Govt to renovate World War II airports to improve regional connectivity in north-east

Agartala: Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha has said that the Centre is keen to renovate several unused airports, built during the World War II, across the north-eastern states to improve the regional connectivity.

Sinha, who was here on a one-day visit, had a long discussion with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Tuesday to work towards improving the Agartala airport into an international airport with an investment of Rs. 400 crores.

"There are large numbers of airports in the northeast which were built during the World War II that are not being used. So, now what we plan to do with these 50 airports is to go rehabilitates many of these airports that are in a state of disrepair right now and build them up so that they can be used for regional connectivity," Sinha told a press conference.


Stating that the people of this region take a long time to go from one place to another through the hilly terrain, he added, "It will be a great-great service because they will be able to go from one point to another point very conveniently in 40 minutes to one hour time."

Sinha, however, informed that the government is at present emphasising on reconditioning the unused airports in the region and not working towards constructing of innovative highway-cum-runway in the northeastern region, where the national highways may also be used as airstrips as and when required, and as proposed by the Ministry of Highways.
One such airport, which will be renovated under this project, is the Kailasahar airport in North Tripura, he informed.
31/08/16 ANI/Business Standard

Read More

AAI adopt measures to make all airports eco-friendly

New Delhi : The Airports Authority of India, which manages 125 airports, including 18 international airports, is working towards making all its facilities eco-friendly.
Chandigarh Airport, which was inaugurated in September 2015, is the first to be built using environment friendly technology.

The airport has only natural lighting during the day, whereas 40 per cent lights at the facility are LED.

Use of air-conditioning has also been made eco-friendly in this airport. The transparent glass root in the airport is a low-heat gain glass which cuts down the use of Air Conditioning to half.

The airport also has 200KW solar panel and a water harvesting plant.

The Chairman of Airports Authority of India Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra said they are socially committed towards making all its facilities as eco-friendly.
31/08/16 New Kerala

Read More

DGCA lifts ban on jets from Jodhpur airport

New Delhi: Travellers supposed to fly to and from Jodhpur can breathe easy. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Wednesday allowed airlines to restart operation of planes like Airbus A-320 and Boeing 737 to the Sun City. The decision came after the DGCA "evaluated safety risk assessment submitted by the operators," said an official.
The regulator had Tuesday banished these relatively big jets after finding that the airport did not have a working precision approach path indicator (PAPI), or glide slope indicator which helps a plane land at the touch down point to ensure it stops in the available length of the airstrip. Only smaller turboprops, like the ATRs operated by Jet Airways, were allowed to fly in and out of Jodhpur on Tuesday while AI, which operates A-320 on the route, had to cancel its flights. An AI flight on Tuesday took off from Mumbai to Jodhpur but had to return as it could not land there due to the ban.
31/08/16 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Delhi airport check spells trouble for Argentine Indian project

New Delhi: The team of "Thinking of Him", an Argentine Indian co-production, may have to suffer financial loss after their upcoming movie's negative film was stopped at the Indira Gandhi International Airporthere.
On Tuesday, a luggage containing the negative film was stopped as the security guards at the airport thought it had "suspicious metal".
"They (security) kept our luggage. They are not technically qualified to open it. Once the negative gets exposed to sunlight, it will get destroyed. It happened yesterday (Tuesday) morning. When we reached Kolkata, we realised that our stuff was in Delhiairport. We got our bag yesterday night. We still have to check whether it is okay or not because the bag has been opened," the film's co-producer Suraj Kumar told IANS.

"Thinking of Him", a joint project of Johnsons-Suraj Films International, India and Caesar Production, Argentina, stars veteran actor Victor Banerjee, Raima Sen, Argentine actor Hector Bordoni and Eleonora Wexner.

The team, including the technical team from Argentina, flew from here to Kolkata to shoot the film in Shantiniketan, Kolkata and Sunderbans.

"If all goes well, the shooting will begin from September 5. The film negative came from Argentina. It has been specially manufactured for us. The stock isn't available in India. If it's ruined, we will not be able continue our shooting. There will be financial loss. It will take another month to get a new stock," Suraj Kumar said.
31/08/16 IANS/Business Standard

Read More

Government Recommends CBI Probe Into 80Kg Of Missing Gold From Delhi Airport

New Delhi: Gold worth at least Rs. 25 crore seized from smugglers has mysteriously disappeared from customs vaults at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, prompting the authorities to order a CBI probe.

A huge haul of over 80 kg gold, both in form of bullion and jewellery, has gone missing in the last over four years from the customs warehouse. In all the cases, it was replaced with non-precious yellow-coloured metal, official sources said.

The seized gold was valued at Rs. 25 crore as per current market rates, they said.

The cases of disappearance of gold had earlier been reported to Delhi Police. As the pilferage continued, the Finance Ministry decided to recommend a CBI probe following approval of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the sources said.

The CBI has been asked to register a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) into the matter and find out as to how the gold was replaced with the non-precious metal inside the heavily guarded vault, they said. The cases of missing gold related to period between 2012 and June this year.
28/08/16 PTI/NDTV

Read More

Apathy of Punjab Government towards Amritsar airport irks residents

Amritsar: Amritsar Vikas Manch has expressed sorrow over the step motherly attitude of the Punjab government towards Amritsar airport.
Manch patron Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala has reacted to the statement of Vishavjit Khanna, Secy Civil Aviation Punjab in which he has said that the Punjab government is trying its best to increase the length of Chandigarh airport runway to 10500 ft. so that long haul flights to U.K may be started for the people in Punjab.
The Manch patron has expressed surprise that the Punjab government is so worried to start U.K. flights from Chandigarh, but it never ever thought of restarting the withdrawn Amritsar – London – Toronto flights of Air India.
It's irony that the Punjab government doesn't know that Amritsar airport has the longest runway of 12000 ft. equal to Delhi airport. There is no technical problem of starting direct Amritsar – London – Toronto flight, which was withdrawn by Air India in 2010 after successful operation for 5 years, only to benefit GMR of Delhi airport. Then why the Punjab government is not following the policy of one in hand is better than the two in bush. It is a matter of great regret that the Punjab government deliberately did not put in efforts to restart the flight from Amritsar for the last six years, despite having the coalition government at the centre. It never raised the matter with Prime Minister, Civil Aviation Minister. The Punjab government never owned Amritsar airport and never took interest to start more international flights from Amritsar to London, Toronto, Vancouver, New York, etc for the reasons best known to it. It is very much evident from the biased attitude of the Punjab Government towards Amritsar Airport, it seems as if Amritsar airport does not exist in Punjab.
29/08/16 Punjab News Express

Read More

A long ride to Kannur airport

Kannur: The laborious task of transporting the aerobridges for the Kannur International Airport being developed near Mattannur here in hydraulic axle trailers has turned out to be much slower than expected because of difficulties to negotiate curves and of other obstacles.

The transportation of the components of the passenger boarding bridges for the airport under construction began at the Azhikkal port at around 11 p.m. on Saturday.

Three hydraulic axle trailers started the trip with the components for installation from the port with a plan to reach Mele Chovva near here in the early hours.

The night time was chosen for the transportation to avoid traffic problems the movement of the huge trailers might cause. The components of the aerobridge being transported to the airport site have a length of 66 feet and height of 17 feet.

The components had reached the port on August 10. The scheduled transportation time was delayed because of the slow movement of the trailers.
29/08/16 The Hindu

Read More

New civilian terminal to soon come up at Agra airport: min

Agra: A new civilian terminal will soon come up at the Kheria air force base here to provide international facilities to passengers visiting the Taj city.

This was stated by Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma who inaugurated a private IVF centre here yesterday.

The Kheria airport is at present under the control of Indian Air Force which allows one of its air strips to be used for civilian flights.

After a meeting with the district officials, Sharma said Rs 100 crore has already been sanctioned for upgrading the Kheria Airport and construction of the civilian terminal, for which about 50 acres of land has already been acquired.

The proposed Jewar international airport in adjoining Gautam Buddha Nagar would serve the needs of the national capital region (NCR), while the one in Agra would primarily cater to the tourists visiting the Taj Mahal, he said.
29/08/16 Business Standard

Read More

Agra will get its airport, but Jewar Airport stays, says Union minister Mahesh Sharma

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed his first pre-electoral speech in Agra in November 2013, he had made some very ambitious promises to Agra, including that of an international airport and barrage on Yamuna. However, in barely 3 years, his own ministers have reneged on Modi's promises and the people of the city are not very pleased with the BJP at this hour.
According to Anil Sharma, coordinator of the local civil society, Union Tourism MoS (IC) Mahesh Sharma has played a very shrewd game with the people of Agra by snatching away Agra’s international airport in order to benefit his own constituency in Jewar (Noida), when he was also holding the charge of MoS of Civil Aviation.
The local civil society had raised this issue before the prime minister and the minister of civil aviation. Though, Mahesh Sharma has been removed from the civil aviation portfolio, the international airport is still being built in Jewar and not in Agra. This made it clear that Agra ranks very low on PM Modi’s priorities these days, in sharp contrast to the Modi Agra heard in November 2013, who appeared to be fully aware of each and every woe of the city.
29/08/16 Siraj Qureshi/India Today

Read More

Locals unhappy with aerial survey of air strip at Nevali village, claim ground condition not feasible

Thane: An aerial survey of Nevali village and Malangad mountain stretch in Kalyan carried out by aviation minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju earlier this week as a possible alternate site for an international airport has led to stiff protests from locals. They claim that the airport construction is not feasible due to the ground conditions.
Nevali area used to be a busy airbase of the British during World War II. It had a concrete runway for take-offs and landings of war planes by the British and its allies. The runway is now in a sorry state and has been abandoned.
Meanwhile, locals whose land was taken for the construction of the runway at that time do not have any documents to prove that the acquisition of their farm lands in Nevali was done by following the law. They have now demanded that their land be returned to them.
27/08/16 Nishikant Karlikar/Times of India

Read More

KIA's three-lane taxiway system sees its green quotient soar

Bengaluru: The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru, has brought down carbon emissions by a whopping 3,384.94 metric tonnes, thanks to the three-way taxi system. It is said to be the first and only Indian airport to have adopted the system.
To put that number in perspective, it is the rough equivalent of the energy expended on supplying continuous electricity for an entire year to 500 houses or equal to growing 87,726 seedlings for a decade!
A taxiway is a path used by aircraft to navigate between the runway and aprons, hangars and terminals. "Unlike other airports that have a one-lane taxiway system, leading to planes queuing behind one another to enter the runway for take-off, KIA allows two aircraft to proceed towards the runway simultaneously," sources in Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the consortium that runs KIA, told TOI.
29/08/16 Rakesh Prakash/Times of India

Read More

Moody's downgrades Delhi airport credit rating

Mumbai: Moody's has downgraded Delhi International Airport Limited's (DIAL) credit rating to Ba2 from Ba1 in view of expected reduction in cash flow due to new tariff order by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA). The rating outlook remains stable, Moody's Investor Service said on Monday.

Last December, the AERA reduced user charges by 89 per cent but its implementation has been stayed because of pending disposal of challenges against previous tariff orders.

"The downgrade reflects continued concerns about the level of cash flow generation following the regulator's order, which will see regulated revenues reduce materially over the 2015-2019 regulatory period to levels which were not incorporated in our previous expectation," said Abhishek Tyagi, Moody's vice president and senior analyst.

The rating downgrade takes in account Delhi airport's new expansion plans planned over next 3-5 years, which will put further pressure on financial metrics, Moody's said.

According to Moody's, implementation of the order will lead to a reduction in the airport's annual aeronautical revenue by around Rs 2000 crore from the financial year 2017-18.
29/08/16 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

Read More

A taxiway on KIA could foil plans to implement alternative route to airport

Bengaluru: Traffic gridlocks on Ballari Road - the only approach to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) from the city - having turned into a recurrent nightmare, Bengaluru traffic police have identified an alternative route to the airport to reduce the burden on the arterial road. However, the proposal's fate hinges on the readiness of the aerodrome authorities to accordingly modify KIA's expansion plans to accommodate a taxiway bridge.
Aimed at providing an alternative route for people in east and southeast Bengaluru such as Koramangala, Sarjapura Road, Electronics City, Whitefield, Mahadevapura, KR Puram among other localities, the road will lead to the rear side of the airport.
With the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the consortium that runs KIA, planning to open a cargo terminal towards the airport's southeast side near Bettakote Lake, traffic police has reason to hope that the alternative route will solve the city's congestion woes. In order to facilitate truck movement to the cargo terminal, BIAL has planned a new entrance near the lake. Police are asking the consortium to also allow other airport users to utilise this entrance.
29/08/16 Arun Dev/Times of India

Read More

Rs.65 lakh gold seized at Goa airport

Panaji: The Air Intelligence Unit(AIU) of Dabolim International Airport in South Goa on Monday ,on profiling of Air India Flight AI-994(Dubai-Goa-Bangalore) rummaged the aircraft on arrival and during a search seized three black plastic bundles in its rear toilet, containing assorted golden jewellery and three gold bars totally weighing 2.532 kg. valued at Rs.65 lakhs.
Despite inquiries with transit passengers and crew or ground staff of the Airlines, owners was not found.
29/08/16 The Hindu

Read More

Fearing collision with AI plane, 30 passengers jump out of bus on runway

Bhopal/Jabalpur/Delhi: : Thirty terrified passengers on a SpiceJet coach at Jabalpur airport on Saturday reportedly jumped off their bus as an Air India aircraft came too close and they feared getting hit by the same. Luckily for them, the AI subsidiary alliance air's plane wing passed very close to the stationary bus without hitting it.
The aviation regulator has issued a warning to Air India as the ATR-72 aircraft was allegedly not being marshalled to the parking bay by a trained personnel but by a helper.
The unprecedented sight of flyers fleeing from a bus to avoid being hit by a plane was witnessed at Jabalpur's Dumna airport when an Alliance Air (AA) ATR landed into the city 15 minutes ahead of the schedule time and was taxiing to its parking bay. At the same time, SpiceJet passengers had flown in from Delhi on another turboprop (Q-400) and were boarding a coach to be taken to the terminal.
"At 11.58 am, SpiceJet ramp staff noticed that AI flight is passing by our coach without maintaining standard distance. Ramp staff tried to seek attention of AI captain (but plane kept proceeding)... One of our passengers saw this and started rushing from the coach, followed by all passengers coming down from coach," said the incident report filed by SpiceJet.
Dumna airport director Ramtanu Saha said SpiceJet has lodged a complaint which is being probed and the report would be sent to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
"As per protocol, AI pilots should have reported the matter to ATC officials. We have got a written submission from SpiceJet station manager and drivers," Saha told TOI.
An Air India official said: "There was safe distance between our aircraft and SpiceJet Q400. However, after parking the SpiceJet captain got physically abusive with our technician. A CCTV footage is available with ATC."
28/08/16 Times of India

Read More

Without runway expansion, no direct Haj flights from Karipur

Kozhikode: For the second year running, there are no direct Haj flights from the Calicut International Airport as the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation is firm that no wide-bodied aircraft will touch down here till the runway is expanded and safeguards are in place.

The situation looks set to continue next year also, though Calicut airport expansion campaigners believe that at least after runway renovation in February 2017, exemption would be given for Haj flights.

The flights were shifted to the Cochin International Airport when runway renovation works began last May.

The Union Civil Aviation Ministry has said that the Calicut airport, with a mere tabletop runway, was never suitable for large aircraft. An exemption for Haj flights somewhere in the early 90s was conveniently converted into a permanent schedule. Therefore, exemption will not be given anymore.

Calicut Airport Director K. Janardhanan said priority was only for safety. On runway expansion, he said, “The situation is evolving. Let us wait.”
28/08/16 KV Prasad/The Hindu

Read More

GMR's massive debts fail to rankle Goa government

Panaji: The debt-riddled balance sheet of the GMR Group has failed to rankle the Goa government which is convinced that the group's subsidiary, GMR Infrastructure will deliver the Rs 3300 crore Mopa airport. The GMR Group, with interests in airports, energy and infrastructure, reportedly has a consolidated debt of Rs 39,154 crore and was featured in the Credit Suisse Group's House of Debtreport 2015 as one of the top 10 indebted corporate entities in the country.
Following years of rapid expansion on the back of heavy borrowing, the group has spent the last few years trimming down its debt through divestment, debt restructuring and overseas funding. A company official said that since the bidding process had just been completed, it was too early to divulge details about joint partnerships but added that financing the project would not be an issue.
"We have gone into the financials of the company and examined this. Any infrastructure company that comes in to build such a massive project, they have to do it through debt. GMR has not defaulted even once, not to banks and not to the operator," director of Goa civil aviation Suresh Shanbhogue said.
28/08/16 Newton Sequeira/Times of India

Read More

Punjab government’s move to increase length of Chandigarh airport runway draws a flak

Amritsar: Residents and city-based NGO Amritsar Vikas Manch have criticised the Punjab government’s decision to increase the length of Chandigarh airport runway to accommodate flights to the United Kingdom (UK).
They were reacting to the statement of Vishavjit Khanna, secretary, Civil Aviation, Punjab, in which he stated that the government was trying its best to increase the length of the runway of Chandigarh airport to 10,500 feet so that long haul flights to destinations like UK may be started for the people of the state.
A city resident Manmohan Singh said the SAD-BJP coalition government never evinced similar keenness to restart the withdrawn Amritsar – London – Toronto flights of Air India from Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport.
Amritsar airport is catering to international flights since 1960. At present five international airlines — Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Malindo of Malaysia and Scoot of Singapore — are operating 42 international flights per week, along with Air India Express and Spice Jet, which have flights for Dubai from the holy city.
Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that even now Air Inida’s Amritsar– Delhi – London indirect hub and spoke flight has won the distinction of being number one among its all international flights operating from Delhi in 2015-16.
28/08/16 Tribune

Read More

CISF gears up to thwart terror strikes at Indian airports

Hyderabad: The Central Industrial Task Force has deployed quick reaction teams (QRTs) at airports, trained its personnel and strengthened its capability to counter terror strikes. “We are gearing up to counter any attack in the manner of Istanbul or Brussels (terror attacks). Our people are already trained. We have deployed QRTs behind bullet-resistant (bullet-proof) ‘morchas’, so that if terror elements fire they will not be able to get us,” a senior CISF official said.
After the Istanbul and Brussels incidents, the CISF has formulated strategies to thwart such attacks at Indian airports guarded by it. “With the recent attacks in Brussels and Istanbul, attacks from the city-side have become more prominent. So, we are devising ways and means to counter such attacks,” the official told PTI.
“We have started checking at the ‘nakas’ now. Any suspicious vehicle going to airport will be stopped and checked with the help of sniffer dogs and electronic explosive detectors,” he said. In addition, QRTs have been deployed at the arrival and departure side of airports.
“If they (QRTs) find any suspicious person coming out with weapon or attempting to fire, our teams have been instructed to fire back to counter the terrorist attack. We have the capability to fire back at them and neutralise them. We are going into that mode now,” he said.
28/08/16 PTI/Indian Express

Read More

Delhi's Safdarjung Airport To Have Full Armed Security Cover

New Delhi:  The Safdarjung Airport in the national capital would soon be safeguarded by an armed security cover provided by a central paramilitary force in view of potential threats to the facility used primarily for flying VVIP helicopter sorties.

Official sources said a full-fledged security audit of the air facility located in the high-profile location of central Delhi has been ordered after central security agencies recommended the same and after a preliminary report was prepared about possible threats and vulnerabilities to it.

The over 200-acre airport is presently provided security by troops of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) drawn from North East states and they largely look after access-control duties through official entry/exit gates.

The facility is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and apart from conducting regular administrative operations, the airport also houses the hangar for the Mi-17 series of choppers of the Border Security Force and is used to fly VVIPs using these or by the helicopters of the Indian Air Force.

Sources said post the security audit, the task to fully secure the facility could be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is the mandated agency to guard major civilian airports in the country.
28/08/16 PTI/NDTV

Read More

AAI: Surat airport capable of handling 40 flights a day

Surat: Airports Authority of India (AAI) in response to a petition filed in Gujarat high court by Surat Airport Action Committee (SAAC) submitted that Surat airport is categorized as 4C licensed airport and is capable of handling about 40 flights, including that of Airbus-320 and Boeing 737-700 daily.
The high court had issued notices to AAI, Union civil aviation ministry, aviation department of Gujarat government, Air India (AI) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) subsequent to a writ petition filed by SAAC on the issue of Surat's air connectivity.
The high court had admitted the writ petition filed by Sanjay Ezhava, president of Surat Airport Action Committee (SAAC), a public group crusading for improved air connectivity from Surat, against government authorities and Air India (AI) demanding equality for residents of Surat wanting to fly to various destinations from the city.
The petitioner submitted that the AI was provided bank guarantee, valid up to May 31, 2016, by way of security for an amount worth Rs 3 crore by Surat Flight Support Association (SFSA) for flying Airbus between Delhi and Surat. It was after the bank guarantee in October 2015 that the Air India started Airbus operations from Surat.
27/08/16 Times of India

Read More

2 crore worth of lost items at Delhi airport, phones top the list

New Delhi: The next time you are at the Delhi airport, make sure you don't leave your mobile phones behind at the baggage screening area or the waiting area. The number of mobile phones recovered from various spots at the Delhi airport by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials is very high - 895 mobile phones were left behind by passengers within a five-month period this year. Out of those, only 317 were returned to passengers, and 578 were deposited with airport authorities. "Mobile phones are the most common item left behind. Even last year, the number of mobile phones collected by CISF officials was 2,148. Out of that, only 734 were returned to their owners, and 1,414 were deposited with the airport's manager. The details of items, including laptops, cameras and passports collected from the airport, are also available online. Those who follow up with us and give us the required details get their lost items back, but such people are relatively few in number - there are a lot of lost and found items still deposited with airport authorities," says an official with the CISF.
After mobile phones, other items collected on a regular basis by the CISF staff include laptops, cameras, wrist watches, wallets, jewellery and even documents like passports and PAN cards. The approximate value of the various items that passengers forget at the airport (from January to May this year) is approximately `2 crore. Out of this, only goods worth `91 lakh were returned to passengers.
27/08/16 Divya Kaushik/Times of India

Read More

Para cyclist forced to take off prosthetic limb at KIA

Bengaluru: Aditya Mehta, silver medalist at Asian Para-Cycling Championship, claimed on Friday that he was forced to take off his prosthetic limb during security checks at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) here.

Airport officials, however, dismissed his charge, explaining that the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were only doing their duty as per the standard security procedure.

A KIA spokesperson clarified that every passenger is searched without exceptions at the KIA. “We have to do whatever has to be done to ensure that passengers feel safe and secure,” she said.
27/08/16 Deccan Herald

Read More

Hajis face slush test at Gujarat airport

Ahmedabad: Even as Gujarat is sending the highest ever 7,500 haj pilgrims to Mecca, the road to holy journey is laden with muck and slush for passengers arriving at Ahmedabad-based Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport.
Passengers are sending out pictures of the haj pilgrims, dressed in all whites, trudging their trolleys in deep slush. One of the haj pilgrims, Ahmed Patel, said that three to four pilgrims were injured after they fell down on the slippery soil near the terminal-3.
On August 21, Union minister of state for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had flagged off the first batch of 300 pilgrims.
The government and Gujarat Haj Committee are boasting about the fact that the highest number of pilgrims will fly from the state this year, but the mismanagement is causing hurdles to the pilgrims, said a relative of one of the pilgrims.
27/08/16 Times of India

Read More

GMR Infra to develop Mopa airport in Goa

Panaji: Bangaluru-based GMR Infrastructure has won the final financial bid for construction of the greenfield airport at Mopa in North Goa, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar announced here today. The claims of all bidders were opened today by a committee comprising senior government officials.
"GMR has won the financial bid and it has pledged 36.99 per cent revenue sharing with the state government after the airport becomes operational," the Chief Minister told reporters.
He said other bidders like Airport Authority of India and ESSEL Infra had quoted 32.31 per cent and 27 per cent as the revenue share from the project with state government, which will be operational on BOOT (build, own, operate, transfer) basis.
The airport is planned in the Northernmost part of the state adjoining Maharashtra.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay the foundation stone for the project during second week of September.
26/08/16 PTI/India Today

Read More

Kalyan airstrip being looked at only for regional scheme: AAI

Mumbai: While an airstrip in Kalyan may be considered for the development of an airport under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) denied the possibility of considering an airport in Kalyan as an alternative to the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport, a project which has been stuck on account of hurdles in rehabilitation of the project-affected people.
“The work on Navi Mumbai airport is going on smoothly and there exists no possibility of any change. The Kalyan airstrip is being looked at for development under the RCS and we do not see any other reason,” confirmed an official from the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Speculation regarding the Kalyan airport peaked following an aerial survey of the Navi Mumbai site and the Kalyan airstrip by Union Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Tuesday.
State government officials, however, admitted there are problems with the rehabilitation of the project-affected people at the Navi Mumbai site. “The rehabilitation process has not stagnated but it faces issues. In the past, residents have expressed disinterest in the land allocated by CIDCO for rehabilitation. This could be a reason why residents are feeling a little hesitant about shifting,” said Prashant Thakur, BJP legislator from Panvel.
26/08/16 Neha Kulkarni/Indian Express

Read More

Indian firm said to be eyeing Iraklio airport

Indian airport operator and construction firm GMR Infrastructure is reportedly pondering an offer for the development of an airport in Kasteli, in the Iraklio prefecture of Crete.

The Bengaluru-based company already operates two of India’s busiest airports, in Delhi and Hyderabad, as well the Mactan Cebu International Airport in the Philippines.

India’s Hindustan Times on Friday cited sources as saying that GMR has already sought and received an “experience certificate” from the Indian Aviation Ministry to participate in the tender.
26/08/16 ekathimerini.com

Read More

Lack of night landing at Juhu criticised at meeting

Mumbai: Various stakeholders criticised the country’s oldest aerodrome, the Juhu airport, along with officials of the Airports Authority of India and civil aviation ministry, during a meeting of the ministry’s standing committee held recently.
MP Shatrughan Sinha asked why — when there have been recent civil aviation policy talks about on-the-spot medical evacuation — did the Juhu aerodrome still not have night-landing facilities when it is already surrounded by a few big hospitals. According to sources, a need for a helipad in major hospitals was also pointed out during the meeting, in order to make medical evacuation smoother and ensure patients reach the operation theatre easily.
Talking to The Asian Age, a top official from one of the stakeholder companies of the aerodrome, said that for the past 30 years, helicopters are being forced to land at Santa Cruz airport due to the non-availability of night-landing facilities in Juhu. Also, due to air traffic congestion at the Mumbai airport, planes are sometimes forced to wait in the air for 20 to 40 minutes, which leads to a huge economic loss for the operator.
26/08/16  Ashita Dadheech/Asian Age

Read More

State assures to clear AAI’s salary dues for city airport

Nagpur: A week before bids are to be invited for privatization of Nagpur airport, state government has cleared the issue of pending payments with Airports Authority of India (AAI). It has assured AAI that staffers' salary dues amounting to Rs62 crore will be cleared by December end. The first instalment of Rs25 crore will be paid within 15 days followed by the balance amount in December. A meeting between Maharasthra Airport Development Company (MADC) and AAI was held at chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's residence in Mumbai. Fadnavis as chief minister is also chairman of MADC.
The development was confirmed by vice-chairman-cum-managing director of MADC Vishwas Patil. The assurance removes a major roadblock towards airport privatization. AAI had earlier warned of taking back the airport's possession if the dues were not settled by August end. The bids are to be invited on August 29.
The salary dues pertain to the period after the airport was taken over by Mihan India Ltd (MIL) in August 2009. MIL is a joint venture between AAI and MADC. It was formed as a special purpose vehicle to develop the city airport into a multimodal international cargo hub for which now a private investor is being scouted for.
26/08/16 Times of India

Read More

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport voted “Best Metro Airport” by Air Passengers Association of India

Mumbai: Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) has been conferred with the award of “Best Metro Airport” in India. CSIA was voted as the best airport at the Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) event held in the national capital on Wednesday. The award was presented to CSIA by Union Minister Smriti Irani. According to critics, the award was conferred upon CSIA as it offers best-in-class comfort and convenience to travellers among other airports in the league.
In a poll conducted by APAI, passengers from across the nation voted as CSIA as the most convenient airport to travel among others across the nation. The award is a recognition of the efforts taken by CSIA over the years to enhance customer experience and provide the best-in-class comfort through state-of-art infrastructure.
26/08/16 India.com

Read More

AAI, Pawan Hans, ONGC chiefs to look into Juhu airport’s problems

A committee consisting of the chairmen of the Airports Authority of India,Pawan Hans and ONGC will be formed to look into Juhu airport’s infrastructure problems. The decision was taken at a parliamentary committee meeting here on Tuesday during which AAI, which owns and operates the airport, once again came under attack from oil rig operators and helicopter companies for the poor state of its runways and lack of basic infrastructure.

“It was not the first time that these issues have been raised. But there has been no improvement in the state of Juhu airport,” a stakeholder said. The stakeholders alleged that AAI officials, in collusion with private builders, had kept the secondary runway non-operational. TOI had reported how AAI officials had flouted safety norms and issued no-objection certificates to builders to increase the height of buildings in the approach path of the secondary runway beyond the permissible limit. “The stakeholders questioned why the secondary runway has been deemed non-operational for over four years now,” an official said, adding that pressure from the builders’ lobby was cited as a reason.
25/08/16 Khabar India

Read More

Airstrip in Kalyan alternative site for new airport? Aviation min does aerial survey

Mumbai: Eyebrows have been raised after aviation minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju conducted an aerial survey on Tuesday of the site in Navi Mumbai earmarked for the international airport and an airstrip belonging to the defence authorities.
Problems with rehabilitation of project-affected people in Navi Mumbai may have forced the government to survey the land in Kalyan to send out a message, said a source.
"The only drawback is that the land available in Kalyan is smaller than that in Navi Mumbai, which ultimately reduces the scope for international operations. On the Kalyan plot, there is an airstrip built during the Second World War," the source added. Vinod Geete, a real estate consultant, said any move to shift the airport out of Navi Mumbai would jeopardize the realty boom, which areas like Ulve, Belapur, Kharghar and Panvel have been witnessing. Nearly all clearances for the airport are already in place and contractors were to start the pre-development work soon. When asked why the project-affected were reluctant to leave their houses to pave way for the ground-levelling work to start, BJP legislator from Panvel Prashant Thakur said, "Going by their past experiences, they were uncertain whether or not Cidco would hand over plots with all civic amenities within 12-18 months." He added, "The government had sanctioned the project-affected rent for 12-18 months, but it was not sufficient as developing the plots would take longer. Even today in Sector 35 there are no civic facilities despite the area having tall residential towers."
25/08/16 Times of India

Read More

Rajasthan airport to use runway for flights and road traffic

New Delhi: An airport where the airstrip can double up as runway for flights and for road traffic is being constructed in Rajasthan.

Mentioning about the construction of such an airport in Rajasthan, the Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said similar projects are being planned in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and some other border districts.
According to him, an airport is being built in Rajasthan that would also have national highways' cement concrete road.

When the road is closed, aeroplanes can land and takeoff from there, then road traffic can resume, Gadkari said in New Delhi last night.

"In hilly areas like, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura and border districts where there are difficulties, we are working with the Defence authorities and have identified sites for making such airports," Gadkari said.
The government is working on ways to boost regional air connectivity in the country. In new civil aviation policy, the Regional Connectivity Scheme has been mooted that provides for various concessions to airlines.
25/08/16 PTI/Business Standard

Read More

CMR Group chief donates 23 acres land for intl airport project

Farmers and businessmen are coming forward to relinquish their land for the international airport coming up at Bhogapuram in the district. Chairman of the CMR Group, Mavuri Venkataramana has handed over 23 acres of land in Bhogapuram mandal to the district collector for the mega project, to be developed by Bhogapuram International Airport Company Ltd (BIACL), a press release issued by District Collector office said. Venkataramana voluntarily handed over the 23 acres of land and also urged the farmers to come forward to relinquish their lands to the district administration for the project, which will boost development of the district and was essential for it. According to the release, farmers in Kavuluwada village in the district have so far handed over 23 acres of land, while more farmers were willing for acquisition by the government.
25/08/16 PTI/moneycontrol.com

Read More

NGO claims Mopa bid has been fixed

Panaji: Outlook for Social Change (OSC), headed by Professor A K Tripathi, has alleged that the Mopa airport bid has been fixed with one of the bidders by the State government.
Addressing the media, Tripathi claimed that three of the five qualified bidders – GMR, GVK and Airports Authority of India (AAI) – are in the process of backing out from the final bidding, which is slated for August 26.
Tripathi, however, added that if the chief minister goes ahead to award the bid to a private party, OSC will commence an indefinite peaceful protest outside the CM’s residence, demanding that the government wait for the NGT order on environmental concerns. The hearing on this case is scheduled on September 21.
He said that against all norms of good governance, the government has shown no respect to the constitutional authority vested in the NGT and added that a leading foreign airport company, Zurich Airports, which had entered into a joint venture with an Indian private bidder, has understood the environmental aspects including destruction of natural heritage and therefore terminated their joint venture with Essel Group.
25/08/16 Goacom

Read More

Mock exercise to check preparedness of airport agencies held

Kozhikode: An 'air crash' of a Qatar Airways airline with 20 CISF officials and airline staff as passengers and prioritisation of 'casualties' was conducted at Calicut International airport at nearby Karipur today as part of a mock drill to check the efficacy and preparedness of agencies in handling emergency situations in a real life scenario.

Airports Authority of India, Calicut, in co-ordination with Kerala State Fire Service and other stakeholders held the exercise at 4 PM as per Directorate General of Civil Aviation guidelines to hold such an exercise every alternate year by all licensed airports in the country, a release from the airport director said.

Accordingly, an imaginary scenario of the air crashwas created. Acting as passengers were the officials from CISF and Qatar Airways, which also played the affected airline, it said.
An imaginary command post was established and casualties were prioritised at the triage area, depending on the severity of injury.
25/08/16 PTI/Business Standard

Read More

BJP blamed for granting nod for Aranmula project

Pathanamthitta: The Anti-Airport Action Council (AAAC) at Aranmula has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of playing foul play in the controversial Aranmul airport issue.

The AAAC meeting that was held at Aranmula on Tuesday alleged that the Union Defence Ministry had given clearance for the Aranmula airport project with the full knowledge of the BJP leadership.

The meeting further observed that the terms of reference granted by the Expert Appraisal Committee attached to the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change to the KGS Airport company for conducting a fresh environment impact assessment (EIA) at Aranmula puncha too was with the knowledge of the BJP leaders.
25/08/16 The Hindu

Read More

APATA seeks more teethto security at airport

Visakhapatnam: There is a need to leverage technology and increase manpower to improve safety in view of the increased security risks at airports, according to the AP Air Travellers Association (APATA).

The Union Home Ministry has noted that our airports are not equipped to handle major terror attacks in view of the grave threats posed by terrorists to international airports. APATA vice president O. Naresh Kumar noted in a statement that manpower should be increased and given specialised training for surveillance.

These personnel should be trained in Israel in counter-terror operations as our CRPF and CISF are not equipped to handle international terror activities. Every city and airport should have a special force with this training.

They should be provided the latest gadgets like nigh vision cameras and high-end scanners.

Facial recognition cameras should be installed at all airports and to enable instant online verification with the database of available criminals.

The APATA vice president suggested that every ticket sold should be having either the Aadhar card or passport number along with photo id proof.

This will enable verification of all tickets with the known database of criminals by the special police even before the arrival of the passenger at the airport.
25/08/16 The Hindu

Read More

Cabinet clears leasing AAI land at Assam airport

New Delhi: The leasing out of land owned by AAI for setting up of a centre for perishable cargo at Assam international airport was cleared by the Cabinet on  Wednesday.
The Cabinet has approved Airports Authority of India (AAI) leasing out 4,050 square metres of land to Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC).
“This will be utilised for setting up of Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC) and its future expansion at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati,” an official release said.
Setting up of the centre would help in making facilities for air upliftment of perishable cargo from Guwahati moreeffective.
The land is to be leased by AAI on a token licence fee of Rs 1 per annum for a period of seven years subject to signing of lease agreement.
“After expiry of initial period of seven years, the future lease period will be made afresh as per AAI policy in-vogue,” the release said.
24/08/16 PTI/Indian Express

Read More

India develops Arunachal’s airfields, but a lot left to do

On August 19, 2016, the old advanced landing ground (ALG) at Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, revived and upgraded, was inaugurated befittingly by minister of state home affairs Kiren Rijiju, who hails from that state, accompanied by Air Marshal C. Hari Kumar AVSM VM VSM, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Air Command (EAC), Indian Air Force (IAF) and senior civil and IAF officials.
A flypast by three Sukhoi-30MKI air dominance fighters that took off from one of the forward EAC airbases was a highlight of the event. Soon afterwards, another Sukhoi-30MKI landed at the ALG, recording a “historic first” in the predominantly hilly state of Arunachal Pradesh, which has several ALGs at varying altitudes.
In 2007, when then defence minister A.K. Antony visited Arunachal Pradesh, he was aghast at noting the great contrast between substantial infrastructural development across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by the Chinese and the starkness accentuating the lack of the same, particularly strategically, on our side. Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who visited the state soon afterwards, announced a major financial package and a fast-track infrastructure development programme.
On approval by the Cabinet Committee for Security and following a memorandum of understanding between the government of Arunachal Pradesh and ministry of defence in June 2009, the IAF had embarked on an ambitious reconstruction plan to upgrade eight ALGs, including infrastructure development at an overall outlay of nearly `1,000 crores. The ALGs at Walong, Ziro, Along, Mechuka and Pasighat have since been upgraded and are operational now. Two ALGs at Tuting and Tawang are expected to be ready by year-end, while reconstruction of the ALG at Vijaynagar will be undertaken as soon as the road connectivity between Miao and Vijaynagar is restored.
23/08/16 Anil Bhat/Asian Age

Read More

Terminal 2 of IGIA to don new look

New Delhi: Terminal 2 of the Delhi airport, the erstwhile international terminal that has been lying almost defunct since 2010 when Terminal 3 was commissioned, has been buzzing with activity for the last couple of weeks. It is being upgraded and refurbished at present to accommodate some budget carriers operating from Terminal 1D.

The private airport operator, Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), is planning to expand the domestic departure Terminal 1D and hence some low-cost carriers operating from the terminal would be shifted to Terminal 2. According to sources at the airport, the budget carriers will start operating from Terminal 2 from January 1, 2017.

“The terminal was started in the mid 1980s and was mothballed since 2010 after Terminal 3 was opened for public. To allow flight operations from here again, the terminal is being completely refurbished with new flooring, false ceiling, air-conditioning etc.,” an airport official said. “Apart from these changes, the technical systems are being made up to date for flight operations,” he said.
According to airport officials, Terminal 1D will continue to cater to IndiGo flights while SpiceJet and GoAir might be shifted to Terminal 2.
24/08/16 Sidhartha Roy/The Hindu

Read More

Centre's nod to consortium may delay Navi Mumbai airport project

Even as the Union civil aviation ministry has intending to set 2019 as its deadline to operationalize the Navi Mumbai airport, the project may see further delays.
The airport bidding process is likely to be delayed further with the entry of a fourth player, a consortium of Voluptas Developers (Hiranandani Group) and Zurich Airport, into the fray. A deadline of September 1 was set for submission of request for proposal (RFP) documents for the three bidders in the fray earlier. With Voluptas Developers receiving a security clearance from the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), which was earlier denied to them, Cidco will now have to issue RFP documents to the consortium and also grant them time to submit the same. The MHA clearance, for Voluptas Developers to bid for the Navi Mumbai airport, came in after it gave a similar security clearance to bid for the Mopa International Airport in Goa was given to the company after a Delhi high court order.
24/08/16 Sanjeev Devasia/ET Realty

Read More

More Flights Likely for City: New airline allowed to park aircraft at Chandigarh airport

Chandigarh: A soon-to-be-launched airline has been granted permission to park its aircraft at the Chandigarh airport. The parking facility for the airline will provide additional flights to the city.
Official sources said Zoom Air had recently applied for permission which was granted by the Airports Authority of India. “The destinations are not known yet. Once it is officially launched, we will get more details about it,” an airport official told Chandigarh Newsline. “They applied for the permission and it was granted.”
The official said that the airline had also applied for starting of flights from the city. “We have given it permission for the flight operations from the city. Once the airline parks the aircraft during the night here, it will give city an option of an additional flight in the night and in the morning,” he said. “The airline is planning to have Chandigarh as their base.”
Initially, the airline is planning to have one aircraft. Later, one more aircraft will be added. “We have the capacity of parking two aircraft at the Chandigarh airport,” the official said.
Chandigarh Airport CEO Sunil Dutt confirmed the development. “The Zoom Air had applied for parking their aircraft at the airport and we have given the permission,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force has allowed the Chandigarh Airport to operate till 10 pm. Airport officials said that they had received a communication from the IAF that the watch hours had been extended from 8 pm. “Flights at the Chandigarh airport can land and take off till 10 pm. This is a good development,” said Dutt.
24/08/16  Adil Akhzer/Indian Express

Read More

Pune’s new airport dream takes flight with Maharashtra CM’s tweet

Pune: After nearly 14 years, Pune’s proposed international airport has gained momentum with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s tweet that the technical team from Airport Authority of India (AAI) will conduct preliminary study of Rajgurunagar site, near Khed Special Economic Zone, in the first week of September.
The team was to conduct a survey in July and August but due to heavy rains they had postponed the visit. This is the fourth site, which was shown to the team besides the three sites shown in the district for the proposed international airport.
The Indian Express had earlier reported about this site and how a preliminary survey was done at the start of the year as it was found to be the most feasible as the land was not undulating and there was adequate space. The said site is spread over five villages—Koye, Pait, Andra, Chikhali, Askhed. The satellite mapping was done and the runaway alignment too was considered in the survey. More than 1,500 hectare at a stretch will be made available for the proposed airport of which it is believed that 40 per cent would be government land and 60 per cent would have to be acquired.
24/08/16 Nisha Nambiar/Indian Express

Read More

Airport to host food, music fete

Bengaluru: Come Dasara, Kempegowda International Airport will sport a new look. The Banglore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) is planning to host a mega music, food, shopping festival for passengers in October, capitalising on the festival month.

A source from BIAL said, “Plans are on paper and we will have food, music and dance. It will be a celebration. The details are yet to be charted out. We will soon make a  public announcement when we have the minutes of the plan ready. Airport is a place where one has the time to relax while waiting for flights. Passengers will certainly have a great time and it will be a treat for international passengers as well.”

The festival is apt considering that airports provide the ideal customer profile, with high spending potential, and time for interaction.

BIAL saw a 25 per cent growth in traffic in 2015 with 18.1 million passengers. It recorded a growth in  sales in 27 of its retail brand outlets.
24/08/16 Sangeeta Bora/New Indian Express

Read More

Rooftop solar power plant goes operational at Chennai airport

Chennai: The first phase of the rooftop solar power project has become operational in the Chennai airport. In an event held on Thursday, Airport Authority of India (AAI) chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra inaugurated the 1.5 MW plant.

Chennai airport director Deepak Shastri said the solar plant, built at cost of Rs 8.5 crore, would bring down the power tariff by half. Currently, the airport pays a tariff of Rs 20 crore to the state electricity board. The solar plant would generate 6,150 units a day and reduce carbon emission by 3,600 tonnes per annum.
24/08/16 New Indian Express

Read More

Now, stray dogs are the new menace at airport

Fencing and construction of perimeter walls have largely resolved the problem of stray cattle intruding into the operational area of Surat airport, but the authorities are now facing a new challenge.
Dog menace has increased at Surat airport premises in last few months when the work for extension of the runway began what with the presence of construction workers inside and outside the airport area.
Stray dogs from nearby areas of Bhimpore and Magdalla sneak into the operational area of the airport through the openings in the fencing and loiter around in search of food.
Sources said shrimp farms around the airport attract stray dogs in huge numbers. At present, harvesting season is going on and the farm owners throw dead shrimps, which attract stray dogs. Few days ago, dead shrimps were found inside the airport premises. The farm owners might have thrown the stock inside the airport premises, instead of ensuring proper disposal of the waste.
24/08/16 Melvyn Reggie Thomas/Times of India

Read More

Maharashtra: 10 non-functional airports to be developed, first state to sign regional connectivity scheme

Mumbai: Maharashtra became the first state to sign an agreement with the civil aviation ministry on Tuesday, to develop 10 almost non-functional regional airports/airstrips helping move closer to reality the Centre's ambitious regional connectivity plan. The fully subsidised regional connectivity scheme (RCS) seeks to cap ticket prices so as to make flying more affordable and accessible to the common man and is part of the ambitious National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 cleared by the Cabinet on June 15.
The agreement was inked in the presence of Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and top Airport Authority officials. The 10 airports to be developed under the plan are Kolhapur, Shirdi, Amravati, Gondia, Nashik, Jalgaon, Nanded, Solapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, wherein the state will contribute 20% cost of viability gap funding, and the rest will be borne by the Centre.
Out of these airstrips at Shirdi and Nanded are state government-owned and Fadnavis said the Nanded airport will be functional from November. As per the agreement, the state will reduce the local tax on aviation fuel from existing 10% to 1% for 10 years, apart from providing essential land free of cost, Fadnavis said. These airports will be provided with roads, rail, metro and waterway connectivity, he added. The state will also provide electricity, water and necessary facilities at concessional rates.
On the proposed new Pune airport at Rajgurunagar near New Chakan, Fadnavis said the Airport Authority will send a team to conduct preliminary study in first week of September. On the issue of building heights in Bandra Kurla Complex and Wadala notified areas, he said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) survey will be completed soon and final report is expected by December. Earlier addressing the media, Raju had said almost all other states are ready to sign the RCS.
23/08/16 PTI/DNA

Read More

Why PM Modi must intervene to revoke clearance for Chennai airport’s second runway

We have all witnessed the destruction that was caused to Chennai and its surroundings in November/December 2015. The heavy deluge may have caused large quantities of water to be dumped. However, what is being overlooked is the large scale violation of Environmental Clearance (EC) by Airports Authority of India, that has contributed in a very big way for the destruction and loss of lives.

In November 2005, when there was a deluge and Chennai experienced 24cm of rain and water was released from Chembarambakkam lake, it flooded the Chennai airport, leaving only the main runway unaffected.
Low lying areas near the river banks were the worst affected.

I had earlier written, “The Chembarambakkam lake overflow is through the Adyar river. If the flow area is restricted by the secondary runway or blocked to a large extent, the flooding on the west, south and south-east areas is going to be extensive.”

The PWD department had declared the Flood Level as 11m.
AAI obtained EC for the expansion of the secondary runway bridge which states: “The Ministry reserves the right to revoke this clearance, if any of the conditions subsequently, deemed necessary for environmental protection, are not complied with.”

The EC also says that it was indicated by AAI that the bridge will be built 1.4m above the high flood line on the Adyar River, with a span of 200m x 415m.

PWD had indicated that the high flood line in 2005 was 11m above mean sea level. Hence, the top of the column (marked with red arrows in the following photos) should have been 11 + 1.4 = 12.4m.
The undulating levels of the top of the column, as visible from the last image, indicates that AAI has not followed a uniform height for the top of the columns, or the columns have sunk to varying depths.

The proposal from Airports Authority and what is covered by the EC, does not indicate any clearance for the high concrete walls built on either side of the runway bridge, along the Adyar river front.
23/08/16 Capt. Mohan Ranganathan/News Minute

Read More

Wheelchair-user activist asked to stand up for pat-down at city airport

Chennai: A disability rights activist and wheelchair-user, who helped the civil aviation ministry codify regulations on carrying persons with disabilities, was  himself traumatised due to the lack of its implementation. Security personnel at Chennai airport insisted that he stand up for a pat-down before boarding a flight to South Korea.

Rajiv Rajan, who has been left with limited motor functions due to cerebral palsy, was travelling from Chennai to Seoul for the board meeting of Asia Pacific Disabled People’s Organisation United on Monday night. He was on the airport wheelchair, assisted by the staff of the Singapore Airlines. “The airline staff were stopped by the security personnel, arguing that I should stand for checking, despite me using the airport wheel chair. They said the rules say so. I asked the security to show the rules. By this time, another security personnel came, did the checking and let me in,” he told Express from Seoul.

Rajiv is not new to this. In the late 1990s, Rajiv was not allowed to board his flight by the Air Sahara, that created a furore so big that the Director General of Civil Aviation came out with a Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) that lay down the guidelines for carrying persons with disabilities and reduced mobility by air, in order to protect them from discrimination and to ensure that they receive all assistance during travel. Rajiv was a member of the drafting committee for CAR in 2010, and when it was revised four years later, he had given his feedback. “Even after all these years, nothing has changed. (I faced the) same problem at 20 (years) and at 45. Silver Jubilee of airport harassment!”
23/08/16 New Indian Express

Read More

Employees left in the lurch as cambata shuts shop

Mumbai: Cambata, the oldest ground handling agency in Indian aviation, has shut down, leaving more than 1,000 employees struggling for survival.

On Monday, over two weeks after the company's Chief Operating Officer A P Casserly wrote to employees to not report for work, employees protested against the non-payment of their dues at the airport.

Recently, the company lost all their airline ground handling contracts to rival Celebi and Bird Worldwide Flight Service (BWFS).

The problems started last week when Cambata workers complained against being denied entry into the air-side by the Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) by airport authorities.

Casserly, the company's seniormost executive in the country told Mumbai Mirror that Cambata had no clients. "All we are trying now is to clear our past dues," he said.

In a letter to state government officials, the Cambata workers demanded a probe. "The situation has aggravated since we have not received a proper response from any of the airport or company officials on the issue for several months. We insist on the quick redressal of our demands," the letter read.
23/08/16 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

Read More

Gondia, Amravati among other cities to have developed airports!

Nagpur/Mumbai: In order to streamline the aviation network in Maharashtra, and connecting tier three cities like Gondia and Amravati through airways, the State Cabinet has now finalised a draft to give the project a go ahead.

Sources said that the state cabinet has given the finishing touch to its draft for signing an MoU with DGCA and AAI for development of 10 airports in the state.

The decision is in line with union government’s regional connectivity scheme. The 10 airports -Kolhapur, shirdi, Amravati, Gondia, Nashik, Jalgaon, Nanded, Solapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg will be developed where state will contribute 20% cost of Viability Gap Funding. The state is going to sign MoU on Tuesday with the authorities concerned.
23/08/16 Nagpur Today

Read More

'Airport needed for South Odisha's integrated growth'

Bhubaneswar: We should think about an overall development of Brahmapur city and about the entire south Odisha. For this, an airport is necessary in south Odisha,” said eminent scientist Padma Shri Dr Kota Harinarayana.

The Old Students’ Association of the City High School jointly with the Forum for Ganjam and the Rotary Club felicitated Harinarayana here on Sunday.

He advised various organisations to work for development of the city.

He informed that he had a discussion with the Chief Secretary suggesting him to extend the Rangeilunda Airport runway to 2,250 metre. For the development of the area, cargo flights should be handled, he added.

Harinarayana also said employment can be generated when a new airport is established.
23/08/16 Pioneer

Read More

Delhi Poised to get New Air Force Aerospace Museum close to the international airport

Delhi will soon have a sprawling new Aerospace Museum close to the international airport focused mainly on Nation’s rich aviation history. New Aerospace Museum is not only meant to preserve the glorious tradition of the IAF but also to create awareness in general public about India’s rich Aerospace heritage.

The IAF believes that the Museum would be a popular tourist attraction and a landmark in India’s capital city. A proposal for new Air Force Aerospace Museum was cleared by Ministry of Defence and final financial sanction on the Detailed Project Report is awaited. After the approval, the new museum would be ready for the tourists within 3-5 years.

Spread over 43 acres, the new Aerospace Museum would have extensive indoor and outdoor displays including huge aircraft parked and hanging in flying attitude with mural depicting the golden era. A dedicated children’s area would be part of the museum where children could enter cockpits of displayed aircraft and get the feel of flying controls.
23/08/16  DefenceAviationPost

Read More

Tiruchi sees steady rise in e-tourist visa approvals

Tiruchi: Foreign nationals from over 45 countries received their e-tourist visa on arrival at Tiruchi international airport since the launch of the facility here last year.

Over 3,600 foreign nationals have landed at Tiruchi airport making use of the e-tourist visa after the facility was launched on August 15, 2015, airport sources told The Hindu .

Tiruchi is one of the 16 airports in the country where e-tourist visa facility is available to overseas nationals touring India for various reasons such as sightseeing, business visit or to undergo short-term medical treatment.

Although the facility was in vogue only at nine major airports initially, the Centre subsequently extended it to seven non-metro international airports, including Tiruchi on August 15 last year.

The Centre had extended the facility to seven more international airports to boost tourism across the country. The Airports Authority of India, the Bureau of Immigration, and the National Informatics Centre had created required infrastructure at Tiruchi airport for the introduction of the facility.

Sources said Malaysians, Singaporeans, Sri Lankans, and those from the United Kingdom were the top four overseas nationals who took e-tourist visa in Tiruchi in the last one year.
23/08/16 R. Rajaram/The Hindu

Read More

Mangaluru airport is now on Twitter

Mangaluru: Passengers travelling from or to Mangaluru International Airport can now give their feedback to the airport authorities online.

Mangaluru International Airport has opened an account — @aaimlrairport – on Twitter for its users in this regard.

JT Radhakrishna, Director of Mangaluru International Airport, Airports Authority of India, told Business Line that the airport opened a Twitter account on Monday to help people using the airport.

“It will help in the improvement of the airport for better passenger requirements and customer satisfaction,” he said.
22/08/16 AJ Vinayak/Business Line

Read More

India to have 50 more operational airports by 2019

Taking ahead the government's plan of ensuring regional connectivity throughout the country, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Sunday said about 50 more airports, including the existing inactive ones, will be activated in the next three years.
As many as 32 airports across the country are currently not in operational conditions. "The centre is trying to put all these non-performing assets (NPAs) into effective utilisation rather than investing afresh. Each airport would require at least Rs. 100 crore for construction." Raju said.
The civil aviation minister said he had written to chief ministers of all states, asking them to reduce VAT tax on jet fuel, which would provide an encouraging environment to all domestic carriers. The lack of unified rate of fuel tax in all the states across the country has caused a problem on cargo operations. "The major operational cost 45 percent is fuel and tax problem is there," [sic] Raju added.
Speaking about connectivity to West Asian countries, especially from Kerala, Raju said seats, which are reserved under bilateral agreements, remain under-utilised on various carriers. Such seats should be put to use better.
22/08/16 Kalyani Pandey/IBTimes

Read More

How congestion is killing India's aviation growth story

New Delhi - India is the fastest growing aviation market across the world but also boasts of a creaky airport infrastructure. Though we have managed to build showpiece airports with the help of private developers in our major metros, there is a serious capacity constraint already at Mumbai and may soon also be seen at Chennai airport.
A country where majority of fights still originate in the metros and which is eyeing double-digit traffic growth in the months to come may be constrained by lack of capacity at its major airports unless urgent steps are taken to correct this anomaly.
Sample this: In July, GoAir created a record of sorts, by reporting on-time performance below 50 percent for flights from Mumbai airport. This means at least every second flight (sometimes more) of the airline from Mumbai was delayed during the month. This is the worst on-time performance of any major Indian airline in the recent memory.
But GoAir is not alone. Here's another statistic. According to DGCA data for July, the best OTP from Mumbai airport was clocked by SpiceJet at a mere 63%. So, the best a passenger can hope for, if she is taking a domestic flight to or from Mumbai, is this: only two in three flights will be on time, and sometimes not even every second flight will be on time.
How much of this is the fault of an individual airline is debatable but it is clear that airport infrastructure at Mumbai is bursting at the seams.
Air India managed OTP of just 56.7 percent from Mumbai in July, market leader IndiGo was lower with 55.7 percent and Jet Airways-JetLite combined were at 60.6 percent while Vistara was at 60.9 percent.
Compare this with operations of the same airlines from other metro airports: except Air India, every other domestic airline got over 80 percent OTP at Delhi. And except GoAir, every other airline had well over 80 percent on-time performance at Bangalore. At no other major airport in the country is a flight taking off on time such a difficult proposition - it becomes next to impossible at Mumbai.
22/08/16 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

Read More

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport: Employees of ground handler firm threaten fast-unto-death

Mumbai: At least 1,800 employees of Cambata Aviation Private Limited (CAPL), the country’s oldest private ground handler, have threatened a fast-unto-death on Monday at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai, demanding payment of pending salaries and policy clearance.
This comes after the workers were almost rendered jobless, following the lack of business with the company. On August 9, the company’s Chief Operating Officer A P Casserly wrote to employees to not report to work, after it lost all the airline ground handling contracts to rivals Celebi and Bird Worldwide Flight Service (BWFS).
Last week, the workers complained against being denied entry inside the air-side premise by security forces after relevant orders from the management. “We have been demanding the payment of salaries, provident funds and policy clearance from the company for many months but the demands were not met. Last week, they even denied us entry inside the premise which indicates we no longer work. We have thus decided to protest and raise our voice,” said Anita C, a Cambata worker.
22/08/16 Indian Express

Read More

CM’s stand on airport hailed

Pathanamthitta: The State government should write to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), clarifying its stand on the controversial airport project at Aranmula at the earliest, former State Planning Board member, Peelipose Thomas, has said.

He said the government should not make any further delay in cancelling the notification of 2011 declaring Aranmula and surrounding areas as industrial area.

In a statement here on Sunday, Mr. Thomas said the unequivocal stand made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the State government would not support the Aranmula airport project was a sigh of relief to the hapless villagers of Aranmula.
22/08/16 The Hindu

Read More

IGI not passive to radioactive threat

New Delhi: On May 29, 2015, the cargo terminal at Indira Gandhi International airport had its first radioactive scare. Even though the scare turned out to be false, sources said the first team of respondents arrived more than two-and-a-half-hours late.
This incident triggered a series of meetings and all authorities were roped in to fill in the gaps and ensure fool-proof operations in the future. The level of preparedness was heightened to tackle similar situations in a better manner.
A mock exercise on radiological emergency at IGI airport was planned in June this year by the disaster division of ministry of home affairs. The National Disaster Response Force was made the lead agency to assist district officials to coordinate with other authorities.
An advance coordination meeting in this regard was held at Indira Gandhi International airport on August 10 this year. The 20 stakeholder agencies that participated in the meeting included the district magistrate, Department of Atomic Energy, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, MHA and National Disaster Management Authority.
22/08/16 Times of India

Read More

'Name airport after Rani Abbakka'

Mangaluru: Abbakka Utsav Samithi president Dinkar Ullal submitted a representation to Shah urging the Union government to name Mangalore International Airport after Rani Abbakka. Also, at least one train starting from Mangaluru Railway Station should be named after Abbakka, the forum has requested the government in the memorandum.

The Samithi said one circle each in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mangaluru should be named after Abbakka. The life story of Abbakka should be included in primary and high school curriculum. A theme park on Abbakka should be set up on 10 acres of land at Ullal, the Samithi has demanded.

Earlier, Shah flagged off the Tiranga Yatre bike rally at Pumpwell Circle. He rode pillion with MP Nalin Kumar Kateel. About 400 bikes participated in the rally. The Yuva Morcha members from Mangaluru North and South constituencies participated in the  rally. Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and BJP State President B S Yeddyurappa also took part in the rally.

Shah also visited BJP district office in the city and planted a sapling on its premises. The party workers kept aside the BJP symbol and flag and held only national tri-colour flag throughout the programme.
22/08/16 Deccan Herald

Read More

Another daily flight from city to Dubai from October 30

Mangaluru: Bridging the gap between Dubai and Mangaluru further, another daily flight will be introduced between the two cities from October 30. It will be the fourth daily flight between the two. According to J.T. Radhakrishna, director, Mangaluru International Airport, SpiceJet will introduce the new flight.

It will depart Mangaluru daily at 12.20 a.m. The flight will arrive here at 6.15 p.m. on five days. On Mondays and Saturdays, it will arrive at 8.30 a.m. The private carrier has already begun the booking, he said.

Mr. Radhakrishna said that when the new flight services became operational the airport here would have eight daily flights with 16 operations in the international sector for different West Asian destinations. In addition, the airport now handled 15 daily domestic flights with 30 operations.
21/08/16 The Hindu

Read More

Minister for better facilities to flyers in airport

Pune: Civil aviation minister Jayant Sinha on Saturday directed the Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials to improve passenger facilities and operational capacity of the Lohegaon airport, handling close to 60 lakh flyers annually.
Sinha visited the airport to review various services and discussed scope for improvements, including the condition of airport washrooms, with the officials. MP Anil Shirole, heading the Pune Airport Advisory Committee, took the minister around the facility. Airport director Ajay Kumar and other officials accompanied them.
Sinha later tweeted, "Detailed review of #Pune airport - reviewed facilities for passengers and discussed scope for improvements."
Responding to specific complaints about the poor condition of toilets inside the airport highlighted by the social media users, Sinha retweeted, "I visited all the facilities, including the toilets. We have noted all the issues and will be following up."
Providing more details about the visit of the minister, airport director Ajay Kumar told TOI, "The minister expressed serious concern over the size of the airport and suggested short, medium and long-term actions to improve its operational capacity. He inspected all the facilities, including the toilets, personally and offered suggestions. We also took him for a review of the upcoming services and the site of the new airport."
21/08/16 Times of India

Read More

MCCIA raises a stink over airport toilets

As a defence airport, Pune International Airport has been the bane of air travellers passing through its cramped spaces and restricted timings. While travellers have resigned themselves to these quirks, they are, however, unable to accept the airport's inability to provide as basic an amenity as clean washrooms. Their angst has been registered at various forums, particularly social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. And now, the stench got so heavy that the city's Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), has felt compelled to intervene on the issue.

When the Pune Airport Co-ordination Committee, helmed by K Hemlata, regional executive director for Western Region, Airports Authority of India (AAI), met on Thursday, the chamber's director general, Anant Sardeshmukh, broached the issue with a certain vigour. "I brought into focus the stark difference in the maintenance of Terminals 1 and 2. While Terminal 1, since its makeover, has been getting some attention, the other terminal is being ignored and passengers have to suffer unclean toilets and other inadequate amenities, including seating," he informed.

With the number of flights in and out of the city rising, the airport has been seeing a rise in its footfall, which has gone up from 41.91 lakh per annum in 2014- 15 to 54.18 lakh in the last financial year. While these numbers are far lower than that of Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, the amenities in this airport are already stretched and it is telling on the passenger experience.
21/08/16 Sushant Ranjan/Pune Mirror

Read More

Bomb scare at Ranchi airport

Ranchi: An unclaimed bag in the parking zone of Birsa Munda airport created panic among fliers and state police on Saturday morning. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials informed the district police who evacuated the parking area before cordoning it.
City SP Kaushal Kishore said a bomb detection and disposal squad of the Jharkhand Jaguar arrived on time and found that the bag contained some pieces of iron. "It seems to be the work of a mischief monger because the bag does not seem to belong to a flyer," said the city SP. The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) team conducted a preliminary reconnaissance of the situation and helped the bomb disposal team in its operations.
The airport security was already on alert because of Independence Day celebrations and disturbances in Kashmir.
The cordoned area attracted many onlookers who were interested to see the rescue operation. Many visitors idling around the visitors' lounge came outside to see what was going on. The people waiting outside the airport terminal building gave a hard time to the police who tried to control the crowd.
21/08/16 Alok K N Mishra/Times of India

Read More

AAI to offer space for opening branded stores at Raipur airport

Raipur: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will be providing space to private parties for opening up branded Electronics, Mobile and Pearl shops in the new integrated terminal building at the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, officials informed.

Notably, in the month of June this year, Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand had also asked State's Civil Aviation officials to obtain a report from all the State's tour operators and send it to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to seek upgradation of the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur as a  ‘Customs Airport’

The move would help in getting  Charter aircraft services started from the airport, he had stated.
21/08/16 Daily Pioneer

Read More

Bhogapuram airport unviable, says Air Travellers Association

Visakhapatnam: Air Travellers Association (India) president D Varada Reddy, in a release on Friday, said that three qualified bidders for the Bhogapuram International Airport Limited (BIAL) - GVK, GMR and Airports Authority of India- categorically stated that the Bhogapuram airport was not viable unless the passenger loads touched 2.5 million per annum.

A total of eight bidders participated in the bid for the development of infrastructure and greenfield international airport. Of the total,  three bidders were qualified.

The AAI could not also participate for the non-viability factor. ATA(I) has repeatedly been stating that Bhogapuram Greenfield Airport is neither feasible nor viable and the statements of the bidders reiterate ATA(I)’s belief, Varada Reddy said.
20/08/16 New Indian Express

Read More

Ramp to airport not to be demolished

Thiruvananthapuram: The government has decided not to demolish the 430-metre ramp that was constructed by the State without nod from the NHAI to provide connectivity from the NH 66 Kazhakuttam-Karode bypass to the terminal II of the international airport.

The decision is based on a report submitted by the Chennai-based transport planner N.S. Sreenivasan, who was roped in to offer suggestions to provide hassle-free connectivity to the airport from the bypass, which is being widened. His expertise was sought as the NHAI and the AAI failed to arrive at a consensus on the design for connectivity.

A 8.5-metre wide flyover has been proposed by Dr. Sreenivasan along the Enchakkal-Chakka corridor for the movement of the vehicles along the bypass. Vehicles coming to the airport via the carriageway will turn from beneath the flyover to enter the ramp that will be suitably modified. The exit will be through the other ramp to the carriageway. There will be service roads.

The report was presented by Dr. Sreenivasan at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary S. M. Vijayanand on Friday. While the Airport Director, George G. Tharakan favoured the proposal, the NHAI Project Director R. Venkatkrishnan pointed out that it cannot be made part of the existing EPC contract as over Rs. 150 crore would be needed for the flyover. Moreover, it was pointed out that the design of the flyover would need the clearance of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and additional funds would have to be managed.
20/08/16 S. Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

Read More

Ground handler’s workers to go on hunger strike from Monday

Mumbai: Workers of Cambata Aviation, the country’s oldest private ground handler, will go on hunger strike from Monday to protest non-payment of six months’ salaries and refunds by the company.
A representative of the workers said they will hold protests along the stretch from Sahar cargo to the domestic airport terminal in Vile Parle. He also said that they have filed a complaint against the company in a labour court and are waiting for the complaint to be heard by the court.
Vishal Suresh Khatedar, a supervisor at Cambata, said, “For the last two years, the company neither bothered to follow the provident fund (PF) process nor deducted LIC dues, among others.” An employee of Cambata requesting anonymity told this newspaper that in the past six months, as many as four workers had allegedly committed suicide because of not being paid salaries.
Rashtriya Ekjut Kamgaar Sangathana, a union of the workers, on Friday wrote a letter to assistant commissioner of police, airport division, to inform about the employees’ decision to fast until death. Commenting on the letter (to which The Asian Age has access) Balbir Negi, general secretary, said that the employees had also approached Sahar police station to take action but nothing had been done yet.
20/08/16 Asian Age

Read More

Delay in upgrading landing system hits air service hard

Indore: Delay in upgradation of landing system at the city airport is badly affecting air travelers as due to bad weather one flight was diverted while another was cancelled on Friday.

This is the eighth time in last two months when flights were either diverted or cancelled following poor weather.

On Friday, due to low clouds, two flights were not able to land at the city airport.
Both AIC 635 Mumbai-Indore and 6E 245 Raipur-Indore arrived here at their scheduled time of 9.25 am and 9.55am, respectively. But due to bad weather, the flights were not allowed to land at the city airport.

However, later AIC 635 returned from Bhopal and operated, while 6E 245 Raipur-Indore on its return from Baroda could not land here and diverted to Mumbai. Finally, it was cancelled. As per information, passengers of this flight have been accommodated on different routes by the airliner.

According to experts, upgrading of instrumental landing system (ILS) at the airport was chosen at a wrong time. ILS is an important instrument that helps aircraft during landing. Its key features tell whether the aircraft is aligned and maintained a proper slope. ILS and glide path help reduce chance of errors, mostly when visibility is very low.
20/08/16 Free Press Journal

Read More

Screening for dengue on at Mizo airport

Aizwal: Mizoram Health and Family Welfare department has begun screening of suspected dengue cases at Lengpui Airport, near here.

Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) state nodal officer Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma told PTI today that one person infected with dengue was found at the airport and entered Mizoram by flight. The person was being treated.

The screening would continue in view of the prevalence of dengue in West Bengal and neighbouring Assam.

The state government has set up sentinel surveillance unit at Aizawl Civil Hospital and south Mizoram's Lunglei district hospital and is being manned by experts, he said.
20/08/16 PTI/Business Standard

Read More

Mumbai Airport adds new Aaswad restaurant to dining offer

Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has opened a new restaurant, called Aaswad, at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) Terminal 2. The outlet, located at Domestic Departures, offers cuisine from the Maharashtra region of India. Its menu comprises popular local dishes such as Misal Pav, a breakfast dish voted the ‘World’s Tastiest Vegetarian Dish’ at Foodie Hub Awards held in London.

MIAL said Aaswad boasts the highest number of takeaway sales of all the restaurants at the airport. Its popularity has prompted plans for a further outlet in International Departures.
19/08/16 Colleen Morgan/Moodie Davitt Report

Read More

Kannur International airport to be operational by mid-2017

Kannur: The Kannur International Airport (KIAL) at Mattannur in the district will be commercially operational only by mid-2017, taking a few more months than the announced deadline of March next.
The construction work, however, would be completed by March-April 2017, KIAL managing director V Thulasidas said, adding that a few more months would be required for tests and trials.
An IAF Dornier aircraft from Bengaluru had conducted a successful test landing at the airport on February 29, in the presence of the then chief minister Oommen Chandy.
Once the airport becomes operational, Kerala would be the only state with four international airports.
Thulasidas said the airport, with a 3,050-metre runway, would focus more on the Gulf sector. The runway would cater to the present requirements and future expansions would be considered based on the business generated. He was addressing a meeting on the business potential of the airport, organized by the North Malabar Chamber of Commerce.
19/08/16 Times of India

Read More

Fruit, veg exports from Amritsar airport drop to zero

Amritsar: Over the past six years, revenue from the export of perishable cargo from Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport has come down drastically. The export of perishable goods like fresh vegetables and fruit, produced in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and exported to Europe, came down to zero in the fiscal 2015-2016 from its peak of 908 metric tonnes in 2009-2010.

The journey of perishable cargo has never been smooth. The Perishable Cargo Centre at the airport has been handling the export of baby corn, snow pea, sugar snap, okra and other vegetables to London since July 2006.

Initially, Jet Airways used to operate the flight but once the private airlines pulled out due to recession, Air India filled the breach. The export was suspended for a year following a dry spell after which Air India withdrew its Amritsar-London-Toronto flight on October 30, 2010.

Revenue from international cargo came to nearly Rs 1.5 million in 2015-2016 from its peak of about Rs 16.6 million in 2011-2012.

A majority of the non-perishable goods exported were tobacco products, sports goods, ready-made garments and others.

Aviation Consultative Committee member Shwet Malik, MP in the Rajya Sabha, sees a conspiracy behind these bad turn of events for the Amritsar airport. He said minutely reading the data revealed that the fall of revenue at the airport coincided with the handing over of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to a private entity. He alleged that in order to give maximum monetary benefits to the privately-run Delhi airport, flights from Amritsar were diverted, causing a steep fall in the revenue.
19/08/16 Tribuneindia.com/Fresh Plaza

Read More

Chartered flights clog Ahmedabad airport

Ahmedabad: Money seemed to be the last concern for devotees of BAPS when it came to reaching Gujarat in time for a last darshan of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Ahmedabad skies were buzzing with chartered flights and private planes as on Tuesday and Wednesday as devotees and dignitaries rushed in. Interestingly, five of the chartered flights had been hired by non-resident Gujaratis from Africa, where BAPS has a strong presence.
The last rites of the spiritual head who was leader of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) were performed at Sarangpur on Wednesday.
As per airport officials who shared details on the condition of anonymity, five chartered flights landed at the city airport on Tuesday and Wednesday, apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's air convoy and private flights of businessmen.
"These chartered flights were coming in from Africa," said a BAPS devotee requesting anonymity. "There are five BAPS temples across Africa and thousands of devotees. Several of these devotees were unable to book flight tickets and since the air connectivity with Gujarat is not frequent, they shelled out anything between Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh for the chartered flights," the devotee said. The chartered flights reportedly landed at Ahmedabad airport and devotees hired taxis to Sarangpur.
It is to be noted that devotees flying in from the US spent between Rs 2.45 lakh and Rs 5.38 lakh for economy class tickets and over Rs 7-lakh business class tickets to reach Ahmedabad in time before the spiritual head's last rites on Wednesday.
19/08/16 Alok Brahmbhatt/Ahmedabad Mirror/Times of India

Read More

Immediate acquisition of 285.47 acres sought for Coimbatore Airport

Coimbatore: With the acquisition of 627.89 acres land for the first phase of the Coimbatore International Airport (CIA) expansion getting delayed by nearly 13 years, Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials here, on Wednesday, sent a detailed report to the Civil Aviation Secretary on the immediate land requirement to kick start these expansion works.

“We have sought 285.47 acres immediately and the rest could be acquired while work is under way in the acquired piece of land,” Airport Director G. Prakash Reddy told The Hindu .

The report also contains a map on the land required for immediate acquisition and the entire area of 627.89 acres to be acquired as part of the first phase.

It was prepared and sent on the direction of Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Mayank Chaubey following a representation made by representatives of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Coimbatore (ICCIC) in this connection, last week.

On the immediate requirements, the Airport Director said that it had to begin with the 35.51-acres required for the basic strip of the existing runway
19/08/16 MK Ananth/The Hindu

Read More

Proposed greenfield airport at Jewar may hit another hurdle

The proposed greenfield airport at Jewar in Gautam Budh Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, may hit the skids again with the civil aviation ministry asking for a joint feasibility study to be conducted by the state and central governments.
The Jewar airport in Greater Noida has been hanging fire since 2001. It is yet to get a formal no-objection certificate (NOC) from the ministry of defence on account of the adjoining areas housing Indian Air Force bases as well as some missile units.
The fresh move may further delay the ambitious project close to the national capital from taking off, according to an aviation ministry official who requested anonymity.
This comes in the backdrop of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections to be held next year.
A techno-economic feasibility study has already been done and submitted to the central government by the state. The Uttar Pradesh government has prepared a detailed project report as per the Greenfield Airport Policy, 2008.
The defence ministry’s approval for the project is required to ensure safe and easy air navigation services, the official further explained.
A greenfield airport is not normally allowed to be built within a distance of 150km from the nearest existing airport unless there is a definite need to divert fast-growing air traffic. Besides Jewar, the aviation ministry has also approved another airport at Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, which is within a 100km radius of the nearest Delhi airport.
19/08/16 Sanjay Singh/VCCircle

Read More

Soon, Kolhapur airport licence to be renewed

Kolhapur: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials and elected representatives from Kolhapur have decided to seek licence for scheduled air services for city airport in next one month. This would enable the AAI to deploy night landing facility at the existing airstrip of the airport and scheduled flights can be started by next year.
The meeting held in Mumbai on Thursday was attended by officials from directorate general of civil aviation, AAI, Kolhapur district guardian minister Chandrakant Patil, district guardian secretary Rajagopal Devara, district collector Amit Saini, MPs Raju Shetti and Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati. MP Dhananjay Mahadik could not attend the meeting.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is responsible for implementing, controlling and supervising airworthiness standards, safety operations, crew training in the country.
The Kolhapur airport expansion has been stuck due to strong opposition and varied demands from Gadmudshingi village, which had opposed acquisition of 10.93 hectares of forest land. But the village passed a resolution that they did not have any objection over the land acquisition and submitted it in written format during the meeting. Local MLA Amal Mahadik submitted the letter in the meeting.
"The decision of the villagers is very good and they will also benefit from the airport for sure. The state government already has Rs 1.80 crore sanctioned for land acquisition. We will now verify the facts and finalise the amount. The state would arrange it through varied sources. Now, we are going to focus on obtaining licence for running scheduled flights from Kolhapur to Mumbai. Once it is done, AAI can work on night landing facility," Saini said.
19/08/16 Times of India

Read More