TN Govt told to send proposal for new airport at Sriperumbudur

Chennai: Civil Aviation Secretary K.N. Shrivastava has urged the Tamil Nadu Government to send a formal proposal to the Aviation Ministry for constructing a new airport at Sriperumbudur.
The State Government’s Vision 2023 document includes the Rs 20,000-crore investment in the greenfield airport, about 40 km west of Chennai, on about 4,800 acres. The feasibility report is with the State Government.
While the Ministry had given its ‘in principle’ approval and recommendations for the project, the State Government needs to seek a formal approval for the proposal from the Centre on this, Shrivastava said at the inauguration of the newly built international and domestic terminals and upgraded airside facilities at Chennai airport.
31/01/13 Business Line

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Gaya airport expansion plan in limbo

Gaya: The much-awaited plan to expand the Gaya airport runway to facilitate the landing of bigger planes including the A-310 planes of the 757 series having a passenger capacity of 250 is in limbo as the villagers of Bishunganj in the airport vicinity have refused to part with their land to facilitate the expansion of the runway from the existing 750 ft to 900 ft. As of now, A-320 type planes with a passenger capacity of 140 can land at the airport thereby limiting the operation of the airport.
Nearly four times in area compared to the Patna Airport, the Gaya International Airport, as per AAI scheme of things, is to be developed as a standby airport to Dumdum to divert traffic from Kolkata to Gaya in emergency situations. But for that, another 100 acres of land is required. As of now, Gaya airport is spread over an area of 971 acres, a good part of which continues to be encroached by the nearby villagers. The additional 100 acres required for the runway expansion are to come from three different revenue villages including Bishunganj and Hario. Bishunganj alone accounts for 61 acres of land required for runway lengthening.
31/01/13 Abdul Qadir/Times of India

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Delhi International Airport launches India’s first virtual shopping wall

Heralding India’s big leap into the world of mobile shopping, HomeShop18 in association with Delhi International Airport (DIAL) has introduced a Virtual Shopping Wall. The Virtual Wall offers premium merchandise to consumers at Terminal 3 (T3) domestic side of New Delhi’s-IGI Airport (IGIA).
Around 45000 passengers depart daily from T3 of IGIA with each having an average of 60 minutes at hand before boarding a flight. With this HomeShop18 virtual shopping wall, the passengers will get a new and innovative shopping experience as they will be able to view range of products like consumer electronics, mobiles, tablets, clothing, accessories, fashion jewellery, perfumes, etc. on dynamic screens.
At HomeShop18’s virtual shopping wall, Scan N Shop flyers will be able to order by simply scanning the QR code displayed against each item or over the phone at the call centre. HomeShop18 has also enabled the convenient cash on delivery payment method to drive trials and will follow it up with mobile payments subsequently.
31/01/13 Information Week

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Surat: Private agency to scare away birds on runway

Surat: With a view to tackle the bird-hit problem at the airport, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has decided to hire a professional agency for taking up the job of scaring away the avians for smooth operations of flights.
AAI has issued tender for the bird hazard control inside the operational area of Surat airport. The scope of work include scaring of the birds by bursting of crackers, shot launcher with cartridges in operational area and laser gun.
Airport director SD Sharma said, "The airport area is close to Tapi river and there are many shrimp ponds in the vicinity, which attract the migratory waterfowls. There has been only one incident of bird-hit on the airport, but we are taking extra precautions for safety."
30/01/13 Melvyn Reggie Thomas/Times of India

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Chennai airport to turn into south hub

Chennai: The Airports Authority of India is gearing up to make Chennai airport a hub for air travel in south India.
"More facilities will be offered to airlines to step up operations and cargo-handling facilities will also be improved as Chennai has a port," AAI chairman V P Agrawal said on Wednesday. The two new terminals at the airport will be inaugurated by vice-president Hamid Ansari on Thursday, but it will take more than a month to make them ready for passengers, he said.
The existing terminals will be re-modelled to increase the total passenger-handling capacity to 40 million passengers a year. Now, more than 12.4 million passengers a year use the airport. The new terminals and upgrading of air side infrastructure cost 2,012 crore.
30/01/13 Times of India

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New terminals at Chennai airport cost Rs 200 cr more: AAI

Chennai: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had to shell out an additional Rs 200 crore on the newly constructed international and domestic terminals at Chennai due to delay in completion of the project.
When the project was conceived in November 2008, the project cost was Rs 1,808 crore. This has increased to Rs 2015 crore, said V.P. Agrawal, Chairman, AAI.
The airport will be inaugurated on Thursday by Vice-President Hamid Ansari in the presence of Tamil Nadu Governor S. Rosaiah and Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
While functionally the new terminals are ready, it will take another month or so to start operations. There are a few issues to be sorted out with the airlines, he told newspersons.
30/01/13 Business Line

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GMDA to conduct study of illegal buildings in airport area

Guwahati: The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has started a comprehensive survey around the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) in Guwahati to detect unauthorized constructions in the are. Filling up of natural drains for construction purposes caused artificial floods in the LGBIA area in the last rainy season, with parts of the airport remaining submerged for over a week.
The GMDA authorities said the study was initiated as part of a new master plan for the LGBIA area. "GMDA has constituted three teams to study the development that have taken place in the areas surrounding the LGBIA. Earlier, there were many natural drains that used to carry out excess water from the airport area. But in recent years, the airport has been facing a problem of artificial flooding, which is why the GMDA has initiated the study," said M Angamuthu, chief executive officer of GMDA.
30/01/13 Kangkan Kalita/Times of India

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IED awareness prog at LGBI Airport Guwahati

Guwahati: An IED awareness lecture-cum- demonstration was conducted at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here by army for CISF, Airport Authority of India and airlines personnel.
The lecture, conducted under the aegis of ‘Red Horn Division’ of the army, covered the basic aspects of the nature IED, how to identify them, the various preventive measures to be taken at the airport, types of bomb disposal equipment and how to neutralise/destroy IEDs.
30/01/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Fugitive in rape, abduction case held at Jaipur airport

Jaipur: A day after nabbing a man who tried to fly out to Qatar on a fraudulent visa, immigration authorities at the Jaipur airport on Wednesday detained a young man wanted in abduction and rape case of a dalit woman. Immigration authorities have intimated Dechu police station in Jodhpur district where a case of abduction and rape was registered against the accused.
According to immigration authorities, the man identified as Arjun Singh (26) went missing since October 18, 2011 when a case of abduction, rape and SC/ST atrocity was registered against him. Since then, Jodhpur police had got red corner notice issued against him.
30/01/13 Times of India

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Two Air India subsidiaries to become operational from February 1

New Delhi: Ground handling activities and maintenance and repair of all Air India aircraft would be carried out by two new subsidiaries of the national carrier when they become operational from February 1.
The operationalisation of the Air India Transport Services Limited (AITSL), which would carry out ground handling activities, and Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) that would be responsible for maintenance, repair and overhaul activities, would slash Air India's aircraft to manpower ratio by more than half.
Air India would provide AIESL Rs 375 crore as capital expenditure over three years beginning now, while it would give Rs 393 crore over 12 years from this year to AITSL, airline sources said.
The proposal to hive off the engineering and ground handling departments of Air India to two wholly-owned subsidiaries was approved on April 12 last year by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs as part of the airline's turnaround and financial restructuring plans.
29/01/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Man makes hoax call to ground friend at airport

Mumbai:  Fearing that his friend would fly off to Guwahati without paying him Rs 3 lakh, a travel agent made a hoax call to the airport, saying there would a blast there between 7pm and 9pm on Monday. The crime branch arrested Kabir Jamrumiyan Hussain (38) and who made the hoax call. Hussain was booked him under the IT Act along with the Suppression of Unlawful Act Against Safety of Civil Aviation. He will be produced in court on Wednesday.
After receiving the call around 7pm, the airport authorities immediately informed the police. A search was carried out at the airport, but nothing was found. "A complaint was filed at the airport police station and the crime branch started a parallel probe. Based on specific information, we nabbed Hussain,'' said Dipak Patangre, senior inspector of crime branch unit 8.
30/01/13  S Ahmed Ali/Times of India

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City can ‘C check’ aircraft

Thiruvananthapuram: The Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility of Air India Charters Limited (AICL), a fully owned subsidiary of the national carrier Air India, near Thiruvananthapuram international airport has been given permission to carry out the crucial ‘C’ checks of Boeing 737-800.
With this, Air India Express, the low cost carrier of the AI, can carry out the ‘C’ checks of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft at the MRO here instead of in Mumbai. Thus, the low-budget airline of the cash-strapped AI will be able to save Rs.2.5 lakh an hour.
In ‘C’ checks carried out after every 3,000 flights or in 15 months, engineers will repair components, test major internal mechanism and calibrate flight control. Minor structural inspections, compressor, flight control, rigging test-check flights will be taken up.
30/01/13 The Hindu

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Chief secretary reviews airport work

Bhubaneswar: Chief secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik on Wednesday reviewed progress of work of the new terminal of Biju Patnaik airport here and directed departments concerned to expedite work so that it will be complete by February 15, the revised date for inauguration.
Several works such as laying of the new road leading to the airport and internal road to old terminal building, construction of pavements, shifting of electric poles, streetlighting, installation of transformers, sub-stations and statue of Biju Patnaik, laying of underground pipelines for water supply, landscaping and beautification are in progress.
30/01/13 Times of India

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Airbus warned about lithium battery risks a year ago: Report

Paris/Detroit:  Airbus warned the airline industry of risks related to lithium batteries almost a year before two safety incidents grounded 787 Dreamliners built by its chief rival Boeing, according to a presentation seen by Reuters.
The European planemaker spelled out lithium hazards at a forum of airline customers in March 2012, citing the risk of flames, explosion, smoke and leakage in the event of a so-called thermal runaway or uncontrolled battery overheating.
"The risks associated to lithium batteries require the attention of the entire industry," according to slides of the presentation by Christine Bezard, flight safety leader of the planned Airbus A350 plane that will also use lithium batteries.
29/01/13 Economic Times

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Akhilesh agrees to consider VAT cut on fuel for Agra flights

Agra: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday agreed in principle to reduce VAT on aviation fuel for planes landing at the Taj city's airport.
This is seen as a concrete initiative to promote air traffic by making it attractive for airlines to connect Agra. "The reduction from 21 percent to 4 percent will make a substantial gain for the airlines," said the Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber president Prahalad Agarwal.
A delegation of the local tourist industry presented the chief minister, who is here for the CII Partnership Summit, with a memorandum, reiterating the long-standing request for the reduction of VAT on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) for commercial flights from 21 percent to 4 percent.
29/01/13 Jagran Post

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Nadars want new terminal named after Kamaraj

Chennai: Several members of the Nadar community staged a protest outside the Chennai airport on Thursday, demanding that the new domestic terminal be named after former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj.
The protest comes just ahead of the inauguration of the new terminals scheduled to take place on Thursday.
Ravanan Ramasamy Nadar, leader of the Chennai Puranagar Nadar Sangangalin Kootamaippu said, “Kamaraj has been praised by thousands of people for his service to the country. To sideline such a great leader is unfair. It will be a shame to the ruling Congress party if the new domestic terminal is not named after him.”
Mr. Nadar added that the group would continue to protest till their demand was fulfilled. They also planned on meeting civil aviation ministry officials soon.
29/01/13 The Hindu

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Process begins for green signal to proposed airport in Goa

Panaji: The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has started the process of giving clearance to the proposed greenfield airport at Mopa in Goa, the state Assembly was informed today.
"The matter was discussed at the meeting of the Environment Ministry on January 28. There are further studies which are still required and they would be taken now," Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Assembly.
Independent legislator Vijay Sardesai had raised the issue of environment clearance to the airport at Mopa, about 70 km from here.
The MLA, who heads the movement involving locals against the airport, claimed that various preconditions suggested by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had been ignored by the Goa government which appears in a hurry to go ahead with the project.
29/01/13 PTI/Business Standard

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UP CM Akhilesh Yadav blocks Ajit Singh's attempts to increase state's air connectivity

New Delhi: Political rivalry is playing spoilsport for development of Uttar Pradesh as the Samajwadi Party-led UP government is stonewalling opponent RLD leader Ajit Singh's - also the civil aviation minister - attempts to increase air connectivity in the state.
Since April 2012, 20 letters sent by Singh's ministry to UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his office to build airports in nine different cities have been ignored by the state government. This bombardment of requests elicited from Akhikesh Yadav a token response of announcing setting up only two new airports at Agra and Kushinagar as part of a slew of infrastructure initiatives for UP, at the CII's Global Partnership Summit on Monday.
However, the two mooted airports are not from minister Singh's list, which coupled with the delayed response makes analysts interprete it as more of a turf war than a real intention towards development.
29/01/13 Anindya Upadhyay/Times of India

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Who will remove old eyesore from new Chennai airport?

Chennai: With the Airports Auth­ority of India (AAI) gearing up to inaugurate the new terminals at Chennai airport, four aircraft parked within the airport for more than a decade now have turned out to be an eyesore. The skeletal remains of four Fokkers, owned by the now defunct NEPC Airli­nes, lie near the Coast Gu­ard Air Station, causing rodent problems inside the airport.
Airport director H.S. Suresh told Deccan Chronicle that the matter regarding these four aircraft was in court and so AAI could not move them out. The Madras high court has ordered compulsive retention of the planes after the Indian Oil Corporation initiated several civil proceedings to recover the amount from the company.
AAI regional executive director (south) D. Devaraj said the aircraft have been parked beyond the obstacle area and are not affecting daily operations. "They have to be kept within the airport premises. Otherw­ise, it will become contempt of court," he added.
19/01/13 S Sujatha/Deccan Chronicle

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SpiceJet to operate budget flight between Delhi and Chengdu

Beijing: India's budget airline Specie Jet is all set to operate its first flight from China from its southern trade hub Guangzhou to New Delhi from February 8.
"All necessary paperwork to operate the Spice flight from Guangzhou to Delhi has been cleared and the flight will begin its operations from Februry 8," Indian Consulate General to Guangzhou, K Nagaraj Naidu told PTI today.
Spice jet will initially operate four flights a week at an initial ticket price of 999 Yuan (Rs 8000).
The entry of the Indian budget airline has already spurred competition as China Southern Airline which operates daily flights between Guangzhou to Delhi has doubled its frequency.
29/01/13 Economic Times

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Delhi airport registers record flight movement in an hour

New Delhi: The Indira Gandhi International Airport here has handled a record 73 number of flight movements in the country in an hour on a particular day.
"We are delighted to inform you that the Air Traffic Control at Delhi airport handled a total of 73 aircraft movements in one hour on Thursday last, January 24. It is the record number of air traffic movements ever made at any airport in India, thanks to efforts by the ATC team," said I Prabhakara Rao, CEO of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) which operates the airport.
The record was set between 14:00 and 15:00 hours on January 24.
28/01/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Pvt jet owners approach tribunal against parking charge hike

Private jet owners have approached aviation tribunal challenging the recent approval of 50-time hike in penal parking charges by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA).
Admitting the plea of the Business Aircrafts Operators Association (BAOA), the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal (AERAAT) issued notice to the AERA asking to file its reply.
On January 15, the AERA had approved 50-time hike in penal parking charges proposed by Mumbai airport operator MIAL retrospectively from July 1, 2012.
The tribunal also directed the MIAL to furnish an undertaking within a week stating that it will deposit the amount collected through increased parking charges in a separate account till the outcome of the BAOA's plea.
29/01/13 PTI/BUsiness Standard

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Mopa farmers slam govt, netas for land grab

Panaji: The farmers affected by land acquisition for the Mopa airport accused the government and politicians of land grab under the pretext of the airport project.
Addressing mediapersons, Sandeep Kambli, secretary of the Mopa Vimantall Piditt Xetkari Samiti (MVPXS), said that the government is "brushing aside our andolan and making moves to counter our efforts".
Claiming that the land that has already been acquired by the government has been acquired illegally, Kambli said, "We are opposed to selling our land, which is our mother."
29/01/13 Times of India

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Appeal against airport parking fine

Mumbai:  Owners of private and charter aircraft who fail to vacate their parking slot on time are penalized by the city airport operator and so far the airport has collected Rs 4 crore in fines. The Business Aircraft Operator's Association (BAOA), an organization of private and chartered aircraft owners of India that has been fighting the city airport operator's decision to penalize aircraft owners on this count, said on Monday that it had received yet another positive response from the regulator concerning its battle against the fee.
The penalty, approved by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), was challenged by BAOA in AERA's appellate tribunal.
29/01/13 Times of India

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Indian air travellers fuel Dubai airport's growth

Dubai Airport has taken over as the world’s third ranked airport for international passenger numbers, vaulting ahead of Hong Kong International Airport in the global ranking, the company managing Dubai airport announced today. London Heathrow and Paris Charles De Gaulle airports top the list of busiest airports for international traffic.
 According to the annual traffic report issued today by Dubai Airports, passenger traffic surged 13.2 per cent to 57.68 million  in 2012, up from 50.97million  passengers recorded during 2011. In contrast, India's busiest airports Delhi and Mumbai handled 34 and 30 million passengers respectively in 2012.
India remained Dubai International’s single biggest country destination in terms of passenger numbers.
28/01/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Vice-President to open modernised Chennai airport on Jan 31

Chennai: Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa will inaugurate the modernised Chennai airport on January 31.
The Chennai airport modernisation is being undertaken by the Airports Authority of India.
This will be the second airport after Kolkata that AAI has modernised and opened in the last few days.
After modernisation, the Chennai airport will have a handling capacity of 10 million domestic and four million international passengers.
Its overall handling capacity after completion will be 23 million, including the exiting capacity.
28/01/13 Business Line

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Won't go by Kingfisher's empty promises: Airports Authority of India

Spelling fresh trouble for beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines, state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) has said it will not go by the "empty promises" of the airline management and would insist on clearance of its dues before the carrier is allowed to fly again.
"We will not go by the empty promises of the Kingfisher Airlines management. We want our dues to be paid (before the airline is allowed to take off again)," a highly-placed AAI source told PTI here.
The grounded airline owes Rs290 crore to AAI towards landing and parking fees.
28/01/13 Daily News & Analysis

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AI faltered with DIAL, AAI bore the brunt

New Delhi: Air India (AI) and Airport Authority of India (AAI) may be different government entities but when it came to the pending AI’s dues to Delhi airport operator (DIAL), around Rs 250 crore was adjusted against the 46 per cent revenue share of AAI from the airport since 2011.
Confirming this, a senior AAI official said, “As Air India will be paying its pending dues to DIAL in a week or so, we are expecting DIAL to pay the amount at an interest rate of 9.5 per cent.”
However, DIAL denied that it was adjusting AI’s pending dues against AAI’s revenue share.
According to DIAL spokesperson, “DIAL has not withheld any revenue share of AAI and pays it regularly in line with concession terms. In line with accounting standards the Board of DIAL in October 2011 decided to recognize Air India revenue on receipt basis, given timing uncertainty.”
27/01/13 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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'Hotel California' pays heavily for aeroplane shoot

The makers of the film have already set aside 25 lakh just for the shots inside aeroplanes and in airports
Shooting in airports and aeroplanes cost a bomb  to the tune of 60k an hour. Not many Malayalam films have been shot inside aeroplanes due to the formalities and the heavy expenses involved. But the makers of the Jayasurya-starrer Hotel California are sparing no efforts to make the film as real as possible."We have taken the permission of the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) authorities. The charges come to 30,000 an hour for shoots in airports. But we decided to go ahead as our film is set against the backdrop of the Kochi and Mumbai airports," says Aji John, director.
28/01/13 Asha Prakash/Times of India

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Customs make life hard for smugglers

Kochi: It will no longer be a cake walk for smugglers who use Gulf Malayalis as carriers to smuggle gold, fake Indian currency and other contraband through the Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) at Nedumbassery.
In the wake of the major seizure of Pakistan-printed Indian fake currency from a Gulf passenger at the airport on Saturday, the customs wing has decided to thoroughly screen the baggage of all international and domestic passengers at the airport."It is a known fact that smuggling rackets use Gulf passengers as couriers to carry illegal consignments.
28/01/13 Times of India

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Indonesian held with narcotics worth Rs 17 cr at IGI

An Indonesian allegedly trying to smuggle narcotics worth about Rs 17 crore out of India was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here, officials said today.
The accused, identified as Rahman Sinaga, was intercepted by customs officials at the departure hall yesterday.
When he was interrogated and searched, he was found to be carrying Amphetamine, a substance banned under Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the officials said.
28/01/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Pvt jet owners cough up Rs4 cr in penalty to Mumbai airport

Mumbai International Airport Limited has collected close to Rs 4 crore in penalty from private jet owners in a measure to decongest the
airport. The penalty was levied on jet owners whose planes were parked beyond the stipulated time limit.
The fine was approved  by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority but has been challenged in the AERA's appellate tribunal by the
Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA). The tribunal will take a decision on the matter next month.
The penalty ranges from Rs 1000-15,000 per hour beyond permissible limit and varies depending on plane type.
GVK-group run Mumbai International Airport Limited began levying penalty on private planes overstaying at airport from last July
leading to immediate protests over the stiff charges. MIAL argued that the penalty was necessary to de congest the airport.
MIAL collected Rs 3.89 crore from jet owners till December for over 14,000 hours of excess parking, according to the Airport Economic
Regulatory Authority order which approved the levy.
27/01/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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AI faltered with DIAL, AAI bore the brunt

New Delhi: Air India (AI) and Airport Authority of India (AAI) may be different government entities but when it came to the pending AI’s dues to Delhi airport operator (DIAL), around Rs 250 crore was adjusted against the 46 per cent revenue share of AAI from the airport since 2011.
Confirming this, a senior AAI official said, “As Air India will be paying its pending dues to DIAL in a week or so, we are expecting DIAL to pay the amount at an interest rate of 9.5 per cent.”
However, DIAL denied that it was adjusting AI’s pending dues against AAI’s revenue share.
According to DIAL spokesperson, “DIAL has not withheld any revenue share of AAI and pays it regularly in line with concession terms. In line with accounting standards the Board of DIAL in October 2011 decided to recognize Air India revenue on receipt basis, given timing uncertainty.”
Air India owes DIAL a total of Rs 516 Crore [excluding interest as of Dec 31, 2012 which includes ADF and PSF (Security component)] amounting to Rs 160 crore on which there is no revenue share.
27/01/13 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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Flying from Kolkata to be costlier from Feb 16

New Delhi/Mumbai: Flying from Kolkata airport will become costlier from next month, with the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) approving the collection of User Development Fee (UDF) from passengers flying out.
The order was approved on January 23 and will come into effect from February 16.
While Rs 400 will be charged from domestic passengers, Rs 1,000 will be charged from international passengers as UDF till March 31, 2014. From April 1, 2014, domestic passengers will be charged Rs 424 and international passengers Rs 1,060 as UDF.
Just a week ago, AERA had approved the introduction of UDF for Mumbai airport from passengers flying out of the airport, effective from February 1. Domestic passengers will have to pay Rs 346 and international passengers Rs 692 as UDF. From April 1, 2014, domestic passengers will be charged Rs 274 and international passengers Rs 574 as UDF.
26/01/13 Disha Kanwar & Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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VP to open Chennai terminals

Chennai: It is official now. Vice-President Hamid Ansari will inaugurate the much-awaited new terminals at Chennai airport in the presence of chief minister J. Jayalalithaa at 3 pm on January 31.
“We will operationalise new facilities within two months from inaugural,” airport director H. S. Suresh told Deccan Chronicle on Friday. With new terminals in place, the old domestic terminal would be closed for renovation, while the old international terminal would be refurbished and linked to the new one.
On the request made by TN CM for naming the new domestic terminal after former chief minister and Bharat Ratna M. G. Ramachandran, Suresh said that the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) could only take a decision on that.
26/01/13 Deccan Chronicle

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Juhu airport to have night landing system

Mumbai: The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which manages the Juhu airport, has reiterated its plan to develop night landing facilities for aircraft at the airport. As of now, operations at the airport are only allowed until sunset.
The announcement was made earlier this month during a meeting of helicopter operators, ONGC officials and senior officials from the AAI.
However, sources present at the meeting said that AAI officials have not stated a deadline for the implementation of the facility.
Juhu airport, which is the first civil aviation airport in the country, is located in the upmarket suburb of Juhu.
24/01/13 Daily News & Analysis

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Chandigarh airport to get 2 acres for expansion

Chandigarh: The Army Western Command agreed to transfer two acres of land to Airports Authority of India for the expansion of Chandigarh airport. The land will be transferred after the Army gets approval from the ministry of defence.
The land offered to the UT will enable it to widen the narrow approach road to the existing terminal of Chandigarh airport. As of now, the road could not be widened because land on either side belongs to the Army. The decision was taken at a civil military liaison conference held between the Western Command headquarters and the administration. It was convened by UT administrator Shivraj Patil. GOC-in-C, Western Command Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra was also in attendance.
24/01/13 Times of India

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Pawan Hans resumes services between Guwahati and Naharlagun

Itanagar: Much to the relief of air commuters, especially patients in land-locked Arunachal Pradesh, Asia's largest helicopter company Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL) on Thursday resumed its passenger services between Guwahati and Naharlagun after a gap of 20 months.
A brand new M-172 chopper with seating capacity of 26 passengers was flagged off by chief minister Nabam Tuki at Naharlagun helipad here on Thursday at a simple ceremony in the presence of civil aviation department and PHHL officials besides a host of ministers and MLAs.
25/01/13 Times of India

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Flight connectivity policy for small cities

Hubli: The Centre plans to soon put in place a new regional air connectivity policy aimed at providing air service to more than 100 small cities in the country.According to Union Civil Aviation secretary K?N Shrivatsa, the policy would encourage airline companies to use smaller aircraft to provide services to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Briefing reporters on the sidelines of signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for upgrading the Hubli airport on Wednesday, he said reasonable air fare would be fixed for smaller cities, and to compensate this subsidisation, extra cess would be imposed on routes between metros.
Further, he said, there was a plan to provide air connectivity to all district headquarters and make the existing airports operational.
25/01/13 Deccan Herald

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Karnataka govt signs MoU for Hubli airport expansion

Hubli: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Government of Karnataka (GoK) to develop the Hubli Airport over the next 30 months. Chairman of AAI, VP Agarwal, said AAI is committed to enhance the development at all possible regions with the cooperation of the state government.
Principal secretary of infrastructure development department (IDD), Amita Prasad, who signed the MoU on behalf of GoK, said her department has been cooperative to provide all the infrastructure for rail and airline projects.
“Apart from land acquisition, we provide electricity, water, road and even tax concession from local administration. Because of such concessions, Bangalore has been a sought after destination by foreign countries,” she emphasised. Dharwad MP, Pralhad Joshi, who also heads Airport Advisory Committee, appealed AAI and Civil Aviation Ministry to increase the number of flights operating from Hubli.
24/01/13 Daily News & Analysis

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Centre, state govt inspect Mopa site

Mapsua: Senior officials inspected the proposed greenfield Mopa airport site in Pernem on Thursday even as the farmers from the area gathered there to register their protest against the project.
The North Goa collector, Mihir Vardhan, land acquistion officer of the state government, and some representatives from the ministry of civil aviation were present. Sources said that it was a brief visit which lasted for less than 25 minutes.
The farmers led by Sandip Kambli informed the government officials that they didn't want the airport but instead wanted to cultivate their fields. "The government can provide irrigation from the Tillari canal to Mopa and other surrounding villages so that we will be able to cultivate our land.
25/01/13 Times of India

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Seaplane security staff ready to roll

Kochi: The first batch of Kerala police personnel to be deployed for providing security cover to the proposed seaplane terminals in the state, has completed training at the Aviation Security Training Institute (ASTI) of the Cochin International Airport Limited (Cial).
These personnel are drawn from the newly-constituted Kerala Police Airport Security Group and will be deployed at Ashtamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Bolgatty and Bekal - the five locations where waterdromes are to be set up in the first phase of the seaplane project.
The centrally located Cochin international airport has been identified as the base airport for the project in terms of operations, maintenance and refueling, airport sources said.
The first batch comprised 36 personnel, which included women and belonged to the ranks of inspectors, sub inspectors and civil police officers.
25/01/13 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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MoCA seeks subsidy for airlines flying to remote locations

Ministry of Civil Aviation has demanded some funds to provide subsidies to airlines that fly to remote locations in this Budget itself, reports CNBC-TV18's Sumit Jha.
This is a part of ministry's drive to improve connectivity to remote locations. Ministry sources say that there is reluctance on part of some airlines to fly to these locations. That is because of historically low yield which ultimately decides the profitability of these airlines.
They have struggled to cover their costs. So, with some sort of subsidy to these airlines ministry hopes that more flights and frequency would improve to these locations. More airlines will queue up to fly to these locations.
25/01/13 CNBC-TV18/SME Monitor

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Blast threat puts Mumbai airport on high alert

Mumbai: Following an intelligence input from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), security in and aroundMumbai airport has been increased. With the Republic Day approaching and the country on high alert, the BCAS has warned that anti-national elements could possibly use computer cartridges to create explosions.
According to sources, the BCAS has also asked security agencies and airlines to be very strict while scanning cargo boxes as they received tip-offs about explosives being planted inside them.
Intelligence agencies believe that terrorists could replace the ink in cartridges with explosives and fool the airport security. An alert regarding the same has been circulated at all airports in the country.
25/01/13 Shankar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Chandigarh airport to get 2 acres for expansion

Chandigarh: The Army Western Command agreed to transfer two acres of land to Airports Authority of India for the expansion of Chandigarh airport. The land will be transferred after the Army gets approval from the ministry of defence.
The land offered to the UT will enable it to widen the narrow approach road to the existing terminal of Chandigarh airport. As of now, the road could not be widened because land on either side belongs to the Army. The decision was taken at a civil military liaison conference held between the Western Command headquarters and the administration. It was convened by UT administrator Shivraj Patil. GOC-in-C, Western Command Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra was also in attendance.
24/01/13 Times of India

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Airline line-up for new terminal

Kolkata: Air India may have been the first to get an opportunity to fly into and out of the new terminal at the Kolkata airport, but it will be the last among airlines that operate international flights to move into the facility.
China Eastern, Air Asia, Biman Bangladesh, Druk Air and United Airways - all of which fly low-capacity small or narrow-body planes to Kolkata and operate in a low-fare bandwith - will be the first lot to shift into the swanky new terminal at Kolkata airport. Qatar, Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines will be in the next lot, followed by Dragon Air, Emirates, IndiGo, Jet Airways and finally Air India.
That is the transition schedule prepared by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Airlines Operators' Committee (AOC) for the migration of airlines from the existing terminals to the new one inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday.
25/01/13 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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Air India delays DIAL dues

New Delhi: Air India (AI) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) may be different government entities but when it came to the pending AI’s dues to Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), around Rs 250 crore was adjusted against the 46% revenue share of AAI from the airport. As Air India will be paying its pending dues to DIAL in a week or so, the airport operator is expected to pay the amount at an interest rate of 9.5%, confirmed a senior AAI official.
DIAL did not respond to the emailed queries till the press time.
However, according to an aviation expert, “DIAL was totally justified in holding back the share of revenue that they never received. It cannot be paying on behalf of defaulting airlines.”
Though Air India was also faltering on payments to Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) yet it did not resort to withholding payments from AAI’s revenue share, the official added.
24/01/13 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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Tata Starbucks opens outlets at Delhi airport

Mumbai: Tata Starbucks Ltd, the 50:50 joint venture between Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Global Beverages Ltd, has entered Delhi with two stores at the New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Starbucks entered India in October 2012 and has four stores in Mumbai.
Avani Saglani Davda, CEO, Tata Starbucks Ltd, stated, “We look forward to extending the unique Starbucks Experience and meeting the increasing demand for high quality coffee within travel channels in India. With the entry into this segment, Starbucks will offer a differentiated breakfast menu that is carefully selected to cater to travellers, while providing an inviting and relaxed atmosphere to enjoy the legendary Starbucks Experience while in transit.”
24/01/13 Business Line

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Brother-sister duo held for smuggling gold

Hyderabad: Two persons, who arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) by an Emirates flight from Dubai, were arrested for trying to smuggle in eight kilograms of gold ornaments on Thursday morning.
DRI officials, who withheld the names of the two, said the siblings belong to Yakutpura and were repeat offenders. They were nabbed based on a tip-off given by airport authorities in Dubai. "The brother-sister duo boarded the flight in Dubai, hiding gold ornaments by strapping it to their body. Actually, they are agents who work on commission basis. The gold belongs to someone in Dubai and it was to be handed over to a third party in Hyderabad," DRI officials said. Both are repeat offenders and this criminal activity was done to avoid payment of customs tax.
25/01/13 Times of India

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Chandigarh airport to get 2 acres for expansion

Chandigarh: The Army Western Command agreed to transfer two acres of land to Airports Authority of India for the expansion of Chandigarh airport. The land will be transferred after the Army gets approval from the ministry of defence.
The land offered to the UT will enable it to widen the narrow approach road to the existing terminal of Chandigarh airport. As of now, the road could not be widened because land on either side belongs to the Army. The decision was taken at a civil military liaison conference held between the Western Command headquarters and the administration. It was convened by UT administrator Shivraj Patil. GOC-in-C, Western Command Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra was also in attendance.
Additional land will help widen the approach road and create additional parking space outside the civil terminal. The UT had been requesting the army for the exchange of land, as entrance to the civil terminal could not be widened and beautified. The narrow approach road also caused traffic congestion. Regarding the transfer of Kendriya Vidyalaya land in Sector 47 on lease to the Air Force, the UT promised to ensure early transfer of land. Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra asked the UT to allot land to the Armed Forces Tribunal, currently situated on defence land, at an early date to accommodate troops. He also raised the issue of resettlement and job opportunities for ex-servicemen.
24/01/13 Times of India

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Raipur's new Swami Vivekananda airport to remain 'dry' thanks to the name

Raipur: While liquor sales soar in Chhattisgarh, its swanky new airport in the state capital here will remain 'dry'. The reason: the airport's named after Swami Vivekananda.
The Airport management shelved the proposal for a beer bar in the food court after AAI received objections questioning liquor sale at a place named after the monk. However, it seems that in their eagerness to please these sections, the AAI perhaps forgot that liquor bars are a booming business at domestic and international terminals in New Delhi (IGI), Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi), and Mumbai (Chhatrapati Shivaji).
Sources said this decision was taken recently and tenders for running a restaurant would be invited for now. While AAI officials and airport management refused to comment on the issue, they confirmed that no beer would be sold at the airport. An official requesting anonymity said, "For a year we will only have a restaurant and no beer bar."
24/01/13 Times of India

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Valentine's Day deadline for Kolkata terminal shift

Kolkata:  Three months after domestic flights arrived at the new terminal during the first phase of trials, the swanky facility achieved a significant milestone on Wednesday when live trials were successfully carried out with a flight carrying both domestic and international passengers. Air India flight AI 021 was also the first operation from the new terminal after its inauguration by President Pranab Mukherjee three days ago.
"I am delighted that everything went off smoothly and as planned. It is a great confidence-booster before the transition sets off in a few days and airlines begin shifting to the new terminal," said a beaming B P Sharma, the airport director, after the flight took off for Delhi with 150 passengers, including 65 bound for a connecting flight to London. Though he announced a March-end deadline for full-fledged operations, the transition schedule that has been handed to airlines has set the deadline on Valentine's Day.
24/01/13 Times of India

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Kannur International Airport: tender process in place

Kannur: Kannur International Airport (KIAL) Ltd has floated Request for Qualification (RFQ) document to determine the eligible firms for the detailed designing, earthworks and concrete works of the proposed international airport in Mattannur in the district.
Though it was earlier decided that the tender would be called only for earthworks, it was later changed because in the previous pre-qualification tender for the earth works, nearly 25 companies, including some foreign companies, had expressed interest but it was found that only one company met the eligibility criterion. So in the fresh tender it was decided by the director board to float RFQ for the earth works and the concreting works of the airport so that all the works would go simultaneously.
The cost of the work is estimated to be around Rs 700 crore and the time period to complete the work is 30 months. The last date to submit tender is February 14.
24/01/13 P Sudhakaran/Times of India

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Airport terminals head for launch minus key facilities

Chennai: The soft launch of the new terminals at the Chennai airport may be conducted in a few days but they may be fully operational only by April, say airport officials.
A number of facilities are still unavailable and many procedures are yet to be completed. For instance, the laying of cables and setting up of counters with computers for airlines is pending.
An official of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) added that the inspections by officers of the rank of Executive Director and Member from the Operations and Engineering wings of the AAI have not been conducted. A safety audit and inspection by officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation are also yet to be done, the officer said.
A senior AAI official conceded that the State government had clearly told the AAI that the work in the terminals had to be completed before they were inaugurated. But, the AAI is going ahead with the inauguration without all the work being complete.
24/01/13 P. Oppili Sunitha Sekar/The Hindu

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Cidco nod now must for development near Navi Mumbai airport

Mumbai:  Expect two more cities akin to Navi Mumbai along the Pune-Mumbai corridor over the next 50 years.
In a significant move towards long-term plan to build a knowledge corridor, the state government on Wednesday appointed the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) as the special planning authority (SPA) for around 10 to 25 km peripheral area of the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport at Panvel. This means that for any development or construction in the area, one has to take Cidco's permission. The development has stretched Cidco's Navi Mumbai territory up to Karjat, Khopoli, Khalapur, Khopta, Nitalas and Pen which include over 270 villages and an area of over 600 square km. The new territory of Cidco has been declared as Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA).
"At present, our Navi Mumbai territory is 344 sq km. The development has brought a long-term assignment for Cidco to regulate urban, industrial and other developments in this region mostly along the Mumbai-Pune old highway, Goa highway and the expressway," said Cidco MD Tanaji Satre.
24/01/13 Chittaranjan Tembhekar/Times of India

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Juhu airport to have night landing system

The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which manages the Juhu airport, has reiterated its plan to develop night landing facilities for aircraft at the airport. As of now, operations at the airport are only allowed until sunset.
The announcement was made earlier this month during a meeting of helicopter operators, ONGC officials and senior officials from the AAI.
However, sources present at the meeting said that AAI officials have not stated a deadline for the implementation of the facility.
24/01/13 Daily News & Analysis

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Air India's wishing upon Star to finally come true

New Delhi: After years of wait, state-owned carrier Air India Ltd is likely to enter the prestigious Star Alliance in a few months. G D Brara, the airline’s director (commercial), will meet Star Alliance bosses in Frankfurt, Germany, this week.
Joining the Star Alliance, a global marketing group of 27 airlines, would mean an increase in passenger traffic because Air India would have become the automatic choice for customers on other Star Alliance members that travel to India.
“With an improved performance of Air India during its turnaround plan on various parameters such as market share, on-time performance and passenger load factors, we have been able to convince members of the Star Alliance (to offer membership),” a senior civil aviation ministry official said, requesting anonymity.
23/01/13 Disha Kanwar/Business Standard

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First commercial flight takes off from new terminal at Kolkata

Kolkata: Air India's Kolkata-London via Delhi flight, the first commercial one, took off from the New Integrated Terminal Building of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, on the great patriot's 116th birth anniversary today.
The 172-seater Airbus 321 took off at 10:00 am from the swank, state-of-the-art new terminal at 10:00 am marking a new beginning in the annals of domestic civil aviation, an AI release said here.
Flight AI021 on the Kolkata-Delhi-London sector had 150 passengers, including 65 London-bound passengers on board, it said.
Passengers boarding the flight through the modern aerobridge were greeted with rosebuds.
23/01/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Dabolim airport won't shut: Parrikar

Vasco:  While justifying the Mopa airport project, chief minister Manohar Parrikar said Vascoites should not have any apprehensions over the continuation of Dabolim airport.
Addressing a public meeting as part of the 'Jansampark Abhiyan' in the port town of Vasco, Parrikar assured Vascoites that Dabolim will also co-exist and operate with better facilities with a new terminal building.
He also said that a parking facility for 1,500 vehicles would be created.
Stating that the Dabolim airport has reached a saturation point, he said "If Goa doesn't come up with Mopa airport, then the neighbouring state, Maharashtra, is all set to build one," he said.
23/01/13 Times of India

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Fake currency: AP police to have strict checks at airports

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Police today decided to have more stringent checks at airports by the Customs and Airport Security to curb the flow of fake currency in the state.
Last year fake currency of more than Rs 75 lakh were seized from different parts of the state.
A decision in this regard was taken today at a meeting of state level committee for detection/ seizures of counterfeit notes/ Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), attended by senior officials of RBI, NIA and IB.
Officials from the Counter Intelligence Cell and Hyderabad police also attended the said meeting chaired by CID Additional DGP T Krishna Prasad.
23/01/13 PTI/Zee News

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Navi Mumbai airport: HC rejects plea to override green rules

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has rejected the plea made by City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), which is a nodal agency for the Navi Mumbai international airport, to exempt from Forest Conservation Act clearances despite 110 hectare of land occupied by mangroves. Instead, the high court has asked the ministry of environment and forests to expeditiously consider Cidco’s applications for clearance under the Forest Conservation Act  for the Navi Mumbai international airport and other projects provided the former had made applications in this regard.
Cidco had pleaded that the clearance under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 was unnecessary and can be dispensed with especially when the government had declared mangroves areas as protected forest area. High court delivered this order on January 18 a day after a high level team led by the additional principal chief forest conservator Lakhwinder Singh visited the project site to check present status of mangroves.
The high court, which is hearing the petition filed by the Bombay Environment Action Group, has convened next hearing on February 21.
21/01/13 Sanjay Jog/Business Standard

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Kolkata airport's new terminal inaugurated

President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday inaugurated the new integrated terminal at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBI). Mukherjee praised the new facility as a hall mark of excellence that the public sector can achieve.
“I congratulate the AAI (Airports Authority of India) and the civil aviation ministry for such a great work. I believe there is no conflict between the public and private sectors. The question is how efficient it can be,” Mukherjee said.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury, who also attended the event, lost no opportunity to claim credit. “Because of the Left, UPA-1 (United Progressive Alliance) was forced not to give the airport to private players. Mukherjee, too, was part of that government. Today, he acknowledged that the public sector, too, can deliver the highest level of efficiency,” said Yechury. AAI had hired a Thai-Indian consortium, Italian-Thai Development Public Co. Ltd(ITD)-ITD Cementation, to build the airport.
According to Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, a Kolkata-Delhi-New York AirIndia flight will mark the commencement of operation of the new terminal on Wednesday.
21/01/13 Business Standard

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Popular agitation against Aranmula airport enters 400th day

Pathanamthitta: The mass movement launched by the villagers of Aranmula against the proposed private airport project at Aranmula enters 400th day on Monday and senior Congress leader, V.M.Sudheeran, will be inaugurating a public meeting organised by the people’s action council at Aranmula on Monday afternoon, according to Mr P.Induchoodan, Palliyoda Pallivilakku Samrakshana Samiti convner.
Mr Induchoodan said the agitation against the controversial airport project began with the popular protest march to the `Utsav’ programme organised by the Tourism department in Aranmula on December 17, 2012.
The airport project that threatens even the very existence of six Palliyodakkaras (rustic parts) in and around Aranmula would lead to destruction of rusticity of the heritage village, he said.
Mr Induchoodan said the United Nations Development Programme has identified Aranmula as a Heritage and the proposed airport project that necessitates conversion of a vast expanse of the Aranmula puncha (paddy land) and wetland would ultimately lead to drying up of river Pampa, singing the swan’s song to the famous snakeboat regatta, Uthrittathi Vallamkali, and not to speak of its priceless socio-environmental cost.
21/01/13 The Hindu

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Sikkim airport may go on stream by 2014-end

Kolkata: By the end of 2014, flying to the Himalayan State of Sikkim will be a reality.
The upcoming Sikkim airport is likely to be operational by then , a senior Airports Authority of India official said.
The Rs 310-crore project is being developed by Punj Lloyd at Pakyong, 30 km south of Gangtok and located in the eastern part of the State. The airport will be spread over 197.72 hectares .s
“Construction work is on for the last two years. We expect the airport to be operational by the end of 2014,” the official told Business Line.
20/01/13 Business Line

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Renewed efforts to reopen secondary runway at Chennai soon

Chennai: The re-opening of the secondary runway would be the next target for the Airports Authority of India (AAI) after the new terminals in Chennai airport slated for commissioning on January 31.
Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Arun Mishra is yet to give the nod for re-commissioning of the runway after it was expanded over the Adyar River.
Mishra is clear about the need for an instrument landing system (ILS) to commence scheduled operations in an full-fledged manner on the secondary runway. AAI is thus looking to re-map the threshold area, which is the starting point of landing on the secondary runway beca­use of obstructions and shorten its operational length.
21/01/13 Deccan Chronicle

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Cargo hub plan awaits AAI response

Pune: A month after the district collector instructed the Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials in Pune to submit a proposal for acquisition of land for a cargo hub and other infrastructure near the Lohegaon airport, there has been no response in the matter so far. The cargo hub has been a long pending demand to facilitate movement of international cargo.
District land acquisition officers told The Indian Express that the airport authorities were supposed to get back to the district administration with the proposal. “They have not reverted. We are waiting for them to submit it so that we can help them in acquisition of land,’’ said the district land acquisition officer. Airport officials, when asked, said they have forwarded the proposal to the Mumbai office of the AAI. “We are awaiting the final approval from them to submit it to the collector,” said Pune Airport director PSR K Sudhakar.
20/01/13 Indian Express

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Flyers lose out on airport fee refund

New Delhi:  Ananya Dasgupta booked her flight ticket from Delhi to Chennai in the beginning of December for her journey on January 5. As per a recent directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) order, the airline should have refunded Rs 100 to Dasgupta since airport development fees (ADF) at Delhi's IGI Airport has been slashed by half since January 1, 2013. Airline staff at the airport, however, threw up their hands claiming they had not been informed of a cut in ADF.
The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) ordered halving of the ADF from Rs 200 to Rs 100 for domestic departures and from Rs 1,300 to Rs 600 for international departures from IGI Airport. The DGCA directed airlines to refund the money to those who had already purchased tickets. But passengers who might want their money back have a tough fight ahead.
20/01/13 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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At least 90 people stranded at Kolkata Airport

Kolkata: At least 90 people, most of them differently-abled and senior citizens, are stranded at the Kolkata Airport since 6:30 pm Sunday as the SpiceJet flight which was supposed to fly them to Chennai at 8:30 pm was postponed.
Initially, the airline had said that the 8:30 pm flight would depart at 9:30 pm, but later rescheduled it for 11 pm.
The airline then said there was a technical problem in the flight and another plane was being requisitioned which would take off at 2 am.
20/01/13 Abhinav Bhatt/NDTV.com

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Direct flight to W. Asia from Madurai sought

Madurai: Three trade bodies in the city have come together to demand a direct flight service from Madurai to Dubai and other destinations in the West Asia.
Members of the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TNCCI), Sourashtra Chamber of Commerce, Madurai and Madurai Travel Club are travelling to Dubai to press the demand.
They propose to meet senior officials of Air India/Air India Express in Dubai on January 22 to impress upon them the need for the introduction of direct flights between Madurai and Dubai and other Gulf countries.
20/01/13 Business Line

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Mopa airport: Govt moves to acquire land in 3 villages

Panaji:  The government on Thursday invoked Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act to acquire 22,63,185 sq m of land for the proposed Mopa airport in three villages of Chandel, Casarvarnem and Varcond in Pernem taluka.
While the government had initially proposed to acquire 74.99 lakh sq m of land in six villages, only about 48.70 lakh sq m of land had been taken in possession in four villages.
The 22,63,185 sq m now sought to be acquired was earlier left out from the acquisition proceedings because residents of Pernem petitioned the Bombay high court at Goa challenging the land acquisition.
In its judgment, the high court directed the government to hear out the petitioners once again and to go ahead with the land acquisition.
19/01/13 Times of India

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Airport Authority staff hold rally

Nagpur: In a rally organized by the Airports Authority Employee Union (AAEU), SR Santhanam, all India president of the union, said it was to showcase their unity. Santhanam was in the city to address a meeting ahead of January 29 union elections.
The rally was organized from the remote receiver station on Wardha Road to the main airport complex. "We have been elected by the employees and emerged victorious during the last 15 years. We are very confident about our victory this year too," he said. The national elections decide which union will represent Airports Authority of India (AAI) employees with the management. Western Region regional secretary of AAEU AS Phanepure was also present.
After the rally, Santhanam and Phanepure also addressed the employees in a meeting.
19/01/13 Times of India

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BSP MP slams UP govt for scrapping Jewar airport project

Greater Noida: A Bahujan Samaj Party MP today slammed the ruling Samajwadi Party in the state for scrapping the ambitious Jewar Airport project, saying the project would be revived whenever his party returned to power.
"The project was scrapped by Uttar Pradesh government and in a recent board meeting Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority excluded the project from its Master plan 2031," Gautam Buddha Nagar MP Surinder Singh Nagar told PTI.
Both Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities have sold their properties highlighting the airport project, he said adding, "I am writing to UP Chief Minister to reconsider the Jewar airport project."
18/01/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Two flights had to change routes due to flying lanterns

Vadodara:  The Chinese lanterns flown during Uttarayan caused some heavy-duty scare over and above the 10-odd incidents of fire in the city. Vadodara airport authorities had a tough time because of the flying lanterns this Uttarayan. This has forced the city police to think of banning flying lanterns for any coming festivals.
Sources said airport authorities had to direct at least two incoming flights to change their approach route on January 14 and 15 when they found some flying lanterns straying into the path of the air funnel. "However, there is no awareness still about sky lanterns and that they can come flying on to the approach path of the aircraft. These lanterns are more dangerous than the tukkals since they cannot be controlled once released in air," a senior airport official said.
Fortunately, the authorities could identify the Makarpura side free of flying lanterns on those nights and so the flight approach of two night flights was hurriedly changed to avoid the fire-holding balloons.
19/01/13 Ramaninder K Bhatia/Times of India

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New integrated passenger terminal at Kolkata to improve passenger comfort

Mumbai: The new state-of-the-art integrated passenger terminal at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport in Kolkata is to be inaugurated tomorrow i.e. Sunday, 20th January 2013.
The new airport terminal will now have a covered area of 2.33 lakh sq. meters. The integrated passenger terminal now will have capacity to handle almost three times the annual traffic compared to earlier. On annualized basis it will now be able to handle 2 crore passengers compared to earlier capacity being 74.6 lakh passengers per annum.
On an hourly basis it will now be able to handle 7452 passengers per hour as compared to  2850 passengers earlier. What’s more the travelers will get further more comfort. In the International airport at peak hour the area per passenger is now 29 square meters as compared to the earlier 15.34 sq.mtr. Similarly in the domestic terminal area per passenger at peak hours will increase to 22 sq.mtr compared to earlier 14.38 sq.mtr.      
The airport that earlier could not handle aircraft larger than a Boeing 747 will now be able to handle can now handle an Airbus 380.
19/01/13 Ujjval Jauhari/Business Standard

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Missing IAF chopper traced in Dantewada, all occupants safe

Naxalites on Saturday fired at an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter, flying on a casualty evacuation mission in the dense Dantewada forests, and injured one Chhattisgarh policeman onboard.
    The incident took place around 1600 hours today when an MI-17 of the IAF, carrying seven personnel onboard, was on a casualty evacuation mission to retrieve some personnel of CAF from the forests of Sukma district.
    "The helicopter is safe. It has landed in Temelwada and one of our radio operators has been hit," Director General of Police Ram Niwas told news agency.
    The helicopter, which had 7 people on-board, was fired when it was descending to pick up an injured jawan of the CAF which was conducting a road-opening operation along with CRPF, a senior CRPF official said.
18/01/13 Samay Live

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Mihan issue partly resolved

Nagpur:  This may be a small step towards removing the bottleneck which had stuck up Mihan since its inception over a decade ago. Even as the special economic zone (SEZ) is ready with a few investors having checked in, the original idea of building a multimodal international air hub at Nagpur - (Mihan) remains only on paper.
The state government owned agency Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) still does not hold a chunk of land proposed for this project. There are apprehensions that the delay may only kill Mihan's USP.
As the matter involves the ministries of defence as well as civil aviation, the latter has now agreed to relinquish its claim on a part of the land which was eyed for Mihan.
19/01/13  Shishir Arya/Times of India

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Cargo hub plan awaits AAI response

A month after the district collector instructed the Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials in Pune to submit a proposal for acquisition of land for a cargo hub and other infrastructure near the Lohegaon airport, there has been no response in the matter so far. The cargo hub has been a long pending demand to facilitate movement of international cargo.
District land acquisition officers told The Indian Express that the airport authorities were supposed to get back to the district administration with the proposal. “They have not reverted. We are waiting for them to submit it so that we can help them in acquisition of land,’’ said the district land acquisition officer. Airport officials, when asked, said they have forwarded the proposal to the Mumbai office of the AAI. “We are awaiting the final approval from them to submit it to the collector,” said Pune Airport director PSR K Sudhakar.
19/01/13 Nisha Nambiar/Indian Express

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Name Chennai domestic terminal after MGR: Jayalalithaa

Chennai: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wants the Centre to name Domestic Terminal II of the Chennai Airport after the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam founder and former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran.
In a letter to the Civil Aviation Minister, Ajit Singh, Ms. Jayalalithaa has stated that it will be most fitting if the new domestic terminal is named after “MGR, who was one of the most illustrious, charismatic and popular Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu.”
19/01/13 The Hindu

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Mock evacuation exercise at BijuPatnaik airport

Bhubaneswar: There was a sudden buzz at the standby operational area of BijuPatnaik airport around 3.30 pm on Friday. Men and machines were put on alert to ensure a full scale mock evacuation exercise.
As the airport officials coordinating the exercise were taking note of the minutest details to conduct the mock drill, other agencies were making last-minute preparations.
The airport conducted the mock evacuation drill as per director-general of civil aviation (DGCA) guidelines after two years. The drill had the all the components of a real-time situation. A bus was kept in place of an aircraft. Besides, two vans of airport fire and emergency services, one van of state government fire services, ambulances were present. CISF ) personnel, employees of Airports Authority of India and Orissa State Disaster Management Authority and state police personnel were also ready.
19/01/13 Riyan Ramanath V/Times of India

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Airports Authority of India pays Rs 171.90 crore dividend

New Delhi:  Mini-ratna public sector undertaking ( PSU) Airports Authority of India on Friday paid a dividend of Rs 171.90 crore to civil aviation minister Ajit Singh, who received it on behalf of the government.
During the last fiscal (2011-12), AAI had paid a dividend of Rs 169.30 crore and earned a revenue of Rs 5,879 crore against Rs 5,139 crore in 2010-11, AAI said in a statement.
The state-owned airport operator has earned profit before tax of Rs 1,364 crore against previous year's Rs 1,346 crore.
18/01/13 PTI/Times of India

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Obstacle clearance survey for airport project begins today

Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) officials arrived on Thursday to start the obstacle clearance survey for the proposed international airport in Chakan-Rajgurunagar area in Khed taluka of the district, even as villagers of Dhamne staged a protest.
Officials who arrived to inspect the area said they are seeking police protection for the survey, which will begin on Friday
“We have the local administration and police helping us. We will be conducting the survey for the villages listed. The obstacle survey will be conducted and the final report readied in a month’s time,’’ said MADC officials.
On Thursday, during the protest, district officials were there in Khed to control the situation. State government officials had given an “in principle” approval for the site and the techno-feasibility study and obstacle survey was proposed after that. “We are making sure no irrigated land will be taken up for the airport and so the villagers need not worry,’’ said district officials.
18/01/13 Nisha Nambiar/Indian Express

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Advanced radar system to be installed at Kochi airport soon

Kochi: The much-awaited radar facility at Cochin International Airport Ltd will soon become a reality with the radar system procured by the Airports Authority of India from Eldis Radar Systems, Czech Republic, having reached Nedumbassery.
CIAL had completed the construction of the NAV-AID Building to house the radar and was waiting procurement of equipment by the Airports Authority of India.
The radar system to be installed at CIAL is a combination of Approach Surveillance Radar (ASR) and Mono-pulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR).
The approach surveillance radar tracks aircraft approaching the airport within a range of 20 nautical miles. Secondary surveillance radar (SSR) is a system that not only detects and measures the position of aircraft, its range and bearing, but also requests additional information from the aircraft itself such as its identity and altitude.
18/01/13 Business Line

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Come April 1, Ahmedabad airport will offer 9 international services

Ahmedabad: With the Thai Airways annoucing to launch a direct flight between Ahmedabad and Bangkok from April 1, the number of international services at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport has gone up to nine.
As of now the airport has eight international airlines — Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, Fly Dubai, Qatar Airways, Air India, Singapore and recently started Spicejet — mostly connecting Gulf countries including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah besides Air India which has two one-stop flights for The United States and the United Kingdom.
Thailand’s Ambassador to India Pisan Manawapat had announced the launch of the service from April 1 during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit. Sources said initially it would be a weekly flight but the frequency may be doubled once its operational.
18/01/13 Indian Express

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Nagpur airport needs better connectivity, work culture for ISO 27000 certification

Nagpur: Authorities need to introduce better connectivity options, procedural changes and a high tech work approach to acquire ISO 27000 certification for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport. These requirements surfaced as a special team of consultants from Ahmedabad supervised the second phase of accreditation procedure on January 10, 11 and 12.
Experts pointed out that there was a need to set up an additional communication system option which is an important criteria for ISO 27000 certification. Currently, BSNL is the sole service render to the airport. A portion of the air traffic control data comes from Bhopal which is delivered by BSNL through optical fiber cables (OFC).
18/01/13 Aparna Nair/Times of India

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Dreamliner grounded at Chennai Airport

Tambaram: An Air India’s Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft was grounded at the Chennai Airport on Thursday morning following instructions from the Director General of Civil Aviation.
The DGCA communique was a fallout of an emergency landing of a Dreamliner in Japan on Wednesday.
According to sources at the Chennai Airport, the Dreamliner was scheduled to leave for New Delhi with 186 passengers at 10.45 a.m. when the DGCA’s information reached Chennai Airport authorities.
The 186 passengers, along with another 64 passengers waiting to board a flight for Bengaluru, were accommodated in an Air India Airbus 330. It took off at 11.15 a.m. and the flight left for Bengaluru first before proceeding to New Delhi.
17/01/13 The Hindu

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Govt, AAI to sign MoU for Hubli airport upgradation

Chennai/Hubli: The Airports Authority of India ( AAI) and the Karnataka government are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) later this month for the much-awaited upgradation of Hubli airport.
According to sources, the MoU will be signed during the visit of AAI chairman VP Agarwal and Union civil aviation ministry joint secretary KN Shrivatsa on January 23.
After acquiring around 600 acres of land required for the airport expansion, utility shifting was an important issue. To resolve the issue, the Airport Advisory Committee headed by MP Pralhad Joshi has decided to urge the state to provide Rs 11crore, as the AAI has denied to bear this cost. The meeting of the committee was held recently to discuss various issues related to the airport upgradation and decided to fix the time frame to complete the utility shifting on January23.
After the meeting, Joshi told the media that the AAI had already approved the proposal to construct the airport compound wall at a cost of Rs 7 crore, and Rs 169 crore proposal for runway expansion is awaiting the approval of the AAI board of management.
17/01/13 Business Standard

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Business jets keep Nedumbassery busy

Kochi: Business jet operations seem to be picking up at Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial). According to airport authorities, there has been an 80% increase in business jet movements from the airport during the first nine months of this fiscal compared with the same period last year.
The number of non-scheduled flights has increased to 475 from April to December end this year as against 265 during the same period in the previous year, airport sources told TOI here.
Officials of the Joy Jets, the sole group to operate a chartered jet from the Cochin airport, said they have recorded a 60% growth in their business in the last six months.
They said the company, which is operating an Embraer Phenom 100 business jet since October 2011, was able to fly 40 hours per month, a good figure as per the industry standards. "We generally fly to areas like Chennai, Madurai, Bangalore and Pune. But we have also operated long-distance chartered flights to places such as New Delhi, Chandigarh and Kolkata," a Joy Jets official said.
16/01/13 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Wings need to be stretched in Pune

Pune: Though Pune has emerged as a hub of education, IT and automobile industry, its wings clipped, quite literally. Unlike other developing cities, Pune’s air connectivity is restricted.
In terms of development, Pune ranks seventh with close competition from Bangalore and Hyderabad. However, Bangalore and Hyderabad score over Pune in terms of aerial connectivity as both the cities have developed new airports of international standard.
In Pune, the civil airport still has to share the air strip with the Indian Air Force (IAF) as it is situated on the IAF base in Lohegaon. Due to the limited operational hours, the Pune airport can operate only around 40 flights in a day. The city is connected with only two international destinations through air - Dubai and Frankfurt.
17/01/13 Anurag Bende/Daily News & Analysis

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CPI(M) continues land struggle in Aranmula

Pathanamthitta: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Kerala Karshaka Sanghom, and the Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union have decided not to call back their agitating workers from the Aranmula puncha (paddy land) and to continue their struggle against conversion of ecologically sensitive paddy land and wetland and against the move to evict people in the name of a private airport project at the disputed site.
As many as 248 landless families of the KSKTU-Karshaka Sanghom workers are camping in make-shift sheds at the disputed site as part of the agitation.
CPI(M) district secretary K. Ananthagopan and Karshaka Sanghom district president Omalloor Sankaran said that there was no question of retreating from the ongoing land struggle at Aranmula as it involved grave socio-environmental and legal issues.
Mr. Sankaran and Mr. Ananthagopan told The Hindu that the ongoing agitation at Aranmula was against the “State-sponsored anti-environment, anti-farming, and anti-people activities” taking place in the guise of a private airport project.
They alleged that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had taken personal interest in supporting the land mafia as well as the controversial airport project, disregarding its far-reaching negative impacts on this agrarian belt, identified as the riparian floodplain areas of the Pampa.
17/01/13 The Hindu

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Flying from Mumbai to be costlier

Mumbai/ Delhi: In a move that will make air travel from Mumbai costlier, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (Aera) has approved a 154 per cent increase in aeronautical charges at the city’s airport and, for the first time, introduced a steep user development fee (UDF) on the passengers flying out of the city. The order would take effect from February 1 and be in force for a year. The aeronautical charges include those for parking, landing, fuel throughput and common check-in terminals.
From February 1, passengers would have to pay Rs 346 and Rs 692 more on their domestic and international tickets, respectively. However from April 1 to March 31 next year, passengers would pay a lower UDF of Rs 274 and Rs 548 for domestic and international travel, respectively. The regulator has also allowed the Mumbai airport to levy penalties on private jets overstaying at the airport but has rejected its demand to levy a fee on airlines that do not utilise their slots.
These measures would lead to an average increase of five-seven per cent on domestic fares of Rs 5,000-7,000 from Mumbai.
17/01/13 Business STandard

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MP wants direct flights to Saudi from Mangalore airport

Mangalore: Udupi - Chikmagalur MP K Jayaprakash Hegde has written to Union minister for civil aviation Ajith Singh requesting him to take steps to introduce direct flights to Saudi Arabia from Mangalore International Airport (MIA).
The MP quoting a feasibility report prepared in association with coastaldigest.com, a news portal, said that over two lakh people from south west coast are working in Saudi Arabia.
"Mangalore airport is the nearest airport for people of coastal Karnataka and Malnad regions, and Kasargod in northern Kerala. Hence it will be convenient if the civil aviation ministry direct the concerned to operate direct flights between Mangalore and Saudi Arabia," Hegde said.
Quoting the study report, Hegde said, 60% of the people of the region, who are working in Saudi Arabia, travel once in a year.
17/01/13 Vinobha K T/Times of India

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Emergency drill to take off at BijuPatnaik airport

Bhubaneswar:  The BijuPatnaik airport authorities are going to stage a mock drill for emergency evacuation soon. The practice is done as per the guidelines of director general of civil aviation (DGCA).
The exercise will be carried out sometime this week, said airport sources. "Since the mock drill is a full-scale emergency exercise, we don't reveal the date and time or else the agencies to be involved will get ready for the occasion. They need to tackle the emergency as and when needed," said an airport official. He said more than 100 personnel would be involved in the exercise.
Capital and Apollo hospitals, Orissa disaster management authority (OSDMA), Orissa fire services and airport fire services will take part in the exercise apart from nine other agencies.
17/01/13 Riyan Ramanath V/Times of India

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Qatar Airways says Not Interested in Any Indian Airlines

Doha: Qatar Airways is not interested in buying a stake in Indian budget carrier SpiceJet Ltd or any other Indian airline, its chief executive said, quashing media reports that the Gulf carrier was in talks for a potential investment.
Shares in SpiceJet Ltd rose by as much as 8.5 per cent on Tuesday after a newspaper reported the budget carrier was close to selling a stake to a foreign carrier, which it said was most likely to be Qatar Airways.
In a statement on Tuesday, CEO Akbar al-Baker denied it was involved in any discussions for a possible investment.
"Qatar Airways categorically denies it is interested in investing in SpiceJet or any other Indian airline," CEO Akbar al-Baker said in a statement.
"This is pure speculation by individuals who deliberately want to spread such unfounded rumours to raise the stock value of their entities."
16/01/13 Rueters/Daijiworld.com

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False fire alarm on Bangalore-bound flight

Mumbai: A Jet Airways aircraft reported fire in one of its engines shortly before take-off from Mumbai airport on Tuesday. The fire alarm was, however, a false onee and the flight was later cleared for take-off.
Airport officials said the alarm went off at 6.44am when flight 9W 411 was on the runway and about to take off for Bangalore. According to airport officials, the fire alarm of the aircraft went off.
The pilot immediately notified the airport officials. "The pilot reported fire in the second engine.
The aircraft was immediately asked to go to the parking bay," said an official. The aircraft vacated the runway through taxiway N9.
16/01/13 Times of India

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Cial posts 11.75% rise in international traffic

Kochi: Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) has registered almost 11.75% increase in passenger traffic in the international sector and 9.8% dip in domestic sector during the first three quarters of the current financial year.
The total number of passengers who departed for international destinations through Cochin airport increased to 10,92,097 during the period from April beginning to December end 2012, from 9,67,430 passengers for the corresponding period in the previous year. The number of arrivals clocked 11,06,454 as against the previous period's figure of 9,99,866. The total passenger movement was 21,98,551 in the first nine months of this financial year compared with 19,67,296 in the previous year.
16/01/13 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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SI had major role in human trafficking: Crime Branch

The Crime Branch on Tuesday informed the Kerala High Court that a suspended Sub-Inspector at the immigration wing of the Nedumbassery airport, who is accused of helping a woman fly out to Muscat on a fake passport, had played a major role in human trafficking.
The police made the submission when an anticipatory bail petition filed by the fourth accused Raju Mathew, Sub-Inspector, Immigration Wing, Nedumbassery, came up for hearing.
The woman was allowed to travel with a fake passport from Kochi to Muscat. The police had also registered another case for sexually exploiting the woman. The petitioner had played a major role in forging passports, the prosecution argued.
The prosecution said the details captured in the camera installed at the airport showed that the petitioner had aided the lady to leave the airport. The petitioner, right from the moment the lady entered the airport, had accompanied her till she boarded the flight. According to the police, many girls had been sent to the Gulf with the help of one of the accused.
16/01/13 The Hindu

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Flight operations normal at IGI

New Delhi:  After being badly hit by dense fog, flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport were today normal even as the airport witnessed shallow fog.
The visibility remained good through the night. Though there was shallow fog in the morning, it had no effect on the flight operations as the visibility remained above 1,000 metres, airport sources said.
The runway visibility on main runway was above 2000 metres through the night but it dropped to 1900 metres in the morning.
Similarly, the visibility on the third runway was around 1600 metres and it dipped to 1200 metres.But there was no disruption of flight movement.
16/01/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Unauthorised mobile towers stall Hubli airport expansion

Hubli: The authorities, who are upgrading the Hubli airport, now find it difficult to shift the mobile towers which have come up nearby.
According to sources at Hubli airport, there are four mobile towers which are a major obstacle to development work. Interestingly, nobody has an idea who gave permission for the construction of these towers. There was no information or any documentation either with the district administration, HDMC or HDUDA, about permission to private companies to set up their towers, K M Basavaraj, Hubli airport director, told TOI.
People should seek a No-Objection Certificate from the airport authority if they want to raise the height of their buildings, install any tower or do other developmental works within a 10-km radius of the airport.
16/01/13 Basavaraj F Kattimani/Times of India

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Flight safety chief inspects airport

Mysore: Chief of Flight Safety, Ravindra K of SpiceJet visited Mysore airport to conduct an inspection. He said that a few recommendations were made to the airport during his last inspection a month ago. He said that the recommendations were made from an operators point of view.
“There were a few technical deficiencies. Although the deficiencies have been met, the purpose of the visit is to counter check the arrangements,” he said.
16/01/13 Deccan herald

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6.37 acre of land for airport expansion

Patna: Decks have been cleared for the much-awaited expansion of city's Jayaprakash Narayan International airport with the Bihar cabinet approving the transfer of 6.37 acres of land owned by the state home (special) department to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting here on Tuesday, additional secretary (cabinet coordination department) Vinod Prasad Singh said the land would be transferred to the AAI for Rs 114.66 crore. The land, adjacent to the city airport, is currently used by the STF.
16/01/12 Times of India

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Axis allays Male loan fears after profit rises 22%

Mumbai: Axis Bank on Tuesday said it is pursuing all options for recovering money from the Male International Airport project that ran into trouble in the third quarter of this fiscal.
“As far as the transaction is concerned, we clearly have our rights under various financing agreements in terms of the project,” Somnath Sengupta, executive director, Axis Bank, said in an analyst call discussing third-quarter financial results. The loan continues to be performing and all obligations are still being met, he said.
The private sector lender reported an increase of 22% in net profit for the quarter ended December, at Rs1,347 crore, riding on healthy retail loan growth.
16/01/13 Parnika Sokhi/Daily News & Analysis

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Juhu airport security plan awaits BCAS nod

Mumbai: The Juhu airport will finally get dedicated security cover with the Mumbai police having agreed to allot 88 personnel, in addition totwo platoons of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) with 24 members each.
Currently, there is not one armed guard at the airport, which is why there have been serious concerns over the security arrangements following terror threats.
The government-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is the largest user of the airport that has the biggest helibase in the country. ONGC flies personnel and equipment from this base to its rigs in Bombay High.
Airport Authority of India (AAI) sources said that a team of officials from the Bureau of Civil Aviation and Security (BCAS) will visit the airport this week. They will be briefed about the arrangement being worked out with the Mumbai police. BCAS co-ordinates security at all Indian airports.
The sources added that once the BCAS is satisfied, it will give its approval for the deployment of the police personnel.
15/01/13 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Political turbulence stalls Birsa Munda airport opening

Ranchi: Passengers at Birsa Munda Airport will continue to face a harrowing time as the Union civil aviation ministry has postponed inauguration of the new terminal building owing to the political crisis in the state. This is despite the Airports Authority of India (AAI) conducting a successful trial run.
AAI had decided to inaugurate the state-of-the-art building before the ODI between India and England on January 19 in Ranchi. AAI sources said Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh along with chief minister Arjun Munda were supposed to inaugurate the facility on January 17.
15/01/13 Alok K N Mishra/Times of India

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Village Action Council vows to disrupt Aranmula airport work

Thiruvananthapuram: Construction work for a proposed airport at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district by a private group has run into trouble with the local Village Action Council announcing that it would disrupt any such work.
Aranmula, which had been declared as a heritage village by the Centre and United Nations Development Programme, would cease to exist if the project came up, The Aranmula Heritage Village Action Council patron Kummanam Rajasekharan said.
He claimed that the plan of the KGS group, promoters of the private airport project, was to develop an aerotropolis centring the airport for which at least 3,000 acres would be required.
"This will not be allowed by people of Aranmula. We will disrupt the construction work if it is started this month as announced by KGS group," Rajasekharan said, adding the construction would sound the death-knell for the culture and heritage of the ancient village.
He alleged the state government had acted in haste to accord sanction to the project.
15/01/13 ZeeNews

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Mysore Airport back in business

Mysore: The tourist hub got back its air connectivity on Monday brining good tidings this MakaraSankranti.
At 1.03 pm, the inaugural SpiceJet flight from Chennai arrived at the Mysore Airport via Bangalore putting the tourist city back in the loop of Tier-II cities with air connectivity. The 17 passengers who arrived at the workable airport were greeted to traditional music along with traditional ellu-bella, a preparation of sesame and jaggery, distributed during Sankranti.
While the inbound passengers at the 78-seater Bombardier Q400 aircraft were a tad less, 27 passengers flew out of Mysore. Of the passengers three took flight for their onward journey to Delhi and a couple from Mysore opted to fly to Bangalore to reach Kuwait. Among the passengers was Andhra Pradesh minister C Ramachandraiah who took air route to reach Bangalore, the Mysore Airport director C Manjunath said.
14/01/13 HM Aravind/Times of India

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42 CCTVs installed at Patna airport

Patna: Forty-two CCTV cameras were installed and two conveyor belts replaced at Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport on Monday.
The airport director, Arvind Dubey, said, "The installation work, which began last year, was delayed due to some technical problems. At present, the cameras have three days' storage capacity and the footage would be motioned by trained CISF personnel." The cameras installed include eight outdoor high-speed colour day/night PTZs, 13 indoor high-speed colour PTZs and 21 high-resolution fixed cameras.
Earlier, a request for installing CCTV cameras was made to the Airports Authority of India in 2010, keeping in view the growing number of passengers using the airport.
15/01/13 Sayantanee Choudhury/Times of India

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Pilot’s kachori craving delays flight by 1 hour

Mumbai: An Air India pilot faces suspension after she defied orders to switch her scheduled Mumbai-Jodhpur-Delhi flight for a later, direct flight from Mumbai to Delhi. Her reason for doing so? She wanted to fly via Jodhpur to pick up an order for the city's famous onion kachoris that she had already placed. Her refusal to swap flights ended up delaying the Mumbai-Delhi flight, which was left without a pilot, by an hour.
On Sunday, Captain Smriti Trehan was instructed by Air India to operate the 2pm Mumbai-Delhi flight. However, she chose to ignore the order and operate her originally scheduled 12pm flight, which had a halt at Jodhpur, all for the love of kachoris.
Trehan, who is from Delhi, was staying at a hotel in Mumbai when she received the instruction to switch flights. However, she reached the airport in time for the 12pm flight and informed the airline's operations department that she would operate that one.
15/01/13 Bipin Kumar Singh/Mumbai Mirror

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Indian contemporary art in IGI airport

Indian contemporary art has spread its wings to a new display terrain by connecting to thousands of international travellers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) with "Hamanta-Shishir", a collection of 34 paintings and sculptures by 22 artists.
It is part of a larger art project, "Art Walk" - an attempt by the Delhi International Airport Limited to provide a platform for fliers to appreciate Indian art, buy art works and raise awareness about art, DIAL said Tuesday.
"Hemanta-Shishir" is an autumn-winter collection. It will be followed by "Basanta-Greeshma (spring-summer) and "Varsha-Sharada (monsoon-autumn). A decision on continuing the cycle will be taken at a later date.
15/01/13 IANS/Times of India

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EoIs invited for feeder airport at Wayanad

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) has invited expressions of interest for consultancy for a proposed feeder airport at Wayanad in northern Kerala.
This follows invitation of EoIs for a similar project in Idukki district, and in keeping with the policy that envisages an airport at the headquarters of each of the 14 districts in the State.
The proposed international airport in Kannur and private sector KGS Aranmula International Airport in Pathanamthitta have already got ‘in-principle’ approval from the Centre.
Expression of Interest is now invited for ‘techno economic feasibility and environmental impact assessment’ for proposed airport at Wayanad, sources said.
As per preliminary feasibility study by Airports Authority of India, the site identified at Panamaram, Wayanad, has been found suitable for the project.
It is envisaged to operate aircraft of capacity up to 50-60 passengers such as ATR-72, to start with, and those of capacity equivalent to Airbus 320, at a later stage.
14/01/13 Vinson Kurian/Business Line

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