Airlines criticise airport developer’s demand for 10% fee hike

New Delhi: The demand by the joint venture companies running Mumbai and Delhi airports to raise their charges by 10% for the second time this year has been criticised by the aviation industry, which feels it would add to the pressure mounted by the high jet fuel cost burden.
Both GVK-led Mumbai International Airport Ltd and GMR-led Delhi International Airport Ltd have separately written to the Civil Aviation Ministry seeking 10% hike in the airport charges, saying the hike was part of their concession agreement. The ministry is yet to take a decision on the issue but is examining the proposals from the private airport operators.
The industry, which recently gave an unprecedented strike call to protest high jet fuel prices and steep airport charges, is demanding no further hikes in the airport charges, which include levies for landing, route navigation, parking and facilitation.
Industry sources said when the sector was passing through extreme financial pressures, there was no real urgency for the ministry to allow a second hike in airport charges this year.
Seeking early steps to make the newly-created Airport Economic Regulatory Authority functional, they said any decision on these charges should be left to this body which should decide after a proper review of the entire gamut of problems being faced by the industry.
30/08/09 PTI/Livemint

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Karnataka begins talks with airline firms on operating flights from Mysore

Bangalore: The State Government has begun discussions with airline companies to operate flights from the new Mysore airport.
The airport is set for inauguration on September 15, and the Director General of Civil Aviation is stated to have permitted an inaugural flight on that day.
Given the length of the runway of the new airport which is 1.7 km, only aircraft of the size of ATR-72 (which can carry up to 70 passengers) and smaller aircraft can operate from there. The State Government and the Centre are scheduled to announce the upgrading of the runway to 2.4 km, following which bigger aircraft (A-320) can operate from Mysore.
It is a wholly government owned airport compared to the new airports which are being constructed under public-private partnership. The airport terminal has been designed for a 200-passenger peak-hour load (100 passengers who arrive and 100 passengers who leave).
31/08/09 S. Rajendran/The HIndu

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Airnetz to raise Rs 250 cr for airport development

Mumbai: Aviation services provider, Airnetz Aviation, plans to raise around Rs 250 crore to invest in the development of alternative and rural airports in the country.
The company today announced its foray into the airport infrastructure development space in India and said its investment will undertake projects on build-operate-transfer model.
The development of alternative and rural airports will help to decongest India's metro airports in Mumbai, Chennai and New Delhi, Airnetz said in a press release today.
The investment will be largely focused on the development of already existing airstrips and new airports in the radius of 200-250 kilometers from congested metro cities, the release said.
30/08/09 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Hajis from Jharkhand to fly for Haj from Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur: The official announcement of transit flight between Ranchi and Kolkata for the Haji has been made. The aspirants of Haj from Jharkhand will take the Air India flight from Ranhi to Kolkata and then they will depart for Haj. This information was provided to the media by officer of the state Haj Committee Shaukat Ali. He said that the exact date of departure will be announced very soon. The Hajis will have to report at State Haj House before two days of their departure.
Shaukat Ali informed that the first and second floor of the Haj House has been ready completely for the Hajis. If there will be any problem in living, the alternate arrangement will be made in Schools and other places. Our first priority will be to give every facility to the Haj aspirants. Air India has announced that its flight will take hajis from Ranchi to Kolkata but it is not clear what will be the number of hajis in every flight whether it will be 10 or 200. The number of hajis per flight is yet to be announced. When the hajis will reach Kolkata they will stay for few hours in the Haj terminal where every facility will be provided to them.
30/08/09 Khabrein.Info

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A nightmare for couple at Paris airport

New Delhi: Hamhanded French officials at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport put a helpless Indian couple through hours of humiliation and bullying before bundling them onto a flight back home.
Farmer K.N. Ashok Kumar and his wife Meenakshamma from Karnataka's Hassan district were in transit in Paris, and headed for Finland to meet their son K. A. Darpan Gowda, when they were stopped by the French officials.
Over the next 20 hours on the morning of August 26, Kumar, 59, and his 46-year-old wife, who were on their first flight, were grilled by the officials. They were asked for the invitation letter from their son in Finland, ordered to stay put and stay quiet because they could not provide it right away, and were rendered incommunicado by having their mobile phone snatched from them.
Bewildered and cowering under their gaze, they could not muster the courage to ask the officials why they were being detained in Paris when they were headed for Helsinki.
They had spent a small fortune on the air ticket to meet their son. To them, his was an Indian success story too - a young man who had made his way from a farmer's house in Hassan to Tampere in Finland to work as a software professional.
But, the French officials had destroyed their dream and offered no explanation. "All the 20 Indians on the Air France flight that my parents took from Bengaluru International Airport were stopped at Paris and asked to show their passports. We don't have any objection to checks. In today's world it is necessary. But, while the other 18 were allowed to go after the passport check, my parents were held back with no explanation," said Ashok Kumar's elder son Dr K.A. Darshan Gowda, who is in Karnataka.
Darpan added that the couple was carrying only E250 (about Rs 17,420) with them.
"Perhaps the French officials thought that my parents were too poor, but couldn't they check with my brother in Finland or the Indian authorities?" It turned into a gruelling 20hour drama for the Kumar couple that began on the morning of August 26 (6.45 am French time) when they landed in Paris and ended with their arrival at the Bengaluru International Airport, the next day - heartbroken and beaten. Efforts to contact the French embassy in New Delhi for its reaction to the incident proved futile.
31/08/09 Sowmya Aji/Mail Today/India Today

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Traffic hits downturn air pocket

Calcutta: Passenger footfall at Calcutta airport has taken a beating, dropping four per cent in the first quarter of 2009-10 compared with the same period the previous year.
Cargo traffic has taken even a bigger hit, reeling from a 10 per cent negative growth.
A survey at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport has revealed that international passenger movement has gone up by two per cent against a five per cent slide in the number of domestic fliers, causing an overall dip of around four per cent between April and June.
The number of international flights from the city has gone up by 20 per cent (mostly on south and Southeast Asia sectors) but domestic flights have come down by 10 per cent.
This was in sharp contrast to fiscal 2006-07 which saw a 42 per cent rise in domestic movement and eight per cent rise in the international sector, on the wings of a buoyant economy.
31/08/09 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Traffic hits downturn air pocket

Calcutta: Passenger footfall at Calcutta airport has taken a beating, dropping four per cent in the first quarter of 2009-10 compared with the same period the previous year.
Cargo traffic has taken even a bigger hit, reeling from a 10 per cent negative growth.
A survey at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport has revealed that international passenger movement has gone up by two per cent against a five per cent slide in the number of domestic fliers, causing an overall dip of around four per cent between April and June.
The number of international flights from the city has gone up by 20 per cent (mostly on south and Southeast Asia sectors) but domestic flights have come down by 10 per cent.
This was in sharp contrast to fiscal 2006-07 which saw a 42 per cent rise in domestic movement and eight per cent rise in the international sector, on the wings of a buoyant economy.
31/08/09 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Man wanted by IB off-loaded from flight

Thiruvananthapuram : A 28-year-old youth from Wayanad, Kabeer Sayed, who is a suspected activist of the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, was off-loaded from a Kuwait Airways flight minutes before take-off to Kuwait from the airport here on Sunday as it was found at the last minute that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had issued a lookout notice against him three months ago.
Airport officials said the youth had been detained and intelligence and security agencies were questioning him in the airport terminal.
The Air Traffic Control issued a directive to the commander of the aircraft (flight no: KU 332) that the youth be off-loaded. This followed a request from the immigration authorities who received a tip-off. The aircraft was then taxied back to the parking bay.
The incident has come as a shock to the intelligence and security agencies, as the youth completed the immigration formalities and security check. The Kerala Police manage the immigration wing and the Central Industrial Security Force takes care of the airport security.
31/08/09 The Hindu

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For VVIPs, airports to shut for 6 mins

Mumbai: Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) propose to introduce a three-minute complete airport closure before and after the arrival or departure of any VVIP flight at all airports across India.
This would mean that airports would be closed for six minutes in case of a VVIP movement. The decision comes five months after a near-collision situation between one of the choppers in the President's convoy and an Air India (AI) flight in February.
Incidentally, the recommendation for the closure was made in July by a team of both Indian Air Force (IAF) and AAI officials who investigated the case.Officials said the decision is likely to be implemented by the end of next month. Director general Naseem Zaidi confirmed the development. ''The need for this was felt by the investigation committee after the incident at Mumbai airport. Hence, a proper plan is being looked into by AAI,'' Zaidi told TOI.
30/08/09 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Post SRK detention, Salman cancels US trip

New Delhi: Learning lessons from the Shah Rukh Khan episode, Bollywood star Salman Khan has cancelled his upcoming trip to New York to promote his latest movie Wanted.
Organisers and promoters associated with the event cited Shah Rukh Khan's detention at Newark Airport early this month, where he was questioned by immigration officials and taken for a second screening, as a major reason for Salman cancelling his New York trip scheduled in early September.
The event was scheduled for September 3 in New York.
Besides Salman Khan, producer Boney Kapoor, former Bollywood star Sridevi and actor-turned-director Prabhu Deva were also scheduled to attend the New York meeting.
Shah Rukh Khan had alleged that he was detained and questioned at the airport for nearly two hours as his name popped up on the computer of the immigration counter.
29/08/09 CNN-IBN

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Bid to boost NE air connectivity

New Delhi: Notwithstanding past setbacks the process of launching an exclusive air service to boost intra-regional connectivity in the North-east has been revived, with the Ministry initiating fresh talks with private airline operators, disclosed Minister Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Bijoy Krishna Handique. Talking to newsmen days ahead of completion of first 100 days in office, Handique said he tackled plethora of issues including the controversy relating to use of funds by Bodoland Terrirorial Council (BTC), charges of corruption in North Eastern Council (NEC), revival of the stalled Lumding-Silchar Broad Gauge line among others. The Minister completes 100 days on September 15.
Identifying connectivity as the key issue, the Minister expressed his dismay at the regional air service. ‘The core areas in the region are not being touched by the air operators,” he said, underlining the need for dedicated air services.
At least 11 unused airstrips are being developed and a couple of green field airports are also coming up. “We have opened negotiations with some private air operators,” he disclosed.
The NEC’s earlier attempts to start a regional airline came a copper, because of lack of response from the private air operators. The Council contributes Rs 38 crore as subsidy to the air operator, Alliance Air used to operate the regional air service using four ATR 50 aircraft.
29/08/09 Kalyan Barooah/Assam Tribune

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Jayalalithaa opposes land acquisition for airport expansion

Chennai: Tamil Nadu's former chief minister J. Jayalalitha on Saturday criticised the move to acquire 35 acres of land for expanding the Chennai airport.
"(Chief Minister M.) Karunanidhi came to power promising two-acre land for landless people. Now poor people are losing their land and homes on the pretext of acquisition," the AIADMK general secretary said in a statement.
According to her, the government is in the process of acquiring 1,070 acres in Kanchipuram district near here for expanding the Chennai airport.
The government has handed over some portion of the acquired land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and a second runway has been constructed on it.
The AAI wants an additional 35.40 acres to have lighting facilities for the second runway and has placed a request to the state government.
29/08/09 IANS/SamayLive

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Pak national arrested with Indian rupees from Nepal airport

Kathmandu: A Pakistani national has been arrested from Nepal's international airport today for illegal possession of 2.3 million Indian rupees.
The police arrested Abdul Karim, a Pakistani national during a security check as he landed in the Tribhuvan airport from Qatar Airways illegally carrying India currency in Rs 500 denominations, according to Nepal police spokesman Binod Singh.
The Indian paper notes were found hidden inside a suitcase while conducting security check on the Pakistani national, who boarded in Kathmandu airport on the Qatar Airways plane at 4.30 pm, the police official said.
29/08/09 Zee News

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Disaster averted at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: A major disaster was averted on Wednesday night at the Mumbai airport, when the pilot of an Air India cargo plane spotted fire raging in a consignment that was to be loaded onto the aircraft.
Preliminary investigation showed the consignment contained matchboxes and incense sticks, categorised by the aviation industry as “dangerous goods”.
“I am terrified and shocked. Think what could have happened? The time the fire was detected, the aircraft would have been airborne. This needs to be properly investigated,” Captain AK Malhotra, commander of the aircraft, told Hindustan Times.
Minutes before the flight’s takeoff — it was scheduled for 11.30 pm, but was delayed — the shipment lying close to the plane caught fire at 11.42 pm. The crew that noticed the fire found no commercial personnel near the aircraft.
Captain Malhotra said the rules stipulated that the pilot of the aircraft should be informed about the presence of the consignment of dangerous goods. But he knew nothing about the presence of such a consignment.
He said he would not fly the aircraft until he gets satisfactory explanation from the management.
28/08/09 Lalatendu Mishra/Hindustan Times

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New terminal ready at Bajpe, but fully operational only by October

Mangalore: The new terminal at the Bajpe airport here, housing both international as well as domestic terminals, is likely to be inaugurated by Civil Aviation minister Prafful Patel on September 15.
But, the new facility, built at a cost of Rs 147 crore, will be opened for both domestic and international traffic only in October as various systems like customs, immigration, terminal management, will not be operational at the time of the inauguration.
Airport director Chandran told TOI, "The September 15 deadline was tentative, but they were working towards that date. Sources said the date has not been officially confirmed by the Airport Authority of India, New Delhi or the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, but the date doing rounds as the Mysore Airport was also scheduled to be inaugurated on that day itself. The date was mentioned by Patel when chief minister B S Yeddyurappa met him at New Delhi recently.
As far as the new terminal is concerned, the new terminal, which will have two aerobridges, is four times larger than the existing terminal at Bajpe. While the old terminal is 4,000 sq mt, the new terminal is 18,200 sq mt. There is space to park 300 cars at the new terminal.
28/08/09 Stanley G Pinto/Times of India

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Plane seized at airport for duty evasion

Chennai: Air customs officials of Chennai airport seized an eight-seater aircraft owned and operated by a private financial services company for violation of import duty procedures.
Based on a request from Delhi air customs, the air cargo wing of the Chennai air customs detained the Beechcraft Super King Air B200 aircraft on Thursday. The aircraft was based here and was used to fly charter operations in the past year, officials said.
29/08/09 Times of India

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Russian woman and child waits for flight to Bangkok

Kolkata: The ordeal continued for Sokolovskaya Ksenia and her two-year-old son Sherbatov Galaktion on Friday. The two had been stranded at Kolkata airport since 6.30 pm on Thursday after immigration authorities denied them entry because the child did not have a visa.
The Russian woman had to spend hours in a public lounge with no privacy as the airport lacks an enclosure for stranded passengers. Sokolovskaya was given food and a blanket to sleep on the floor with.
Jet Airways refused to take them to Bangkok free of cost and Air India Express, the carrier responsible for overlooking the error, declined to foot the bill. An Air India official said, "The problem arose because we did not have a Bangkok flight on Friday."
29/06/09 Times of India

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No Room for Development of Patna Airport; Says AAI Official

Patna: Airport Authority of India (AAI), during a meeting with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Thursday, ruled out the possibility of the expansion of Patna's Jai Prakash Narain International Airport saying there was not enough space for further development at its current location.
"Given the current scenario, it is just not possible to expand Patna Airport runway because of railway track on one side and the Botanical Garden on the other," AAI chairperson V. P. Agrawal said.
He, however, said that the Bihta Airport had tremendous scope for development if the government made provision for additional land near the existing airport.
The AAI officials also shot down ideas of developing airports in Punpun and Masaurhi areas citing low elevation and constant threat of flood in the region.
27/08/09 Patna Daily

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Gaya airport extension soon

Patna: The Bihar government on Thursday said it will soon hand over 100 acres of land, which is in the process of acquisition, to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for extension of the international airport at Gaya.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar conveyed this to AAI chairman V P Agrawal during a two-hour meeting they had at the CM’s secretariat at 4, Deshratna Marg here.
“Operating international flights will become easier after the Gaya airport runway is extended to 9,000 feet,” Agrawal said, adding regular Haj flights may be introduced from Gaya after the runway extension.
Kumar and Agrawal had a detailed discussions on AAI’s airports and aerodromes in Bihar. Apart from airports at Patna and Gaya, there are aerodromes at Raxaul, Muzaffarpur and Jogbani. The issue of extra land for Raxaul and Muzaffarpur aerodromes was also discussed.
Agrawal said the Bihta air base has a 8,200-foot runway which can be extended up to 9,000 feet.
There are 29 airports, aerodromes and airstrips in Bihar. Of them, 18 are under the state government, five under the defence ministry and five under the AAI.
28/08/09 Faizan Ahmad/Times of India

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HAL airport: Cases adjourned to Monday

Bangalore: The high court on Thursday adjourned to Monday the hearing on a batch of petitions seeking reopening of HAL airport.
B C Thiruvengadam, counsel for the Airport Authority Employees' Union, said they have a stake in the airport as their organization was created with a profit motive.
He explained that the Airports Authority of India Act has no provision on closing any airport that had been functioning well.
Earlier, the court had directed stakeholders connected to Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) to place before the court a re-negotiation report. This report, the court added, should deal with reopening of HAL airport, which was closed to commercial flights simultaneously when BIA was inaugurated.
The counsel for BIA replied that a tripartite meeting was held and no re-negotiations was held after May 23, 2008. BIA, however, was not a party to the meeting.
The Centre's view on the issue through a notification on May 16, 2008, was that it would not disapprove reopening HAL airport for civil and commercial operations but only after a consensual agreement.
28/08/09 Times of India

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Yashwant backs Mishra on Advani’s role in Kandahar hijack

New Delhi: Former External Affairs and Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha on Thursday said that he completely backed former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra statement that senior BJP leader L.K.Advani was aware of all key decisions related to the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane IC-814 to Kandahar in Afghanistan.
Confirming that Advani was present at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on December 31, 1999, Sinha said: “The truth should be spoken. Advani must come out and clarify events. The CCS minutes of that day need to be examined for clarification. I completely back Brajesh Mishra on L.K. Advani. IC-814 is a matter of recent history, not a party matter.”
Sinha’s reaction was in response to former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra saying that Advani was aware of all the key decisions taken with regard to the 1999-2000 hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Mishra rebutted Advani’s contention that he was unaware about IC-814 being taken from Amritsar to Kandahar by terrorists. He also rejected the view that Advani did not know that a Cabinet Minister would be flying to Kandahar to secure the release of the hostages in exchange for the three most wanted terrorists.
27/08/09 ANI/Indian Express

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Will Advani explain his Kandahar 'lie'?

With the Congress and other political parties upping the ante against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani to explain the facts behind the hijacking of an Indian Airlines aircraft to Kandahar, all eyes will be on Advani to set the record straight over the Kandahar hijacking.
This comes after Brajesh Mishra, who was the National Security Advisor and a vital player in the events that unfolded during the handling of the IC-814 hijacking, on Thursday (August 27) told that the decision to send a plane to Kandahar with Jaswant Singh was a unanimous decision by the cabinet committee on security.
He also added that all members including Deputy PM LK Advani were present at the meeting. Mishra also stated that Advani had agreed to send the plane to Kandahar.
TIMES NOW also spoke to Jaswant Singh, the man who went to Kandahar along with the terrorists, who stood by his words that Advani knew of all key decisions.
Meanwhile, Yashwant Sinha told TIMES NOW that it's time for LK Advani to come clean.
28/08/09 Times Now.tv

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Brand Ashok plans to set up airport property

Kolkata: The Ashok brand is scripting a comeback to the hospitality scene in the state.
It was Indian Tourism Development Corporation's (ITDC) umbrella hotel brand prior to its divestment of 11 properties, including Hotel Airport Ashok in Kolkata. Now, ITDC officials are in talks with at least four hoteliers and developers to set up franchise hotels in Kolkata, Siliguri, Santiniketan and Shankarpur.
ITDC vice-president Kuldeep Verma will fly into Kolkata on Monday to negotiate a deal with a realty major for a 200-room hotel close to the airport. Seven years ago, the company had sold off stake in Hotel Airport Ashok, once a leading five-star property that had suffered from poor occupancy after flights to the city nosedived.
"We are in talks with a realtor who plans to set up a 200-room property on Jessore Road, close to the airport. The Rs 150-200 crore project should be up and running shortly after the modernization of Kolkata airport," Verma told TOI from Delhi. Though he refused to name the partner, industry sources said the Fort group was in the forefront.
28/08/09 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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Mumbai airport lacks radar to track planes on runway

Mumbai: What causes frequent near-misses at Mumbai airport? Probably, it's the absence of surface movement radars which keep track of aircraft and vehicles on runway.
Aviation experts say the surface movement radars are crucial for getting real-time picture of aircraft and vehicles on runway, especially during low-visibility and night. However, only Delhi airport has installed these radars in the country.
A civil aviation ministry official said these radars are crucial for safety at the Mumbai airport, which handles more than 700 flights daily. And the equipment is "most needed now" because of the "cross runway operation" at Mumbai.
Sources told DNA that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is likely to tell the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Mumbai International Airport Limited (Mial) to install the equipment as soon as possible.
In a meeting held in Delhi on Wednesday, DGCA officials pointed out the absence of surface movement radars at Mumbai to the civil aviation ministry.
Sources said ideally the AAI and Mial should have worked out a plan to get the radars installed.
On Sunday, two planes came extremely close mid-air as one of the pilots had taken off without the permission of air traffic control at the Mumbai airport. In last eight months, three near-misses have occurred in Mumbai.
27/08/09 Yogesh Kumar/Daily News & Analysis

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Accidents waiting to happen at Mumbai, Delhi airports: Experts

New Delhi: In the last eight months, there have been 14 air-misses in the country. Most of them are mainly due to human error, which is a matter of serious concern for the experts.The experts admitted that there was a noticeable increase in two aircraft taking off together due to misreading of control tower instructions, which is the one of worst forms of negligence.
"In such cases, the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) should suspend the licence of the pilots, air traffic controller and others involved, for more than three months. Merely grounding them will not help," former DGCA chief HS Khola said.
Most experts claimed that the situation was alarming, but perhaps not enough to shake up the system. Lack of equipment, trained manpower and lack of coordination between agencies make things worse at busy airports like Mumbai and Delhi.
".. There is an urgent need to work out a plan to train manpower of airlines and airports as per international standards," captain A Ranganathan said.
On the training front, the experts claimed that not just airport authorities, but the DGCA too needs it. The DGCA doesn't have enough manpower and it impacts its role as an aviation regulator.
27/08/09 Yogesh Kumar/Daily News & Analysis

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Dodsal among three qualified to bid for Omani airport contracts

Reuters reported that foreign firms including South Korea's Hanjin Heavy Industries, Greece based Consolidated Contractors Company and India's Dodsal have been qualified to bid for 3 Omani airport contracts.
An official involved in the tender said that "The Salalah airport will be converted from domestic to international, while the new Sohar airport is for airfield works and it will be Phase II for Duqm airport."
He said that the submission of the bids for Salalah airport in the south of Oman is set for September 21stand September 28th 2009 for Duqm and Sohar. He added that local contractor Galfar and Turkey's Makyol were among the bidders.
A Galfar official said that "Our estimate is that the 3 airport deals will be in excess of OMR 500 million."
27/08/09 Steelguru.com

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Proposal for 4 airports in Andhra Pradesh cleared

Hyderabad: Greenfield airports will be developed at Orvakal (Kurnool district ), Jakaranpalli (Nizamabad), Ramagundam (Karimnagar) and Tadepalligudem (West Godavari) through private-public partnership route to ensure regional balance, improve domestic connectivity and provide linkage to Hyderabad.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Cabinet at its meeting here on Tuesday on the basis of a study made by the Airports Authority of India according to which these airports would be feasible and viable.
Sources said later said the Infrastructure & Investment Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (INCAP) would shortly notify the projects, seeking expression of interest from private parties. The parties selected would be offered incentives like land on lease, infrastructural facilities like roads, water and power. Besides, displaced families, if any, would rehabilitated at Government cost. They would be exempted from paying VAT, seignorage and land conversion charges. Those bidders offering highest revenue to the Government would be selected. Construction of an airport would be completed in 36 months after the project was awarded to the party. The PPP conditions would be valid for 30 years extendable by another 30 months. Approvals would be secured Civil Aviation Ministry after signing the agreements.
25/08/09 The Hindu

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American gets jail for carrying pistol

Chennai: A local court has sentenced an American national to one year in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 for trying to carry a loaded pistol on a flight.
Larry Sellmeyer(58) was caught by security personnel at the Chennai international airport on June 11 last when he tried to board a flight to Mumbai on his way back to Arizona. Security personnel recovered from him an Austrian-made calibre 40 pistol and 35 live bullets.
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Sellmeyer claimed that he was not aware that carrying firearms in a flight was an offence under Indian laws as he had carried the pistol all the way from the US to India. He also told the police that he had a valid firearms licence.
Sellmeyer came to Chennai on May 27 for medical treatment.
26/08/09 S Murari/Asian Tribune

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Airports: HC upholds development fee charged

Delhi and Mumbai international airports are well within their rights in charging airport development fees and stopping them from doing so would hurt public-private partnership, the Delhi high court held on Wednesday.
A division bench headed by chief justice A P Shah dismissed a bunch of petitions that alleged that both the Delhi International Airport Ltd and the Mumbai International Airport Ltd were collecting ADF in an illegal manner, without having any authority.
Ruling in favour of the airport managers, the Bench said, "There is no illegality in ADF. They (DIAL and MIAL) have obtained the Centre's permission for that."
Both DIAL and MIAL have got the management of the airport under a statutory lease from the government and they are entitled to all powers of the Airports Authority of India to levy such a fee.
26/08/09 PTI/Rediff

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Mysore airport to start operations by September 15: Patel

Bangalore: Civil aviation minister Praful Patel has promised the Karnataka government that Airports Authority of India will make all possible efforts to operationalize Mysore airport by September 15.
"Airlines have already been informed for planning schedules to Mysore airport from different locations,'' Patel told chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.
26/08/09 Times of India

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AI flight makes emergency landing in Mumbai

Mumbai: An Air India flight made an emergency landing at Mumbai airport following a suspected hydraulic failure on Wednesday morning. All the passengers on board the Mumbai-Banglore flight (IC 109) were safe.
According to airport sources, around 10 am the air traffic controller (ATC) declared an emergency after the pilot reported a suspected hydraulic failure in the aircraft.
The flight had taken off from Mumbai around 9.35 am with 93 passengers on board. But it returned soon after the problem was noticed.
26/08/09 India Today

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DIAL signs concession pact for catering, cargo facility

New Delhi: Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the GMR Group-led consortium developing the Capital's airport, has signed concession agreement with East India Hotels Ltd (EIH), which runs the Oberoi Group of hotels, to develop and manage in-flight catering facilities.
Following a bidding process, DIAL has awarded the work for in-flight catering facility to EIH which will develop the facility on 18,500 sq mts of land at the airport, it said in a statement.
The facility will have an initial capacity of 30,000 meals per day and by 2015 it will be expanded to 40,000 meals per day to meet the requirement.
The consortium also signed a 25 year concession agreement with Turkish firm Celebi Hava Servisi AS to upgrade, finance and operate the existing Cargo Terminal which is spread over 70,000 sq mts at the airport.
25/08/09 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Pilot allowed to fly after near-fatal error

Mumbai: The pilot of an Executive Jet charter flight, whose mistake almost led to a mid-air collision in the city skies on Sunday morning, was allowed to fly back to Mumbai later in the evening. He was initially grounded by the DGCA after the plane reached New Delhi. But later, he was given special permission to fly it back to Mumbai as it had been chartered by an NRI business tycoon from Dubai. The plane returned to the city at 8.45 pm, and the pilot was finally grounded till the completion of investigations.
At 11.15 pm, the Pinnacle Air charter, with six people on board, was lined up on runway 27. It was to leave for Aurangabad and its call sign was VTBPS. At the same time, the Executive Jet, carrying five passengers, taxied to the start of the same runway without the ATC's permission, said sources.
The plane was given the call sign of VPBSD. The distance between the two planes was 1500 metres approximately. The length of the runway is 3,445 metres.
At 11.16 am, the Pinnacle plane took off with the ATC's permission. "The Executive Jet pilot Jet misunderstood the call sign VTBPS for VPBSD and took off at the same time," said an airport official. With heavy rains reducing visibility to 800 metres, neither of the planes saw each other.
Sensing danger, an ATC official contacted the defaulting pilot on VHF (very high frequency), asking, "Confirm you are at holding point" A Jet Airways pilot, who had lined up behind the Executive Jet, replied that the plane had taken off misunderstanding the ATC instructions.
25/08/09 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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DGCA may submit report on near-miss at Mumbai airport

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA) is likely to submit its preliminary report to the Civil Aviation Ministry tomorrow on last night's near-miss incident at Mumbai airport when two aircraft took off almost simultaneously from the same runway.
Two private charter jets took off close to one another after the pilots of one of the aircraft mistook instructions from the air traffic control (ATC) meant for the other.
Official sources said the DGCA was in the process of finalising its preliminary report and had already gone through the transcripts of the Cockpit Voice Recorders and the Flight Data Recorders of both the aircraft to ascertain the ATC instructions as well as the pilots' response.
The two chartered aircraft, one a 'Challenger' from Bermuda and the other a Canadian Regional Jet belonging to Indian aviation company Pinnacle Air, took off almost simultaneously from Runway 27.
24/08/09 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Airlines keep off Mysore airport

The Mysore airport may be ready for operation next month. But it could be an airport without aircraft landing or taking off. The inauguration inched closer with the Airports Authority of India planning to ask the DGCA to send a team to inspect the site at Mandakalli. Tentatively, the DGCA could visit Mysore in the first week of September.
This comes amid CM B S Yeddyurappa’s Sept 15 deadline for the authorities to complete Phase I and operationalise the airport during Dasara festivities. But airlines are still far from sure of Mysore’s potential. So far, no airline has charted out any flight-path to Mysore.
“The market situation does not make it feasible for us to operate flights to destinations that we are unsure of,” said one airline official. Airline and government sources told TOI that the state government was approaching various airlines and pushing them to start flight operations to Mysore on the opening day. Sources said that the government wants airlines to operate a Bangalore-Mysore flight. Airlines, however, say that such a flight is not feasible.
25/08/09 Anshul Dhamija/Times of India

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Chennai Airport secondary runway to be closed for improvement works

The secondary runway at the Chennai airport will be closed for 45 days from September 16 for taking up the link taxiway construction work.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) said it was proposed to construct three link taxiways connecting the primary runway and the secondary runway. For this work, the main runway was closed from July 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in order to accommodate all the wide-bodied aircraft to wind up their operations. With the completion of the work on the primary runway it has been decided to take up the work on the secondary runway.
Now the authorities would take up the construction of small link taxiway. With the completion of work at the primary runway, it would be available for operations, said the AAI authorities.
The AAI also plans to take up the regular maintenance work of the primary runway. For this work, the runway would be closed between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. During that period the secondary runway would be made available for the landing and take off of aircraft. As the aircraft movement is not heavy between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. it was decided to close the main runway during the period for maintenance work.
Cleaning the rubber deposits, maintenance of runway lighting system and painting of centre and edge lines were the importance maintenance works for which the runway would be closed, said the authorities.
24/08/09 P Oppili/The Hindu

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Mumbai, New Delhi airports seek 10% increase in charges

New Delhi: For the second time this year, the operators of New Delhi and Mumbai airports have sought permission to raise airport charges by 10%.
If the hike is approved, it will further impact the loss-making airline firms in India, which are already protesting high taxes on jet fuel and high airport charges in privately operated airports that include Mumbai and New Delhi, the country’s largest airports by number of passengers served.
The airlines, who have posted losses on the back of an economic slowdown, are likely to pass on the increase to customers. Airline companies pay a fee every time an aircraft lands at an airport, which includes landing, parking and navigational charges.
A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the civil aviation ministry was examining the proposal from the airport operators.
A spokesman for Mumbai International Airport Ltd said the company has written to the aviation ministry for a 10% increase in aeronautical fees and that this increase “was to be effective from 3 May 2009”, according to a privatization agreement the operator had signed with the government.
24/08/09 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Meet to discuss airport infrastructure

Chandigarh: Local deputy director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), Kulwant Kumar, is going to conduct a meeting of senior UT police officials on Monday. It will mainly discuss the immigration infrastructure needed at Chandigarh airport for international flights to start.
Airport Authority of India officials are also likely to attend. Talking about the development, a UT official said, “Other aspects pertaining to the readiness of the Chandigarh airport for international flights will also be discussed.”
Sources said UT police had already provided training to Punjab police personnel, who would assist in immigration-related work. Soon, UT police personnel will also be sent for the training, they added.
A meeting attended by Haryana and Punjab chief secretaries and UT and airport authority officials had been conducted recently.
24/08/09 Times of India

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Major air disaster averted at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: An air disaster was averted at the Mumbai international airport when two small private jets were involved in a near-miss on Saturday after they took off from the same runway almost simultaneously.
According to a DGCA official, the incident occurred when the Air Traffic Control(ATC) reportedly gave the clearance to the pilots of the two chartered aircraft to take off around the same time from Runway 27.
One of the planes was a chartered aircraft 'Challenger' from Bermuda while the other was a CRJ jet belonging to Pinnacle Air of India, the official said. One of the planes was headed for Aurangabad while the other was going to Delhi.
It was not immediately known how many passengers were in the two aircraft, both of which had non-scheduled operator permits. The incident happened around 11:30am, the official said.
23/08/09 PTI/Times of India

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Airports to rework plans as carriers cut costs

New Delhi: Airport developers who were planning exclusive terminals for low-cost carriers have begun re-drawing plans as almost all domestic carriers are now switching to low-cost operations.
"We have to rework and redraw plans as most scheduled domestic carriers will now largely operate as low-cost carriers," said an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
All major airports, including international airports, had earlier planned to have separate no-frill terminals for low-cost carriers. "This has to be reworked," the official told IANS requesting anonymity.
While national carrier Air India is set to launch its low cost operations next month, other full service carriers like Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines have already launched such operations on several domestic routes.
Air India has planned to gradually shift to the low-cost model on 70-75 percent of its domestic routes.
As a result, the AAI official said, the focus now would be on subsidising an airport's operational costs to meet the demand of low-cost operations. "The investment plan has to be worked out accordingly," he said.
This would be in the case of international and bigger airports where traffic movement was higher.
Currently, charges for airport usage, navigation and other operational costs are the same for low-cost and other carriers.
23/08/09 IANS/Economic Times

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Govt draws flak from IATA for approving airport fee hike

New Delhi: As Indian carriers continued to press for reduction in airport charges, the government has come under attack from global airline body IATA for approving "unjustified" hikes in the levies by private airports and allowing introduction of airport development fees.
In its Annual Report for 2009, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has come down heavily on the Civil Aviation Ministry on allowing a hike in airport charges.
"In a surprise move and without consulting with airlines, India's Ministry of Civil Aviation approved a 10 per cent increase in airport charges at Mumbai and Delhi airports effective early 2009. This was followed by the approval of an airport development fee at Delhi airport beginning March 1, 2009...," the IATA report said.
23/08/09 Press Trust of India

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125 operational airports in 5 yrs: Patel

New Delhi: India may have 125 operational airports in the next five years if the momentum of building private airports continues. The government would continue its effort to build an aviation grid of one airport in every 50-100 km amid global recession, minister of state (independent charge) for civil aviation Praful Patel told SundayET.
“The number of operational airports has already gone up from 50 in 2004 to 85 now. Yes, the aviation sector in India has gone through a rough patch as passenger traffic has come down by at least 30% compared to last year. Yet, we are continuing to build better infrastructure which is the backbone for the sector to grow. We are confident that India will have 125 operational airports in the next five years,” the minister said.
This is despite the fact that out of 85 airports currently operating, only 15 are actually profit-making but the government still invests to make them safe and efficient. Moreover, there has also been an increase in the number of aircraft from 150 in 2004 to about 400 now.
In fact, the projects in the pipeline include the Navi Mumbai airport near Panvel, Chakan airport in Pune, a second airport in Goa, Kannur airport in Kerala, new airport in the Durgapur-Asansol area, Ludhiana airport and one in Sikkim to name a few.
23/08/09 Lisa Mary Thomson & Shantanu Nandan Sharma/Economic Times

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Flight with 141 lands with burst tyre

Chennai: The Chennai airport was put on a "full emergency" after an Air India flight to Chennai carrying 141 passengers had a tyre burst while taking off from Singapore. The flight landed safe at 11.15 am.
"Nose wheel problem, due to technical", radioed the pilot of IC 556 Air India A320 flight to Chennai air traffic control (ATC) as it neared Indian airspace at 9 am. "Assistance required?" asked the traffic controller. But the pilot declined.
It seemed like a normal exchange between a pilot and an air traffic controller when an aircraft experiences technical problem. But on Saturday morning, traffic controllers suspected that there was something more to it and declared a full emergency around 11 am.
Airport officials and emergency team personnel heaved a sign of relief when the aircraft made a safe landing at 11.15 am, despite having a burst tyre. Fire and rescue services personnel, a medical team and engineers monitored the aircraft as it touched down.
The engineering team made preliminary checks and found that one of the rear tyres was completely damaged. Nevertheless, the aircraft taxied to terminal for passengers to disembark.
"The aircraft landed from the St Thomas Mount side on the main runway and vacated the runway after five minutes. As there are four sets of tyres in the rear, the burst did not affect the landing. All the 141 passengers of the flight are safe," said acting airport director Ramgopal.
23/08/09 Times of India

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Inquiry ordered into airport roof collapse

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry has directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enquire into the collapse of the roof of terminal 1D of the Delhi airport on Friday because of heavy rain and wind. DGCA will submit its report in two months, said a release from the civil aviation ministry.
“We have asked DGCA to enquire into the incident. Any action against the consortium (of developers) will be decided only after that,” said ministry sources. Another official said that DGCA can even cancel the consortium’s licence to run the airport.
Delhi International Airport Ltd, which operates the airport, is promoted by a consortium led by the GMR group. It was a showcase infrastructure project of the previous United Progressive Alliance government. Heavy rain yesterday caused the roof to cave in and passengers were stranded in knee-deep water.
The DIAL board also met today to review the incident and ordered an inquiry into the incident. “The board appointed a four-member expert committee under the chairmanship of an independent director of DIAL, CEO GM Rao and a representative of the Airports Authority of India. The committee will look into the incident and suggest remedial measures to avoid recurrence. The report of the committee is expected in three weeks,” said a release from DIAL.
23/08/09 Business Standard

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‘90 percent of State Govt works at Pakyong Airport completed’

Gangtok: Ninety percent of the works to be undertaken by the State Government Departments to remove the encumbrances such as trees, shifting of electrical transmission lines, shifting of rural water supply pipe lines, relocation of chortens etc at the under construction Green Field Pakyong airport site have been completed.
This was reviewed during the second meeting of the Project Implementation Committee for Construction of Pakyong Airport, which was chaired by the Chairman of the Committee Karma Gyatso today at the airport site.
During a meeting held with the representatives of the Airport Authorities of India (AAI), the Central government agency responsible for construction and operation of the airport, Mr. Gyatso said many departments had succeeded in sticking to the deadlines set in the previous meeting despite periodical disturbances by seasonal rainfall. At the same time, he said that the State government was very serious about the airport project completion time and that any delay would not only mean lost economic opportunities but also cost escalation.
Mr. Gyatso, who is also the Additional Chief Secretary cum DC, DPER & NEC instructed others lagging behind to take up their tasks with renewed vigour, keeping in mind that the top priority to the project accorded by the State government.
The meeting was held today after spot inspection of the airport site by the committee members.
“From the view point of the AAI representative, it emerged that their main concern is the diversion road which is yet to be made fully operational,” said a press statement issued by the State Transport Department.
The AAI also had no objection to the new deadline as their representative GD Gupta said that in any case because of the rainfall no serious work can be taken up until the monsoon rainfall recedes, it is informed.
The District Collector (E), D. Anandan informed the members that land required by AAI to the extent of 197.72 acres has been handed over to the AAI, already which was also confirmed by the AAI representative in the meeting.
According to the AAI representative, the schedule date of completion of the run-way is January, 2011 and rest of the buildings and other infrastructure facilities will be in place by January, 2012.
21/08/09 Sikkim Express/Voice of Sikkim

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India main driver of Abu Dhabi air traffic growth

Dubai: India remained the largest market and primary driver of air traffic growth of UAE's second largest airport in Abu Dhabi, with 18.9 per cent more Indians travelling through the facility this year.
While the airport witnessed a 10.3 per cent increase in traffic, Indians were the primary drivers of this growth while Pakistan retained its second place, figures revealed by Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) said.
A total passenger traffic of 9,23,124 was recorded at the airport during the month of July this year, as against 8,37,129 in the same period last year.
22/08/09 Press Trust of India

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GMR faces govt wrath for Delhi airport flooding

New Delhi: Domestic carriers were forced to reschedule flights after the security area of Delhi airport's newly-opened departure terminal (T1D) was flooded after part of the roof collapsed under the impact of heavy rains that also closed the airport for an hour.
This is the second time the departure terminal was flooded due to sudden rains, the first time being last month.
Sources in the ministry say that government will take action against the Bangalore-based GMR group, which owns 54 per cent in the consortium that operates Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL), for the flooding at IGI Airport.
With visibility at the airport down to 100 metres, DIAL said 20 flights departing Delhi were delayed by one to two hours and 10 flights approaching Delhi were diverted. A spokesperson said: “Check-in and boarding were affected for 45 minutes before resumption of services." He added that 12 gates had been re-opened and passengers were being "facilitated to keep them comfortable".
Airlines, however, had a different story. They said 60 to 70 per cent of the flights between 4 pm and 6 pm were delayed, since boarding aircraft became impossible after the security area was flooded and baggage X-ray machines failed.
22/08/09 Business Standard

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GMR under scanner after Delhi airport roof collapse

New Delhi: Delhi International Airport Limited's brand new domestic terminal was dealt a big blow as 40 minutes of rain and strong winds ripped the roof of the new swanky airport terminal 1D.
The terminal built to weather even earthquakes and cyclones came crashing down in the storm and the management was forced to swing into action to ensure passengers were not inconvenienced.
"We called the contractor urgently. They alongside our team is reviewing the situation to understand actually how this has occurred. We are trying to ensure that people can get to the flights as quickly and as safely as possible. Passengers are being provided with free refreshment and beverage facilities," said Andrew Harrison, CEO of DIAL.
Barely a few weeks back, the same terminal roof had sprung leaks during heavy rain.
22/08/09 Smriti Advani/CNN-IBN

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Aviation's ground handling crisis

New Delhi: The Air India crisis continues and the next one, likely to blow up over the next few weeks, relates to the government policy on ground handling, a policy which has been kept in abeyance for two years thanks to the opposition of aviation companies. Aviation Minister Praful Patel, however, says the policy is likely to be tweaked and implemented soon.
So far, a host of manpower companies have doubled up as ground handlers offering services to private airlines — though the quality wasn’t always the best, the costs were competitive. And there was Air India offering better services but at a steeper rate. All this, however, changed when the government decided it would privatise the major airports — the logic then was that ground handling facilities needed to be upgraded to international levels.
How is ground handling divided
Passenger or terminal services: This is the front-end service which includes, among other things, check-in counters, arrivals, customer services, lost baggage, airline lounges and transfers
Airside services: These include aircraft guidance, towing, low-grade maintenance, water and lavatory drainage, ground power, air conditioning, baggage handling, refuelling, aircraft dispatch and staff transport, cabin services like cleaning, among others
For the country’s six major airports as well as 35 non-metro airports, it was decided that there would be only a maximum of three operators who would provide ground handling — the airport operator (for example, DIAL in Delhi), Air India or its joint venture, and an independent ground handling company selected through competitive bidding by the airport operator (in Delhi’s case, DIAL). And, the policy envisaged, airlines would have no option but to use one of these three firms.
22/08/09 Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard

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Shah Rukh Khan detention issue takes a new twist

Like in most Bollywood flicks, there is a new twist to the much hyped and publicised story of the detention of super star Shah Rukh Khan in the US last week.The story thus far was that Khan was a `victim' of racial profiling and that he was detained for detailed questioning because of his name, religion and, probably, the colour of his skin.
But now there is a new angle: the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may have detained Khan at the Newark Liberty International Airport last week because the organisers of his show in the US were not above the watermarks of controversies, including underworld links.
The promoters of the show were Farhath Hussain, a businessman from London, and his brother Altaf Hussain, a Chicago-based businessman. The brothers are self-proclaimed fans and promoters of Bollywood and together run the Lake County South Asian Entertainment Inc.
US authorities reportedly suspect the brothers on two counts: tax evasion and underworld links, according to a report in Times of India.
The report goes on to say that there are other promoters too along with Lake County South Asian Entertainment Inc and some of them are on the radar of authorities in the US, UK and India. It was this blip on the radar that forced the CBP to ask Khan to step aside for detailed questioning.
21/08/09 India Syndicate/MSN News

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Anil Ambani Group Bags Contract to Develop Five Airports

Mumbai: The Anil Ambani Group's Reliance Airport Developers Ltd (RADL) has bagged contracts worth a total Rs.63 crore (Rs.630 million) to develop airports at Yavatmal, Nanded, Osmanabad, Latur and Baramati in Maharashtra, according to an official announcement here Friday.
The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has been given the green signal to sign the agreements with RADL as part of the government's move to privatise five airports in the state.
The RADL had submitted the highest bid - Rs.270 million (Rs.27 crore) to develop and manage Yavatmal, Nanded and Latur airports. It had also bid Rs.320 million (Rs.36 crore) - the highest, for Baramati and Osmanabad airports, according to an official spokesperson this evening.
The MIDC will also hand over a little more than 600 hectares land to RADL for a 95-year period for the development and maintenance of these five airports.
Earlier this year, the state government had opened the upgraded Latur and Nanded - the latter being a Sikh holy place - airports for launching regular commercial flights connecting Mumbai and other cities.
21/08/09 IANS/Daijiworld.com

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Pilot killed in Sea Harrier crash; jets ok, says Navy chief

Panaji: An Indian Navy Sea Harrier combat jet crashed off the Goa coast Friday morning, killing its pilot Lt. Cdr. Saurav Saxena, officials said.
The twin-engine jet, which took off from the Dabolim airport here around 10 a.m., ditched into the sea at 11.57 a.m. while on an exercise with an Indian Navy ship 15 km off the Goa coast, Captain Surinder Ahuja, commander of INS Hansa, one of the three naval bases in Goa, told reporters here.
“We have recovered the pilot’s body. The exact scene of accident has also been identified because of the visible wreckage. The process of salvaging the aircraft will begin soon,” Ahuja said, adding that a board of enquiry had been appointed to probe the reasons for the crash.
“It was a seven to eight year old fighter plane. It was in good condition and Saxena was one of our ace pilots,” Ahuja said.
Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, who happened to be in Goa when the accident occurred ruled out the susceptibility of Sea Harriers to accidents, saying they were perfectly good machines.
The Dabolim airport is the land base for the V/STOL (vertical/short take off and landing) jets, which were recently retrofitted to enable them to fire beyond visual range (BVR) missiles.
21/08/09 IANS/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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Weather's good for flying!

The fact that Mumbai requires another international airport reflects the flying speed with which the Indian aviation industry has been growing in the last few years – post the government’s open sky policy. The Indian civil aviation market reportedly grew at a compound annual growth rate of 18%. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) foresees a stupendous growth in air traffic with 25-30% for domestic passengers and 15% for international passengers. It is estimated that by 2020, 40 crore Indian passengers would be flying. Similarly, air cargo is also likely to cross the 3 million tonnes per annum mark. Well, the weather’s good for flying!
All this needs to be seen from the perspective of India’s economic progress and growing international competitiveness. Fifteen years back, nobody would have thought about having airports in towns like Sindhudurg and Chakan in Maharashtra or Cheitu in Nagarland and Paladi in Rajasthan. But today, it is very realistic. The logic is simple - more people and things are flying because there is more money involved. To ensure that these people and things keep flying – and also enjoy flying – we need better and bigger airports. And we need more of them. Translation – opportunities galore. Go grab them – but first remember to enhance your capabilities and competitiveness.
21/08/09 Niranjan Mudholkar/ConstructionWeekonline.com

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Vadodara Mayor writes to Minister over flight resumption

Vadodara: BJP Member of Parliament and city Mayor Balkrishna Shukla has written a letter reminding Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel about his assurance to resume Air India's evening Mumbai-Vadodara flight, which was suspended in November last year.
Talking to PTI here today, Shukla said during his February visit to the city in connection with the laying of foundation stone for Rs 130-crore terminal building at the airport, Patel had promised to resume this flight.
The Minister had also promised to retain the air India's office premises located in posh Fatehgunj locality, he said.
The national carrier already has its office on Vasna Road here and wanted to close down the Fatehgunj facility.
Besides Vadodara, passengers from Vadodara, Anand, Kaira, Panchmahals, Bharuch and Dohad districts, falling in central Gujarat, prefer to travel from the city.
20/08/09 SamyLive

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Congress MLA arrested with live cartridges in MP

Bhopal: Chhattisgarh Congress MLA T S Singhdeo, was today arrested for allegedly carrying 10 live cartridges unlawfully at Raja Bhoj Airport here, police said.
Singhdeo has been arrested with the cartridges and had booked under relevant Sections of Arms Act, Bhopal Superintendent of Police Jaideep Prasad told PTI.
The Congress MLA from Ambikapur was to board a Jet Airways flight to Raipur, while during the security check, he was found carrying 10 cartridges of .270 rifle belonging to one of his relatives, Prasad said.
19/08/09 PTI/ExpressBuzz

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Pvt operators can collect ADF, govt tells Delhi High Court

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday defended in the Delhi High Court delegating its powers to collect the airport development fee (ADF) to Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) and Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) from domestic and international passengers.
Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramanium submitted before a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah that the government has delegated its powers to the private airports to collect the ADF.
Subramanium further said that the government has delegated the functions of the Airports Authority of India of maintaining, modernising and developing new greenfield airports to private companies by leasing the existing airports and through joint ventures.
On asked by the Bench "how the government delegated the powers of AAI to the private players" as "no power is conferred on the private airports to levy tax (and) there is nothing in the AAI Act (on this)", Subramanium said "any statutory agreement with private operators (under the AAI Act) (goes) with the assignment of (AAI's) functions also ..."
19/08/09 PTI/Economic Times

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Ministry-airlines meeting on ground handling inconclusive

New Delhi: The government and airlines appear to be at loggerheads over implementation of the much delayed ground handling policy.
Ground handling involves passenger handling at terminal side (baggage loading, etc) as well as on the airside (loading and unloading of aircraft and aircraft handling).
In a meeting with the civil aviation secretary and other senior ministry officials on Tuesday, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) made it clear that it wants airlines to be allowed to do self-handling of such operations.
Speaking after the meeting, FIA secretary-general Anil Baijal told DNA Money, "We want self-handling. If it is inefficient or does not provide value for money, market forces will automatically make it redundant. Why should only three designated operators be allowed to do the entire ground handling?"
The ground handling policy envisages only three ground handling agencies -- airport operator or a joint venture, subsidiaries of Air India or its JVs and service providers selected through competitive bidding -- and rules out any self-handling by private airlines. Airlines would have to relinquish ground handling across Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad airports.
When asked whether a proposal (being considered by the government) on allowing terminal-side handling by airlines would be acceptable, Baijal reiterated "We want complete self-handling, not parts of ground handling operations."
18/08/09 Sindhu Bhattacharya/Daily News & Analysis

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Stop screening for H1N1 at airports: WHO

New Delhi/Kolkata /Bhubaneswar: With the A(H1N1) virus spreading across the world, the World Health Organisation (WHO) feels screening at 22 international airports in India should be discontinued.
However, WHO officials maintained that it’s a “political decision” that the government has taken and the UN health agency “respects” the decision.
Screening by doctors at airports and thermal scanners have limited effect in a country like India, said Jai P Narain, head of the communicable disease programme at the WHO’s south east Asian regional office.
Salim Habayeb, WHO representative in India said airport screening is not India’s primary counter strategy. “Airport screening could have an added benefit,” he said. “H1N1 pandemic is unstoppable. Whatever has been reported so far is the tip of the iceberg. Containment is not possible,” Habayeb said.
But, the government is continuing with flu screening at 22 airports. Almost 49 lakh air travellers have so far been screened at the airports by a team of 225 doctors and 172 paramedics at 83 counters till Monday. Out of 2,026 positive reported cases, 773 were identified through entry screening.
According to Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Centre will buy 24 more thermal scanners for installation at various international airports.Four thermal scanners were imported last month and were installed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on a pilot basis. After this, the detection rate at the airports went up from 5 per cent to 20 per cent. However, the WHO advice is different. Depending on the H1N1 prevalence, the UN health agency has categories nations into three classes – (a) no cases (b) sporadic case and (c) nations where the virus is in the community.
Surveillance test at airports is useful for the first two categories. But it is of limited value in nations where the virus is in the community. Despite prodding WHO officials did not specify the category for India.
18/08/09 Deccan Herald

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Cleaning cart brushes against aircraft at airport

Chennai: A toilet-cleaning cart brushed against the tail section of a Kingfisher Airlines A 320 aircraft while it was engaged in flushing out waste from the craft at the airport on Tuesday. The parked aircraft was empty when the accident took place. Sources said that the plane had come from Delhi at 4pm and was being serviced at Bay 29 for getting it ready to fly to Pune.
19/08/09 Times of India

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Private airlines pitch for ground handling duties

New Delhi: Private airlines, opposing the government’s proposed ground handling policy, made a strong case on Tuesday for allowing them to handle baggage and cargo carried by their aircraft, saying appointing others to do the job would increase costs and delay flights.
Senior representatives of private airlines put forth their views opposing the policy at a meeting with civil aviation secretary M. Madhavan Nambiar and other top officials.
“We heard their views on ground handling policy. We will have more rounds of discussions and hold inter-ministerial consultations on the matter. The cabinet committee on security will take a final view later,” Nambiar said after the meeting.
Before the committee takes up the matter for a final decision, discussions would also be held with finance and home ministries on issues relating to security and customs.
Under the present proposal, ground handling activities at six airports of New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad are to be allowed only by the airport operators or their subsidiaries, Air India or its subsidiaries, or service providers selected through competitive bidding.
18/08/09 PTI/Livemint

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Salem airport may become active soon

Salem: Chances to revive commercial operations from Salem airport have brightened with Vijay Mallaya’s Kingfisher Airlines evincing a “keen interest”. The airline is planning its operations to Salem in the forthcoming winter schedule.
This is the third airlines in three years to show interest in operations to Salem airport which has remained idle for nearly a decade now, confining its operations to a few private airliners and choppers. Earlier Paramount and Air Deccan evinced “keenness to fly” from Salem. But for reasons unknown, these airlines’ interests did not take off.
General Manager (Network Planning and Charters), Kingfisher Airlines Limited, Mumbai, Elsa D’ Silva, in a recent e-mail to S. Sathyanarayanan, President, Salem, Dharmapuri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the airlines would begin operations once the airport was cleared for commercial operations by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
A team led by Bhanu Kaila, head of sales for South and West India, Kingfisher Airlines, would visit the city shortly for “commercial link-ups,” said Mr. Sathyanarayanan, one of those who were instrumental in getting the airport to Salem.
19/08/09 R. Ilangovan/The Hindu

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SITA achieves first cupps certification

Geneva: A new standard in passenger processing has arrived with the announcement today that SITA is the first platform provider to achieve CUPPS (Common Use Passenger Processing System) compliance certification and to successfully complete its CUPPS Pilot program.
The SITA CUPPS Pilot started in January 2009 at Orlando International Airport with the check-in and boarding of WestJet passengers, followed recently by Continental Airlines passengers. The culmination comes today with the certification demonstrating that SITA’s platform is fully compliant with the pre-released version of the IATA (International Air Transport Association) CUPPS Technical Specification.
Catherine Mayer, SITA's Vice-President for Airport Services, said: “This is a great day for the air transport community as it brings common use passenger processing to a more efficient level. It is also another milestone in SITA’s long history of community leadership in the common use arena. SITA first developed CUTE (common user terminal equipment) with the airlines in 1984 and is now the first to receive certification for our platform using the new industry adopted CUPPS Recommended Practice.
“This certification demonstrates that our systems can run multiple applications according to the CUPPS standards. In fact, SITA’s AirportConnect Open is the only fully-integrated common use platform supporting CUPPS, CUTE, and web-based applications, as well as CUSS kiosk applications.”
SITA’s AirportConnect Open is a proven, stable platform that has been in operation since 2004. It provides a low-risk migration path to CUPPS compared with both new platforms that may be introduced by other companies and with existing platforms where CUPPS, CUTE, and CUSS Kiosk capabilities are not integrated as a single system.
SITA is the world's leading specialist in air transport communication and IT solutions. SITA delivers and manages business solutions for airline, airport, GDS, government and other customers over the world’s most extensive network, which forms the communications backbone of the global air transport industry.
SITA’s portfolio includes managed global communications, infrastructure and outsourcing services, as well as services for airline commercial management and passenger operations, flight operations, aircraft operations and air-to-ground communications, airport management and operations, baggage operations, transportation security and border management, cargo operations and more. With a customer service team of over 1,600 staff around the world, SITA invests significantly in achieving best-in-class customer service, providing integrated local and global support for both its communications and IT application services.
SITA has two main subsidiaries: OnAir, which is the leading provider of in-flight connectivity, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the world's only IT company dedicated solely to air cargo. SITA also operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport community: Aviareto for aircraft asset management and CertiPath for secure electronic identity management.
SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for around 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. In 2009, the company celebrates 60 years in business. Set up in 1949 with 11 member airlines, SITA today employs people of more than 140 nationalities, speaking over 70 different languages. SITA had consolidated revenues of over US$1.47 billion (€1.13 billion) in 2008.
For further information go to www.sita.aero
17/09/09 PRESS RELEASE/SITA

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HC dismisses AAI’s plea

Bangalore: The High Court on Monday dismissed the interlocutory application (IA) filed by Airports Authority of India (AAI), seeking permission for dismantling machines and materials at HAL Airport in Bangalore.
Earlier, the court had issued status quo order in respect of shifting the equipment from the airport. AAI had filed the IA seeking the vacation of the status quo order. "Shifting of machinery from HAL Airport is necessary. Mysore and Mangalore airports need these equipment. If they are not allowed to be shifted they will rust, AAI stated.
In its earlier order, the court had directed AAI and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to renegotiate regarding reopening of the HAL Airport.
18/08/09 ExpressBuzz

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Progress Software to focus on telecom, airports

Chennai/Hyderabad: Progress Software India, the India arm of US-based Progress Software Corporation, is looking to tap data integration markets in India, particularly in aviation and telecom sectors. To this effect, the company is already in talks with at least two major telecom players apart from some airports that have announced to upgrade their information technology infrastructure, according to its vice-president (products) and centre head Ramesh Loganathan.
Progress has invested $5 million (about Rs 24 crore) in its Hyderabad development centre under Phase I. It is in the process of increasing its workforce and operations by 50 per cent in two years.
19/08/09 Business Standard

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Airports fly high on non-aero revenue

Mumbai: The share of non-aeronautical earnings in airports' total revenue is swelling as crashing air traffic movements (ATMs) crimps their aeronautical revenue and income generation from non-airline business goes up.
Aeronautical charges are directly related to airport infrastructure and levied for the use of an airport's runway, apron and terminal facilities by passengers, while non-aeronautical income is earned through rentals from commercial outlets or concessionaires within airport terminals and from passengers.
Last quarter saw the three major Indian airports -- Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad -- increase their revenues from commercial rentals, advertising on their premises, parking fee and other such services.
This pushed up the percentage of Mumbai International Airport Ltd's (MIAL) and Delhi International Airport Ltd's (DIAL) non-aeronautical revenue by 10 percentage points to 39% and 65% in the June quarter this year from 29% and 55% respectively last year.
Hyderabad airport, which began operation in March last year, has also seen its non-aeronautical revenues jump to 44% of its total revenues in the same quarter. It was negligible a year back.
Higher non-aeronautical revenue helps airports reduce dependence on income from airport charges, which can fluctuate with the swings in the ATMs. It also cross subsidises airport charges, making them competitive for airlines.
Over the last one year, airports have been witnessing drops in the ATMs, with airlines cutting back capacity to tune it air passenger traffic growth. According to the latest data put out by Airports Authority of India (AAI), total ATMs in May were down 4.6% year-on-year, while passenger traffic slipped 3.2%.
18/08/09 Ramiya Bhas/Daily News & Analysis

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Jet, crew probed after runway incident

Dhaka: A CAAB probe committee on Monday interviewed the 10 crewmembers of an Indian Jet Airways flight and examined the aircraft to gain clues as to why it had veered off a runway at Zia International Airport, holding up flights for more than two hours, earlier in the day.
Zia International Airport director, wing commander Saeedul Hasan Khan, told bdnews24.com that the plane, scheduled for a 10.43am take-off, came out of Hangar Bay 9 and during a turn to line-up on Runway 14 veered across a grass verge.
No casualties or damage to the aircraft were reported, but take-off and landing were suspended for two and a half hours from around 11am as the plane was towed away.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh formed a four-member probe committee soon after the incident.
Committee head, wing commander Kamrul Islam, told bdnews24.com later that evening: "We have taken interviews of pilot, co-pilots and other crew members on the flight."
Engineers had also examined the aircraft, he said.
The 121 passengers of the Indian Jet Airways flight 271 were accommodated on another plane.
"It was a small accident. So we are priotising on finding out the cause instead of meting out penalty," said Islam. He added that the crewmembers were allowed to go as interviews ended.
"Engineers have also examined the plane. It did not incur much damage and it can take off any time."
He said they already gave permission to the plane to depart that night. Islam said his committee might take 8-10 days altogether to complete its report and any recommendations.
17/08/09 bdnews24.com, Bangladesh

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Anxious moment for kin at IGI

New Delhi: Rehana Shafiq had spent some anxious moments before boarding the Jet Airways flight from Dhaka to New Delhi on Monday morning it was only the second time the 20-year-old was travelling by air. However, just before take-off, the aircraft reportedly skidded, taxiing off the runway and moving 3.5 metres onto a grassy patch. All passengers were safe, but the flight got delayed by eight hours.
Shafiq, who was returning home after seven months, said she was really shaken up by the incident. "We were taxiing normally and the pilot had to make a turn to get the aircraft onto the runway. He wasn't able to make that turn and instead went on straight. The entire aircraft started shaking and stopped only when brakes were applied. Lots of passengers were very angry but no airline official was willing to explain the situation to us,'' she said.
Passengers reportedly sat in the aircraft for almost half-an-hour before they were evacuated. Marcos Toviocasal, another passenger, said a ladder was brought to the aircraft to help them deboard. "We were then taken to the departure terminal and a while later some of us were taken to a lounge. The flight finally took off from Dhaka at 5.30pm and landed in Delhi around 7.15pm, delayed by about eight hours,'' he said.
The passengers of 9W 271, who finally arrived at Delhi's IGI Airport at 7.15pm, were a tired and irritable lot.
In Delhi, anxious relatives spent practically the entire day at the airport as there was no information forthcoming from the airline.
18/08/09 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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AAI seeks more land to extend Chennai secondary runway

Chennai: Construction of the Chennai airport's secondary runway across the Adyar River is progressing briskly and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has requested the state government for 35 acres of additional land to install approach lights at the head of the runway.
The residents of nearby Kolapakkam, fearing their houses will be acquired, are preparing to oppose this move.
The state government had handed over about 136 acres of land to the AAI and work on extending the secondary runway began. A bridge is also being constructed across the river by the Chennai-based Consolidated Construction Consortium Ltd (CCCL).
Meanwhile, at a recent panchayat meeting, the residents of Kollapakkam village decided to start protests. "If the 35-40 acres of land are acquired the entire village will go. Around 300 residents may lose their houses. It is also suspected that a portion of the Mount Poonamallee High Road that connects affected villages will also fall under the land required for the airport," said a resident.
18/08/09 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Held for hoax call to airline, man to get bail today

New Delhi “I won’t be able to reach the airport on time. Can I get my ticket refunded? Or can you put me on an alternate flight to Kolkata?”
This was Vijay Khandelwal’s first attempt to catch his flight as he realised he won’t be able to reach the Indira Gandhi International Airport on time for his Delhi-Kolkata Indigo flight (6E203), scheduled to take off at 3.30 pm on August 12.
Khandelwal made a call to the Indigo Airlines call centre in Gurgaon. On getting a negative response, he decided to make another attempt — this time by saying that the aircraft had a bomb on it.
After a thorough check of the aircraft — that lasted for 90 minutes — by security agencies, the Delhi Police arrested the 35-year-old Chandni Chowk businessman at 3 am on August 13. Having spent a day in jail, Khandelwal was produced before a Delhi court the next day and his case was listed for bail before a duty magistrate on Saturday, a senior police officer said.
Khandelwal will be tried under sections 505 1 (B) (statements conducing to public mischief with intent to cause alarm to the public), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 182 (false information) of the Indian Penal Code, and his offence might get him three years in jail.
He was travelling in a taxi when he made the call saying there was a bomb on flight 6E 203. “He took a taxi from Chandni Chowk and got delayed because of the Independence Day related traffic restrictions. As soon as the taxi driver realised what his passenger was talking about, he asked Khandelwal to get off. At that point, Khandelwal realised he had committed a big mistake,” a senior police officer said.
18/08/09 Geeta Gupta/Express India

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Cat cold planer aids runway rehabilitation

The first Caterpillar PM200 cold planer to be sold in India is being used by contractor Ashwini Infra Developments at a secondary runway project at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.
The runways at India's largest airport require upgrading to international standards in order to handle the larger Airbus A380s. Secondary runways also need further strengthening and extending.
The project, which involves milling and laying asphalt, has a very tight schedule which means the crews are only able to complete the project at night.
According to jobsite foreman Rajesh Ghanekar, "The PM200 responds to all types of cuts and handles them easily. The milled surface texture was excellent and enabled easy binding tack operation, and the paving that followed.
The new model is equipped with a Caterpillar C18 engine with ACERT technology. It also has a 2 m milling width and a rotor with 178 six-sided carbide-tipped tools and quick release conical tool holders.
17/08/09 Becca Wilkins/international construction

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Punjab Police Inspector Accused Of “Kabooterbaazi”

New Delhi: The Delhi police is hunting for a sub-inspector posted with the Punjab Armed Police for allegedly arranging visas for four youths to illegally enter Canada.
This was revealed during the questioning of the four who were arrested by the IGI Airport police on August 2 while trying to board a Japan Airlines flight along with the Punjab contingent. The contingent was to represent India at the 13th World Police Games at British Columbia.
According to sources, the accused are residents of Kapusthala and Hoshiarpur in Punjab. "We found that none of them were employed with Punjab police. The accused have been identified as Hardeep Singh (26), Lakhveer Singh (30), Jasvinder Singh (30) and Taranjeet Singh (25),'' said an investigating officer. The fraud was detected by immigration officials prior to the plane's departure.
"The accused claim that one Lakhvinder Singh a sub-inspector and coach of the basketball team had collected Rs 12 lakh each from them and arranged visas from the Canadian consulates at Jalandhar and Chandigarh. We have registered a case of cheating and will nab the coach,'' added the officer.
17/08/09 Link, Canada

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Air connectivity to Bikaner in a year: Minister

Bikaner: Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel said air connectivity to Bikaner would start in a year's time. The airport authority is not
expecting any profit from operations from a place like Bikaner due to low traffic. However, the operations will be a part of social commitment of the Centre. The civil aviation ministry is committed to bring air connectivity to more and more areas of the country, he added.
Patel inaugurated the Nal Airport here on Sunday. Patel said construction at phase II of Jaipur airport would start soon. Air connectivity would boost economic activities of the area. The ministry hopes to operate 100 new airports in the next five years, he said. The proposed airport would have a 106 mt X 76 metres apron for simultaneous use of two 50 seat aircraft.
17/08/09 Times of India

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Jet Airways plane skids off runway in Dhaka, passengers safe

Dhaka: A Delhi-bound Jet Airways aircraft carrying 139 persons skidded off a runway just before its take off from the Bangladesh capital today but no one was hurt in the accident.
The Boeing-737 aircraft of India's private Jet Airways skidded the runway by over three meters at Dhaka's Zia International Airport just ahead of its take-off.
However, all 139 persons onboard the aircraft were safe, officials said here.
Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority Chairman Air Commodore Saked Iqbal Khan Majlis said the passengers were immediately evacuated from the aircraft while an airforce contingent joined the rescue operation along with civil aviation workers of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Jet airways Engineers. The incident happened at around 10.40 a m local time (10.10 am IST).
17/08/09 PTI/Economic Times

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Bird hit on Kingfisher Red plane

Guwahati: A Kingfisher Red Imphal-Guwahati-Kolkata flight made an emergency landing at Guwahati airport on Saturday afternoon, after a bird hit one of the wings during takeoff.
The pilot noticed a technical snag soon after the flight took off at 3.50 pm and sought permission for emergency landing from air traffic controllers. "The flight landed safely and all passengers on board are fine. We have found a few feathers in the propeller," said an airline official.
17/08/09 Times of India

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IATA, airlines punch holes in private airports' claim of low charges

New Delhi: Challenging private airport operators’ claim that landing and parking charges at Indian airports are the lowest, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the country’s two busiest airports, Delhi and Mumbai, are among the world’s most expensive.
Hyderabad and Bangalore airports, meanwhile, levy 20-30% higher charges compared to similar capacity airports such as Geneva and Colombo (which handle 2-15 million passengers annually), according to the global apex airline industry body.
Domestic airlines such as Kingfisher and Jet Airways are demanding a reduction in airport charges as individual operators unilaterally fix fees for landing, parking and navigational services. Airport charges contribute 6-7% of the total operating cost of airlines.
Private airport operators, led by GMR and GVK groups, recently published a survey claiming that charges at Indian airports were the lowest. As per the Association of Private Airports Operators (APAO), fees at Delhi and Mumbai airports are 16% cheaper than Toronto airport, which has similar capacity. “Even airports in Bangkok, Singapore and Beijing had higher airport charges than Mumbai,” it said in a report.
Refuting their claim, a Kingfisher Airlines official said on condition of anonymity: “While in some cases airport charges (in India) could be lower compared to other airports in the world, but one must also compare their efficiency and the services offered by them. At most foreign airports, an airline saves fuel due to efficient operations. There you do not have to burn fuel for half-an-hour to land.”
17/08/09 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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AAI issues notice to private airlines

Chennai: A cash-strapped Airports Authority of India (AAI) has issued ‘cash and carry’ notices to a few private airlines whose credits have overshot their bank guarantees in a bid to meet its expenses.
While AAI is clueless about recovering its outstanding dues of Rs 600 crore from the public sector Air India, it has cracked the whip on private carriers after they accumulated dues on airport facility usage charges to the tune of Rs 9 crore, as against the bank guarantee of Rs 6.2 crore in the case of one airline and Rs 170 crore against a guarantee of Rs 100 crore in the case of another.
Both the airlines - their spokespersons deny having received the AAI ‘cash and carry’ notice - will now be allowed to operate from various airports in India only after paying the charges in advance, AAI sources said.
“All major airlines are given a credit facility against some minimum bank guarantee that they pledge for the money they owe to the airports for its operations. They can’t be cash-ready always, which is why we extend this facility to them. But when the dues exceed the bank guarantees the situation becomes serious. When we come across a situation like this over a period of time we issue the ‘cash and carry’ notice,” explained an AAI source in Delhi.
17/08/09 Mamta Todi/ExpressBuzz

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Chennai-New Delhi flight grounded after technical snag

Chennai: The Chennai-New Delhi SpiceJet flight was grounded due to a technical snag on Monday putting to jeopardy early morning passengers travelling to the Capital. SpiceJet officials at the airport said the flight would be ready for departure at 10 am. A few other flights to New Delhi also have been rescheduled, including the Indian Airlines.
17/08/09 The Hindu

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US 'overdid' SRK's questioning: Chidambaram

New Delhi: Home minister P Chidambram on Monday said the Americans had "overdone it" by detaining Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for two hours at Newark airport in New Jersey, for questioning.
"Had it been for ten minutes or even twenty minutes (of detention for questioning), one can understand it. But one fails to understand how could they hold him for two long hours?" said Chidambaram, talking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual meet of the state chief ministers and the police chiefs on internal security scenario in the country here at Vigyan Bhawan.
"And to add to the complications, they allowed SRK to make a call only after two hours. Had they allowed him to make the call in first fifteen minutes, there would have been no controversy," said the minister.
Asked if India too would treat visiting US dignitaries or their high-profile citizens in the same manner, Chidambaram said: "We will tell them that we do it (frisking) and checking only in civilised manner."
The minister, however, lamented that such an unsavoury treatment was meted out to a high-profile citizen of a country where "we send our joint secretaries officers to the tarmac to receive them (visiting dignitaries.)"
17/08/09 Times of India

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Travellers struggle with Uncle Sam's loopy terror lists

New York: Chances are high that if you are routinely subjected to extra airport security or unable to print boarding passes for airline flights at US airport kiosks then your name has somehow got mixed up with those on Uncle Sam's bulging terrorist watch lists.
Civil liberties advocates say the bulging watch lists spawn "faster than rabbits."
Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), told DNA the agency is sensitive to the problems travellers face when they are "misidentified." The Terrorist Screening Database now has over 700,000 names and includes many common Indian and South Asian names.
According to the agency, a foreign traveller who feels targeted can file an online complaint on TSA's redressal programme at www.dhs.gov/trip or mail a complaint to the agency's office.
But media reports point out that the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program better known as TRIP, has a crushing backlog of appeals. The Homeland Security Department says it gets 2,000 requests a month from people who want to have their names cleared. The average processing time is 40 days.
But even Indians placed in a cleared list complain they still get security pat-downs and a barrage of questions because airline reservation systems seem to be working with old information.
To get rid of glitches, TSA is developing a more sophisticated screening system called "Secure Flight" that should cut down on the number of people mistakenly tagged for extra security. The new system will include more personal data like birthdates and not rely so heavily on names.
16/08/09 Uttara Choudhury/Daily News & Analysis

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