SpiceJet announces six new routes under UDAN, tickets start from Rs 2,560.

New Delhi: Low-cost carrier SpiceJet is starting daily direct flights to the newly build Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda from Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata under the regional connectivity scheme, UDAN. All these flights will be operational from March 31, 2019.

Worth mentioning here is that SpiceJet is the first Indian carrier to connect the un-served market of Jharsuguda with Delhi and Hyderabad.
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SpiceJet announces six new routes under UDAN, tickets start from Rs 2,560. Check detailsBusiness
Updated Feb 28, 2019 | 10:12 IST | ET Now Digital
With the addition of these new flights, SpiceJet will be operating 29 daily flights under the regional connectivity scheme.
SpiceJet will be deploying its Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the Jharsuguda-Delhi-Jharsuguda sector.
New Delhi: Low-cost carrier SpiceJet is starting daily direct flights to the newly build Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda from Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata under the regional connectivity scheme, UDAN. All these flights will be operational from March 31, 2019.

Worth mentioning here is that SpiceJet is the first Indian carrier to connect the un-served market of Jharsuguda with Delhi and Hyderabad.

The airline will launch daily direct flights on the Jharsuguda-Delhi-Jharsuguda, Jharsuguda-Hyderabad-Jharsuguda and Jharsuguda-Kolkata-Jharsuguda sectors.  With the addition of these new flights, SpiceJet will be operating 29 daily flights under the regional connectivity scheme.

Booking of tickers on these routes has already started. The airline is offering an introductory promotional fare starting at Rs 3,701 (all inclusive) on Delhi-Jharsuguda, Jharsuguda-Delhi, Jharsuguda-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Jharsuguda routes. On the Jharsuguda-Kolkata and Kolkata-Jharsuguda routes, fares start from Rs 2,560, the airline said.
28/02/19 ETNowNews.com

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Bhopal: Flyers forum meets airport officials for direct Pune flight

Bhopal: Amid their ongoing demand to connect Bhopal with Pune, Lucknow and Kolkata, Tushar Kulkarni,a member of Support Bhopal for Air Connectivity (SBFAC) met airport officials in Pune to discuss about the urgency for air connectivity between the two capitals.

Kulkarni said that slot for Bhopal-Pune flight is available with Air India but its shortage of aircraft is likely to be a constraint in the connectivity. Air India had started Bhopal-Pune flight in 2016. However, it was discontinued after couple of months. Since then Air India continues to retain the slot.

Speaking to TOI, Kulkarni said, I had written a letter with a request of a meeting about connecting Bhopal with Pune. During the meeting, I told him that as a part of initiative we conducted a lot of surveys for the required destinations and Pune as emerged as one of the most demanded destination."


"And since, Air India holds the Bhopal-Pune slot, SBFAC has also contacted higher authorities of the airline, the response is awaited", Kulkarni added. He also claimed that SBFAC is also following up with IndiGo and Spice Jet to introduce a direct flight to Pune.

Air passenger traffic in Bhopal witnessed 15% growth in last two years, shows data. Notably, frequent flyers who have been running an online campaign for better air connectivity from Bhopal recently organised a walkathon to demand air connectivity with cities like Pune, Kolkata and even Dubai.
28/02/19 Times of India

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Hundreds of passengers affected as flight operators cancel services from Doon airport following tension between India-Pak

Dehradun: As tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on Wednesday, two commercial airlines suspended their flights from Jolly Grant Airport, affecting an estimated 800 passengers.
While IndiGo suspended all five of its flights in which around 700 passengers were booked, SpiceJet cancelled its flights headed towards Amritsar and Jammu which had bookings of over 100 passengers, as per airport authorities.
Speaking to TOI, Jolly Grant Airport director Vinod Sharma said that the flights were suspended due to airspace closure in certain parts of the country. “Two commercial airlines (IndiGo and SpiceJet) suspended their flights from the airport but other airlines like Air India and Jet Airways continued their operations. The airport was also operational throughout the day,” Sharma said.
He added that he did not receive any order from the government to close down the airport. “Some reports suggested that Doon airport was closed but we were operating flights throughout the day,” he said.
28/02/19 Prashant Jha/Times of India

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Chaos at airport over govt’s call for closure

After several airports in north India were asked for a sudden closure on Wednesday, Pune airport too
witnessed confusion and chaos.
The government called for a shutdown of the airports in Amritsar, Jammu, Srinagar and Leh, Kullu-Manali, Kangra, Shimla, Pathankot and Pithoragarh for three months citing security reasons following the violations by Pakistan air force.
Passengers scheduled to fly from Pune to any of these destinations were stranded after their flights were cancelled and had to be rescheduled. Shalu Gusain, attached with an NGO working for underprivileged children, who was set to travel from Chandigarh to Pune, said, “I fly frequently for my work. This morning I woke up to the news that my flight was cancelled. I had to cancel my journey for the day and reschedule the trip.”
“I received a message from Jet Airways stating that my flight scheduled for March 4 from Pune to
Chandigarh was cancelled. The airlines, however, did not give any reason for the cancellation,” said another Pune-based passenger. No additional information on alternate flight was furnished, leaving him in a fix, he added.
Another passenger, Abhishek Naik, set to travel from Indore to Pune was informed about the cancellation only after leaving for the airport. “I had already left for the airport when I checked the message,” Naik said.
He added that he still wanted to reach the airport and verify the reason and figured that flights inbound from the closed airports could not take off.
Airport director Ajay Kumar said that no outbound flights from Pune were affected as there were no direct flights scheduled to any of the closed airports.
28/02/19  Himanshu Nitnaware/Pune Mirror

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Order on Shutdown of Nine Airports Withdrawn, Operations Set to Resume

New Delhi: The orders to shut down nine airports after Pakistan violated India’s airspace have been withdrawn, with reports suggesting that operations have resumed from some of the airports such as Jammu. A spokesperson of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said, "As of now, ops to these airports resumed (sic)."

India had shut down nine airports — Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Pathankot, Amritsar, Shimla, Kangra, Kullu Manali, Pithoragarh — for civilian air traffic amid escalating tensions with Pakistan, officials said.

Responding to the situation, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said his ministry was "strictly" following the "guidelines and instructions" of the Indian Air Force. "We are strictly following all guidelines of the Air Force, and we will continue to do that," Sinha said on the sidelines of an event here. Asked how many flights have been impacted, Sinha said, "I don't have the number. But, as I said, we are following the instructions of the air force."


In Srinagar, an official of the Airports Authority of India had said, "The civilian air traffic has been suspended temporarily in view of the emergency". While the official did not specify the nature of the emergency, it was believed the step was taken in view of an IAF jet crashing in Budgam district.

Officials said they received instructions from air traffic controllers that the airports have been shut for civilian flights. Some of the flights en route to Jammu, Leh and Srinagar airports were diverted to their origin stations, they added. Airports at Chandigarh, Pathankot, Halwara and Bathinda were also put on high alert.
28/02/19 News18.com

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Adani wins bid to run Thiruvananthapuram airport; Kerala govt moves HC against transfer

The Kerala government on Wednesday moved the state high court against the Airport Authority of India (AAI) handing over the operation and management of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to the Adani Group, which on Monday won the rights under the competitive bidding route.

The move comes even as the civil aviation ministry is set to hand over the letters of award with regard to five non-metro airports, including the one in Thiruvananthapuram, to Adani Enterprises on Thursday.
The transfer of the airport, the state government is learnt to have alleged in its plea, is in violation of an agreement it had signed with the Centre. According to the Kerala government, the agreement makes it obligatory on the Centre to treat some Rs 324 crore the former spent in 2015 to acquire land parcels for the development of the airport, as the state’s equity in the venture.

The proposed transfer of the development and management rights to the private company, the state fears, would impinge on its equity interests.

Adani Enterprises, the flagship entity of the Adani group, had bagged five of the six airports offered by AAI to potential developers under a 50-year lease contracts by placing aggressive bids. While Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Mangalore are the other airports that went to its kitty, the Kerala government (through KSIDC) was the second-highest bidder for the Thiruvananthapuram airport as it offered a per-passenger fee of Rs 135 against Adani’s winning bid of Rs 168.
Besides the state government, an action council protesting airport privatisation is also getting ready to approach the court on transfer of the airport to the Adani Group.
28/02/19 M Sarita Varma/Financial Express

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Pakistan airport closure effect felt in Calcutta

Calcutta: Pakistan’s decision to close its airspace forced Calcutta’s air traffic control (ATC) to divert several flights bound for Europe through other routes and allow some to turn back on Wednesday.

Since evening, airport sources said, a number of overflying flights bound for Europe from southeast Asia and Australia were being cancelled.

Officials at the Calcutta airport said diversion of flights bound for Europe and the Gulf would continue till Pakistan reopened its airspace. “Till then, planes will take longer to reach their destinations,” an official said.

Although most aircraft taking off from Calcutta do not fly over Pakistan, some of the airlines are being flooded with calls from passengers eager to know the status of their flights.

Usually, Europe-bound flights from southeast Asia, far-eastern Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand fly over Calcutta and Delhi before entering the Pakistani airspace.

On Wednesday, these flights were diverted through Mumbai. “They flew over the Arabian Sea and Oman on their way to Europe,” an official said.

The ATC at the city airport handles about 1,000 such overflying aircraft every day. Many of them fly late at night or early in the morning.

“Before noon, the Pakistani authorities issued a communication to all airports across the world that its airspace was closed. Immediately, Calcutta’s ATC had to plan the alternative routes,” the official said.

Sources said the Calcutta ATC re-routed at least 16 overflying flights bound for Europe through Mumbai between noon and evening on Wednesday. The pilots of eight aircraft sought permission to return to the airports from where they had taken off or get diverted to the nearest airports for refuelling.

Most of the eight flights that wanted to turn back or be diverted were from Thailand.

An Aeroflot flight from Bangkok to Moscow was diverted to Dhaka, as requested by the pilot.

“The aircraft was not carrying enough fuel to fly through the diverted routes. The Europe-bound flights have to fly at least two hours more to reach their destinations through the new route,” the official said.
28/02/19 Sanjay Mandal/Telegrapgh

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Grounded flights, nixed plans peeve Amausi flyers

Lucknow: The cancellation of five flights left hundreds of passengers stranded at Amausi airport here on Wednesday. Passengers said the last minute cancellations put all their travel plans in doldrums as many of them were scheduled to attend weddings.

The five flights connecting Lucknow with Srinagar, Chandigarh and Dehradun were cancelled after a high alert was sounded and nine airports in north Indian were shut down for some hours amid escalation in hostilities with Pakistan on Wednesday.

Amausi airport officials told TOI that the flights cancelled were 6E 577 Lucknow-Dehradun IndiGo Airlines, 6E 576 Srinagar-Lucknow IndiGo Airlines, 6E 588 Dehradun-Lucknow Indi-Go Airlines, 9W 3524 Lucknow-Chandigarh Jet Airways, and 9W 3523 Chandigarh-Lucknow Jet Airways.

“I had to attend a wedding in Srinagar but could not go after the flight got cancelled,” said Roshan, 45, a businessman from Lucknow. “We were not told about the reason for cancellation but the airlines said that the money would be refunded,” he said.

“My daughter had to come from Chandigarh to attend an official meeting here. She could not even get a train reservation as her flight got cancelled. Now, she is coming by road,” said Tarun Kumar, a resident of Jopling Road.
28/02/19 Times of India

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Air India Caps Fares to J&K at Rs 5,000; Others Waive Off Cancellation Fees

Mumbai: Many airlines have waived off cancellations and re-booking charges for the armed forces and for other passengers following the escalation in tension along the borders with Pakistan, which led the government to suspend commercial operations at most of the airports north of New Delhi Wednesday.
Airlines are charging between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,500 for cancelling a ticket after the industry led by Indigo and Jet Airway increased the cost on the passengers for cancelling their tickets a few months back.
Leading the flyer-friendly action was the flag carrier Air India which capped fares at Rs 5,000 for flights to Srinagar, Leh and Jammu from New Delhi besides waiving off rescheduling charges for up to the first week of March.
Following suit, budget carrier GoAir said it will allow rescheduling and cancellations for free up to March 15 to the defence personnel, and full-service airline Vistara said it will offer free cancellations with full refund for tickets booked to or from Amritsar, Jammu, Leh or Srinagar for travel up to Match 31.
"Air India has decided to fix cap of Rs 5,000 for its flights from Delhi to Srinagar, Leh and Jammu for all passengers," an airline source said.
27/02/19 PTI/News18.com

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Air India fixes 5K fare cap on Srinagar, Jammu, Leh route from Delhi

National carrier Air India has decided to fix a fare cap of Rs 5000 for Srinagar, Leh and Jammu airport for all passengers.

In addition to this, the state-owned carrier has also waived-off journey date change charges for Paramilitary forces and armed forces up to first week of March. With this order in force, the security personals can change the travel dates till the first week of March without any additional charges.


Earlier in the day, amid border tension between India and Pakistan, flight operations across eight airports in India were shut briefly morning according to the Airports Authority of India. Flight operations in all the airports later resumed.
27/02/19 ANI/Business Standard

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Flight operations suspended from Amritsar

Commercial flight operations were suspended on Wednesday from the Guru Ram Das Jee International airport in Amritsar amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan.

Passengers who were in the Amritsar airport terminal to catch flights for various destinations were asked to leave the building.

The Army, Indian Air Force (IAF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel took control of the airport complex.

"We were inside the airport to catch an international flight. We were asked to leave. We do not know the fate of our flight. No one is telling us anything," a young woman who was to leave for Dubai said.

The airports at Halwara near Ludhiana and Adampur near Jalandhar, which are both with the Indian Air Force (IAF), were also put on high alert.
27/02/19 IANS/Business Standard

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Eleven Airports Closed Amid Escalating Tension Between India, Pakistan

Srinagar: The operation of flights to and from eleven airports, including Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, Pathankot, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Dharamshala, have been suspended in the wake of the escalating tension between India and Pakistan after the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) F-16 in Lam Valley, Nowshera on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the flight operations at Dehradun, Shimla, Bhuntar and Gagal airports have also been temporarily suspended. Earlier in the day, three PAF jets violated the Indian air space and entered border areas Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and Nowshera sectors but were pushed back by Indian aircraft. An official of the Airports Authority of India in Srinagar, reportedly said, “The civilian air traffic has been suspended temporarily in view of the emergency”. The official, however, did not specify the nature of the emergency.

“Due to operational reasons the airspace at Amritsar has been closed for now. No commercial flights are coming to Amritsar, there is no base here, so flights are not even taking off from here,” AP Acharya, Amritsar Airport Director, told news agency ANI.
27/02/19 India.com

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Vijayawada Kochi SpiceJet flight service from tomorrow

Vijayawada: SpiceJet, one of the biggest airlines in the country, will operate Vijayawada-Kochi flight services from March 1. The new services will connect the two cities via temple town Tirupati.

With launching of Vijayawada-Kochi services, Vijayawada airport will get air connectivity to all South Indian States. According to a senior official of the Airports Authority of India, all arrangements have been made for the launching of services on March 1.
27/02/19 Hans India

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Two AI flights to D’sala cancelled

Dharamsala: Two Air India flights to Kangra were cancelled due to the escalating tension between India and Pakistan. The Gaggal airport in Kangra receives three flights a day. SpiceJet arrives at 8 am and two Air India flights in the afternoon.
Both afternoon flights were cancelled. Officials said the flights were suspended from Delhi. An international conference on water was scheduled in the Baijnath area of Kangra district, but delegates from foreign countries didn’t arrive for the same as the flights had been cancelled. The conference was being hosted by Tibetan guru Tai Situpa.
Kishore Kumar, director, airport, said flights were not operating from Delhi. “Only one flight operated in the morning. But all flights were cancelled after that from Delhi,” he said. Due to the cancellation of flights, many tourists are stranded in Dharamsala. Kangra district shares border with Pathankot in Punjab, which is why security has been stepped up at the entry points. Superintendent of Police Santosh Patial said security at prominent and religious places had been tightened.
27/02/19 Tribune

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Chennai, hub of air traffic, may soon slip

Chennai: Adani Enterprises winning bids to develop Trivandrum and Mangaluru airports, two cities which have good potential for international traffic, has cast shadows on the progress of Chennai.
Though the public sector Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been striving to improve, capacity constraints, the indecision over the second airport on the part of the Tamil Nadu government might mean that new international flights may be started from Trivandrum and Mangaluru as private player will be able to develop facilities faster.

The Bengaluru airport has managed to overtake Chennai in domestic passenger traffic and while the rate of growth of international aircraft movement and passenger traffic is higher than Chennai.

Bengaluru recorded 16.2% growth in international passenger traffic and 11.9% growth in international aircraft movement while Chennai recorded only 9.6% increase in passengers and 5.3% increase in aircraft movement in 2018, when compared to the previous year. "The Bengaluru airport is catching up with Chennai fast. Airlines have also added frequency and new services only from Bengaluru in recent times. A new Hong Kong flight was launched from Bengaluru while other airlines have increased frequency. A Chennai-Paris flight by Jet AAirways was the only new destination that was launched from Chennai in the past five years," says an airline official.

Though Chennai is a port city, there are only two direct flights to Europe — London and Paris. The airport cannot handle A380 planes which is why Hyderabad is slotted as a designated airport for unscheduled or emergency landing for overflying A380 planes.
27/02/19 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Adani bags Guwahati airport too, wins bids to operate all for 50 years

New Delhi: Gautam Adani’s infra group has emerged the highest bidder for Guwahati airport also, whose financial bids were opened by Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Tuesday. With this, Adani Enterprises has won bids to operate all six airports — Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangalore, Trivandrum, Lucknow and Guwahati — the government plans to run public-private way like the mega hubs at Delhi and Mumbai, for next 50 years.

“Adani’s per passenger, per month revenue share bid of Rs 160 is the highest for Guwahati,” said a senior AAI official. The revenue share amounts offered by the other five bidders, including GMR airports, are awaited.

“The tendering process is complete. Now the actual award of work and transfer of the airports to the highest bidder will happen after Cabinet clearance,” said a senior AAI official.

GMR Airports and Adani Groups had bid for all the six airports. According to the request for proposal issued for these airports last December, the letter of award has to be issued to the winning bidder on February 28.
26/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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‘Lack of advice to pilots led to collision’

The non-availability of any advice to the pilots by the airport operator’s dispatch section with regard to restrictions on taxiing and poor lighting have been found to be the cause of a ground collision of two aircraft at Mumbai airport in 2016.

An official probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board into a ground collision between a Kuwait Airways flight which had just landed in Mumbai and an IndiGo aircraft headed for Jaipur has also recommended that the Mumbai International Airport Ltd and the Airports Authority of India treat the incident site as a ‘hot spot’ till a permanent solution is reached. The incident, reported on November 30, 2016, occurred when the IndiGo aircraft was cleared to taxi via a specified path and hold when it reached a particular point.

However, in a few minutes the Indigo flight crew felt the aircraft shaking. The probe report said that immediately after that, they received a call from the Lead Cabin Attendant that a passenger had reported seeing the left wing coming in contact with another aircraft. Kuwait Airways also reported that, “We felt shaky when the Indigo aircraft passed behind.”

The AAIB probe revealed that the Kuwait Airways aircraft, an Airbus 330 had swept wings which are subject to a phenomenon known as ‘swept wing growth’ or ‘wing creep’ that occurs during a turn when the wingtip describes an arc greater than the normal wingspan due to the geometry of the aircraft and the arrangement of the landing gear. Though in the present case, the Kuwait Airways aircraft was stationary it had hit its wing.

The AAIB report said that an assumption by the Indigo flight crew that they were clear of the Kuwait Airways flight had continued taxiing onto taxiway N, thereafter crossing runway 14 without realising that left winglet had contacted the second aircraft.
AAIB said that Indigo Airlines may provide guidance material to its flight crew regarding the difficulty associated with assessing wing tip clearance. “MIAL and AAI may review the procedure for taxiing on taxiway N when an aircraft is holding on taxiway W4, short of Runway 14. MIAL may carry out assessment of the visibility conditions in the portion of W4 / N and take necessary corrective action if required,” the report said.
25/02/19 Aditya Anand/The Hindu

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Commercial Flights From Jharsuguda Airport To Six Cities Soon

Jharsuguda: Commercial flight operations to six cities under the third phase of UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme will soon begin at Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda.

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu made the announcement through his twitter handle on Tuesday.

Earlier on January 25, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had informed that flight services from Jharsuguda airport to six cities including Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi and Raipur would commence soon.

Pradhan had also informed that airstrips at Jeypore, Utkela and Rourkela would be upgraded to airports soon.
26/02/19 Sarmeeli Mallick/Odishatv.in

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Star Air starts Belagavi-B’luru flights

Belagavi: Sanjay Ghodavat Group which launched its Star Air services between Belagavi and Bengaluru on Monday is planning to establish a flying school in the city.
The group’s chairman Sanjay Ghodavat made the announcement at Sambra Airport here on Monday. The flight to Bengaluru was launched by handing over a boarding pass to Pranav Desai, the first passenger.

Ghodavat said Star Air has got slots to 11 destinations from Belagavi including Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Jaipur, Jodhpur etc., under Udan scheme and company will shortly launch services to all those destinations based on priority starting with Ahmedabad.

Star Air managing director Captain Simran Singh Tiwana said the Airport Authority of India has allotted land for a hangar at Sambra airport to park their aircraft.
26/02/19 Times of India

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GMR and Terna JV sign agreement to build Kasteli Airport

Ariadne Airport Group, a joint venture (JV) between Greek firm GEK Terna and India-based GMR Airports, and Greek Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis have signed a concession contract to build Kasteli International Airport.

The contract will see the Greek-Indian consortium construct the new airport on the Greek island of Crete with an investment of approximately €850m.

Of the €850m investment, the consortium will invest more than €500m in the project, which is also financially supported by a state grant and equity.

Under the 35-year concession, the consortium will be responsible for the design, construction, financing, operation, and management of the new international airport.
The scope of work also includes key infrastructure projects such as the completion of the north road axis, as well as networks of peripheral roadways.

The airport is scheduled to become operational by 2024-25.

Construction of the airport is expected to be completed over the next five years.

The project will create 1,500 jobs during the construction period and nearly 7,500 direct jobs after completion, according to a study by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG).
26/02/19 Airport Technology

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Airport employees call off stir, to go for legal recourse

Jaipur: The employees of Airports Authority of India (AAI), who were on a relay hunger strike due to privatisation of six airports including Jaipur airport, have decided to call it off, owing to the IAF strike on the terror camp. The employees say that fully functional airports are the need of the hour and they will now take the legal course against privatisation.


Ravinder Singh, employees' union secretary, Jaipur Airport said, "After the IAF strike on Tuesday morning, we all took a decision to call off the strike till further notice. Although, our relay hunger strike was staged in such a way that it would not hinder the functioning of the airport, yet it is impossible that there is absolutely zero effect. Looking at the current situation in the country, we felt that the airports are very important, and it is crucial that they function without any issues."

Last year, the Central government decided to lease out the six airports of AAI viz. Jaipur, Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangalore, for operation, management and development through Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Since then, the employees have been protesting against this move.

26/02/19 Yeshika Budhwar/Times of India

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Adani wins bids to operate 5 AAI airports

New Delhi: The ports-to-edible oil Adani Group has emerged the winner in the privatisation of five out of six airports put up by the government, outbidding a slew of national and international competitors including GMR, AMP Capital and the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
The Ahmedabad-based group won the right to upgrade and operate the airports of Lucknow, Jaipur, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru and Ahmedabad by mounting aggressive bids which offered a higher payment for passenger fee to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The Adani Group will get to manage these airports for 50 years if its offers are approved by the government.
The bids for the Guwahati airport will be opened on Tuesday.
Adani Enterprises emerged the highest bidder on the basis of share of revenue offered per passenger. Bids were also received from established players such as GMR Airports, Autostrade Indian Infrastructure Development Pvt Ltd, PNC Infratech Ltd, NIIF & Zurich Airport International AG, AMP Capital, I-Investment Ltd, KSIDC and Cochin International Airport.
The revenue per passenger model is different from the revenue share model, which had led to spike in airport charges at airports like Delhi and Mumbai. The government expects this model to keep airport charges under control.
This is the central government’s first airport privatisation attempt in 13 years after the GMR and GVK groups won the rights to manage Delhi and Mumbai airports under the UPA government in 2006. Greenfield airports like those in Hyderabad and Bengaluru were also awarded during the same time.
India’s airport privatisation progressed in fits and starts with the first attempt of the Modi government to award management contracts of Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports coming a cropper.
In November last year, the government had cleared a proposal for managing six AAI-run airports on public-private partnership (PPP) basis and received 32 technical bids from 10 companies for these airports. While Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports received seven bids each, Lucknow and Guwahati received six bids each. Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram received three bids each.
While Adani Enterprises was named the highest bidder for these airports in an official statement, the government sources said that the final announcement on the winners will be made after clearance from the union cabinet.
25/02/19 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Adani group wins bids to operate 5 airports for 50 years

New Delhi: The Adani Group has emerged as the highest bidder for five of the six airports government plans to run public-private way like the mega hubs at Delhi and Mumbai. The Gautam Adani-led infra major has won the bids to operate Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangalore, Trivandrum and Lucknow airports for next 50 years, say Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources. The financial bids for the sixth airport, Guwahati, will be opened on Tuesday.

“The tendering process is complete. Now the actual award of work and transfer of the airports to the highest bidder will happen after Cabinet clearance,” said a senior AAI official. The financial bids for all the six airports were to be opened on Monday. “However, there was a judicial order against opening of Guwahati airport which has now been lifted. The bids for that airport will open on Tuesday,” said the official.

The GMR and Adani Groups had bid for all the six airports. According to the request for proposal issued for these airports last December, the letter of award has to be issued to the winning bidder on February 28.

This is the second big round of privatising airports after Delhi and Mumbai were handed out to private players, GMR and GVK, over a decade back. AAI has now opted for a new model of revenue generation from these six airports’ prospective bidders. “The concessionaire shall pay to the Authority, on a monthly-basis, a fee (the ‘per-passenger fee’ or PPF) in respect of each passenger (both domestic and international) handled at the airport in accordance with the concession agreement,” the RFP document says.

Adanis PPF was the highest at the five airports whose financial bids were opened on Monday. For Ahmedabad, the PPF quoted by Adani and GMR is learnt to be Rs 177 and Rs 85, respectively. Similarly, the bid by Adani and GMR for Jaipur was Rs 174 and Rs 69; for Mangalore Rs 115 and Rs 18; for Trivandrum Rs 168 and Rs 63 and for Lucknow it was Rs 171 and Rs 63.

Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports had got seven bids each; Lucknow and Guwahati six each and Mangalore and Thiruvananthapuram three each. In all, AAI has got 32 bids for the six airports from 10 bidders.

The PPF bid amounts show how aggressively the Adani Group bid for the airports. Adani’s foray into airport will now mean India has more private sector biggies in the field which so far was dominated by the GMR (Delhi and Hyderabad) and GVK (Mumbai and till some years back Bangalore).
25/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Airport privatisation: Adani wins bid to operate five AAI airports including Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram: Now its official. Adani Group entered into the airports business by emerging the highest bidder for five out of the of six non-metro airports including Trivandrum airport run by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) put up for sale by the Union Government.

Kerala government's effort to retain the airport in its custody by forming a special purpose vehicle and competing in the bid failed to make any result with Adani emerging the highest bidder for the airport when the financial bids were opened on Monday.

The bid for the Guwahati airport could not be opened due to a stay order issued by the Gauhati High Court against the privatisation of the airport. The CIAL which competed for the Mangalore airport could satisfy with distant second place with the Adani quoting the highest bid. GMR which quoted for the Trivandrum and Mangalore airports were not in the picture when the bids opened with the private company quoting the lowest bid for both the airports.

The bids are based on the highest monthly fee per domestic passenger the airport operator has to share with the AAI and not based on revenue share. The letter of approval for the winners in the bid be handed over on February 28. On November 8, the Union cabinet had approved the in-principal nod for leasing out the airports for operation, management and development under Public Private Partnership through Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee.
25/02/19 New Indian Express

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Kerala CM alleges scam in airport tendering

Alappuzha (Kerala): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Monday launched a serious attack on the BJP-led central government and accused it of a scam in tendring five airports’ operations to Adani Enterprises.

“Adani does not know how to operate airports, but he knows Prime Minister Narendra Modi well,” said Vijayan at a function.

Vijayan said: “Heard the news that Gautam Adani’s Adani Enterprises won the bid for five out of six airports by becoming the highest bidder, even after the sale and financial bids were opened by the central government today only.”

The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is one of the five airports for which Adani won the bid.

“Adani has no experience in the airport sector and the only thing that is known to all that he knows Modi quite well. The entire bid process appears to be mysterious, if not, how can a single person win all the five bids,” said Vijayan.
In the financial bid opened today, Adani had quoted the highest rate for a passenger for the Thiruvananthapuram airport. Adani had quoted Rs 168 per passenger, state-owned Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (KSIDC) Rs 135, followed by GMR at Rs 63.

“What happened today was not a bidding but just a drama,” Vijayan said.
25/02/19 IANS/CanIndia

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GMR wins bid for Andhra's greenfield Bhogapuram Int'l Airport Project

Hyderabad: Airports and infrastructure major GMR has emerged as the highest bidder for green-field Bhogapuram International Airport project for which Andhra Pradesh government had invited bids from prospective developers in July last year.
The financial bids were opened by the officials of Andhra Pradesh Airports Development Corporation (APADCL), a government nodal agency, on Monday.
The successful bidder has offered a fee of Rs 303.00 per passenger as a share of revenue to the government while Doit Smart Infrastructure India Private Limited and GVK, the other two companies in the fray, have offered a fee of Rs 261 and Rs 207 per passenger to the government, respectively. Which means, if the number of passengers handled by the airport is 5 million in a year, the airport developer will pay Rs 150 crore to the government at Rs 303.00 per passenger for that year.
Confirming the outcome of the bidding process, Ajai Jain, principal secretary, department of Energy, Infrastructure and Investment, told Business Standard that the developer company will have to construct the project in three years. The project entails an investment of around Rs 2,700 crore, according to Jain.
The state government had invited fresh bids for Bhogapuram airport project with additional features such as MRO facility after scrapping the earlier tender, in which the Airports Authority of India (AAI) emerged as L1.
25/02/19 Business Standard

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AAI to come up with project report on Paradip airport

Vijayawada: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will soon prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for construction of an airport at Paradip. The airport will serve both commercial and disaster management operations.

Informing this, Director of Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) Suresh Chandra Hota said, “After identification of a suitable site for the proposed airport, an impact assessment survey will be carried out. The report will include the estimated cost, size of the terminal, length of the runway and other details.”
A tripartite agreement among the AAI, Paradip Port Trust (PPT) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) was signed for the purpose last month. Both PPT and IOCL will have stakes in the project, sources said.

Officials of AAI said the multi-modal connectivity will boost the port town’s business and tourism prospects. While the new facility will serve the tourists travelling to the State in international luxury cruise liners, the decision on passenger movement will be taken later, they added.
Last year, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had requested Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu to set up an airport at Paradip and discussed the matter with AAI and PPT officials.

In another development, Hota said security has been beefed up at the BPIA following an alert from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on Saturday. The Air India’s Mumbai control centre received a phone call on Saturday threatening to hijack its plane. Following the phone call, BCAS has asked all airlines and CISF to follow specific enhanced measures to ensure security.
25/02/19 New Indian Express

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Take-off delayed as airport not ready

Bareilly: Unfinished works at Nath Nagari Civil Enclave Terminal — Bareilly Airport — have led officials postpone the commencement of commercial flights’ operation from February 28 to mid-March.

Director, Airport Authority of India (AAI), Bareilly, SK Singh said, “We have completed major works such as fire safety, but the construction of taxiway and apron is still underway. So, we will not be able to start flights from Thursday. I will carry out an on-site review of all tasks on Monday and I hope commercial flights will take off in the second week of March.”

Earlier this month, Union minister Santosh Gangwar had announced that the airport would become operational from February 28 after installation of porta-cabin.

Meanwhile, a team of technical experts has arrived from Lucknow for installation of different equipment. They will also check placement of various other things.

“Luggage x-ray machine has arrived, but it is yet to be installed and examined. Similarly, various other works, including placement of steel chairs at the passenger lounge, installation of CCTV cameras, setting up of server room, etc, are underway and their completion will take three to four days. Before commissioning of porta-cabin, we will hold a trial to ensure all equipment work properly,” a senior technical official told TOI.
25/02/19 Pankul Sharma/Times of India

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After intel on hijacking, checks up at Chennai airport

Chennai: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has stepped up security at the Chennai airport after security agencies issued an alert to all airports and airlines across the country. The alert came after a call was made to the AI Operation Control Centre at Mumbai airport warning that an Indian Airlines (part of Air India) flight would be hijacked and taken to Pakistan.
"We have increased checks of passengers and the random checks done at the airport have doubled since Saturday," a senior official of the CISF said.

CISF has patrol vehicles belonging to quick reaction team with vehicle-mounted weapons are used to drive around the campus with armed personnel. They have been monitoring vehicles and movement of passengers into the airport.

The alert issued by security agencies said there was a specific input that flights are likely to be hijacked and taken to Pakistan.

The alert referred to Air India but other airlines were also warned. Passengers who walk into an airport are checked by CISF and also airline security at the boarding gates. Though passengers are not frisked by airline security, they keep an eye on the baggage and also the details of the passengers who come to board planes.
25/02/19 Times of India

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Plea to add Madurai airport as ‘point of call’ in BASA

Madurai: Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TNCCI) has urged the central government to declare Madurai airport as an international airport and add the airport as ‘point of call’ in the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with other countries. With the election around the corner, the trade body has urged the state government to exert pressure on the central government to get things done for Madurai airport.

Recently, aviation minister Suresh Prabhu laid the foundation stone for the apron expansion in Madurai airport through video conferencing. Although he mentioned that there is a demand for 24 hours operation at Madurai airport, he did not make any announcement on the same.

Replying to a recent RTI application, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has stated that airline carriers have not shown interest in operating flights from Madurai during night time to introduce night operation. Irked by the reply, the trade body has said that there are many operators willing to introduce flights at night time but they are waiting for the announcement of round the clock operation.
25/02/19 Times of India

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Air India Employee Hit By IndiGo Bus In Bengaluru "Stable And Improving"

New Delhi:An Air India employee, who was hit by an IndiGo bus carrying passengers to an aircraft at Bengaluru airport on Saturday evening, is "stable and improving" at a hospital, said the spokesperson of the national carrier on Monday.
In response to a specific query from PTI about the employee's health, Air India's spokesperson said, "Employee is stable and improving in hospital."

However, IndiGo said in a statement on Sunday that the staff "escaped unhurt with minor injuries".

Asked if Air India is planning action against IndiGo, the national carrier's spokesperson told PTI on Monday evening, "Concerned agencies are following laid down procedures for such cases."

On Sunday, a senior Air India official said on the condition of anonymity, "Shiv Shankar, a young contractual employee of AI Engineering Services Limited, was returning to the terminal after despatching our Bangalore-Male flight AI265. The IndiGo bus hit him and he was dragged for some distance before the bus stopped."
25/02/19 PTI/NDTV

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Heavy rains in Delhi: Several flights diverted to Jaipur, Lucknow

As many as 11 Delhi-bound flights were diverted to Jaipur and Lucknow airports due to heavy rains in the national capital on Monday, airport officials informed. "A total of 11 flights have been diverted due to bad weather that has created an air traffic congestion over Delhi airport this evening," an airport official said.

"Nine flights have been diverted to Jaipur airport and two have been diverted Lucknow," the official added. Airport officials also said that there could be more flights could be diverted if bad weather continues.
25/02/19 PTI/DNA

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Mahesh Babu Stopped By Airport Security

The year 2019 started on a wrong foot for Superstar Mahesh Babu. He has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, though he is largely seen as an apolitical star. Recently, Mahesh Babu's newly launched AMB theatre was booked for GST fraud. He was a victim of heavy trolling on social media. Meanwhile, there was some good news which came Mahesh Babu's fans' way. The star has given an additional profit of 35.66 Lakhs that has been collected as a part of GST on ticket prices of AMB Cinemas to 'Consumer Welfare Fund of India'. His fans were happy with Mahesh Babu's decision. Mahesh Babu has always been seen as a star whose heart beats for a genuine cause.

Mahesh Babu could be under pressure due to bad publicity to him and the theatre. It is being said that he is unable to devote his full time even for his upcoming film 'Maharshi. Mahesh's 'Maharshi' is a hugely awaited movie which was supposed to release on April-5. It is being speculated that the makers have shifted the release date of 'Maharshi' to May due to Lok Sabha elections. 'Mahesh Babu focussed on his shoot regardless of the problems he faced.. 'Maharshi' was next scheduled to be shot in Shamshabad airport. Mahesh Babu reached the airport on time to complete its scene, the airport officials made him wait for five hours, because Shamshabad airport on Sunday was on high alert after receiving a threatening call of hijack from an unknown person. Later, Mahesh Babu and the filmmaker cancelled the shoot for the day.
25/02/19 Sakshi Post

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Illegal gold-rush at Chennai Airport; officials seize smuggled goods worth Rs 1.5 crore in a day!

Chennai: In a series of sensational seizures, the customs team at Chennai International airport detected gold and foreign currency worth over Rs 1.5 crores being smuggled into the country from Dubai. As Emirates flight from Dubai arrived here at 8.40 AM on Sunday, the customs officials were engaged in the regular screening of passengers. 

At that time, three passengers who were returning from their visit to Dubai on a tourist visa had brought a lot of baggage with them. The three, 48-year-old Al Qasim, 24-year-old Aslam Khan and 29-year-old Magadhar Khan were noticed to be a little fidgety as well. This created doubts in the minds of the officers and they decided to check their baggage in detail.
When the electronic gadgets they had brought along were examined, it was found that gold bars and jewellery were concealed in them. Their total weight of the smuggled goods is reported to be 900gms and their value in the international market could be Rs 30 lakh according to the officials. The three have been remanded to custody after seizing the smuggled goods and investigations are on.   

Meanwhile, a man identified as 22-year-old Sayubi Ali, who arrived by another flight from Dubai was carrying children’s toys. When the toys were checked, a total of 340 grams of gold and 13 gold foils were found. Moreover, he had concealed gold bars within his undergarments. Rs 80,000 worth foreign cigarettes were also found in his possession and confiscated. 

In another case at the Chennai airport, an Air India flight that landed from Dubai at 5 AM was to leave for Delhi at 6.10 AM. Air India contract employees were involved in cleaning the aircraft when one of their staff found a black packet lying below one of the seats. Fearing that this might be a bomb, the cleaning staff alerted the officials who rushed to the aircraft to check the packet.
25/02/19 MirrorNowNews.com

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GVK will increase stake in MIAL to thwart Adani bid

In a bid to scuttle Adani Group’s bid to own a part of the company running the city’s airport, the GVK Airport Holdings Ltd (GVKAHL), which holds the highest stake in the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), has decided to buy partner company Bidvest’s 13.5 per cent stake.
In keeping with SEBI regulations, the GVK group has intimated its decision to the Bombay Stock Exchange. GVKAHL is a subsidiary of GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd.
The move comes a day after reports said that Adani Group had made a formal offer to buy the 23.5 per cent stakes of South African firms —Bid Services Division (Mauritius) Ltd (Bidvest) and Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) — which are the joint venture partners of GVK in MIAL. The valuation of the deal was pegged at Rs 9,500 crore.
The development was seen as setting the stage for a protracted battle between Adani and GVK groups for control of MIAL. On Saturday, in a regulatory filing with the BSE, GVK said that it will be buying the 13.5 per cent stake of Bidvest by exercising its “Right of First Refusal” (ROFR).
24/02/19 Satish Nandgaonkar/Mumbai Mirror

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IndiGo coach taking flyers to aircraft hits AI staffer at Bangalore airport

New Delhi: An IndiGo coach taking passengers to aircraft at Bangalore Airport on Saturday evening reportedly hit an Air India engineering staffer, injuring him badly. The accident happened at 6.10 pm when the bus was taking passengers to board the Delhi-bound 6E 2808 that was to take off at 6.55 pm.
A senior AI official said: “Shiv Shankar, a young contractual employee of AI Engineering Services Ltd, was returning to the terminal after despatching our Bangalore-Male flight AI 265. The IndiGo bus hit him and he was dragged for some distance before the bus stopped. He has suffered serious injuries, including lumbar (vertebrae of the spine) fracture. He is in a hospital and we are all praying for his recovery. IndiGo must pay adequate compensation to this young contractual employee, apart from facing the legal consequences.”
A shocked passenger who was on the bus said: “We had boarded the bus and when it started moving, it hit a person on the tarmac. The driver opened the gates and we got off the bus. We could see the person was being taken out from under the bus. I really hope and pray he is alright.”
In a statement, IndiGo said it "confirms the incident involving a ferry coach hit at Bangalore airport on February 23 before the departure of 6E 2808. The staff escaped unhurt with minor injuries. Concerned authorities have been notified and an investigation is currently in progress with full cooperation from IndiGo."
24/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Flights to Pune, Goa, Kolkata in the offing: MP

Mangaluru: The city will have flight connectivity to Pune, Goa (Dabolim), and Kolkata during the summer schedule of airlines which will come into effect from April, according to Nalin Kumar Kateel, Member of Parliament.

Additional flights to Bengaluru, and Delhi will also be introduced in the summer schedule, he said at a function organised to lay the foundation stone for the expansion of the terminal building and inauguration of passenger boarding bridges (aero bridges) advance visual docking guidance system at Mangaluru International Airport.

Presently the city does not have flight connectivity to Pune, Goa, and Kolkata. Later, Mr. Kateel told The Hindu that SpiceJet had shown an interest to introduce a flight to Goa; IndiGo to connect Pune and Delhi, and Air India to connect Kolkata and Bengaluru.

All the flights are expected to be operational within three months, he said.

While addressing the gathering at the function, Mr. Kateel said that Kannur International Airport in Kerala becoming operational recently will not affect the growth of the Mangaluru International Airport as North Kerala passengers will prefer to travel by Mangaluru owing to its proximity. The MP said that the Union government is ready to extend the runway at Mangaluru airport provided the State government hands over 84 acres required for the same to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Though there is demand for 100 acres for extending the runway 84 acres would be sufficient now.
23/02/19 The Hindu

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Security tightened at Odisha, Mumbai airports

Odisha's Biju Patnaik International Airport on Sunday has beefed up security following a security alert issued by the Bureau for Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

Suresh Chandr Hota, Director, Biju Patnaik International Airport said, "Security has been tightened at Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar following a security alert issued by the Bureau for Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)."

On Saturday Air Operation Control Centre (AOCC) Mumbai enhanced its security after receiving a call that threatened to hijack one of its aircraft.

CK Ranga, Deputy Director at Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, "A telephonic message received by the station duty office AOCC Mumbai stating information regarding a threat to Indian Airlines flight, getting hijacked to Pakistan on February 23."

Following the threat, the screening of passengers, staff and visitors has been enhanced, the intensive checking of vehicles entering car parking area and other security measures have been beefed up.
24/02/19 ANI/Business Standard

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Delhi-Dharamsala air travel gets dearer

Dharamsala: The spring teachings of the Dalai Lama from February 20 to 24 have brought hordes of tourists to Dharamsala in the past few days. However, the rise in footfall has led to a steep hike in the airfare.
Kangra resident Yogesh, who wanted to fly to Delhi yesterday, said the airfare of both Air India and SpiceJet that operated flights between Delhi and Dharamsala was between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000 for one way.

Sanjeev Gandhi, general secretary of the Upper Dharamsala Hoteliers Association, said it was surprising that the airfare to Dharamsala was so high that too in a lean month like February.
23/02/19 Tribune

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Airlines told to frisk flyers at boarding gates after hijack call at Airoli BPO

Navi Mumbai/New Delhi: An FIR has been registered against an unknown caller who called up on the toll-free number of an Airoli-based BPO and claimed that an Air India flight will be hijacked.

Senior Inspector Nitin Gite of Rabale MIDC police station said, “The call+ was received at Sutherland Global Services’ office around 9.45pm on Friday. Air India outsources its work to this BPO. The caller spoke in English and claimed that an Air India flight is going to be hijacked to Pakistan.”

The call prompted the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to call for enhanced surveillance in and around airports and operational areas; deployment of quick reaction teams and intensive perimeter patrolling besides manning of all vehicle entry gates with strong armed support.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has also intensified profiling of passengers to screen any suspicious traveller. Dog squads and explosive trace detectors are being deployed at sensitive airports.


The CISF had tightened security at airports after the Pulwama terror attack, claimed by Pak-based Jaish-e-Mohammad. Airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Cochin, Nagpur and Hyderabad have been particularly asked to be on a tight vigil.

24/02/19 George Mendonca, Saurabh Sinha /Times of India

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Adani group eyes new venture as it joins race for six AAI airports

New Delhi: The Adani group, which straddles the businesses of power, ports, real estate, agriculture and defence, among others, is moving into airports.

A few days ago, the group made an aggressive entry by bidding for all the six airports put up for privatisation by the Airports Authority of India, locking horns with big boys in the airport infrastructure business (the GMR group has thrown its hat into the ring for all the airports).

The airports are Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvanthapuram and Mangaluru.

In its airport venture, it is looking at both options — bidding for airports being offered under privatisation within the country and acquiring stakes in existing joint-venture airport companies.

The Adanis’ tryst with airports began some years ago when they set up Mundra airport, which has now become an important commercial city in Gujarat.

It has cobbled up a plan to invest Rs 1,500 crore to upgrade the airport strip and convert it into a full-fledged commercial airport with integrated cargo and aerospace operations to cater to the growing demand from the expats of Gujarat.

It is reported to be in the race to pick 23.5 per cent in GVK-controlled Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) by acquiring the equity of Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) and Bidvest, which want to pull out. GVK has the first right of refusal to buy the stake, but the group, which is facing a cash shortage, could find it difficult to get the cash. A spokesperson for Adani, however, responding to the possible deal, said it was “speculation”.

Airport players say they are expecting the Adanis to make aggressive bids for the six airports, especially for Ahmedabad and Jaipur. “We won’t be surprised if they win two to three of these airports, though we will know only at the end of this month, when the bids are opened. Unlike us, who are bidding based on the economic viability of the airports, they are bidding for strategic entry into a new area of infrastructure. So the strategy would be different,” says a top executive of one of the key bidders for the airports.
23/02/18 Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard

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Work on Mangaluru airport terminal expansion begins

Mangaluru:The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has initiated work on expanding the terminal building at the Mangaluru International Airport. The ₹132.24-crore project is likely to be completed by April 2020.

The expansion will help the airport handle an additional 1 million passengers a year.

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala laid the foundation stone for the project on Friday.

Nalin Kumar Kateel, an MP from Dakshina Kannada, said on the occasion that the new building can handle 730 passengers at a time. The existing terminal building has an area of 19,500 sq metres.

The AAI will add another 11,343 sq metres at the international arrival area.

The new facility will help increase the passenger handling capacity to 1,000 passengers.
Work on Mangaluru airport terminal expansion begins.
22/02/19 Business Line

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New buildings to decongest Jaipur airport from May

Jaipur: In order to accommodate more passengers during rush hour, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is coming up with new arrival and departure buildings at the terminal 2 of Jaipur airport.
Since terminal 2 has been overcrowded already, while it operates nearly 140 flights including arrivals and departures, the work of new buildings will de-congest the airport. The work is in progress and is likely to be completed by May this year.

The introduction of cheaper and affordable flights to various destinations and various lucrative offers promising cheaper tour packages has increased the buying capacity of the air travellers over the years. It has resulted in continued growth in the passenger footfall.

“Jaipur airport had handled 38 lakh passengers in 2016-17 and was followed by 47 lakh passengers in 2017-18. We are expecting that it will cross 55 lakh by the end of March 31 for 2018-18. Thus, there was a desperate need to have expansion of arrival and departures. We are hopeful that these buildings will get completed by May this year,” said Jaideep Singh Balhara, director, AAI, Jaipur.
Prior to this, Jaipur airport handled nearly 18.43 lakh passengers in 2012-13, followed by 19.88 lakh in 2013-14, 22.08 lakh in 2014-15, and nearly 29.04 lakh passengers were handled in 2015-16.
23/02/19 Ashish Mehta/Times of India

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GVK plans to buy Bidvest, ACSA's stake in Mumbai airport consortium

Mumbai: GVK Power and Infra Saturday said its airports company plans to buy partner Bidvest’s stake in a consortium that runs the Mumbai airport and has the bid to develop the city’s second airport in Navi Mumbai.
A senior executive said the conglomerate also plans to buy an additional 10% stake in MIAL from Airports Company South Africa. He didn't elaborate on how the transaction would be funded.
“In terms of the Regulation 30 of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations 2015 (As amended), we would like to bring to your notice that GVK Airport Holdings Limited (“GVKAHL”), a step down subsidiary of GVK Power & Infrastructure Limited, has exercised its right, under “Right of First Refusal” in terms of the Shareholders Agreement dated 4th April, 2006, subject to certain terms and conditions, as may be mutually agreed, regulatory and other approvals and also in accordance with the various contractual agreements between GVKAHL and Bid Services Division (Mauritius) Limited (“Bidvest”), to acquire 16,20,00,000 equity shares of Mumbai International Airport Limited (“MIAL”), constituting 13.5% of the total paid-up share capital of MIAL, from Bidvest at the rate of Rs.77 per share,” it said in an exchange filing.
“Upon completion of this acquisition, equity shareholding of the GVK Group will increase to 64% from the existing 50.5% of the total paid-up share capital of MIAL,” it added.
Buying ACSA's stake would take GVK's stake to 74%, leaving 26% with the state run Airports Authority of India.
23/02/19 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

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Third Terminal At Bhubaneswar Airport In 5-6 Months: Dharmendra

Bhubaneswar: A new terminal at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here will be completed within 5-6 months, said Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan while laying the foundation stone of a ‘link building’ to connect the existing two terminals.

The third terminal will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 935 crore and enhance international flight operations at the airport, the Union Minister said.

In view of the increase in the number of air passengers, the Centre in December last year had decided to expand the city airport with the construction of a third terminal. A decision to this effect has been taken after a meeting between the state government and the Civil Aviation Ministry.
23/03/19 Odishabytes

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Udaipur-Indore and Udaipur-Bhopal flights to start from April

Udaipur will now be connected via flights with both Indore and Bhopal. The flights will start from April as per the summer schedule released by airlines.

Jet Airways will operate a direct flight between Udaipur and Indore. This would give a relief to both students and tourists. Currently, travellers have to either take a connecting flight or travel via road/rail to reach Indore.

Similarly, Jet Airways and Spice Jet will both start a direct flight from Udaipur to Bhopal. With this, Udaipur will now, for the first time, have 3 flights connecting to Madhya Pradesh.
23/02/19 Udaipur Times

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IATA seeks single, independent coordinator for slots at Indian airports

Global airlines' grouping IATA has pitched for a single and independent coordinator for allocation of slots at airports across India, as domestic carriers grapple with slot constraints.
With the government planning to revamp the existing slot allocation mechanism, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has emphasised the need for transparency in the process and ensure that slot availability is declared through NAC (Notice on Airport Capacity) charts for all airports.
The civil aviation ministry has sought views from various stakeholders, including airlines and airports, regarding the slot allocation process. In aviation parlance, slot refers to permission given to use airport infrastructure to arrive or depart on a specific date and time.
Philip Ireland, Manager (World Wide Airport Slots) at IATA said the Worldwide Slot Guidelines (WSG) has been the standard for slot allocation since 1974.
"Deviating from the WSG will make airlines operations in India more complicated than it should be and do more harm than good to the potential of Indian aviation and Vision 2040," he noted.
22/02/19 PTI/Economic Times

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AAI yet to integrate SMC’s building plan approval with NOCAS

Surat: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is yet to digitally integrate the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) building approval software with no-objection certificate application system (NOCAS) maps for making issuance of building permits easy.
Official sources said that the integration of NOCAS with the building plan approval system of the local body will allow the builders to apply online for the permits, which will be issued within 15 days.

The maximum permissible height in an area is given in the colour-coded zoning map. The NOCAS has an interactive system too where the coordinates of the plot can be entered. If anybody applies for a NOC even though it is not necessary, then the software has an auto-settle feature. It will generate a letter informing the application for the same.

Of the 125 airports operated by the AAI in the country, only 11 local bodies have the integrated maps with the NOCAS. If the building permit software of the SMC is included, builders will not be required to apply to AAI for NOC.

The Surat airport has been facing building height obstruction issue from a long time. The AAI has identified over 100 buildings obstructing the flight path at the airport runway and that notices have been served to the concerned builders.
22/02/19 Times of India

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KSIDC is upbeat about winning bid

Thiruvananthapuram: With chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan asserting that state government is firm on obtaining rights to manage the Trivandrum International Airport, it is probable that the state will exercise the ‘right of first refusal’ to win the bid if needed.
Right of first refusal is a contractual right, but not obligation, to enter into a business transaction with a person or company before anyone else can.

The chief minister made it clear that the state government will push forward against all odds for acquiring authority over the airport, while inaugurating the LDF convention against privatization of airport held on Tuesday.

“We were left with no choice but to participate in the bid as the central government had ignored our requests and proceeded with the bidding. The state government informed the authorities that while we are okay to hand over the land to airport authority, we would not do the same to any third party. The state government has publically expressed willingness to take over the airport and we have previous experience of handing airports via CIAL,” he said.

Apart from Kerala state industrial development corporation (KSIDC), which is the parent company of the newly formed Trivandrum International Airport Limited, GMR and Adani Group are the two other bidders for Trivandrum airport.

According to sources, the state government is confident in winning the bid and in case, another bidder quotes for a higher amount, KSIDC can exercise the option for right to first refusal so that they can submit a revised bid by quoting higher amount.

21/02/19 Times of India

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​Bengaluru airport sees local IT industry as key to hub ambitions

Bengaluru's Kempegowda International airport has highlighted the role of the local IT industry in giving it "the right traffic potential and ideal geographical location" to become a major hub.

Chief executive Hari Marar says the airport "finds itself in a sweet spot as airlines are eager to expand their operations from Bengaluru because they can easily cover all key markets located within a four to six hour flying range". He notes: "Bengaluru – the Silicon Valley of India with the largest IT companies and a growing start-up ecosystem – has enormous business opportunities which requires Bengaluru to offer robust air connectivity to the world."

Coupled with the impending launch of a second runway and second terminal, by October 2019 and March 2021 respectively, various other infrastructure development projects will support the airport's push to be a global hub.

These include various road expansion projects within the periphery of the airport, the construction of a multimodal transport hub to serve as a transport interchange integrated with the terminals, and new parking bays.

Marar says the existing terminal at Bengaluru airport handled 32.3 million passengers per annum in 2018, and he expects the figure to surpass 33 million this year. The addition of T2 will add cater to a further 45 million, bringing its long-term capacity to 75-90 million.

When the second runway comes online, the two runway system will more than double the existing aircraft handling capacity to around 90 air traffic movements per hour, from the current 40.

Marar says he has seen Bengaluru airport evolve its strategy from initially being a gateway into South India, and then a gateway into India.
21/02/19 Flight Dashboard

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New apron to boost early morning flights

Jaipur: Here is good news for air travellers who want cheaper early morning flights to New Delhi and other important destinations. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning a new apron that would provide night parking facility to 32 aircraft at a time, enabling them to fly early morning the next day.

The facility for 32 aircraft will decongest the crowded Delhi airport. The foundation stone for the apron will be laid on Friday, and the facility is likely to be completed by June this year.

According to Airports Authority of India (AAI), Jaipur, the minister of states for aviation Jayant Sinha will lay the foundation stone for the apron.


“This will provide night parking facility to at least 32 aircraft at a time and will enable early departure of flights to various destinations. As the Delhi airport is already congested, we will earn extra revenue. It will also open more avenues for air travellers,” said Jaideep Singh Balhara, director, AAI, Jaipur, speaking to TOI.
21/02/19 Ashish Mehta/Times of India

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Error of judgement by IndiGo’s crew resulted in wing tip clash with Kuwait Airways: probe report

The probe report into an incident of a Mumbai-Jaipur IndiGo aircraft's winglet coming in contact with that of a Kuwait Airways aircraft at Mumbai airport while taxing has revealed that human factor played a role in causing the incident calling it an error of judgement on the part of the crew of IndiGo.

The probe report has cited that crew of IndiGo assumed that they were clear of the other aircraft (Kuwait Airways) further continuing taxing without realising that left winglet had contacted the aircraft of Kuwait Airways.

The report of the inquiry committee set to probe the incident has further stated that that medical study reveals that it is not possible to accurately judge absolute distance or separation when the line of sight distance is more than 10 metres.
The incident took place in November 2016 early when the Kuwait Airway's Airbus A330 was taxing towards the parking bay and the IndiGo aircraft was taxing out for departure to Jaipur. The Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Mumbai had instructed the IndiGo pilot to follow the Kuwait Airways aircrafts' arrival, and the Kuwait Airways pilot was advised to move ahead to make way for the former.

The probe report further reads, "When following a taxiway route, pilots are expected to keep a good lookout and are responsible for taking all possible measures to avoid collisions with other aircraft and vehicles. Due to an error of judgment on the part of the crew of aircraft 1 (IndiGo), while crossing taxiway N keeping aircraft 2 (Kuwait Airways) on the left on W4 resulting in the LH wing tip (sharklet) coming in physical contact with the wing of aircraft 2."

The report has said that initially, the flight crew of IndiGo were not aware of the contact, but once apprised by the cabin crew decided to return back to the bay for rectification. 
21/02/19 Mehul R Thakkar/DNA

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Slow scanning, insufficient staff delay baggage delivery at international terminal

Chennai:  Passengers arriving on international flights at night face an inordinate delay in getting their luggage at the terminal due to a shortage in airlines and ground handling staff and the time taken by customs personnel manning the scanning machines in the baggage area.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) said it is taking steps to ensure that these delays are curbed as they affect passengers’ perception of the airport. Baggage handling was one of the problem areas that featured in the airport service quality survey held recently.

Passengers often wait for an hour or two at the carousel for bags at the international terminal. And many take to Twitter to vent their ire. Recently, the bags of passengers of two flights were sent on one baggage conveyor belt.

Workers engaged by the airline or a ground handling company transport bags from the aircraft using trolleys to the baggage make up area, where bags are segregated and distributed to the assigned conveyor belt. The bags are scanned before they make their way to the moving conveyor. A senior AAI official said congestion, for which airlines are responsible, is one of the reasons baggage arrives late at the conveyor.

Since the airport receives wide-body international flights back-to-back, congestion is a common sight. An increase in red eye flights at the domestic terminal also adds to air-side congestion. “Bringing bags from aircraft parked in four remote bays also takes time,” he said.

21/02/19 Times of India

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Shooter Prithviraj cleared to fly from Chennai to Doha

Chennai: India’s trap shooter Prithviraj Tondaiman, who was stopped from boarding the flight to Doha from Chennai carrying a gun by Indigo airline staff on Thursday morning (12.30 a.m.), citing “security” reasons, was cleared by the staff  today (around 10.30 p.m.). The 32-year-old will take part in the Qatar Open to be held in Doha from February 22 to 24.

Prithiviraj thanked the media for its support. “If not for the media taking up the issue, things wouldn’t have moved so fast,” he said.

Earlier on Wednesday morning at around 11 p.m., Prithiviraj was stopped from boarding the Indigo flight by a staff saying “we don’t allow weapons” despite the shooter possessing all the required documents.

Read: Pakistan requests ISSF to drop two Olympic quotas from New Delhi World Cup

The shooter then had to call up the Sports Ministry to help him. Apparently, the Indigo General Manager received a call from the Ministry and by the time the staff understood the gravity of the situation, the time was around 12 a.m. (the flight departure time was at 12.30 a.m. on Thursday) and obviously it was too late. And Prithviraj had to return home very disappointed and tired.

Speaking to Sportstar, Prithviraj said it was entirely due to “ignorance of the staff.”

In fact, the rest of the Indian contingent had left Doha from New Delhi on Wednesday by the same Indigo flight, showing the same documents that Prithviraj did.
21/02/19 K Keerthivasan/Sportstar

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Adani Group in race to buy 23.5% in Mumbai Airport

Mumbai/New Delhi: The Adani Group has made a formal offer to buy out the 23.5% held by two South African firms in Mumbai airport, setting the stage for a battle with the GVK Group which has also shown interest in increasing its stake.
The Adani Group has sought to buy the stakes of Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and Bidvest, the joint venture partners of GVK in the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), at a valuation of Rs 9,500 crore, people aware of the situation said.
With an offer on the table, the South Africans — believed to be keen on exiting the venture — have invoked the right of first refusal (RoFR) clause, forcing the cash-strapped Hyderabad-headquartered infrastructure conglomerate to scurry for funds to ward off what is now being perceived as a smart corporate move by the Adanis to take a large chunk of the country’s second-busiest airport. As per the agreement, the invocation can happen only once. GVK has time till February-end to comply or face a protracted corporate or legal battle.
Bidvest’s holdings have been valued at Rs 1,248.75 crore, or Rs 77 per share, according to documents seen by ET. At this rate, MIAL is valued at about Rs 9,500 crore, lower than the promoter group’s expectation. Bidvest has written to GVK and ACSA, with a copy marked to AAI, asking the two partners to match the offer within a month, according to the letter dated January 26, 2019. ET was first to report the developments on February 1.
People close to GVK said that it has received stake sale proposal from both the partners in the consortium and the RoFR clause gives GVK group a chance to match the offer.
“The GVK group will match the offer and buy the 23.5% stake in the company. We will not let the stake in the company go to anyone else,” said one of them, who did not want to be identified.
21/02/19 Arjit Baman/Economic Times

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GMR Hyderabad Airport City being transformed as an aerotropolis

The GMR-led Hyderabad Airport City is being transformed as an aerotropolis, with a vibrant business-cum-leisure hub and thematic parks.
The diversified infrastructure company, GMR, has been developing Hyderabad Airport City in the precincts of the Hyderabad International Airport. Hyderabad Airport City would offer an integrated ecosystem with theme-based, anchor-led development zones, which include key ports and establishments, including a Business Port, a Health Port, Education Port, Fun Port, Retail Park, Logistics Park and Aerospace Park, as a multi-product SEZ.

By developing the airport as an aerotropolis, it is expected to play a catalytic role in the growth of Telangana’s economy.

Aman Kapoor, CEO, GMR Airport Land Development, said, “GMR Hyderabad Airport City aims to become an urban conglomeration in South India and its proximity to the airport would open new vistas for international investment.”

French major Safran has located its facility in GMR Hyderabad Aviation SEZ Ltd, a 100 per cent subsidiary of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, to manufacture aircraft engines parts, for the LEAP turbofan engine from CFM International.
G.B.S. Raju, Business Chairman, Airports, GMR Group, said, “Safran’s presence adds great value to the niche aerospace cluster, which GMR is developing at Hyderabad Airport City.”
21/02/19 V Rishi Kumar/Business Line

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‘Parallel taxi track, parking bays at Dabolim by March’

Dabolim: Dilip Buildcon limited (DBL) has completed nearly 60% of the Rs 125-crore-project which includes construction of a 3.7km-long parallel taxi track and three parking bays for aircraft, said Goa International Airport director Bhupesh Negi.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) intends to allow aircraft to use the taxi track and the three parking bays by March 31.

“Work on the additional parking bays and the parallel taxi track is in full swing and we have completed nearly 90% of the main portion of the taxi track which we intend to open for daytime use by March-end,” Negi said. “Aircraft will be able to use the taxi track instead of backtracking on the runway, and this will reduce the delays.”

Negi explained that the taxi-track could be used only during the day time as the taxiway lights that guide pilots will be installed once the entire taxiway is complete. Currently half the taxiway, which links the parking bays, apron and runway, has been completed.

“We expect the full project to be completed before the start of the next charter tourist season,” he said.

AAI took up the work to build the parallel taxiway in order to be able to operate more flights from the airport which is part of the Indian Navy air base, INS Hansa. AAI received the environmental clearance from the Union ministry of environment and forests in January 2018.

21/02/19 Newton Sequeira/Times of India

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New Calicut airport terminal to be opened Friday

Passenger amenities at the Calicut international airport will get a facelift with the opening of the new international arrival block, passenger boarding bridges, and advance visual docking guidance system on Friday.

Meeting the expectations of passengers, the new terminal will replace the cramped and outdated facilities. The ₹120-crore project was envisaged on the basis of the norms and standards of the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) for determining the capacity of airport terminals, airport director K. Srinivasa Rao said.

Governor P. Sathasivam will inaugurate the complex, while Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu, who will be the chief guest, will address the function through videoconferencing.

The new complex, according to Mr. Rao, has been constructed in the available area between the existing international terminal building and the fire station, and it has a total space of 17,000 sq m. The first floor houses the immigration area and the ground floor, the arrival baggage claim area and customs facilities.

The capacity of the terminal has been augmented from 916 to 1,527 passengers during peak hours. The airport has recorded an average growth rate of 14.70% in international passenger traffic since 2009-10, the official said.
21/02/19 The Hindu

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Vice Prez lays foundation stone for Renigunta airport runway expansion

Tirupati:  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for the extension of Renigunta airport runway here on Wednesday.

Addressing a gathering at the airport, he said once the runway expansion work gets completed international flights can land here.

Besides the one in Renigunta, runways in Rajamundry, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam airports in Andhra Pradesh were also being expanded to enable landing of big aircraft, the vice president said.

He also complimented Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu and his predecessor Ashok Gajapathi Raju for their contributions in the development of airports in Andhra Pradesh.

Prabu, through video conference, spoke about several airport expansion works being carried out in the state.

Expressing happiness over the 'Team-India' slogan given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Naidu said the parties in powers at the Centre and states must keep their political differences aside to work a team for the all-round development of the country.
20/02/19 Outlook

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6 years on, ground work on Dholera airport yet to start

Six years after it was instituted for developing an international airport at Dholera, about 100 km from Ahmedabad, the Dholera International Airport Company Ltd (DIACL) is yet to begin work on the ground. This was stated in the company’s sixth annual report, which was tabled in the Assembly during the ongoing Budget Session.
The state government had proposed to develop an international airport close to Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) for serving the logistic requirement of the special investment region, besides handling the extra traffic of existing Ahmedabad airport in future. To be developed in an area of 1,426 hectares, the airport is proposed to have two runways, capable of handling wide-bodied long-haul aircraft such as A380.
However, the report stated that the “actual work” on the airport — which is also meant to serve the demand of the Sanand-Viramgam region which is fast developing as an international automobile hub —- is yet to begin.

“The project is under preliminary study phase. Except feasibility study, no actual work has been started related to development of the project,” the report stated, adding that “creation of ground infrastructure and necessary civil work” would be taken up as part of the project’s “future course of action”.
21/02/19 Avinash Nair/Indian Express

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GMR, TERNA JV signs concession agreement for new Crete airport

GMR Airports Limited, a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Limited along with Greek partner TERNA Group has signed the Concession Agreement for Design, Construction, Financing, Operation, and Maintenance & Exploitation of New International Airport of Heraklion at Crete, Greece. The Concession Period for the project is 35 years including Phase 1 Construction of 5 years.

Greece is one of the leading International tourist destinations, attracting nearly 27mn tourists per annum. Crete is largest and most visited island in Greece. Heraklion airport, located in Crete, is the 2nd largest airport in Greece and has registered traffic growth at a CAGR of 10% p.a. over the past 3 years.

The current airport is facing a severe capacity constraint and will be replaced by the new airport at Kastelli. The scope of the project involves Design, Construction, Financing, Operation, and Maintenance & Exploitation of the New Heraklion Crete New International Airport.

The consortium intends to invest over 500 million Euro for development of the new airport. The entire project will be funded through a mix of equity, accruals from the existing airport, and financial grant being provided by the Government of Greece; therefore, debt is not required in this project.
21/02/19 IndiaInfoOnline

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Bandh call for renaming Madurai airport triggers chaos

Madurai: The bandh call issued by the All India Forward Bloc and various Thevar outfits, demanding that the Madurai International Airport be named after freedom fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar, led to disruption of traffic at the busy Goripalayam junction here, as protesters took to the streets.

A group of agitators blocked the Vaigai Express at Madurai railway junction and delayed its departure for 10 minutes in the morning. Miscreants pelted stones and damaged glasses of two city buses.

Though the city police had put up barricades early in the morning to prevent protesters from proceeding towards the Thevar statue junction, hundreds of protesters managed to gather at the junction.

AIFB leader P.V. Kathiravan and Moovendar Munnetra Kazhagam leader G.M. Sridhar Vandayar stayed put on the top rung of the staircase leading to the life-sized statue of Thevar throughout the day even as few hundred protesters gathered at the junction.
Despite the repeated requests of the police to disperse in the interest of patients being rushed to the nearby Government Rajaji hospital in ambulances and to restore traffic on the junction, the agitators refused to budge.

Vehicular traffic was diverted from many parts of the city to bypass Goripalayam junction since 10 a.m. and normal flow was restored only after 5.15 p.m.

A police source said that over 5,000 shops, including those in the Central Vegetable Market and the Fruits Market, stayed shut. Wine shops in the city were closed since Tuesday evening.
21/02/19 The Hindu

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Indore: Number of flights from city goes up to 120

Indore: Indoreans will get 10 more new flights, two new destinations and a new airliner from this summer. With this total number of flights from the city will go up to 120. Talking to Free Press, Aryama Sanyal, Director of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, said that in the summer schedule, the city would get services of a new airliner, Vistara, which is promoted by a joint venture of Tata Group.

Vistara will operate four flights between Indore and New Delhi, two each in morning and evening. Besides Vistara, Jet Airways will also start flights for Udaipur and Rajkot in the summer schedule. At present, Jaipur and Jodhpur are connected to the city. Udaipur is the third city from Rajasthan which will be connected soon.

Similarly, Rajkot will be the third city of Gujarat after Ahmedabad and Baroda to have direct connection with Indore. Now, the number of destinations connected to the city will go up to 19. Number of air carriers carrying out operation in the city will go up to 6 after Vistara.
21/02/19 FreePressJournal

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Emirates airline to explore direct flights to Calicut in Kerala

Emirates airline is exploring the possibility of starting its own direct flights to Kozhikode Calicut International airport in Kerala.

Senior officials from Emirates will inspect the airport in the coming weeks, according to an executive from Kozhikode Calicut International.

“A high level team from Emirates airline will be visiting Calicut airport in the first week of March for an inspection and discussions on commencing its operations to and from Calicut airport,” K Srinivasa Rao, Airport Director, Kozhikode Calicut International Airport, told Arabian Business.

While Emirates is yet to finalise a start date for operations, aviation industry sources said the Dubai carrier is likely to include the flight to Calicut in its summer schedule, beginning from end of March.

Srinivasa Rao said the date of start of Emirates’ operations to Calicut will depend on the Gulf carrier receiving the no-objection certificate from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

An Emirates spokesperson said the airline continually reviews possible market opportunities, both in India and globally, but would not comment future plans.

“Official announcement, if any, will be made at an appropriate time,” the Emirates spokesperson said, when asked about the airline’s plans for Calicut airport.
20/02/19  James Mathew/Arabian Business

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Flights to take off again from March 1 from Veer Surendra Sai Airport

Bhubaneswar/Jharsuguda: Industrial town Jharsuguda may soon find its place in the aviation map of India as flight service from the newly built Veer Surendra Sai Airport here is expected to resume from March 1.

Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, may commence its flight services from the airport to Kolkata from March 1. Ahead of its planned operations, a four-member team of the airline visited the airport on Tuesday to take stock of security measures, infrastructure facilities and passenger amenities.

Though the officials of Alliance Air are yet to confirm about the exact date of commencement of flight operations from Jharsuguda, airport authorities said the airline has proposed a tentative date of March 1 for launching its services.

“Alliance Air officials were satisfied and are likely to submit their report to higher officials soon following which a final decision will be taken on the matter,” said Airport Director SK Chauha.The airline will operate its ATR-72 flights from Kolkata to Jharsuguda. It may also start its operation from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recently granted approval to Alliance Air to operate flights from Jharsuguda to Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Raipur under the regional air connectivity project UDAN Phase-3, aviation officials said.

Jharsuguda airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 22 last year. However, fight operations at the airport stopped within 15 days of its launch after Air Odisha suspended its services.

Currently, Alliance Air is operating its flights mostly in tier-2 and tier-3 cities and covering 53 destinations including Bhubaneswar.

Apart from Alliance Air, low cost carrier SpiceJet is expected to commence its services from Jharsuguda airport from March 31. Airport authorities had earlier stated that the airline is likely to operate on three routes - Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Similarly, Jet Airways is also likely to connect Jharsuguda with Mumbai while Turbo Aviation has planned to start its services from the airport to Bhubaneswar.
20/02/19 New Indian Express

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Israeli carrier Arkia to have direct flights from Goa, Kochi to Tel Aviv

New Delhi: Connectivity between India and Israel is all set to improve with Israeli airline Arkia going to start flights from Tel Aviv to Goa and Kochi from September 28. At present, El Al has a thrice-weekly Mumbai-Tel Aviv nonstop and Air India has five times a week direct on Delhi-Tel Aviv route.

According to Israel Tourism, Arkia will operate its 220-seater single-aisle Airbus A321 LR (long range) to fly nonstop from Tel Aviv to Goa and Kochi. “Arkia will fly once a week to Goa on Tuesdays and twice a week to Kochi on Mondays and Fridays. From October 27, 2019, the flight to the latter city will move to Sundays and Thursdays. The air travel will run all year round except during the monsoon season in India,” Israel Tourism said in a statement.

The increased connectivity comes as Israel recorded 21% growth with 70,800 Indian tourist arrivals to the country in 2018, up almost 21% from 58,700 travellers in 2017. India is now the 12th biggest source market for Israel.

Hassan Madah, director of Israel’s ministry of tourism (India and Philippines) said: “In light of the significant increase in incoming tourism from India over the past few years, the ministry of tourism has been encouraging of Israeli airlines like Arkia to foray into the Indian market. We see India becoming one of the key source markets for Israel in the coming years and with Arkia’s direct flights to Goa and Kochi, the Indian traveller’s interest will surely increase. Goa attracts many Israeli tourists who visit the Indian state for leisure holidays, while Israel has recorded a notable mix of pilgrimage and leisure travellers from Kochi. With nonstop operations from the west, north and now south of India; this will help meet the growing demand and enable us to achieve higher Indian arrivals to Israel in 2019.”
19/02/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Government-backed NIIF forays into aviation sector; bids for Jaipur, Lucknow airports

The government anchored National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is planning to aggressively leverage opportunities in the Indian aviation sector by taking up stake in various state airports.

Business Standard has reported that the fund has bid for four out of six airports that the government put up for privatisation. These include Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Mangaluru. Sources told the paper that NIIF has tied up with Zurich Airport to bid for the airports.

“The equity structure for the tie-up is yet to be finalised,” a person aware of the development told the paper.

The government invited bids for six state airports -- Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram – to allow private players to operate and maintain the airports for 50 years. The winner will also be responsible for developing city side infrastructure.

NIIF is owned by government of India (49 percent) along with global and domestic institutional players. The fund has investment "mandate to invest in infrastructure assets and related businesses" that are projected to see "long term growth trajectory".

The report further said that NIIF is also in talks with GVK Group and South Africa based Bidvest group to buy a stake in Mumbai International airport coupled with buying stake in Greenfield airports like Bhogapuram (Odisha).

"The NIIF is bullish about the growth in the airport sector. They are in talks with global airport companies and other investors looking to bid for projects across the country," a source told the paper.

GVK group, the majority stake holder (50.5 percent) in Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, is looking to sell a portion of its stake due to high debt burden. Bidvest, owner of 13.5 percent stake in the airport, is also looking at selling its stake.
19/02/19 Moneycontrol.com

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Pulwama attack effect: Spot airfares to Srinagar skyrocket

New Delhi: Spot airfares to Srinagar have shot up due to a sudden surge in travel demand to the city in the wake of the Pulwama attack. Fares for Delhi-Srinagar — one-way — flights for Tuesday were in the range of Rs 15,500 to Rs 24,500, when checked on Monday night. The ‘normal’ fare for this time of the year is about Rs 5,000, according to the travel industry. Delhi-Srinagar fares for travel later this week also begin at Rs 13,000.

Similarly, on Monday night one-way Mumbai-Srinagar tickets for Tuesday flights were starting at Rs 24,150 (on a low-cost carrier) and going all the way up to Rs 41,000 in economy. The ‘regular’ fare is Rs 9-12,000, said a travel agent. Fares for later this week on this sector are in the range of Rs 21-28,000.

Air India chairman Ashwani Lohani had decided to cap fares on flights to and from Kashmir at Rs 5,000. AI flights to Srinagar for next few days are sold out.
19/02/19 Times of India

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