Adani Group to Buy Controlling Stake in Mumbai Airport

New Delhi: Billionaire Gautam Adani’s conglomerate on Monday said it will take controlling stake in Mumbai airport through deals in which it will acquire the debt of current promoter GVK and buy out minority shareholders.
Adani Group will acquire GVK Airport Developers Ltd’s 50.50 per cent stake as well as buyout 23.5 per cent stake of Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) and Bidvest Group (for which it has obtained Competition Commission of India approval), it said in a regulatory filing.
A controlling 74 per cent stake in Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), together with the six non-metro airports it bagged in a government tender, will make Adani Group the largest private operator of airports in India.
State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) runs most of the airports in the country.

Adani Airport Holdings will acquire the debt of GVK Airport Developers, the holding company of GVK Power and Infrastructure, the filing said.

The debt will be converted into equity at mutually-agreed terms, GVK said in a separate filing.
This conversion would lead to Adani Group getting all of 50.5 per cent stake of GVK Group.

The two firms did not give details of the deal including the debt that Adani is taking over and the terms of conversion.

After seaports, Adani Group is betting big on the airport sector and has won the bids to run six AAI-built non-metro airports in Lucknow, Jaipur, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, and Mangalore. It has now entered the country’s second busiest airport.
31/08/20 PTI/India.com

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Mumbai airport air traffic to double this week to 200 flights per day

Mumbai: The state government has finally permitted Mumbai airport to double its air traffic from 100 to 200 flights per day from Tuesday.
Airlines might take a few days to add more flights and so the city airport is likely to touch 200 flight movements some time this week. On Monday, in a letter sent to the ministry of civil aviation, the Maharashtra state government conveyed its decision to increase the flight movements at Mumbai airport to 100 arrivals and 100 departures per day from September 1. The ministry had sent a letter to the state government on this on July 10. On August 22, TOI had carried a report saying that the state government is likely to double the flight movements permitted at Mumbai airport by month-end.
When domestic flights were restarted on May 25, the ministry of civil aviation permitted airports to handle one-third flight movements per day. But on the eve of restart of flights, Mumbai airport was put under restrictions from the state government as well, as the city has been battling a high number of COVID-19 cases.
The state government allowed Mumbai airport to handle only 50 flight movements a day, which was then increased to 100 per day -- 50 departures, 50 arrivals -- on June 15. Airlines took a few days to lap up the added slots and the flight movements went up to 100 per day, only after 4-5 days. "This time around though, airlines have been awaiting this development and so the airport might attain 200 flight movements per day faster," said an airline source.
31/08/20 Manju V/Times of India

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Chennai airport sees most int’l flights since March

Chennai: The city airport has started to see more international flights, including Vande Bharat flights, over the past few days hinting that the state government is relaxing its restrictions on aircraft movement from abroad.
Foreign airlines and Indian carriers have been flying a few services under the ‘air bubble’ scheme permitted by the ministry of civil aviation between cities. However, more flights are scheduled in the coming days, including a service to either Europe or the UK.
On Wednesday, the airport saw its maximum number of international services since lockdown in March – 24 flights, including Vande Bharat, chartered and limited schedule flights, serving destinations like Jeddah, Muscat, Chicago, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Mattala, Doha and Kuwait. There were six flights the previous day.
An airport official said international operations are looking up as restrictions are fewer and the Centre is also pushing for point-to-point ‘air bubble’ services. “Many travellers are flying out of the city on flights that return after bringing passengers from abroad,” he added.
A majority of the flights that see leisure travellers are to the UAE, which has begun issuing tourist visas to Indian citizens.
31/08/20 Times of India

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12 flights bring back Indians to Chennai in 1 day, but complaints galore

Chennai: A total number 1,212 expatriate Indians, who were stranded for the last five months due to Covid-19 induced lockdown and the subsequent grounding of flights, arrived from ten countries in 12 special flights under the Vande Bharat mission at the Anna International airport on Sunday.

Sources said the stranded Indians arrived from USA, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Sharjah, Bahrain, Oman, Dubai, Qatar, Jeddah and Sri Lanka in private and Vande Bharat flights.

After the mandatory health check-ups and immigration clearances, all the 1,212 passengers were quarantined for 14 days.

Of them, 164 passengers, who arrived from Bahrain in a Gulf Airlines flight, staged a protest and picked up argument with the airport authorities after they were not allowed free government testing, to ascertain whether they were exposed to the coronavirus and the government quarantine facility, as they landed in the through private agents.

The passengers claimed that the agent had taken money before boarding the flight in Bahrain for the medical tests and for the 14-day quarantine stay and demanded action against the agents.

They also refused to leave the airport following which the officials and police pacified them and assured them that action would be taken if a formal complaint was given.

After the passengers agreed to it, all of them were subjected to free medical tests at the airport itself. Later, 115 of them were sent for 14 day government quarantine centre and the remaining 49 were taken to a hotel where they would be quarantined.
31/08/20 News Today

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Protect environment in 10 villages surrounding airport, officials told

Rajamahendravaram: East Godavari District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy has directed the officials to bring awareness on environment protection in the 10 villages surrounding the airport. Speaking at the environment protection review meeting at tower building, he said officials of Revenue, Police, Fire and Panchayat Raj should work with co-ordination in this regard.
He asked officials to serve notices to the owners of dairy farms and hatcheries in the town villages immediately. Environment protection is very important for the airport and asked Airport Environment Protection Committee also to work in this regard. Earlier, airport director Manoj Kumar Naik briefed about the steps taken for environment protection through a power point presentation at the review meeting.
Later, the director said awareness meeetings were conducted in the nearby villages of Madhurapudi, Burugupudi, Gummaluru, Mirthipadu etc and pamphlets also distributed in the villages. Dairy farms, hatcheries etc are not allowed in the villages located in 10 km radius of the airport. Cameras have been set up at the airport as monkeys and other animals are coming on to the runway mainly in the night time.
31/08/20 Hans India

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Govt should not be running airports and airlines; hopeful of privatising Air India in 2020: Hardeep Singh Puri

New Delhi: The government should not be running airports and airlines, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Sunday, adding that he hopes to privatise Air India during 2020.
His remarks come at a time when the Kerala government has opposed the Union Cabinet's approval on August 19 to lease out the Thiruvananthapuram airport to Adani Enterprises under the public-private partnership (PPP) model for a period of 50 years.
Addressing a virtual meet on Namo app, Puri said, "I can tell you from my heart the government should not be running airports and the government should not be running airlines."
The Centre-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) owns and manages more than 100 airports, including the one in Kerala's capital city.
On Air India's privatisation, Puri said, "As a going concern, one that is attractive to potential bidders, we should privatise it (Air India). And I am hopeful that we will be able to complete that privatisation process during this year."
Last Tuesday, the Central government extended by two months the deadline for placing bids for Air India till October 30 as the Covid-19 fallout has disrupted economic activity globally.
The process of stake sale in the national carrier was initiated on January 27. This is the fourth extension given by the government for putting in bids.
"If the government runs an airport or an airline, then they have to follow the government rules like L1 and L2, and that is not how commercial entities can run," Puri said.
When the government issues a tender, the lowest bidder deemed as L1 is the winner.
Puri said he expects that the domestic air traffic would reach pre-Covid levels by the end of this year.
Domestic flights resumed on May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown. Currently, airlines are allowed to operate maximum 45 per cent of their pre-Covid domestic flights.
The central government privatised six major airports -- Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati -- in February 2019. After a competitive bidding process, Adani Enterprises won the rights to run all of them.
30/08/20 PTI/Times of India

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Delhi's IGI Airport expects 73% decline in traffic

New Delhi: IGI Airport is staring at a 73% fall in traffic this financial year with an expected total passenger number of 1.8 crore — down from 6.7 crore in the April 2019-March 2020 period.
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Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which manages Indira Gandhi International Airport, now estimates the post-Covid recovery in air travel only by the financial year 2023-24, when it expects 7.3 crore flyers.
DIAL has submitted its revised passenger numbers to Airports Economic Regulatory Authority in response to a consultation paper issued by the latter for determining tariff for April 2019-March 2024. While international passengers in 2020-21 (April to March) are expected to be 33 lakh — down 82% from 1.7 crore in the previous fiscal, the domestic count is likely to hover around 1.5 crore — a fall of 70% from almost 5 crore in 2019-20. One of IGIA’s three runways is being used as a storage for grounded planes since March.
The sharp fall has had a crippling effect on the aviation industry’s fortunes, with many players now struggling to survive. DIAL itself is in the midst of implementing a Rs 8,632-crore infrastructure upgrade of laying the fourth runway, expanding Terminal 1, and constructing an elevated taxiway, among others.
According to the data of Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the pandemic-struck January-July has seen 3.7 crore domestic flyers across the country, 55% less than 8.2 crore in the same period last year.
30/08/20 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Zero local enthusiasm as Airport Authority of India (AAI) set to auction a Pilatus aircraft in Guwahati

While there have been several efforts to revive the Assam Flying Club, there has been zero enthusiasm as the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is set to auction a Pilatus PC-12/45 aircraft in Guwahati.
Sources said the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has announced the auction of an abandoned Air Deccan Aircraft Flight No – VT-DAR at the Guwahati airport.
The online auction for the aircraft will open on September 10, the sources said, adding that the Pilatus PC-12/45 is a single-engine turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland.
A lot of young aspiring pilots from Assam need to go all the way to Australia or to the US to get a Commercial Pilot License (CPL).
Some people, who came to know about the Airport Authority of India’s auction of the aircraft in Guwahati said, the Assam Flying Club should have been the first to show a lot of interest in the auction.
According to them, the Pilatus PC-12/45 is the best-selling pressurized single-engine turbine-powered aircraft in the world with over 1,900 deliveries till date.
The Pilatus PC-12/45 aircraft is perfect for training and corporate transport, the sources said, adding that the aircraft could have played a great role in the revival of the Assam Flying Club.
The Assam Flying Club was established in 1958 at Shillong, and was fully operational till the end of December 2003. It produced 150 Private Pilots License and 32 Commercial Pilots License holders.
29/08/20 Northeast Now

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Seaplane services between Ahmedabad and 'Statue of Unity' to be launched

The Gujarat government on Saturday announced the launch of seaplane service in the state from October 31 connecting Ahmedabad to Kevadia, the seat of Sardar Vallabhai Patel's 182-metre tall "Statue of Unity" and Sardar Sarovar Dam in Narmada district.
 The announcement comes following a high-level meeting on August 29 in Gandhinagar where the progress of the water aerodrome operation was reviewed, The meeting was presided over by the chief secretary Anil Mukim along with officials of civil aviation, Airport Authority of India and the private airline, Spicejet, which is launching the service.
 "The service is operated by Spicejet Airline from Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad to Statue of Unity, Kevadia," a release issued by the government stated.
There will be four flights, including arrivals and departures, every day. The price of the ticket has been fixed at Rs 4,800 per person. The government stated that "the scheme is being implemented by the terms and conditions of a tripartite agreement between the state government, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Government of India, and Airports Authority of India."
 In Ahmedabad, the water aerodrome will be Sabarmati River while in Kevadia, the officials have identified a lake locally known as "Panchmuli Lake". It is also known as "Magar Talav" for the crocodile population in the lake. There were reports of forest department shifting hundreds of crocodiles out of their habitat to other places.
 29/08/20 Satish Jha/Deccan Herald

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Bengaluru: New cargo complex at Kempegowda International Airport almost ready

Bengaluru: A 4 lakh sqft building to handle express air cargo will be unveiled at Kempegowda International Airport soon. The facility will primarily house two international cargo players connecting the airport with locations across the globe.
Sources said the building is adjacent to the Air India SATS Cool Port cargo complex at the terminal.
Interior works, including parking stations, are on despite many cargo terminal staff testing positive for Covid-19, officials said. Tender was called in 2018 and work commenced a year ago.
Officials said the building is likely to be unveiled in October or the year-end. However, Bangalore International Airport Limited authorities refused to divulge more details.
30/08/20 Times of India

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Belagavi’s hopes for int’l airport yet to materialise

Belagavi: Even a year after putting forth a request to launch international air operations from Belagavi airport at Sambra, it is yet to be fulfilled.
In 2019, MP and minister of state for railways Suresh Angadi had met the managing director of Air India to press for flights to Dubai. The requested route for the operations is Goa-Belagavi-Dubai. The flights can be operated twice or thrice a week, depending upon demand. The people from the Mumbai-Karnataka region either travel to Goa or Bengaluru to fly to Dubai. Belagavi airport is the second busiest in Karnataka, according to the last three months data.

Setting up a cargo area to facilitate exports and imports and expanding infrastructure to match international norms could be more or less sufficient to launch the services. Krishna Giriyannavar, an active citizen from Belagavi, said flights to Dubai are the need of the hour, as a good number of people travel there for work and tourism. The elected representatives have to work to bring Belagavi under the UDAN scheme, he said. He added that an Indian Institute of Technology did not materialise in Belagavi due to lack of political will, and that politicians should show commitment to realise this.

Suresh Angadi said that there was no follow up done after 2019 on international flights from Belagavi, and that a feasibility study has to be conducted before coming up with the service. Air India looks into commercial, tourism and trade feasibility before venturing into a new service. “We need demand from people, and flights can operate on the Belagavi-Goa-Dubai or Goa-Belagavi-Dubai routes. The density of people travelling to Goa from Kerala before moving to Dubai or vice-versa, traffic from the Mumbai-Karnataka region and prospects of import and exports is what matters,” he said.
30/08/20 Shreyas HS/Times of India

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Jewar land acquisition hits roadblock

Noida: Going smoothly so far, the land acquisition process in the Jewar Bangar village to relocate over 3,600 people directly affected by the Jewar international airport project has now hit a roadblock, with 164 of the 224 plot owners raising objections.
While four of them have been dubbed as genuine concerns pertaining to incorrect entry of birth record, value of assets such as borewell or boundary wall, the remaining are over the rate of compensation being awarded. Instead of Rs 2,680 for a sqm, these land owners are demanding a minimum of Rs 3,180 a sqm, citing the additional Rs 500 per sqm being given to the residents of six villages affected by the airport project.
The development of a township over some 48 hectares in Jewar Bangar is the last task for the district administration in order to rehabilitate the 3,627 families affected by the airport project. In the absence of any resistance, the administration had declared the process of handing over award to the landholders on August 21 under the land acquisition act. Some 224 title holders were identified for compensation in lieu of land.
But now 164 of them have raised objections. The logic behind this demand is proximity to the 48.1-hectare land in Jewar Bangar to the urbanised Azad Chowk, the sub-division's commercial hub.
30/08/20 Shalabh/Times of India

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Indira Gandhi International Airport to see 73% decline in traffic in FY21

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) may witness a massive 73 per cent decline in traffic in the current financial year. It is estimated the passengers' footfall at this airport will be roughly 1.8 crore, down from 6.7 crore in the financial year 2020-2021 due to coronavirus pandemic.

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which manages IGI, expects that the airport will see recovery by FY24, with an estimated 7.3 crore flyers. Without coronavirus, the flyers count would have surged to 9.6 crore in FY24, according to Economic Times report.

As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), between January and July, the country observed merely 3.7 crore domestic flyers, 55 per cent less than 8.2 crore flyers in the same period last year.
Despite the ease in flight restrictions from May 23, the demand has still remained highly muted, DIAL said. It added that the intensity and duration of the impact of COVID-19 on the travel industry is predicted to be far deeper than longer.

All scheduled flights were suspended in the last week of March in India. However, the domestic flights resumed on May 25 in calibrated manner, while international flights are running either through Vande Bharat mission or air tarnsport bubble agreement.  Vande Bharat Mission was started to repatriate stranded Indian passengers to their own destination.
30/08/20 BusinessToday.In

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Flight operations at Kolkata, Bagdogra airports to remain suspended on lockdown days in September

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) informed on Friday that flight operations at airports in West Bengal -- Kolkata and Bagdogra -- would remain suspended on the three lockdown days of September.
The official handle of Kolkata Airport tweeted, “Complete lockdown will be observed in West Bengal on 7th Sep, 11th Sep & 12th September 2020. As per State Govt. directives no flight operations will be scheduled on these days from Kolkata Airport.”
On the other hand, Bagdogra Airport also took to Twitter informing passengers that flight operations at the airport will also remain suspended on September 7, 11 and 12, 2020.
Earlier, the West Bengal government had written to the Civil Aviation Ministry seeking suspension of flight operations on lockdown days.
28/08/20 Pooja Mehta/DNA

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GHIAL wins CII National Awards

Hyderabad: GMR led Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) has won the prestigious awards of CII “National Energy Leader” and “Excellent Energy Efficient Unit” at the 21st National Awards for ‘Excellence in Energy Management” organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – Godrej Green Business Centre (GBC) during the 19th edition of ‘Energy Efficiency Summit”, Virtual Conference & Exposition on Energy Efficiency held from August 6 – 28.
 GHIAL has been recognized with "Excellent Energy Efficient Unit" and "National Energy Leader" accolades for the 4th and 2nd year in a row, respectively. GHIAL digitally received the awards on August 28 amidst the presence of industry dignitaries and participants on the last day of the event, a statement here said on Sunday.
The annual forum recognizes the companies engaged in energy-efficiency initiatives that adopt best practices and technological advancement in their daily operations. The jury evaluated the participants on many parameters of energy efficiency and innovative thought processes adopted. The jury, CII members and industry delegates appreciated the initiatives of GHIAL.
 30/08/20 UNI

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Lhasa Gonggar airport gets military upgrade amid India-China standoff in Ladakh

New Delhi: China is enhancing its military capabilities at the Lhasa Gonggar airport, renovating the surface-to-air missile (SAM) facilities and setting up hardened shelters for fighter jets and combat helicopters in addition to making a third airstrip, satellite images suggest.
The airport is used for military as well as civilian purposes.
Recent satellite images show how the facilities at the airport are being upgraded for use of air force amid the India-China tussle at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. The standoff started early May and the deadlock continues.
After India inducted special delivery of Rafales at Ambala Air Force Station, China started additional deployment of H-6 bombers and J-20 stealth fighters along with Y-20 strategic transporters opposite India.
The latest satellite images of Lhasa Gonggar dual-use airport indicate a flurry of activities to upgrade the airbase in every facet. The airport is 200km from the Arunachal border and 250km from the Sikkim border.
Although talks on disengagement have been taking place at the military and diplomatic level, China continues ramping up its military facilities.
Satellite images from August 27, 2020, indicate very hectic activity at the eastern end of the airbase.
There are almost 12 shelters, possibly for combat helicopters along with almost 24 hardened aircraft shelters for fighter aircraft.
Some new platforms for helicopter parking have also been observed.
29/08/20 Col Vinayak Bhat (Retired)/India Today

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Flexi-schedule for flights to and from six cities

Kolkata: With the state government deciding to allow three times-a-week operation from the Covid-hotlisted cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad, the civil aviation ministry has decided to create a flexi-schedule with flight operations from these cities to Kolkata on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays in the first and second week and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the third and fourth week. There will be no flight operations on days Bengal observes a complete lockdown. Till now, September 7, 11 and 12 have been announced as complete lockdown days.
Starting September 1, the daily flight count at Kolkata airport will shoot up to 85 from 60 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. This though will be for a fortnight. From the third week, the flight count on these three days will again slip to 60 while Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will see 85 flights operate from Kolkata airport.
Announcing the flight schedule from the ‘banned’ cities, Kolkata airport’s official twitter handle requested passengers to check further schedule with concerned airlines.
Though there was no restriction on flight operations from Kolkata to these cities, airlines had till last month opted against one-way flights, citing feasibility and logistic issues. IndiGo has this month started evening fights to Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai after the airline realized those needing to travel to these airports were flying via other cities.
IndiGo Airlines, which operates the maximum number of flights in Kolkata, said the airline would continue with the one-way daily flights as per the current schedule until further order while increasing frequency on days two-way flight movement has been permitted. As per booking dates available online, the airline plans to operate five daily flights from Delhi to Kolkata, three from Chennai, two each from Pune and Ahmedabad and one each from Mumbai and Nagpur.
29/08/20 Tamaghna Banerjee/Times of India

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The airports laid low by the virus and those that are holding steady

As air travel restarted, it was first capped to 33 percent of the approved summer schedule and later increased to 45 percent. Yet certain states either capped the number of movements or simply banned flights from certain destinations. And this included Mumbai, the financial capital of the country and second-largest airport by traffic in India, which put a cap on the number of movements while West Bengal banned flights coming in from certain states that have a high prevalence of COVID-19 cases. While passenger numbers are closely looked at, one has to understand that the load factors are hovering around 60 percent and that means a better metric to check would-be air traffic movements vis a vis last year to know which airports are closer to the permitted 45 percent air traffic movements.
Read Ameya Joshi's analysis in full >>

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Telangana relaxes quarantine norms for international passengers

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has relaxed quarantine norms for passengers traveling by Vande Bharat or Air Transport Bubble flights, which means asymptomatic international passengers flying to Hyderabad can now head straight home if they meet the criteria laid down by the government.

As per the latest guidelines issued by the State government in line with the order of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, passengers on business trips to Telangana with return tickets within four days of their arrival will not be quarantined if they show their negative RT-PCR test report conducted within 96 hours prior to departure.
Similarly, for any asymptomatic passengers traveling with negative RT-PCR test report conducted within 96 hours prior to departure will be exempted from institutional quarantine but have to undergo 14 days of home quarantine.

Special consideration of 14 days of home quarantine has been mandated for some categories of asymptomatic passengers without negative RT- PCR test report. These include pregnant women, parents traveling with children 10 years or below and those traveling on medical emergencies.

However, rest of the asymptomatic passengers without negative RT-PCR test results will have to undergo seven days each of institutional quarantine followed by home quarantine.
Currently the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is connected with UK and UAE under Air Bubble agreements. British Airways has resumed its operations between Hyderabad and London four times a week, while the other airlines operating between Hyderabad and UAE – Etihad, Emirates and Flydubai are likely to resume their operations shortly, according to a press release from RGIA.
29/08/20 Telangana Today

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Flights to Kolkata from six cities set to resume

New Delhi: As states continue to ease restrictions on domestic travel, flights to Kolkata airport from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Nagpur have been permitted to operate from September 1, although in a limited manner.
Responding to the West Bengal government’s request to curtail flights to the state, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had asked airlines to suspend flights to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad — all cities with high Covid-19 caseload — with effect from July 6.
The flights have remained suspended since then. This was the first time since the resumption of domestic flights on May 25 that a state decided to completely curtail incoming flight movements to manage the spread of Covid-19. Initially, the flights were suspended for two weeks but the ban was later extended.
Even as airlines are yet to announce their schedules from these six cities to Kolkata, the government has permitted airlines to operate flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays for the first two weeks of September. For the third and fourth week of the month, flights will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Almost all major airlines, including IndiGo, SpiceJet, Vistara, Air India and GoAir, connected Kolkata to these six airports prior to the ban.
29/08/20 Pranav Mukul/Indian Express

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Data: As Government leases Airports under PPP, here is how they have performed so far

Recently, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal to lease out three airports of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) – Jaipur, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram, through Public Private Partnership (PPP), to Adani Enterprises. The government’s press release states that the company was declared as the successful bidder in a Global Competitive Bidding conducted by AAI and will be taking over charge of operations, management, and development for a period of 50 years.
But what has been the performance of these airports like, in the last few years? How many of the AAI managed airports made losses and how many are profitable? 
Read KM Pavithra's answers for these >>

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Direct air connectivity between Kochi, Europe begins; CIAL waives landing fees

Kochi: The direct air connectivity between Kochi and Europe, a long-cherished demand of the NRIs and business community in this port city fructified on Friday with Air India commencing services in the London-Kochi sector.
The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) welcomed the AI 1186 aircraft with a water salute as a mark of gratitude.
In a statement, CIAL said as part of promoting direct connectivity to Europe, it has decided to waive the entire landing fee of airlines operating direct European services to Kochi.
The decision will give instant advantage to the national carrier as it schedules direct London-Kochi flight till September 27, it said.
The Air India flight from London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) landed at Kochi at 03.28 am on Friday with 130 passengers on board.
A 'follow me' vehicle service was facilitated by CIAL and as the aircraft entered the taxiway link, the fire tenders of CIAL Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting team rendered water salute, the statement said.
A water salute is a welcoming ritual offered by an airport operator to receive a new service or a new model aircraft or to mark the aviation fraternity's respect to a pilot who is commanding his last flight, just before his or her retirement.
The Air India flight departed to London at 06.30 am with 229 passengers.
This is the first time that the national carrier operates a direct London service from Kochi and back.
It also operates stopover flights from Heathrow Airport, Australia and from US cities to Kochi regularly.
28/08/20 PTI/Economic Times

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Ahmedabad: Fear of Covid continues to deter fliers

Ahmedabad: Even as Unlock 4.0 is soon to begin, apprehensions about travelling during the time of pandemic seem to be widely prevalent. The domestic passenger footfall at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport this July was 84% lower than in July 2019. Against a movement of 7.52 lakh passengers from the city airport in July 2019, barely 1.18 lakh passengers travelled from the city airport this July, according to data by Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Estimates by travel operators suggest that passenger footfall declined as leisure travel has taken a full blow. “The cases of Covid-19 infections have still not declined, and as a consequence, people are extremely apprehensive of travelling unless absolutely necessary. Moreover, till July, different states had non-uniform quarantine rules and there were lockdowns imposed in some parts of the country, further deterring travellers,” said Manish Sharma, secretary, Travel Agents’ Federation of India (TAFI) – Gujarat chapter.
Sharma also said that corporates and industries too have imposed travel restrictions for their employees, which also has a telling effect on travel.
One of the major reasons for a drastic fall in domestic passenger movement is also the limited frequency of flights operating out of the city airport, ever since it resumed on May 25. Only about one-third of the routine flights are operating. Sources in the airlines have also confirmed that flights are operating at 50-60% capacity on an average and some are forced to be cancelled due to inadequate passenger loads.
29/08/20 Niyati Parikh/Times of India

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Bengaluru airport COO Thomas Hoff Andersson resigns over 'personal' reasons

Bengaluru: Chief operating officer (COO) of Bengaluru airport, Thomas Hoff Andersson has resigned from his post citing personal reasons. The Swedish national, who completed one year at work in April, announced his decision on social media and stated that he is returning home after his last working day in the city on August 31, 2020.
According to sources with the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), the sudden announcement of the COO’s resignation came as a big shock to his colleagues, who expressed their disappointment on LinkedIn. With over 20 years experience in aviation industry, Andersson joined the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), that runs KIA, in April 2019 and remained instrumental in commissioning of the second runway of the KIA and the ongoing work of the second terminal.
On his LinkedIn profile, the COO said recently: “Time for change. I have decided to move back to Scandinavia and will forever be grateful for the opportunity to work with an exceptional team at Bangalore International Airport. Some of the highlights during my time in India include commissioning of a new runway, Skytrax award for best regional airport in India and Central Asia, five ASQ awards and implementation of the world’s first contactless passenger journey at a major airport. BIAL is a truly great organisation full of fantastic people. Thank you India, thank you Bangalore and thank you BIAL for giving me memories for life.”
In an official statement to TOI, a BIAL spokesperson said Thomas Hoff Andersson’s will serve as their COO till August 31, 2020 and is moving back to Sweden for personal reasons.
29/08/20 Petlee Peter/Times of India

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First ever chartered flight from KCWA lands at Mangaluru airport

Mangaluru: Kuwait Canara Welfare Association (KCWA) is the foremost and leading Mangalurean association in Kuwait, primarily engaged in funding the poor children’s educational needs and allied purposes, regardless of religion, caste and creed back home in India and Kuwait for the past 32 years. KCWA’s charity will soon cross Rs 5 crore. During the current pandemic COVID-19 situation throughout, many people are stranded in Kuwait with a hope to soon travel to their hometown. With this thought in mind, KCWA took an initiative to support its fellow brethren to reach their homes safely. KCWA successfully organized its first ever chartered flight in coordination with Al Rashed International Travel, Kuwait.
Though it was quite a challenging project, KCWA managed to successfully complete all the required procedures.
The Kuwait national carrier Kuwait Airways Flight # KU 1739 departed Kuwait on Friday August 28 with 108 adults, 6 children and 4 infant passengers on board at 2.00 pm. The passengers were accorded a safe departure at the Kuwait International Airport by Michael Pinto, vice president, KCWA, along with the committee members and Wilfred D'Cunha, representative, Al Rashed International Travel-Kuwait, who is also a committed member of KCWA.
The historic flight touched the ground of Mangaluru International Airport - tabletop runway on Friday August 28 at 9.10 pm. KCWA president Maria Rinna D'Souza along with her team wished all the passengers a warm welcome to the homeland and happy healthy stay with their loved ones. The participatory charter flight project has received immense support from the people, Kuwait Airways and Al Rashed International Travel.
29/08/20 daijiworld

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Bokaro airport expansion hit by pandemic roadblock

Bokaro: Construction work for the Bokaro airport expansion project, which was launched two years ago, has hit another roadblock because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The airport was originally expected to begin flight operations in July this year.
State civil aviation director captain S P Sinha said, “Initially, land acquisition and encroachments around the project site were the main reasons for the delay. Now, the pandemic has hit the construction work.”
However, only 40% construction is left, Sinha said but admitted that several key areas of work are pending.
He said, “Almost 60% work has been completed but there are many which are pending. Construction of ATC tower, terminal building, isolated bay, periphery roads and others are on. The work got stalled during the lockdown but it has gradually resumed. Once these are completed, we will have to obtain a licence from the DGCA to begin flight operations.”
Sinha added, “The fencing work of the airport is also almost done.”
29/08/20 Divy Khare/Times of India

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Sanjeev Jindal takes over as ED HR Airports Authority of India

New Delhi: Sanjeev Jindal has taken over as ED (HR) at AAI corporate headquarters at New Delhi.  Earlier he was holding the position of Regional Executive Director ( North East) . Sanjeev Jindal , an Management expert  having handled  Human Resource functions in various capacities,  has a vast experience of over a quarter century in planning, designing, managing and construction of airports in India. He also  worked as an Airport Director too for world's highest Airport i.e. Leh Ladakh and honoured with  various commendations and awards for quality and targeted assignments.
28/08/20 PSU Connect

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The Kerala gold scandal has blown up in the face of the BJP.

Bangalore: A statement attributed to a key accused claims that a pro-BJP television journalist had “requested the help” of the UAE consulate in the state capital to support the party in 2018.
The statement also says the journalist offered the suspect advice to defuse the scandal through the consulate. The purported advice has a striking similarity with a claim made by a Union minister three days later.
The scandal has taken the dramatic turn at a time the Opposition Congress and BJP have been seeking the scalp of chief minister and CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan.

On Friday, Anil Nambiar, the coordinating editor of the pro-BJP Janam TV, stepped down, pending an investigation, after the claims made in a handwritten statement attributed to Swapna Suresh became public.

“In 2018, he (Nambiar) invited me for a dinner at Taj Hotel and had a couple of drinks together. He enquired about UAE investments in India and requested the help of consulate to support BJP,” said the statement that Swapna purportedly made before a central agency.

Swapna is under arrest on the charge of helping smugglers bring in gold using “diplomatic baggage” in the name of the UAE consulate. An influential IAS officer in the Kerala chief minister’s office has already been suspended because of his links with Swapna.
The BJP has not yet responded to the specific claim that Nambiar wanted the consulate to help the party. The nature of the help he allegedly sought is not clear.

The UAE enjoys a special relationship with the Narendra Modi government and honoured the Indian Prime Minister with its highest civilian award last year. There had been reports in the western media that Indian security forces had helped capture and return the Dubai ruler’s runaway daughter off Goa in 2018.
29/08/20 K.M. Rakesh/Telegraph

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Geographic survey for new airport begins in Peddapalli

Peddapalli: In an encouraging development, the Airports Authority of India has begun the exercise for the proposed airport at Basanthnagar with the geographical conditions being assessed in a radius of 20 km of the proposed area.

Personnel from a private survey agency from Nasik visited Basanthnagar airstrip on Wednesday and examined the situation. Geographical situation in 20 km radius will be mapped with the help of satellite in the coming 15 days.
Satellite mapping is being done in Palakurthi, Peddapalli and Anthergoan mandals, survey team members said.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Peddapalli RDO K Shankar Kumar said a survey team would study the condition of the runway and other geographical situations with the help of satellites by camping in Basanthnagar for the next 15 days.

Thought the issue of setting up of airport near Basanthnagar was pending since long, it came to light recently with the Airports Authority of India seeking the details of high flood levels at the proposed airport from the State government.

On August 15, 2020, Assistant General Manager, Business Development, AAI, New Delhi, wrote to the State government seeking the details of flood level.

Based on AAI request, Engineer-in-Chief, Roads and Buildings, Telangana, wrote letters to superintendent engineers of six districts — Warangal, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahabubnagar and Nizamabad on August 18.
The superintendent engineers were asked to provide details of high flood level for the six proposed airport locations — Warangal, Adilabad, Jakranpalli of Naziabad, Badradri-Kothagudem, Basanthnagar of Peddapalli and Devarakadra of Mahabubnagar.
Prior to this, AAI technical expert Srinivasa Murthy visited Basanthnagar airstrip on August 10, 2020 and submitted a techno feasibility report on August 14.
Based on the report, the AAI authorities sought a high flood level report from the State government.
High tension wires and hillocks, which are likely to be a hurdle for the airport, will also be mapped.
28/08/20 Raghu Paithari/Telangana Today

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Major Mishap Averted At Lucknow Airport After Ferry Bus Catches Fire On Runway

A major disaster was averted at the Lucknow airport on Thursday after a parked ferry bus caught fire on the runway. According to the airport administration, the Indo Thai Airlines bus was parked on the taxiway when it caught fire at around 9 pm on Thursday night at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport.

There were also several planes parked near the bus when it caught fire, which could have caused a major mishap. However, the fire brigade and fire crew at the Airport immediately reached the spot and doused the fire.

Since the bus was empty no one was hurt and there were no casualties reported from the incident. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained by the Airport authorities.
28/08/20 Ananya Varma/Republic World

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India’s first general aviation terminal for private jets all set to begin operations at IGI Airport

The first general aviation terminal for private jets in the country that came up last month at Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital is all set to begin operations. It is waiting for the security nod before it can become operational, said sources.

It was tentatively due to be inaugurated on July 24 — is complete, but will be operationalised “as and when the government gives its approval”, said an official at the Delhi Airport. Two senior government officials stated that the facility was ready for use in terms of infrastructure and other facilities but is awaiting some security clearances from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

Designed to ensure faster turnaround of business jets and chartered planes, the facility would shield them from the clutter of general passenger terminals, where they currently compete for taxiing slots with commercial flights.
28/08/20 New Delhi Times

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Property tax not paid, airport director’s office seized

The Ahmedabad Cantonment Board seized the office of Ahmedabad Airport Director late on Thursday for non-payment of property tax dues worth Rs 1.73 crore.
In a notice stuck on the door of the airport director, Ahmedabad Cantonment Board stated that the property will be sold off in a public auction unless the dues along with costs for recovery are paid within seven days from the date of serving notice.
The amount is for property tax dues between April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2020.
Sources told Mirror the entire office including the ground, first, second, and third floor of the Airport Authority of India, office building at the Ahmedabad Airport was seized by the Ahmedabad Cantonment Board.
A notice was served to the Airport director’s office 30 days ago seeking payment of dues. The office has been seized following the lapse of 30 days. The notice of warrant was stuck on the door of the building on July 7, 2020.
28/08/20 Ojas Mehta/Ahmedabad Mirror

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Direct air connectivity between Kochi, Europe begins

The direct air connectivity between Kochi and Europe, a long-cherished demand of the NRIs and business community in this port city fructified on Friday with Air India commencing services in the London-Kochi sector. The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) welcomed the AI 1186 aircraft with a water salute as a mark of gratitude.

In a statement, CIAL said as part of promoting direct connectivity to Europe, it has decided to waive the entire landing fee of airlines operating direct European services to Kochi. The decision will give instant advantage to the national carrier as it schedules direct London-Kochi flight till September 27, it said. The Air India flight from London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) landed at Kochi at 03.28 am on Friday with 130 passengers on board.
A ‘follow me’ vehicle service was facilitated by CIAL and as the aircraft entered the taxiway link, the fire tenders of CIAL Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting team rendered water salute, the statement said. A water salute is a welcoming ritual offered by an airport operator to receive a new service or a new model aircraft or to mark the aviation fraternity’s respect to a pilot who is commanding his last flight, just before his or her retirement.
28/08/20 PTI/Financial Express

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AITUC seeks Hardeep Puri''s intervention to save jobs of 2,500 workers at Chennai Airport

New Delhi: The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Friday sought intervention of Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri to protect the jobs of 2,500 workers employed with ground and cargo handling agency BILL at Chennai Airport.
There are fears that the workers of Bhadra International India Ltd (BILL) at the airport may lose job after the ground and cargo handling work is given to some other contractor or firm.

"The Airports Authority of India (AAI) being their Principal Employer, I urge upon you to appropriately mandate absorption of all the workers in their respective scale of employment and wages by either the AAI CLAS (Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Ltd) or any other contractor who may be licensed to carry out the Cargo and ground handling services at Chennai Airport," AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur said in a letter to the minister on Friday.

AITUC appealed to the minister to intervene at the earliest so as to save the job of workers.

"Even if one worker is rendered jobless then it questions the veracity and meaning of the laws ensuring job security. Please consider our appeal in the right earnest and do all that is required to ensure protection of job and wages with continuity in the services of all the 2,500 workers presently employed with BILL," the letter added.

While formation of AAI CLAS as a subsidiary of AAI to carry out cargo and allied services is a welcome move, the consequential impact should be positive and provide more success and welfare to the workers in that sector, it stated.
28/08/20 PTI/Outlook

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AAI warns job aspirants to be wary of fake ads

Salem: The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has warned job aspirants not to fall prey to fake advertisements offering jobs in its name.
According to director of Salem airport V K Ravindra Sharma, AAI recently noticed fake advertisements promising jobs to aspirants in its name. Desperate candidates are reaching AAI with complaints ranging from fake vacancy advertisements to forged appointment letters for which they had paid money. “A few aspirants had approached the Salem airport with fake appointment letters,” the director said.
Ravindra Sharma clarified that AAI has not set up any agency or website to advertise job vacancies or accept any applications for recruitment. “All the vacancies and recruitment in AAI are notified on AAI’s official website (www.aai.aero) and other leading newspapers. Only application fee is payable at the time of online registration and no other payments are sought at any stages of recruitment.”
28/08/20 Times of India

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Bengaluru Airport calls for proposals for artwork to be displayed at Terminal 2

Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) has placed a call inviting people to send in their artwork. It has invited artists and art groups to submit proposals for art to be featured at Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru.

The T2 terminal is set to reflect two themes: Karnataka’s rich heritage and culture and, naurasa – the nine emotions highlighted in Bharata's Natyashastra.

The proposals, invited for specific locations across T2, must be original and not replicas of previous work. An independent advisory panel and BIAL stakeholders are set to evaluate the proposals. They are set to display artwork ranging across mediums from sculptures to digital art.

A BIAL spokesperson said that the Bengaluru Airport is a “gateway to new India” and that they aim to give travellers a true experience of the state and the country. He added that art has an amazing ability to create delight and provide wonder and that these installations might do just that to an otherwise mundane act of boarding a flight.

BIAL’s Art Programme?is set to include permanent displays and rotating exhibitions. It is an attempt at creating a space for?sharing?stories?about Bangaluru Airport, Bengaluru’s?culture?and?the people who make it unique. The Art Programme hopes to create lighter moments at the?terminal?and?evoke?a feeling of pride?among?the people of Karnataka, a media release said.

Gardens will be a primary focus in the terminal and the atmosphere might have high humidity. Artists were requested to keep this in mind while proposing their ideas.
28/08/20 News Minute

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Kolkata: Outbound flyers pip incoming in August

Kolkata: The departures count has outnumbered arrivals at the Kolkata airport in the past three weeks, a clear shift from the trend of more arrivals than departures since flights resumed.

With a significant section of outbound flyers either returning to their old jobs in other states or heading to join new employments, this indicates a step in the road to normality, even as daily Covid counts continue to rise in the country.

Since flight operations began at the airport on May 28, the arrivals count was initially higher that departures, according to figures provided by the airport. In June, 2.3 lakh flyers arrived in Kolkata and 1.5 lakh left. The following month, which had two complete lockdowns, 1.5 lakh passengers flew in and 1.1 lakh passengers flew out. In August, the trend reversed: though overall passenger figures dipped owing to the five lockdown days, 1.5 lakh people have taken flights out of Kolkata against 1.2 lakh who have flown in.

The trend, according to economists, indicates people returning to work and the wheels of the economy beginning to turn after a prolonged shutdown. “This definitely points to a shift towards normality,” economist Kumarjit Mandal told TOI. “Migrant professionals who had returned home are now returning to their workplaces. It also indicates that people have regained confidence and are willing to step out. Of course, that will lead to changes in the pandemic situation. For instance, the situation in Bengaluru has worsened because IT workers have returned to the city from all over. But it is no longer acting as a deterrent for people to carry on with their lives.”

There was a hint that the tide was about to turn when passenger figures for the first week of August were collated at the airport. Suddenly, the inbound passenger figure — at 34,828 — was very close to the outbound figure of 34,364. The momentum towards higher departures shifted decisively from the second week, when, after nearly 10 weeks, more people boarded flights in Kolkata. That week, against 32,990 arrivals, there were 39,814 departures. That trend continued with the arrival of 26,198 people in the third week against 39,149 people departing the city. Even in the fourth week, 24,734 passengers have arrived till now while 33,539 passengers have departed.
28/08/20 Tamaghna Banerjee/Times of India

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Flight operations at Kolkata, Bagdogra airports to remain suspended on lockdown days in September

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) informed on Friday that flight operations at airports in West Bengal -- Kolkata and Bagdogra -- would remain suspended on the three lockdown days of September.
The official handle of Kolkata Airport tweeted, “Complete lockdown will be observed in West Bengal on 7th Sep, 11th Sep & 12th September 2020. As per State Govt. directives no flight operations will be scheduled on these days from Kolkata Airport.”
On the other hand, Bagdogra Airport also took to Twitter informing passengers that flight operations at the airport will also remain suspended on September 7, 11 and 12, 2020.
Earlier, the West Bengal government had written to the Civil Aviation Ministry seeking suspension of flight operations on lockdown days.
Meanwhile, the state government decided to partially lift the ban on flights from six cities reporting maximum COVID-19 cases. The government decided to allow flights from these six cities thrice a week.
28/08/20 Pooja Mehta/DNA

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MIAL headed for debt restructuring under RBI's special window

Mumbai: Lenders may take Mumbai International Airports (MIAL), a GVK-group entity, for debt restructuring under the RBI’s special window for Covid-19 impacted sectors and companies. A senior executive, with a private bank, said because of the pandemic, MIAL needs restructuring.
“It will have to wait for the recommendations of the Kamath panel. Then lenders will take a call on restructuring. The airport is one such business that needs restructuring,” the executive said.

MIAL has already availed moratorium on repayments under the RBI’s regulatory measures. The RBI has formed a panel under the chairmanship of K V Kamath to advise on debt-restructuring of corporate borrowers facing stress because of the pandemic. The panel is expected to suggest industry-specific parameters to ensure genuine cases come up and get prompt support.

Total bank loan facility rated amounted to Rs 9,781.7 crore, according to CRISIL. In 2017, the airport infra firm had also restructured its loans worth over Rs 10,600 crore.
A senior public sector official said that the two income streams of airports — space rented out and sale at retail outlets — have been affected and it would take a long time to see any improvement. The reworking of payments (by borrower) may be one option.

Earlier this month, rating agency CRISIL had downgraded its rating on Rs 350-crore term loans against real estate deposits of MIAL to 'C' from 'B'.

CRISIL also downgraded the ratings on the remaining bank loan facilities, including project loans. The ratings continue to be on 'Rating Watch with Negative Implications'.
28/08/20 Abhijit Lele/Business Standard

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Flyers camp outside Kol airport

Kolkata: With tickets in their hand and enough food to last for one-and-a-half-day, 25-odd flyers camped outside the Kolkata airport terminal on Thursday waiting for flight operations to resume from Friday.
Unlike other days, when clueless first-time flyers arrived at the airport on lockdown days unaware of flight suspension, all the passengers, who had come on Thursday, were aware of the flight ban. They didn’t want to take a chance fearing lack of enough transport on Friday morning.
One such passenger, Rahul Khan, who is a resident of Silchar, was found sitting outside the departure terminal with a colleague. Both were to take a 9.40am IndiGo flight to Bangalore on Friday. He had come back from Bangalore on March 15 and got stuck in Assam.
“We had taken a flight from Silchar to Kolkata on Monday and gone straight to my friend’s place in Burdwan. On Wednesday evening, we came to the Kolkata airport. We didn’t want to take a chance of taking an early morning bus from Burdwan to reach the airport in fear of getting late for boarding. We preferred to spend the nights at the airport itself,” said Khan.
A 26-year-old Balurghat resident, Gokul Das, was also seen lying on the floor outside arrival gate 3A/B watching a movie on his cellphone. “We have come prepared to spend the night at the airport. We have a flight to Goa at 5am on Friday and it would have been impossible for us to catch such an early flight had we waited for the lockdown to get over,” said Das, a labour contractor.
28/08/20 Tamaghna Banerjee/Times of India

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Kullu-Chandigarh flight from Sept 7

Kullu: Alliance Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of national carrier Air India, will recommence flights between Chandigarh and Kullu on September 7. The airlines had resumed its operations between Delhi and Kullu on July 16 for three days a week (Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays). The daily flights were halted on March 23 due to the Covid-induced lockdown.
Alliance Air station manager, Kullu, Akhilesh Vijayi said that direct flights between Kullu and Delhi were being conducted regularly. He added that now the flights would have a hop over in Chandigarh, both ways during inward and outward journeys.
He said that the schedule had been released for the flights till October 24 and tickets were available through the online booking portal of the airlines.
Vijayi said that the flight would leave Delhi at 8.30 am and arrive in Chandigarh at 9.30 am. It would depart from Chandigarh at 10 am and reach Kullu at 11 am. He added that the flight would return from Kullu at 11.30 am and arrive in Chandigarh at 12.30 pm. It would leave Chandigarh at 1 pm and arrive in Delhi at 2 pm. Various measures for protection against Covid-19 were being followed to ensure the safety of the passengers and the airlines staff.
28/08/20 Tribune

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Schedule for 6-city flights to Calcutta

Flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and three other cities to Calcutta will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays in the first two of weeks in September and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after that, civil aviation ministry officials have said.

The dates have been fixed keeping in mind the three lockdown days chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced on Wednesday — September 7 (Monday), 11 (Friday) and 12 (Saturday).

“Between September 1 and 13, flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Nagpur to Calcutta will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. From September 14, they will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The airlines have been informed about the days,” an official in the civil aviation ministry said.

The Centre had on July 6 suspended flights between the six cities and Calcutta, following a request from the Bengal government, because of a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases there. 

The chief minister announced on Wednesday that the flights could operate three days a week from September 1. Soon after Mamata’s announcement, the state government wrote a letter to the civil aviation ministry, formally informing the Centre about the decision.

Officials of private airlines said they would start filing applications for slots.

The civil aviation minis-try guidelines allow 45 per cent of domestic flights on respective routes compared with the pre-Covid times. Initially, the ministry was allowing 33 per cent of the flights.
28/08/20 Telegraph

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Gold smuggling case: Customs quizzes journalist, may summon him again

The Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive) on Thursday interrogated Anil Nambiar, chief of a Malayalam TV channel, for five hours based on a statement given by gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh. Swapna had said the senior journalist asked her to claim that the controversial consignment seized by the Customs was a “personnel baggage”. The Customs has decided to quiz him again.

Swapna, in her 32-page confession statement, claimed that Anil had contacted her on July 5 when the consignment containing the gold was seized by Customs at Thiruvananthapuram airport. “Anil Nambiar said he was calling me on seeing the news in this regard. He asked me to tell the excellency (UAE diplomat) to release a statement stating that the cargo from which the gold was seized was not a diplomatic baggage but purely a personal baggage. I intimated this to his excellency who knew Anil.

The excellency asked me to tell Anil to draft a letter as required. I called him back and asked him to do so and he agreed,” Swapna said in her statement. However, as she was frantic to protect herself, she was not in a position to follow up the letter, she said. About her association with Anil, Swapna claimed that he was involved in a cheating case in Dubai. He approached Swapna through Sarith P S (another accused) to resolve the matter as he wanted to interview jeweller Atlas Ramachandran. She took it up with the consul-general who cleared it using his influence in Dubai. “Ever since, we have been good friends,” she said. On another occasion, Anil enquired about the UAE’s investments in India and requested the consulate’s support for BJP, she said.
28/08/20 New Indian Express

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UDAN 4.0 is ready to go! 78 additional routes to be awarded for affordable flights soon

Soon, more unserved and underserved regions across India will get affordable flight connectivity! Under the fourth round of regional connectivity Udan scheme, a total of 78 additional routes will be awarded, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said. In order to encourage operations from unserved and underserved airports, as well as to keep airfares affordable, financial incentives from the central government, state governments, and airport operators are extended to selected airlines under the Udan scheme, to encourage operations from unserved and underserved airports, and keep airfares affordable, according to a PTI report. Recently, Puri tweeted that UDAN 4.0 is ready to go. Now, as many as 78 additional routes have been approved, taking the total sanctioned routes to 766, he stated.

According to the Civil Aviation Minister, as many as 18 unserved or underserved airports would be connected to metro cities across the country such as Kolkata, Delhi, Kochi, etc. In order to improve regional connectivity, the Udan scheme was launched by the Modi government in the year 2016. In Udan flights, at least half of the seats are offered at subsidized fares. Also, a certain amount of viability gap funding (VGF) – an amount that is shared between the state concerned and the Centre, is provided to participating carriers.
26/08/20 Devanjana Nag/Financial Express

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GMR to hive off airport segment as a separate 'pure play' listed company

New Delhi: The GMR Group, which operates the Delhi and Hyderabad airports, has hived off its airport business from the holding company GMR Infra Ltd (GIL). Following this restructuring, GIL will be India’s first pure play listed airports company. The other company hived off from erstwhile GIL will be GMR Power and Urban Infra Ltd (GPUIL) that will look after these group businesses.

GIL managing director & CEO Grandhi Kiran Kumar said: “Over the years, GIL has grown multi-fold and with various divergent businesses housed under one holding structure. Shareholders have been suggesting us to offer pure plays listed vehicles to ride the growth trajectory of matured & scaled-up infrastructure businesses. We have been closely evaluating various options and as a step in that direction, post the separation of non-airport business, GIL will be ‘India’s only pure play listed airports company’ and continue its growth journey.”

GMR Group’s airport portfolio has about 17.2 crore passenger capacity in operation and under development, comprising of Delhi’s IGIA, Hyderabad’s RGIA and Mactan Cebu International Airport in partnership with Megawide in Philippines.

Greenfield projects under development include Mopa Airport in Goa and an airport at Heraklion, Greece. The group has won its second JV airport project in Philippines. It will develop a greenfield airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh. The Group will operationalise and maintain the civilian enclave at Bidar Airport in Karnataka.

Given its presence in airport segment, the board of GIL together with other group companies — GMR Power Infra Limited (GPIL) and GMR Power and Urban Infra Limited (GPUIL) — on Thursday announced a vertical split demerger of the non-airport business (energy, EPC, urban infrastructure) of GIL into GPUIL, as a going concern, along-side amalgamation of GPIL with GIL, as a step preceding demerger.
27/08/20 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Don't drag my name into Thiruvananthapuram airport controversy: Lulu group's Yusuff Ali

Kochi: Lulu group chairman M A Yusuff Ali on Thursday said he had no role in the controversy pertaining to the Thiruvananthapuram airport’s development project and has appealed not to drag his name into the issue.

In a statement here, he said that it was the central government that decided to hand over the rights to run the Thiruvananthapuram airport to the Adani group.

"The state government of Kerala has taken a stand against the central government on this issue and I have no role in this issue. I have not applied for the rights to run the airport. From the functioning and better performance of other important airports in the country, it is evident that private participation is essential for the development and renovation of airports. I wish that Thiruvananthapuram airport should grow in a similar way," Yusuff Ali said.
Yusuff Ali's clarification comes after statements from certain quarters that the state government and the opposition UDF were opposing the handing over of the Thiruvananthapuram airport to Adani at the behest of Lulu group.
27/08/20 New Indian Express

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Patna airport to get new terminal building by March 2023

The construction work for the new terminal building is underway at Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna, Bihar. The airport authorities expect to complete the expansion work by March 2023.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) said, “Construction of a new terminal building is underway at AAI’s Patna airport. To meet the rising traffic growth along with passenger facilitation, the airport has begun working on its expansion. Targeted completion is March 2023 with the approved estimated cost of ?698 crore.”

The building will be able to handle eight million passengers a year.
The upcoming terminal building at the airport will be equipped with 52 check-in counters, in-line baggage handling system, five conveyers for arriving passengers and five aerobridges. It will be a four-star Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) rated and an energy-efficient building.
26/08/20  Business Traveller

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Downloading Aarogya Setu App only an optional requirement for domestic travel: Airport Authority assures Kerala HC

A petition has been moved in the Kerala High Court challenging directions requiring the mandatory installation of the Aarogya Setu app for domestic air travel (Jackson Mathew v. Union of India and Ors.).

The petitioner has challenged a clause in the Airport Authority's May 21 Standard Operating Procedure for air travel that, "All the departing passengers must compulsorily be registered with 'Aarogya Setu' App on their mobile phones..."
On Monday, Standing Counsel for the Airport Authority of India (AAI) V Santharam submitted before Justice Anu Sivaraman that the App’s download was not mandatory in the Revised Guidelines applicable to Airports in Kerala. A ‘self-declaration’ form in lieu of the application was sufficient to certify a passenger’s health, it was submitted.

The Court recorded the AAI's submission that the revised guidelines state that “passengers are expected to certify the status of their health through the Arogya Setu App or a self-declaration form."

Additionally, the Court was informed that passengers travelling to and from Kerala Airports were required to register their details on the Kerala Government’s Jagratha Portal and obtain an e-pass.
Justice Sivaraman, finding that the petition was in the nature of a Public Interest Litigation, directed that the case be posted with connected cases challenging the imposition of the app.

The plea, moved by Jackson Mathew through Advocate Santhosh Mathew, challenges the mandatory imposition of the app on air passengers for domestic air travel.
Citing the AAI’s Standard Operating Procedure dated May 21 that makes registration on the app ‘compulsory’, the petition assails the imposition of the app as violative of the rights to privacy and liberty. It is contended that hinging the free exercise of the rights to travel, movement and trade on the app’s installation is unconstitutional and illegal.
27/08/20 Lydia Suzanne Thomas/Bar and Bench

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Goa airport gets 2 art installations

Vasco: In a bid to enhance passenger experience and promote Goan heritage and culture, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Wednesday unveiled two installations at the Goa International Airport, Dabolim.
A cannon and a representation of the traditional Portuguese group dance, ‘Corridinho’, were inaugurated by South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha. The cannon has been handcrafted from seasoned pinewood and iron and is a replica of the vintage cannons present in many of Goa’s forts.
“These art works in different parts of the terminal building will enhance aesthetics besides creating a feel-good factor for guests,” airport director Gagan Malik, said.
27/08/20 Times of India

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Emirates in talks with Goa govt, AAI to fly pharma exports

Panaji: In a move that will save time and money, Emirates Skycargo has expressed interest in operating cargo flights from Goa International Airport, said the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Goa.
Emirates SkyCargo has reviewed the current facilities at Dabolim, and although there are infrastructural challenges, they are closely working with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to get some basic amenities sorted out to ensure that the cargo is handled correctly and product integrity is maintained, said CII Goa.
Emirates SkyCargo, a subsidiary of the Emirates Group, has already held meetings with the state government, AAI and the customs authorities over the past six months.

On an average, 60 tonnes of pharmaceutical products are transported to Mumbai or Bengaluru on a daily basis to be exported out of India, mainly to the US or European markets.

“Companies incur heavy trucking costs, on an average Rs 40,000 per truck and other interstate duties which can be avoided if shipments are exported directly out of Goa,” a CII official said.

Emirates SkyCargo is a GDP certified airline, ensuring pharma shipments will be handled as per the highest industry standards.
27/08/20 Times of India

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Protest against land acquisition for airport at Balh in Mandi

Mandi: The Balh Bachao Sangharsh Samiti today staged a human chain protest here today. The farmers of Balh valley are opposing the move of the state government to construct an airport at Balh in Mandi. They want that the airport site be shifted to another place, where less people will be affected.
“The state government is planning to construct an airport at Balh. For this ambitious project, fertile land of farmers would be acquired. Apart from this, residential and commercial properties of people would also be acquired, “ Joginder Walia, a spokesperson for the samiti, said.
“To raise the voice of farmers against the government move, we led a human chain protest at several places in Balh valley today. In the coming days, we will intensify the protest, if the state government does not pay heed to our demands,” he said.
26/08/20 Tribune

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Contactless processing & sanitisation measures at BLR airport enhance passenger confidence: Survey

Bengaluru: The contactless processing and stringent sanitisation measures implemented at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR airport) have enhanced passenger confidence in air travel, a survey claimed on Thursday.
''Voice of Pax'', a survey commissionedby Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), operator of BLR airport, was conducted over five phases from April 2020 to July 2020, to understand passenger sentiments around air travel.

It revealed that initial negative perception about travel due to the fear of COVID-19 infection at airports and hygiene factors have undergone a positive transformation since resumption of air travel on May 25, 2020 (domestic, scheduled air travel resumed following a two-month Covid-induced nation-wide lockdown), BIAL said in a statement.

Owing to enhancements in safety and hygiene measures at BLR Airport, the intent to fly among respondents improved from a 13 per cent in phase one to 33 per cent in phase five, a jump indicating a higher positive disposition towards air travel, it said.

The statement said 21 per cent were concerned about airport safety and hygiene checks in phase one, and it declined to six per cent in phase five.

In the first phase, 71 per cent respondents considered air travel as the safest mode of transport, while in the final phase this figure increased to 89 per cent.
27/08/20 PTI/Outlook

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Advertising at Mumbai and Delhi airports finally ready for takeoff

As the nation went into a lockdown in March to stop the spread of Covid-19, airport advertising was on a standstill for two months until the government permitted domestic air travel in May. Hit hard, most brands are looking forward to reviving the losses endured during the lockdown period. In the three months since the opening of airports, brands like Vivo, Volkswagen, KIA Motors, and Naturals have come on board and invested in airport inventories. With more and more people beginning to travel, brands are now achieving greater impact in promoting their products and services at airports. Sectors like automobile, consumer durables, BFSI, and mobile handsets have been the benefactors of growth in airport advertising during this period.
With new safety measures in place, there has also been an increase in dwell time for consumers-90 minutes approx-, and this provides an opportunity for brands to make their campaigns more visible. Experts say PPE kits, hand sanitizers, seat branding, and DOOH are gaining more share in this post-lockdown environment.
27/08/20 Noel Dsouza/exchange4media
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Two outlets at Mumbai airport held guilty of Rs 62 lakh GST profiteering

Mumbai: National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA) has recently passed an order against two Subway outlets at Mumbai international airport's Terminal 2. NAA checks profiteering activities under the goods and services tax (GST) laws. Profiteering refers to a seller's act of not passing on the benefits of a reduction in the tax rate to the end customers.
Lite Bite Travel Foods, an Andheri-based company, operated as many as 35 outlets, which included these two franchisee Subway outlets investigated by GST officials.
The NAA concurred with the investigation report that the amount profiteered was Rs. 61.7 lakh.

The NAA's order states the company will have to deposit the amount within three months in two equal parts with the Central Consumer Welfare Fund and the Maharashtra State Consumer Welfare Fund.

It will also have to bear 18% penal interest computed from the date of the sale of products till the profiteered amount was deposited.

In addition, as all 35 outlets had the same GST registration number and the same electronic ledger for input tax credit, the others will now be investigated to determine whether or not the benefit of a cut in GST rates was passed on to customers.

Post the reduction in GST rate from 18% to 5% with effect from November 15, 2017, several food outlets across the country have come under the scanner.

Determining profiteering is not easy, though, especially as the reduced rate also came with a restriction that no input tax credit would be available to the restaurants, say tax experts.

Director General of Anti-Profiteering (DGAP)'s investigation into these two outlets allegedly showed that the company had resorted to profiteering by various means. One was by increasing the base price of many of its products and maintaining the same selling price; the other was by way of not reducing the selling price for some other products, despite the cut in GST rates.
27/08/20 Times of India

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GVK asks CIDCO for time to prove financial capability to build Navi Mumbai Airport

In midst of deal talks between GVK, Adani group, and other partners of MIAL(Mumbai International Airport Ltd) for a stake sale, GVK has asked CIDCO for time to furnish details proving its financial capability to build Navi Mumbai Airport.

This after CIDCO had asked GVK to furnish bank account details. CIDCO has also asked GVK to also inform them about any possible changes in the shareholding pattern in MIAL. GVK currently has a 51% stake in MIAL, and the rest is held by Bidvest, ACSA, and Airport Authority of India (AAI). ET NOW's Uttkarsh Chaturvedi brings more details on this story.
27/08/20 Uttkarsh Chaturvedi/TimesNowNews

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India needs USD 50 billion investment to build airport assets over 2 decades: Report

Mumbai: India needs an estimated USD 50 billion in building airport assets over the next two decades to cater to demand, with the next five years expected to see significant investments in the airports sector, according to a report. By 2027, the number of domestic passengers is estimated to be around 500 million while the number of international passengers is expected to swell to 200 million by that time, according to a KPMG report on India's infrastructure sector.

Currently, there are 108 operational airports in the country, including 21 AAI-run international airports, seven international airports in joint ventures and one private state government-run international airport. The country also has 10 custom airports, 58 domestic airports and another 11 private/state government-run domestic airports, according to the AAI website.

"India needs over USD 50 billion in building assets to cater to the estimated demand over the next two decades. Our immediate need over the next five years is estimated to be USD 20 billion. Much of that investment will need to come from the private sector," the report, titled 'Catalysing the National Infrastructure Pipeline- Project India', said.

Private interest in developing large commercially viable assets has also allowed the government to focus on financing regional airport infrastructure with the intent of expanding regional air connectivity and supporting traffic growth at hub airports, it said.

Last week, the government green-signalled the leasing out of three airports - Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram - through public-private partnership (PPP).
26/08/20 PTI/Economic Times

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Flights to Ahmedabad, Mumbai likely from September 5

Kanpur: Flights to Mumbai and Ahmedabad from Kanpur are likely to be resumed from September 5. Both the flights were suspended after imposition of country-wide lockdown in March.
Director of the Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Airport, Chakeri B K Jha has given consent for the two flights and the matter has been sent to the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA).
Talking to TOI on Tuesday, Jha said he was hopeful of a green signal from the DGCA and SpiceJet has already contacted him for the resumption of flights a few days ago. “Since the process of unlocking has already begun and several domestic flights have resumed, I worked on the idea and sent a proposal in this regard for final approval to the DGCA,” he added.

The first flight from Kanpur was to New Delhi. Incidentally, this was the last flight to be stopped due to lockdown in India. When domestic flights resumed, Delhi- Kanpur-Delhi flight resumed and is still going on daily, he informed TOI.

The airport director said before lockdown there were two flights for Mumbai and one for Bangalore. Now, resumption of one flight for Mumbai has been proposed. The Mumbai flight will take off from Mumbai at 1.30 p.m. and reach Kanpur at 3.30 p.m. After a break of 50 minutes, the flight will be again in the air at 4.20 p.m. for the return journey.


Jha said the flight from Ahmedabad will take off around 8 p.m. and would land at Chakeri airport around 10.00 a.m. and after a 20-minute break, it would again be in the air at 10.20 a.m. for the return flight.
26/08/20 Anant Shekher/Times of India

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Changing dynamics of India's airport sector

Of late, the country's airport sector is witnessing rapid changes. This is more so in the private sector currently dominated by GMR and GVK groups, both having their roots in Telugu States. India got its first private airport under public private partnership (PPP) mode when Cochin International Airport (CIAL) was opened in 1999. Over 10,000 NRIs invested in the project anchored by the Kerala State government.
Air India and other companies also chipped in with their investments. Subsequently, GMR Group, with roots in Andhra Pradesh, developed Greenfield Hyderabad international airport which commenced operations in 2008. After the successful execution of the Hyderabad airport, it went on to expand Delhi airport and executed several such projects overseas too. Hyderabad-based GVK Group also forayed into the airport sector by developing Bengaluru international airport. Subsequently, it expanded Mumbai international airport (MIAL), the country's busiest airport. The group is also in the process of developing Rs 20,000-crore Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL), a Greenfield airport in Mumbai, in partnership with the Maharashtra government. Thus, GMR and GVK groups emerged as dominant players in the airport sector in India in the last one decade or so. But with the entry of Gujarat-based Adani Group led by billionaire Gautam Adani, the dynamics in the country's airport sector are fast changing now. In February 2019, Adani Group, which is a dominant player in ports and energy sectors, won mandate to operate, manage and develop six airports across India, thus emerging as the third biggest airport operator in the private sector in a short span.
They include Airports Authority of India (AAI)-operated airports in Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangalore. Last week, the Union Cabinet cleared leasing out of Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports to Adani. It will also get three other airports once Covid-19 threat subsides. The latest development is that Adani is in active talks to buy out the entire stake of GVK in Mumbai airport. GVK currently owns 50.5 per cent stake in MIAL that owns and operates the Mumbai airport. Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) owns 10 per cent stake while 13.5 per cent share is with Bidvest, also a South African company.
26/08/20 Hans India

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Passengers push take-off for airline services in UP

Lucknow: After the initial turbulence amid the Covid-19 pandemic, airline services in Uttar Pradesh appear to be taking off following a push by people’s confidence in air travel.
According to exclusive data accessed by TOI, Airport Authority of India recorded a rise in number of passengers and flights with each passing month at three major airports of Uttar Pradesh. For instance, during the lockdown in April, only 18 (non-scheduled) flights operated at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA) registering a footfall of 12. But gradually, after the lockdown was revoked from May 25, the footfall of passengers in July rose to 84,288 for the domestic sector as 942 flights took off or landed at the airport.
Similarly 40,810 passengers took 230 international flights in July from Amausi Airport. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, in March Amausi registered 70,763 passengers who took 423 flights. In the domestic sector, 4,03,708 passengers took 2,902 flights in March.

Amausi Airport director A K Sharma said, “With the increase in number of daily flights after the revival of destinations such as Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and dozens of international destinations with majority of middle-east countries, we recorded rise in number of passengers.”

According to Nitin Kadiyan, assistant general manager (operations) Lucknow airport, “Observing the rise of confidence of passengers in air travel, this month (August) we got at least five more destinations approved, such as Dehradun, Chandigarh, Raipur, Jaipur and Bhopal. Dehradun flight started operating since last Thursday, while on Tuesday (August 25), two flights operated for Chandigarh and Raipur.”
26/08/20 Arvind Chauhan/Times of India

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HC seeks report on Sgr Airport

The High Court today directed the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to report to the court on the next date with regard to the up-gradation of the Srinagar Airport.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta in this connection directed the AAI counsel to ascertain the position with regard to the up-gradation of the Srinagar Airport and file a latest status report before the next date of hearing as also to ensure that all measures as are essential for enabling access to the airports as well as aircrafts and all other facilities are provided at the airports.
AAI has to cause a disability access to the airports of the J&K including Srinagar airport and to make the airports completely accessible to the differently abled. The earlier report filed by the AAI reveals non- compliance of court orders passed with regard to disability access in all the three Airports as no disability access audit has been undertaken as was directed.
Airport Authority of India is under specific directions to comply with the directions passed earlier and has to comply in respect of all the three Airports of Srinagar, Jammu and Leh.
Court on May 14 had directed the Airport Directors of Srinagar, Jammu as well as Leh and the Airport Authority of India to coordinate with Nipun Malhotra (NGO) and cause a disability access audit of the three Airports.
26/08/20 Daily Excelsior

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Flights to Ahmedabad, Mum likely from Sept 5

Kanpur: Flights to Mumbai and Ahmedabad from Kanpur are likely to be resumed from September 5. Both the flights were suspended after imposition of country-wide lockdown in March.
Director of the Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Airport, Chakeri B K Jha has given consent for the two flights and the matter has been sent to the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA).
Talking to TOI on Tuesday, Jha said he was hopeful of a green signal from the DGCA and SpiceJet has already contacted him for the resumption of flights a few days ago. “Since the process of unlocking has already begun and several domestic flights have resumed, I worked on the idea and sent a proposal in this regard for final approval to the DGCA,” he added.

The first flight from Kanpur was to New Delhi. Incidentally, this was the last flight to be stopped due to lockdown in India. When domestic flights resumed, Delhi- Kanpur-Delhi flight resumed and is still going on daily, he informed TOI.

The airport director said before lockdown there were two flights for Mumbai and one for Bangalore. Now, resumption of one flight for Mumbai has been proposed. The Mumbai flight will take off from Mumbai at 1.30 p.m. and reach Kanpur at 3.30 p.m. After a break of 50 minutes, the flight will be again in the air at 4.20 p.m. for the return journey.
26/08/20 Anant Shekher Misra/Times of India

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Domestic air freight services begin in NE

Guwahati: Domestic air freight services started in the northeast after a cargo aircraft operated by Spicejet landed at the Aizawl airport from Kolkata on Tuesday.

Regional executive director, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Sanjeev Jindal, said, “The services were started in the region under the Krishi-Udan scheme and it is aimed to benefit the local farmers and villagers, whose products have higher value outside. The objective is to ensure that they are paid according to the demand services,” Jindal said, as Spicejet’s freighter Q400 arrived from Kolkata bringing 5,800 kg air cargo.

The weekly cargo service will be available from Lengpui airport in Aizawl to Kolkata and to other cities in the northeast, depending on the potentiality of air cargo in the area. The services of Spicejet’s dedicated freighters are available at Lengpui Airport and Guwahati Airport, connecting Kolkata.

The previous freight in the region, again from Spicejet, started operations internationally from LGBI Airport, Guwahati, to Hong Kong on January 26, 2019. Customs, EDI and plant quarantine services are also available at Guwahati airport. This opened up a new horizon when fruits and veggies, sourced from local areas and adjacent districts of Assam were commercially supplied abroad.
25/08/20 Kangkan Kalita/Times of India

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Adani spreads his wings to become the ‘big daddy’ of Indian aviation

India's aviation sector is going through its biggest crisis—three-month long total shutdown of operations, followed by below-normal schedule and passenger load have left airlines, airports and ancillary services struggling for survival. IATA estimates passenger loads this year to be just 49 per cent of last year. But for Gautam Adani, it is as if all those are minor air pockets en route to his flightplan to soar high as the big daddy of Indian aviation.

If that happens, it will truly be a rising from the earth to soar high in the skies, considering a substantial chunk of his fortune originally stems from the mining business.
Even the present turbulence around his ambitious plans for Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram airports may only have the potential to delay, but not deny him this crown, many feel. While the Kerala government has risen up in arms against the Centre's decision to hand over the state capital's international airport to Adani ignoring its pleas, the stakes are much higher when it comes to Mumbai. This is because Mumbai International Airports Limited (or MIAL) not only operates Chhatrapati Shivaji International, India's second busiest airport, but it also owns the upcoming airport at Navi Mumbai, which has great potential.

GVK group, the original promoter of MIAL, has been lashed by mounting debts, worries over loan dues and slipping airport revenues with the pandemic disruption adding to their woes. Compounding matters have been Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probes and Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on the promoter family over alleged siphoning of funds and other irregularities. GVK had been desperately looking for a buyer for its stake in MIAL—it holds just over half of MIAL, with Airports Authority of India (AAI) holding 26 per cent, Airports South Africa (ACSA) holding 13.5 per cent and South African trading company Bidvest rounding out the remaining 10 per cent.
While rumours have been rife that the Reddy family of GVK have come to an understanding with Adani, the stake sale might run into rough weather considering that there was an earlier agreement to sell stakes to a combine of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Canada's Public Sector Pension. It is expected that MIAL will see some legal wrangling before a denouement.

That apart, Adani's aviation dreams are on accelerated mode. Following a 2018 cabinet's decision to privatise several profit-making airports run by the government-owned AAI, Adani had walked away with the 50-year lease rights to six airports, namely Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur and Guwahati, beside Thiruvananthapuram. While the contract for the first three were completed earlier this year, Adani had not taken them over, invoking force majeure delay and requesting that it be kept on hold till next year considering the pandemic situation and the expected fall in traffic.
25/08/20 K. Sunil Thomas/The Week

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Why London To Amritsar Could Be Lucrative For Indian Airlines

Air India recently started operating a once-weekly service between London Heathrow and Amritsar under the Vande Bharat Mission. The overwhelming demand for passengers between the two cities, before and during the pandemic, has led to many calling for a regularly scheduled route too. Here’s why London to Amritsar could be lucrative for Indian airlines.

The main reason why London to Amritsar can be lucrative is due to the high traffic on the route. Estimates in 2019 said that nearly 200,000 people fly between the two cities, making it a prime candidate for a direct route. The presence of a large Punjabi community in the UK and strong business ties ensure both leisure and business traffic on the route.

Currently, the only direct route between the two cities is a thrice-weekly Air India service to London Stansted. The route started late last year using the airline’s 256-seat 787-8 Dreamliner. While this was a good start, there remain a few things lacking with this flight.

As mentioned, there are nearly 200,000 passengers between Amritsar and London every year. However, the thrice-weekly Air India flight can only service a maximum of 40,000 passengers every year, only 20% of the capacity. Air India would have to up its flights to daily services and switch to a 777-300ER if it hopes to capture over 50% of the traffic.

Another drawback on the Air India route has been that it flies to Stansted and not the better-connected Heathrow. Many advocates for a switch of airport, in a statement to the Times of India, say that the Punjabi business community is located much closer to Heathrow. Switching to the airport will attract more business travelers and offer easier connections to everyone.
Earlier this year, Air India leased six slot pairs from Garuda Indonesia to expand operations at Heathrow. While these slots were planned to be used for flights to Mumbai, the success of Vande Bharat flights to Amritsar might push Air India to use some of the slots for the city.

Alternatively, Air India could simply increase its frequency on the Stansted route. A daily flight would help it capture more market share and offer passengers more flexibility on travel dates. Currently, the only other options to London are with Qatar or Emirates (through flydubai).
Another possible candidate could be Vistara. The airline currently offers a one-stop connection to London via Delhi. As it inducts more 787s, perhaps the airline could look to new non-stop flights to the UK.
25/08/20 Pranjal Pande/Simple Flying

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Adani Group in talks to buy out GVK and some partners in Mumbai Airport

New Delhi: Billionaire Gautam Adani's Adani Group is in talks to buy out GVK NSE 0.84 % and some of its partners in the Mumbai Airport as it aims to become the country's biggest private airport operator.
Adani Group is in talks to acquire a 50.5 per cent stake held by GVK Group in Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) and another 23.5 per cent of minority partners, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), and Bidvest Group, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
The spokesperson of both Adani and GVK refused to comment.
Adani Group had in March 2019 agreed to acquire 13.5 per cent stake of South African company, Bidvest for Rs 1,248 crore.
However, GVK Group blocked the deal claiming the right of rst refusal. But GVK couldn't bring money to the table to buy Bid Services Division Mauritius' (Bidvest) stake and the matter went to court.
With GVK Group's nances under strain, it has now come around to the idea of selling the stake to Adani Group, they said.
After seaports, Adani Group is betting big on the airports sector and has won the bids to run six Airport Authority-built non-metro airports in Lucknow, Jaipur, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, and Mangalore.
It now wants to enter the country's second busiest airport by buying out Bidvest from MIAL, which was stalled after GVK chose to exercise its rst right of refusal, and matched the oer that the Adanis made to Bidvest.
Sources said preliminary discussions have taken place between Adani and GVK which may lead to the Hyderabad-based group exiting the prestigious Mumbai airport venture.
ACSA owns 10 per cent in MIAL and the balance 26 per cent stake is held by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
In October, debt-laden GVK Group entered into an agreement to sell 79 per cent of its stake in GVK Airport Holdings for Rs 7,614 crore to the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Canada's Public Sector Pension (PSP) Investments, and state-owned National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
Proceeds from this transaction were to be used by GVK to primarily retire the debt obligations of its holding companies.
It is not known if GVK got all the funds from the deal.
24/08/20 PTI/Economic Times

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