily because of garbage being illegally dumped around the key air base, close to Bellandur Lake, and in nearby residential areas. Mr. Mahesh says more than 73 garbage dumps were spotted close to the base, while at least 26 dumpsites have come in and around the severely-polluted Bellandur lake.
28/04/17 Mohit M.Rao/The Hindu

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PM Modi set to launch first flight under UDAN scheme from Shimla to New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off the first UDAN flight from Shimla to New Delhi on Thursday. The flight will be operated by Alliance Air, a regional arm of national airline Air India.

The Prime Minister will also be handing out boarding passes to all passengers boarding the first UDAN flight. Senior officials of the aviation ministry, Air India and Airports Authority of India will also be present at the event.

But what exactly is UDAN? Listed below are five things you need to know about this new initiative.

Q1) What does UDAN stand for?

The word UDAN is an acronym for ‘Ude desh ka aam nagrik’, which essentially means all common people can now use air travel as a means for travelling. The scheme is intended to make flying more affordable for common people and to connect over 45 unserved and under-served airports across the country. The UDAN Scheme is a key component of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) which was released on June 15, 2016.

Q2) Will all tickets on flights be subsidised under the UDAN scheme?

No. But 50 percent of all seats on each flight will now have a cap of Rs 2,500 per seat, per hour. The government has also decided to extend the subsidy to the operators flying on these routes in the form of viability gap funding. According to the prime minister’s office, airfare for a 1-hour journey of approximately 500 km on a fixed wing aircraft or for a 30-minute journey on a helicopter would be capped at Rs 2,500.

Q3) Which are the places being connected under the UDAN scheme?

Flights under the UDAN scheme would connect airports spread across more than 20 states and union territories including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The airports that will be connected to each other under the scheme include Shimla, Bhatinda, Neyveli, Bilaspur, Cooch Behar, Nanded and Kadapa.
27/04/17 Money Control

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Civil aviation team visits Calicut airport

A team of civil aviation department officials today visited the Calicut International Airport at Karipur near here today to assess feasibility of operating wide-bodied aircraft.
The team, comprising officials from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Airports Authority of India (AAI), was led by DGCA Joint Director J S Rawat and reviewed infrastructure at the airport for operating wide-bodied aircraft.
They held discussions with Deputy Collector (Land Acquisition) Jayasankar Prasad and ASO (Transport Department) J Vijayanath regarding the status of land acquisition for the development of the airport, Airport Director K Janardanan said in a press note.
The outcome of the inspection will be conveyed to the Civil Aviation Ministry.
The visit was in response to a request by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after a meeting with the Civil Aviation Minister in Delhi, he said in the press note.
26/04/17 PTI/India

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Rites to conduct survey for Jewar airport

The proposed Jewar international airport project is gaining momentum. Days after chief minister Yogi Adityanath revived the project, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) on Wednesday appointed engineering consultancy company RITES to conduct an obstacle limitation survey (OLS) for the same. The move came in the wake of the state civil aviation department asking YEIDA to get the process started immediately.
According to YEIDA officials, they have received a letter from the director of civil aviation, Lucknow, on April 25, asking them to expedite the survey. "In September last year, we had advised the UP civil aviation department to carry out an obstacle survey of the land where the airport is proposed since we do not have any expert to do the same," said Arunvir Singh, CEO of YEIDA.
"At the time, a quotation had been taken from the Airports Authority of India. They quoted more than Rs 1.19 crore for the OLS. Finding that a little steep, we sought a quote from RITES. They have agreed to do the survey for Rs 69 lakh. On Wednesday, we formally appointed the central government agency for the survey and also made them the payment," he added.
Singh said RITES will begin the survey from May 1. "The OLS will be completed within a month," he said.
27/04/17 Vandana Keelor/The Times Of India

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Airport takes global flight

AirAsia gave the city its first international flight, connecting the state capital to Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysia-based budget airline will operate its flight from here four days a week - on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

While the flight with 180 seating capacity was scheduled to land at the Biju Patnaik International Airport at 11.25pm, the return journey was scheduled for 11.55pm.

State tourism and culture minister Ashok Panda was present at the airport for the inaugural event.

"This is a proud moment for the state and the flight service will be a perfect gateway to travel destinations, such as China, Japan and other South-East Asian destinations. Besides tourists coming to Odisha will no longer have to come via Calcutta. This will save their valuable time and the state government is hopeful of attracting tourists from Asian countries," said Panda.

Several passengers reached the airport much before the scheduled time with the state government roping in traditional dance troupes and band to welcome them.

As the passengers arrived at the airport to take the first flight to Kuala Lumpur, airlines staff warmly welcomed them with flower petals and tilak.

"The entire atmosphere was ecstatic and it will be a wonderful experience to be a part of first international flight from the state. We are hopeful that the flight service will be successful and it will attract other foreign airlines to start operations here," said Lali Pattnaik, a passenger on her way to Kuala Lumpur.
26/04/17 Lelin Mallick/The Telegraph

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First Direct International Flight Takes Off From Bhubaneswar Airport

The first direct flight to an international destination took off from Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar today marking the beginning of a new era in civil aviation in this part of the world.

The Air Asia flight was scheduled to depart from Bhubaneswar at 11:55PM to Kuala Lumpur.  In the preliminary phase, the flight will operate 4 times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

As a part of the promotional strategy and to attract flyers, the first flight arrived here with a group of journalists from Malaysia. A postage stamp to commemorate the occasion was also released.

Earlier during the day, the High Commissioner of Malaysia to India, Datuk Hidayat Abdul Hamid met the CM Naveen Patnaik and held bilateral discussions on tourism, trade and education.
27/04/17 Odisha TV

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Navi Mumbai International Airport’s runway, terminal may be ready before scheduled deadline

The first terminal building and runway of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) may be completed before the scheduled deadline of December 2019, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), which has given the task of the proposed airport has said. As per an Indian Express report, the groundwork for the construction of the airport, which had got its Stage II environment clearance recently, could begin soon. It is expected that the airport when comes into being, will take the load off from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
Speaking to the Indian Express, Bhushan Gagrani, MD, CIDCO said that the environmental clearance has been received and the company planned to start the work at the earliest.
“We are hoping to complete the work of the first runway and the terminal building of the airport till the stated deadline. The work on the other runway could take time because major changes are required to clear its terrain in comparison to the first runway,” he was quoted as saying by the paper. When the airport comes up, it is likely to to handle around 10 million passengers annually in the beginning and gradually cater to 60 million passengers every year by 2030.
The GVK Power & Infrastructure Limited, which runs Bengaluru and Mumbai airports, won the right to build the airport in February this year.
26/04/17 Financial Express

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JMI Students Innovate Software To Detect Unwanted Drones Near Airports

A 6-member team of students of FTK-Centre for Information Technology (FTK-CIT) of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has developed a software that would detect unwanted drones at airports and nearby restricted air spaces at the recently held Team SMART INDIA HACKATHON-2017 for which it has been declared 'Nav Parvartak' (New Innovator) winner and awarded Rs.One lakh.

The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, JMI collaborated with the Computer Science students on their projects, said a statement from JMI.

Fifty-four teams from top engineering colleges and universities in the country had participated in the Hackathon held in Allahabad.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) had asked the competing teams to develop a system to ensure the safety and security of airports from any unwanted drone intrusion. They were given 36 hours to achieve the task. The students are excited that AAI will now introduce the system for this security of airports and air space nearby.
26/04/17 Shihabudeen Kunju S/NDTV

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Brussels Airlines sees strong demand in Indian market

Sounding optimistic about the Indian market, Lufthansa group subsidiary Brussels Airlines today said it sees “strong” demand for its offering from here. Brussels Airlines, which is 100 per cent owned by the German airlines’ group Lufthansa, commenced its air services into India last month with a flight to Mumbai from Brussels. The airline currently operates five flight per week from Brussels airport to the Chhtrapati Shivaji International Airport here.
“The demand for direct flights for passengers as well as for cargo is high. With our new service, we offer the diamond and travel industry direct flights, which is an important investment in our network expansion, but also in the economic relations between India and Belgium,” Brussels Airlines Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Management Board Brussels Airlines, Bernard Gustin said during a media briefing.
He said that Brussels Airlines was very much “encouraged” by the strong presence of its parent Lufthansa in India, adding “Brussels is a very important catchment area and the capital city can’t be left unserved with India.”
Naresh Goyal-owned Jet Airways had made Brussels as its hub for the European operations in December 2007, making it the first Indian carrier to have full-scale operation in the European Union capital, but replaced it with Dutch capital Amsterdam last year, citing commercial reasons.
There was a high demand from various industries including pharmaceutical, diamond, maritime, among others, as well as from leisure travelers to reinstate a direct service.
25/04/17 PTI/Financial Express

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New Delhi To Shimla Flight Will Cost You Less Than Rs. 2000

Good news for Delhi people who have an unconditional love for Shimla. The tourist Shimla was the summer capital of British India and is also the capital of Himachal Pradesh.

People of Delhi had to travel long distances to reach Shimla but now they will be able to travel in less than Rs. 2000 and also in one hour.

New Delhi to Shimla flight or vice versa will just cost Rs. 1920 and will just take one hour. Finally, after four and a half years, Shimla will be having an aerial connectivity.

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Of India will be flagging off the inaugural flight on April 27, 2017. The flight will be flagged off from Jubbarhatti airport at around 11:45 am. There will be a flight daily from Delhi to Shimla and back (ATR-42) of Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India.

The Union Secretary (Civil Aviation) and Chief Managing Director of Air India flew down to the Jubbarhatti airport to have a look at the launch of the New Delhi-Shimla flight to be flagged by the Prime Minister.

There is also a possibility of another private airline starting from Shimla. No flights have been scheduled from Shimla since 2012. Only the chartered flights which include Army and Air Force land in Shimla.

The New Delhi-Shimla flight will cost Rs. 1920 and will only be 50% of the total seats. The other 50% of the seats would cost between Rs. 5000 – Rs. 20000 and the rates would fluctuate depending on the demand.
25/04/17 Tushar Pasrija/Chandigarh Metro

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DGCA-AAI team to visit Karipur airport tomorrow

A joint team of Director General of Civil Aviation and Airports Authority of India will visit Karipur airport in north Kerala tomorrow.
They will inspect the feasibility of the airport runway for the landing of large aircrafts, according to a government release here.
J S Rawat, Joint Director, DGCA and J P Alex and S K Biswas of AAI would be among the official team visiting the airport, it said.
The Centre has decided to send the expert team based on the request of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who met Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathiraju on April 18 at New Delhi.
25/04/17 PTI/India

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Qatar Airways to launch domestic airline in India, Bengaluru to likely serve as hub

Qatar Airways, a state-owned enterprise of the middle eastern nation, has decided to operate a domestic carrier in India. The airliner will be applying with the Qatar investment authority (QIA)  for an operating licence within the next few weeks.
The proposed domestic carrier would be owned majorly by the Qatar Investment Authority, with Qatar Airways have a minor share of 49 per cent. The fleet will consist of will consist of approximately 100 aircraft.
According to a report by Reuters, the airline’s Chief Executive, Akbar al-Baker, told reporters in Dubai that aircraft manufacturers like Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer would be welcome to bid for orders from the proposed Indian carrier.
In preparation for the launch, officials from Qatar have been scouting various airports across India. One airport will be selected to serve as the carrier’s hub. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has already conveyed this message to major airports in India, including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi.
However, informal signals indicate that the airline has already zeroed in on Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, to serve as its national hub. The successful launch of Qatar Airways’ domestic Indian carrier, would make it the first 100 per cent foreign owned airline in India.
25/04/17 Srividhya Iyer/India

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Over dozen structures in flight path may be trimmed

Surat: More than a dozen residential and commercial buildings, which are coming in the way of aircraft taking off and landing at Surat airport, may be forced to reduce their height to avoid obstruction to flight movement.An obstacle survey was carried out in August 2016 by Airports Authority of India's (AAI) survey section. The report submitted in February 2017 identified around 15 buildings, which exceeded the permissible height to penetrate the approach surface of the aircraft taking off and landing at Surat airport.In the next few months, Surat airport is all set to witness increased flight movement following the launch of direct services to Goa, Hyderabad and Jaipur by SpiceJet and international operation by Air India Express to Dubai and Sharjah. Many private airline companies like Vistara, True Jet and Indigo are likely to announce launch of flight services from Surat soon.The first survey was conducted in 2007 and then there were less number of obstacles in the flight path.
25/04/17 NYOOOZ

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At LGBI Airport Hand Baggage to Go ‘Tag Free’

Post Calcutta, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Cochin and Ahmedabad airports, six more airports of India would soon do away with the practice of stamping passengers hand baggage tags, after few prominent ones ushered in the new system from April 1.
The trail for the same will start from Tuesday.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), tasked to guard 59 civil airports in the country, today initiated a week-long trial of the new system at the airports of Chennai, Patna, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur and Lucknow.
25/04/17 Northeast Today

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Regional air services to take wing on five new routes at Karnataka

Air connectivity between Mysuru-Chennai and Bengaluru-Salem and also some other smaller towns could soon be a reality. As part of the Regional Connectivity Service (RCS), some airlines have come forward to operate on the two routes and the services are expected to start in the next few weeks.

Official sources in the Commerce and Industries Department said that as part of the RCS initiative, the state government is offering concessions to airlines operating on the RCS routes. This includes electricity, water and other utility services at concessional rates.

The government has also proposed to provide rail or Metro connectivity to RCS airports in coordination with the Centre. Security and fire services will be provided free of cost at government-run RCS airports. As for as private RCS airports, it will be examined on a case-to-case basis.

An official in the Industries Department said that five airlines have come forward to provide air connectivity between different cities and towns. “Five routes have been finalised in Karnataka and of them, two to three routes are expected to be operational in the next few weeks,’’ he said.

The official said services from Bengaluru and Mysuru will be operationalised soon. This includes Bengaluru-Salem and Mysuru-Chennai. The Bengaluru-Bidar route is also expected to operational in some time.

However, the Bengaluru-Vidyanagar (Ballari) route and also some other routes connecting Vidyanagar are being examined. “Since it is an unserved airport and owned by private firm, some security issues have not yet been cleared. It will take some time. This route will be operated by TruJet Airways,’’ the official said.
26/04/17 Ashwini M sripad/The New Indian Express

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Chandigarh International Airport: Last date for tender to set up two duty-free outlets extended to May 1

AFTER GETTING a poor response for a global tender to set up two duty-free outlets at the Chandigarh International Airport, the airport authorities have now extended the last date for tender submission. The last date for tender submission fixed earlier by the airport authorities was April 21. Now the new date is May 1.
A senior airport official told Chandigarh Newsline on Tuesday that the authorities didn’t receive the expected response. “We were expecting a huge response from different groups. But what has come up is not as per our expectation,” said the official.
Chandigarh International Airport Chief Executive Officer Sunil Dutt told Chandigarh Newsline that not many retailers came forward. “We always go for better bidding and want more parties. This is the reason why we have extended the last date for tender submission,” he said. He, however, didn’t disclose how many firms had shown interest in the project so far.
Recently, the airport authorities had floated a tender, two years after the new terminal of the airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2015. The international flights, however, started last year only. Two international flights operate from the airport currently.
The airport authorities have been facing severe criticism due to lack of passenger-related facilities at the airport. The Punjab and Haryana High Court, too, has slammed the airport authorities for lack of passenger amenities at the airport.
26/04/17 Adil Akhzer/Indian Express

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Bangalore Airport slashes carbon emissions by 57%, gets green award

In a big boost to the Kempegowda International Airport today, the Airports Council International on Friday accredited it with a certificate of Level 3 Plus Neutrality under the Airport Carbon Accreditation. According to a report by the Times of India, the Bangalore International Airport managed to upgrade the airport to Level 3 Plus Neutrality, the highest level of environmental certificate, that has been made available to airports. With this certificate, the Bangalore International Airport becomes the fourth such environment-friendly green airport in the Asia Pacific. The airport has managed to reduce its carbon emissions by 57% since 2008.
According to ToI, the state of carbon neutrality can be achieved when the net carbon emissions over an entire year are zero or if the airport has systems and mechanisms in place to absorb the same of amount of generated emissions. The BIAL is reported to have initiated a number of such initiatives over a period of time, which include energy conservation programmes, installing the onsite solar power generation, water management among other things. The Level 3 Plus certificate is a recognition of such activities by the Bangalore International Airport. The airport is reported to have set up a mechanism to monitor and measure the airport’s carbon footprint according to the standards set by Airport Carbon Accreditation.
25/04/17 Financial Express

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First runway, terminal to be ready by Dec 2019: CIDCO

THE first runway and terminal building of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) could be completed before the deadline of December 2019, said officials of the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the nodal agency for the proposed airport.
Major groundwork on the construction work for the airport, which received its Stage II environment clearance last week, could begin soon.
The proposed airport will take the load off the severely-congested Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai, it is expected. The clearance was needed to commence major construction works in the forest areas of the site.
“With the environmental clearance received, we aim to begin the work at the earliest. We are hoping to complete the work of the first runway and the terminal building of the airport till the stated deadline. The work on the other runway could take time because major changes are required to clear its terrain in comparison to the first runway,”
said Bhushan Gagrani, MD, CIDCO.
The airport is expected to handle 10 million passengers annually upon its start and gradually, cater to 60 million passengers a year by 2030, when it will reach full capacity.
In February, GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd, which runs the Mumbai and Bengaluru airports, won the right to build the airport.
“As far as commercial operations are concerned, that will take another six to eight months to commence after the runway is made,” Gagrani said.
26/04/17 Neha Kulkarni/Indian Express

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Two new flight parking bays commissioned at Mangaluru airport, to ease traffic

With a view to deliver the best of services to fliers, Mangalore International Airport (MIA) under the aegis of Airport Authority of India has undertaken several development works from the past 2-3 years. Infrastructure, efficiency of officials, safety, security and facilities for passengers have been given importance.

The most recent addition is the commissioning of two new flight parking bays recently. With this, eight flights can be now parked instead of six at MIA.

Speaking to daijiworld on the project, MIA director J T Radhakrishna said, "The two new parking bays which were completed in a period of six months were commissioned on April 21. The Airport Authority of India spent an amount of Rs 4 crore for the same. As eight flights can be parked now, flight traffic will be reduced. This will attract more airline companies to operate from here. Flights need not wait for other aircraft to take off. Also, it will lead to lesser fuel consumption as flights do not need to keep circling round the airport waiting for parking space.

"The new parking bays will also avoid delay in flights' departure and arrivals. Another four parking bays are being planned which we aim to complete by 2018. Once we provide enough parking space, automatically more flights will start to operate from here. The new bays will help in handling air traffic quite smoothly," he informed.

Answering a query on the other ongoing projects he said, "We have already commissioned phase I of parallel taxi track. The construction of 1,200-metre long parallel taxi track (phase-II) is in progress. Taxi track is the stretch connecting the runway with the parking stand for aircraft in the terminal building. An aircraft uses the taxi track for entry and exit from the parking stand to the runway. With construction of parallel taxi track, the aircraft could move from the parking stand, wait in the additional taxi track and enter the runway for take-off immediately after the plane that has landed exits the runway.
25/04/17 Daiji World

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Nitish Kumar faces ‘VIP culture’ protest at airport

Protesting what he called “VIP culture”, an angry passenger sat down on the front seat of the golf cart that carried Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar at Terminal 3 at the Delhi airport on Saturday night. When he refused to move in spite of the security personnel asking him to get down, he was allowed to go in the cart till the immigration counter where he got down. Although there are walkalators and escalators at the airport, the T3 being long, VIPs are often taken in golf carts till immigration counters. There are 30 such battery operated carts available at the Delhi airport.

According to the sources, Mr Kumar faced the angry passenger while he was trying to avail buggy service meant for VIPs and the elderly at Terminal 3. As Mr Kumar sat in the cart after arriving from Mumbai, another passenger came and sat in the front seat and started shouting ‘No VIP culture’.

At this, the security personnel requested him to get down but he refused. The security staff did not say anything and allowed him to sit.

Mr Kumar, however, got down at the international lounge while the passenger went on till the immigration counter.
26/04/17 The Asian Age

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Jewar International Airport project: UP government seeks fresh technical evaluation; five facts to know

On Thursday UP government sought a fresh “technical evaluation” for the propsed international airport at Jewar in the state. Air passenger traffic has been rising rapidly and against the backdrop of this there have been discussions for setting up a second airport in the National Capital Region (NCR). The proposal for technical evaluation for Jewar airport has been made by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government which came to power last month. “The current BJP government (in Uttar Pradesh) has requested us for a technical evaluation because the previous technical evaluation for Jewar airport was done many years ago. So we are doing that,” MoS Aviation Jayant Sinha said. Here are five facts that you would like to know about the airport:
1) The Jewar International Airport project in Gautam Budh Nagar was first conceived during the regime of Rajnath Singh as chief minister in 2001 and given shape in 2002 by the next CM Mayawati. Then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the BJP government at the Centre gave the project a green signal.
2) In 2003, SP, led by Mulayam Singh Yadav, came to power, and shelved it along with the ‘Taj Expressway’ project, which was later renamed ‘Yamuna Expressway’.
3) In 2007, the Mayawati-led BSP government revived the Jewar project after coming to power. It was proposed alongwith the Yamuna Expressway and named the ‘Taj International Aviation Hub’. The BSP government started pursuing it with UPA, which was in power at the Centre.
4) The hurdle for the airport was that it would fall within a 150 km radius of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, thus contradicting an agreement signed with GMR-led consortium Delhi International Airport Private Limited.
5) In 2012, the new Akhilesh-led SP government came up with a fresh proposal for a ‘Taj International Airport’ in Agra instead. However, when the defence ministry opposed the move as the air force had an airbase in Kheria area of Agra, the state tweaked its proposal and wrote to the Centre proposing that the location be shifted to Firozabad or Akhilesh’s village Saifai. It was during the last phase of his government that Akhilesh relented and expressed his willingness for two international airports, one in Jewar and the other in Agra.
21/04/17 Financial Express

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Seamless airport operation to cut flight delays, up efficiency

For some months now, the Kolkata airport has been experiencing congestion due to closure of the primary runway for repairs. This has led to increase in flight time from 2 hours on the Delhi-Kolkata sector to at times 2 hours 30 minutes. The additional 30 minutes of circling over the city has meant additional emission from burning of aviation fuel, which has made the sky more polluted than it would otherwise have been.
Now, the sector is getting ready to address the issue through central air traffic flow management (C-AFTM) that will manage flights in such a manner that they are not held up in the air on reaching destinations. This will mean sharing of precise information between various operations at an airport, including air traffic control, airport operator and airlines, and between airports so that a flight gets its landing slot on arrival even before it takes off from the departing airport.
"It makes more sense to keep the aircraft on the ground for 30 additional minutes in Delhi than waste fuel circling for 30 minutes over Kolkata," said Sarvesh Gupta, chairman of the airlines operators' committee at Kolkata airport.
To make that happen, Kolkata airport is putting in place airport collaborative decision making (A-CDM), a system similar to Eurocontrol in Europe, where key stakeholders — Airports Authority of India, ATC, airlines and ground handling agencies — share information and collaborate for better operational efficiency by reducing delays and optimising utilization of resources.
22/04/17 The Times Of India

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456 city structures in flight paths to be trimmed, orders HC

Several buildings in the suburbs will soon get trimmed. The Bombay High Court has ordered the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to act on the two lists of structures that come in the way of flights taking off from Mumbai airport.

While one list, compiled in 2010-11, has 137 structures, another one from 2015-16 has 319 structures. The lists were recently submitted by Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) to the HC.

The lists include structures like Kalpataru Aura in Ghatkopar, Phoenix Market City in Kurla, Surya Hospital in Santacruz, Kingfisher House in Andheri and Swastik Solitaire in Chembur, among others. According to MIAL, which compiled the lists after detailed surveys along with the BMC, part of these structures come in the flight path and need to be razed.

MIAL’s general manager, legal, Raghava M told the HC that the two lists are ready and that they have done their bit. He gave details of how much each structure needs to be trimmed so that it does not come in the way of the flight path.

“An obstacle survey of Mumbai Airport was carried out in the year 2010-11by Airport Authority of India. By the said survey a list of all structures/buildings which exceeded the permissible height granted to them and penetrated the Approach Surface of the aircrafts taking off and landing at the Mumbai Airport came to be prepared,” Raghava’s affidavit in court stated. It added that after the survey, several letters were written to all concerned agencies to demolish a portion of these structures, but to no avail.
22/04/17 Yogesh Sadhwani/Mumbai Mirror

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Jayant Sinha steps in to speed up Navi Mumbai airport

The Maharashtra government roped Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha earlier this week to speed up environment-related approvals for the construction of the new airport at Navi Mumbai.
According to sources at the City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), which administers Navi Mumbai, the state government got Sinha to pay a visit to the site of the proposed airport and push for the relevant clearances at the Union Environment Ministry.
“The minister undertook an aerial survey earlier this week and by Friday, the Stage 2 clearance from the Union Environment Ministry was received,” a CIDCO official told this reporter. The permission from the Centre was required to flatten the Ulwe hill and divert the river of the same name before the land for the airport is handed over to the contractor who won the bid to construct the new facility.
CIDCO officials say work on the hill cutting and filling of land to divert the Ulwe river will start right away and be completed in 18-24 months. Construction of the runways, buildings and other supporting infrastructure will begin sumultaneously so that the airport is ready by the December 2019 deadline, CIDCO officials said.
22/04/17 Shiv Kumar/The Tribune

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Cargo import facility opens at Trichy airport

A dedicated cargo import facility at the Trichy airport was inaugurated on Friday. The much awaited facility was set up on 190 sqm at a cost of Rs20 lakh, keeping in mind future imports through the airport.
The airport has handled 7,000 tonnes of export cargo during 2016-17, while imports have been grossly neglected despite having potential. As of now, Trichy airport receives an average 4 tonnes of cargo per month whereas the total import for 2016-17 stands at 52 tonnes.
The initiative has been widely praised, but observers who point on the pivotal role of customs department in encouraging imports.
Saying that imports were not promoted all these years from Trichy airport, H Ubaidullah, honorary member of Trichy intra-city development endeavour (Tides),said, "It is now in the hands of customs to encourage imports which will generate revenue to both the customs department and the airport."
"Moreover, imports and exports are done manually at Trichy airport in the absence of electric data interface (EDI). Efforts should be made to ensure EDI in Trichy," he said.
Meanwhile, steps are likely to be taken to begin courier operations from Trichy airport. An important announcement is likely to be made in a couple of weeks. Additional Commissioner of Customs Trichy V Siva Kumar while inaugurating the import facility told airport officials that the much awaited courier operation would be notified by the customs department.
22/04/17 The Times Of India

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Two airports in TN receive 6% of foreign tourists using e-tourist visas

Chennai and Trichy airports in Tamil Nadu collectively received 6% of international tourists, who flew to India on e-tourist visas in March.
The Union ministry of tourism compiles monthly estimates of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) & FTAs on e- tourist visa on the basis of nationality-wise, port-wise data received from Bureau of Immigration (BOI).
According to an official statement, New Delhi international airport recorded the highest number of e-tourist visa arrivals with 46.5%. It is followed by Mumbai airport and Dabolim airport in Goa with 17.1% and 13.8% respectively.
21/04/17 Yogesh Kabirdoss/The Times Of India

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‘Hope Kalaburagi airport opens by 2018’

Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha M. Mallikarjun Kharge has said that he is hopeful of the Kalaburagi airport being operational by next March.

During his visit to the proposed Greenfield Airport site, near Srinivas Saradagi village on the outskirts of the city on Friday, he said that works under Phase-II and Phase-III will be taken up simultaneously.

“The Union Cabinet has approved revised project costs of Rs. 28.27 crore for the Phase-II works and another Rs. 15.15 crore for the Phase-III works. Subsequently, tenders have been floated. I hope that we will finish all the works by January 2018 and apply for technical approval. I am hopeful that the airport would be operational by March, 2018,” Mr. Kharge said. An official said that the Phase-I works, taken up at a cost of Rs. 85.46 crore, were ahead of schedule by recording 35% financial progress and 40% physical progress.
22/04/17 The Hindu

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Explosive growth of Delhi's air traffic could prepone construction of IGI Airport's Terminal 4

New Delhi: The explosive growth of air traffic in Delhi could prepone construction of IGI Airport's Terminal 4.Aviation minister Jayant Sinha said on Thursday that the government, in consultation with stakeholders, would decide in the next two months whether T2 should immediately go to make way for T4. The other solution is to shift some budget airline flights from T1 to T2 to allow expansion of T1 and then demolish T2 to make way for T4.
Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd's (DIAL) master plan proposes the second option that says T2 should remain in use till 2020 -by when T1 expansion would be completed, including addition of the fourth runway -and T4 construction should start after that. But none of the three low-cost carriers (LCCs) -IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir -operating all their domestic flights from T1 are keen to shift to T2 for just three years and then return to T1, forcing the government to step in.
"UK-based NATS (ATC specialist) has said IGI's three runways can handle up to 95 flights an hour in three years, up from current 67 (62 schedule and five charters, VVIP or defence flights). By this winter, the hourly flight handling capacity can rise to 73. We will have to synchronise the increase in the runways' flight-handling with the terminals' passenger-hand ling capacities. A decision on T1T2T4 will be taken in a month or two so that we are able to accordingly finalise the flight schedule or the coming winter in Delhi," Sinha said.
21/04/17 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

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Terminal -1D expansion plan hits hurdle

Delhi airport’s plan to expand Terminal-1D seems to have hit a fresh hurdle after the Central government failed to convince domestic airlines to shift their flight operations to Terminal-2 to begin expansion work at the overcrowded Terminal-1D.
“We need to have a clear understanding of the [plane] slots availability before we make a significant decision related to T-1,” Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said at a press conference here on Thursday.

He said the current master plan of the Delhi airport had envisaged reducing T-1’s annual capacity from 20 million passengers to 10-15 million passengers by asking airlines to move to T-2 while expanding T-1’s capacity.

“Another way of doing it prudentially is to build Terminal-4 very quickly, expand capacity in T-3 and move everyone [all airlines] to T-4 at once,” Mr. Sinha said.

The Minister acknowledged that Delhi T-1 was overcrowded with the terminal handling 24 million passengers against its capacity of 20 million passengers annually. “In peak hours, there is overcrowding in T-1 and we do recognise that,” Mr. Sinha added.
21/04/17 The Hindu

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Authorities plan to increase aircraft movement by 40 percent at Delhi airport

New Delhi: Authorities at the international airport in New Delhi have planned to increase the number of aircraft movements by over 40 per cent to 95 movements per hour in three years seeing the increasing passenger traffic at the airport.

After detailed discussions with stakeholders concerned on increasing the overall capacity at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Union Minister Jayant Sinha on Thursday said there is a “strong working hypothesis” to increase the aircraft movements at the aerodrome.

A takeoff or landing is considered as one aircraft movement.

Besides, a flight operations committee would be set up to look into various issues related to the airport and the panel would hold meeting every month.
Noting that the master plan for the Delhi airport is being re-evaluated, Sinha said UK-based NATS has been examining on how to increase airside capacity in the next two to three years.

Generally, airside capacity refers to takeoffs and landings that an airport can handle.

NATS provides air traffic control services.

Currently, there are around 67 aircraft movements per hour at the airport under the summer schedule. This number is proposed to be increased to 95.

“We can expand it (aircraft movements) to 95 movements per hour in next two to three years… We think it is entirely feasible,” Sinha said, adding that it can be done only with very close collaboration between all the stakeholders, including air traffic controllers, airport and airlines.
21/04/17 Siasat

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Bengaluru-Mumbai Is One Of The Most Profitable Routes For Indian Airlines

Bengaluru-Mumbai may be one of the most lucrative routes for domestic airlines in India. The latest data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the month of March shows passengers booked their tickets on this route at peak prices.
Three out of the seven commercial passenger airlines, including the country's largest private air carrier InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. (IndiGo) sold the maximum number of tickets on this route when prices were at its peak. AirAsia India is not present in Mumbai and Vistara has no direct flight between these two cities.
IndiGo operates the maximum number of flights on the Bengaluru-Mumbai route.
This trend among fliers could be the result of the partial shutdown of Bengaluru airport runaway for repairs, which in turn would have driven up prices, Amber Dubey, partner and India head of aerospace and defence at KPMG told BloombergQuint in an email.
The monthly growth in domestic passenger traffic fell to 15 percent in March this year compared to 25 percent in the same period last year. March is generally a lean month for airlines in India.
"While global oil prices are under control and the U.S. dollar has depreciated against the rupee, non-fuel expenses like crew cost, training, spares and maintenance, ATC charges, airport levies and other overheads etc are on the rise. This coupled with capacity constraints at major airports may bump up airfares and dampen traffic growth," Dubey said.
21/04/17 Krupali Thakkar/Bloomberg Quint

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KIA trains cabbies, cargo loaders on fire safety

Bengaluru: The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) recently held its annual fire prevention week. This week-long campaign started on April 13 and concluded on April 20 in the airport premises.
The aim was to raise awareness on fire safety, with the theme being "Firemen - your partner to save life and property". As part of the commemoration, BIAL conducted awareness campaigns throughout the week.
These included training activities to equip taxi drivers, loaders, cargo partners and other stakeholders at airport to operate basic firefighting equipment. Fire safety education was also given to the neighboring communities.
20/04/17 Aparajita Ray/Times of India

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New airport difrector vows to wow fliers

Ahmedabad: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport has a new pilot at the helm. Manoj Gangal will take over from A K Sharma as the new director on Monday. His focus is to amp the airport’s WOW factor. And Gangal, who has worked at several airports across the country, believes that the only way to woo passengers is by ensuring their comfort. “The airport should reflect the ethos of Gujarat as well as attract citizens to visit us again and again. My priority is to revamp the airport to ensure that travellers have a pleasant experience here,” said Gangal, who has worked as airport director in Pune, Port Blair and Chennai.
He has also been associated with administrative and quality control work at Airports Authority of India headquarters. Referring to Pune airport which is small compared to Ahmedabad but handles an equal amount of traffic, Gangal says, “Ahmedabad has great scope. It can become better and more competitive than it is now. I also plan to revamp Terminal 3 that is currently being used for Haj passengers currently.”
Passengers frequently complain of facing a harrowing time at the airport due to a myriad of problems ranging from lack of seats to lack of toilets, from baggage thefts to shortage of aerobridges, and from lack of eateries at the terinals to animals on the runway. Gangal said, “My highest priority is to fix the toilet issue, then revamp the building to make it more attractive. Anyone arriving here should leave with a good impression of the airport and its infrastructure.”
20/04/17 Ahmedabad Mirror

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Second airport in Jewar may take wing as IGIA bursts with capacity

The Uttar Pradesh government is pushing for a new airport at Jewar, in the same district as Noida and about 100 km from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.

The state government feels Delhi will require a second airport in a few years and this is an opportunity. The GMR Group manages Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL).

The state appears to have already sent a proposal for the Jewar airport to the Union aviation ministry, asking for a technical evaluation of the site.

The Jewar proposal is not a new one. In 2001, Rajnath Singh, now the Union home minister and then the UP chief minister, first proposed an airport there. So did Mayawati after she became CM in 2007. Her proposal did not make progress because of a clause in the agreement with GMR for DIAL, preventing the establishment of a new airport within 150 km of IGIA. However, Union minister of state for civil aviation, Jayant Sinha said, “within a few years, we will be using all of the capacity (at Delhi). It is necessary for us to build a new airport”. Sinha said on Thursday that planning for increasing of capacity at the Delhi airport terminals would depend on improvement in airside capacity. DIAL wishes to take steps to increase the airside movement from 67 to 95 an hour. UK-based NATS has been asked to help.

“What we agree on is that airside movement will have a bearing on the building of a new terminal. With Delhi having three runways, it gives us significant capacity to increase the airside movement,” Sinha said. According to the minister, the improvement in airside capacity would lead to the addition of around 70 flights. And, IGIA's passenger handling capacity would increase to around 90 million annually, from the current 62 mn, in the next two to three years.

DIAL wishes airlines operating from its T1 terminal shift to T2, as it wishes to redo the former. “Airlines are demanding new slots if they shift to (the) T2 (terminal). The airport authority is unable to give them that, as Delhi is already congested. The airlines have also asked for significant reduction in airport charges, which the airport has not agreed to,” said a senior ministry official.
21/04/17 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard

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Work on IGI airport’s Terminal 4 may start earlier than planned

The explosive growth of air traffic in Delhi could prepone construction of IGI Airport's Terminal 4. Aviation minister Jayant Sinha said on Thursday that the government, in consultation with stakeholders, would decide in the next two months whether T2 should immediately go to make way for T4. The other solution is to shift some budget airline flights from T1 to T2 to allow expansion of T1 and then demolish T2 to make way for T4.
Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd's (DIAL) master plan proposes the second option that says T2 should remain in use till 2020 — by when T1 expansion would be completed, including addition of the fourth runway — and T4 construction should start after that. But none of the three low-cost carriers (LCCs) — IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir — operating all their domestic flights from T1 are keen to shift to T2 for just three years and then return to T1, forcing the government to step in.
"UK-based NATS (ATC specialist) has said IGI's three runways can handle up to 95 flights an hour in three years, up from current 67 (62 schedule and five charters, VVIP or defence flights). By this winter, the hourly flight handling capacity can rise to 73. We will have to synchronise the increase in the runways' flight-handling with the terminals' passenger-handling capacities. A decision on T1/T2/T4 will be taken in a month or two so that we are able to accordingly finalise the flight schedule for the coming winter in Delhi," Sinha said.
Admitting the congestion in T1 — which has an annual passenger handling capacity of 2 crore but handled 2.4 crore last year, Sinha said, "In peak hours, there is overcrowding here. The terminal has 15 departure gates and can, therefore, handle a maximum of 30 departures an hour as one flight boarding from terminal gate to buses (that ferry flyers to aircraft) takes about half an hour. If some airlines are shifted to T2, space can be created here to start expansion work and take T1 capacity to 3 crore annually by adding infrastructure like more departure gates."
21/04/17 Saurabh Sinha/The Times Of India

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Mysuru, Bidar, Ballari airports selected in first phase of UDAN bidding

Three airports in the State — Mysuru, Bidar and Vidyanagar (Ballari) — have been selected in the first phase of bidding for the regional connectivity scheme (RCS), known as UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik).

While air connectivity to Vidyanagar airport will commence next month, in Mysuru and Bidar it will be from September.

The all-inclusive airfare under RCS is ₹2,500, and the airfare cap will be indexed to inflation and revised quarterly.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the scheme from Shimla airport on April 27. A total of 45 airports have been selected in the first round of bidding, said Rajiv Nayan Chaube, Joint Secretary of Civil Aviation.

The Airports Authority of India, an implementing agency for RCS, will hold the second round of bidding, for providing air services to 400 unserved airports, in the next two months. The RCS is a demand-driven scheme in which airline operators bid for routes; the State can suggest any airport to be included in the unserved list.

The State government and the Civil Aviation Ministry on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding on air connectivity to three airports. The UDAN scheme intends to enable air services on unserved routes connecting regional areas, promote balanced regional growth, and make flying affordable for the masses.

According to the agreement, the Union and State governments bear the cost of viability gap funding in the ratio of 80:20. The State government will provide concessions to airlines operating under the RCS routes.

Among the concessions offered to airlines operating on the RCS routes is reduced sales tax of 1% or lower cost of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) at RCS airports and for RCS flights from other airports in the State for a period of 10 years. The concessions also include provision of minimum land, if required, free of cost and free from all encumbrances for development and expansion of RCS airports; provision of free security and fire services; and making electricity, water and other utility services available at concessional rates.
20/04/17 Nagesh Prabhu/The Hindu

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Shimla airport set to be on aviation circuit again

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Shimla may bring back Shimla Airport on the commercial aviation circuit once again.

The scheduled flights may start taking off from Shimla Airport at Jubbarhatti after the PM’s arrival here on April 27. Sources in the State Government here said that Modi is likely to re-launch operations of scheduled flights from Shimla Airport.

Flights from the airport were suspended in September 2012, in the wake of soil erosion around the airport, due to which the runway had got compressed to 3,800 feet from 4,100 feet.

Former Chief Minister and now Leader of Opposition,  Prem Kumar Dhumal, who met Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday gave ample indication of the launch of commercial flights from the airport.

Modi is scheduled to land at Jubbarhatti Airport on April 27, for his one day visit to the erstwhile summer capital of British India. He is expected to come to Shimla by Helicopter from Jubberhati Airport to Shimla.

Dhumal claimed that airlines would start the subsidised flights to Shimla airport after a gap of more than four years as regular flights from the airport had come to a halt after the Kingfisher Airlines stopped its flights from the airport in September 2012.
21/04/17 Kamal Joshi/The Pioneer

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Kannur airport works gain momentum

Even as the construction works of the Kannur international airport are progressing, efforts to get the sanction of the director general of civil aviation and other agencies have gained momentum.
As part of the licensing process, the security vetting committee of the CISF , customs and the bureau of civil aviation security (BCAS) visited the site and evaluated the security system on Thursday .
The committee, led by BCAS southern regional director Sanjay Sharma, held meetings with the senior officials.The inspection would continue on Friday .
"After the site visit and eval uation, the committee would recommend its suggestions and after implementing it, they would evaluate once again before giving the licence prior to commissioning of the airport," said an official with Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL).
The airport is expected to be inaugurated in September this year. The inspection pertained to the security aspect, including national security , and the team would examine the equipment.
The official also said the work of the airport was progressing and almost 95% of the runway has been completed, while the terminal building was 86% complete.
"The work is in the final stage and our target is to complete it by May-end so that the finishing works could be completed during the monsoon," said the official.
21/04/17 The Times Of India

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New path to Pawan Hans under way

Mumbai: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun the construction of roads connecting to Pawan Hans, with an aim to commence operations from AAI’s gate thereby closing the Pawan Hans gate by June. According to AAI officials, the work will be completed before monsoon sets in.

The AAI has initiated road-widening work from its entrance gate with an aim to have better connectivity for the Pawan Hans employees towards its hanger. According to an aerodrome official, the current way leads to the Pawan Hans taxiway. Though it is an accessible route, the AAI is coming up with a new road that will be made accessible to their officials by June. The existing road will hence be shut. The road widening work from its main gate will offer better connectivity, also avoiding congestion of vehicles thus avoiding any security concern.

This step was taken after the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) on the first week of March decided that there would be only one gate for the aerodrome — the main gate, which will bear the AAI’s name. Currently, the AAI does not have control over the Pawan Hans gate and does not have access to the records of visitors at Pawan Hans, which creates a security threat. To stop this, the government decided to close the Pawan Hans gate, from where the aerodrome got its name.
21/04/17 The Asian Age

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Surat airport ready for full-fledged flight ops

Come June, Surtis could hope for better air connectivity from the airport.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given the approval for the use of the newly constructed 655 m of runway and the isolation bay at the airport. With this, the runway size at Surat has been increased from 2,250 m to 2,905 m. Also, the second phase of the re-carpeting of 185 m existing runway will begin from April 24, which is expected to be completed by the mid of June-2017.
Official sources said that the first phase of the runway re-carpeting and extension work, which includes re-carpeting of 2,065 m and expansion of 655 meters, has been completed. However, 2,720 m runway will be operational for the landing and take offs of the aircrafts. By June, the airport will have a total of 2,905 m, of runway ready for use.
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) is spending Rs 66 crore for the re-carpeting and construction of the new 655 m of the runway expansion.
21/04/17 The Times Of India

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Aviation Ministry works on increasing capacity of Delhi Airport

The Ministry of Civil Aviation is working with stakeholders on a roadmap to increase Airside Capacity of Delhi Airport from the current 67 movements per hour to 95 movements per hour at peak time in the next three years. By the end of 2017 the Airside Capacity is expected to rise by 10 percent, with around 72 to 73 movements per hour. Briefing media persons in New Delhi today, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said that with the increase in airside capacity it is expected that the passenger movement at Delhi airport would also rise from the current 60 million passengers to about 90 million passengers annually. Sinha said that the Ministry will soon put in place a Master Plan for expansion of Airside Capacity and Terminal Capacity at the airport to accommodate the increase in passenger volume.
20/04/17 Travel Trends Today

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Jet Airways flight suffers nose wheel malfunction while landing, passengers safe

New Delhi: In a close shave for 65 people on board a Jet Airways ATR, the turboprop's nose wheel collapsed soon after it landed at IGI Airport from Dehradun on Wednesday afternoon. Luckily for everyone on board, the plane stopped safely after drifting to one side of the runway since the nose wheel had turned. The runway had to remain closed for over an hour till the plane was removed from it.
The incident took place at around 4:45 pm when flight 9W 2882 landed on runway 29 before suffering nose-wheel collapse. The ATR-72 (VT-JCQ) was carrying 60 passengers and five crew members. The passengers were safely deplaned.
A Jet Airways spokesperson said," Jet Airways flight 9W 2882, an ATR 72-500, from Dehradun to Delhi of April 19, 2017 experienced a nose wheel malfunction after landing, resulting in a steering problem. All 60 guests and 5 crew members have been safely deplaned."
The spokesperson added "Guests are being looked after by the airline's guest service teams and the aircraft is being towed away for maintenance. Jet Airways regrets the inconvenience caused to guests and is making alternate travel arrangements for the affected guests."
20/04/17 Jasjeev Singh/Times of India

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4 key private airports need Rs 27,000 crore to expand capacity: Crisil

Mumbai: Four major private airports in the country will require an investment of Rs 27,000 crore in expanding the existing capacity, which has reached near optimum level, by 2021, a report said today.

The four private airports -- New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru -- cater to nearly 55 per cent of the country's total air traffic.

These airports are operating at near-full capacity and will need to spend heavily on expansion through 2021, said the report by ratings firm Crisil.

"Because of surging footfalls and high capacity utilisation of over 90 per cent, we estimate the four airports would need to invest Rs 27,000 crore for expansion," Crisil Ratings President Gurpreet Chhatwal said.

Yet, their credit quality will remain healthy because of business model strength backed by robust traffic growth and predictable cash flows under a regulated tariff framework, the rating outfit said.

According to the firm, air passenger traffic in the country grew 20 per cent in the last fiscal which was a big leap over the sedate 9 per cent average seen since 2011.

Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports have clocked even faster growth of over 24 per cent, the report said, adding rising private consumption and healthy economic growth would continue to provide tailwind to traffic growth at airports.
19/04/17 PTI/Economic Times
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AAI team inspects runways in three towns

Ranchi: A team of Airport Authority of India (AAI) on Wednesday gave thumbs-up for starting of air services from the abandoned World War II runaway in Chakulia and Dhalbhumgarh in Ghatshila sub-division, about 70-kms from Jamshedpur.

State civil aviation director (operation), Col SP Sinha said this evening at Sonari Airport said that the team from AAI is on a visit to different airstrips in the State as part of a MoU between State Government and AAI for developing sites to be connected under Regional Connectivity Scheme of the Union government.

“Today’s visit was fruitful as there are chances to develop the area. The visit is in view of the chief minister Raghubar Das talks with the Union government for exploring feasibility of connecting more cities under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). The team has already visited Bokaro yesterday.The team gave positive signals after visiting the airstrip at Chakulia and Dhalbhumgarh and termed it fit for being developed as a bigger airport,” said Col Sinha.

The five-member AAI team comprising Ganapati Das (DGM operations), Sudesh Sharma (DGM AAI), Santanu Pannikar, Neeraj Gupta and Ganesh Sharma (all senior managers) will submit feasibility report based on survey of the airstrips to the State Government with suggestions about shortcoming which the state civil aviation department will try to rectify and then submit proposal to the Central Government.

While, World War II era abandoned airfield in Chakulia, barely 70 km from Jamshedpur, built by the British in the 1940s at an estimated cost of Rs 3 crore, and later used extensively during the 1962 war with China and the 1971 war with Pakistan for the liberation of Bangladesh is spread across an area of 515.44 acres.
20/04/17 Parvinder Bhatia/Pioneer

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Kerala to convene meeting of airlines for Kannur airport

New Delhi: The Kerala government will convene a meeting of various airlines to discuss the launch of their services to and from the upcoming Kannur International Airport, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said today.
Vijayan met Union minister for Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju and apprised him on the progress of the work of the airport, which is expected to be operational from September this year.
"DGCA clearance for the new airport, arranging CISF security, setting up of emigration facilities etc will have to be arranged at the Kannur airport. For this purpose, the Civil Aviation Secretary will convene a meeting of the Central agencies concerned," the Chief Minister said in his Facebook post.
He also requested the Union Minister to allot more international flights to the upcoming airport in the state.
The Rs 1,892 crore-airport is built in 2,000 acres in northern Kerala.
18/04/17 PTI/India Today

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PM Narendra Modi to launch UDAN scheme from Jubbarhatti airport on April 27

Shimla: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to launch UDAN (Udey Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme from Jubbarhatti airport on April 27, Shimla will soon get air connectivity. Under the scheme, passengers will have to pay Rs 2,500 for an hour long flight.
This comes as a fresh lease of life for the airport, where no flights had landed since September 2012. High maintenance cost and lack of utility made the airport a liability, despite its location in a bustling tourist destination. People associated with the tourism industry said a functional airport could have increased tourist footfall by 12% to 14% annually.
Leaders of both the BJP and Congress had been raising the issue of air connectivity in Shimla during their visits to Delhi. Now, with the flight service about to be launched, things will finally change.
Shimla Airport was constructed in 1987 and regular flights were operated by different airlines like Vayu Doot, Jagson Airlines, Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines till September 2012 without any Viability Gap Funding (VGF) or other assistance from the state government.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) widened the runway of the Shimla airport from 23 metres to 30 metres to felicitate landing of ATR-42 with a load penalty. Still, services did not start.
20/04/17 Times of India

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Jayant Sinha conducts aerial survey of Navi Mumbai International Airport site

Mumbai: Union Minsiter of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha conducted an aerial survey of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) site Wednesday during his visit to Mumbai. During his tour, he reviewed the progress of work and promised speedy redressal on issues delaying the project.
On Wednesday, Sinha visited TajSATS office — the catering service of the national carrier Air India — for a review. Later, he conducted a heli-survey of the NMIA site followed by a tour of the City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the nodal agency for the airport project.
“Sinha conducted a helicopter survey of the airport to identify obstacles around the area. He later reviewed the status of works and got an update on clearances required for completing the work at the central level. He guaranteed quick redressal of the problems,” a senior CIDCO official said.
The airport awaits a stage II environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), which would allow the agency to begin work on the construction. Other technical clearances for constructing high voltage line and making steel overbridges are also awaited.
20/04/17 Neha Kulkarni/Indian Express

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GMR Hyderabad Airport gets carbon neutrality certificate

The GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited on Wednesday announced the receipt of the Carbon Neutrality (Level 3+) Certificate from the Airports Council International (ACI) at a function held in Doha, Qatar recently.

The prestigious certificate was received by the airport’s Chief Executive Officer S.G.K. Kishore, Chief Operating Officer Manish Sinha and Head (Safety & Environment) Narayanaswamy from the President of ACI-Asia Pacific, Kerri Mather. The status was conferred in December last, on the GMR Group that operates the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad here. The certification comes under ACI’s Airport Car Accreditation Programme that is the industry standard for assessment of an airport’s efforts to manage and reduce carbon emissions. The programme was launched in June, 2009 and comprises four levels.

The GMR Airport has progressively got accreditation from Level 1 (mapping), Level 2 (reduction) in 2012 and qualified for Level 3 (optimisation) before reaching the fourth and the highest accreditation – Level 3+ for neutrality under the programme, said Mr. Kishore in a press release.
19/04/17 The Hindu

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Gaya airport needs longer runway for bigger aircraft

Gaya: During his recent visit to the town, civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju made it clear that the era of narrow body aircraft was now over and it was time to switch over to technically superior wide body aeroplanes. Going by the facilities available at the Gaya airport, with a shorter and somewhat narrower runway, the airport was not in a position to accommodate wide body planes.
As of now, the Gaya airport runway is 2,286 metres long and 45 metres wide. The runway needs to be at least 500 metres longer if it is to accommodate the wide body planes. The width too needs expansion by at least another 15 metres.
Though the airport spread over an area of 950 acre is nearly four times bigger than the Patna airport, which is about 250 acres, the airport needs another 100 acre for runway expansion. Till such time the airport would not be in a position to facilitate landing and take-off of wide body aircraft. Airlines across the world are gradually discarding narrow body planes.
According to sources, even if the runway is made longer by another 500 metres, the airport would not be in a position to accommodate the Jumbo type of planes. At best, the airport would be compatible with A 310 series planes. As of now, improvised versions of A 320 type planes operate from Gaya airport. A 310 type planes carry 220 passengers in a two class layout. The capacity of A 320 is 150 passengers in two class layout. Jumbo jet planes carry 524 passengers in a two class layout.
20/04/17 Abdul Qadir/Times of India

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Land acquisition compensation plan for new airport submitted

Pune: The Pune district administration has submitted a proposal on compensation package for the landowners in Purandar for the proposed new Pune airport, Pune district collector Saurabh Rao said on Wednesday.
"The proposal regarding the method in which the land acquisition will be carried out and the details on the compensation package has been submitted to the state government by the administration," Rao said while replying to a text message.
Asked about the delay in announcement and the expected date, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in a text message on April 17 had said, "under preparation." Fadnavis, however, didn't reply when asked about the tentative date of announcement.
Officials, including those at the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC), have refrained from commenting on the issue and aviation experts said that the ball was now in the Chief Minister's court.
20/04/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Varanasi airport gets 'major' tag after handling more than 1.5 million flyers in 2016-17

New Delhi: Varanasi may have to wait a few more years for the ongoing redevelopment to show results but its airport already appears to have gained from its exalted status as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency.

It was recognised as a major airport in January by the central government after it handled more than 1.5 million passengers in 2016-17, completing three years of above-average growth.

The airport, which saw passenger growth of about 8% and 2% during FY13 and FY14, respectively, flew much higher than the national average of over 20% during the past three fiscal years starting fiscal 2014-15.
20/04/17 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Social media up in arms over AAI's decision to transfer Surat airport director

Surat:  Support is building up in the social media against the decision taken by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the abrupt transfer of airport director, Pramod Kumar Thakre to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.
The social media, including Twitter and Whatsapp, is abuzz with messages criticizing the AAI authorities for their decision to transfer Pramod Kumar Thakre to Jabalpur overnight and replacing the post with the appointment of Rajkot's airport director.
Hundreds of tweets have been sent to the civil aviation ministry, AAI and PMO against the decision to transfer Thakre from Surat to Jabalpur. Those who are closely connected with the airport movement going on from the last many years, have put up the list of outstanding performance of Thakre at the Surat airport after he assumed office in 2014.
Dhiraj Parmar, in his tweet to the PMO, AAI and union civil aviation minister said, "Sir, please stop the transfer of Pramod Kumar Thakre. He has done outstanding work for the airport in last two-and-a-half-year"
Another resident, Rita Singh tweeted, "What? Why? Thakre is the most efficient airport director and dedicated AAI officer. He has single-handedly done wonders for Surat airport"
Member of We Want Working Airport at Surat (WWWAS), Sanjay Jain said, 'We have taken up the transfer issue with the top bosses in AAI. Thakre has worked hard for the upliftment of Surat airport. Now, it is time to deliver, the AAI has lifted the man who has worked dedicatedly"
19/04/17 Melvyn Regiie Thomas/Times of India

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T1 to T2 to T1 to T4 has government and airlines’ heads spinning

New Delhi: Summer peak travel is set to start in about a month and there are serious questions about how Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates Indira Gandhi International Airport, will manage the crowds given that Terminal 1 is already a congested nightmare for passengers. Ironically, there is Terminal 2, which is ready for use except that two low cost carriers have baulked at moving there and freeing up T1 for domestic flights. Aviation minister Jayant Sinha has called a meeting of all stakeholders on Thursday to discuss how to unravel this knot.
Sinha, in explaining the master plan for IGIA, hinted at why SpiceJet and GoAir are reluctant to move to the revamped terminal. "Some airlines or flights have to be shifted out of Terminal 1 so construction can begin to expand the facility," said Sinha. "The airlines/flights shifted have to operate out of T2. Once the T1 expansion is completed, the airlines will revert to that terminal. Following this, T2 will be torn down to make way for T4, to which operations will then be shifted." This move from T1 to T2 and back to T1 and then to T4 is what the two airlines are queasy about.
IGIA handled 5.5 crore passengers (domestic and international) last year, up 20% from 4.6 crore in 2015. The minister said this unprecedented growth has forced a reanalysis of the master plan to see how the increase can be accommodated. "We need to see how we can free up capacity both at the airside (to allow more flights per hour) and on the terminal side," said Sinha.
20/04/17 Sajurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Four SpiceJet flights from Patna soon

Patna: Low-cost airline SpiceJet would commence its flight operation from Jayaprakash Narayan International airport in Patna to Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata from July 1.
Airport officials said a booking counter and other operational facilities would be provided to SpiceJet at Patna airport in a day or two. The Gurgaon-based airlines would operate two flights in the morning and another two in the evening from the city airport.
"SpiceJet has been approved to operate four flights daily from Patna airport. A schedule of flight operation duly approved by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recently been communicated to us, based on which it would start its operations here from July 1," Patna airport director R S Lahauria told TOI.
SpiceJet apart, Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia is also likely to operate its flights from the city airport from July. The budget carrier is to operate two flights on Delhi-Patna-Delhi route following a final nod by the DGCA recently.
20/04/17 Times of India

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Andhra may develop Nagarjunasagar airport soon, land-availability being checked

The Ministry of Civil Aviation is reportedly looking forward to develop the Nagarjunasagar airport at Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.

This comes soon after the Centre came up with its Regional Air Connectivity Scheme to develop mini-airports across the country. Following the Centre's announcement, the state government had earlier announced that the airports at Nagarjunasagar and Donakonda would be upgraded into greenfield ones.

The Nagarjunasagar airport was reportedly built in the 1960s, and was spread across 90 acres.

According to Deccan Chronicle, the YS Rajasekhar Reddy government gave the Nagarjunasagar airport to a flight training institute in in 2007, but cancelled the lease later, as the institute could not provide proper training to the pilots.

Now, the Airports Authority of India and  officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry have begun making inquiries about land availability at Nagarjunasagar.

Earlier, the Centre gave approval for three new airport projects at Bhogapuram and Dagadarthi, both in Nellore district, and Orvakallu in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh that are estimated to cost Rs 2,376 crore.

According to the Times of India, the Centre will bear 80% of the viability gap funding under the scheme, while the state will bear the remaining 20%.

The scheme would reportedly provide various incentives to airlines and airports, like the fare would be capped at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights.
20/04/17 The News Minute
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Civil aviation, AAI, Amritsar airport director told to hold meeting

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday asked the Union ministry of civil aviation, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the director of the Amritsar international airport to hold a meeting with senior advocate M L Sarin, who is amicus curiae, regarding the operation of international flights by private airlines from the holy city. The meeting would be held within three weeks.
Sarin will examine all possibilities of operating flights by private airlines interested in launching operation from Amritsar and submit his assessment to the HC. A division bench headed by Justice S S Saron passed these orders during the hearing of an ongoing petition filed by the Amritsar Vikas Manch (AVM) against the decision of Air India to divert the Amritsar-Birmingham flight to Delhi. Assistant solicitor general Chetan Mittal has been asked by the bench to facilitate the holding of the meeting.
The order came after the court was informed that Air India was not making profit from its Amritsar-Birmingham flight. On March 28, the HC had asked Air India to explain as to why it had diverted the Delhi-Birmingham flight from Amritsar to Delhi despite the fact that majority of passengers were from Punjab. During the hearing, counsel for the AVM, Ankur Soni submitted a list of private airlines that were interested in starting a flight from the Amritsar airport for various international destinations.
19/04/17 Times of India

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Airport to get Golden Temple gallery

Amritsar: SGPC has decided to set up a gallery dedicated to the history of Golden Temple at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport.
This was disclosed by SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar while unveiling a huge image of Golden Temple installed at the airport. He said the gallery would be established in collaboration with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) which would depict the history of Golden Temple and Sri Guru Ram Dass.
20/04/17 Tribune

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Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd puts its foot down on night parking

Nashik: Night landing and parking facility for air service companies at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Ozar airport, will be available only if they provide passenger flights the next morning.
Several air service companies have shown an interest in night landing at the airport. Jet Airways is already in the process of preparing a business model for the same.

"Parking is not a major business. But, if it facilitates the passengers then we will support it. Since the last two months, there has been a diversion of flights from Jet Airways but night parking has still not been allowed," said HAL, Ozar chief executive officer Daljeet Singh.
The airport is open for emergencies or landing problems, or if an aircraft does not get a slot to park in Mumbai and is running short of fuel. But, the company would be required to inform the HAL authorities beforehand.
20/04/17 Sumita Sarkar/Times of India

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'Drunk' passengers insist on playing music on flight; offloaded at Delhi airport

Delhi: Two Canadian nationals, who were apparently intoxicated, were offloaded from a British Airways flight bound to London at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi. According to Hindustan Times, the duo were adamant about playing a musical instrument on board the plane.
Both had arrived from Kathmandu and were travelling to London via Delhi. They had to be removed from the flight, since the pilot refused to fly with them.
Airport officials say the incident took place on April 13 at around 2.15am, when both the passengers were offloaded. They were taken to the transfer area by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), due to being in an inebriated state and causing nuisance on board the flight.
The Delhi Police was also summoned but no case was registered against them. Also, they had to spend eight hours at the airport, after which both departed at around 10 am by Qatar Airways.
20/04/17 Mid Day

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Firecrackers to avoid bird hit ignites fire at SVPI airport runway

Ahmedabad: A major fire was reported at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport in the city. Five fire tenders of the airport authority and four of Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Service took around one and half hours to douse the flames.
The incident occurred when the airport staff burnt firecrackers to scare away the birds from the runway to avoid bird-hit before the take -off of airplanes and instead fire caught in dry grass. No damage of property or human life was reported in the incident.
A K Sharma, director of SVPI airport, confirmed the incident and said, "The fire occurred at the operational area of the airport and it was triggered from the dry grass. We have full-fledged fire stations and our own fire department people extinguished the fire. No damage was reported in the FIR."
19/04/17 Ashish Chauhani/Times of India

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Drill held as part of fire prevention week at KIA

Bengaluru: How can a fire be contained with utmost urgency and precision at the Kempegowda International Airport? This was on everyone's mind as the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) team demonstrated different ways of doing it to taxi drivers at the KIA premises on Wednesday.

The demonstration was part of the Fire Prevention Week that started on April 13. The theme for this year's week is “Firemen – Your Partners to Save Life and Property.”

The awareness campaigns on the week's agenda include training activities to equip taxi drivers, loaders, cargo partners and other stakeholders at the airport to operate basic fire fighting equipment. Fire safety education is also given to the neighbouring communities.

During the week, the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting personnel educated children of government schools in the vicinity about fire safety measures. They were educated on the measures to be taken to safeguard their lives in case of fire accidents.
20/04/17 Deccan Herald

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