Flights skip fueling at Chennai as jet fuel is expensive

Chennai:  "Flight 432, we are tankering Bangalore-Chennai sector" flashed a message when Captain Ashok* opened the flight plan. The cryptic message means the aircraft will carry more fuel to avoid refueling at Chennai airport. This has become typical for most pilots after the price of aviation turbine fuel shot up at the city airport.
A couple of years ago, airlines used to tank up at Chennai airport. Not any more, as aviation turbine fuel, also known as jet fuel, in Chennai is more expensive than Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. In a bid to offset the impact on cost, airlines have started avoiding refueling in Chennai as much as possible. The process known as fuel tankering in aviation parlance has increased among airlines after prices went up since February 1. Every airline has a team of analysts who study the schedule of an aircraft, routes, sale of tickets, quantity of cargo, landing and take off conditions at airports, fuel prices and other factors to decide from which airport an aircraft should lift fuel. The feedback of these people who work closely with the operations department will be included in the flight plan.
28/02/13 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Gujarati couple gets Rs 46,000 damages from British Airways

Ahmedabad: British Airways has been asked to pay Rs 46,000 in damages to two Gujarati passengers after they were made to wait at the Heathrow airport for close to 20 hours in June 2007.
Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum of Vadodara has ordered the airways to pay damages to Himanshu and Rimjhim Shah from Vadodara, who not only suffered a day-long wait but also lost cash and valuables during their time at the airport on June 15, 2007. On arrival in India, they filed a case against the airline seeking damages.
The couple had booked a ticket from Heathrow to Mumbai, but the flight developed a technical snag and passengers were made to wait for 20 hours. They were not provided accommodation or transportation. The next day, the airline gave them a letter saying that they were eligible to receive $175 towards accommodation, transportation and food expenses for the day's wait.
27/02/13 Chitra Unnithan/Times of India

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Delhi's IGI airport wins International health, safety award

New Delhi: The IGI airport here, operated by DIAL, has become the first Indian facility to bag the 'International Safety Award' from British Safety Council.
"This makes Indira Gandhi International airport (IGI), as the first and the only airport in India to win this prestigious award in field of health and safety. The award benchmarks health and safety performance of an organisation on an international level to recognise the leaders in this field," a spokesperson of Delhi International Airport Limited said.
British Safety Council is one of the largest independent occupational health, safety and environmental organisations in the world.
The International Safety Awards are open to all companies across industries globally and the applicants are adjudged across 12 parameters related to health and safety management.
28/02/13 Economic Times

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Etihad Buys Jet Air's Heathrow Slots for $70 Million

Mumbai: Etihad Airways , which is in talks to acquire a stake in Jet Airways (India) Ltd. (532617.BY), has bought the Indian carrier's three pairs of landing and departure slots at London's Heathrow airport for $70 million.
The transaction, and expectations that the two companies are close to announcing a deal on Jet's stake drove the Indian carrier's shares up more than 19% to close at 534.85 rupees on the Bombay Stock Exchange, where the benchmark index rose 0.7%.
The agreement for the landing and departure slots was signed Tuesday, Etihad said in a statement. Jet will continue to use the slots on lease, the Abu Dhabi-based company said.
Takeoff and landing slots at Heathrow, the busiest airport in the world, are a highly prized commodity and sell for millions of dollars as the airport is running at full capacity.
27/02/13 Anirban Chowdhury/Dow Jones Newswires/Zawya

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6-year-olds detained at airport, govt to pay Rs 10L

New Delhi: A city court has ordered the Centre to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to two children who were "illegally" detained at the IGI Airport for over 20 hours in January 2010 and denied information as to the reasons for their detention.
The case pertains to twins Rumit and Alisha, six years old then, who had landed at the Delhi airport with their mother and two older siblings. They were stopped from exiting, though their family members were allowed to go.
The petition claimed that on January 31, 2010, the twins had landed at the IGI airport from Germany at 11 pm. The Assistant Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (AFFRO) at the IGI airport had stopped the children on the ground that the twins, who are German citizens of Indian Origin, were trying to enter India in less than two months of their earlier visit to India.
The children who were separated from their mother claimed that they were not provided food or sanitation facilities during their detention.
27/02/13 Aneesha Mathur/Indian Express

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Airport intruders, get ready for a big shock

The Mumbai airport’s notoriously porous perimeter wall, which between 2007 and 2010 witnessed eight to ten breaches a year, is being fitted with electrified fencing to keep off intruders.
The Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) began installing the Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) in December last year and the work is now in its last phase.
Last Saturday, officials of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the Intelligence Bureau, and the Mumbai police were briefed about the new fencing. The electrified fence on the 10.3 km boundary wall, which at several places touches sprawling hutment colonies, is likely to be switched on in a couple of month’s time.
27/02/13 Yogesh Naik and Aditya Anand//Mumbai Mirror

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Anger at Dabolim: Fog delays flights, Navy restricts take-offs

Vasco/Panaji:  Two flights- one international and domestic-with around 400 passengers were delayed on Tuesday for over three hours at the Dabolim airport due to bad weather.
An Air India flight coming from Kuwait to Goa at 6.45am reached at 8.30am, while a Go Air flight from Bangalore to Goa to Mumbai which was to arrive at Dabolim at 7.45am came in at 8.30am.
As commercial flights cannot operate from 8.30am to 1pm during which time the Navy carries out its operations, the delayed flights could not take-off.
The civilian flights did not receive clearance to take off from the ATC, said Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida, who was one of the passengers on the Go Air flight. Almeida said he was travelling to Mumbai to attend a meeting and a funeral and managed to reach in time but some other passengers who had connecting flights were not so lucky.
Hundreds of passengers were inconvenienced and the anger of the fliers was visible at the airport.
27/02/13 Times of India

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Direct flights from India to Phuket to start soon

Phuket: Destination weddings and holidays in the resort island of Phuket in Thailand could become easier with the launch of direct flights to New Delhi and Mumbai by budget airlines THAI Smile beginning next month.
The sister airline of national carrier Thai Airways International will begin direct flights from Phuket to Mumbai on March 31, with flights to New Delhi to start on April 2.
THAI Smile will operate four return flights a week to both the destinations.
Announcing this at a reception organised for INS Sudarshini, Indian envoy to Thailand Anil Wadhwa said these "flights will lead to a marked increase in the number of Indian tourists coming here".
27/02/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Security at Visakhapatnam airport to be strengthened

Visakhapatnam: Commissioner of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy on Tuesday said they had decided to beef up security and surveillance at the airport.
After a meeting with representatives from the Airports Authority of India, Navy, Customs, Immigration, and CISF at the Police Commissionerate to review preparedness in the wake of twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad, he gave an insight into the heightening of security measures.
He interacted on various issues with the officials and reviewed at length the existing security scenario in and around the airport.
Mr. Reddy stressed the need for keeping an obtrusive watch and vigil on the visitors and sensitisation of the areas leading to airport entrance from the National Highway.
27/02/13 The Hindu

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AirAsia India – potential route network evaluated

Although routes are yet to be divulged, Tony Fernandes, Founder and Group CEO, AirAsia, has already said he won’t serve some of the larger Tier 1 Indian airports in his statements on the start-up of AirAsia India, the seventh operation under the over-arching AirAsia low-cost mega brand (following AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, AirAsia Philippines, AirAsia X and AirAsia Japan): “Certain airports we will avoid due to their high charge structure.” Specifically Fernandes says: “We wouldn’t see Mumbai as a main destination.” However, he does acknowledge that: “Delhi has a kind of low-cost terminal offering.”  It would therefore seem that AirAsia India will initially link smaller, Tier 2 cities to Chennai and will also look add some competition on the largest international markets in the medium-term. Here anna.aero investigates the potential target markets.
What we do know is that AirAsia India will be based at Chennai International Airport, India’s third largest. As low-cost airlines typically like to “join-the-dots”, Bengaluru and Kolkata would seem to be the most likely Tier 1 opportunities, as AirAsia already flies to both destinations from Kuala Lumpur. Competition on the Kolkata route will be against Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Air India and IndiGo – a combined 56 weekly flights – and it will be fiercer on Bengaluru, where the same four airlines fly 101 weekly services! Ignoring the remainder of the Tier 1 cities (Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad), all of which have in excess of 10,000 weekly seats, eight Tier 2 airports are currently served from Chennai.
27/02/13 anna.aero

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Bomb hoax on Patna-bound IndiGo flight

New Delhi: A hoax bomb call delayed an Indigo flight bound to Patna Tuesday morning at the Indira Gandhi International airport. Reportedly the call was made by a passenger who wished to delay the flight since he was running late for it. The passenger is absconding.
According to police, the caller has been identified as I Pramod whose wife works as a medical officer in the Army corps in Danapur, Patna.
Police said Prasad made the PCR call from his own mobile number at 11.57 am informing that there was a bomb on board the Patna bound Indigo aircraft 6E 148. A call was then made to the Delhi Police Control Room at 12.05 pm informing them of the situation.
A high alert was sounded at the airport following which security agencies immediately swung into action.
26/02/13 Shalini Narayan/Indian Express

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GVK mulls listing of airports biz abroad

Bangalore: Private infrastructure company, GVK group is mulling over options to list their airports business abroad to bring in more cash to the company.
Though the plans are yet to be confirmed, sources indicate that the company has been in talks with stock exchanges abroad to bring in more liquidity options into their airports business. The Indian infrastructure sector, which has seen some of its worst times due to persistent macroeconomic conditions is expecting investments to the tune of $1 trillion to fund projects during the 12th Plan (2012-17) period.
The company will follow another infrastructure major, GMR which listed its subsidiary at the Singapore exchanges last year.  According to the Interim report of the High Level Committee in Financing of Infrastructure (Planning Commission) last year, the airports sector alone is expecting an investment of Rs 71,000 crore during the 12th Plan.
26/02/13 Sharan Poovanna/New Indian Express

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Jet flight makes emergency landing, passengers, crew safe

Kolkata: A Jet Airways aircraft with 135 passengers on board made an emergency landing at the N S C Bose International airport here tonight after it developed a technical snag in the mid-air.
Airport sources said that around 10:12 pm the pilot of flight number 517, coming from Mumbai, sought the ATC's permission for emergency landing citing some technical problem in tyre.
26/02/13 Indian Express

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Juhu aerodrome runway plan to finally take off

Mumbai:  The authorities responsible for proposed Juhu aerodrome runway and the Bandra-Versova Sea Link planned in the Arabian Sea, who had locked horns over the feasibility of the projects, have now sorted out their differences. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has agreed to move the ambitious Bandra-Versova Sea Link (BVSL) project around 150 metres to 200 metres inside the sea and away from the proposed site of the 1,000-metre Juhu aerodrome runway.
According to reports, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) wants to come up with the runway on stilts for the Juhu Aerodrome because it feels that this will help in decongesting the Mumbai Airport. However, the Sea Link - the plan of which was released before the AAI project - was allegedly causing issues as it was obstructing the proposed flight path.
26/02/13 NDTV.com

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Alliance Air to resume Kochi-Agatti flight service

Kochi: Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India Limited, will resume operations between Kochi and Agatti in Lakshwadeep islands from March 1.
An ATR aircraft will operate every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, an AI press release said in Kochi on Tuesday.
The flight will leave Kochi at 10.20 am and reach Agatti at 11.40 am. While coming back, it will leave Agatti at 12 pm and arrive here at 1.20 pm.
26/02/13 PTI/NDTV.com

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Cargo fraud at CIAL: Two accused to turn approvers

The CBI has initiated steps to make two accused-V S Suresh of Chalakudy and K M Saju of Kombanad- as approvers in the CIAL cargo fraud case.
The CBI filed an application before the court seeking permission in this regard. Following this, the Muvattupuzha Judicial First Class Magistrate Court recorded the confessional statements of the accused on January 21. According to the CBI, former Customs Assistant Commissioner and two other officials at the Cochin International Airport Ltd conspired to take away the electronic goods of a passenger by flouting the Customs norms. The accused K S Chandrasekharan, former Assistant Commissioner of Customs air cargo was arrested from his residence in Bangalore.
In 2008, Chandrasekharan, the-then Superintendent of Customs M P Savithri and the-then preventive officer P R P Panicker misappropriated three electronic items- a plasma TV, a sound system and mounting brackets worth `90,727.
26/02/13 P Ramdas/New Indian Express

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Illicit drugs seized from Imphal airport

Imphal: Personnel of Manipur's anti-narcotics smuggling department have seized illicit drugs worth about Rs eight lakh from a youth at the Imphal airport here.
Officer-in-charge of Manipur Narcotics and Affairs of the Border (NAB) RK Bikramjit Singh said the personnel seized 1,03,500 tablets from a youth at Imphal's Tulihal airport on Sunday, the day an Army colonel and five others were arrested for carrying illicit drugs.
The tablets were marked with PETAS-TR which is said to indicate high contents of Pseudoephedrine. They were found inside three boxes of different sizes.
26/02/13 PTI/Times of India

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Security at Juhu airport still a concern

Mumbai: The recent terror threats to the city have once again put Juhu airport under the security scanner. Juhu airport has been one of the most vulnerable aerodromes in the city.
Even though the airport handles about 100 helicopter movements daily, the security there has been negligible. Officials said that a slum has expanded into the airport and is within meters from the secondary runway. The hutment dwellers from the neighbourhood hop across to play or even sleep on the runway. Though a boundary wall is slowly being constructed, the progress has been really slow. The airport officials have also sought help from the local police to guard the premises.
25/02/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Mumbai: The state is pushing hard to increase air connectivity between smaller towns in Maharashtra.
Months after attempting to lure airlines into increasing regional connectivity by assuring purchase of a fixed number of seats on each flight, the government is now toying with the idea of reducing airport fees and very little by way of surcharge on aviation fuel.
According to a new policy being drafted by the civil aviation ministry, Maharashtra – a leading industrial state in the country – is among states where regional connectivity will be under focus.
An official said that poor regional air connectivity in the state hinders rapid growth.
25/02/13 Shankar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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New Air Traffic Control tower at Mumbai to be functional by year end

Mumbai: The new ATC tower at Mumbai airport is likely to be inaugurated towards the end of this year. The new tower is being constructed near the current domestic terminal. According to officials at Mumbai airport, the tower is likely to be ready for handing over to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) by the end of March. However, the installations for ATC management are likely to take another five to six months. Officials said that once the tower in ready, it will be given to the ATC so that all the necessary equipment can be installed. ATC officials also said that they would need to train their staff as per the requirements of the new tower.
25/02/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Two unattended bag instances in three days at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: On Sunday, the Mumbai airport reported two instances of unattended baggage which sparked a bomb alert. Around noon, an unattended bag was spotted inside the international terminal in the departure area. The bag was black and had been there for more than 30 minutes. A Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) was summoned to check the bag. In the evening, around 8 pm, a bag was found abandoned on a trolley at the entrance of the domestic terminal. BDDS was summoned to check the bag. In both case, the bags turned out to be empty and the bomb alarm a hoax.
According to Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials, such incidents are fairly common at the airport with many passengers either forgetting or even deliberately dumping an empty bag. There instances in three days on an average.
25/02/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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'Plan airport metro on priority'

Mumbai: MMRDA has asked the state government to set up a dedicated high-speed Metro connectivity to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) on a priority basis.
MMRDA, the special planning authority for the airport's site development, has finalized a development plan for the first phase of its expansion, which has been submitted to the government for approval. "The absence of a dedicated Metro connectivity forced passengers to travel by road, resulting in congestion of all junctions around the airport," the MMRDA report says. It further claims that the pressure on the existing suburban transportation systems leads to increase in travel time, impacting the airport's efficiency and potential as a global aviation hub. "The 25-km distance from Nariman Point to the international airport takes anywhere between 60-120 minutes at present."
25/02/13 Sandeep Ashar/Times of India

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Navy wants to grab all of Dabolim, says Vijai Sardesai

Margao: Goemkar convenor and independent MLA Vijai Sardesai alleged that the Indian Navy has vested interests in "quickening the birth of Mopa and death of Dabolim."
"The chief minister has remarked that if the Airport Authority of India (AAI) wants land for parking, let the Navy give it. This statement is not just foolish but also self-defeating given the fact that the Navy, which had agreed to the then Governor S S Sidhu in April 2011 to hand over 12.4 acres of land to the AAI for the expansion of Dabolim airport, later went back on its commitment," said Sardesai.
24/02/13 Times of India

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Cows on runway stall Montek Singh Ahluwalia’s landing

Dhanbad:  Deputy chairman of the Planning Commission,Monek Singh Ahluwalia,who was the chief guest at the Indian School of Mines's 35th annual convocation had a miraculous escape on Saturday when the private plane carrying him to Dhanbad had to become airborne twice before making a safe landing at a private airstrip at Bhaura.
According to the officials present at the Bhaura airstrip of the Tatas, some cattle had intruded into the airstrip for grazing when the plane was descending. The alert pilot of the plane which was about to land did not land and became airborne twice.When the cattle were removed by the policemen,the plane landed safely.There was no damage to the plane either.
The airstrip situated on the banks of river Damodar is visited by animals for grazing as the area is not closed.Dhanbad has an airport at Barawadda,which is managed by the state civil aviation department.
24/02/13 Law Kumar Mishra/Times of India

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3-hour Abu Dhabi flight turns into 16-hour ordeal

Mumbai: Recently, a frequent Jet Airways flyer and his family had a harrowing time as his daughter's three-hour flight, from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi, turned into a 16-hour ordeal.
Trilok Kamble reached Abu Dhabi airport around midnight to receive his daughter, Noopur (21), who was travelling on the flight, scheduled to land at 2am (all timings in IST). The flight 9W 586 left on time, at 10.40pm, but en route, its commander diverted it to Muscat-an alternate airport listed on the flight plan-due to inclement weather in Abu Dhabi.
"It was displayed that the flight was delayed. At 3.30am, my daughter called me and said her flight had been diverted to Muscat," said Kamble. "I called up a Jet official in Muscat, who told me the flight will depart for Abu Dhabi soon. But, my wife, who was in Mumbai, was told that the flight would return to Mumbai," he said.
At Muscat, all passengers were made to sit in the aircraft because of visa restrictions and since Noopur had exhausted the facility to make an ISD call from her phone, her parents remained clueless. Finally, at 8am, Kamble learnt that the flight had returned to Mumbai.
The flight landed in Mumbai at 8.10am and Noopur decided to disembark. Her mother reached the airport to pick her up.
24/02/13 Times of India

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5 airport workers steal from flyers' luggage, arrested

Mumbai:  Five persons were arrested from the domestic terminal of the ChhatrapatiShivaji International Airport in two separate cases of stealing valuables from passengers' baggage. Cops suspect the accused have been involved in such thefts for the past 18 months.
In the first case, a loader stole an LED TV, while it was being transported from an aircraft to the conveyor belt. "The loader passed on the TV to a bus driver, who sold it for Rs 15,000. The sale proceeds were split equally between the loader, the driver and their supervisor," said DCP Namdeo Chavan. "We have arrested the three, all contractual workers, and another man who bought the stolen TV."
In another case, a contractual worker (26), Dhanaji, was caught with two laptops, a video camera, a digital camera and perfumes.
24/02/13 Times of India

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Five flights delayed after Jet plane skids off Indore runway

Indore: As many as 119 passengers on board the Mumbai-Indore, Jet Airways flight 9W 2583 had a miraculous escape after the plane skidded off the runway at Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport on Friday night. The incident occurred at about 10pm disrupting operations of five flights at the airport for nearly one hour.
The pilot managed to take control of the aircraft and averted a crash after its hydraulic brakes had reportedly failed. The shocked passengers thanked their stars as they alighted from the aircraft. A flight from Ahmedabad to Indore hovered around for 40 minutes in the city and was later diverted to Bhopal.
24/02/13 Times of India

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Hopes soar for airport at Kushinagar

Lucknow: After a string of false starts, there is some good news for those keen to fly to Kushinagar ? an important destination in the Buddhist tourist circuit— in the near future.
Hopes for development of an international airport in Kushinagar have revived as the state government has received offers from 15 firms in the first round of bidding done for the selection of a developer.
The technical bids of the these companies are being evaluated by the project consultant, IL&FS Infrastructure. Those qualified would be invited to submit financial bids.
The state government had invited Request for Qualification (RFQ) for the project in January. It had fixed February 21 as the last date for submission of bids.
23/02/13 Indian Express

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Broken wall of Juhu airport poses serious security threat

Mumbai:  A day before the twin blasts in Hyderabad, a mock drill at Juhu airport by security agencies found all safety apparatus in place but for the most important element: the boundary wall. The agencies found whole sections of the wall missing at several places and at other spots, slum dwellers had broken down portions of it.
"We had earlier requested the airport to repair the walls and remove the encroachments, considering the security threat they posed. considering the security threat they posed.
But our request fell on deaf ears and we have again sent a similar directive," a senior police officer said. Central intelligence agencies had recently alerted the city police about seven spots that had been surveyed by terror suspects; all those areas are in the western suburbs but the officer declined to disclose if Juhu airport was a target.
23/02/13 Vijay V Singh/Times of India

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Baggage theft on flight: Write it off

New Delhi:  Classical dancer and heritage educator Navina Jafa has being running in circles, trying to get back her laptop which was allegedly stolen from her suitcase when she was travelling from New Delhi to Bhuj on February 15. Jafa had kept the laptop in her check-in baggage, placing it at the bottom of the bag for safety. Despite this, the thieves picked the lock and took it out, indicating they knew exactly what the bag contained.
"My spondylitis was acting up that day and I decided to keep my laptop in the suitcase. It was wrapped in a skirt and placed on top of some books. I had put my other clothes on top of that. The Jet Airways flight was from Delhi to Bhuj via Mumbai. It took off late from Delhi and we had only a 15-minute window at Mumbai to change planes. At night I checked my suitcase and saw the lock was missing. At that point I thought that I might have forgotten to lock the suitcase, but when I looked for my laptop, I realized that it had been taken out," she said.
23/02/13 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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Facilities at airports still in need of a boost

Mumbai: While self-service facilities at airports are picking up globally, in India it still needs a boost feel experts. Facilities like self check-in kiosks, baggage drops where passengers who web-check-in can drop their luggage at a designated point etc are still to take-off in India. Global IT solution provider SITA, which signed a 10-year long contract with Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL), said that the self-service may increase when the new integrated terminal at Mumbai airport comes up.
Officials said that there are a lot of factors that go against self-service facilities in India even at major airports like Mumbai and Delhi. Firstly, as a culture, Indians like to be serviced by people. To add to that, labour comes very cheap in India compared to western countries. "This is why, airlines and airports don't mind recruiting more staff," said HaniEl-Assaad, president, middle east, India and Africa, SITA. "Also, if more technology comes in, jobs will get reduced. These issues have to be taken care of," he added.
21/02/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Aranmula airport project gets a clear signal

Pathanamthitta: President Pranab Mukherjee, while addressing the joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday, said “the Centre has given in-principle clearance to set up greenfield airports at Aranmula in Kerala, Navi Mumbai, Mopa and Kannur.”
KGS Group, a Chennai-based company, had earlier announced its plan to set up the KGS Aranmula International Airport at an estimated cost of Rs.2,000 crore by 2012. The company had purchased 240 acres of land from a private company, Aranmula Aviation Ltd, to set up the airport.
KGS managing director Giji George said the runway length of the proposed airport would be 3100 X 45 metres and the terminal building would be designed to handle 1,000 passengers at a time. The proposed airport is expected to cater to the travel needs of Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki and Alappuzha districts, which have been identified as the “influential zone”, he said.
22/02/13 The Hindu

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Cochin airport posts 5% rise in cargo volume

Kochi: Focus on non-perishable goods helped Cochin airport register a five per cent increase in the volume of cargo handled during the first nine months of the current fiscal.
From April to December 2012, the airport handled 34,305 tonnes of cargo, against 32,950 tonnes in the same period a year ago. Of this, international cargo accounted for 28,660 tonnes (exports 21,265 tonnes and imports 7395 tonnes) and domestic cargo 5,645 tonnes,
Traditionally, airports in Kerala handle perishable goods such as vegetables, fruits, fish and flowers, mainly for export to Gulf countries. “Our efforts to diversify to general cargo helped us maintain this marginal growth in volume,” said a senior official of Cochin International Airport Ltd, the company which runs the airport.
21/02/13 V Sajeev Kumar/Business Line

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Passengers panic as chopper nears landing plane in Chandigarh

180 passengers on board an Indigo plane had a major scare when its pilots aborted landing at the last minute after detecting a helicopter in close proximity despite clearance from air traffic control at the airport here.
The incident occurred earlier this week when the no-frill airline's Airbus A-320, coming in from Mumbai, had started descent for landing and its cockpit crew received a warning from an onboard system about the presence of another aircraft, sources said today.
The pilots aborted landing and had to 'go around' on the advise of the ATC, which caused panic among passengers, before safely touching down at the airport here.
The matter was reported immediately to the aviation regulator DGCA, the airline spokesperson said, adding that "safety is our highest priority".
22/02/13 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Most of diamonds robbed at Brussels airport were headed for Surat

Surat: Most of the Rs 250 crore worth rough diamonds robbed in the daring heist at Brussels airport on Monday night were to come to Surat via Switzerland for cutting and polishing.
The diamonds were to be delivered to small and medium diamond unit owners, who usually source their rough stones from Antwerp.
Dinesh Navadia, president, Surat Diamond Association (SDA) told TOI: "We are gathering the list of people to whom these rough stones diamonds were to be delivered in Surat. It is estimated that around 90 per cent of the goods were bound for Surat via Switzerland."
According to Navadia, the diamantaires in Antwerp, majority of them Indians, are in a shock following the armed robbery in the high-security area at the Brussels airport. In the past two years, two DTC sightholder Indian companies have been targeted by the gangs in thefts worth over Rs 200 crore.
21/02/13 Melvyn Reggie Thomas/Times of India

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New airline to make Chennai operations' hub

Chennai: Flying to tier II and III cities will soon be more attractive as AirAsia, a leading low-cost airline in Malaysia, is gearing up to make Chennai a hub for its new airline proposed to be launched in association with the Tatas.
AirAsia's officials visited the Chennai airport on Wednesday and held talks with officials to spell out their requirements to start operations.
The airline's founder and group CEO Tony Fernandes said in a conference call from Malaysia that "we are comfortable operating from Tamil Nadu," while explaining the reason for selecting Chennai to start operations. Air Asia already connects Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi and Kolkata to Asean countries.
21/02/13 Times of India

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IX 812 air crash: Court takes cognizance of murder charge

Mangalore: In what could be termed as a significant decision for the victims of 2010 Mangalore IX 812 air crash, the JMFC II court here on Tuesday took cognizance of offense under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the private complaint of filed by 812 Foundation.
The private complaint alleged three government agencies and 12 officials as responsible for the Air India Express 812 crash of May 22, 2010 which claimed 158 lives.
The judge cited the Subramanian Swamy Vs Manmohan Singh verdict which states that if no decision is taken by the government regarding prosecuting a public servant after three months of request for sanction to prosecute, sanction will be deemed to have been granted.
20/02/13 Stanley Pinto/Times of India

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Faulty ramp derails opening of new airport arrival hall

Chennai: Operationalisation of the arrival hall at the new domestic terminal at the Chennai airport will be further delayed due to re-modification work on the ramp leading to the baggage make-up and break-up area.
As per the original design, tiles were pasted on the ramp and tractors attached to baggage trolleys were able to climb the ramp under dry conditions. However, trials were conducted under wet conditions and the trolley fell off the ramp, creating problems for the airline operators.
Following this, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) decided to remove the tiles and replace it with concrete, making the surface suitable for the movement of tractors and trolleys.
21/02/13 P. Oppili Sunitha Sekar/The Hindu

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Highrise near old airport gets HAL nod

Bangalore: An alleged wrong estimation of the Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL)?by a private builder to construct a 17-storey building, 4.5 km from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL)?defence aerodrome, has been approved by HAL that handles the airport.
It is learnt that HAL has accepted the estimation and issued a No-Objection Certificate (NOC)?to the builder.
Chalet Hotels Ltd, an arm of the K Raheja Corporation, which is building the ‘Vivarea Koramangala’ residential complex of four towers in the vicinity, secured a final NOC from HAL?on October 28, 2011, to proceed with the construction activity.
In the final NOC, HAL certified that it had no objection to the buildings being constructed at 870 metres (site elevation) along with the 62 metre-tall structure. The total height of the building would be 932 metres (AMSL).
20/02/13 Sandeep Moudgal/Deccan Herald

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Defence min agrees to fully operate INS Dega airport: Reddy

Visakhapatnam: Defence ministry has agreed to fully operate the Naval airport, INS Dega, here from March 1. "Defence ministry has given its in-principle nod to run the airport. Initially, the ministry will manage the airport for 24 hours for three days and extend its operation further depending on traffic demand," Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests T Subbarami Reddy said. Once fully operational, the facility will cater to fliers from north coastal Andhra Pradesh. At present, the airport which is under Navy, is operational only for 12 hours a day and there is an increasing demand for extending flying hours in both civil and military spheres.
20/02/13 PTI/ZeeNews

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24-hour operations at Vizag airport from March 1

Visakhapatnam: Vizag's dreams of having a full-fledged airport inched one step closer to reality with the Indian Navy announcing on Wednesday that 24-hour airport operations would be kicked off from March 1, albeit only for three days a week to begin with -- Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Ministry of Defence is expected to issue a formal notification soon.
Currently Vizag airport has restricted civilian operations from 6 am to 11 pm, which is a major constraint to international and domestic connectivity. The Indian Navy in a statement issued on Wednesday, clarified that the Ministry of Defence would review this decision after six months following which 24-hour operations may be increased to more days if more number of airlines choose to fly into Vizag.
21/02/13 Times of India

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Gold found in oats tin by DRI officials

Mangalore: A person from Bhatkal, who tried to smuggle 300 grams of gold jewelry inside an oats tin, has been arrested by the officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence at the Mangalore International airport on Wednesday.
The accused identified as Abdul Ghani was returning from Dubai by Air India Express Flight which landed at Bajpe at 6.20 am. The seizure was valued at Rs 9 lakh.
21/02/13 Times of India

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Baggage handling gets tech boost

Mumbai: Passengers travelling from Mumbai airport don’t need to worry anymore about their bags getting misplaced. Latest technology being put in place will make sure that the luggage gets into the same flight as the passenger and also can be tracked easily in an emergency even after checking it in. Last year, 1.41 crore bags were transported by all the airlines from Mumbai airport.
The Baggage Reconciliation System (BRS) is being installed to curb the incidents of fliers’ bags going missing and getting misplaced. Also, the integration and upgradation of BRS is in place which will help cut short the time required for a passenger to be present at the airport, before the departure of his flight, to a considerable extent.
21/02/13 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Flemingo to get into retailing at airports

Mumbai: Dubai-based duty-free retailer Flemingo plans to get into retailing at the airports and buttress its diplomatic services business in India.
Flemingo already operates its duty-free stores in 11 airports including Chennai, Pune and Kolkata, eight seaports, and one near the India-Pakistan border. It now plans to open stores where duties are paid by passengers and shoppers.
Amit Butani, vice-president, diplomatic division, Flemingo, said the company was looking at opening stores of travel bags and accessories, and coffee bars at the airports, where it had concession agreements.
21/02/13 Raghavendra Kamath & Aneesh Phadnis/Daily News & Analysis

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MIAL ties up with Belgian firm to ensure smooth traffic at T2

To ensure smooth flow of traffic at T2, a new airport terminal expected to become operational in December, the GVK-controlled Mumbai airport has entered into a 10-year agreement with a Belgian firm that provides communication and information technology services to airports worldwide.
Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) becomes first in the country to avail SITA iValidate application that will see to it that every passenger is on the right path and at the right gate.
"This application is important from security point of view. It is an additional layer to check duplication, forgery. There was no system to track passenger movement at every stage earlier," said Maneesh Jaikrishna, vice-president of India and sub-continent at SITA.
21/02/13 Indian Express

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More gap between incoming flights to avoid go-arounds

Mumbai:  The separation distance between flights coming to land at Mumbai airport has been increased in order to curb instances of planes going around to make a second attempt at landing.
As per a new advisory, the gap between two flights has been increased from around 10 km to about 15 km. The decision was taken after many go-arounds were reported recently due to the runway being occupied by planes that had just landed. Officials said aircraft runway occupancy time had gone up, resulting in many missed approaches.
On January 22, an Etihad Airways flight made a go-around at Mumbai airport when another flight failed to vacate the runway on time. Another flight, lined up for a take-off, was also told to vacate the runway.
20/02/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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AirAsia to start daily flights fromKolkata to Kuala Lumpur

Kolkata: Come March, low-cost carrier AirAsia will operate daily flights to Kuala Lumpur, up from the current three flights-a-week frequency. This is the first instance of an airline operating daily to Kuala Lumpur. The move follows from a steady rise in demand, particularly among leisure travellers.
An AirAsia official said daily flights to the Malaysian capital will commence from March 25. To ensure good loads right from the beginning, the airline has announced promotional return fare of Rs 9,999. Bookings for promotional fare tickets will be open till March 3 for travel till July 31.
20/02/13 Times of India

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Pay a part of dues and get NOC: AAI tells Kingfisher

New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has indicated that it may allow Kingfisher Airlines to fly if the carrier clears around Rs 117 crore of the total Rs 390 crore it owes to the Authority.
"The airline had given us cheques to clear the dues of Rs 117 crore, which bounced. If they clear the Rs 117 crore and provide us guarantees for the rest of the money, we may allow them to fly," said AAI chairman VP Aggarwal.
He further added that AAI is asking a firm
commitment on clearing the outstandings, as the airline has not been able to honour most commitments made in the past. "Though there is news that they are planning to restart operations, there has not been any concrete proposal to us for dilution of our dues," he added.
20/02/13 Indian Express

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Birsi airport work, land acquisition stalled

Gondia: Construction and land acquisition work of the extension of Birsi airport near here has been stalled reportedly on the directives of state rehabilitation minister Patangrao Kadam to Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Congress MLA Gopaldas Agrawal on Tuesday told TOI the AAI had been doing extension work of the airport since 2005-2006. He claimed this was going on the false assurance of making payment of compensation for the land acquired and was, at times, done forcibly. Agrawal said neither the compensation was paid nor rehabilitation package was announced for farmers. The affected farmers were struggling to get their demands met with since long.
Agrawal, who was present at a special meeting convened by Kadam to sort out the issue, said the minister assured to stop construction and land acquisition. Kadam telephonically directed AAI authorities to stop work forthwith, Agrawal said.
20/02/13 Times of India

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New Bhubaneswar airport terminal to be thrown open on March 5

Bhubaneswar: After dithering for long, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has finally zeroed in on a date to throw open the new domestic terminal of Biju Patnaik Airport here.
The AAI has fixed March 5 as the day for inaugurating the new terminal building. This was decided at a meeting held in New Delhi recently. Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh has consented to inaugurate the building, said airport director Sharad Kumar.
"Major works at the new building are almost over. Ancillary activities like construction of a new approach to the airport, beautification and lighting are in full swing. I think these works will be over by February-end," said the director. A seminar on 'civil aviation in Odisha' will be organized on the inauguration day, said sources.
20/02/13 Riyan Ramanath v/Times of India

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Gujarat to set aside Rs 141cr for better aviation infrastructure

Gandhinagar:  State government plans to pump in around Rs 141 crore to promote aviation in the state in the next financial year. The amount is more than double of what had been allocated to the sector for the current financial year. The focus will mainly be on developing aviation infrastructure facilities.
A senior official from the civil aviation department said, "The government wants to strengthen civil aviation network. Around Rs 50 crore will be earmarked for developing an aircraft hanger at Ahmedabad, developing airstrips and for capital support to new Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) of Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited (GUJSAIL) and Dholera International Airport Company Limited (DIACL)."
19/02/13 Kapil Dave/Times of India

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Dead bird on strip, landing aborted

New Delhi: An Air India aircraft coming in to land at IGI Airport was minutes away from touchdown when the air traffic control asked it to abort landing and take a go-around instead. The reason: the aircraft that had departed from the same runway a minute earlier had reported the presence of a dead bird on the runway which would have to be cleared before any operations were allowed on it.
"Air India flight AI-806 from Mumbai was scheduled to land around 9.52am. Around 9.50am, Air India AI-506 Delhi-Bangalore that had just taken off reported a dead bird on the new runway 29/11. As per protocol, the runway had to be checked thoroughly before any arrival or departure could take place on it and hence all operations were stalled. Whatever distance of arrival any approaching aircraft is, it has to abort landing for safety purposes," said airport sources.
19/02/13 Times of India

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False alarm? Oman Air pilot makes priority landing in Mumbai

Mumbai:  An Oman Air Flight was diverted to the Mumbai airport on Monday night after the pilot claimed to see smoke in the cockpit and made an emergency landing.
The flight, WY 254, had taken off from Chennai and was on its way to Muscat.
The aircraft was flying over Mumbai when at 9.39pm, the pilot reportedly saw smoke in the chamber.
Airport officials said the commander immediately contacted the Air Traffic Control at Mumbai and asked for a priority landing. The pilot also asked for emergency services to be ready.
19/02/13 Times of India

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Airports body seeks guarantee from Kingfisher on settling dues

New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has made it clear to Kingfisher Airlines that until it gives a firm commitment on settling entire dues, it will not be issued a no objection certificate (NoC).
An NoC is a must for the beleaguered airline to resume operations. The airline’s operating permit was suspended on December 31, after it failed to provide service according to its truncated schedule.
AAI’s Chairman V.P. Aggarwal claimed that total Kingfisher dues, including penal interest, stand at Rs 390 crore.
“So we are asking a firm commitment because so far, what they have committed could not be honoured. We are asking for a firm commitment on the payment of the dues,” he added. The Government-owned AAI operates about 81 airports in the country, including Chennai and Kolkata.
19/02/13 Business Line

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Airports Authority of India asks Kingfisher to pay Rs 390 cr in dues before resuming operation

New Delhi: Troubles never seem to end for Kingfisher Airlines with state-run Airports Authority of India today tightening the noose saying it wanted a "firm commitment" from the grounded carrier for clearance of over Rs 390 crore worth of dues before it is allowed to fly again.
"Our dues are more than Rs 390 crore, inclusive of penal interests. So we are asking a firm commitment in that because so far, what they have committed could not be honoured. We are asking for a firm commitment on the payment of the dues," AAI Chairman V P Aggarwal said here.
Replying to questions, he said "though there is news that they are planning to restart operations, but there has not been any concrete proposal to us for dilution of our dues."
Asked whether the state-run airports body would settle for some "partial payment" of dues, Aggarwal said "we already had some cheques (from Kingfisher). One cheque of Rs 117 crore could not be encashed.
19/02/13 PTI/Economic Times

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‘Rationalise airport charges, abolish tax on tickets’

New Delhi: Saddled with huge losses, India’s gloomy aviation sector is hoping for some respite in the upcoming Union Budget.
Besides its long standing demand to make Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) a declared good, the sector is also looking at abolishment of service tax on tickets.
“Time and again DGCA tells us not to hike airfares but there isn’t much that has been done for the sector to bring the fares down,” said a low-cost carrier’s head on condition of anonymity.
In India, ATF accounts for about 50% of costs for domestic carriers. Making ATF a declared good would mean that the tax rate of 4% can be applied. Currently, taxes are as high as 30% on ATF depending on the state.
19/02/13 Vishakha Talreja/New Indian Express

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AirAsia to start Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata daily flights from Feb 25

Chenai: Low cost airline AirAsia will offer daily flights connecting Kuala Lumpur and Kolkata with effect from February 25.
The airline has been operating three flights connecting Kuala Lumpur and Kolkata on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The new additional flight frequencies include a daily flight connecting the two destinations from February 25, an official release here said.
"We are happy to fulfill the increasing demand from our guests, for travel on the Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata route by introducing additional flight frequencies," Air Asia Group, Chief Commercial Officer, Siegtraund Teh said.
19/02/13 PTI/Economic Times

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AAI partners with SITA to improve passenger experience at 25 Indian airports

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) today announced that SITA, the global IT provider for the air transport industry, has been selected to equip 25 airports with its common-use passenger processing system to improve the experience of tens of millions of passengers. This announcement follows the successful implementation of SITA’s passenger systems at 13 AAI airports, which was part of the first phase of an airports modernization plan by AAI. In total, 38 airports managed by AAI will now enjoy the benefits of improved check-in, boarding and new self-service facilities thanks to SITA’s advanced technology.
In this seven-year agreement, SITA will provide AirportConnect Open, the common-use passenger processing system which allows airports to maximize the use of check-in counters and gates. SITA will supply 700 workstations together with common use self-service (CUSS) kiosks across the 25 airports, including at Chennai, Kolkata and Pune. Through shared use among all the airlines operating at the airports, SITA’s CUSS kiosks offer multiple services to the passenger and will allow these airports to increase capacity during surges in traffic.
19/02/13 ITCM

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Direct flight from Indore to Singapore on the horizon

Indore: If things go the Changi Airport Group way, Indore will soon boast of direct connectivity with Singapore. The group that operates the island country's Changi Airport, is planning to start a direct flight from Indore to its nation's capital to explore business potential and available opportunities in Madhya Pradesh, said Phau Hui Hoon, senior manager of the group, here on Monday.
Hoon , who along with his team of the group, was in the state to explore Indore's potential for the direct flight, met government officials and state business leaders in Bhopal. He sounded quite positive about starting the flight at the earliest. "Changi Airport is one of the largest airports in Singapore in terms of air traffic and number of passenger. We are looking forward to expansion of our services especially in central India," he said.
19/02/13 Bagish K Jha/Times of India

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Mangalore Airport exit road closed

Mangalore: Motorists using the approach road leading to the Mangalore International Airport (MIA) will have to cautious from Wednesday. The main approach road will be converted into a two-way facility as the current exit via Dakkan Park will be closed for at least five months till July-end to facilitate its development, said JT Radhakrishna, MIA director.
The work of developing the 1225-metre road has been entrusted to the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL). The present asphalted surface will be converted into a two-lane concrete road of 11-metre width. KRDCL has entrusted construction to Concord company at an estimated cost of Rs 10.81 crore.
19/02/13 Times of India

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Airports Authority partners SITA

New Delhi: Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Tuesday joined hands with global IT provider for air transport sector SITA to equip 25 airports across the country, including Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Chandigarh, Tirupati and Madurai with its highly-advanced common-use passenger processing system to improve the experience of tens of millions of passengers.
AAI indicated that it had identified Chennai and Kolkata as holding huge potential to become hub for international airlines and that is the reason for this new technological leap.
The announcement comes close on heels of the successful implementation of SITA’s passenger systems at 13 AAI-operated airports, which was part the first phase of airports modernisation plan of AAI. In total, 38 airports managed by AAI will now enjoy the benefits of improved and technologically advanced check-in, boarding and new self-service facilities. The agreement will be for seven years and SITA will provide AirportConnect Open, the common-use passenger processing system which allows airports to maximise the use of check-in counters and gates.
19/02/13 The Hindu

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Man held at IGI airport with print heads

New Delhi: High quality print heads worth Rs 1.11 crore have been recovered from the possession of a man by custom authorities at the IGI Airport in Delhi.
Vinay Jain, 32, a resident of Ludhiana in Punjab, was intercepted by custom officials at the arrival hall in the IGI Airport last week and interrogated.
"The passenger attempted to clear 738 pieces of print heads (used mainly in inkjet printers for printing)... clandestinely without payment of customs duty," a press release issued by the customs department said.
As per the price given by Xaar, a supplier of inkjet print heads, the value of the recovered print heads is Rs 1.11 crore, it said.
19/02/13 Times of India

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Woman caught with fake currency at IGI airport, sent to CBI custody

New Delhi: A 55-year-old woman has been arrested at IGI airport here for allegedly smuggling fake Indian currency of face value of Rs 4.9 lakh by concealing it in shin pads worn by her and has been sent to CBI custody by a Delhi court.
Harjeet Kaur was arrested by DRI officials from Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Aiport on February 16 after she arrived from Bangkok by a Thai Airways International flight.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidya Parkash sent Kaur to CBI custody till tomorrow.
19/02/13 PTI/Times of India

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Mopa will destroy south Goa tourism: Study

Panaji: The proposed green field airport at Mopa at the northern tip of Goa could sound the death knell for the hospitality industry and tourism at large in South Goa due to increased travelling costs and time factor, a study has stated.
The Forum for Promoting Employment and Entrepreneurship in Goa (FPEEG) in a comprehensive 80-page report released on Sunday stated that less than 30 per cent of the total tourists arriving in Goa venture to the south. They prefer the Candolim-Calangute-Anjuna stretch for its night life, flea or night markets and various musical events and spend fewer days in the south.
18/02/13 Times of India

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Wipro bags 10-year contract from Mumbai International Airport

New Delhi: Wipro, the India and Middle East IT arm of Wipro, said it has bagged a 10-year contract from Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) for providing IT services for the new integrated terminal T2.
This partnership will significantly enhance customer experience and satisfaction through the use of IT, Wipro said in a statement.
Wipro will be responsible for providing managed services across the entire IT landscape at MIAL and delivering high availability and operational efficiency across all the critical airport processes, it added.
"This engagement with MIAL adds strength to our existing Airport and Infrastructure Practice and positions Wipro uniquely in delivering value to our clients globally in this major emerging sector," Wipro Infotech Senior Vice President and Global Infrastructure Services Anand Sankaran said.
18/02/13 Times of India

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Sukhbir’s dream airport project moves closer to reality

Chandigarh: A dream project of Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to set up an international airport at Mohali has moved closer to reality. After a long wait of almost four years, the decks have finally been cleared for Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to acquire nearly three kilometers of the proposed eight kilometer airport road, connecting parts of Industrial Area in Mohali with Kharar national highway-21.
On Saturday, GMADA announced that they would be offering the highest compensation rate in the district so far, at Rs 2.37 crore per acre, to farmers for acquiring 46 acres.
GMADA chief administrator AK Sinha said that the latest compensation rate of Rs 2.37 crore per acre was the highest compensation announced till date in the district. “Our tenders are ready and will be floated within a couple of days. We are hopeful of starting work on the project within 15 days and the road will be completed within five months. We have already paid the compensation money to the land acquisition collector (LAC) of the district,” he said.
17/02/13 Punjab News Line

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Residents up in arms against shifting terminal

Thiruvananthapuram: With the State government initiating steps to acquire eight hectares of land for constructing a domestic terminal adjacent to the international terminal on the city side, the residents are up in arms against land acquisition and shifting of the existing terminal from the Shanghumughom side.
The Chief Secretary’s directive to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to submit the plan for acquiring land has brought the Vallakkadavu-Vayyamoola Joint Action Council, an umbrella organisation of 26 residents’ associations, councillors and socio-political and religious groups, to the agitation path.
The eight hectares is part of the 32.8 hectares of land sought by the AAI to set up the domestic terminal and ancillary facilities. The terminal, adjacent to the international terminal complex that had come up on the Chakka side, was part of the third and final phase of the master plan conceived by the AAI in the 1990s. But, the opposition from the residents had forced the AAI to take up work on the international terminal only.
18/02/13 S Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Flyers to pay user charges at Kolkata terminal from March 1

Kolkata: Flyers using the Kolkata airport will not have to pay user development fee until March 1. The regional airport authorities have postponed the levy for a fortnight. It was to have come into effect from Saturday.
The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) had announced last month the additional levy – for both outbound and inbound passengers — of Rs 400 for domestic flyers and Rs 1,000 for those going abroad.
“We have decided to implement the UDF announced by the AERA from March 1 after the airlines shift to the new terminal. The airlines have also requested to postpone the date,” B. P. Sharma, Regional Director, Airports Authority of India, said.
16/02/13 Business Line

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Nextant Aerospace to woo Indian entrepreneurs with business jets that cost less & fly more

American company Nextant describes itself as "the world's only business jet remanufacturer". For lack of a better business allegory, let's say the company is to the business jet market what the neighbourhood mechanic is to an automobile aficionado. It replaces the innards of business jets that have run their course to produce, or rather reproduce, a new jet. Out come those well-worn engines and instruments and in go spick-and-span replacements. Put simply, Nextant restores worn-out jets.
Importantly for the customer, the fruits of its labour are attractive from a cost perspective. At $4.5 million, the "remanufactured" jets are roughly half the price of comparable new jets, according to the company. However, Nextant works only on one brand of jets - the Hawker Beechjet 400A/XPs.
The company is preparing "a massive push" into the Indian market where, it says, its Nextant 400XTs (as the jets are known) could have a strong impact on the region's business aviation market because not only are these a cheaper alternative to new planes, but they also improve operating costs by 30%.
17/03/12 Binoy Prabhakar/Economic Times

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Go Air plans daily flights to Mumbai, Delhi

Nagpur: Giorgio de Roni, the chief executive officer of Go Air, said on Saturday that the company was planning to start daily flights to Mumbai and Delhi and also add new destinations from Nagpur in the next couple of months.
"We want newer routes which make sense to the people. I am here to look at the opportunities and options," he said.
He also met airport officials and travel agents of the city to discuss prospects. "The future now lies beyond the metro cities. By 2020, India is set to become the third-largest market in aviation and regional airports have shown significant growth," he said, adding that he wasn't much aware of MIHAN and "we will see how best we can contribute to the development of the city".
17/02/13 Times of India

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I-T noose on flier with 14kg gold

Kolkata:  Income-tax department sleuths arrested a person with gold worth Rs 4.2 crore in his bag late on Friday at the city airport. Prashant Kumar V, who arrived on an Air India flight from Mumbai, was taken into custody for carrying gold biscuits weighing 14kg.
On Saturday, another passenger-Shashi Jaju-was arrested with nine gold biscuits and $5,000 by Customs when she landed in the city on an Emirates flight. The passenger could not produce any documents for either the gold or the foreign currency in her possession, leading to the arrest.
In the case of Kumar, it was CISF officers at the security checkpoint in Mumbai airport who detected the presence of a large quantity of metal in a handbag. "The gold biscuits appeared as black opaque patches on the X-ray monitor. Following norms, the bag was physically searched and the 84 gold biscuits recorded in the register," said an officer.
17/02/13 Times of India

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Chennai airport officials reach out to local schools

Chennai: As many as 178 elementary school students will now have access to computers with Internet facilities and can study in a hygienic atmosphere thanks to corporate social responsibility schemes being initiated by Chennai airport authorities.
The 83-year-old St Thomas Mount Panchayat Union Elementary School in Gowl Bazaar did not have basic amenities and toilets for decades and the student population had been dwindling over the years. But with new class rooms and a computer lab coming up, the school has got a new lease of life, said the beaming headmistress of the school.
When all the other areas witnessed growth due to the real estate boom, Gowl Bazaar and Trisulam panchayat areas had seen no such development as both villages are located close to the airport. “Construction of multi-storeyed buildings are banned due to aviation norms and farming activities that invite birds and insects are also banned as part of airport security measure and we have little option for development,” said panchayat union chairman M.C. Krishnan.
17/02/13 Deccan Chronicle

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Gold worth Rs 1.8 crore seized at Mangalore Airport

Mangalore: Sleuths of the directorate of revenue intelligence detected a case of illegal transshipment of six kgs of gold worth Rs 1.80 crore from a passenger on board Dubai -Mangalore Air India IX 384 flight on Saturday.
 The flight landed at Mangalore International Airport at 5.30pm. Based on a tip off DRI officials detained and questioned AbrarHaqBhatkal (38). Official sources said that the accused was carrying gold ornaments concealed in chocolate wrappers.
16/02/13 Bellevision

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GVK to monetise MIAL real estate

Hyderabad: Infrastructure major GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd is preparing to monetise the real estate atthe Mumbai internationalairport.
Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), a GVK company developing the airport, has been working on unlocking the value of the property that has been allowed to be monetised as part of its agreement to modernise and develop the airport.
“We expect the monetisation process to start by June this year. The initial plan is to monetise about 2.9 million square feet,” Isaac George, director of GVK Power, told analysts on an earnings call.
However, the quantum of funds that can be raised by way of monetisation is still not known.
16/02/13 KV Ramana/Daily News & Analysis

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Govt rolls out airport city plan

Mumbai:  If things go according to plan, in the near future one will be able to shop, attend business conferences, go bowling and do much more at the Mumbai airport. The region in and around the airport's periphery is set to be transformed into a 'nano city'.
Two years after it was started, the plan for the first phase of development of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) has been approved by a state government-appointed scrutiny committee. It would now be put before chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.
While the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA; appointed as the special planning agency for the CSIA-notified area) was late in submitting the final plan to the government, the urban development department used a provision of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act to overcome the resultant lapse.
16/02/13 Sandeep Ashar & Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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‘No MoEF clearance for Aranmula airport project’

Pathanamthitta: In a severe setback to the proposed Aranmula airport project, the Thiruvaranmula Paithrukagrama Samrakashana Samiti has revealed that Union Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan had made it clear that no environmental clearance was given for the Aranmula airport project.
Addressing a news conference here on Friday, samiti patron Kummanam Rajasekharan and Aranmula Palliyoda-Pallivilakku Samrakshana Samiti general convener P Induchoodan said that Jayanti Natarajan, in the reply to the memoranda submitted by Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Sushma Swaraj and Kummanam Rajasekharan, informed that no environment clearance was granted to the Aranmula airport project.
Kummanam said that the clearances were given by the Defence and Civil Aviation Departments for the airport project on condition that the clearances were subject to the future clearance of the Environment Ministry.
16/02/13 New Indian Express

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Kolkata airport user fee rollout postponed

Kolkata: The Kolkata airport authorities have postponed, at the last minute, their decision to charge a fee from passengers for the upkeep of the new integrated terminal.
The earlier decision to charge the user development fee - of Rs 400 per domestic passenger and Rs 1,000 per international passenger - had raised eyebrows because fliers can't use the new terminal yet.
By the time the decision to postpone the scheduled fee had been taken by airport director B P Sharma, airlines had already altered their fare structure to incorporate it.
16/02/13 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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MIAL announces F&B contracts for T2 at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL), managed by GVK-led consortium, that operates the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in Mumbai announced the award of the F&B concessions to both Lite Bite Food Pvt Ltd, and Devyani International Limited to operate at the new Terminal 2 at CSIA.
Package 1 comprising total of 21 outlets, which includes the International Security Hold Area (SHA) food court along with the domestic SHA departure non-food court outlets, was awarded to Lite Bite Foods. Package 2 comprising total of 23 outlets, which includes the Domestic SHA food court along with the International SHA non-food court outlets, was awarded to Devyani International Limited. Meanwhile, Package 3 comprising total of nine outlets located pre– SHA and at arrivals (primarily catering to meeters and greeters) was awarded to Lite Bite. Each package has been awarded for a period of 11 years.
15/02/13 HospitalityBizIndia.com

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Walkout over airport project

Thiruvananthapuram: The Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) on Thursday staged a walk out in the Assembly to protest against the government decision to go ahead with the Aranmula airport project disregarding the environmental consequences and violation of laws.
The government launched a scathing attack on the LDF, accusing it of playing a double game on the issue, approving the project while in power and opposing it while in the Opposition.
Seeking leave for an adjournment in the House, former Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran (CPI) said the government had not secured the mandatory clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests before deciding to pick up 10 per cent stakes in the airport project. He alleged that the government was playing second fiddle to the Chennai-based KGS Group, the project promoters.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the LDF government under V.S. Achuthanandan had cleared the grounds for the project in 2011. Defending the decision to pick up stakes in the project, he said the airport would earn revenue for the State.
15/02/13 The Hindu

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Bandra-Versova sea-link plan in conflict with Juhu airport plan

Mumbai: Nervous that the proposed Bandra-Versova sea-link will hamper their plans for the development of the Juhu airport, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is asking for basic project details from the state government. In a major development plan for the Juhu aerodrome, AAI is planning to extend the runway into the sea.
The idea behind the extension is to allow operations of bigger aircraft like ATRs at Juhu and relieve the main Mumbai airport of a bit of air-traffic. However, AAI fears that this project may suffer a set back if the Bandra-Versova sea-link comes up. Officials said that the sea-link may act as an obstruction to the flight path if it is constructed beyond a certain height. AAI is eagerly waiting to see the sea-link proposal to decide on their stance.
As per the AAI proposal, the runway will extend above 1000 meters into the sea. AAI said that only if the sea-link is constructed not more than five meters from the runway height, can both projects be amicable. "If the sea-link is 900 meters long, it cannot be more than five meters from the runway height. Otherwise, it will obstruct the flight path and render the extended runway useless," said VSP Chinson, regional general manager, airports.
15/02/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Project to give Pune airport a facelift delayed

Pune: The much-awaited makeover of Pune airport under the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) ambitious Modernisation of Air Field Infrastructure (MAFI) project has been delayed. Reason: the pilot MAFI project at the Bhatinda air base has run into problems.
Based on the result of the project at Bhatinda, the IAF had planned to start MAFI project at Pune airport in November-December last year. It has now been postponed.
The IAF has taken up the ambitious MAFI project to upgrade its 26 air bases across the country.
Under this project, Pune airport is expected to get modern gadgets like Instrument Landing System (ILS), CAT2 (new airfield landing) and automated area traffic control system which will be beneficial for both IAF and civilian flight operators to improve air space management.
14/02/13 Daily News & Analysis

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SpiceJet connects Mumbai with Hubli, Nanded

Bangalore: Low-cost air carrier SpiceJet has added two more destinations from Mumbai. The airline is connecting Mumbai with Hubli and also with the holy city of Nanded.
Flights from Mumbai to Nanded began yesterday, while the flight from Mumbai to Hubli began today.
Commenting on the new connection, SpiceJet CEO Neil Mills said, “This is a step forward towards our commitment to offering best services at affordable fare. SpiceJet now connects 44 domestic and seven international destinations,” he added.
15/02/13 The Hindu

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Police seek IIT help to understand Sahar mishap

Police will seek IIT Powai help to better understand the recent accident outside the T2 terminal at Sahar airport. Four labourers were killed in the mishap. "We have written to IIT Powai for technical help to gain a better understanding of the accident," said Jaiprakash Giram, senior inspector, Sahar police.
Four labourers were killed and six injured when a span came crashing down an under-construction elevated road outside the unfinished T2 terminal last week. Police have arrested three Larson and Toubro employees, including the site enginner, for causing hurt and death by negligence.
L&T is building the road.
This is not the first time police are seeking IIT help to understand an accident.
Experts from the institute have helped police investigate at least two similar accidents in the recent past.
16/02/13 Indian Express

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Policy on low-cost air connectivity to remote areas on anvil

A policy to encourage low-cost regional air connectivity to remote places across the country is likely to be tabled before the Union Cabinet soon, official sources said on Thursday.
A draft note has been prepared for circulation among the concerned ministries to enable the Cabinet take a decision on the policy, which is based on the recommendations of the Rohit Nandan Committee to connect smaller towns and cities on a low -cost basis, the sources said.
The policy, likely to be taken up by the Cabinet in the next few weeks, would involve development of regional air routes as well as destinations, about 40 of which have been identified for the first phase. These include Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Asansol-Durgapur (West Bengal), Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) and Jalgaon (Maharashtra).
There are 457 functional and non-functional airports and airstrips in the country, of which 91 are managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and 125 by the armed forces.
15/02/13 The Pioneer

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7 kg of ketamine seized from woman passenger at airport

Thiruvananthapuram: The Customs and Central Excise Department here on Thursday seized 7 kg of ketamine (a veterinary anaesthetic widely abused as a recreational drug in South East Asia) from Kannagi Vasu, 27, a Malaysia-bound air passenger hailing from Perumabur in Chennai.
Investigators told The Hindu on Thursday that they suspected that certain corrupt enforcers at the Kuala Lumpur airport perhaps profited from the smuggling of ketamine hydrochloride from various airports in India to Malaysia.
In the past four months, the department and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had seized the drug from at least 12 Kuala Lumpur-bound passengers from various airports in the country.
Curiously, most of the detained carriers choose the heavily policed Kuala Lumpur airport over other less-policed and remote ones in that country to ‘consign ketamine shipments from India.’
15/02/13 The Hindu

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Hyderabad-Mashhad flight plan yet to take off

Hyderabad: Pending approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Hyderabad-Mashhad (Iran) flight service that was set for a 2012 launch is yet to take off. The private airline carrier chosen to operate flights is ready with flight plans but the Indian civil aviation authority has not yet given security clearance despite approving security plans submitted by the airline.
In 2010, India and Iran entered into a bilateral agreement to improve air services between the two countries. Hyderabad-Mashhad air service was among those planned then. Iran's private carrier Aseman Airlines was selected to operate flights on biweekly basis. As of now, Iran's Mahan Air operates four flights from Delhi and national carrier Iran Air operates two flights from Mumbai.
15/02/13 Times of India

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Aviation min proposes Rs 400 cr subsidy for regional routes

New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry has drawn up a plan to offer all domestic airlines a subsidy so that they connect tier III and smaller towns and bring them on the aviation map.
This novel idea, which will put some amount of financial burden on the state governments as well as  air passengers who fly on metro routes, will mean at least 40 smaller towns which currently have no air connectivity could get connected by air with their respective state capitals.
The cost? The ministry is readying a proposal to offer as much as Rs 350-400 crore subsidy in all to this project and airlines will have to bid for subsidy on each route. The subsidy would be initially available for three years.
Among these 40 towns which could soon join the aviation map are Meerut, Jhansi, Bareilly, Hubli, Belgam, Shimoga, Mysore, Rajamundri, Bhavnagar and Kutch. All of them are towns which have dense population and enough demand but whose residents at present need to travel to respective state capitals of Lucknow, Gandhinagar (or Ahmedabad) and Bangalore to be able to take a domestic flight.
13/02/13 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post.com

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AP plans setting up civil aviation board to develop airports

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Government is considering setting up a State Civil Aviation Board under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to oversee development of new airports in tier II cities.
This is, in fact, one of the recommendations of the Administrative Staff College of India, which had been entrusted with the task of mapping out a draft policy for airports development. It has come out with different models, which are being examined by the State Government.
The proposed board will have the Minister for Infrastructure and Investment Ganta Srinivasa Rao as the Vice-Chairman.
The Chief Minister, at a review meeting on airports, ports and LNG today, said the viability of the proposed locations for the airports would be studied in greater detail before the next Assembly session.
Chief Secretary Minnie Mathew and Principal Secretaries R.R. Mishra, B.R. Meena, Sam Bob and S. P. Singh participated in the meeting.
The civil aviation policy aims at promoting development of non-hub airports across the State, which would act as centres of economic activity and tourism.
12/02/13 Business Line

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Mangalore: Adyapady residents stop airport officials from surveying land

Mangalore: The residents of Adyapady on Wednesday February 13 protested against the Mangalore Airport Authority for conducting survey for land acquisition forcibly and without issuing notices beforehand.
The locals claim that since three months, three people identified as a surveyor; horticultural officer, and village accountant, have been visiting the area with the intention of surveying the land for acquisition by the airport.
At first, these three officials had informed the locals that they had to survey the land about 60 meters from the boundaries of the airport. On their second visit, they allegedly claimed that they wanted to undertake a survey as there were trees rising more than 7 meters within 65 meters from the airport walls.
The locals had even lodged an online complaint to the deputy commissioner (DC) and submitted a memorandum with the signatures of 65 people, but no response was received. Instead, the officials paid a third visit without any intimation.
During their latest visit on Wednesday, they fixed the prices of certain trees and arrived with the intention of cutting them off. Angered by this sudden and surprise move by the Airports Authority, the locals gathered during the visit and forcibly stopped them from conducting the survey.
13/02/13 Daijiworld.com

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Paper proposals hold up air link

Ludhiana: Even as residents wait for improvement in air travel from the city, proposals to upgrade the Sahnewal Airport remain on paper. Now that both the Union and state government are going to announce their budgets, residents hope infrastructure at the airport.
Rajesh Kalra, an industrialist from Sant Fateh Singh Nagar said, "For many years, the air link from the city has been the biggest problem faced by industrialists, despite the fact that they are making a major contribution to the state and national exchequer. We expect the Union and state government to focus on improving the air connectivity of this industrial city for the benefit the industry".
13/02/13 Shariq Majeed/Times of India

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GMR targets to slash debt by Rs 10,000 crore during next fiscal

Bangalore: GMR Infrastructure, which is deep in a debt of Rs 37,000 crore under a gearing of 3.5 times, is looking to slash this number by Rs 10,000 crore during next fiscal through its asset light - asset right - asset churn strategy. The company, which manages three airports, five power generating stations and five highways, has said that they are in advanced stages of discussions with various players to offload at least three highway projects as part of this move to start with.
A Subba Rao, Group CFO, GMR Infrastructure told Business Standard that they are targeting to raise Rs 5,000 crore through the sale of highway projects and the rest through sale of other assets, which he did not spell out. However, it is learnt that besides the highway projects, GMR may be targeting to either exit or reduce its stake in the three coal mines it has in South Africa and Indonesia besides reducing its stake in one of its power projects in Singapore.
13/02/13 Raghuvir Badrinath/Business Standard

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Delay in Juhu runway order leaves pilots and builders in the lurch

Mumbai: The secondary runway at Juhu airport may have got a fresh lease of life last month, but a delay in formal communication from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on the matter has left pilots and builders in a limbo.
While the runway's refurbishment is pending, buildings are mushrooming in the area due to a previous order that lifted the height restrictions.
After declaring that the secondary runway at Juhu airport will be closed and converted into a taxiway, AAI had, in June 2011, also relaxed building height norms in the areas around the runway. However, after repeated protests by pilots and agencies operating out of Juhu airport, the AAI reversed the decision in January and agreed to retain the runway for helicopter operations. But even a month down the line, no official communication has been sent by the AAI on the decision. According to officials, familiar with the development said that deferring the release of official orders is not only causing delay in runway renovation but also leaving the ground cleared for builders to continue construction in the area.
13/02/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Allow airport operators to issue long term non-taxable infrastructure bonds, demands FICCI

New Delhi: Emphasising the ability to raise funds, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in its pre-budget 2013 memorandum has asked the government to allow airport operators to issue long term non-taxable infrastructure bonds.
This FICCI said will allow them to raise the required funding from the market. Further FICCI said that to facilitate the private airport operators to raise funds, they should also be allowed to issue tax free infrastructure bonds from the public.
FICCI has also recommended that the government should liberalise sectoral funding limits. "Ease RBI limits on sectoral funding thereby removing the current compulsion for airport developers to raise required funds / debt from multiple banks making process time consuming and cumbersome," said FICCI.
13/02/13 Economic Times

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Ranchi airport in dire need of amenities

Kolkata:  Passengers at Ranchi airport want better facilities and civic amenities. The old airport is not in a good shape while the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has developed a new terminal building which is waiting for inauguration. Passengers claim that now that the new terminal building has been developed the AAI authority is less concerned about facilities at the old airport. The civil aviation cell of the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJalso receives complaints in this connection from time to time.
The situation is so severe that in some cases even wheel chairs are not available. A 70-year-old woman passenger, who arrived at Ranchi airport from Patna on Sunday, said, "I inquired for the wheel chair when I arrived here. But there was none to be found."
Ranchi airport director R R Kumar said, "Lack of coordination might have led to such a situation." Passengers who file their specifications in the forms always get wheelchairs and special treatment. "Such fliers are always treated carefully by the airlines," the director added.
13/02/13 Alok K N Mishra/Times of India

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Andhra Pradesh to set up airports in Tier-2 cities

Hyderabad:  The Andhra Pradesh government has proposed constituting a high-level board headed by the chief minister to implement the new state Civil Aviation Policy.
The Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) drafted the CAP that envisages development of airports in Tier-2 cities of Andhra Pradesh, according to state Minister for Infrastructure and Investment Ganta Srinivasa Rao.
12/02/13 PTI

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Low-flying chopper pilot, French photographer held at Kumbh

Allahabad: Cases were slapped on a helicopter pilot, flying a French photo-journalist, who had hovered dangerously low over the pilgrims at the Kumbh Mela here, police officials said Tuesday. The two have been detained and are being questioned.
The case was filed against private chopper pilot and the French media person for criminal negligence and breaching the Official Secrets Act on their flight on Mauni Amavasya (Sunday) "dangerously close" to the people on the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
In a bid to capture close shots of the people bathing in the river, the pilot was reportedly forced by the French cameraman to fly so low that the turbulence caused by the rotors of the helicopter turned upside down some boats of the 'Jal Police' (river police) deployed at the spot, an official told IANS.
Confirming the incident, Allahabad's Inspector General of Police Alok Sharma said a case under sections 336/337 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 3/7 of the Official Secrets Act was lodged against the pilot at the Sangam police station. The case was lodged under instructions from Divisional Commissioner Devesh Chaturvedi.
12/02/13 IANS/News Track India

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Fog delays over dozen flights at IGI Airport

New Delhi:  Over a dozen flights were delayed at the IGI Airport here this morning due to dense fog.
"Fog become dense around 6 AM and visibility dropped to below 100 metres on the new runway around 8 AM, leading to delay in departure of around 15 flights," airport sources said.
The poor visibility on both the runways forced airport authorities to implement low visibility procedures on new runway (11/29) around 5.55 AM and on main runway (10/28).
As visibility dropped further between 8 AM and 9 AM, departure of some of the flights had to be delayed, sources said.
However, low visibility procedures were terminated by 9.40 AM.
12/03/12 PTI/Economic Times

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GMR has overdue BPT, airport service charge: MIRA

Former Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) operator India's GMR Group has overdue Business Profit Tax (BPT) and Airport Service Charge for last December, Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) said Tuesday.
The Maldives government had terminated the contract with GMR and expropriated the airport on December 7, 2012.
A top official MIRA revealed that GMR has to pay around USD1 million as BPT and added that the authority was trying to obtain the amount from the Indian infrastructure giant.
“GMR cannot leave without settling the outstanding payments. The money owed to MIRA will be recovered even if the accounts have to be frozen,” official said.
12/02/13 Abdullah Jameel/Haveeru Online

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Fog delays over dozen flights at IGI Airport

New Delhi: Over a dozen flights were delayed at the IGI Airport here this morning due to dense fog.
"Fog become dense around 6 AM and visibility dropped to below 100 metres on the new runway around 8 AM, leading to delay in departure of around 15 flights," airport sources said.
The poor visibility on both the runways forced airport authorities to implement low visibility procedures on new runway (11/29) around 5.55 AM and on main runway (10/28).
As visibility dropped further between 8 AM and 9 AM, departure of some of the flights had to be delayed, sources said.
12/03/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Fog delays over dozen flights at IGI Airport

New Delhi: Over a dozen flights were delayed at the IGI Airport here this morning due to dense fog.
"Fog become dense around 6 AM and visibility dropped to below 100 metres on the new runway around 8 AM, leading to delay in departure of around 15 flights," airport sources said.
The poor visibility on both the runways forced airport authorities to implement low visibility procedures on new runway (11/29) around 5.55 AM and on main runway (10/28).
As visibility dropped further between 8 AM and 9 AM, departure of some of the flights had to be delayed, sources said.
However, low visibility procedures were terminated by 9.40 AM.
The airport had yesterday witnessed delays in flight schedule after two of its radars went out of order
12/02/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Land to be acquired for airport expansion

Rajahmundry: As part of the plans to expand the Rajahmundry airport located at Madhurapudi, the revenue authorities may acquire 657 acres land soon.
Revenue divisional officer M. Venugopal Reddy said here on Monday that the Airport Authority of India had suggested for acquisition of 657 acres land for expansion of the airport to facilitate night landing and to provide other amenities for the benefit of the air passengers.
Accordingly, the revenue authorities submitted a report to the state government under the new provisions for land acquisition and the experts in the field would take a final decision on the land acquisition.
12/02/13 Deccan Chronicle

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Left your i-phone, laptop at airport; CISF help at hand

The next time you go to the airport do remember to place name tags on your cabin baggage and other valuables as airport security force CISF will make all possible efforts to track and restore your lost items.
The CISF made the claim on the basis of its performance last year at 59 civil airports as it recovered forgotten items valued at Rs 20 crore, and out of which goods worth about Rs 15 crore was returned to the air fliers in quick time.
All that the air passengers have to do is to either contact airport manager of the terminal where the belonging was forgotten or log on to the website www.cisf.gov.in and prove credentials to claim the stuff back.
"The lost and found service was initiated by the CISF in 2009 as a public service gesture. The initiative bore excellent results and passengers who got their valuables back have thanked the force in more than words and by way of appreciation," a senior CISF official said.
12/03/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Greenfield airports to come up in 6 cities

Hyderabad:  The state government is all set to finalise the AP Civil Aviation Policy 2012 with an intention to provide air connectivity between tier-II cities by developing regional airports under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
To begin with, the infrastructure and investment department has identified six cities for developing new greenfield airports in Nizamabad, Nellore, Kurnool, Ramagundam, Tadepalligudem, and Kothagudem.
The Infrastructure Corporation of AP (INCAP) sought the views of various departments like municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department on the draft policy prepared by the Administrative Staff College of India. Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is likely to review the AP Civil Aviation Policy and finalise it on Tuesday.
11/02/13 Koride Mahesh/Times of India

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Small airports need a tax tailwind

Hyderabad: Though a glamorous sector either for employment or investment, the airports sector has been on a bumpy runway and is struggling to take off.
Dotted with small and unviable airports making it difficult for the large airports to chart a proper business plan, the key piece of infrastructure is also affecting the related sectors including airlines.
The country has 454 operational and non-operational airports/airstrips. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) operates 125 of these, while several of them are way below the viability levels. Only 14 international and 80 domestic airports cater to the majority of air travel segment.
“There is no problem with the viability of airports per se. There are investors keen on investing since most of the airports can be made commercially more attractive. We hope the Budget will bring in some clarity on several key issues that have remained unresolved for all these years,” a senior official of an airport company said.
11/02/13  KV Ramana/Daily News & Analysis

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Radars at IGI fail 2nd time in a week, flights delayed

New Delhi: Aircraft approaching to land in Delhi on Monday afternoon were in for a shock. The radars at IGI Airport had failed yet again - the second breakdown since last Friday - and the aircraft were asked to follow a holding pattern, which had them hovering for a while. A few tense minutes later, air traffic controllers switched over to the manual procedural pattern in which they communicated with the pilots through very high frequency (VHF) radio and helped them land.
Air traffic control (ATC) sources say there was a problem with the route radar and the terminal approach radar from 3.35pm to 4.15pm, after which the terminal approach radar started working. It, however, worked intermittently.
While maximum delays were during the time when both radars were down, the problem persisted as the route radar was down till about 7.50pm. A notice to airmen was issued for this radar at 5pm, informing pilots that it was unserviceable.
11/02/13 Neha Lalchandani & Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Chennai airport upgradation: Govt may privatise cargo operation

Chennai: The Government could give the entire air cargo operation to a private company in the proposed second phase of the Chennai airport modernisation plan, said a senior official of Airport Authority of India (AAI).
“We are open to the idea of outsourcing the entire air cargo operations in the second phase when a new cargo facility is to be built in the old terminal,” said G.K. Chaukiyal, Member (Operations), Airport Authority of India.
Last week, the first phase of the modernised terminal was inaugurated by Vice-President Hamid Ansari.
“We will give the land while the build, own and transfer operator will take care of the construction and operation of the cargo terminal,” he said.
The outsourcing plan has been recommended by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. “We will look at the report in a couple of weeks. If approved, we will go ahead with the outsourcing plan,” he said. AAI will also review the master plan of the Chennai airport, he said.
10/02/13 TE Raja Simhan/Business Line

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GMR seeks to partner AAI in global projects

 The GMR Group has held exploratory talks with Airports Authority of India (AAI) for a partnership to jointly develop airport projects overseas, two people in the know of the development confirmed.
The move comes just months after GMR’s contract for the Male airport was cancelled after a regime change in Maldives. GMR is now in a litigation to get nearly $800 million as compensation.
“The talks are at a very nascent stage,” said one of the people. “AAI has not yet decided anything and will look at the merit of any project before committing to a partnership.”
A positive outcome to the talks will not, however, change the ownership pattern of the Sahiba Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul. Apart from Turkey, GMR also operates airports in Delhi and Hyderabad.
11/02/13 Subhash Narayanan/Debebrata Das/Financial Express

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