Chandigarh airport may spread global wings in 4 months

Chandigarh:  As the countdown has begun for flights from the upcoming Chandigarh international airport, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was scouting for international airlines to connect the City Beautiful with the rest of the world. According to officials, 90% work was completed and the swanky airport was expected to become operational in four months.

Sources said the AAI has found Middle East and South East as favourite and possible destinations for international flights after deliberations and an in-depth study.

While Indigo and SpiceJet has already secured initial clearances to operate flights from Chandigarh to Dubai and Bangkok, the AAI was exploring flights for Sharjah, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Tashkent, Muscat, Kuala Lumpur and Dushanbe among others. The AAI has pointed out 42 such destinations that could fetch a huge number of passengers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Uttarakhand as Chandigarh was a transit point for these states.
25/02/15 Ajay Sura/Times of India

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DIAL 1 for success

When the Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao-led GMR Group won the bid to redevelop the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in 2006, one of the earliest challenges faced by his team was runway delays. “We thought we had found the simplest solution: construct another runway,” recalls Prabhakara Rao, Chief Executive Officer of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). The GMR-led consortium, which included Fraport AG, Malaysia Airport and Airports Authority of India, had won the bid to modernise and operate the IGI airport.

If anything, it turned out to be one of the toughest challenges for the GMR team. The site chosen for the second runway had a sewer line below and when work started all that sewage came into the airport. “For three months I knocked on every door to find out where the sewage was coming from. This was one of the biggest challenges,” says Rao, who can now afford to chuckle as he recalls that the new runway was eventually built eight months ahead of schedule.

While the modernised IGI airport and its new terminal T3, which opened in July 2010, have since been hailed as one of the success stories of Indian aviation, the recognition has now come from where it really matters. On February 15, the Airport Council International (ACI), the only global association of world airports, ranked the IGI Airport as the best in the world among those handling 24-40 million passengers annually.
24/02/15 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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VoA facility doubled at Goa airport: Tourism officials

Panaji: The number of visa-on-arrival (VoA) issued at Goa airport at Dabolim has doubled within a month, taking the figure to 10,475 till now, tourism officials said today.

Beside the encouraging VoA numbers, Goa continues to maintain a third spot in the percentage share of different airports for highest number of VoAs issuance, according to a statement issued by Goa tourism department here.

It said New Delhi tops the list followed by Mumbai, Goa, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram.

Visa-on-arrival facility was started at the Goa airport from December last year.

The top 10 source countries for VoA in Goa during the last two months were Russia, Ukraine, USA, Germany, Finland, Australia, Philippines, New Zealand, Norway and Jordan.
23/02/15 PTI/Business Standard

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DIAL to exit cargo service operations at Delhi Airport

New Delhi: Delhi International Airport Ltd, a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure, has announced its exit from the cargo service operations at Delhi Airport by selling its entire stake to India Infrastructure Fund for Rs 29 crore.

"Delhi International Airport Private Limited (DIAL), an arm of GMR Infrastructure, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its entire 26 per cent stake of the equity capital of Delhi cargo service Centre Private Limited which operates cargo operations at Delhi Airport," GMR Infrastructure said in a regulatory filing to the BSE.

DIAL has agreed to sell its entire holding of 1.09 crore equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each to India Infrastructure Fund — II (investment manager — IDFC Alternatives Limited), for Rs 26.20 per share aggregating a total consideration of Rs 28.60 crore.
23/02/15 PTI/Times of India

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Rs 1.50 Crore Worth Gold Seized at Chennai Airport

Gold worth Rs 1.5 crore was seized by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence from two persons who arrived at the international airport here from Dubai, airport officials said on Sunday.
Acting on a tip off, the DRI officials intercepted Mohammed Rafi and Mohammed Ansari, arriving from Dubai by an early Emirates flight. A search revealed 1.8 kg of gold concealed inside their luggage.
22/02/15 PTI/New Indian Express

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Panel to examine Jewar airport as CM finally 'warms' to project

Greater Noida:  The Akhilesh Yadav government may finally be coming around to the idea of reviving the Jewar international airport project, which was planned in Mayawati's regime but got the cold shoulder after the power shift in Lucknow.

A high-level panel will examine the Greater Noida project in Lucknow on February 16, sources said. Likely to be convened by the chief secretary, it will discuss the technical aspects of the project, for which over 2,000 acres of land have already been acquired. A preliminary meeting was held on Tuesday in Lucknow to set the agenda.

The chief minister himself indicated the government was no longer indifferent to the Jewar project at an event on Tuesday in Bulandhahr, saying that if the Centre takes a decision to establish an international airport in the state, he would extend his support.
12/02/15 Vandana Keelor/Times of India

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IndiGo violates DGCA directives regarding operation in low light

In an alleged violation of the DGCA directives on operations during the low-visibility period, no-frills airline IndiGo operated today three flights to Delhi without CAT-IIIB compliant crew and later on diverted these to Jaipur.

The flights had originated from Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Pune and were all bound for Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, which is the only CAT-111B compliant airport in the country, airport sources said. An IndiGo spokesperson on being contacted said that the airline deployed the non-CAT-IIIB trained crew as there was no prediction of a "bad weather" at the Delhi airport.

"Three IndiGo flights from Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Pune for Delhi were diverted to Jaipur airport as the all three aircraft did not have CAT-IIIB compliant crew," airport sources said.

Aviation regulator DGCA had in December ordered all the airlines to deploy CAT-III complaint planes and crew trained to fly under low visibility conditions while operating in and out of IGI airport in the morning to ensure smooth flow of air traffic during fog season.

According to sources, all the three diverted flights departed for their destination after an hour of their landing at the Jaipur airport.
09/02/15 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Bangladeshi held with gold jewellery at airport

Kolkata: A Bangladeshi national was today arrested at the airport here after gold jewellery weighing 1.8 kg was found in his handbag, the police said.

The man, identified as 30-year-old Kabir Hussain, landed here from Kuala Lumpur by an Air Asia flight late last night and was arrested today.

04/02/15 PTI/Business Standard

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DIAL all set to build elevated taxiway at IGI by 2016

New Delhi: Next year, passengers travelling from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport will see another engineering marvel as Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) is all set to build the first-of-its-kind elevated taxiway for aircraft connecting runway number 11/29 with the parking bay situated near terminal 1-D.

As this "eastern cross taxiway" will intersect two main roads connecting T-3 with the city, two tunnels will be built for smooth movement of traffic.

The project promises to cut the taxiway time taken both during take-off and landing and also reduce fuel consumption by almost 30 per cent in both these operations.

"This project will have first elevated taxiway for aircraft to connect main runway with Terminal-1D aircraft parking area. This taxiway will intersect two roads-Central Spine and road coming from Gurgaon- for which two tunnels will be built to ease traffic flow.

In layman's language, visitors coming to Delhi airport will simultaneously see a aircraft moving above and normal traffic moving beneath," a senior DIAL official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Mail Today.
02/02/15 Mail Today/India Today

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Ministry likely to award airport projects at pre-determined rates

New Delhi: The ministry of civil aviation is looking at awarding airport management contracts at Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Guwahati, Jaipur and Ahmedabad to private operators at pre-determined rates rather than on a cost-plus basis to safeguard passengers against high user charges post award of the projects.
A senior official at the ministrysaid, "We are working out the formula for determining the revenue-share agreement between the private operator and the Airports Authority of India. But what we broadly want to do is to predetermine rates so that there is some amount of certainty in the charges which would be levied on passengers.
Airport operators would also stand incentivized to increase efficiency when there is a specified limit." The new model being considered is in line with the recommendation of the PlanCommission to determine landing and parking charges at the six airports identified for privatisation prior to the award of the project and of linking the increase in tariff to the wholesale price index (WPI).
Earlier in December last year, the ministry had raised questions saying that the Plan Comm's suggestion is likely to lead to an upward bias as charges would increase even after the operator recovers his investment. Under the formula being considered now, landing and parking charges at airports would decrease by around two per cent annually and thereafter the tariffs be indexed in line with the inflation rate.
27/02/14 Business Standard

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‘Mumbai airport fit for Airbus A380 landing’

Mumbai: A day after the governments of India and Dubai agreed to allow more flight operations between the two regions, India's aviation regulator has certified that Mumbai's airport is suitable for landing the Airbus A380 super jumbo jets, said a source close to the development.
Both moves will directly benefit middle-eastern carrier Emirates which aims to fly the world's biggest passenger plane to India, starting from the Mumbai airport. India and Dubai Wednesday agreed to enhance their weekly bilateral seat entitlements by 20 per cent to 65,200. carriers of both countries will be able to sell 11,000 extra seats by October next year.
The increase will be done in three phases—5,500 in April-October 2014; 3,300 in October-March 2014; 2,200 in April-October. Emirates should be able to deploy at least two flights per day of the super jumbo A380 without any reduction in its current flights to India immediately.
28/02/14 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

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Resist corporate lobby, says Achuthanandan

Pathanamthitta: Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan has called upon the people to form a human fortress to check any invasion of the Aranmula Puncha (paddy-cum-wetland) by ‘land-grabbers and the corporate lobby.’
Mr. Achuthanandan was addressing an indefinite satyagraha launched by the all-party Joint Action Council, chaired by social activist Sugathakumari, in protest against the proposed private airport project at Aranmula on Thursday.
The land lobby, backed by the government, was out to destroy the biodiversity-rich Aranmula Puncha, wetlands, the Pampa, and various small natural streams in the name of development. The airport project would ultimately destroy the drinking water source of the region, he said.
Lauding the firm resolve of the people to protect the Aranmula Puncha from the threats posed by the State-sponsored land lobby, Mr. Achuthanandan offered all support to the agitation.
28/02/14 The Hindu

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Protect Aranmula’s heritage: George Onakkoor

Pathanamthitta: The politics that has taken ‘development’ as ‘setting up of airports’ is highly detrimental to the interests of the State, writer and critic George Onakkoor has said.
Prof. Onakkoor was addressing a satyagraha staged by the Joint Action Council, chaired by poet Sugathakumari, in protest against the proposed private airport project at Aranmula, on Wednesday.
“Our culture never taught us to destroy paddy land, wetland, rivers, and other natural water sources in the name of development. Instead, we are obliged to conserve these rich natural resources,” he said.
Earlier, inaugurating the satyagraha on the 16th day, K. Janardhanan Nair, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch national executive committee member, alleged that the proposed Aranmula airport project was nothing short of a State-sponsored corporate terrorism.
27/02/14 The Hindu

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I am willing to withdraw support to govt on Mopa, says Mickky

Margao: "If you want, I am willing to withdraw support to the government on this Dabolim issue if needed," said Nuvem MLA Francisco 'Mickky' Pacheco at a public debate organized by the Nuvem consumer and civic forum on the dual airport issue on Thursday at the Nuvem panchayat hall.
This statement was made by the Goa Vikas party (GVP) supremo in reply to a question posed to him by Fr Eremito Rebello, the convenor of 'Goa For Dabolim Only'. Rebello sought to know how Pacheco would impress upon the BJP government the need to retain Dabolim as a single airport, given that GVP is a coalition partner to the government.
There was no representative of the BJP at this debate while the other participants were Congress spokesperson and Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Ernesto Moraes of the Aam Aadmi party and Abhijit Prabhudesai and Rebello for GFDO.
28/02/14 Times of India

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Fly abroad from T3 of Chandigarh

Chandigarh: The Tricity residents' high-flying wait will be over in February next year, when the local airport will show off its swanky terminal for operation of international flights. It will be on the lines of the Terminal 3 (T3) of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi.
After the construction is over, daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly international flights to Dubai, Middle-East, South-East Asia and Europe will commence from March 2015.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has set the deadline of February 17, 2015, for the completion of 60,591 square-metre terminal, which will have state-of-the-art features of T3 of IGI Airport. It will accommodate 1,600 passengers at one point of time and have capacity of eight bays for parking of planes. That's five times bigger than the existing 12,000 square-metre domestic terminal, which was inaugurated in 2011 and has a capacity of only 400 passengers.
28/02/14 Ajay Sura/Times of India

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Do not reach for the sky near HAL

Bangalore: The High Court on Wednesday gave a shocker to the people who have invested in flats at the Raheja Vivarea apartment complex in Koramangala Industrial Layout. The court told their advocate that if a case was made out for the larger public good, these people would have to make sacrifices.
The apartment complex with 10 buildings has been embroiled in a legal tussle with HAL Airport authorities after the latter withdrew their no-objection certificate citing that the complex was violating norms that stipulate that no building can be built above 45 metres within a radius of four kilometres from the airport. The HC did not spare the HAL or the builder either. HAL has been asked to submit to the court the original file related to the application made by Chalet Hotels Private Limited after its counsel told the court that a document was added to it months after the original application. Chalet Hotels have already been forbidden from modifying or developing the buildings beyond 40 metres.
Chalet Hotels had applied and got the NOC from from HAL in 2012. But on August 16, 2013, HAL revoked this NOC stating that it had been provided with wrong information about the elevation of the land on which the apartment complex was being built. HAL claimed that it had been informed earlier that the final height of the buildings will not go beyond 870 metres above mean sea level. But it turned out that it would be 932 metres. Chalet Hotels then filed the petition against HAL in the HC.
28/02/14  Shyam Prasad S/Bangalore Mirror

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Ludhiana Air India flight on Sunday instead of Friday

Ludhiana:  Air India, the only airlines operating from Sahnewal airport, has rescheduled its flights to and from Sahnewal airport in Ludhiana. The flight operating on Fridays has been scheduled for Sundays. Amrik Singh, manager, Air India, said earlier there were three flights in a week on Monday, Thursday and Friday to and from Delhi to Ludhiana, but now there would be no flight on Friday. Instead there would be a flight on Sunday.
28/02/14 Times of India

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Hyderabad airport adjudged second-best in 2013

Hyderabad: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here, operated and managed by the GMR Hyderabad International Airport , today said it has retained its second position for the year 2013 in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey conducted by the Airport Council International.
ACI, a global body of airports, has adjudged RGIA as the second-best airport in the world for 2013 in the 5-15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category, a GHIAL release said.
27/02/14 TI/Times of India

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‘Yaariyan’ actress Rakul Preet Singh found carrying bullets

Mumbai: Rakul Preet who made her big screen debut earlier this year with Yaariyan was detained at the Delhi airport. Apparently the actress was travelling to Mumbai and while going through the security check at the Delhi airport, a suspicious metallic object was found in her bag. On scrutiny the said object turned out to be a bullet, owing to which she was asked to step aside. Rakul was later detained for carrying a bullet in her bag by the CISF and was questioned for hours about the bullet.
27/02/14 Indian Express

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Tanzanian Who Flew to Chennai for Heart Treatment, Dies at Airport

Chennai: He made it 5315 kilometres from Dodoma to Chennai, but before Elfalah Khamis Nassor (60) could drive another 9 km from the airport to MIOT Hospitals for his medical appointment, his heart gave out.
Nasoor and his wife had flown from Tanzania to Chennai from Muscat by Oman Air flight WY 251 which arrived at the airport at 6.15 am.
"It had taken some time for them to get their luggage and clear customs. It was a little before 7 AM when they finally reached the lift lobby and started to exit the terminal when he suddenly clutched his chest and fell down," said a vendor inside the international terminal.
Though doctors from the Apollo Emergency Clinic at the airport were called to revive him, all they could do was to pronounce him dead.
27/02/14 New Indian Express

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I-T officials seize gold worth Rs 7 crore

Vijayawada:  Income tax officials were surprised to find four passengers from Bangalore carrying gold worth Rs 7 crore at Gannavaram airport here on Thursday. I-T authorities from Bangalore alerted their counterparts in Vijayawada about the "suspicious luggage" of a family travelling by the Bangalore-Vijayawada flight.
A thorough search of passenger baggage found 20 kgs of gold and precious stones kept in four big trolley luggage bags. Officials took the suspects into custody.
Officials did not rule out the role of domestic gold smuggling gangs behind the transport of huge quantity of gold ornaments through Gannavaram airport. Though Gannavaram handles only domestic flights, smuggling gangs in metros may have chosen the nondescript airport to shift gold from one point to another, an official said.
28/02/14 Times of India

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2 Lankans held at Chennai airport for bid to smuggle gold

Chennai: Two Sri Lankan nationals were arrested at the airport here today for allegedly trying to smuggle gold worth Rs 19 lakh.
Customs officials detained them at the airport here on their arrival from Colombo after they were found carrying 294 gm and 296 gm of gold, respectively, airport sources said.
27/02/14 PTI/Business Standard

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One held at IGI for smuggling in gold biscuits

New Delhi: CISF today apprehended a man who was allegedly trying to smuggle in ten gold biscuits on his arrival from Riyadh at the Indira Gandhi international airport here.
Sources said CISF personnel intercepted one Mohammed Naim, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, UP, when he trying to slip out through the green channel of the customs at the T3 terminal of the airport at about 1 pm.
27/02/14 PTI/Business Standard

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'Non-standard Airport Caused Mangalore Crash'

Bangalore: Captain Samir Kohli is a familiar figure on airfields and airports around the world, investigating air accidents. In April, 2012, Kohli began an independent inquiry into the crash landing of Air India Express Flight IX 812 from Dubai to Mangalore on May 22, 2010, killing 158 of 166 people on board.
“I was approached by the 812 Foundation (formed by the victims’ families) to provide an independent opinion on the reasons for the mishap at Bajpe Airport. The official inquiry had returned with a standard ‘pilot error’ verdict. In the course of my investigations, I found that the government had focused only on the errors of the pilot. In fact, the pilot is like a goalkeeper in a soccer match and can neither be held responsible for the entire team nor can he correct a situation in the event of an accident,” Kohli reveals.
Kohli faced many hurdles in studying the situation at Bajpe Airport in detail and recapping the events leading to the crash. He obtained records and statements by filing more than 30 RTI petitions in Delhi and Mangalore.
27/02/14 Meera Bhardwaj/New Indian Express

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Insulate Gulf passengers to prevent gold smuggling: Customs

Kozhikode: Exasperated with increasing instances of smugglers getting help from airport and airline employees to sneak in gold, the customs wing at Karipur airport has sought urgent steps to insulate passengers arriving from the Gulf. In a letter to the airport director, customs assistant commissioner has requested that 'high sensitive' flights from Dubai should be allotted the airway bridge so that passengers can directly enter the emigration point that would facilitate 'effective checking by customs'.
Despite enhanced vigil, the customs wing has not been able to break the nexus between smugglers and airport/airline staff. There have been at least four instances during the past one year in which airport employees were arrested for trying to help smugglers.
In the latest incident, an Air India security personnel - who had unrestricted access - was nabbed on February 6 after he collected 2.8 kg of gold from a passenger as soon as the passenger deplaned. During interrogation, the official admitted that he had helped smuggle around 11 kg of gold through the airport in a similar fashion in the recent months. The letter says that 'several smuggling instances have been noticed' by customs during the time of arrival of flight IX- 344 from Dubai.
27/02/14 Times of India

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Gadget to clear visibility haze

Kolkata: The city airport is set to get a modern gadget — transmissometer — for determining the runway visual range, crucial for flight operations.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has recently sent an application to Airports Authority of India (AAI) for installing a transmissometer near the runaway of the airport. It would provide real-time visibility range digitally, replacing the existing manual process of calculating it.
“We have recently written a letter to the AAI, Patna, for installing the transmissometer. We have been informed that the application has been forwarded to the regional headquarters of AAI in Calcutta. It would be sent to the national headquarters in New Delhi from there. The transmissometer would be installed at one of the two ends of the single runway here. Once the equipment is in place, we would be able to provide precise details of the visibility condition on real-time basis to ensure smooth air operations,” said Ashish Sen, director, IMD, Patna.
Authorities at Patna airport claimed that the onus of installing the transmissometer was on the Met department. “IMD alone looks after the installation of transmissometer. We only provide the nod for installing the equipment,” said Sono Marandi, director (in- charge), Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport, Patna.
27/02/14 Piyush Kumar Tripathi/Telegraph

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Customs clearance at Mumbai airport to be quicker

Mumbai:  Passengers in the arrivals section of the new international terminal can expect some relief. Customs officials shifted their offices to the new Terminal 2 (T2) yesterday. All officers, including top officials, will henceforth be at T2, which will aid quick movement of fliers. The move took about five days to complete all formalities.
Authorities said all officials would be available in case of any emergency or inconvenience to passengers, and that issues would be solved faster since the concerned officials would be present there. This is the first time that the Customs office is located in the international terminal.
Earlier, only the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers and officers in uniform used to be present in the old Terminal 2. Now, all departments, including Vigilance and Administration, chief commissioner and commissioner of customs will be located at the new T2.
26/02/14 MiD DAY/NDTV.com

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'More flights will take off from Visakhapatnam due to 24x7 operations'

Visakhapatnam: The Port City, which is already connected by air to eight cities, can soon expect to be connected to more cities as its airport has 24x7 operational capabilities and because of the likely increase in traffic in the near future, said MP T Subbarami Reddy.
The parliamentarian, who was participating in a programme organised by the Air Travellers Association (India) here on Wednesday, added that two more flights from Vizag can be expected to be launched in summer. Discussions have been held with Air India urging them to start a Delhi-Vizag daily flight in the morning to cater to the needs of the region, he said.
27/02/14 Times of India

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Agartala Airport to be made international

Agartala: The Agartala Airport would be made an international airport and two abandoned ones would be revamped by the Airport Authority of India (AAI), the Assembly was informed today.
The Agartala airport set up during World War II would be made an international airport while two other abandoned airports at Kailashahar in Unakoti district and Kamalpur in Dhalai district would be revamped, Transport minister Manik De said.
The decision on the three airports was taken at a meeting between Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Chairman of Airport Authority of India in June last year, De said while replying to a calling attention notice. About the Agartala airport, he said a master plan had been prepared and 72 acre acquired by the state government was handed over to AAI for expansion of the runway.
26/02/14 Economic Times

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Meet on Andal airport today

Kolkata: The chief executive officer of Singapore's Changi International Airport (CIA) Lim Liang Song and some Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL) directors will meet state industries and finance minister Amit Mitra at Nabanna on Thursday.
The meeting that will also be attended by top officials including the chief secretary and principal secretary (transport) will discuss measures to speed up the process of clearing bottlenecks that have plagued the Greenfield airport project at Andal.
The CIA, which is believed to be one of the best managed airports of the world, holds 26% stake in BAPL. The BAPL proposed flight operation at Andal airport from April 2014, but, shifting of high-tension electricity transmission lines on the flight path has been taking more time than anticipated. This has led to unnecessary delay in obtaining the final clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
27/02/14 Times of India

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'Operate M'lore-Kuwait flights or give nod to pvt airlines'

Mangalore: Gulf NRI Forum, Kuwait, has urged the Deputy General of Civil Aviation, Government of India, to restart Mangalore- Kuwait flight which has been stopped recently by Air India Express or to grant permission to private international airline operators to operate flights between Mangalore and Kuwait.
Addressing mediapersons in Mangalore on Wednesday, Gulf NRI Forum (Kuwait) President P B Pinto said that the flight service has been stopped with effect from February 13, which has caused a great inconvenience to Non-Resident Indians in Gulf countries. He alleged that the Air India Express is showing step mother’s attitude towards Mangaloreans by discontinuing Mangalore -Kuwait flights and retaining the service in Kerala.
Alleging that Air India Express has completely neglected  the non-resident Indians, Pinto said that the NRIs from Mangalore, travelling from Kuwait, are now compelled to land in Mumbai and again catch a domestic flight to come to Mangalore, which will be time consuming and troublesome. This will be a great inconvenience to mothers travelling with infants, he said.
26/02/14 Deccan Herald

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Sparks from crackers trigger minor fire at airport

Chennai: Sparks from crackers, which were burst by the airport authorities to scare away birds at the airport here today, fell into an oil can, leading to a minor fire, airport sources said.
The incident happened at Bay no 62 at the Domestic airport and five planes were parked in nearby bays, sources said.
26/02/14 Free Press Journal

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Oman-India flights diverted as fog rolls in

Muscat: Flights from Middle East region were affected as fog blanketed north Indian cities for a few hours on Monday morning.
A Jet Airways flight from Dammam to Delhi was diverted to Jaipur due to poor visibility at 7:55am and an Oman Air flight operating on Muscat-Lucknow sector was diverted to Delhi due to foggy conditions in Lucknow.  The Oman Air flight landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 5.42am.
According to Indian Meteorological Department's (IMD) forecast, it will again be a foggy day in Delhi today, while on February 27 and February 28, skies will be partly cloudy with the possibility of rain or thunderstorm.
"We are aware of the fog in north India. We don't have flights operating to north Indian destinations and none of our flights from the region have made any stopovers in Muscat due to the bad weather in north India," Riyaz Kuttery, general manger at Jet Airways in Oman, said.
25/02/14 Rejimon K/Times of Oman

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Senator seeks probe of Cebu airport project

Senator Sergio Osmeña III on Tuesday called for an investigation into delays in the awarding of construction and 25-year management contract of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA).
In a privilege speech entitled "Shades of Piatco," Osmeña expressed concern that the award of the MCIA contract to the consortium of GMR Infrastructure Ltd. of India and Megawide Construction Corporation would cause a "grievous injury" not only to the people of Cebu but to "all future travelers to and from the Visayas and Mindanao."
"As a Cebuano, I am very much concerned because if this project is done well, it could send the people of Cebu soaring to higher levels of tourism and other commercial activity and would result in more jobs and higher incomes for tens of thousands," he said.
"If done badly, it could send our hopes and aspirations crashing to the ground, with serious repercussions on the national economy, and on our international image," Osmeña added.
25/02/14 Sun Star

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DU professor with disability harassed at Hyderabad airport

New Delhi: Yet another disabled passenger was harassed at the airport on Friday. Satendra Singh, who was travelling from Hyderabad to Delhi, was asked by security at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to remove his leg brace during frisking. Singh, who teaches at the University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi University, has post-polio residual paralysis and uses a knee-foot-ankle-orthosis (KFAO) also called a caliper or brace, for support.
The confrontation with security officials — the latest in a string of such encounters between differently-abled passengers and airport officials — lasted about 20 minutes before the officials capitulated.
"They wanted me to remove the caliper and run it through the x-ray machine," says Singh, "In my case that's quite difficult as it goes up to the thigh. I would've had to remove my trousers to take the caliper off. It was humiliating. I wanted them to carry out an Explosive Trace Detector (ETD) test and was willing to let them frisk me."
25/02/14 Times of India

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KZN nurse held in India over bullet

Durban: A KwaZulu-Natal nurse spent four days in an Indian prison as a suspected terrorist after airport police found a live bullet in her luggage.
Isra Devi Lutchman, 62, left for India last week hoping to have a wonderful holiday.
However, it turned into a nightmare when she was arrested on arrival in Delhi, on a flight from Dubai, on February 19.
She was held at the Rohini district jail in Delhi, before being released on bail at the weekend.
A relative, who did not want to be named, said Lutchman told them soon after her release that the prison system in India left a lot to be desired. She said she had been fed one slice of bread a day while in jail and had been detained in a cell with other female offenders.She was also not allowed to bath during her incarceration.The relative said Lutchman was traumatised by her arrest.
“She was not given an opportunity to defend herself. She knew nothing about the bullet,” the relative said.
“She was just hauled off to jail and only gave a statement to police when an Indian advocate - Asim Al - was appointed.” The relative said they were trying to secure the help of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) to facilitate Lutchman’s return home.Lutchman is staying at a hotel in Delhi  awaiting the arrival of her family.
25/02/14 Sherlissa Peters/IOL News

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Unisys finishes testing of core airport op-systems at MIAL

Mumbai: NYSE-listed Unisys Corporation today announced that its Indian subsidiary has successfully completed testing of the core airport operational systems implemented at Mumbai International Airport Ltd.
Our Indian subsidiary has successfully completed testing of the core airport operational systems implemented at MIAL's new terminal 2 as part of the airport's modernisation program to cater to India's growing aviation industry, a company statement said here.
Mumbai International Airport is the primary international airport in Mumbai and is the second busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic. More than 30 million international passengers travelled via Mumbai Airport in 2012, up six percent from 2011. The new Terminal 2 building, designed to serve both international and domestic operations, went live in February 2014.
25/02/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Gold bars worth Rs. 60 lakh seized at Kochi airport

Kochi:  Two gold bars, weighing around two kgs and valued at Rs. 60.94 lakh, were seized by the customs officers from a passenger who arrived in Kochi from Kuala Lumpur by an Air Asia flight.
Officials of Air Intelligence Unit intercepted the passenger Kallattayil Hydru Shaju, hailing from Thrissur district, who arrived from Kuala Lumpur late last night.
25/02/14 NDTV.com

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Airports Economic Regulatory Authority scraps user development fee at Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: Come April 1, flying out of the swanky Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad is all set to be lighter on the pockets, at least for the next two years. All thanks to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority's (AERA) decision to scrap the hefty user development fee (UDF) that airport operator GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) charges domestic and international passengers at RGIA from April 1, 2014 till March 31, 2016.
Currently, domestic passengers departing from Hyderabad airport have to shell out Rs 430 plus taxes, which works out to Rs 484 per passenger, while international passengers have to cough up a whopping Rs 1,700 plus taxes, which adds up to Rs 1,910 per passenger. Only infants below two years are exempt from UDF charges levied by airports to recover the cost of operations.
The order further stated that as there will be no UDF, there would also correspondingly be no collection charge of Rs 5 per passenger with effect from April 1, 2014.
25/02/14 Times of India

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Airports Authority to develop UP airports

New Delhi: Airports Authority of India (AAI) Monday entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh government for development of airports in the state.
According to AAI, the state government has handed over Meerut, Moradabad and Faizabad airports for further development and has agreed to provide land and other logistical support for establishing of new civil enclaves at Agra, Allahabad, Bareilly and Kanpur.
24/02/.14 IANS/Business Standard

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Major fog at Delhi delays flights

New Delhi:  A dense "freak" fog has covered Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport this morning. Both runways were shut down, as visibility was described as nil. The situation has began to improve now.
40 flights have been delayed so far, and this could affect flight schedule for some part of the day.
A passenger on an early morning Indigo flight to Kolkata said they had boarded as scheduled and had now been sitting in the plane for the past one and a half hours. "We cannot see anything outside the window... every few minutes a further delay is being announced", he said.
25/02/14 NDTV

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Ozar terminal to be inaugurated on March 2

Nashik:  After a delay of almost two months, the new airport terminal at Ozar, 20 km from Nashik, will be inaugurated on March 2 by union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.
The construction of the new airport terminal is almost over, with the remaining work expected to be completed in a day or two. The earlier deadline to complete the work was December 2013, but it was delayed due to technical reasons.
The Maharashtra government and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) are jointly upgrading the airport at a cost of Rs 84 crore. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the government and HAL was signed in March 2011. The bhoomi pujan of the state-of-the art passenger terminal at Ozar airport, being constructed on HAL land, was performed on January 2, 2012.
25/02/14 Times of India

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6 villages think about taking airport land battle to court

Navi Mumbai: Six villages, opposing the Navi Mumbai International Airport, are considering taking the battle to court.
A day after the state government made it clear that the villagers will get 22.5% of developed land as compensation and those opposing it will get a package according to the Union government's Land Acquisition Act (which is 20% of the developed land), the members of the protesting villages said, "We have not got any official communication on the latest development from the state government."
Mahendra Patil, leader of the organization formed by the farmers of these six villages - Antarrashtriya Vimanthal Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti, said, "The villagers are not going to accept the offered compensation. If the package is forced on us, farmers are contemplating fighting a legal battle."
25/02/14 Times of India

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Stay united on Dabolim airport issue, says Goa Minister

Panaji: Minister for Environment Alina Saldanha, on Sunday asked the people to stay united on the demand to get the Navy shifted from Dabolim airport in south Goa to Karwar, where the Naval base is located.
"Once this goal is achieved, Dabolim airport will be for Goans(civilian use) only and there will not be a need for an alternate airport," she said while participating in a public debate organised on Sunday by Cansaulim Arossim Cuelim Civic and Consumer Forum (CACCCF) and Cansaulim Villagers Action Committee (CVAC) in Casaulim in south Goa, which forms part of her Assembly constituency. Representatives from the BJP and AAP participated in the public debate on "Future of Dabolim Airport".
The controversy over whether Goa needed a new airport proposed to come up at Mopa in Pernem in north Goa or should it continue with expanded Dabolim airport with more civilian use of the airport, presently under Naval jurisdiction, is once again getting revived as parliamentary elections are round the corner.
24/02/14 Prakash Kamat/The Hindu

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26-fold jump in gold smuggling at IGI Airport

New Delhi: Gold smuggling at the IGI airport is up 26 times from previous years with 177.6kg of the yellow metal being intercepted at the airport this financial year, according to information obtained via an RTI plea and official data.
Nearly 85kg gold has been seized by the customs department since the beginning of the year. Last year, only 6.8kg of gold was seized .
On Friday, airport authorities nabbed two Sri Lankans who were trying to smuggle out 20kg of gold worth Rs 5.25 crore. The two were travelling from Mumbai. "We intercepted the duo at the domestic terminal. We X-rayed their baggage and found two 10kg gold bars," said a customs official.
23/02/14 Suhas Munshi/Times of India

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Gold smuggling: Tougher check on ground staff at Delhi airport

New Delhi: Employees engaged by Delhi airport operators may soon have to face tougher checking by customs officials as part of efforts to put a check on incidents of gold smugglings involving them.
The move comes after Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and customs officials found involvement of some airport ground staff, including those responsible for collecting garbage, loading and unloading cargo, maintaining inventory, cleaning and supervising other maintenance works, in smuggling of the yellow metal.
Of late, some employees hired by contract firms of Delhi airport operators have been held by the DRI and customs officials for allegedly trying to smuggle in gold with the help of passengers, official sources said.
The customs department may take up the matter with Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a joint venture consortium of GMR Group (54 per cent), Airports Authority of India (26 per cent), and Fraport AG & Eraman Malaysia (10 per cent each), they said.
24/02/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Engine snag grounds AI Dreamliner in Tokyo

New Delhi:  In yet another Dreamliner snag, an Air India Boeing-787 was grounded in Tokyo on Sunday just when it was supposed to take off for Delhi. The flight (AI 307) pushed back from Narita airport out with over 160 passengers on board but the aircraft had to be towed back after its right engine simply did not start!
"There is some problem with the engine and some of its blades have broken. So it did not start. It is an internal issue and not one caused by bird hit," said an airline official. AI is talking to Japan Airlines and ANA as both these airlines use Dreamliners and have the same engine. The airline is trying to get parts from these local carriers so that the aircraft (VT-ANI) is not grounded for long in Tokyo.
24/02/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Grand Telangana welcomes choking Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: The welcome being accorded to T leaders by thousands of followers thronging the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has become a major inconvenience for other passengers, many of whom are taking the Outer Ring Road to avoid getting caught in traffic snarls.
"The approach roads are blocked. The congestion is worst at rotaries. The movement of traffic on the highway roads leading to the airport is slow," complained Vinay Kumar, who had gone to receive relatives at the airport on Sunday.
Sources at the airport said many people are reaching the boarding gates at the last minute as they are barely able to check in on time due to the chaos caused by hordes of Telangana supporters holding placards and banners to welcome their leaders.
24/02/14 Times of India

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Maharashtra clears record payout to acquire land for new airport

Mumbai:  The state cabinet on Sunday finally put its seal on the record compensation package that it will offer to villagers to acquire their land for the development of the Navi Mumbai international airport. TOI had first reported the offer on August 13 last year.
Calling it "a much better offer than what the residents could get under the new central law on land acquisition", the state said the villagers would get back a plot measuring 22.5% of their original land, fully developed and in a non-Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), right next to the airport; they will also get an extra floor space index (FSI) of 2. The worth of the returned land—the original plots are in CRZ—will translate into Rs 16 crore per hectare. With this offer, which includes several other perks, the state expects to win over the six villages, which have been holding back their land as they were unhappy with the compensation earlier offered to them.
24/02/14 Times of India

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KORWA urges restoration of M'lore-Kuwait flights

Mangalore: Louis Lobo, president of the Konkan Overseas Returnees Welfare Association (KORWA) Mangalore and vice-president Elias Sanctis on Saturday February 22 submitted a  memorandum to J  R Lobo MLA Mangalore South requesting him to try and restore the services of the Air India Express or get any other private airline to operate between Mangalore and Kuwait.
The memorandum expressed disappointment of the KORWA members over the cancellation of the flight services.
"We are shocked that the said services can continue on the extant route of Kozhikode to Kuwait even as it passes a location that has a lot of passengers that use the flight services to Kuwait," it said.
23/02/14 daijiworld.com

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Gold haul at KIA: special team from Kolkata questions trio

Bangalore: A day after three men from Coimbatore were arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport for transporting 54 kg of gold worth Rs. 16.5 crore, a special team from Kolkata came to the to question the trio regarding the case.
According to sources, the Kolkata team found no link between a case they are investigating in Kolkata and the Bangalore seizure.
The three men, who claimed to be sales executives of a jewellery unit in Coimbatore, were caught with three bags containing 24 gold biscuits and other gold valuables. The arrested are Balasubramanya, Ravivarma R and Iswhar Murthy.
Police officials said they would investigate how such large quantity of gold could pass through security checks at the at the Kolkata airport without detection, but said it was “too early to comment” on the matter until the questioning was complete.
23/02/14 The Hindu

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26-fold jump in gold smuggling at IGI Airport

New Delhi: Gold smuggling at the IGI airport is up 26 times from previous years with 177.6kg of the yellow metal being intercepted at the airport this financial year, according to information obtained via an RTI plea and official data.
Nearly 85kg gold has been seized by the customs department since the beginning of the year. Last year, only 6.8kg of gold was seized .
On Friday, airport authorities nabbed two Sri Lankans who were trying to smuggle out 20kg of gold worth Rs 5.25 crore. The two were travelling from Mumbai. "We intercepted the duo at the domestic terminal. We X-rayed their baggage and found two 10kg gold bars," said a customs official.
23/02/14 Suhas Munshi/Times of India

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DGCA grounds United Airlines plane, US aviation authority sees red

Mumbai: A United Airlines aircraft has been grounded in Mumbai since Thursday evening with DGCA sources claiming that the aircraft is damaged, but there is a speculation that this could be the result of a power struggle ever since the US downgraded India's civil aviation security standards.
The aircraft belonging to American carrier United Airlines has been grounded at the Mumbai International Airport for over 48 hours signalling a major standoff between the DGCA and the US Federal Aviation Authority.
However, the DGCA has maintained that it grounded the aircraft because the right engine cowl was missing even as the United Airlines says the cowl is present and only has minor damages.
Meanwhile, an eight member team is coming to Mumbai from US to repair the aircraft.
23/02/14 Shawan Sen/CNN-IBN/IBN Live

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Kerala Strikers may not get reprieve from aggrieved cabin crew

Thiruvananthapuram: Trouble for 28 members of Kerala Strikers, a celebrity cricket team featuring film stars deplaned at Kochi airport by the Commander of a Kochi-Hyderabad Indigo Airlines flight, are far from over.
If the Commander is to follow proper procedure, there is every chance of the team getting booked soon, says Jacob K Philip, aviation analyst based in Kochi.
If the charges are proved, they might get a punishment of one year imprisonment and/or a fine of ?5 lakh.
The drama had unfolded aboard Indigo Airlines Kochi-Hyderabad Flight 314 on Friday afternoon.
Just before takeoff and obviously in an expansive mood, the Strikers broke into thunderous claps and whistled wildly even as cabin crew were busy giving flight safety demonstration.
Apparently taken aback and slighted, the crew are reported to have rushed to the Captain and complained.
The Captain, in turn, informed the ATC and brought the aircraft back to the apron and ordered the celebrity cricket team out.
Some passengers too are said to have objected to the behaviour of the team.
Later, organiser of the Celebrity Cricket League told the media that there’s no rule that says one can’t clap on board. It is no crime. Clapping is of course no crime, says Philip. But disturbing the crew of an aircraft is. Especially when it is performing a crucial duty directly related to the safety of the aircraft.
23/02/14 Vinson Kurian/Business Line

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Police to quiz Celebrity Cricket League stars, airline staff

Kochi: Police have decided to question officials of IndiGo airlines and members of the Celebrity Cricket League team 'Kerala Strikers' with regard to the incident in which the team was deplaned from an IndiGo airlines flight at Cochin airport on Friday on charges of misbehaviour.
"The complaint given by the Kerala Strikers team and the intimation report filed by the IndiGo officials do not contain materials which merit registering of a case. Hence, we have decided to question people on both sides, based on which we will decide whether a case should be registered," said Satheesh Bino, Ernakulam rural district police chief.
Meanwhile, aviation experts said that if the IndiGo airlines commander followed proper procedure, there was every chance that all members of Kerala Strikers would get booked under rules 22 and 23 of Indian Aircraft Rules (1937). "If the charges are proved, they may face punishment of one year imprisonment and/or a fine of Rs 5 lakh, said Jacob K Philip, a Kochi-based aviation analyst and editor of Indian Aviation News Net.
23/02/14 Times of India

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The way the airline treated us is unacceptable: Rajeev Pillai

The air hostess has maintained that the team members clapped and whistled after the in-flight safety demonstration, while the players insist that there was just clapping, which they feel is common occurrence. Kerala Strikers team manager Edavela Babu, who was present there has said, "The team did not misbehave on the flight. The airline is our travel partner and we have been taking their flights throughout the series. On all these flights, we cheered for the captain and flight crew before the plane took off. That's all that happened this time too."
According to reports, the air hostess gave a written complaint to the captain of the plane, who in turn reportedly informed the players that they had to give a written apology or the flight wouldn't take off. Apparently, the team members felt that they didn't do anything which called for an apology and decided to disembark from the plane themselves. However, the statement issued by the airlines specify that the captain requested the security staff to offload the 30 passengers, along with their baggage, after other passengers on board too requested the same.
23/02/14 Asha Prakash/Times of India

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Nashik's return to airmap, flight of fancy?

Nashik: Nashik has vanished from the country's air map for the past five years despite having two airports and efforts to bring it back are proceeding at snail's pace with no guarantee that even if air services are revived, they would continue uninterrupted.
There are two airports- one in the city at Gandhinagar under army control and the other on the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) premises at Ozar, around 20 km from the city. Since 1972, when the first air service from the city to Mumbai was introduced, Nashik has been on and off the air map intermittently till 2009.
The Indian Airlines had introduced a Nashik-Mumbai flight in 1972 from the Gandhinagar airport. In 1989, Vayudoot took over and operated flights till 1992. Nashik disappeared from the air map for five years till 1997 when Span Airways introduced a service between the two cities for less than a year.  There was no air service for the following eight years till Air Deccan started operating a flight from the Ozar airport. The service was discontinued in July 2007 due to poor response. Kingfisher Airlines introduced air service in November 2008, but closed it down within a year. Since 2009, Nashik has vanished from the air map.
23/02/14 Times of India

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Thiruvananthapuram aircraft accident: DGCA begins inquiry

Thiruvananthapuram: The Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has started an inquiry into the collapse of the nose wheel of a Cessna 172-R aircraft during a solo training flight in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.
The trainee pilot escaped unhurt although the newly acquired aircraft was badly damaged during landing on the main runway of the international airport at 2.45 p.m. The first three landings were uneventful. During approach the fourth time, the trainee pilot faced problems. The nose wheel and the middle portion got damaged, sources said. The fire services wing of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) rushed to the scene but there was no fire or injury, sources said.
The aircraft was swiftly removed from the runway and flight operations were not affected, AAI sources said.
23/02/14 The Hindu

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Smart, green city near proposed Navi Mumbai Airport to become reality in 30 years

Navi Mumbai: A parallel city, much bigger than Navi Mumbai, is being planned by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) near the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) in 30 years to accommodate over 80 lakh people.
The state government has given its nod for creation of the township and named it Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (Naina).
Keeping in mind the rise in population and development in the region once the airport comes up, Cidco has been accorded the status of the special planning authority. It is the sole nodal agency to develop Naina as a smart, intelligent and green city.
23/02/14 Times of India

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Activist stranded at Heathrow for two hours as airport staff struggled to put her wheelchair back together

She was travelling to Canada to deliver the keynote address at an international conference on ‘Leadership in the face of adversity’. -
 But even before she could reach her destination, author and activist Malini Chib faced a bigger hurdle, when British Airways, the airlines she was travelling in, dismantled and took apart her wheel chair before loading the chair in the plane’s cargo.
As a result, when she arrived in London, her first stopover en route to Canada, Chib found herself stranded for over two hours as airline staff at Heathrow frantically tried to put the machine together again. Chib, who has Cerebal Palsy, is also the secretary of Able Disable All People Together (ADAPT earlier known as the Spastics Society of India. Speaking to SUNDAY MiD DAY from London, Chib confirmed she was stranded at Heathrow after her personal wheelchair was tampered with. Chib is now in London, where she has an alternate residency. She will head the conference, organised by the University of Virginia at Canada, soon. According to her mother Dr Mithu Alur, managing trustee of ADAPT, Chib and her father Sathi Alur boarded the British Airways flight from Mumbai to London on Thursday, February 20. “They had business class tickets and the aircraft took off in the afternoon,” she said.
23/02/14 Chetna Yerunkar/MiD DAY

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Biswa Bangla store opens at Kolkata Airport

Kolkata: The `Biswa Bangla`, an array of showrooms to be located at the Kolkata Airport was on Saturday inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee through remote control at a public function in Raidighi in South 24 Parganas distirct.
It will be thrown open to the public from Feb 26.
23/02/14 India Blooms

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Delhi Airport ranked 2nd, Mumbai 5th in 25-40 million category in ACI's ASQ Awards

New Delhi: Two Indian airports - Delhi and Mumbai - figure in the top five in the 25-40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards for 2013 announced earlier this week in Montreal by the Airports Council International (ACI).
 While the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi has been ranked second in the category for the third year in a row, the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in Mumbai has been placed fifth.
 Seoul's Incheon airport topped the category, while Taipei's Taoyuan and Shanghai's Hongqiao airports were placed third and fourth.
 Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport was placed second in the 5-16 million passengers category.
 IGIA was placed fifth among the Best Airports in the Asia Pacific Region, while Kolkata was chosen as the Best Improved airport in the region.
22/02/14 NetIndian

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Maid arrested for travelling on fake passport

Trichy:  A 50-year-old woman was caught by the immigration authorities at the Trichy airport on Saturday for carrying a fake passport.
Airport police who arrested the woman, one G Savitri, found that she had travelled to Kuala Lumpur four years ago to work as a maid for a period of four years. Savitri travelled on a passport bearing her sister's name, Vasantha, and her address as those above 40 years are not recruited as maids in Malaysia. Though, she came to the country twice after that, she managed to hoodwink the airport authorities. However, her luck ran out on Saturday when she returned to the country.
On Saturday, Savitri arrived at the Trichy airport in an AirIndia Express flight. She gave incoherent replies during questioning by the immigration authorities. Soon, she confessed that she has been travelling on fake identity.
23/02/14 Times of India

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54 kg Gold Worth Rs 17 Crore Seized at Airport, 3 Held

Bangalore: The Kempegowda International Airport Police seized 54 kg of gold biscuits worth Rs 16.52 crore from suspected smugglers. They arrested three people identified as Bala Subramanyan, Eshwarmurthy and Ravi Verma. The three were bringing the gold from Kolkata and were smuggling it to Coimbatore through Bangalore. Police said they were carrying the gold biscuits, each weighing 1 kg, in three bags.
Security officials found the gold based on information from the city police. Sources reveal that Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar received  a tip-off from an unknown caller about the huge cache of gold on a Jet Airways flight. The city police, in coordination with KIA officials, seized it.
According to police, the accused claimed to have bought the gold from Scotia Bank in Mumbai and produced a photocopy of the purchase receipt. However, police sources say the document is fake.
23/02/14 New Indian Express

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58-yr-old businessman, three others held with drugs worth Rs 5 crore

Mumbai:  Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday arrested Niranjan Shah (58), a partner of the late scamster, Harshad Mehta, along with three other people, including a Nigerian national for drug trafficking. NCB officials seized ephedrine and methamphetamine worth more than Rs five crore from two cars in which they were travelling.
"We had specific information about Shah indulging in drug peddling and hence we had kept a watch on him for nearly a month. After verifying the facts, we cornered him near the domestic airport and recovered the drugs," said an official from NCB zonal office in Mumbai.
Sources said that the NCB team had been following Shah from near his residence on Juhu Church Road. A search in the two cars resulted in recovery of 80.5 kg of white crystalline powder purportedly to be ephedrine worth around Rs 5 crore and another packet weighing 4.5 kg of methamphetamine worth around Rs 4.5 lakh.
23/02/14 Times of India

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Gold worth Rs 43.98 lakh seized at Mangalore International Airport

Mangalore: On Saturday, officers of customs at MIA seized gold totally weighing 1399.650 grams in three separate cases valued at Rs 43,38,915. One of the accused arrested in these cases involved a woman, the first such instance from January this year where a woman has been caught trying to bring in gold illegally. She followed an oft adopted modus operandi by gold smugglers.
In the first case, officers seized 10 gold pieces weighing 933.140 grams valued at Rs 28,92,734 concealed in an emergency light and a rechargeable LED flash light from the possession of a passenger Mehazabin Rumana.
In the second case, officers seized six gold pieces, totally weighing 233.250 grams and valued at Rs 7,23,075 concealed in undergarments worn by Ahmed Kabeer Moideen Kunhi, a resident of Chattanchal Kaniyadukkam, Kasargod district of Kerala.
In the third case, officers seized six gold pieces totally weighing 233.260 grams and valued at Rs 7,23,106 concealed in under garments worn by Hassainar Kombanadukkam Ismail, resident of,Chemnad in Kasargod district.
22/02/14 Times of India

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Two Sri Lankan held with gold worth Rs 5 cr at airport

New Delhi: In a major seizure, two Sri Lankans have been arrested at the airport here for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country gold bars weighing 20 kg.
Acting on intelligence, the duo were intercepted by customs officials after their arrival here from Mumbai on Friday.
On examination of their hand baggage, gold bars weighing 20 kg were found. They were carrying 10 kg gold each, a customs official said.
The value of the recovered gold is about Rs 5.25 crore, he said.
The flight was coming from Muscat.
23/02/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Gold seized at Kochi airport

Kochi: Crude gold ornaments of 24-carat purity weighing about 628 gm were seized from seven passengers, three of them Sri Lankan nationals and others Indians, at the Nedumbassery international airport here on Saturday.
23/02/14 The Hindu

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Clapping & whistling onboard: If charged, celebrity cricket team can get 1 year imprisonment

The troubles of the 28 members of Kerala Strikers, the celebrity cricket team, who were deplaned at Kochi airport by the Commander of a Kochi-Hyderabad Indigo Airlines flight, are far from over.
If the Indigo Airlines Commander is to follow proper procedure, there are every chances for all the Strikers to get booked soon. And if the charges are proved, they might get a punishment of one year imprisonment and/or a fine of Rs 5 lakhs.
It was aboard Indigo Airlines Kochi -Hyderabad Flight 314 that the drama unfolded on Friday afternoon. As per the media reports, while the air hostesses were busy giving flight safety demonstration inside the aircraft, just before takeoff, the Strikers clapped and whistled loudly. Some other passengers said to have objected the behavior of the team. Feeling offended and insulted, the cabin crew rushed to the Captain and complained. The Captain in turn informed the ATC and brought the aircraft back to the apron and ordered the celebrity cricket team out.
Later, the organizer of the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) told the media people: “There’s no rule that says you can’t clap on board. Clapping is not a crime. We didn’t misbehave with anyone.”
Clapping is of course no crime. But disturbing the crew of an aircraft definitely is. Especially when the crew were performing a crucial duty directly related to the safety of the aircraft.

See the 23rd & 22nd rules of Indian Aircraft Rules (1937):

Rule 23 
Assault and other acts endangering safety or jeopardizing good order and discipline.–
(1) No person shall, on board an aircraft, -
(a) assault, intimidate or threaten, whether physically or verbally, any person,
(b) intentionally cause damage to or destroy any of property,
(c) consume alcoholic beverages or drugs,
which is likely to endanger the safety of the aircraft or of any person or jeopardizes the good order and discipline on board the aircraft.

Rule 22: 
Assault and other acts of interference against a crew member – No person shall, on board an aircraft, -
a) assault, intimidate or threaten, whether physically or verbally, a crew member which may interfere with the performance of the duties of the crew member or lessens the ability of the crew member to perform those duties;
b) refuse to follow a lawful instruction given by the Pilot-in-Command, or on behalf of the Pilot-in-Command by a crew member, for the purpose of ensuring the safety of the aircraft or of any person or property on board or for the purpose of maintaining good order and discipline on board.

If the Kerala Strikers indeed had clapped and whistled while the safety demo was on, it is obvious that they are guilty of violating the above rules.

The penalty too is there in the rules. See schedule VI  of the Aircraft Rules 1937 .
Offences punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or with fine not exceeding five lakh rupees, or with both.
22/02/14 Jacob K Philip/Decision Height

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A round of applause brings stars to ground

Kochi: Celebrity Cricket League team Kerala Strikers' members were deplaned at the airport here after they allegedly misbehaved with the crew of a Hyderabad-bound IndiGo flight.
The flight, scheduled to take off at 1 pm, left Nedumbassery one-and-a-half hours late.
The deplaned members included Bhavana, Mythili, Manikkuttan, Riyas Khan, Prachod Kalabhavan and Idavela Babu.
The aircraft had taxied on to the runway when the incident happened. The captain brought the plane back to the apron, and ordered them to disembark.
"Initially the passengers resisted, but had to deplane on other passengers' request," IndiGo said in an e-mailed response.
Irin Michael, a passenger onboard the flight, said the team continued to whistle and clap despite the airhostess asking them to behave. Another passenger, M Ramesh blamed the CCL team for delaying the flight. The team of about 30 members denied any wrongdoing.
22/02/14 Times of India

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Food items rotting in ports and airports as govt introduces new packaging rules

Mumbai: New Indian labelling requirements for imported foods and ingredients have led to a severe shortage of such items in Mumbai and across the country, hitting kitchens of top restaurants.
Huge consignments of imported meats, cheeses, sauces, edible oil and even mayonnaise, among other popular items, are held up at airports and ports over what authorities describe as insufficient information on the packages' labels.
The dwindling supply has left chefs wondering how to serve Greek salad without feta cheese, Miso soup minus silken tofu or Thai curry without fish sauce.
It's also eating into restaurants' profits: prices of foreign foods - labelled in Spanish, Japanese and Italian - have now doubled in Mumbai's markets, but most eateries are unable to hike rates on their menus after having already done so recently. If the supply doesn't improve, they may be forced to pass on the costs to the patrons.
22/02/14 Jharna Thakkar & Urvashi Seth/Mumbai Mirror

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HC asks Govt whether airport project reports placed before it

Kochi: Kerala High Court today directed the state government to inform it whether various reports regarding the proposed Rs 2000 crore Aranmulla airport project were placed before it and how it had considered about the reports.
A division bench comprising Justice T R Ramachandran Nair and the Justice K Abrhaham Mathew observed that 10 per cent share of the proposed airport was with the state government which was also providing land for the project.
None of materials and reports were produced before the government,the court said referring to a report by filed by the Chief Secretary.
Earlier, the Chief Secretary filed an affidavit pointing that they have not received feasibility report prepared by KITCO, an engineering consultancy organisation.
The project promoters KGS group had claimed that Establishment of the airport comes within the Union list and they have got permission from the Central government.
21/02/14 PTI/Business Standard

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IGIA airport receives quality award

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here has been awarded the airport service quality (ASQ) award for 2013 announced by the Airports Council International (ACI).
According to operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the IGIA has retained second position in 25-40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category globally for the third consecutive year.
21/02/14 IANS/Business Standard

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African Woman Caught With $57,000 in Undergarments

Chennai: Regardless of how high a dollar is valued, this West African lady would have easily taken the prize for possessing the most expensive lingerie, as airport security found a whopping 57,000 USD stuffed inside her underwear.
According to a top CISF official, 34-year-old Choukouratoua Alayi, who belongs to the Republic of Benin, had come to board an Emirates flight EK 547 to Hong Kong via Dubai, on Wednesday night.
After checking in, the woman proceeded to the security check where a female CISF constable began frisking her.
“Normally the checks are fairly quick, but when our constable placed her hands on this lady, she seemed uncomfortable. So she asked her to submit to further search,” the official said.
When she reluctantly agreed to the full body search, the female guards were surprised to find that she had wads of US dollars stuffed all around her hip and lower abdomen, packed into her underwear.
With Customs maintaining that the permissible amount of currency for a person to carry out of India is fixed at $5000, this was well over the limit.
21/02/14 New Indian Express

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Employee of airport contract firm held for smuggling gold

New Delhi: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has unearthed a modus operandi of smuggling gold through nexus with an airport contract firm employee and arrested three persons for allegedly trying to smuggle into country the yellow metal valued about Rs 30 lakh.
Of the three held, one was identified as Jitin Gupta who works as senior customer service associate of M/s Global airport, a contract firm of M/s GMR at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here, a press release issued today by DRI said.
Gupta was apprehended by DRI on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday for allegedly trying to smuggle in 1.152 kg of gold brought by Surinder Pal who, after arrival from Bangkok, handed over the metal to Gupta inside the bathroom in immigration hall, it said.
21/02/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Kerala actors deplaned from Indigo plane for misbehaviour at Kochi Airport

Kochi: Several Malayalam actors, part of Kerala Strikers cricket team taking part in the Celebrity Cricket League, heading for Hyderabad, were today deplaned from an Indigo aircraft by the captain for alleged misbehaviour.
The plane was about to take off, and the air hostesses were busying giving flight safety demo inside the aircraft, when the actors clapped and whistled loudly.
The flustered cabin crew rushed into the pilot's cabin, who in turn informed Air Traffic Control.
The plane which was preparing for take off, came to the landing apron, and the actors were deplaned.
21/02/14 India TV

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Why Indigo airlines staff deboarded Kerala Strikers' star cricketers!

New Delhi: The Indigo Airlines on Thursday deboarded 28-member squad of Kerala Strikers at Cochin International Airport for allegedly misbehaving with the crew. The team, comprising of actors who are participating in the ongoing Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), had boarded the 1 PM flight from Cochin to Hyderabad.
 Speaking exclusively to Dailybhaskar.com, Aji Pattath, Organiser, CCL, who was travelling with the team claimed the players merely “clapped” after one of the air-hostesses finished demonstrating the on-board safety instructions.
 “The air-hostess then confronted us and asked who whistled. The fact is that nobody whistled. They just clapped,” he insisted.
“The airhostess then said, ‘I want to see how you people fly now,’ and complained the matter to the captain. Captain Ajay Mishra then asked for a written apology from us, but we refused since we had done nothing wrong.
21/02/14 Shantanu Srivastava/Daily Bhaskar.com

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'Downgraded' DGCA probes US aircraft that landed in Mumbai sans engine part

New Delhi: Will India adopt a tit-for-tat policy for 'Uncle Sam' after its aviation safety rating was downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration due to poor oversight capability of the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA)?
A mega US carrier's schedule Newark-Mumbai flight landed in Mumbai in the early hours of Friday with the aircraft's right wing engine nose coil missing. The part, which provides a smooth aerodynamic cover for the engine and protects it from the environment, is believed to have flown off during the flight, raising question marks over the FAA's very own oversight.
The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) is sending a team of officials to inspect the aircraft. If the inspections reveal major faults, the aircraft may be not be allowed to take off till the same are rectified. Incidentally, this is the second problem found in US-registered aircraft in India in last 10 days. Earlier, a major US cargo company's freighter aircraft was also found to have the top surface of its vertical stabilizer missing. "These things do not show FAA's own oversight on US-registered aircraft in a good light," said an official.
21/02/14 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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United Airlines plane grounded at Mumbai airport

New Delhi: A Boeing 777 aircraft of American carrier United Airlines was grounded at Mumbai airport on Thursday night after engineers found that its right engine cover was badly damaged, official sources said on Friday.
The aircraft, operating flight UA-48 from Newark to Mumbai, arrived around 10pm on Thursday.
DGCA officials, who inspected the aircraft thereafter, grounded the plane, terming the damage as "major", the sources said.
21/02/14 PTI/Times of India

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Hyderabad airport put on red alert after threat letter

New Delhi: The Hyderabad international airport was on Friday put on high alert after an anonymous letter threatening that explosives will be used and transported through a flight was received at the facility. Sources said the Chief Airport Security Officer (CASO) of the sprawling complex received the letter which threatened that "explosives" will be used and transported through a flight which may take-off or land at the airport.
The letter was received at the the airport a day after Parliament approved a historic bill to carve out Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh amid vociferous protests by members from Seemandhra region as also from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena. The letter does not clarify the handler or source of the explosives but states that the flight may come or go to Delhi, the sources said.
21/02/14 IBN Live

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50,000 fly from Birmingham to India in six months

Long-awaited direct flights from the city to India have brought in 50,000 passengers in six months since it was launched at Birmingham Airport.
Airport bosses fought for five years to return Air India flights after they were stopped from the city in 2008, and have been repleased by the response, with four in five seats sold.
To celebrate its success in the first six months, leaders of the local Sikh community presented Birmingham Airport with a commemorative plaque to thank the team for launching the flights last year and reconnecting Birmingham with Delhi and Amritsar, an important spiritual centre for the Sikh faith.
The airport’s aviation development director William Pearson said: “The Midlands has the second largest Asian community in the UK, so it’s no surprise that the airline has carried its first 50,000 passengers and experienced over 80 per cent load factors on the route since launching last August.”
20/02/14 Graeme Brown/Birmingham Post

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Aranmula: 'Govt Open to Talks'

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy reiterated his stand that the UDF Government had only followed the previous LDF Government’s policy on Aranmula airport project. He said the State Government was open to discussions with those opposing the project.
“As a democratic elected government, we are open to discussions with anyone. But the effort for talks should come from those opposing the project,” he said. Chandy said that the UDF Government had gone ahead with the Aranmula project which was listed as one among the achievements of the previous LDF Government. “We only went ahead with what the LDF Government started. The UDF Government had only done denotification of land not otherwise,” he said.
20/02/14 New Indian Express

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British Airways offers limited discounts on couple tickets for those travelling out of India

New Delhi:  British Airways is offering up to 70 per cent discount on limited sale of couple tickets to London and other cities in the UK for travel till June end as part of its Valentine's Day campaign.
The tickets should be booked before February 28 and is valid for outbound travel till June 30, an airline spokesperson said.
The tickets are on offer for travel from key Indian cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad to London or destinations like Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle and Jersey.
20/02/14 PTI/NDTV.com

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Kolkata airport gets 'best improvement' award

Mumbai: Kolkata airport has been judged as most improved airport in the Asia Pacific region in a service quality award. The Airport Council International which carries out surveys at 285 airports around the world has ranked  Delhi and Mumbai airports as second and fifth best amongst airports handling 25-40 million passengers annually. Hyderabad airport was ranked second amongst airports handling 5-15 million passengers. The awards are given on the basis of airport service quality surveys which consider  passengers’ immediate appraisal from check-in through departure at the gate at more than 285 airports.
20/02/14 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Dabolim airport director denies allegations of poor construction work

Vasco: Airport director M Suresh denied the allegations of poor construction work and substandard materials in the collapse of retaining wall of the newly constructed terminal of the Dabolim airport.
"The wall did not collapse on its own; this should be treated as an accident at a construction site. Our probe revealed that it is the fault of the operator of the JCB earth-mover, who was shifting sand left at the spot on Wednesday. The earth-mover accidentally crashed into the wall and it collapsed. The same contractor has already started re-building it," he said.
AAI has stationed security guards at the spot to ensure that nobody enters the airport unauthorised, Suresh added.
21/02/14 Times of India

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Wider T2 aisles 'help' flyers jump queue

Mumbai:  For the past few days, the immigration counters of the new international terminal 2 (T2) of the Mumbai airport have turned into a place where one learns a few things about human behaviour. At T2, the aisle for queuing that leads up to the immigration counters are much wider than the ones at the old terminal.
While at the old terminal the aisle could accommodate only one passenger, at T2, four-five passengers can comfortably stand side by side. Unfortunately, this has led to many passengers jumping the queue. "It doesn't matter which country one is in, cutting into the queue is frowned upon everywhere. At the Mumbai airport though, for now, passengers who follow the etiquette of queuing have been putting up with those who do not," said Sneha Parameshwaran, who flew from Dubai and landed at Mumbai airport recently.
"Every passenger who stood in the queuefollowing the common norms of queuing was left waiting for much longer as several others jumped the queue," said Sanjay Katira, a frequent flyer who landed in Mumbai airport on Tuesday night. "In the new terminal the aisles leading up to the immigration counters are very wide. Passengers standing behind can cross over and move ahead and many take advantage of this," he said.
21/02/14 Times of India

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NRI held for smuggling gold worth Rs 80 lakh

Hyderabad: An NRI, who allegedly tried to smuggle 2.4 kg gold worth Rs 80 lakh, was arrested by Customs authorities at Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Airport at Shamshabad here.
The Customs officials intercepted Mohammed Abdul Mateen, who arrived here last evening by a flight from Saudi Arabia via Muscat.
20/02/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Swanky hotels, malls to come up around Mumbai's Terminal 2

Mumbai:  After successfully launching a world-class airport terminal (T2), GVK now plans to construct a new business district in the vicinity of the international airport.
Armed with 200-acre of land that the energy to infrastructure giant received for constructing the new terminal, the company plans to transform the parcel of land into a massive business district, which would be bigger than the Bandra-Kurla Complex.
The ambitious project, known as the GVK Skycity, would comprise mostly of commercial establishments, hotels, malls, and theme parks, but not residential apartments. Going by the ongoing market rate of commercial office space around the swanky new airport, the 200-acre of land would fetch them nothing less than Rs. 13,000 crore. According to realty experts, if GVK plans to bid out the land, they may get more than the existing market rate.
GVK plans to monetise the 1.80 million sq-feet airport land available to them and a tender for the same has been floated and bids have been invited too. The 200-acre land bank has been divided into seven parts and the bids have been invited for the first parcel of land. According to sources, the first phase will see the construction of hotels.
20/02/14 MiD DAY

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AAI orders probe into wall collapse at Goa airport

Panaji: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has ordered a probe into the collapse of a retaining wall Wednesday at a New International Airport Building (NITB) complex, which was commissioned only the previous day.
While no one was injured in the collapse of the over 25 metres wall, which rings the Dabolim international airport, located 35 km from here, AAI officials feel there was need to examine the quality of construction of the building.
"We have ordered an inquiry. We are simultaneously also trying to examine other parts of the building for the quality and durability of construction," an AAI official said.
20/02/14 IANS/Business Standard

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India tightens flight safety standards with surprise aircraft checks

Kolkata: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has formed technical teams in Mumbai and New Delhi airports to perform random safety checks on aircraft belonging to foreign airlines, imposing penalties for lapses.
 Checks will cover aircraft hardware and mandatory documents such as the Air Operating Certificate and cabin crew licences, according to a checklist based on ICAO recommendations.
 Penalties range from warning the airline to comply within a specified time frame and grounding the aircraft to denying the airline the right to fly into India for major safety violations.
19/02/14 Shekhar Niyogi/TTG Asia

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Many air-pockets before A380 flies into India

New Delhi: Although the Civil Aviation Ministry lifted the ban on international airlines operating the Airbus A380 into India last month, certain issues still need to be sorted out before the international carriers start flying the world’s biggest commercial jet to India.
For instance , the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will have to certify that airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore can handle the A-380.
 More important, the bilateral air services agreements that India has signed with various countries have to be updated to allow the aircraft into India.
19/02/14 Business Line

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New rapid exit taxiway rolls out at Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport

Mumbai: Passengers travelling from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) can now heave a sigh of relief as flight movements are expected to become quicker at the airport, especially during peak hours. The reason is the development of a Rapid Exit Taxiway (RET), which has been under construction since last November. It's now complete and was rolled out for operation from Wednesday.
"Efforts were made to keep the daily operations unaffected due to the construction work," said a spokesperson for the airport. Airport sources said the development work was being carried out from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday.
Airport officials said the new RET is A380 compliant, which is expected to start operation from CSIA in the next few months as the ministry of civil aviation has lifted the ban it had imposed on the aircraft.
20/02/14 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Kuwait- Mangalore flight withdrawn

Mangalore: Air India Express, the low-cost carrier of Air India, suspended its only flight service between Mangalore and Kuwait from Thursday. It was operating this Kochi-Mangalore-Kuwait sector thrice a week.
The official attributed the withdrawal of the service for the national carrier withdrawing its four leased aircrafts following the expiry of the contract period. The official said Mangalore-Kuwait sector was also at a loss managing with low passenger traffic.
The official said it handled 5,568 passengers (arrival and departure) between Mangalore and Kuwait in four months from September, 2013, to December end, 2013.
For example, the official said if 378 passengers arrived from Kuwait to Mangalore in September, 2013, only 199 passengers arrived in November last year.
19/02/14 Bhatkallys.com

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Airport farmers should not listen to misguided advice: Ajit Pawar

Belapur: Maharashtra's deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had a word of advice for the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project affected farmers, who are opposing the state government's package. Pawar appealed to the farmers to not be misled by "certain elements".
"The state government is committed to the welfare of farmers. The package offered to the airport project-affected farmers is the best deal that the government has to offer. We are here to ensure that farmers get their rightful dues. I would also like to appeal to the farmers to not fall prey to any sort of misguidance," said Pawar, during the inaugural ceremony of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's (NMMC) new building in Belapur.
Farmers in six villages are opposing the state government's rehabilitation package. The land in these villages is significant since the main runway and core area of operations of the new airport fall in these villages.
20/02/14 Rahul M Tawade/Daily News & Analysis

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Airport management contracts on PPP basis at predetermined rates

New Delhi: The ministry of civil aviation is looking at awarding airport management contracts at Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Guwahati, Jaipur and Ahmedabad to private operators at pre-determined rates rather than on a cost-plus basis to safeguard passengers against high user charges post award of the projects.
A senior official at the ministry said, “We are working out the formula for determining the revenue-share agreement between the private operator and the Airports Authority of India. But what we broadly want to do is to predetermine rates so that there is some amount of certainty in the charges which would be levied on passengers. Airport operators would also stand incentivized to increase efficiency when there is a specified limit.”
The new model being considered is in line with the recommendation of the Plan Commission to determine landing and parking charges at the six airports identified for privatisation prior to the award of the project and of linking the increase in tariff to the wholesale price index (WPI).
19/02/14 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Business Standard

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Malindo Air links Mumbai-Kuala Lumpur

Mumbai: Malindo Air, a hybrid Malaysian airline has officially launched five times weekly services from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai to Kuala Lumpur. Malindo Air already has daily flights to Kuala Lumpur from New Delhi since December 30, 2013 and from Trichy since January 2, 2014. The next destinations from India after Mumbai will be Ahmedabad on March 19, 2014 and Kochi on April 24, 2014.
Chandran Rama Muthy, chief executive officer, Malindo Air, “As a key commercial and cultural centre in India which successfully marries tradition and modernity against a backdrop of a spectacular landscape, Mumbai has something for everyone, regardless whether you are travelling here for business or leisure.
19/02/14 Financial Express

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Retaining wall at Dabolim airport terminal comes crashing down

Vasco: Around 30m portion of the newly-constructed retaining wall at the new airport terminal building at Dabolim came down on Wednesday afternoon. No one was hurt.
The cause of the collapse was not immediately known but it is suspected that it could be due to poor quality of work.
At about 12.30pm, the white-painted wall standing 4.5m tall, suddenly collapsed leaving 60m of the remaining wall hanging and cracked. The wall came down on the NH 17-B highway at Shantinagar.
On Wednesday evening, when the team comprising deputy collector Gaurish Sankhwalkar, Vasco mamlatdar, officials from the BDO and the PDA, visited the site, they pointed towards the substandard quality of material used in building the retaining wall.
20/02/14 Times of India

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Getting innovative with 'time': Gold hidden in watch seized at Mangalore Airport

Mangalore: After belt, hooks and wafer tin, it was now the turn of wrist watch to become a carrier of smuggled gold at Mangalore International Airport. The officers of customs at Mangalore International Airport on Wednesday February 19 seized one kg gold bar and one circular gold piece coated with silver paint totally weighing 1116.400 gms valued at Rs 34,58,512.
The gold was brought by way of mis-declaration and concealment inside a watch and further concealed in a bag by a passenger identified as Muhammed Musthafa Eriyapadi Pallindakukkal, a resident of Kasaragod.
19/02/14 Daijiworld

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From April 1, fly to Abu Dhabi directly from Jaipur

Jaipur: For those who are dependent on Delhi and Mumbai to get a connecting flight to US, UK and Europe, here is some good news. There will be a direct flight from Jaipur to Abu Dhabi, capital of United Arab Emirates from April 1, which will help air travellers to get connecting flights to US and Europe.
Presently Jaipur airport has three international flights to Muscat, Dubai and Sharjah which usually run full capacity.
SN Borkar, director, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Jaipur said Etihad Airways will operate the flight between Jaipur and Abu Dhabi from April 1 onwards. "Presently they will operate only one flight. The schedule will be released soon," Borkar said. "Depending on the response, there is also a possibility that the frequency of the flight may increase. It will definitely help the passengers travelling to Europe and US who can avail this flight to get a connecting flight to these destinations," Borkar added.
19/02/14 Times of India

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Air travellers lug heavy bags as trolleys go missing at T2

Mumbai:  Mumbai airport's new international Terminal 2 or T2 is already a week old and yet passengers continue to find it lacking even in basic amenities. Several international passengers who landed in Mumbai in the early hours of Tuesday were forced to lug their bags from the conveyor belt up to their vehicles, what with no trolleys in sight.
Worse, the trolley problem at T2 does not appear to be the kind that can be easily or quickly resolved. The most affected are passengers of wide-bodied aircraft with over 300 seats, which land in the early hours when international arrivals and departures get bunched together.
"At 4am, the last thing one wants to do is haul bags around looking for directions. Around four flights had landed then and, like me, several passengers had to do without a trolley. This is the most basic facility a terminal should provide, I prefer the old terminal," said Sanjay Katira, a frequent flyer.
19/02/14 Manju V/Times of India

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Fear of mishaps forces MMRDA to put up more signs for Sahar elevated road

Mumbai: After several instances of near collisions at the mouth of the Sahar elevated road, the city’s development authority has now installed additional signages on the Western Express Highway and the Santacruz Airport Flyover to use the newly-opened road to the new airport terminal, T2.
The entrance to the Sahar elevated road from the Western Express Highway is an underpass in the middle of the road at the Hanuman Road junction in Vile Parle, at a short distance from the Santacruz airport junction flyover. The underpass leads to an elevated road to the new terminal.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has installed instruction boards to inform commuters to keep to the right to take the underpass to access the freeway to T2.
20/02/14 Indian Express

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Frankfurt Airport honored as “International Cargo Airport of the Year”

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) has been honored as the winner of The STAT Trade Times International Award for Excellence in Air Cargo in the category “International Cargo Airport of the Year” – presented recently in Mumbai during the Air Cargo India 2014 conference and exhibition. The worldwide readers of The STAT Trade Times, an Indian-based international multimodal-transport media group, voted for Frankfurt Airport and other recipients in a total of 26 cargo and logistics categories. Anke Giesen, Fraport AG`s executive board member and executive director ground handling, said: “Frankfurt Airport`s top choice as the `International Cargo Airport of the Year` is a great honor and underscores our enduring commitment to strengthen and expand FRA`s role as a strategic hub for Germany and Europe in the global economy.”
Bucking the tough economic climate in Europe in 2013, FRA achieved a new annual record of 58 million passengers, while cargo grew to 2.1 million metric tons last year. In January 2014, FRA`s cargo throughput (airfreight and airmail) advanced 7.2 percent to 160,970 metric tons. Infrastructure continues to expand, too. FRA is the only major airport in Europe to open a brand new runway (in 2011), followed by a large Pier A-Plus terminal expansion in 2012. Furthermore, new on-airport development sites are available at CargoCity. At the flourishing Gateway Gardens business park, DB Schenker opened its new European headquarters last year. In 2014, the House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM) – the world`s first airport university campus – will open here, too. HOLM will operate as an innovation and higher-education center that harnesses international collaboration to meet the challenges of our industry.
19/02/14 ForImmediateRelease.net

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Govt to hand over 14 more domestic airports to pvt parties

New Delhi: Government, which is proceeding with privatising six airports including those at Kolkata and Chennai, intends to give away 14 more to private parties for operation and development during the 12th Plan period, Rajya Sabha was told today.
The six airports developed by state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI), where the government is in the process of entering into public-private partneship (PPP) mode, are Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Guwahati, Jaipur and Ahmedabad.
The other AAI-developed airports which the government is planning to bring under the PPP mode are at Bhubaneshwar, Coimbatore, Trichy, Varanasi, Indore, Amritsar, Udaipur, Gaya, Raipur, Bhopal, Agartala, Imphal, Mangalore and Vadodara, Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal said in reply to a question.
18/02/14 PTI/Business Standard

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Six district airports will be expanded in Maharashtra

Mumbai : The Maharashtra government had allotted Rs 440 crore for the expansion of six airports at the district headquarters, which can allow night landing . “Kolhapur, Solapur, Amravati, Akola, Karhad and Jalgaon. Right now the expansion for Amravati and Karhad has begun. We are re-carpeting the runway strips, making it smooth and clean. We are ensuring that the six divisional airports are expanded to 2300 running metres so that they can have night landing,” P S Meena, additional chief secretary General Administration department.
Meanwhile, the projects that are already under way are at Akola airport, which has 1400 running metres and will be expanded to 1800 running metres. These projects of smoothening the airstrips is called re-carpeting which will cost Rs 5 crore.
Very soon some of these district airports will get terminals and have a tie-up with the airport authority.
18/02/14 Free Press Journal

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