Showing posts with label Airports Jan 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Airports Jan 2011. Show all posts

Monday, January 31, 2011

Aera, airports spar over tariff calculation

New Delhi: India’s airport regulator wants operators of the facilities to exclude the value of land when calculating tariffs, which could lower costs for passengers and carriers. The airport operators are opposed to any such move.
GMR Infrastructure Ltd, which runs the Hyderabad and Delhi airports, and GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd, which runs the Mumbai and Bangalore airports, say the measure will reduce the return on their investments.
Yashwant Bhave, chairman of the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority, or Aera, and other officials of the watchdog body held a meeting with operators to discuss the matter in Delhi on 25 January.
The Aera proposal would make the Hyderabad and Delhi airport projects unviable, said Kiran Kumar Grandhi, managing director, Delhi International Airport Pvt. Ltd and Hyderabad International Airport Pvt. Ltd, according to the minutes of the meeting that were posted on the Aera website at the end of last week. “The authority’s approach regarding ring-fencing of land at market value may not be in consonance with the above position.”
Rajiv Jain, president, Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd, also said such a move “would lead to an uncertain position”, according to the minutes.
31/01/11 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

IGI officials on tenterhooks as audit date draws near

New Delhi: Authorities at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport are taking all steps required to ensure that it clears an audit by international aviation body International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), slated to be conducted next month.
Sources said among the problem areas are the poor lighting arrangements around the airport periphery. Trees should be pruned to effect better security. As access control at the cargo terminal is managed by a private security agency, security levels are not particularly high. In the interests of better hygiene, security personnel are required to use gloves while frisking passengers. Also, the number of security officials responsible for screening and profiling passengers is inadequate, as is the count of personnel deployed at aircraft boarding gates.
Airport authorities are understandably wary as they prepare to receive a team of officials from the ICAO for an audit in the first week of February. Unwilling to take any chances, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has conducted an internal audit of facilities in and around the airport and has asked the agencies concerned to implement the recommendations before the audit team reaches India.
31/01/11 Geeta Gupta/Indian Express

Unruly carriers prey on cabin crew, passengers

Kolkata: Md Imran, the Kidderpore-based carrier' arrested at Kolkata airport on Saturday evening for harassing a female passenger at Dhaka airport and later on a Biman Bangladesh flight, is no aberration. Passengers and cabin crew are regularly harassed by carriers' on the Dhaka-Kolkata and Bangkok-Kolkata sectors, say sources.
"These men generally carry Indian food items like papad, masala and biscuits while flying out and electronics or garments when flying in. Some own small stores while others just do the carrying job," an airline official said.
Few incidents are reported because the victims are wary of humiliation.
"In most instances, these rowdies travel in numbers and intimidate victims. What Imran and his two cronies had not bargained for was the grit of the woman they targeted on Saturday," said a Biman Bangladesh official, who often hears about the misbehaviour of carriers on the Dhaka-Kolkata flight on Tuesdays and Saturdays when there is a connecting flight from Hong Kong.
"There are close to 100 carriers who frequently fly to Hong Kong via Dhaka. They are a major nuisance to cabin crew and passengers. Such is the situation that we do not roster female flight attendants on these flights," the official said.
In the past three years, cabin crews have filed at least six complaints against the misbehaviour of the carriers.
31/01/11 Times of India

AAI firms up design of new terminals

Chennai: The suspense over how the new terminal at the Chennai Airport will look like is finally over. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has released details of what you could expect at the airport once it is completed.
The new domestic and international terminals shall be elegant, modern structures defined by dramatic, twin winglike hovering roofs providing 300metrelong column free space. While the departure will be on the top level, the ground level will facilitate arrival of passengers with mezzanine floor forming the base for airlines and other offices. The basement would be reserved for luggage scanners.
The building's open web steel superstructure subtly rises to support the twincurved roofs that define a light and open columnfree terminal and shade expansive glass curtain walls. The building volume is clearly divided into the landside and airside programmed operations. The spaces have been connected with a central security check point for departure, besides two glass bridges on either side of the building for arriving passengers. Departing passengers will have four gates that can be reached through a mini flyover inside the airport.
The three level structure is under construction with an area of 67,700 sq m, with the provision of seven gates, two hardstand hold rooms and 52 checkin counters, besides eight counters for eticketing. The proposed International Integrated Terminal Building construction, which is also a three level structure, has an area of 59,300 sq m with the provision two gates with multiple hardstand hold rooms, 52 check in counters, apart from eight counters for eticketing, 18/10 immigration/Custom counters for handling passenger arrival and 18/4 immigration/Custom counters for outgoing passengers.
31/01/11 ExpressBuzz

Fog disrupts air operations at IGI airport

New Delhi: Air operations at the Indira Gandhi International airport here virtually come to a standstill on Monday morning due to dense fog which disrupted the schedule of over 20 flights and led to the diversion of two others.
A Jet Airways flight from Abu Dhabi was diverted to Mumbai while a Spicejet flight from Mumbai was diverted to Jaipur after general visibility dropped to less than 50 metres, an airport official said.
Most of flights scheduled to depart early morning were delayed as the runway visibility dropped to 75 metres, far below the required minima of 125 metres.
Fog started to become dense around 3 a.m. forcing the authorities to implement low visibility procedures on third runway at 3.32 a.m.
31/01/11 PTI/The Hindu

Sunday, January 30, 2011

'Start flights from any Maharashtra city'

Surat: Three months ago, a top official from one of the most viable private airline companies put up a proposal for expansion of his carrier to five different sectors of the country. As required he put up a joint proposal to civil aviation ministry for permission to fly commercially on these sectors. Two of the routes were in East and North East, two in the South and one in Western India. The proposal for Western India was a daily flight from Surat to Delhi. Another airline put up a plan for daily flight from Bangalore to Ahmedabad via Surat on both sides.
For the first airline, three proposals were sanctioned but they were told to forget Surat and instead begin a flight from a city in Maharashtra that has population of just seven lakh. However, when it came to the official reply, the airline is still waiting for that.
As many as five top private carriers of the country apart from Air India showed interest in starting flights from Surat. After several rounds of meetings, all of them wanted their share of the pie and were more than willing to begin at earliest.
"If we are asked to take a final call on the issue, we will begin in 15 days," said a top official handling the Western sector operations of a private carrier. "But, the problem is if we put the name of Surat, we don't get a reply at all. How can you expect us to get taxiing space and parking space on Surat airport? At what cost? Do you think, required time slots would be granted by the aviation ministry?" he asked.
30/01/11 Times of India

Turkish firm investing over $100 mn on Mumbai, Delhi airports

Istanbul: With India's air cargo and passenger traffic growing at a frantic pace and efficiency and security becoming a major concern, a Turkish firm is investing $100 million by 2015 in ground handling and equipment at Delhi and Mumbai airports.
Celebi Holdings has already spent $35 million on construction and $12 million towards purchase of equipment and security upgrade at Delhi International Airport Ltd's (DIAL) 70,000-sq mts cargo facility expected to be completed by early next year.
In addition it has a holding fee of $25 million deposited with DIAL.
'It is good that India is looking seriously at its cargo infrastructure upgrade. India exports pharmaceuticals, for instance, in a big way. Lack of facilities will hold up growth,' says Canan Celebioglu Tokgoz, vice chairman of the Turkish company.
Celebi, a 53-year old entity and one of the top three cargo handlers in Frankfurt, says an upgrade of the facility in Delhi may be posing congestion problems for clients, but that will go away once the work is over.
30/01/11 IANS/Sify.com

Businessmens' wings clipped without air connectivity

Surat: Last month, the owner of a Rs 1,200-crore diamond polishing and export firm owner took 600 guests to Singapore for a family wedding. But, he did not call his business associates to Surat for the wedding reception. Most of his business associates and clients from the US and European countries did not want to travel by road from Mumbai to Surat, so he had to arrange a separate wedding reception party for them in Mumbai. "Many of them were willing to come here but a single chartered flight would have accommodated just 100 people at the most and I had nearly 500 guests," said S Dholakiya from Harekrishana Exports.
In the absence of any regular plane service to Jaipur, one of the most important centres associated with the city, the Agarwal family from Surat had to take a baraat in a chartered plane. The family is in the packaging business and wanted a comfortable and luxurious marriage celebration for their son. The baraat of 140 members was flown down. Like the Agarwals, there are thousands of prosperous Rajasthani families, who travel regularly to Rajasthan.
Nearly 500 businessmen from seven countries did not visit Surat last month as it is not connected with Mumbai by air.
29/01/11 Himanshu Bhatt & Yagnesh Mehta/Times of India

Kannadigas Push for Better Air Connectivity to Mangalore

Bahrain: Kannadiga associations in Bahrain submitted a memorandum to Vayalar Ravi, Indian Minister for NRI Affairs and Civil Aviation, on Thursday January 27.
The memorandum said that fares to Mangalore are highly unfair compared to cities in neighbouring Kerala and requested him to bring down the fares and to give Mangalore airport an international status so that many airlines can operate flights to the city. This will result in better prices for NRIs from the region including places like Karwar, Udupi, Mangalore, Shimoga, Kasargod, and surrounding districts, as there are more than 200,000 Kannadigas from the area surrounding Mangalore airport.
Yet another point in the memorandum was introduction of Bahrain-Doha-Bangalore-Mangalore services. The passengers from Bangalore are presently forced to travel through Doha or Dubai or Muscat which causes a lot of inconvenience to families who are required to change their flights.
The petition also requested introduction of coach services to Mangalore railway station and Udupi city to support low income passengers coming from the Gulf. It also requested one additional international airport at Hubli or Belgaum or Bellary on an urgent basis.
29/01/11 Ronald D F D’Souza/Daijiworld

Indians stranded as chaos rules Cairo airport

Cairo: Amid a massive unrest in Egypt dueto protests against President Hosni Mubarak, hundreds ofIndian passengers were stranded at Cairo''s airport today asflights were canceled or delayed, leaving them unable to leavebecause of a government-imposed curfew in the capital.
Egypt was in the grip of increasing lawlessness todayas gangs of armed men helped free thousands of prisoners andlooters rampaged malls, banks and jewellery stores, even asmany armymen doffed uniforms to join the uprising againstMubarak''s 30-year rule that has claimed at least 150 lives insix days.
In the face of mayhem and cancelled flights, hundredsof Indian tourists and businessmen struck at the Cairo airportwere still waiting to be rescued by the Indian Government.
Many of the passengers remained stranded at theairport, unable to leave because of the curfew as well asfears of the widespread looting reported across the capital.
"It is absolutely chaotic at the moment and no oneknows what is going on, as there are thousands of peopleoutside the terminal and there is no arrangement of food,"said Indian national Vineet Ahuja, who is stranded with his family at the Cairo airport.
30/01/11 PTI/One India

AAI organises health, blood donation camp at airport

Ahmedabad: A health and blood donation camp was organised at Sardar Patel International Airport on Friday.
The day-long camp was organised by Airport Authority of India (AAI) along with several city-based doctors and hospitals. Staff of AAI, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other airlines participated in the camp.
According to A Sanyal, joint general manager of Air Traffic Management, nearly 300 people took part in the camp, while 135 units of blood was collected.
29/01/11 Daily News & Analysis

Saturday, January 29, 2011

ATCs to get unified by June

Mumbai: The Air Traffic Control (ATC) in India is all set to operate independently on the lines of the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) in the United Kingdom.
The proposal to make the ATC an autonomous body separate from Airports Authority of India (AAI), was made almost a decade ago. AAI officials said that the change is likely to happen in June this year. All airports will be integrated under one umbrella and coordination between traffic controls will be enhanced. A senior AAI official said that the independent body is likely to be called Air Navigation System (ANS). The process to create ANS picked up pace three years ago and is now in full swing. Officials said that the ANS would be an independent body accountable only to the civil aviation ministry.
It will work under licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which itself likely to change into Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) eventually. AAI, which is currently doubling as an airport developer and ATC service provider, will only be responsible for infrastructure. The process of licencing controllers in the country has already started as part of preparation for ANS.
"The ANS will manage air traffic and communications navigation and surveillance (CNS) system," said a senior AAI official.
An autonomous status would mean that the ANS can look exclusively at the requirements of air traffic and address them as soon as possible.
"Currently, every move that the ATC makes has to go through AAI and then to other authorities concerned. The ANS will be able to make decisions and then get them sanctioned from the ministry or DGCA directly,'' revealed a ministry official.
29/01/11 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

Air India yet to replace damaged memorial

Mangalore: It’s a heartbreaking scene considering the enormity of the tragedy that Mangalore witnessed last year. There is nothing to mark the May 2010 air crash in the city as the granite slabs carrying the names of the 158 victims still lie broken on the ground, although its been three months since the memorial was vandalised. No new memorial has been built and nor have those responsible for damaging the old one, been arrested.
The airline had placed the granite sheets with the names of all the people who lost their lives when its Dubai-Mangalore flight shot off the runway and plunged into a deep valley on May 22 last year, at the spot of the tragedy in response to public demand. The memorial , which was inaugurated on July 27 by civil aviation secretary M M Nambiar, was found vandalised a few months later , on October 5, with the granite slabs broken and beyond repair. Mangalore airport sources said it was upto the airline to construct the memorial and it could do nothing about it.
29/01/11 Deccan Chronicle

AAI turns to DGCA on Shiv Murti as trust silent

New Delhi: After asking the trust managing the Shiv Murti near IGI Airport's newest runway to reduce the 263-metre-high statue's height or relocate it in vain, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Friday referred the matter to the aviation regulator for action. Informing the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that the statue is 11.5 metres higher than the permitted height of 252.1 metres and causing obstruction to aircraft movement, the AAI has asked the regulator to decide on either reducing the height or relocating the statue.
"All aviation authorities work under powers delegated by DGCA. The no objection certificate (NOC) was issued for a certain height. There has been a violation and now the DGCA will decide on the course of action. The corrective step as recommended by them would be conveyed by the state government for implementation by them," said a senior AAI official, adding that if an obstruction is inside airport premises than they themselves carry out the required alterations.
This action was taken after AAI issued legal notice to the Jaya Shree Trust (that manages the murti) last November. It was followed by another notice earlier this month. But after no response came from the trust, the AAI will now await for word from DGCA on the future course of action.
28/01/11 Saurabh Sinha & Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

Alert airport staffer spots ‘lost’ bag, man gets back Rs 3.36 lakh

New Delhi: Lalit Bhartia, a Bangalore resident, lost and got back his bag containing more than Rs 3 lakh at the Delhi airport within an hour after an alert airport employee spotted the lost luggage. The incident happened at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday afternoon. The passenger had
arrived at the airport from Bangalore in a Kingfisher Airlines flight (IT 204) around 2 pm. On his way out of the airport, Bhartia forgot to take his baggage, which remained at the trolley.
This is when Inderjeet Yadav (27), whose job is to retrieve trolleys left by passengers and put them back in the lot, spotted a polybag in a trolley. The bag was found at the Delhi Transport Corporation counter just outside the airport Terminal 3.
“At first, I couldn’t make out what the bag contained and then thought it could be a bomb,” Yadav said. He immediately informed security personnel at the airport. “They checked it for explosives and found it to be safe. Then they asked me to look inside it.”
28/01/11 Sidhartha Roy/Hindustan Times

Friday, January 28, 2011

Panel to probe security lapse at Kochi airport

Kochi: The omission on the part of the authorities that resulted in chemically hazardous material being loaded onto an international aircraft at the Nedumbassery airport will be taken up at the next meeting of the Aerodrome Safety Committee, said Collector M. Beena, who is the chairperson of the committee.
A consignment of hydrochloric acid was loaded onto a Doha-bound Qatar Airways aircraft on Wednesday after it was wrongly declared as medical equipment. The material was detected after fumes emanated from the consignment while it was being loaded onto the aircraft, which had 156 passengers and nine crew members on board.
Out of 100 pieces of the consignment, 98 had already been loaded when the mistake was detected and they had to be off-loaded. A similar incident took place on July 25 last when a consignment containing chemicals with low inflammable intensity was not detected by the multi-level cargo security screening and reached Chennai by a Kingfisher aircraft. Two days later, an inbound consignment from Jeddah without proper documents got up to the final point of being loaded onto a Jet Airways flight to Chennai.
The police have registered a case against those involved in Wednesday's incident, under the aircraft safety rules and for careless handling of hazardous material.
28/01/11 The Hindu

Airport staffer caught pilfering bags

Chennai: An airport worker was detained for stealing a laptop and a digital camera from the checked-in baggage of a passenger on Thursday morning.
After Surendra R, who arrived from Colombo by a Jet Airways flight, lodged a complaint stating that his bag with a laptop was missing CCTV footage helped the airport manager and the police zero in on the culprit.
The police said conveyor belt operator Ashok Kumar, a native of Senji who was engaged by a private contractor, removed the laptop and the camera and hid them near the conveyor belt. Two liquor bottles, a mobile phone and an umbrella were also seized from him.
Investigations are on to find out whether more people were involved in the case since airlines and airport officials had reported that they had got many such complaints of similar thefts in recent months.
Questioning revealed that Ashok Kumar had stolen perfumes, mobile phones and laptops earlier.
28/01/11 Times of India

Delhi’s terminal 1D to remain in service

New Delhi: The company that runs the Delhi airport, Delhi International Airport Pvt. Ltd (DIAL), plans to continue operations at the old terminal (1D) and make it a dedicated one for domestic as well as international low-cost airlines, according to two senior executives at GMR Infrastructure Ltd, who did not want to be identified.
The move would appear to be prompted by growth in traffic, the expansion plans of low-cost airlines and a desire to seek returns on the money that went into building 1D.
GMR heads the consortium that owns DIAL, which had initially planned to either raze 1D, built at a cost of Rs500 crore as a transitory step in the development of the Delhi airport, or use it for other purposes.
All airlines were to shift to the new T3 terminal. 1D is currently used by domestic low-cost airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir, and they too were expected to move to T3 by the end of this month.
That plan has now changed, said the GMR executives, and largely because passenger traffic has grown at a fast pace (18% last year).
27/01/11 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

Importers fret over delay in cargo clearance

Bangalore: Importers are fretting over delays in clearing the import cargo at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA). The dwell time, or the time cargo remains in a terminal's storage awaiting clearance, has gone up to seven days.
Importers are incurring extra costs on account of this delay. Some importers are even looking at the option of shipping their goods out of the Chennai airport.
The trouble began when the Air Cargo Complex in BIA migrated to the Indian Customs Electronics Data Interchange System 1.5 (ICES 1.5) software version to expedite the process of clearing customs documents. The upgraded software was initially marred by technical glitches and software bugs. While the bug issue has been resolved, various other problems are said to have cropped up. Importers say there is even a shortage of customs officers and lack of co-ordination between different players in the ecosystem.
But the customs department blames the importers. "Importers and their agents take three days to file bills of entry. Another two to three days goes in paying the customs duty. Why can't they pay the duty online? There is also a provision to file advance bills of entry, which they don't use. How is it that GE Healthcare, 3M and IBM get their cargo cleared in a day?" asks the commissioner of customs in Bangalore, B Bhattacharya.
But the custom house agents (CHAs) blame the software for delays in entries. There are about 1,200 bills of entry made every day.
27/01/11 Shilpa Phadnis/Times of India

Lankan with fake papers held at airport

Jaipur: A 22-year-old Sri Lankan was taken into custody by Sanganer police after the immigration authorities at the airport here caught him with a fake passport and visa documents on Wednesday. Police said the accused was trying to fly to London through Muscat in an Oman Air flight. He was staying as a refugee in Chennai for the past four years. The police, on Thursday, produced him in court which sent him to two-day police remand.
According to the police, the accused, Mathialagan Muthukumar, had taken shelter in Chennai in 2006 after he escaped from Sri Lanka with others in a boat. "He stayed in refugee camps in Chennai due to the civil war in Sri Lanka. He worked as a labourer during his stay in India," said ACP Rajesh Kumar Meel.
He added Muthukumar's two sisters live in London and he wanted to join them. "He was approached by a man in Chennai who promised to prepare fake documents for him. The man used a real passport belonging to someone else and replaced the photo with that of Muthukumar. He prepared fake visa documents for him," said the officer.
The man sent him to Jaipur saying it would be safer to fly to London from here with the fake documents. "He asked him to meet another man in Jaipur who would take him to airport and help him complete other formalities. Muthukumar followed his instructions, but immigration officials got suspicious," said the officer.
28/01/11 Times of India

Thursday, January 27, 2011

A wake-up call for Indian airports

The suicide attack at the Domodedovo airport in Moscow that killed 35 and injured many on Monday lays bare the inadequate security arrangements at such a busy airport. The arrival hall in the international airport did not have metal detectors in the luggage area. In lay-out and orientation, the international and the domestic terminals are adjacent to each other, somewhat similar to the situation in Chennai. The suicide bomber exploded the device in the arrival hall where a maximum crowd had gathered in the evening to receive guests. Looking at the Indian scene, the pre check-in and baggage check procedures are no different in most of our airports. All the screening equipment and personnel are located inside the departure area close to the check-in counters where there is concentration of people particularly during the morning hours. In fact, there is no security check at all of any baggage right till reaching the x-ray machines (located well inside the departure halls). With the existing unimaginative procedures, a determined suicide attacker would not be stopped from reaching the target area after being legally allowed access to the check-in area. He could be in possession of a valid ticket with a bag full of explosives. At the entrance the CISF personnel check the e-ticket and confirm the identity of the passenger; they do not check the baggage.
A terrorist after gaining entry into the crowded areas could wait in the hall till even after his flight departs and choose a moment to strike and time the detonation to cause maximum damage in the departure hall. Unfortunately after any such successful attack, it is only a detailed investigation that would perhaps indicate that a valid passenger who passed through the security cordon before the screening of the baggage was responsible for the blast. In fact, there may hardly be any leads and one may not even find the identity of the suicide bomber with the number of casualties and suitcases damaged beyond recognition depending on the intensity of the blast. Worst of all, he could even get away in the aftermath of the explosion.
26/01/11 R S Vasan/ExpressBuzz

Trust-Based Security System Pitched For U.S., U.K., Indian Airports

With security an imminent consideration in London because of the Olympic Games in 2012 and other reasons, the U.K. government is expected soon to announce a pilot program using the trust-based security (TBS) method at London Stansted Airport.
A U.S. airport and a mid-sized Indian airport are also viewing the TBS model, crafted by security consultant AR Challenges, company representatives tell Aviation Week. The system incorporates suggestions made by the Air Line Pilots Association in a white paper.
AR Challenges, based in Israel, the U.S. and Canada, is in discussions with information technology integrators involved with Indian Safe Cities projects. "It is essential that all systems are put together and integrated,” says Rafi Sela, the company’s founder. Sela has made presentations to the Airports Authority of India.
“In India, we are saying, just give us the security tax at the airport, and we will install the system under Build Operate Transfer (BOT) method … The airport also gets additional benefits beyond security. Retailers are willing to pay to get their message to passengers by offering spot discounts, airport operators can track vendors and employees and airlines can service their premium passengers as soon as their arrive,” Sela says.
The system has been tested for the past right months at arguably one of the most secure airports in the world—Ben Gurion International in Tel Aviv. Ninety percent of terrorist prevention there has been enabled by intelligence gathering, Sela asserts.
AR Challenges says it has the expertise, technologies and systems to support an immediate deployment of the TBS. Once the tests are completed, it plans to introduce TBS to the International Civil Aviation Organization.
“Asset protection must be threat-driven with a focus on the individual and the intent to do harm. In this system, the passenger is viewed as an asset rather than a liability to security. The philosophy on airport security, particularly in the U.S. is wrong. It is proactive rather than reactive,” says Sela.
25/01/11 Neelam Mathews/Aviation Week

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

GVK Power to build airports in Bali, Java

Mumbai/Mangalore: Hyderabad-based infrastructure development company GVK Power and Infrastructure (GVKPIL), which also runs the airports at Mumbai and Bangalore, will develop international airports at Bali and Java in Indonesia.
This will be the company's first successful agreement with a foreign government for an international project after its failed attempt for modernisation and upgradation of the Male airport in Maldives last year. The company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indonesian government on Tuesday for execution of these projects right from conception to design to operating and managing these airports with an exclusivity clause.
"The Indonesian airport projects are strategically the next move for GVK. Java and Bali are growing very fast. We have to get a feasibility study done for traffic, investment and terms to be submitted to the Indonesian government," GV Krishna Reddy, chairman, GVKPIL, told ET.
He, however, did not gives any specific details outlining the project but it is estimated that the group will pump in close to $3billion to $4 billion in the development of these greenfield projects.
26/01/11 Economic Times

Time factor in tall plans for air safety

Calcutta: Safety comes second at Calcutta airport. The civil aviation ministry has sanctioned a plan to replace the archaic air traffic control equipment that frequently land flights in trouble, but work won’t start until the integrated terminal is ready, a senior official revealed on Tuesday.
That means a long wait of at least another year — the Rs 2,300-crore terminal project is set to overshoot its April deadline by six months — before the first brick is laid for a new air traffic control tower twice as tall as the existing one.
The air traffic control revamp was part of the original modernisation plan for the airport till a shortage of funds put safety on the chopping block. The airport has since added to its abysmal safety record, the latest scare coming last week when a serial system crash left around 300 flights without remote surveillance and guidance for nine hours.
An official of the Airports Authority of India said building a new tower would entail an estimated additional cost of Rs 250 crore, of which around Rs 100 crore is to be spent on state-of-the-art communication, surveillance and navigation equipment.
Metro had reported last September that the shelved revamp plan was set to make a comeback.
A source in Delhi said the civil aviation ministry wrote to the finance ministry recently, conveying its approval of the plan along with the required technical details.
26/01/11 The Telegraph

Airport runway as potholed as city roads

Nagpur: Driving down city roads, any driver would give a king's ransom for the ability to fly over all the potholes and rough patches. But before that, talk to pilots who land aircraft on the runway at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport at Nagpur. Its condition is said to be worse than the city roads these days.
"The 3,200-meter runway at Nagpur airport has become worse than city roads. A 300-meter patch, at the spot where aircraft brake hard after landing has been completely damaged. Every time an aircraft goes over this particular patch it experiences a bump," a senior airport official said on condition of anonymity.
The damaged braking spot poses a risk of some aircraft skidding. At least 22 aircraft land on this runway every day at Nagpur airport along with Air Force IL-76 cargo planes (Gajraj) and chartered aircraft. Another potential safety hazard for aircraft is the risk of tar particles from the damaged patch getting into aircraft engines.
"The runway surface has been giving way every now and then because of various reasons like heavy rains last year etc. But it raises a question on the maintenance work done by the airport operator company, Mihan India Private Limited (MIPL)," the official said.
The surface disintegration or rough patches on the runway have not forced any unscheduled closure of the airport as yet, neither have pilots officially complained about the runway condition. However, senior airport officials themselves admit that the runway is in pathetic condition and needs immediate resurfacing.
26/01/11 Sachin Dravekar/Times of India

Chances of direct Srinagar-Dubai flight bright: Soz

Srinagar: President of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, Professor Saifuddin Soz, on Tuesday said that chances of direct flight operating between Srinagar to Dubai and Jeddah were bright.
“At a high level meeting today with Secretary Aviation, Dr Nasir Zaidi and Chairman and MD Air India, Shri Arvind Jadhav, the chances for resumption of Srinagar – Dubai flight and connecting the same to Jeddah brightened up when these high ranking functionaries of the Ministry of Civil Aviation found weight in my argument that connecting Srinagar – Dubai flight with Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) would attract large number of passengers intending to perform Umrah. Functionaries said that this proposal would receive very immediate attention,” Soz said in a statement.
25/01/11 Greater Kashmir

More flights to remote areas likely

New Delhi: Indian carriers may be asked to increase connectivity to remote areas of the country in a move that could raise costs for airlines even as it aims to evenly distribute the growth in domestic air traffic, which crossed the 52 million mark last year.
The aviation ministry is planning to expand the scope of existing route dispersal guidelines for airlines that define a dozen key metro routes in the country based on air traffic. Airlines have to ply at least 10% of their total metro flights on routes covering destinations that are not well connected and are less profitable, such as Jammu and Kashmir, the North-East, Lakshadweep, and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
“The traffic has increased over the years and there is a case for revising these metro routes. Kochi-Bangalore and Bangalore-Hyderabad are also at par in terms of traffic now,” said a ministry official, who declined to be named. “DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) is being asked to look into it and rework.”
The regulator defines high-traffic metro routes currently as Mumbai-Bangalore, Kolkata-Delhi, Mumbai-Kolkata, Kolkata-Bangalore, Mumbai-Delhi, Kolkata-Chennai, Mumbai-Hyderabad, Delhi-Bangalore, Mumbai-Chennai, Delhi-Hyderabad, Mumbai-Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi-Chennai.
25/01/11 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

AAI refuses to back down on statue

New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India has sought a second response over the 263-m high Shiv statue, which causes landing trouble for aircraft at IGI airport. The legal notice issued in November had asked Jaya Shree Trust to either relocate or decrease the height of the Shiv statue. Airports Authority of India (AAI) termed the Shiv murti a "safety and security risk to the lives of innocent passengers flying in and out" of IGI airport.
In 1989, AAI had allowed the trust to build a 252.1-m high statue. But officials say that the actual height is 263.4m — 11.5m more than permitted.
The trust responded on December 2, 2010, denying that it exceeded the permitted height and questioned AAI's silence since 1994, when the statue was completed. It also questioned why AAI permitted the new runway to be built at its present location despite knowing that the statue is in the way and said that the statue was not a safety risk in any way. "No occasion arises for reducing the height of the Shiv Murti and/or removing or relocating the same," the trust replied.
According to an AAI official, "We asked them to decrease the height of the Shiv statue as soon as possible or relocate it. Earlier, too, it was suggested that the base of the statue be removed but it has been left to the trust to decide."
The extra height has meant that a substantial length of the new runway built just ahead of the statue remains unused. In order to avoid the statue, aircraft are unable to descend on time and hence land after 2,820m of the 4,280-m long runway.
25/01/11 Saurabh Sinha & Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

AAI refuses to back down on statue

New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India has sought a second response over the 263-m high Shiv statue, which causes landing trouble for aircraft at IGI airport. The legal notice issued in November had asked Jaya Shree Trust to either relocate or decrease the height of the Shiv statue. Airports Authority of India (AAI) termed the Shiv murti a "safety and security risk to the lives of innocent passengers flying in and out" of IGI airport.
In 1989, AAI had allowed the trust to build a 252.1-m high statue. But officials say that the actual height is 263.4m — 11.5m more than permitted.
The trust responded on December 2, 2010, denying that it exceeded the permitted height and questioned AAI's silence since 1994, when the statue was completed. It also questioned why AAI permitted the new runway to be built at its present location despite knowing that the statue is in the way and said that the statue was not a safety risk in any way. "No occasion arises for reducing the height of the Shiv Murti and/or removing or relocating the same," the trust replied.
According to an AAI official, "We asked them to decrease the height of the Shiv statue as soon as possible or relocate it. Earlier, too, it was suggested that the base of the statue be removed but it has been left to the trust to decide."
The extra height has meant that a substantial length of the new runway built just ahead of the statue remains unused. In order to avoid the statue, aircraft are unable to descend on time and hence land after 2,820m of the 4,280-m long runway.
25/01/11 Saurabh Sinha & Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

Thiruvananthapuram airport user fee: Ravi makes no commitment

Thiruvananthapuram: Union Minister for Civil Aviation Vayalar Ravi has said that his concern on imposing user fee on passengers at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport was conveyed to the then Minister Praful Patel. The issue will now be definitely looked into and an appropriate decision taken, he added, without making any commitment.
‘’Now since I have become the Minister, I would explore all possibilities to see how a relief can be brought to the passengers. I myself had pointed out the fact that it would be a burden on the passengers. But I cannot commit anything now,’’ said Vayalar Ravi, while participating in a meet-the-press programme organised by Thiruvananthapuram Press Club.
Without making any commitment, Vayalar Ravi said that he had pointed out that the user fee was on the higher side and was now not averse to examining this aspect. He said that a final decision on the issue can be taken only after holding elaborate discussions with the concerned. ‘’User fee is not just confined to Thiruvananthapuram airport alone. It is already there in many places,’’ he added.
The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority had given the sanction to impose an user development fee of Rs 755 on every international passenger flying out Thiruvananthapuram International Airport for a period of ten years. This is supposed to come in place with effect from the date of the commissioning of the new terminal of the international airport.
24/01/11 ExpressBuzz

Suredj Autar to leave key GMR Group commercial post

Suredj Autar, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Strategic Planning at Indian airport operator GMR, has resigned from the group, effective 1 March 2011.
The dynamic Autar has been one of the prime champions of progress in the Indian airport travel retail channel during recent times.
In a message to business partners Autar said: "I have had a tremendous enriching career with GMR Group. The experiences in the last two years have been highly rewarding and I am delighted to see the progression we have made for all the GMR airports."
Autar added that he intended to take sabbatical leave for a few months to spend time with his family before continuing his career.
24/01/11 Mary Jane Pittilla/The Moodie Report

Metro corridor to Chennai airport gets AAI approval

Chennai: Chennai Metro Rail has floated a tender to build an elevated corridor to the airport after Airports Authority of India (AAI) gave a green signal for the project. The line will be partially underground as it cuts across the flight path to the runways.
A pre-bid meeting will be held by end of February when Metro Rail officials will explain the technical aspects and other finer details of the project to the builders who wish to bid for the project.
Metro Rail and AAI are already locked in discussions regarding the details of the work. AAI wants the line from the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) to the airport along the GST Road to be constructed in such a way that minimum impact is caused to the buildings and land belonging to the airport.
A rough alignment of the corridor has been finalised, but there would be minor changes to prevent the line from affecting buildings on the airport side of GST road. "The details are likely to be finalised in another 10 days," said sources in Metro Rail.
There are buildings on AAI land on the airport side of GST Road that stretch from the cargo terminal to the AAI residential quarters. These buildings will not be affected by the Metro corridor but some land will have to be taken from AAI to build entry and exit points for Meenambakkam station of the Metro that will straddle the GST Road opposite the air cargo terminal.
25/01/11 V Ayyappan/Times of India

Monday, January 24, 2011

Dabolim Airport to Close for Repairs on 26th January

The Dabolim Airport in Goa will be shut form 4 am to 5 pm on 26th January 2011, Republic Day for 13 hours for repair and maintenance. The shut down is likely to seriously affect about 34 flights, which include three foreign charter flights, two international flights and the balance being domestic flights.
The repair and maintenance operations have undertaken by the Indian Navy at the Dabolim Airport for 13 hours and as such many airlines will have to reschedule their flights or post pone it to a future date.
Indian Navy's Goa base public relations officer Mahesh Chandra Joshi said, "Runway maintenance is an ongoing activity which sometimes requires its closure for a short period of time." He further added, "The effort is to minimize flight disruptions and to ensure minimum inconvenience to the traveling public." Only after consultation with various airline operators the repair and maintenance operation have been undertaken by the Indina Navy.
23/01/11 Rang7

Nagaland govt pushing for direct Delhi flight

Delhi: A frustrated government of Nagaland has dispatched the state’s chief secretary to Delhi to lobby a number of major private airlines in India to provide Delhi-Dimapur air connectivity. The current flights-scheme and services in Dimapur have apparently not left the state government too happy and the state administration has been looking for a private operator that would provided at least a semblance of regular air linkage with the country’s capital.
To augment and, hopefully, rejuvenate the currently-sloppy air services in Nagaland, chief secretary of the state Lalthara, IAS, had been camping in Delhi meeting with a number of private airline services the first week of January. The chief secretary is informed to have met with corporate executives of leading private airlines in India Kingfisher and Spicejet, as well as with AirIndia, seeking from them a Delhi-Dimapur (Nagaland) air connectivity to complement the Imphal-Guwhati-Delhi service. Another private airline service Lalthara approached was domestic airlines Indigo.
Updates said Lalthara had several meetings with private air giant Kingfisher since December 2010 and assurances were given that the matter would be ‘looked into’ by the airlines. However, anything concrete or positive has yet to come up, highly-placed sources in the government informed. The economic feasibility of running direct flights is understood to be promising considering the Delhi-Dimapur link would also be used as connecting flight for passengers of other states unlike the current system where travelers form Nagaland have to catch a different flight connecting with other state destinations.
23/01/11 Morung Express

Sunday, January 23, 2011

More Mumbai-Delhi flights soon

Mumbai: Fliers on the Mumbai-Delhi route who were affected by ongoing runway repairs at Mumbai airport which led to limited flights, can take heart. Most airlines are planning to increase capacity to meet the increase in demand.
When the winter schedule kicked off in October last year, airlines were forced to reduce flights on the Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai route.
This was because only one of the two runways was available in Mumbai as the main runway, 09-27 is undergoing major repairs. Mumbai-Delhi-Mumbai route on a daily basis. "Though the airlines cut down flights on this route, the passenger demand did not decrease," said a source. As a result by November, the one-way airfare on this route rose ten times, reaching even Rs34,000 from an average of Rs3,500.It was only after the civil aviation ministry intervened that the fares stabilised.
23/01/11 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

NRI body urges Kerala to issue infra bonds for Kannur Airport

Dubai: A UAE-based NRI body has urged Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan to issue infrastructure bonds worth Rs 200 crore for Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL) project, as it will attract both NRIs and resident Indians to invest in it.
"It is a suitable project, but 50 per cent of the project is in debt. We see overwhelming interest from Pravasees to invest in the project as equity," K V Shamsudheen, Chairman of Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust said.
In an open letter he has written to the Kerala Chief Minister, which was also made available to PTI, Shamsudheen said the trust had given the same proposal to previous government as well.
"If the government approaches the RBI for this specific project, we hope it will permit the government to issue bonds for KIAL.
In that case, small investors can also invest in this project and will get some return on their investment," he said.
Speaking to PTI, Shamsudheen also said that approximately Rs 90 crore are remitted to Kerala everyday by non-Resident Keralites, but 95 per cent of these remittances are spent on non-productive investment.
22/01/11 PTI/msn.com

India aid to rebuild Palali airport

Jaffna: The High Commissioner of India Ashok K. Kantha said that they have forwarded a proposal to the Sri Lankan government to rebuild Palali air strip to international standards.
“We are currently speaking with the Sri Lanka counterparts in this regard,” he said.
The airport is to be converted to an international airport mainly to cater to South Indian based airlines to fly to Sri Lanka. The High Commissioner speaking at the opening of the three day Jaffna Trade Fair which concluded on Sunday.
22/01/11 Shirajiv Sirimane/Sunday Oberver

AI flight takes off without luggage

New Delhi: Air India once again flew without the luggage of its 30-odd passengers, booked on Delhi-Patna IC 409 flight, on Saturday. Passengers were furious when they found their luggage missing.
There was fiery arguments between passengers and AI's ground staff at Patna airport. Tempers cooled after AI officials jotted down names and addresses of passengers whose luggage were missing.
23/01/11 Times of India

Hilton Mumbai International Airport opens

Mumbai: Hilton Hotels & Resorts has opened Hilton Mumbai International Airport. The upscale 171-room hotel is Hilton Worldwide’s third property in India, the other two being Hilton New Delhi Janakpuri and Hilton Garden Inn New Delhi Saket. According to the company release, Hilton Mumbai, International Airport is owned by DB Hospitality, the Hospitality vertical of DB Group.
Dave Horton, Global Head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts said, “We are excited to continue our global expansion and open our second Hilton Hotels & Resorts property in India’s business and entertainment capital. We are ranked among the top five international hotel brands in India and are thrilled to bring our authentic hospitality and premium products and services to travellers in India with the opening of the Hilton Mumbai International Airport.”
Neeraj Chadha, Regional General Manager - India, Hilton Worldwide said, “Hilton Mumbai International Airport marks our entry into one of the country’s largest and most vibrant cosmopolitan cities. As we grow our portfolio, we will bring our award-winning, upscale, quality accommodations and services to more domestic and international travellers from the business and leisure segments in India.”
22/01/11 TravelBizMonitor

Saturday, January 22, 2011

New ground service providers at Amausi airport

Lucknow: Passengers flying from Amausi airport will find new set of ground service providers from Saturday. The Airport Authority of India ( AAI) has outsourced the services to a private company, Indo-Thai Airport Management Services (ITAMS).
It would be a comprehensive ground handling services that the company would take up for an airport, which aspires to attain an international status even as a new terminal gets set up.
Business head of ITAMS, Aditya Raj Maheshwari said that the contract was awarded to the company for five airports, which include Lucknow, Srinagar, Jaipur, Varanasi and Amritsar. But for Lucknow, the ground services were taken up by the company from January 1 this year.
Besides, handling all domestic and international flights, the company would also cater to the chartered flights. The first international flight to be catered to by the company on Saturday will be Fly Dubai's FZ 437/434.
Services that the company would provide include complete passenger handling, ramp handling, cargo handling, cabin cleaning, flight dispatch and technical assistance.
22/01/11 Times of India

Delhi airspace to remain closed for an hour on January 23, 24, 26

New Delhi: In view of Republic Day celebrations, air space over the national capital will remain closed for an hour on January 23, 24 and 26.
Delhi's airspace would remain closed for all flight operations for an hour between 11:15am and 12:15pm for fly-past of Indian Air Force aircraft for Republic Day preparations on January 23, 24 and on January 26, a Delhi airport official said.
Full-dress rehearsal for the Republic Day celebrations would be held on January 23, he said, adding airspace restrictions were also implemented today at the Indira Gandhi International airport between 11:15 am and 12:15 pm.
The IGI airport's airspace remains closed for all flight operations between 11:15am and 12:15 pm every year on January 23, 24 and January 26 for Republic Day celebrations.
21/01/11 Daily News & Analysis

Flights on Jan 26 affected as Dabolim airport shuts

Vasco: The Indian Navy has announced the shutting down of the Dabolim airport, Goa, on January 26 to undertake repairs in the runway. This would affect around 34 flights including two foreign charters on the day.
In a NOTEM (notice to airmen) issued on Friday, the Indian Navy said the runway will be closed from 4am to 5pm on Republic Day to undertake runway repair works.
When contacted, Navy's Goa base public relations officer Mahesh Chandra Joshi said, "Runway maintenance is an ongoing activity which sometimes requires its closure for a short period of time." He further informed that, unavoidable runway maintenance has been planned for January 26, in consultation with all airline operators. "The effort is to minimize flight disruptions and to ensure minimum inconvenience to the traveling public," he told TOI.
Sources at the airport said this closure of the runway for 13 hours will badly affect the airport operations.
22/01/11 Times of India

New VIP lounge at BIA

Bangalore: Domestic and international dignitaries can look forward to a more comfortable flying experience from Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) with the inauguration of a new VIP lounge on Friday by chief secretary S V Ranganath.
The new lounge, located on level-1 of the terminal, is equipped with Wi-Fi facility, televisions and flight information display systems. The lounge is operational 24/7 and can accommodate 20 guests at a time.
"We aim to offer each of our passengers with an exceptional transit experience," said G V Sanjay Reddy, MD of BIA. The other lounges in the terminal building include the Oberoi lounge in the international departure area, Kingfisher and Air India lounges in domestic departure and a VIP reserved lounge on the ground floor. BIA has revamped its portal for better user experience.
22/01/11 Times of India

Nasair launches Riyadh-New Delhi Route

Nasair, the Saudi Arabia’s smart airline today announced its new route to Delhi International Airport as part of its strategic expansion both within the Middle East and Internationally. This new route has been recently made operational, with three flights a week between New Delhi and Riyadh.
Simon Stewart – nasair CEO speaking at a press conference in Delhi said “nasair now operates more than 450 flights weekly, and have successfully added 7 new destinations during the year 2010 (Aleppo In Syria, Khartoum in Sudan, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Mumbai, Calicut, Cochin and New Delhi in India). nasair is planning to add at least 3 more international routes by the first quarter of 2011 and is adding the first one today by launching its 4th destination in Egypt Sohaj also today. We are aiming to carry over than 3 million passengers by the end of this year 2011 and our current figures show that we have carried more than 2 million passengers during 2010 alone,” he said.
Stewart further added that “nasair manages more than 450 flights per week, flying to 24 domestic and international destinations with its young and modern fleet which consists of 14 aircrafts. We added Embraer E190s in our fleet in December 2010 and are planning to add three Airbus A320s by 2012 to our growing fleet.
21/01/11 India Infoline

BIA partially closed during aero show

Bangalore: Are your travel plans coinciding with the Aero India show being held in the city next month? If yes, here's some information for you.
Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) will halt aircraft operations from 10 am to 12 noon and 2pm to 3.30pm from February 6 to 8 to facilitate rehearsals for the country's premier aero show. During the main event scheduled from February 9 to 13, aircraft operations will be halted from 10am to 12 noon and again from 2.30pm to 5pm.
Airlines with scheduled aircraft operations during this period have been intimated about the reduced operating hours. They will inform their passengers about the change.
22/01/11 Times of India

Friday, January 21, 2011

Kandahar Hijacking: 3 Muslim accused acquitted

Mumbai: A Mumbai Sessions Court on 19th Jan. 2011 acquitted three persons who were accused of looting a bank in the city and send money to Pakistani terrorists to hijack the Indian Airlines plane IC-814 in 1999. The court acquitted Abdul Lateef, Yosuf Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed as the prosecution could not prove the charges.
The police had arrested them for allegedly looting a Bank of Maharashtra branch in Boriwali area in Mumbai in October 1999. The police had alleged the money was used in funding the hijacking of the plane. The police had also claimed to recover Rs 2 lakh in cash and some hand grenades from the accused.
The Flight 814 (IC-814) of Indian Airlines en route from Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu, Nepal) to Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi) was hijacked on December 24, 1999, by armed men of Pakistan-based terrorist group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.
20/01/11 Twocircles.net

Parking at Chennai airport still a far cry

Chennai: New terminals will increase the passenger handling capacity of the airport by several fold, but the expanded and modernised airport may not have adequate parking space for cars.
The plan of Airports Authority of India (AAI) to build a multi-level car park under public-private mode has run into rough weather because of poor response to a tender floated for the project. As not many companies came forward to bid for the Rs 150-crore 56,283 sq m car park, AAI has cancelled the tender.
"We are now planning to float a fresh tender for the project. There was no response for the earlier tender," said AAI chairman V P Agrawal.
Sources said that AAI's response to the queries raised by prospective bidders did not satisfy the firms that had showed interest.
"AAI wants to maintain the existing car park. The bidders want the car park to be closed when the multi-level car park is ready, for the fear that they will lose revenue. The project is delayed because of this deadlock," said an airport official.
21/01/11 V Ayyappan/Times of India

Airports keeping pace with technology, says AAI official

Chennai: The Airports Authority of India is keeping pace with technology and growth in air traffic to create infrastructure for air navigation services, said senior aviation official V Somasundaram.
The Airports Authority of India board member said modernisation of air traffic control management and communication systems would not impact the existing work force.
The air traffic controllers might have to be shuffled, but there would not be reduction in human resource, he said on the sidelines of a seminar on Aviation Communication - Defining perspectives organised by Aeronautical Communication Officers Association on Thursday.
Alok Varshney, general secretary, ACOA said the communication wing has been facing staff shortage of up to 50% at many stations.
21/01/11 Times of India

Amritsar airport to have perishable cargo centre

Ferozepur: The Punjab government is setting up a perishable cargo centre at Amritsar International Airport to promote export of vegetables and fruits from the state. This would be the third such centre in India after Mumbai and Cochin. The centre will have an annual storage capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes and is expected to be completed by June 2012.
The state is constructing around a dozen integrated pack houses to store fresh fruits and vegetables in order to maintain a cold chain till the products reach the airport.
21/01/11 Times of India

KFC opens at Mumbai International Airport

Taking steps to further strengthen its footprint in India, KFC, the US-based chicken restaurant chain of Yum! Brands, has recently opened an outlet at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. The outlet is located at the mezzanine level of Terminal 1C, which houses an expansive 11,750-sq.ft food court.
The average size of a KFC airport outlet, Kataria informed, is around 1,200-1,400 sq.ft and the average bill size is generally 10-15 per cent higher than that of its regular outlets.
20/01/11 imagesfood.com

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Upgrade of Juhu airport planned

Mumbai: Flushed with success over environmental hurdles to build an international airport at Navi Mumbai, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is now working towards expediting the upgradation and modernisation of the Juhu airport.
According to a senior ministry official, the state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI), which operates this airport, had submitted a study by global consultancy firm KPMG about four months ago suggesting a public private partnership (PPP) model for upgradation work here.
“We were busy with the Navi Mumbai problem. Now that this problem has been resolved, we will look into the modalities of modernising the Juhu airport. This will help to decongest the overcrowded CSIA airport,” the official said.
He said that as per the AAI proposal, modernisation and expansion of Juhu airport under PPP would need investment of anywhere between Rs100-200 crore.
“We want to shift 20 flight movements per hour for General Aviation (private jets) to Juhu. Initially, 50 GA flights will be shifted to this airport from CSIA”.
19/01/11 Sindhu Bhattacharya/Daily News & Analysis

300 flights weather serial system crash at Calcutta

Calcutta: Calcutta airport flirted with disaster for nine hours on Tuesday after a serial system crash left around 300 flights without the safety net of remote surveillance and guidance.
Three key components of the surveillance and communication network going on the blink at the same time is unprecedented even by the appalling standards of the city airport, officials admitted.
“The Flight Data Processing System, Automated Message Switching System, Automated Dependence Surveillance and a monitor for surveillance of departing and approaching aircraft stopped functioning at 4am. The air traffic control (ATC) staff were a bundle of nerves for nine hours,” an official said.
The glitches were repaired and normality restored around 1.15pm, by which time the ATC had recorded several instances of aircraft losing contact with the tower or failing to send crucial flight data to the data processing system. The airport was also unable to share information about flights with other air traffic control towers, which can be disastrous if two aircraft under different surveillance zones come close to crossing each other’s path.
19/01/11 The Telegraph

Work on Chennai's new airport terminals to be delayed

Chennai: The new domestic and international terminals that are to come up at the Chennai Airport by March this year are likely to get delayed by over nine months, if one were to go by the cold war between the contracting company CCCL and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
A war of words over unkept commitments and failure to provide approvals is now on between CCCL and IPM-Lahmeyer International, the project management consultants appointed by the AAI. AAI officials are pressing CCCL to ensure that the work goes on 24X7 by employing labourers in multiple shifts to complete the project at least by July if not March - the earlier deadline. “Since the last few months, we have been instructing the contractors to multiply their workforce, but for almost for an year they haven’t been working on multiple shifts,” an airport source revealed.
For its part, CCCL blamed AAI for the delay. “AAI has been lax in giving us the necessary approvals and decisions for certain sections of the project, which is delaying all the works. Bills and payments are also being delayed for no reason. Chunks of money have been pending for over a year now, yet we have executed those works. We refuse to go forward until AAI gives us their approval for rates in writing as that is a key reason why most of our payments have been held up,” an executive in CCCL revealed.
19/01/11 Mamta Todi/ExpressBuzz

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

International cargo airport coming up near Delhi

Chandigarh: An international cargo airport would be set up in Haryana territory falling in the national capital region (NCR) of New Delhi, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said on Monday.
Hooda said 3,000 acres of land has been identified for the project at Bhaini Maharajpur and Bhaini Bhairon villages near Delhi. Hooda said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has conducted the site survey and given the go-ahead for the project.
18/01/11 IANS/Sify.com

Air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport to be automated

Ahmedabad: As part of the Airport Authority of India’s airport modernisation plan, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport (SVPI) has been chosen as a nodal unit for automation of air traffic control (ATC). The success of the automation process at the airport will be replicated at about 30 other airports across the country.
The automation is a process through which the system automatically picks up data on aircraft movement and processes it for onward communication. Among other things, it helps the controllers in determining the minimum separation distance between aircraft — all in real time.
To put the automation technology in place, the airport authorities are gearing up to begin construction of the new ATC building and a 65-ft-high tower at Ahmedabad. Officials said that for better automation, a good radar is a prerequisite; this will be installed in the new tower.
The automated ATC system, when in place, will reduce the workload of air traffic controllers and improve air safety, besides ensuring hassle-free handling of aircraft movement even in congested airspace.
17/01/11 Satish Jha/Daily News & Analysis

Visitors banned from Pune airport till Jan 30

Pune: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has imposed a ban on the entry of visitors to the city's Lohegaon airport till January 30. "The move has been prompted by the nation-wide high security alert ahead of the Republic Day on January 26," said Sanjay Dularey, airport manager of AAI, Pune, while speaking to TOI on Monday. "The ban has been put into effect from January 15," he added.
The authorities have also tightened security measures in and around the Lohegaon civil enclave, which is part of the Indian Air Force's strategically vital Sukhoi Mk-I fighter base.
"Passengers flying in and out of Pune till January 30 are requested to ensure that they reach the airport at least half an hour before the scheduled departure of their flights," said Dularey. This is also to ensure that they go through the enhanced security checks without any inconvenience, he added.
"There will be a lot of secondary checks apart from the usual screening process, which makes it imperative for passengers to arrive early for the security check-in formalities," he said.
18/01/11 Vishwas Kothari/Times of India

Delcam and Birmingham Airport take part in India visit

West Midland firms Delcam and Birmingham Airport are among 50 companies travelling to India for a trade delegation.
Business Secretary Vince Cable is joining the company on the visit to India, one of the world’s most dynamic economies, to strengthen the enhanced partnership between the two countries and co-chair trade talks.
The visit follows on from the mission led by Prime Minister David Cameron in July last year. Dr Cable, who was part of that trade mission, will be the first UK Cabinet Minister to visit this year.
Mr Cable said: “Last year, we set out a broad framework for our enhanced partnership. In 2011, we are moving beyond that, rolling up our sleeves and working together.
“India is very important to the UK, and the UK has the expertise to develop the capacities it needs to fuel its growth. Our business relationship is already strong, but it could be stronger.
The UK’s bilateral trade with India is currently worth around £11.5bn. Exports have continued to grow since the July visit with latest figures showing a rise of 35 per cent in UK exports to India in the year to October.
18/01/11 Graeme Brown/Birmingham Post

Airlines to benefit from new airport tariff model

After mulling over the issue for nearly a year, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Aera) has adopted the single-till model, also followed at airports such as the UK's Heathrow and Gatwick.
The airport tariff regulator has decided that all major airports except New Delhi and Mumbai will charge clients under a model that potentially benefits airlines and passengers. Under the so-called singletill model, airport charges are fixed by taking into account all principal airport activities, including aeronautical or flyingrelated activities and non-aeronautical activities such as commercial use of airport space. The dual-till model, on the other hand, considers only aeronautical activities. Airlines prefer the single-till model as airport charges, being drawn from a larger number of sources, are likely to be lower for them. This also translates into lesser cost for passengers. After mulling over the issue for nearly a year, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Aera) has adopted the single-till model, also followed at airports such as the UK's Heathrow and Gatwick. "The authority is of the opinion that single-till is most appropriate for the economic regulation of major airports in India," Aera secretary Sandeep Prakash said in a 12 January order.
On 11 March 2010, Mint reported that Aera had tentatively opted for the single-till model, while awaiting the inputs of stakeholders. The regulator itself hired PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd to ascertain which model was better. The consulting firm reported in favour of singletill. BridgeLink Capital Advisors, commissioned by the aviation ministry, agreed with the assessment. However, KPMG India Pvt. Ltd, hired by private airport operators, said dual-till was the better option.
17/01/11 Mint/India Infoline

Somali threat puts airports in country on high alert

Mumbai: A week before India celebrates its Republic Day, security agencies in Mumbai and other airports in the country have been put on high alert following an intelligence input from the Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS).
Somali terror groups like al Shabaab and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) will use India as a transit point to go to the US and Europe, and launch terror attacks there, the alert said.
Airport authorities and airlines have been instructed to beef up security, especially on flights originating to and from the Gulf.
According to a recent circular issued by the BCAS, several Somali nationals with ties to al Shabaab have been attempting to travel to the US from Yemen with genuine passports and fake US visas during the holiday season.
“There is a possibility that such activity could originate in or transit through India,” the alert stated.
It further mentioned that the terrorists are more interested in planning aviation attacks in the US, Europe and other countries outside Yemen.
“They are looking for creative ways to smuggle explosives to further their plans,” according to the alert.
18/01/11 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

Kingfisher ATR had wiring problem: DGCA

Bangalore: Kingfisher Airlines, which saw its Hyderabad-bound flight on Sunday being recalled to Bengaluru International Airport ( BIA) due to a technical snag, submitted its investigation report to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday.
"There was a problem with the bearings and wiring circuit. It was not a fire, but smoke emanated from one of the engines," said the director general of civil aviation Bharat Bhushan, quoting the report. Kingfisher did not respond to TOI on queries on this issue.
18/01/11 Shipla Phadnis/Times of India

NRI's e-ticket dubbed invalid' at airport

Kolkata: Fifty-one-year-old Bishnupada Chakraborty, an NRI from Sweden, got the shock of his life as he walked into the Kolkata airport to board a Dhaka-bound Air-India Express flight on Sunday evening. As he showed his e-ticket bought from a travel website last November to the securitymen, he was told that no such flight was scheduled that night and that the flight number mentioned in the ticket was wrong.
A harried Chakraborty was directed to the Air-India Express office at the airport, where he was curtly told that his ticket was "invalid" and that the airline was in no position to help him. The airline's website, however, mentions the flight and also lists him as a passenger. It says that flight IX 910, that was scheduled to take off from Kolkata at 12.45am on Monday, was "cancelled".
A hapless Chakraborty has returned to a friend's place from the airport and has now decided to fly to Dhaka on Tuesday by another airline. "I have been buying tickets online for the last 10 years and this has never happened to me anywhere in the world. Even more shocking was the behaviour of the Air-India officials, who were extremely rude and sarcastic rather than trying to help me out," Chakraborty said.
Air-India Express authorities claimed that the flight for which Chakraborty had a ticket was re-scheduled with a new flight number. An airline spokesperson said the passenger should have inquired with them instead of heading for the airport with a ticket bought two months ago.
18/01/11 Times of India

iXiGO.com Partners with Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) for Travel Search

New Delhi: iXiGO.com has partnered with Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) for enabling a flights & hotels search engine on the IGIA website newdelhiairport.in. This partnership enables passengers visiting the airport's website to search for flights and hotels across 100+ travel websites and to choose and book directly on their preferred airline or hotel booking site for both domestic and international destinations.
The travel bookings search functionality has been made available to passengers on newdelhiairport.in, a website developed and maintained by ePagemaker, an online solutions company. With this partnership, the airport website will enable over a million domestic and international passengers to compare airfares across airlines flying within India and abroad, as well as compare hotel rates for 2,50,000+ hotels globally. After comparing results from multiple travel websites in one search, users can select and book directly with the respective booking site of their desired option.
18/01/11 Business Wire India

Monday, January 17, 2011

Blank ATC blinds pilots

Faulty communication equipment had compromised aviation safety during the foggiest two days of the season so far, cutting off around 500 aircraft flying along a southern stretch under the city airport’s surveillance.
A veteran pilot who had to navigate his way through an 180-nautical mile stretch between Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam without the air traffic control’s assistance described the experience as “flying blindfolded”.
Fliers aboard those 500 aircraft, many of them overflying Calcutta, had no inkling of the communication failure but the pilots were in a tizzy, sources said.
“Air traffic control could see the planes on the radar but failed to communicate with the pilots because of a technical problem in the VHF equipment on both Friday and Saturday. Fortunately, nothing untoward happened,” said an airport official.
For the pilots who were on their own during the 30 minutes that it takes to cover the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam stretch, this was not the first time that faulty communication equipment at the city airport had let them down.
“This has been going on for the past 15 years and yet there is no sign of improvement,” complained the pilot of a Calcutta-Chennai Jet Airways flight on Saturday.
The city airport has seven pieces of VHF equipment for communication with aircraft on various routes, including ones on the ground and those about to land.
“The one that is used for communication on the stretch between Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam was creating problems on Friday and Saturday, when the density of fog was the thickest. Even when communication was possible, the voices were distorted. It has since been repaired, ” an official said.
An engineer revealed that the VHF equipment hadn’t been upgraded in more than a decade.
17/01/11 The Telegraph

BAPL gets land for airport city project

Kolkata: The countdown for the 10,000-crore airport city project in West Bengal has just begun. Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL), which is setting up the project, has received 1,820 acres from West Bengal government and according to the agreement entered with the state government, BAPL is required to complete the first phase of the project within December 2013.
The state government has also put a rider in the agreement. If BAPL fails to maintain the stipulated timeline, then it can ask the company to return the land. Incidentally, Singapore's Changi Airport enjoys a 26% stake in BAPL.
In the first phase, BAPL is required to set up the airport and related infrastructure. The total capital outlay for the airport is 600 crore. BAPL has also initiated talks with four airlines-Kingfisher, Air India, Indigo and Jet Airways-for route development for the proposed airport which is coming up in the industrial belt of Asansol-Durgapur region. The financial closure for the first phase has been achieved. A consortium of four banks, which includes Punjab National Bank, Dena Bank, Union Bank and Yes Bank, have put in 330 crore as debt towards the project. The promoters have put in 170 crore as equity and the rest 100 crore has come from internal accruals.
17/01/11 Sutanuka Ghosal/Economic Times

GMR, GVK groups may bid for Bali airport revamp project

Mumbai: India’s leading private airport developers, GMR and GVK groups, are planning to bid for the modernisation of Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Indonesia.
Both are currently undertaking feasibility studies and preparing to participate in the tender process, sources said.
Indonesia’s state-run airport operator, PT Angkasa Pura I, will soon float a tender for the first phase of the project, envisaged at a cost of about $210 million (Rs 950 crore) in investment. The project is scheduled for completion by 2013.
The new international terminal is to cover 120,000 sq metres, with a 39,000-sq metre, three-storey parking structure, with room for up to 1,500 vehicles. The terminal is planned to handle up to 20 million passengers a year, said news reports from Indonesia. It was initially designed to handle 1.5 million passengers a year and now handles 9.5 million a year, including around five million foreigners.
“This airport is among the leading airports in Indonesia and attracts good traffic,” said a source.
Sources said GMR may also be interested in bidding for a large new international airport proposed for Bali. The Indonesian ministry of communications is seriously studying the creation of a new international airport each for Jakarta and Bali, said news reports a few days earlier, quoting Indonesian vice-minister of transportation, Bambang Susantono.
17/01/11 Katya B Naidu & P B Jayakumar/Business Standard

Finally, ILS start at Srinagar airport gets DGCA nod

Srinagar: In a major development, the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) has finally given its approval for starting the already-calibrated Instrumentation Landing System at the Srinagar ‘International’ Airport, bringing respite to airlines.
“Yes, we have got the DGCA approval,” confirmed the Srinagar-based Director of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Capt. Raj K Malik. “We are all set to use the vital equipment. Nothing is now going to stop us from putting the landing gear to use. It has finally come to the stage where we can safely say we have done it.”
The Instrumentation Landing System, according to experts, is a ground-based instrumentation system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching the runway to enable its safe landing during reduced visibility conditions, common in Kashmir during winters.
Capt Malik, who has been pushing hard for the ILS start for the past several months, said the DGCA approval was a big achievement. “It is a new year gift to the people of Kashmir. The ILS start was a persistent demand from so many quarters in the Valley. It is certainly a big respite for airlines in general and the pilots in particular,” he told Greater Kashmir.
The AAI, Capt Malik said, is now waiting for the Indian Air Force to issue the notice to airmen, technically called as NOTAM. “We are expecting the NOTAM by Tuesday. And if all goes as planned, we shall have the first ILS landing on Wednesday or Thursday,” he said.
The NOTAM would specify the frequency on which the airlines can land at the Srinagar aerodrome with ILS in operation.
16/01/11 Faheem Aslam/Greater Kashmir

'Competent officer needed at MADC'

Nagpur: As high-profile R C Sinha leaves Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) -- the agency developing the Mihan project and the special economic zone (SEZ) in Nagpur-- businessmen here feel that he should be replaced by an equally competent person.
Sinha had emerged as the face of Mihan due to his tough stance and much hope was pinned on him over success of the project, especially for the transfer of Nagpur airport to the joint venture company formed between the MADC and Airports Authority of India (AAI).
As Sinha has quit, a secretary in the state's general administration department, Nandkumar Jantre has been handed over additional charge as vice-chairman and managing director. He is already one of the directors in the MADC board. However, speculations are rife over Sinha's full-time successor. Sources say that Sinha was sidelined since Ashok Chavan took over as the chief minister. Even as Sinha was at the helm at MADC, another retired bureaucrat Shahzad Hussain was appointed an officer on special duty (OSD) by creating a new post.
Insiders speculate Hussain may take over as the new vice-chairman-cum-managing director. However, there has been no official confirmation so far. It is expected that the decision may be taken in a couple of weeks by new chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. Hussain took over after retiring as the chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).
17/01/11 Times of India

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Man shouts 'bomb, bomb' on plane, creates panic

Mumbai: A GoAir flight from Mumbai to Delhi was delayed after a passenger on board created a bomb scare on Saturday morning. The flight G8-230 was waiting in the park baying 6b at Mumbai airport with 169 people onboard. It was ready for a takeoff at 9:50am when suddenly a passenger stood up and shouted "Bomb Bomb" leading to panic among fellow passengers.
The passenger kept shouting persistently and the airline crew had to postpone the takeoff. The pilot immediately alerted the air traffic controller and all passengers were deplaned immediately.
"..Following the usual procedure to control panic, the airline crew asked the passengers to disembark, so that all security checks can be carried out on the aircraft before the take off. The passengers were taken back to the terminal building," said a senior security official at Mumbai airport.
The aircraft, an airbus A-320 was then checked by the airline security and the bomb threat detection committee. They also carried out an anti-sabotage check, which lasted almost an hour.
15/01/11 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

Air traffic restored in Srinagar

Srinagar: The 300-km Srinagar- Jammu-highway on Saturday was partially opened for one-way traffic, while the air traffic resumed after remaining affected for a day due to heavy snowfall.
The air traffic that was hit by snowfall and poor visibility on Friday also resumed after the Airports Authority of India officials cleared the runaway and the tarmac. However, the flights were delayed.
“The run way was cleared by the authorities by noon. However, the tarmac remained closed till 2:00 afternoon. The flights reached the Srinagar International airport after several hours of delay,” sources said.
Reports said that the one-sided traffic on the only road link connecting Valley with rest of the world was resumed after the beacon authorities cleared the highway this afternoon. All the stranded vehicles at Banihal were allowed to proceed to Ramban and further. However, no vehicles were allowed to move from Banihal to Qazigund.
15/01/11 Kashmir Dispatch

Bhogi smoke delays 11 Chennai flights

Chennai: At least 11 flights were delayed and three diverted from Chennai international airport on Friday morning due to smog caused by Bhogi fires burning across the city. According to ATC sources, the smog reduced visibility, disrupting normal flight operations till 7.30 am.
Airports Authority of India maintained that the smog caused diversion and delay of several flights, including international services.
The smog delayed 11 flights in the domestic sector and diversion of an Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur, Kingfisher and Indigo flights. Normalcy was restored by 8 am. “The burning of waste caused poor visibility. We are yet to analyse the pollution levels scientifically from the major nine city locations,” said a TNPCB official.
15/01/11 Deccan Chronicle

Passenger dies on Agartala-Kolkata flight

Kolkata: An ailing passenger travelling by a Jet Airways flight died on board the aircraft when the plane was flying from Agartala to Kolkata today.
Immediately after landing at the N S C Bose International Airport. the passenger, identified as Kartick (44) rushed to the Medical Centre at the airport, where doctors declared him brought dead, they said, adding that the cause of death was not yet known.
15/01/11 PTI/The Assam Tribune

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Plan to check cash flow at airport

Patna: Buoyed by some remarkable achievements of its Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Jayaprakash Narayan International (JPNI) Airport here in the past few months, the I-T (investigation) department has sent a proposal to the Central Board of Direct Taxes ( CBDT) for setting up a permanent AIU unit at the Patna airport.
"The success of AIU unit here has encouraged us to ask to convert the temporary unit into a permanent one," an I-T official said, adding that the permanent unit will help officials to a great extent in checking movement of illegal valuables and unaccounted cash.
The AIU unit gains further significance at JPNI airport as it may easily be used by white-collar criminals and smuggling agents to carry cash and other valuables to Nepal through the porous Indo-Nepal border.
The I-T department had set up a temporary AIU unit at the city airport after the Election Commission of India asked it to do so during the recently concluded Bihar assembly elections. The temporary office of the AIU unit was set up in October-November last year.
14/01/11 Times of India

India's airlines spend big but airports lacking

New Delhi: An upstart Indian carrier's $15 billion order with Airbus is a bold bet on travel demand in the fast-growing country. But ageing airports and over-ambition could yet clip the industry's wings.
IndiGo, which was launched in 2005, on Wednesday stormed onto the international stage by announcing a deal for 180 new aircraft, the largest number of Airbus planes ever bought in a single order.
"We are putting our money where our mouth is," IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh boasted after sealing the deal at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, southwest France.
"If the country has to grow by 9-10 percent, the airline business has to be an equal partner," he told the Mint daily newspaper. "There will be one or two years of up and down, but overall there will be only one direction."
Yet as airlines modernise and expand, analysts warn the nation's airports lag behind, threatening to drag the soaring aviation business back to earth.
"It's not just about inducting new aircraft to meet the growing air traffic demand," Mahantesh Sabarad from Mumbai-based Fortune Equity Brokers told AFP. "It's about runway capacity, and airport capacity.
"If adequate attention is not given to build larger airports, IndiGo's plans may well be grounded."
New Delhi opened a 2.7-billion-dollar terminal in July last year, but Mumbai has been unable to relieve chronic congestion at its only airport, which is hemmed in by slums on three sides.
Environmental concerns, difficulties in relocating local people, corruption, the slow legal system and weak land acquisition legislation have meant proposals to build a second airport have been fought over for 10 years.
In November, the backers finally got the right to build a new airport among mangrove trees on a plot southeast of the city of 18 million people.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), an industry lobby group, points to Mumbai as an example of the under-investment in infrastructure which has restricted traffic.
"Investments in the development of airport infrastructure have only been very recent," spokesman Albert Tjoeng told AFP.
14/01/11 Adam Plowright/Dow Jones/AFP

Customs' go-slow hits cargo offtake

Mumbai: Around 50% of cargo consignments at crucial ports and air cargo were not cleared on Friday because of a "go slow" protest against Tuesday's CBI raids.
Customs officials working at air cargo, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Nhava Sheva and customs house worked only to rule and refused to clear any cargo after their specified time of work. Usually, officials stay beyond duty hours to clear both import and export cargo consignments. On Friday, though, the officials stopped working at 5 pm. The few customs staffers who report to duty on Saturday may not do so. Officials said Mumbai airport cargo could be worst affected as customs clearing was already going slow due to a new software that was installed on a trial basis.
"Now that the officials are also not clearing cargo beyond duty hours, a lot of backlog is likely to build up. It can put a load on the cargo complex to store consignments and may cause perishable items to rot," a senior airport official said. According to rough estimates, 2,000 consignments were cleared at the airport against 4,000.
15/01/11 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

'Sikhs should expect screening of turbans at US airports'

Washington: A Sikh community advocacy group has warned the community to be prepared for the 'reality that Sikhs should now always expect to be secondarily screened at American airports.'
The warning was issued by The Sikh Coalition in its revised guidance for 'Airport Screening Procedures as Applied to Sikh Travellers and Your Rights as a Sikh Air Traveller.'
'Significantly, Sikhs should now expect to be secondarily screened 100 percent of the time at American airports, even after passing through so-called Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines,' it said.
'Although Transportation Security Administration (TSA) publicly asserts on its website that such machines can see through 'layers of clothing,' the TSA has made clear in both word and practice that such machines are not powerful enough to see through Sikh turbans,' the group said.
'This means that, for Sikhs, the new AIT machines will lead to more -- not less -- screening of turbans.'
The changes in it guidance have been prompted by feedback from the Sikh community and multiple meetings with officials at the Transportation TSA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), it said.
14/01/11 IANS/Sify.com

Airport initiative to help passengers

Chennai: In a first-of-its-kind goodwill gesture, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started a Passenger Assistance and Transfer Counter at the Chennai Airport.
Set up in the arrival area of Anna International Terminal outside Customs Hall, the counter is to provide the best possible services/assistance round the clock to international travellers (both arriving and departing). Counter staff from AAI will assist passengers with respect to flight information, baggage transfer, guidance, availability of various facilities at the airport and coordination with the airlines for wheelchairs. To help wheelchair passengers, dedicated hotlines have been provided from Departure Canopy area of Anna International Terminal and also the domestic terminal.
14/01/11 ExpressBuzz

Night landing facilities set to put Tulihal in 'elite club'

Imphal: Along with the successful landing of a plane at night in Imphal Tulihal Airport during a final trial run today, steps have been taken up for introducing normal night landing service at the airport from tomorrow.
Information received from Air India Limited, Imphal said that trial landing of an Air India flight was conducted successfully at Tulihal in the night today.
After successful landing, another flight took off for Kolkata from the same airport.
The Air India flight (3213) landed at Tulihal airport at 6.40 pm and another flight (3214) took off from the airport for Kolkata at 7 pm.
After trial runs have been conducted in the past for introduction of night landing service at Tulihal airport, the final trial run was carried out today.
With the final trial run being a success, Air India has worked out a schedule for normal night landing of planes at Tulihal with effect from tomorrow.
15/01/11 The Sangai Express/E-PAO

Heavy fog disrupts air operation at Kolkata airport

Kolkata: Heavy fog in the city on Friday morning stalled air operations at the airport here with no flight being able to take off or land.
Authorities at the Netaji Subhas Bose International Airport said no flights have taken off from 5 AM as the fog density was 50 m leading to very low visibility.
Approximately 40 morning flights could not take off and about 13 in-coming flights could not land at the airport.
14/01/11 PTI/The Hindu

Friday, January 14, 2011

Anti-skid training for Kingfisher crew

Mumbai: More than a year after a Kingfisher aircraft skidded off the runway at Mumbai airport, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) released the accident report on Thursday, asking for corrective training for airline crew members.
The report said the accident probably happened due to an unstabilized approach and the decision of the crew not to carry out a go-around.
On November 10, 2009, a Kingfisher aircraft, an ATR-72, skidded off the runway while landing at Mumbai airport. The aircraft was trying to land on a runway which was shortened to conduct maintenance work on the cross-runway intersection. The shortened runway was wet due to unseasonal showers. Though passengers were safe, some of them sustained injuries.
"As per DGCA circular for operations on 27A (shortened runway), the pilot in command should have been a training captain and the first officer should have a minimum 300 hours flying the aircraft type. The commander, however, did not meet this laid down condition," the report states.
The DGCA has asked for a corrective training of the crew members. It has also made it mandatory for controllers to notify chances of aquaplaning and water patches on runway before giving landing clearance to the aircraft.
14/01/11 Times of India