‘Pro-Mopa govt can’t also conduct hearing’

Panaji: Protesting the manner in which the public hearing for the proposed Mopa airport is being held, Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) pointed out that the Goa government cannot be a project proponent and simultaneously judge the viability of the project. The group wrote a letter to the chief secretary in this regard.

"North Goa collector Neela Mohanan, the judge at the public hearing, will always be under pressure to promote her master's voice and as such, no person under the direct control of an interested party or project proponent can be the designated authority for conducting any public hearing," GFDO member Rajendra Kakodkar said while speaking at a press conference.

Kakodkar pointed out that Mohanan happens to be the wife of Ameya Abhyankar, the secretary of the government's PPP cell, and since the proposed Mopa Airport is a PPP project, Abhyankar has a key role in it.
31/01/15 Times of India

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Fog blinds Hyderabad, several flights diverted

Hyderabad: An unusual dense fog enveloped the city on Friday surprising Hyderabadis and forcing authorities to divert several flights as visibility dropped drastically at the Shamshabad airport.

For about five hours, the city wore a hill station-like look as cars moved with their fog lights on and people preferred to stay indoors.

"It was cold and I could hardly see anything on the road while driving in the morning for an hour or so. Many cars had switched on their parking lights near Jubilee hills," Sai Ganesh, a Banjara Hills resident, said.
Met officials said the fog formation began at 5.30 am hampering the visibility for commuters. Motorists were forced to drive in low speeds despite the streets remaining largely deserted in the morning.

Weather experts said the sudden spike in fog formation was a result of low night time temperatures coupled with increasing humidity levels. This in turn aided in condensation of the water vapour present in the air, they said.
31/01/15 Times of India

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Check-in kiosk could help reduce queues

Coimbatore : Whether you carry heavy or minimum baggage, passengers usually find themselves in a long queue to get a boarding pass for flights operated from Coimbatore International Airport (CIA).

Airline operators and commuters making frequent trips to destinations in the country and abroad feel that opening a self check-in kiosk here would make it convenient for those with hand baggage with less weight. They can go through the kiosk and avoid waiting in the queue.

The kiosk is like an ATM, where the display screen asks the commuter to enter the PNR number.

On entering the number, the passenger can pick the seat preference and collect the boarding pass in a minute or two.

Some airlines provide staff to assist commuters who only have a handbag that fits into the minimum weight stipulated for a cabin bagged that could be carried by them – ranging between five kg to 10 kg. Such kiosks are available in the airports in the metros and a few other airports in India.
31/01/15 The Hindu

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Air India services from tomorrow

Vijayawada: National carrier Air India’s has deferred its plan to introduce new flights in the Hyderabad-Vijayawada-Tirupati route from Friday to February 1 (Sunday) owing to operational reasons.

Officials said the 70-seater flight was supposed to arrive from New Delhi for commencing its services from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad from Friday, but the launch was postponed on Thursday night. “We received a message from senior officials that the flight could not land at the RGIA due to operational reasons,” a senior official said.

He added efforts were on to begin daily services from Sunday. “We have made alternative arrangements for those who had already booked tickets from Hyderabad to Vijayawada on Friday,” he said. The flight will take off from RGIA around 7.45 a.m. and reach Gannavaram at 8.55 a.m.
31/01/15 The Hindu

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Airport lights up hope for infra & realty growth in city, Raigad

Navi Mumbai: The new international airport project has mapped out a growth path for the city and the neighbouring district of Raigad. The two-leg development of the around Rs 15,000-crore project will ensure more construction activities and development of infrastructure. More people are expected to shift into areas close to the airport, thereby increasing the demand for new houses. This apart, the airport project is expected to provide a fillip to the hospitality industry. Hotels, targeting primarily overseas tourists and airline crew, are likely to come up in the vicinity.
"All these development activities will ensure more tax revenue," said joint sales tax commissioner (Raigad division), Sunil Sangle.
The Raigad division of sales tax department has been overachieving its target. Its performance has been consistent except for the 2012-13 fiscal, when the shortfall was a minimal Rs 18 crore.
31/01/15 Sanjay Banerjee/Times of India

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'Airport will be grave injustice to farmers’

Panaji:  The Mopa airport is likely to destroy farming and the culture of the locals and should be scrapped immediately and instead agricultural assistance should be provided by the government if it wants the area to develop, Mopa Vimantal Pidit Xetkari Samiti members said.

The Pernem-based group also demanded to know why the existing airport at Dabolim cannot be expanded to cater to the marginal rise in passengers at the airport, especially since reports have suggested that Goa would not require a new airport till 2040. "The Mopa plateau holds a groundwater source within, has a water canal running right besides the proposed airport land and if the government goes ahead with the airport it is a grave injustice to farmers," samiti member Rama Satelkar said while speaking at a press conference in the city.
31/01/15 Times of India

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‘Replace collector designated to conduct public hearing on Mopa’

Panjim: Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) has demanded that Collector Neela Mohanan, the designated authority for the public hearing on Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study of the proposed Greenfield International Mopa airport, be replaced alleging possibility of a ‘conflict of interest’ since she is directly under the government. However, the GFDO is yet to decide on whether it will participate at the February 1 public hearing.
GFDO has scheduled a public meeting at Lohia Maidan, Margao, on January 31, on the eve of the public hearing scheduled at Simechen Adven, Pernem. It has appealed to all cabinet ministers, MLAs, irrespective of their political affiliation, to be part of the meeting, pressing for its demand that the State does not need two airports and that Dabolim should be the only international airport.
Addressing the media, GFDO convener Fr Eremito Rebelo informed that his NGO would make a representation to the chief secretary raising objections and reservations on the appointment of Mohanan as the designated authority for the public hearing on the EIA report.
31/01/15 Herald

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Security officials at IGI airport fail basic security test

New Delhi: "WHAT is RDX?" "What does BCAS stand for?"
Twenty-four security officials hired at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport could not answer these questions and failed the aviation sector (AvSec) test conducted by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) for Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) officials.
One of those who failed to clear the test was the chief security officer responsible for security at the airport. Only two managed to pass the test whose results were announced last week.According to BCAS, this is a basic test necessary for every security official deployed at the airport. The AvSec test of the 26 DIAL officials was held on January 17 and the staff had attended classes before appearing for the same.

A BCAS official said, due to shortage of qualified staff, the agency is forced to deploy failed staff on airport duty. "Not just DIAL officials, there are other senior officials, including DIGs and assistant commandants of CISF, who have also not cleared the exam but continue to head security at airports," the official added, requesting to stay anonymous.

"This is the easiest test mandatory for security personnel posted at airports. If the staff is unable to answer such easy questions even after taking proper classes by trained instructors, then the aviation industry is not the place for them. In recent tests taken by DIAL staff, almost 95% examinees have failed. It shows the seriousness of the agency towards the test," a senior official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation told MAIL TODAY.
31/01/15 Ankur Sharma/India Today

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Flights delayed at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

Hyderabad: Seven inbound flights were diverted on Friday at the Shamshabad RGI Airport due to fog early in the day. The flights were Air India flights from Dubai and New Delhi, an Oman Air flight from Muscat, Indigo flights from Chennai and Bangalore, a Bluedart flight from Mumbai and an Aircosta flight from Chennai.
31/05/15 Deccan Chronicle

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Row over Collector’s report on govt. land

Pathanamthitta: The Joint Action Council (JAC) has accused the district administration and the government of conspiring to assign government land, including natural streams, roads, and a portion of a wetland, in Aranmula to a private airport company, in disregard to the Kerala High Court order for time-bound restoration of the natural stream, Karimaramthodu, in Aranmula Puncha.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, A. Padmakumar, Shaji Chacko, P.R. Shaji, Ajith Pullad and Sarathchandrakumar, action council office-bearers, alleged that the District Collector had reported to the government that the puramboke land that fell under the area identified for a proposed private airport project was in the possession of KGS Aranmula International Airport Ltd. This was in contradiction to the Land Revenue Commissioner’s report that the government had cleared the encroachment and retrieved the puramboke land in Aranmula Puncha, they alleged. It is also a fact that the Revenue Department had carried out a survey of the puramboke land in Aranmula Puncha and the extent of the illegally converted portion of the Karimaramthodu in July, 2014. The survey team had eventually erected boards on the land declaring it as ‘Government land’. The action council leaders also  released supporting documents procured by them through the Right To Information Act.
31/01/15 Radhakrishnan Kuttoor/The Hindu

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Airport Operations Control Centre opened

Guwahati: Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Friday formally inaugurated the Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) at the LGB International Airport in the presence of the officials from Airports Authority of India (AAI), representatives of NIIT Technologies and their partners, who executed the contract.

The Minister said that airport modernisation will contribute towards the growth of the aviation sector and stressed the need for addressing the problems in the sector.

“Both the Centre and the State governments must work together to remove the impediments in the growth of the aviation sector,” said the Minister pointing out that the aviation sector in the North East was plagued with myriad problems.

He said that issues like high airport charges and high tax on aviation turbine fuel has to be addressed to incentivise the airlines to start operating from here as well.
30/01/15 Assam Tribune

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Gold seized at Karipur airport

Malappuram: The Intelligence wing of the Air Customs at the Karipur airport seized 2.5 kg of smuggled gold from two passengers who arrived from Dubai on Indigo flights on Thursday and Friday.

Both of them had hidden the gold in their rectum. Saji Sebastian, 40, from Palakkad, who arrived on Thursday, and Abdul Saleem, 32, from Arakkinar, near Beypore, who arrived on Friday, were caught when they passed through the door-frame metal detector (DFMD) near the emigration counter.
31/01/15 The Hindu

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Work on N-E's first greenfield airport comes to a halt

Guwahati: Protests by local villagers, demanding proper rehabilitation and compensation, have resulted in suspension of work for Northeast's first greenfiled airport project at Pakyong near Gangtok in Sikkim.

With the project already suffering time-overruns, Airports Authority of India (AII), which is in charge of constructing the airport, is presently holding high-level talks with the state government of Sikkim, seeking the latter's help to resume works.

The works on the project had started way back in 2009 at estimated cost of Rs 309.46 crore. A senior official from Union civil aviation ministry told Business Standard that though the project was scheduled to be completed in May 2012, it was rescheduled to December 2014 due to delays in land acquisition. He added that since January 2014, protests by local villagers led to suspension of works till October. After AAI intervened and held discussions with agitating villagers and paid part compensation, works restarted in October. Again since January 8, 2015, the works came to a complete halt as villagers took to protests demanding rehabilitation and compensation. The Union civil aviation ministry as well as AII fears cost escalation of the project due to inordinate delays.

"Around 84 per cent of the project work has been completed. However, since January the project work has completely stopped due to protests by villagers. We have now rescheduled the completion date to June 2016," the official said. The airport, spread over 400 hectares, will have facilities for handling ATR-72 type aircrafts.
30/01/15 Supratim Dey/Business Standard

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Airport project gets new impetus

Trichy: By inviting tenders for the environmental impact assessment a month ago, the Airports Authority of India has given an impetus to the new integrated terminal building project at the Trichy International Airport.

The authority is expected to finalise a contractor to undertake the assessment work in a few days. The Rs 232-crore airport expansion project is yet to gain momentum though the Union civil aviation ministry gave its approval long back.

In a year, the airport handles around 11 lakh passengers though the current terminal has the capacity to handle only 5 lakh passengers.
Once the contractor is finalised, soil testing and other impact on environment due to the project would be conducted.

Currently, the airport terminal stands in a 12,000 square feet area that can handle about 250 passengers at a time.
29/01/15 Times of India

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Soon, GoAir may begin operations at Jolly Grant Airport

Dehradun: Low cost flier GoAir may soon begin operations at Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport if senior officials at Airports Authority of India (AAI) are to be believed.

At present, three airlines - Air India, Jet Airways and SpiceJet - operate 18 flights every day from the state capital mostly to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Aiport. With the new carrier joining, at least four more flights will be added to the list, sources said.

Arrangements are already underway for the new airline to begin functioning. "Spaces have been earmarked for counters, airline staff and hangars. Full-fledged operations are expected to begin during the peak tourist season in summer," said a senior AAI official.
30/01/15 Times of India

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Mumbai: Passengers wait for AI flight for nearly 29 hours

Mumbai: A technical snag in an aircraft has made Air India’s passengers wait for their flight to Riyadh from Mumbai for nearly 29 hours. Flight AI 921 to Riyadh, which had its Scheduled Time of Departure (STD) around 7.35 am on Thursday, was delayed due to the snag. An announcement of flight cancellation was made later.
The flight was rescheduled for 4 am on Friday but it was learnt at the time of going to press that it would leave at 12.30 pm. The 329 passengers that were to take this flight were informed initially that it was delayed.

The announcement of flight cancellation was made around 3 pm and the airline staff had also announced that the passengers would be shifted to a hotel. However, they remained at the check in area of the departure section of Terminal 2 till 10 pm yesterday.

“It was announced that the flight would be taking off at 5 am on Friday. The passengers were served complimentary food,” said an airline official, when contacted regarding the delay.
30/01/15 Mid Day

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Airport Authority proposes 78% reduction in tariff

New Delhi: In a major blow to GMR-led Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the company operating the Capital's IGI airport, the airport regulator Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India or Aera has proposed 78.24 percent reduction in airport tariff beginning February for the next five years.

The regulator has asked stakeholders to submit their responses by February 27 on the proposed tariff before passing an order determining aeronautical charges at the country's busiest airport for the second five-year control period (April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2019).

The proposed move is expected to benefit airlines and eventually to passengers as airport charges contribute 4-5% to an airline's total operating cost.
29/01/15 Nirbhay Kumar/mydigitalfc.com

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CID arrests customs official

Port Blair: Today acting upon a tip of information, the staff of CID & Immigration Branch headed by Inspector Solomon Samuel, assisted by CISF and Airport Authorities, apprehended one Swapan Kumar Majumdar, Superintendent of Customs, posted in A & N Islands at the Airport with foreign made liquor (five bottles of imported Johnie Walker Black Label sealed having 1 litre capacity each and five number of imported Heineken Beer having 320 ml capacity each) and foreign exchange (250 Euros, 50 US Dollars and 50 Australian Dollars) in cash along with other articles while he was proceeding to Kolkata by flight. On enquiry, the aforesaid person failed to provide any reasonable reason for possessing such articles and he was arrested from the Airport under appropriate sections of law. A case has been registered at PS CCS in the matter and being investigated.
30/01/15 The Echo of India

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Alarm bells ring for villagers of sleepy Varkhand

Varkhand: A buzz of activity near their houses has slightly disturbed their usual complacence. The row over the proposed airport had been distant, but now they sense that the earlier gamut of sequences is heading for a climax.

As a group of workers toil in the sun to raise a pandal for a public hearing on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study on Mopa airport, dhangar families seem to continue with their daily chores, trying to gauge what the future holds for them.

"At least seven of our generations have lived here and gone to their heavenly abode," says septuagenarian Sonu Vithu Varak, a resident of Simeche Advan, Varkhand-Nagazar. The small hamlet lies on the southern fringe of the vast plateau.
 A grassy shrub land with sparse vegetation stretches out into the horizon. The peace and tranquility is only disturbed by the workers group.
29/01/15 Keshav Naik & Paul Fernandes/Times of India

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Tension among villagers ahead of Mopa EIA hearing

Pernem: An air of suspense and slight tension prevails around Mopa plateau, as the hearing on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study of the proposed Mopa airport draws near and a rift between villagers around it appears imminent.

The proposed Mopa international airport has drawn opposition among villagers of Varkhand-Nagzar, Mopa-Ugvem-Tamboxem, Chandel and Casarvarnem, but supporters of the project have also been quite vociferous in recent months.

Devendra Prabhudessai, convenor of People for Mopa, alleges that residents in seven affected villages are being instigated to oppose Mopa airport at the hearing. "They have been fed lies that they will lose their ancestral land, grazing lands, and springs. Some poor farmers may fall prey to their tactics," he says.
29/01/15 Times of India

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Navi Mumbai airport project gets new impetus

Mumbai: The Rs-14,000 crore Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project has got a boost, with four national and international bidders now vying to bag the job of being the developer and operator for the greenfield airport.

In response to its Request for Qualification (RFQ), the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has received applications from GMR Airports, a consortium of Hiranandani Group and Zurich Airport in Switzerland, MIA Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd and Mumbai International Airports Pvt Ltd (MIAL), the operator of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. GMR Airports Ltd is the operator for airports in New Delhi and Hyderabad while MIA Infrastructure is a company promoted Tata Realty and Infrastructure and French group Vinci Airports SA, the operator for Lisbon airport.
29/01/15 Indian Express

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Kochi, Lucknow among 13 airports to be CAT III-compliant by July-end

Chennai: Flight operations from Kochi, Lucknow, Patna and 10 other airports getting affected due to inclement weather will become a thing of the past from July-end this year.

The Indian Met office, along with Airports Authority of India, will install CAT III equipment at these 13 airports. This process will be completed by July 31.
Training pilots

Senior officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, however, warn that for flight operations to go on smoothly even during poor visibility, airlines will have to train their pilots to fly in CAT III conditions.

Meanwhile, the domestic airline industry has been given another week to present its views to the Ministry of Civil Aviation on how the 5/20 rule can be reworked without affecting the interests of both existing and new airlines in the sector.

This emerged at a meeting that was attended by senior officials of most domestic airlines here on Wednesday.
28/01/15 Business Line

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Trichy airport project gets new impetus

Trichy:  By inviting tenders for the environmental impact assessment a month ago, the Airports Authority of India has given an impetus to the new integrated terminal building project at the Trichy International Airport.

The authority is expected to finalise a contractor to undertake the assessment work in a few days. The Rs 232-crore airport expansion project is yet to gain momentum though the Union civil aviation ministry gave its approval long back.

In a year, the airport handles around 11 lakh passengers though the current terminal has the capacity to handle only 5 lakh passengers.

Once the contractor is finalised, soil testing and other impact on environment due to the project would be conducted.
 Currently, the airport terminal stands in a 12,000 square feet area that can handle about 250 passengers at a time.  Speaking to TOI, airport director BCH Negi said, "The new terminal will be standing at an area of about 18,000 square feet and the total size of the terminal alone will be at 30,000 square feet."
29/01/15 Times of India

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Lohegaon Airport gets a self check-in kiosk, wi-fi facility

Passengers flying out of the Lohegaon Airport with minimal baggage now have a reason to smile as they don’t need to stand in a queue any more. The airport has got its first self check-in kiosk.

Union Minister for Environment and Forests (EoMF) Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the facility on Thursday. Passengers travelling with cabin baggage can directly check into the airport. Airport authorities said that this might save up to 10 to 15 minutes of every passenger.

Airport Director Manoj Gangal said, “The check-in kiosk has become functional from today. It would prove helpful in saving time of the passengers as well as reducing the load on the other kiosks as there is considerable proportion of fliers who carry cabin baggage and will use the self check-in kiosk. Internationally, all the airports have this facility. We have now initiated it on pilot basis and will launch more kiosks in the future.”

Javadekar said that the airport will need at least 4 to 5 such kiosks to meet the demands of over 1,500 passengers who use the airport daily.
29/01/15 Indian Express

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Aerobridge facility at Birsa Munda Airport soon

Ranchi: Services of aerobridge would be added to Birsa Munda Airport very soon. According to sources two aerobridges would start functioning from February 7.

It would be a huge relief to the passengers as they would be able to reach the aircrafts directly from the terminal building. With the installation of the aerobridges the passengers would not have board the buses or take the stairs to get on the aircraft. Work related to installation of the aerobridges is going on in full swing.

Airport director Raghabendra Raju said that the passengers would get the facility tentatively from February 7.

Airport sources said that the estimated cost for installation of the aerobridges would be about Rs 2 Crores. The aerobridges will conform to the requirements for Airbus and Boeing 737 and 800 aircrafts.

Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi receives footfalls of about 1000 passengers at day at an average. The passengers would reach the terminal building from the aircraft within 15 minutes of the arrival of the aircraft, sources said.
29/05/14 Avenue Mail

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Aranmula in Colours: A Protest on Canvas

Kochi: The Aranmula Heritage Trust, thought up an innovative atyle to express its opposition to the Aranmula Airport project. They arranged a painting exhibition titled ‘Aranmula in Colours’ at TDM hall here. The exhibition showcases paintings of more than forty five artists. All these paintings have the same theme which is rural development.

The paintings were done during a three-day camp on the banks of Pampa river in Aranmula. Artists like Kanai Kunjiraman, Rimzon, Paris Mohan Kumar, Tenzing and Parthasarathy Varma took part in the camp. Each painting reflects the adverse effects of development on Aranmula and its natural beauty.

“The famous Aranmula mirror is using mud that is available only in that village. It is a specialty of Aranmula alone. Once the land is levelled, we will lose the special mud. Nature itself will be destroyed once such a largescale development takes place here,” said R S Nair, Executive director of the trust.
29/01/15 New Indian Express

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Huge haul of dried sea cucumbers, Trochus shells at airport

Port Blair: In a major haul of marine wealth, officials of the Forest and Fisheries Department stumbled upon a huge consignment of dried sea cucumbers and Trochus shells at the cargo section of the Port Blair airport today.  Consignment of about 150 kgs of dried sea cucumbers kept in three containers of 50 kg each and 666 kgs of Trochus shells in 11 containers were meant for some unknown destination.

According to Mr. Naveen Kumar, DCF (Wild Life), the Forester, Mrs Farida Bibi and the two Assistant Fisheries Guards namely Mohan Lal and Dilip Kumar became suspicious when the man who had brought the containers at the cargo section failed to give plausible answer about the articles inside the containers.  While the officials busied themselves in opening the containers, the unidentified managed to escape from the scene on some pretext.  Both the items fall under the schedule 39, 49 ( A – B) section, 50 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972  which prohibits killing them.

The Assistant Director (Fisheries), Mr. Arif Mustafa told this correspondent that the seized consignment of sea cucumbers was initially brought to the Fisheries office from where it was handed over to the Forest Department since the Wild Life laws are much more stringent and effective to deal with such illegal acts. 
29/01/15 Razia Begum/The Echo of India

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Customs Air Intelligence Unit has a ‘golden run’

Tiruchi: There has been a quantum jump in the seizure of gold brought illegally at Tiruchi international airport this fiscal. A five-fold increase has been recorded this financial year in respect of the seizure of the yellow metal by the Customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at the airport.

The rise has been witnessed in the number of cases booked and the quantity of gold seized from the illegal possession of air passengers at the airport from where overseas flights were being operated to Colombo, Dubai, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur every day.

Notwithstanding vigil at the airport, smugglers had adopted different modus operandi to conceal gold in a bid to avoid detection. This is evident from the string of seizures made by the AIU officials at periodic intervals.
29/01/15 The Hindu

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4 players shortlisted for Navi Mumbai airport

Mumbai: GMR Airports, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), Hiranandani Developers along with Zurich Airport Developers, and MIA Infrastructure Pvt Ltd along with Tata Realty have been short listed by The City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd (CIDCO) for constructing the Navi Mumbai airport.

While nine national and international consortiums had expressed interest, these four have qualified for submitting the financial bids.

These four developers will submit their financial bids by August and CIDCO will select the final bidder by October. The first phase of the airport is expected to be completed by 2019 for 10 million passenger capacity.

MIAL, a joint venture of GVK Group, is already running the Mumbai airport. It has first right of refusal over the Navi Mumbai project. If another developer outbids MIAL and if the bid is within 10 per cent of the MIAL’s bid then MIAL can match the bid and become' the airport developer.
28/01/15 Business Line

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CCTV network soon to watch 18.8-km Mumbai airport perimeter

Mumbai: Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL), the airport operator, has begun the tendering process for a CCTV network along the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport’s (CSIA) 18.8-km long perimeter.

The probability of US President Barack Obama’s arrival at the Mumbai airport during his just-concluded visit and increasing number of terror alerts issued for the “highly sensitive” airport has further pushed the project, officials said.

The need for a live surveillance at the outer perimeter was felt necessary for a a timely response to any intrusion that is picked by the Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS). These real-time visuals will support the blip on the Control Room computer of the PIDS and help Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) prepare a measured response.
“The airport is landlocked and has residential areas just abutting the airport wall, making it a sensitive area,” said an official from MIAL. “We are looking at installing 111 cameras along the perimeter,” he said. This network will be integrated with the currently operating PIDS.
28/01/15 Anjali Lukose/Indian Express

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2nd innings for HAL airport?

Bengaluru: Will the city’s old HAL airport, closed for commercial airlines since May 2008, have a second innings next year?

R.K. Tyagi, who superannuates on Saturday as Chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, offered the hope yet again at a farewell news conference on Wednesday.

He said it is "fundamentally illogical" to close a working international airport that was handling 12 million passengers a year just because a new airport must come up. HAL had lost Rs 1,500 crore in revenue in the last six years.
29/01/15 The Hindu

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DIAL floats Rs 1,762 cr bond to retire old expensive debt

Delhi International Airport (DIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure (GMR Group), has raised $288.75 million or Rs 1,762 crore in its first foray into the international bond market. The proceeds would be used to refinance the current outstanding external commercial borrowing (ECB).

The company claims the pricing was done at a very competitive rate and will reduce the overall financial burden on the Airport by way of interest cost reduction and repayment holiday which will increase the liquidity.

The 8 year bond bears a 6.125 per cent interest rate and matures in 2022.

GM Rao, chairman, GMR Infrastructure, said in a statement, this deal marks the Group’s first foray into international bond market. The issuance buoyed by strong investor demand across geographies was oversubscribed many times over. That the deal has been concluded despite volatile market conditions in Europe shows the investor confidence in India under its strong and decisive leadership and the strong credit fundamentals of GMR Group and Delhi Airport.
28/01/15 Vikas Srivastav/mydigitalfc

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Single-window Clearance for Cargo at Airport on the Cards

Chennai: The Customs Department in Chennai airport is planning to implement a single-window clearance for cargo, following the rescent announcement by the government.

Chief Commissioner of Customs S Ramesh said on Tuesday that the department was working with several others to get the work done.

The implementation of the measure would ensure high-ranking in doing business - a top priority of the government.

“The country is part of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) so Customs procedures should be aligned with global trade,” he said.

The Customs Chief Commissioner was inaugurating a sensitisation programme on coordinated border management to mark International Customs Day 2015, here at the airport on Tuesday.

The main focus of the programme was to educate personnel on the requirements to be fulfilled before a consignment can be cleared.
28/01/15 New Indian Express

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GMR-backed Delhi International Airport raises $289 million via bond issue

Mumbai:  GMR Infra-controlled Delhi International Airport (DIAL) on Tuesday raised $289 million through a considerably oversubscribed bond issue, also the first high-yield paper in Asia this year, in a sign that global investors are now taking a fresh positive look at Indian infrastructure.

"It's a landmark development for the Indian infrastructure sector," said a senior GMR executive who didn't want to be named. DIAL issued the notes, of 7-year tenure at a fixed coupon rate of 6.125%. It entails a bi-annual interest payment. The bond offering attracted $5 billion interest from investors.

"This is the first USD bond offering for a marque infrastructure asset from India under the public-private partnership model and the first corporate high yield bond in Asia in 2015. The investor response was impressive, as the offering got several times oversubscribed and included several high quality investors, demonstrating the strength of the DIAL credit story and the interest by global investors in Indian paper," said Neville Fernandes, head of dept capital markets origination, Citi India.
28/01/15 Anirban Chowdhury & Arijit Barman/Times of India

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Vijayawada-bound passengers stranded at RGIA

Vijayawada: Around 60 passengers were stranded at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad for almost five hours on Tuesday morning owing to the delay in arrival of Vijayawada-bound Air Costa flight.

The flight (LB636) was scheduled to take off from RGIA around 11.35 a.m., but it did not arrive till afternoon, causing inconvenience to passengers, including some foreigners.

“The airline staff behaved irresponsibly and failed to provide proper information about the flight.
28/01/15 The Hindu

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Indian flyers make Dubai world’s busiest international airport

New Delhi: With more than a little help from Indian travellers, Dubai has emerged the busiest international airport in the world. Dubai overtook London Heathrow last year, thanks to a growth of 9.3 lakh flyers to and from the India subcontinent — which was second only to the increase of 11.9 lakh flyers the Emirate saw in passengers to and from Europe.

Dubai International (DXB) handled over 7 crore international flyers last year, while Heathrow — which has been pipped for the first time ever — saw 6.8 crore international travellers. India played an important role in Dubai emerging as the busiest international airport. Dubai's Emirates operates the maximum flights among all foreign airlines that operate to India. It has 185 weekly flights to 10 Indian cities, with the number of weekly flights set to rise to 186 from March 29.
28/01/15 Times of India

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HC issues notice to Centre, IB on Greenpeace activist’s plea against her offloading from plane

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to Union Home Ministry and Intelligence Bureau on a petition filed by Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai against her being offloaded from a London-bound flight at Delhi airport earlier this month. Justice Rajiv Shakdher also issued a notice to Immigration Department seeking its response. They have been told to reply in a week.
The court, meanwhile, has also directed the government agencies to take instructions on Pillai’s interim application seeking permission to travel to UK on February 11 for the same cause for which she was travelling on January 11 — to make a presentation before British MPs about the alleged human rights violation at Mahan in Madhya Pradesh.
Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Pillai, also requested the court to quash the lookout circular issued against her by the Home ministry.
29/01/15 Indian Express

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On CM’s table this week: Pune airport project

Pune: The proposed international airport in Pune stuck on the drawing board for years will come up for discussion at a meeting convened by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis this weekend. The project has not been able to take off. A suitable site for the project has eluded the implementing agency.

Officials said that the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) sent a request to the chief minister, who is also the chairman of MADC, to convene a meeting to discuss the issue. Land in Chakan, one of the probable sites, was later found to be not feasible by the MADC and it decided to look south of Khed Special Economic Zone (SEZ). That idea also ran into rough weather, and the hiccup pertained to some of the land falling under SEZ.

The delay has became an irritant for MADC officials. “We seem to be heading nowhere as of now. Discussions at the meeting may give some directions. Even as there are talks of a metro, BRTS, ring road and other projects, there has been no headway in finding a site for the airport project though sanction for other airports in the state is being granted,’’ said a senior MADC official.
29/01/15 Nisha Nambiar/Indian Express

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Thirteen more airports to soon become CAT-III compliant

New Delhi:  Thirteen more airports in the country, including Amritsar, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Patna and Lucknow, will soon become CAT-III compliant, a step which will ensure seamless flight operations even during fog.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) along with Airports Authority of India (AAI) is carrying out the exercise which is expected to be completed by mid-February except for Jaipur Airport, a Civil Ministry official said today.

At present, only Delhi Airport is equipped with CAT-III technology.

The equipment installation work at the Jaipur airport will be completed by July 31, the official said.
28/01/15 PTI/Economic Times

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Flight occupancy touches 80 per cent at Gannavaram airport

Vijayawada: Thanks to the government’s announcement of the new capital, the occupancy ratio of airlines operating from Gannavaram airport has touched 80 per cent as against the previous 35 per cent.

Close to 1,000 passengers depend on as many as 16 services operated from the airport everyday, with the first taking off around 7.15 a.m. and the last landing around 9.30 p.m.

Airport officials said Air Costa, SpiceJet and national carrier Air India were operating daily services from the airport. Air Costa and SpiceJet cater to the needs of passengers with 67-seating capacity flights, while Air India’s A319 flight has 120 seats, airport officials said.

“The flurry of activity witnessed in the region is a reason behind the rise in occupancy ratio. Industrialists, real-estate businessmen and politicians have been regularly visiting Vijayawada for business inquiries. Representatives of multi-national companies are also coming to the city attend meeting with their local clientele,” officials said. According to them, Air India introduced services between Delhi and Vijayawada, facilitating passengers to reach the national capital in a few hours. Two other private airlines are conducting services to Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati and Bangalore.
28/01/15 The Hindu

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Airline companies asked to start operations from Surat

Surat: In an attempt to increase flight connectivity from Surat, the airport authority here has started contacting top airline companies to come and set up their operations in the city.

Surat airport earned a bad name after a buffalo hit a SpiceJet aircraft during take off on November 6, 2014. A stray buffalo had ventured into the airport premises and reached the runway when the Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight was taking off in the evening.

SpiceJet decided to terminate its operations from Surat airport on November 8, 2014. It was operating flights to Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Varanasi, Goa, Bhubaneshavar and Thiruvananthpura from Surat.
28/01/15 Melvyn Thomas/Times of India

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Trivandrum City forum seeks CM’s help for airport expansion

Thiruvananthapuram: The Trivandrum City Connect Foundation (TCCF), a platform ‘working towards a better Thiruvananthapuram,’ on Wednesday requested Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to accelerate land acquisition for the expansion of the Thiruvananthapuram airport.
Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, TCCF, submitting a representation, said operational difficulties in maintaining two terminals at the airport were many. Some of the flights ply in both domestic and international routes, which meant they would have to travel from one terminal to the other, which took around 45 minutes.
It also blocked air space for landing and take-off of other aircraft. Moreover, the Centre had announced an international airport near Kanyakumari, which would further reduce the business at the airport here.
29/01/15 The Hindu

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Dispute over entry of MP’s wife at airport

Chennai: Commotion ensued at the Chennai airport as Rajya Sabha member and CPI national secretary D. Raja’s wife was allegedly denied entry into the domestic terminal by a CISF staff member.

Around 4.15 p.m., when Mr. Raja and his wife Annie Raja entered the departure hall of the domestic terminal to take the Air India flight AI 539 to New Delhi, the CISF assistant sub-inspector allegedly raised objections over his wife’s Parliament pass and ticket.
Mr. Raja said the guard at the gate couldn’t understand what was written on her document.  “Her pass says ‘spouse of D. Raja’. This is the manner in which spouses are issued Parliament passes. He could not understand this and behaved in an arrogant manner despite my attempt to explain it to him,” he said.
29/01/15 The Hindu

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Air Revolver Lands 25-yr-old in Soup

Chennai: A 25-year-old Engineering graduate from Coimbatore was taken into custody by the police for ordering a ‘metal-body air revolver’ from a US-based firm. He has been remanded to judicial custody at the Puzhal Central Prison, however appeals have been made to dismiss the charges against him once it comes up for hearing, sources indicated.

“When the gun was found and flagged as a possible firearm, we took it for testing and the ballistics experts took some time over it. They found that it was a dummy revolver with a metal body, barrel and a firing pin, except for the fact that it wasn’t a live firearm,” said a police official.

Since the cargo wing at the airport, through which it was supposed to travel to Coimbatore, flagged it as ‘dangerous goods’, the police were pushed to take action.

“It was obvious that it was not a harmful gun, but given that it was metal bodied and capable of damage, we were forced to take him into custody,” he added.
29/01/15 New Indian Express

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AAI nod for cargo terminal at Surat airport

Surat: Airports Authority of India (AAI) has given in-principle approval for setting up a cargo terminal at Surat airport to boost south Gujarat's industrial sector including textile, chemical, diamonds, horticulture and ancillary industries.

This has come as good news for the diamantaires investing in world-class Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) project that is coming up at Dream City in Khajod. The cargo terminal is expected to ease the movement of precious cargo including diamonds, gold and jewellery from Surat.

Sources said that the proposal for setting up the terminal was pending with AAI for the last couple of years. It was after the infrastructural and other works at the airport being put on fast track following the recent buffalo-hit incident that the AAI gave an in-principle approval for the cargo terminal with a handling capacity of around 5,000 tonnes.
29/01/15 Times of India

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Bangkok flyers land without luggage

Kolkata:  Around 230 passengers from Bangkok realized after landing in Kolkata on Tuesday that their checked-in luggage had been left at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The airline staff offloaded all the bags from the aircraft belly after 30 passengers had to be taken off the fight as they were carrying cabin luggage beyond the permitted limit. Sources said the errant 30 were stopped at the boarding gate and told that they would only be permitted to travel if they left the bulky hand luggage behind. An argument ensued and the 30 were detained.
28/01/15 Times of India

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Varkhand gram sabha flays Mopa EIA report

Panaji:  A gram sabha of Varkhand-Nagzar panchayat in Pernem taluka criticized the environment impact assessment (EIA) report on the proposed Mopa international airport as a bogus one, not reflecting the ground realities on the vast plateau with a rich bio-diversity.

The meeting held on Monday and chaired by sarpanch Sanjay Tulasker discussed the EIA report, which has been sent by the government to the panchayats on the periphery of the proposed airport. The panchayat passed a resolution denouncing the EIA report as it had 'overlooked' even obvious facts about the fauna on the plateau. "No wild life has been shown as existing here except for some rabbits and domestic animals," a villager alleged.

The villagers also pointed out that during the peak of the monsoon season, more than 30 springs gush out from different parts of the plateau. But the EIA is silent about the rich sources of water. The EIA report has been prepared by the engineers India ltd (EIL) and supported by the state government.
27/01/15 Times of India

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MADC to retender Mihan power purchase bid

Nagpur: Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) has been forced to consider retendering of power purchase bid for Mihan as only one supplier showed interest in the tender. The bids were floated early this month. Meanwhile, the final order issued by Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission has made it clear that Mihan power will be close to Rs 5 per unit rather than Rs 4.38 per unit.

At present, Mihan is being supplied electricity from power exchanges purchased on a day-ahead basis. MADC feels that this can't be a solution in the long term. "Power has to be purchased from a generator through a proper power purchase agreement (PPA). We plan to purchase on short term basis till June and on long term basis after that," managing director Tanaji Satre told TOI. He added that until the short-term PPA was signed MADC would continue to buy power from exchanges.

The MERC order has brought several facts to light. Even though Abhijeet Group has filed a petition seeking 57 paise per unit as transmission charges, MERC has asked it to file a separate petition. As MADC is not paying the charges at present, it has been asked to tell the Commission how it plans to pay the accumulated amount.
29/01/15 Ashish Roy/Times of India

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Mock drill at Odisha airport takes passengers by surprise

Bhubaneswar: Air passengers were taken completely by surprise as security personnel conducted an hour long mock drill at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in the Odisha capital on Republic Day to check security preparedness.
Both the ‘infiltrators’ were identified and taken down in the mock drill whereas five of the security staff of the airport got ‘injured’ in the process.

Central Industrial Security Staff (CISF) commandoes, Quick Action team (QAT) commandoes, Airport Authorities Staff, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, senior official of Odisha Government, Intelligence Bureau (IB), Odisha Police and Fire Department of Airport were part of the drill.

Two CISF personnel, posing as terrorists, entered the airport at 8:30 AM on January 26 and displayed their fake identity cards to gain entry to Terminal-1. They succeeded in getting their boarding passes and checked in as well.
28/01/15 Odisha Sun Times

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Second monkey caught in Chennai airport

Chennai: The second of the two monkeys that entered Chennai airport on Sunday was finally caught on Tuesday.

After the two animals were seen in the departure hall of the domestic terminal on Sunday, a team of fire service personnel and State forest department officials managed to catch one the same evening.

On Monday, in an attempt to catch the other, they placed a cage with fruits in the terminal. But, the monkey refused to come anywhere near it.

Forest ranger S. Davidraj said, “So, on Tuesday, we put a one-and-a-half-year-old monkey in the cage with bananas, grapes and groundnuts. The animal in hiding finally came out at noon.”

The monkeys — one aged two and the other, two-and-a-half — are at the Velachery Rescue Centre now, he added.
28/01/15 The Hindu

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AAI approves Chennai-Tiruchi radar data transfer

Tiruchi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has accorded in principle approval for transfer of radar data from the Chennai airport to Tiruchi international airport.

The data transfer will enhance air traffic surveillance mechanism of the Tiruchi international airport which is not equipped with radar facility.

Airport sources said the AAI gave its nod for transfer of radar data in December as Tiruchi airport witnessed an increase in movement of flights over the years besides recording an upward trend in the number of travellers.

Tiruchi airport was equipped with advanced automation system allowing it to receive radar data from the nearby station — Chennai international airport — through the optic fibre cable mode.

The Tiruchi airport authorities have discussed with the BSNL for providing a dedicated leased line to enable transfer of radar data through OFC link.

A proposal seeking funds for providing a leased line for transfer of radar data has been forwarded to the AAI authorities.

One of the fastest growing airports in the country, Tiruchi, which is categorised under ‘Type-A’ airport, already has in place the next generation automatic dependent surveillance broadcast system.
28/01/15 R Rajaram/The Hindu

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Come next winter, Chandigarh airport to cross fog hurdle

Chandigarh: Come next winter, flight operations at the Chandigarh airport will not get affected by dense fog and inclement weather as the Civil Aviation Ministry has announced to install the CAT-III equipment at the airport.

In an announcement made on Wednesday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation shortlisted the Chandigarh airport among 13 airports in India, which will be equipped with the CAT-III equipment for smooth operations even in dense fog.

At present, the airport is not equipped with any such instrument and the visibility is judged manually by the airport authorities. The demand for upgrading the ILS (Instrument Landing System) with the CAT-II or CAT–III equipment was pending since 2001.

The CAT-III equipment provides a runway visual range of about 700 metres under poor visibility conditions. The announcement has brought cheer for domestic airlines and will also be beneficial once international flights start from here. The first international flight is expected to start in April. The Chandigarh airport is expanding towards Mohali with a new international terminal.
28/01/15 Deepankar Sharda/Chandigarh Tribune

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Customs seize Rs 100crore worth gold at Chennai airport in 2014

Chennai:  It was a year of gold rush at the airport in 2014. Air customs seized 365kg gold worth Rs 100 crore at Chennai airport till December 2014 as against the 113kg worth Rs 35 crore last year.

"The increase in seizure is due to high surveillance. We seized gold from passengers, from planes and airport building. More personnel will be inducted into customs at airport and cargo soon. Additional manpower has been sanctioned," said S Ramesh, chief commissioner of customs, Chennai, after inaugurating a sensitization programme for customs personnel and staff of other agencies organized to mark International Customs Day on Tuesday.

The airport is popular among gold smugglers because of the good connectivity to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo and Dubai from where majority of the smuggled gold is sourced.
 Air customs have started to profile passengers, gather intelligence to bust smuggling rackets. "High checks were the reason for smugglers to abandon gold at waste bins and toilets at the terminal," said a customs official.
28/01/15 Times of India

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Flyers caught with gold hidden in CPU, cooking pan

Mumbai: The airport Customs arrested two flyers and seized gold bars worth Rs 33 lakh from them at international airport on Wednesday. The two were trying to smuggle the gold in the country after concealing it inside a computer CPU and a cooking pan.

A passenger, Hiren Chauhan, was travelling on Indian passport and he was intercepted at the airport after in-line screening machine indicated that he had concealed gold in his baggage. During the examining the Customs officials recovered 10 gold bars, 116 GMs each worth Rs 27.88 lakhs from him.

Commissioner of Customs (airport) A P S Suri stated that Chauhan arrived from Dubai and he had concealed 1.11 kg gold bars inside a transformer of a desktop CPU.
29/01/15 Vijay Singh/Times of India

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Funding for Mactan airport project OKd

Manila: Manila based Asian Development Bank (ADB), the region’s biggest aid provider, has thrown its support behind the upgrading of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA), enforcing the legitimacy of the project that was hounded by controversies early on.

In a statement, ADB said it had approved a $75-million loan for the expansion and renovation of MCIA to boost passenger traffic at the country’s second-largest airport.

The project is expected to support inclusive growth in the Visayas region, the ADB said. Upgrades for MCIA is the first large scale public-private partnership (PPP) project awarded by the Aquino administration.

The financing for the project also includes debt of P20 billion ($450 million) from a consortium of Philippine banks composed of BDO Unibank Inc.; Bank of the Philippine Islands; Development Bank of the Philippines; Land Bank of the Philippines; Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. and Philippine National Bank.

The loan from ADB and cofinancing from the consortium of private banks will be provided to GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation, a consortium of India’s GMR Infrastructure Ltd and Philippine construction firm, Megawide Construction Corp., which won the bidding for the expansion and upgrade of the airport.

India’s GMR Infrastructure is the fourth largest private airport operator in the world, while Megawide is recognized as a local leader in the use of cutting edge construction technology.
28/01/15 Paolo G. Montecillo/Inquirer.net

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PAF plane makes refuelling landing in India

A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) passenger aircraft made a refuelling stop at Lucknow on Sunday afternoon.

The Phenom-100 jet, which is used by senior civilian and military functionaries, was on its way to Singapore for inspection when it made the stopover at Chowdhury Charan Singh Airport, Lucknow.

The aircraft remained at the Indian airport for about 50 minutes before leaving for Singapore.

The rare stopover happening in the midst of continuing military skirmishes between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control and Working Boundary and the resulting tensions in ties was blown out of proportion by the media in both countries.

PAF spokesman Air Commodore Syed Muhammad Ali, talking to Dawn, said the break in the journey was planned.

The aircraft crew included five personnel, including the pilots.

“There was no emergency. There was a Pakistani aircraft movement, that is PAAF-854 from Rawalpindi to Lucknow (which) landed at 1201 hours yesterday and departed for Chittagong at 1252 hours,” Indian newswire Press Trust of India quoted Lucknow’s District Magistrate Rajshekhar as having said.
27/01/15 Dawn

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Pakistan aircraft denied landing in Capital

An aircraft of Pakistan Air Force with five military personnel aboard was allowed for an emergency landing in Lucknow on Sunday night because the airport authorities in India turned down their request to allow its landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. This decision was apparently taken in view of the presence of US President Barack Obama in the national Capital.

The aircraft was on its way from Rawalpindi to Shah Amanat International Airport, Chittagong, in Bangladesh. The aviation authorities of Pakistan wanted its landing in New Delhi for refuelling.

The plane was there at Lucknow's Chaudhari Charan Singh Airport for about an hour. It resumed its journey after getting fuel at the airport.

It was only on Sunday that R.K. Srivastava, chairman of Airports Authority of India, was in Lucknow to inspect the airport.

If sources are believed, it is a routine matter for flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh to get refuelled in New Delhi. But this aircraft, PAAF-854, was diverted to Lucknow.
27/01/15 Mail Today/India Today

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Mopa will add to a mere 4.2 million passengers in 40 years

Panjim: newThe devil is in the detail. And details is what the government never wants to publicly get into about the Mopa airport, former chief minister Parrikar’s most ardent love and interest and his successor Parsekar’s object of passion in his backyard of Pernem.
If the EIA report on Mopa combined with the response the Directorate of Civil Aviation has given in response with queries by potential bidders, there will be an additional passenger growth of a mere 4.2 million in the 25 years between 2020-2045, if Mopa and Dabolim airports are both operational. This amount to 42 lakh or an additional passenger load of a little over a lakh a year for both airports.
In the response to queries of Global Bidders for Mopa dated November 24, in possession of Herald (Query 15, Clause 1.1.1.), the Directorate of Civil aviation GoI states: “A new integrated domestic and international terminal opened in December 2013 at Dabolim with enhanced capacity between 6.5 and 7 million passengers per annum. If the present airport maintains its growth rate it could saturate its capacity within 5 years. (i.e. 2020). There is limited scope for further expansion due to unavailability of land” (the fact that land is available and can be got if there is serious intent is another story).
27/01/15 Herald

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Another ordeal for Dimapur passengers

Dimapur-bound passengers were made to face another ordeal at Kolkata airport, when the departure was delayed thrice till finally, the flight was cancelled after they were kept in suspense for over six hours.
On Monday, passengers who had arrived at the airport hours ahead for departure at 12.10 p.m. were informed that the flight would take off only at 1.30 p.m. Later, just before boarding, they were again informed that departure was delayed to 2.30 p.m.
Finally, the passengers were allowed to board the plane and once inside, by 3 p.m. were informed that the flight was cancelled. The irate passengers refused to deplane and when asked for the reason for the cancellation, Air India officials explained that it was because there was no Instrument Landing System(ILS) to facilitate night landing and take off at Dimapur airport.
It was only after Air India officials gave a written undertaking to schedule a special flight on Tuesday at 10 a.m. did the passengers finally deplaned and later accommodated in a hotel by the airlines.
27/01/15 Nagaland Post

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Alarms that keep beasts at bay

Puttur: How about recording alarm, distress and predator calls of animals and birds, and playing them back to keep beasts away and save the crops?

Chasing wild animals from farms is getting craftier and man appears to be attempting to beat the beasts at their own game. This is what emerged on the final day of a three-day farm machinery fair here on Monday.

“We have done it,” said Mahesh S.S., Chief Executive Officer, Grus Ecosciences, Bengaluru, who is also a member of an expert panel for birds — the National Bird Control Committee, under the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. His group has developed devices that produce natural calls of animals and birds. One of them keeps away three species of monkeys and squirrels, wild boar, elephant, three spotted deer, sambar, fruit bats, rabbit and neelgai at bay. He told The Hindu that the group was developing another device to keep away bison and bear.

When beasts and birds hear the alarm — especially distress and predator calls — they sense trouble and stay away. What matters is the regional sound as you cannot get a foreign-made equipment and play it here, he said. “It is like me speaking to you in German,” he said.
27/01/15 Raviprasad Kamila/The Hindu

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Security Hold Area at Tiruchi airport to be modified

Tiruchi: Airports Authority of India (AAI) has proposed modification of the Security Hold Area in Tiruchi international airport to avoid congestion and increase passenger seating capacity.

Space constraint in the terminal building, especially in the Security Hold Area because of more passenger movements, had prompted the AAI to address the issue, Airport Director B.C.H. Negi said. Once modified, the Security Hold Area would accommodate around 350 passengers, instead of its existing capacity to hold 200 passengers.

Speaking at the Republic Day celebrations at the airport here on Monday, Mr. Negi said there was a definite upward trend in the number of passengers and the volume of cargo handled at Tiruchi airport this financial year.

Keeping this in mind, many development and expansion projects were undertaken to cater to the growth potential of the Tiruchi airport which was a fast-growing airport not only in the Southern region but also in the entire country.
27/01/15 R Rajaram/The Hindu

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Two held, 40 tolas of gold and Rs. 2.50 lakh recovered

Hyderabad:  Forty tolas of gold ornaments and Rs.2.50 lakh in cash were recovered from two persons who were arrested by the Chaderghat police for their alleged involvement in a burglar reported at a businessman’s house in Kaladera in August.

According to the police, Syed Omer (23) and Syed Tariq Mohidduin (21) of Santoshnagar were arrested on January 16 for allegedly planning and taking away one kilogram of gold and other articles from the house of Md Abdul Raheem Khan.

“Syed Omer entered intot he house after breaking the lock while Tariq Mohidduin kept a watch on Abdul Raheem who along with his family members went to pick a relative at the RGI Airport. The duo then mortgaged the articles at two different banks, Detective Inspector Chaderghat, Dheeravath Hussain said.
26/01/15 Asif Yar Khan/The Hindu

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Woman held for gold smuggling at Ahmedabad airport

Ahmedabad:The Air Intelligence Unit of Customs department on held a 38-year old woman for smuggling gold worth Rs 46 lakh at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International airport. The Vadodara based woman was caught with 1.6 kg of gold bars and jewellery concealed in her garments and purse.

According to sources, the woman is a first time carrier and chose to enter through Ahmedabad in a bid to escape Customs. This is the first such incident in 2015 of gold smuggling. Since January 2014, customs department alone has seized 56.42 kg of gold, worth Rs 15.6 crore and detained 65 smugglers at city's airport.

The woman had arrived in Air Arabia flight from Sharjah. "Around 8 Gold bars weighing little over 800 grams were hidden in her garments while 2 necklaces and 4 gold bangles were hidden inside her purse," said a Customs official.

Further investigation in the case is under progress. It has been over 19 months since centre imposed restrictions on gold imports. According to Customs officials, due to the huge price difference of gold between middle-east and India, most of the cases of smuggling have been detected on the Dubai-Sharjah-Doha route.
27/01/15 Piyush Mishra/Times of India

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Air Asia flight returns after 10 minutes in air

Bengaluru: An Air Asia flight from Bengaluru to Pune took off but had to return after remaining in the air for 10 minutes because of technical issues on Sunday afternoon, triggering panic aboard the aircraft.

Sources in Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) confirmed the incident but claimed that the aircraft was attended to and it left sometime later. CISF sources said there were no security issues and only a technical problem.

The flight I5 1424 was scheduled to depart at 1:15 pm. "But when we reached the airport we came to know that there is a delay of 110 minutes and no reasons were ascribed," a passenger, Chickpet businessman Abhishek Jain said.

The passenger said they were allowed to board the aircraft round 4 pm and the aircraft took off 30 minutes. "Ten minutes into the air, it was announced that the flight has some technical problems and the aircraft is returning to KIA," said Jain. According to Jain, there was panic on the aircraft but they were not allowed to come out for some time. There was also a marriage party that was headed for Sangeet in Pune.
25/01/15 Pavan MV & Arun Dev/Times of India

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Monkeys enter Chennai airport through roof

Chennai: On Sunday afternoon, passengers at Chennai airport were surprised to see two big monkeys in the departure hall of the domestic terminal.

The monkeys entered the terminal around 3 p.m., through one of the openings in the roof, sources said. At first, passengers were shocked but they did not panic as the monkeys did not harm them. The State forest department and fire service personnel were called in to capture the monkeys. After hours of struggle, one of them was caught later in the day.

Meanwhile, passengers posted pictures of the monkeys on Twitter and wondered how they had crept into the terminal.
26/01/15 Sunitha Sekar/The Hindu

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Man Held with Live Bullet

Bhubaneswar: A fruit seller from Cuttack was arrested by the Commissionerate Police for possessing a live bullet here on Sunday.
The accused was identified as Pravat Kumar Debata (30), a resident of Balubazar in Cuttack.
Debata was detained by CISF personnel at Biju Patnaik International Airport after a scanner in boarding area of the airport terminal confirmed presence of the ammunition in Debata's trousers.
26/01/15 New Indian Express

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Charter flights, private jets barred at IGI on January 26

New Delhi:  Private jets and charter flights have been barred from the IGI Airport on Sunday morning when US President Barack Obama lands in New Delhi. Till late Saturday evening, there was no airspace closure due to Air Force One for scheduled commercial flights.

"No private planes will be allowed at IGI Airport for some time due to heightened security. Also, charter flights will be restricted. Only those cleared by home ministry will be allowed to operate for some days," said an official without giving exact details due to security concerns.

The world's most famous Jumbo Jet (Air Force One is a Boeing 747) will be assigned a runway depending on the visibility at the IGIA. The newest runway (29) suffers from low visibility among all the three airstrips at the airport. However, Air Force One is expected around 10am, by when visibility is not an issue these days especially for hi-tech planes like it that can land or take off in dense fog.
25/01/15 Times of India

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Security beefed up at Mumbai airport's international, domestic terminals

With US President Barack Obama’s visit to India and the recent terror alerts received by authorities of Mumbai airport, security has been beefed up at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the domestic airport.

Members of Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) security, ground staff, airline staff, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and personnel from Intelligence Agencies are on high alert.

The number of security personnel posted at Terminal 1 and 2 has been doubled. Random checks have been increased by 70 per cent and now more passengers are being frisked. “Temporary issuance of all kinds of passes has been stopped. This service will resume only after the Republic Day.

We have taken these measures as we have been constantly receiving terror alerts since New Year’s Eve,” said a senior airport official on condition of anonymity. Airport personnel have been on high alert since the Air India Kolkata office received an anonymous threat call earlier this month, stating that a plane of the national carrier would soon be hijacked.
25/01/15 Mid Day

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No flights at IGI for 2 hours on Republic Day

New Delhi: Indira Gandhi International Airport will be closed for two hours on Republic Day.
Flight movement in Delhi's airspace have been restricted for two hours every day since January 19, with a break on January 23. Airport officials said there will be normal operations on Sunday as well, but on Monday, no flight will be allowed to land in or take off from the capital between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

Around 40 flights were getting delayed every day because of the no-fly zone, officials said. "The information about the two-hour no-fly restriction has been shared with everyone. Most carriers have rescheduled their flights," said a senior airport official. However, international flights, which are scheduled to land in Delhi during the restricted time, are likely to get delayed.

"International flights and a few domestic carriers who haven't rescheduled their flights in advance hover around the airspace before getting permission to land, which is only after 12:30pm," the official added. Delays in international flights reaching Delhi are likely to cause delays in connecting flights as well. Apart from commercial flights, Air Traffic Control (ATC) says it has denied entry to private aircrafts during the days restrictions have been placed.
25/01/15 Times of India

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Chartered accountant molests Air India staff on board

New Delhi: A 58-year-old Chartered Accountant has been arrested for allegedly molesting an Air India airhostess on board a flight from Delhi to Amritsar on Thursday night.

The airhostess lodged a formal police complaint on landing in Amritsar.

According to the police, Natrajan Bhavani Shankar, who holds a senior managerial post in a power project firm in Punjab's Tarn Taran, asked the airhostess to serve him something to eat 30 minutes after take-off.

She reportedly told him to wait for two minutes as she was serving food and drinks to other passengers. At this, the accused reportedly held her hand and tried to stop her. Other passengers had to intervene to stop any further harassment of the crew member.

Police said the medical report of the accused found no trace of alcohol in his blood.

"When Shankar molested the victim, other passengers intervened and later the flight commander was informed about the matter. The flight commander informed the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) which informed the CISF at the Amritsar airport. Around 11 pm, after the flight landed at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, CISF officials and the local police arrested the accused," an airport official said.
 In another case of crime against a woman, the Delhi police arrested a 34-year-old senior official working in the cargo terminal of the Delhi airport on Tuesday. He is accused of thrashing and molesting a woman for not accepting his friend request on a social media platform.
25/01/15 Ankur Sharma/Mail Today/India Today

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5 Held At Airport With 180 Kg Of Camel Teeth

Mumbai : The Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) security staff detained five people for attempting to smuggle camel teeth weighing 180 kg to Bangkok at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Thursday.

The five were detained after a staffer employed by the MIAL noticed camel teeth in the eight passenger bags during the routine security check. The security staff immediately alerted the Customs officials who seized the bags and retrieved information of the passengers who were carrying the same. According to the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs, the detained persons were carrying the 180 kg camel teeth in eight bags.

The five had boarded a flight to Bangkok and were scheduled to depart at 11.20 pm. However, after the camel teeth were found in their bags, they were asked to get off the flight and were detained for further questioning. The 180 kg of camel teeth was handed over to the forest department. All those detained are Indians. Meanwhile, the Customs officials are wondering why camel teeth is being smuggled to Bangkok in such large quantities.
25/01/15 Free Press Journal

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CBI to review details of passengers

Kochi: The CBI team probing the recent gold smuggling incident at Cochin International Airport has asked two airline operators to provide details of those who have travelled to the Gulf countries recently.

CBI officers said they had requested passenger details from two major airline operators offering services to the UAE and other Gulf countries. "Examining the passenger details from all airline operators will be difficult. We have concentrated on three major operators offering services to the Gulf countries. Also, the flow of gold is mainly from the Gulf countries. We have asked Air India and Emirates to provide passenger details to make a detailed study," CBI Kochi unit SP K Krishnakumar said.

He said the CBI was investigating the case primarily because two public servants were arrested for their alleged involvement in gold smuggling. Of the four arrested in the case, E V Manu and R Krishnakumar are sub-inspectors with the state police on deputation to the airport immigration wing. Mohammad Rasheed, a travel agency operator from Kalady, and Ijas Abdulla Kambar, a carrier from Kasaragod, are the other two persons arrested.
24/01/15 Times of India

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K’taka man held for trespassing at airport

Vasco:  Dabolim police have arrested a Karnataka native for trespassing at the airport ahead of Republic Day. He will be held in custody until Tuesday.

Maruti M is alleged to have entered the Dabolim international airport on Saturday and acted suspiciously. Police sources said, "He came in through the parking lot. He was curious to know how the airport looks as he had never seen one before." He was apprehended by CISF staff and handed over to airport police. The case is registered under Section 41 of CrPC
24/01/15 Times of India

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New rules at airport to curb smuggling

Kochi: With reports that officials working in the Immigration wing of the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery may be involved in gold smuggling, new rules have been put in place to curb smuggling.

The public have been prohibited from bringing luggage into the Immigration area and the portion of the airport is under strict scrutiny. “The Immigration area is very busy during peak hours and it becomes very difficult to keep a watch on every person. The new restriction is in place to improve security and prevent smuggling of gold,” said a Customs official.

Two sub inspectors placed in the Immigration wing had been arrested a week ago on charge of facilitating gold smuggling. A few days after their arrest, about 300 grams of gold was found lying unattended near the Immigration wing, raising suspicions that more insiders may be involved in facilitating smuggling. The gold was found in an area that is frequented by personnel of both the Immigration and Customs departments.
25/01/15 The Hindu

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Northeast blips on Delhi air plans

Guwahati/Agartala: The Northeast is poised to witness a major development in civil aviation with the Centre according top priority to the sector.

An Airport Authority of India (AAI) source told The Telegraph that the Narendra Modi government is taking steps to improve air connectivity in the region.

He said Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju would visit the region on January 28 and 29 to get a first-hand perspective of the hurdles in developing civil aviation in the Northeast.

The issue of connectivity in the region is a matter of concern since the road and rail network is not present at many places owing to difficult terrain, which has resulted in a lot of dependence on air travel.

The Union minister will also supervise the progress of work related to the development of civil aviation facilities in the Northeast. "The minister will inaugurate a new hanger and airport operations control centre (AOCC) at the LGBI Airport in Guwahati on January 28," he said.
23/01/15 Pankaj Sarma and Sekhar Datta/Telegraph

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Jaipur airport geared up as alternative for Obama landing

Jaipur: Alternative arrangements for the landing of US President Barack Obama's plane will be in place at Sanganer airport here in case the plane is diverted due to bad weather or any other reason.

A team of security personnel arrived at the Airport on Thursday to review arrangements and held discussions with the airport officials. "There will be alternative arrangements for the landing of US President's in case of a diversion," a senior airport official said on Friday.

He informed that security personnel reached the airport in a plane to review the arrangements.
23/01/15 Daily News & Analysis

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Over 5,000 people likely to attend Mopa EIA report hearing on Feb 1

Panaji: Following the reports that over 5,000 people would crowd at the February 1 public hearing on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study report for the proposed International Greenfield Airport coming up at Mopa in Pernem taluka, the government has decided to beef up police presence at the particular site, to maintain law and order situation.

The public hearing exercise will be conducted by North Goa Collector Nila Mohanan at the site of the proposed airport. Earlier, the government had estimated a crowd of 3,000 people for the public hearing.

Chief Secretary Kewal Sharma recently convened a meeting to review the ongoing preparations for the event where reports revealing the possible large crowds at the public hearing were presented. The reports point out at large turnout of people from South Goa district, especially from Salcete and Mormugao talukas, which could itself touch the 3,000 mark.
24/01/15 Navhind Times

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Vistara to launch Hyderabad, Goa flights by March

New Delhi: A fortnight after launching operations, full-service carrier Vistara, a joint venture between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines, has announced addition of two more destinations — Hyderabad and Goa — from February 20 and March 1, respectively. Bookings for two daily flights to Hyderabad and one to Goa will open on Friday night. The airline has also said it will increase its weekly frequency from 68 to 164 by March.

The airline, which currently operates three daily flights to Mumbai and one to Ahmedabad, from its base in New Delhi, will add two more flights to Mumbai and one to Ahmedabad.

Vistara Chief Executive Phee Teik Yeoh said: “Both Hyderabad and Goa offer huge potential in terms of passenger traffic. With the introduction of our new flights, we are in a strong position to enhance domestic air connectivity and provide seamless and personalised Vistara experience to more customers in India.”
24/01/15 Business Standard

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VIP pain for passengers

Fliers had a harrowing time at Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport on Friday because of double "VIP movement".

First, the workers' meet hosted by the BJP at the Veterinary College grounds near the airport, which the party's national president, Amit Shah, addressed. Second, the movement of the chief minister's cavalcade.

Hundreds of vehicles carrying BJP workers from across the state left Shaheed Peer Ali Marg or the airport road chock-a-block almost throughout the day. The closure of both the airport entry gates for around half-an-hour around 2pm for smooth sail of the chief minister to the Assembly from the airport worsened the snarl.

Fallout: several fliers were forced to disembark from their vehicles at the entrance gate of the airport and walk up to the terminal building with their luggage.

Generally, vehicles are allowed up to the terminal building. But Friday's measure compelled passengers to walk for more than half-a-km for reaching there. The worst sufferers were those travelling with old and ailing people and children.
23/01/15 Telegraph

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Aero India 2015: Flights at KIA to be Rescheduled

Bengaluru: Flight operations at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will be affected between February 10 and 22 owing to restrictions on air space due to Aero India 2015.

The Air Force station, Yelahanka, will host the biennial air show from February 18 to 22.

Aircraft operations would be stopped between 12.30 pm to 3 pm (from February 10 to 16) as participants will be practicing at the Air Force Station, stated a release issued by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) on Thursday.

On the first day of the show (February 18), aircraft operations at KIA would be stopped from 9 am to 12 noon and again from 2 pm to 3 pm. From February 19 to 22, aircraft operations would be stopped from 10 am to 12 noon and 2 pm to 5 pm.
23/01/15 New Indian Express

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Raju to take personal charge of NE airport development

New Delhi: In line with the NDA government’s plan to increase the pace of infrastructure development in the north-eastern states, civil aviation minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju has decided to visit Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on a two-day tour starting January 29.

The focus will be to speed up airport development and improve air connectivity in a region considered extremely sensitive both because of its international borders with China, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and also towards internal security issues.

The move follows directions issued to several ministers by Jitendra Singh, who holds multiple ministerial positions including Minister of State (MoS), Prime Minister’s Office, and MoS (Independent Charge) at the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

In a letter issued earlier this month and seen by Business Standard, Singh has said that every North-East (NE) State will have a visit of a Union Minister in 15 days. These visits may not be confined to State capitals, but spread over “sub-regions” of the State, districts and sub-divisions where development projects are under implementation.
23/01/15 Roudra Bhattacharya/Business Standard

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Navigational aid problem; 5 flights, diverted from Chowdhury Charan Singh Airport

Lucknow: Five flights, one international and four domestic, were today diverted from Chowdhury Charan Singh (CCS) Airport here due to problem in navigational aid.

"Due to some problem in navigational aid, five flights were diverted from airport here. The problem started at 12 noon and was rectified by 3 PM," Director, CCS Airport, SC Hota told PTI.
23/01/15 Economic Times

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Delhi HC provides relief to DIAL on charges from airlines

The Delhi HC has provided relief to the Delhi International Airport (DIAL) from downward revision of tariffs that it charges from airlines. This relief has been extended for 3 months, even as various airlines continue to argue for lowering of tariffs. Between 2009 and 2014 the airports regulator era had fixed tariffs and had seen an increase of 346 percent. Post 2014 these tariffs were due for revision. The Delhi high court had been moved by the DIAL seeking a stay on various tariffs, on various questions of law and fact and the High Court has granted an extension of the first round of fares between 2009 and 2014. A three-month window has been granted to DIAL to continue charging these additional fares of 2009 and 2014.
23/01/15  Ashmit Kumar/CNBC-TV18/moneycontrol

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Flights diverted after ATC snag

Lucknow:  Flight operations at Lucknow airport went for a toss for more than three hours on Friday afternoon after a crucial navigation equipment at the Air Traffic Control (ATC) developed a snag. As many as five flights from various destinations like Bangalore and Mumbai were diverted to other destinations like Varanasi, Delhi and Nagpur.

According to reports, the equipment, Doppler VHF Omni Range (DVOR) went dysfunctional at around 12 noon. The failure of the equipment— that radiates very high frequency rays to guide the approaching aircraft about its position in terms of degrees— halted flight operations. Sources said that a team of engineers was pressed into service and it managed to correct the system only around 4 pm.

The snag, however, led to diversion of flights. Two Go Air flights— one from Mumbai and the other from Bangalore, were diverted to Varanasi airport. Likewise, a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai was diverted to Nagpur. An international flight of Oman Airlines from Muscat was sent to Delhi. A private carrier from Delhi, which arrived at around 3 pm, too, was sent back.
23/01/15 Times of India

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Ex-MP quizzed after five bullets found in baggage

Chennai:  Immigration officials at Chennai airport early on Thursday questioned former Congress Member of Parliament J M Haroon for the possession of five live bullets in his baggage. He was later allowed to go after he submitted his firearm licence.

Haroon, who represented Periyakulam constituency from 2004 to 2009 and Theni from 2009 to 2014, was going to board a flight to Bengaluru around 6am when officials found the bullets while examining his hand baggage.

The immigration officials immediately handed over the baggage to Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officers. Haroon told security officials that he had a valid firearm licence and that the bullets were placed in his baggage by mistake. Soon, as per the instructions of the officials, his family members rushed to the airport with his original firearm licence document.
23/01/15 Times of India

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SA woman held with contraband at RGI airport in Hyderabad

Hyderabad:  A South African woman was caught reportedly in possession of ephedrine by security officials at RGI Airport on Wednesday.

Airport sources said that Ranlida, 30, who was heading to South Africa, was nabbed after 20kg of ephedrine was found in her luggage during screening.

While it was not clear if she was apprehended in an operation by Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) or the Director of Revenue Intelligence, airport officials confirmed the development on Wednesday night.

In another instance, an air passenger who landed at RGI Airport from Muscat was nabbed by customs officials for trying to smuggle in 500 grams of gold hidden in a shoe.
23/01/15 Times of India

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Air India crewmember arrested by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence

Mumbai: Two gold smugglers — who missed their Air India flight from Dubai and were thus unable to liaison with their accomplice in the airline’s flight crew to sneak out the yellow metal — were caught at the Mumbai airport after they decided to go ahead with the plan and tried smuggling it out themselves. Their Air India accomplice was also subsequently held after they revealed his involvement in the interrogation, along with the mastermind who was waiting outside the airport to receive the gold worth Rs 1.76 crore.

According to officials in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), they had received a tip-off about the smuggling attempt and reached the airport to intercept them. At around the same time in Dubai, the two carriers, Piyush Jasraj Soni and Sakina Barafwala, missed their midnight Air India flight from Dubai, but decided to go ahead with the plan. The flight is believed to have been AI 981, but officials could not confirm this fact.

“They landed at Mumbai airport at around 4:30 am on Thursday from Oman Airways flight WY201 and were held while trying to cross the green channel,” said an official from the DRI. The flight had originated from Muscat and the two seem to have hurriedly travelled there to take the next available flight. Upon searching, 6.8 kg of gold worth Rs 1.76 crore was recovered from the two.
23/01/15 Parth Satam/Asian Age

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6.8-kg gold seized from Air India cabin crew

Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has detained four persons, including an Air India cabin crew member, at Mumbai International Airport for gold smuggling, in the wee hours on Thursday. DRI feels that smugglers are increasingly opting for safe arrangements, like using crew members or contract staff at the airport to get rid out from security checking.

Mumbai-based Siddesh Patil has been an operating cabin crew on contract of Air India 985/986 of January 21 and 22. Siddesh and three other persons were apprehended by officials of DRI in connection with exchanging crude gold jewellery and pieces from one lady passenger who arrived by Oman Air flight to Mumbai.

DRI seized the smuggled gold having total weight of 6.8 kg with valuation approximately Rs 2 crore. According to DRI sources, among four of them, one purchased gold in the UAE, he handed over to a lady passenger who was also a carrier. She landed on Mumbai Airport with the gold and handed over to Air India crew member - who took it out of Airport and handed over to the receiver waiting outside the Airport.

"Because of having a special staff privilege, Siddesh was able to take this gold out concealed in his bag," DRI source said.
23/01/15 Shrimi Choudhary/Daily News & Analysis

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