Decoy aircraft deployed, flight booked last minute

Nagpur:  A couple of chartered planes were waiting at the tarmac of Nagpur airport on Thursday morning as word spread that Yakub Memon's body and his relatives would be flown to Mumbai by an air ambulance. As the ambulance carrying Memon's body reached airport from jail around 10am, both his brother Suleiman and cousin Usman alighted and went inside the cargo area along with the coffin.

It appeared that the kin may take the air ambulance. Soon, however, they were whisked away by cops towards the IndiGo airlines counter from the departure gate to board the private carrier's Nagpur-Mumbai flight. The flight took off at 10.50am, a few minutes behind schedule. The coffin, made in the prison workshop by jail inmates, was booked and carried as a cargo as per rules.

Even as various officials handling the affair had different versions, it is reliably learnt that the air ambulance had been hired by the state government. It was deliberately kept as a decoy due to security reasons, and a plan was already in place to take the body by the IndiGo flight. Airline officials could not be reached for comment.
31/07/15 Shishir Arya/Times of India

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State booked private plane to fly Yakub's body back?

It was amid intense public scrutiny that Yakub Memon’s remains were flown back to Mumbai yesterday on an Indigo flight. However, if aviation sources are to be believed, the government had initially planned to bring the body back by private charter and had, in fact, already kept a plane waiting at Nagpur airport, only to change the plans at the last minute.
Top officials at the Nagpur airport claimed that the private charter had been booked by the government with the intent of flying back with a body. “The charter was supposed to fly back with a body. Before it took off from Mumbai, five of its seats were removed to clear space for the stretcher,” an official added.
Sources also claimed that that the government would pay the operator, Deccan Aviation, for the flying charges (approximately R3.5 lakh), even though the plane came back empty. A pilot close to the development told mid-day, “The nine-seater had not only been sent to fly Yakub’s body back, but it was funded by the state government.” Mumbai Airport sources said the VT-DAV aircraft took off for Nagpur at 5.30 am last morning, half an hour after the Supreme Court confirmed that Yakub would be hanged that day. Once at the Nagpur airport, however, the charter was held back till 10.45 am and was finally told to fly back with no body. “The charter was first supposed to depart at 8.30 am, but was then asked to wait till 9.30 am. It was only at 10.45 am that officials asked the flight operator to fly back to Mumbai empty,” said a senior official from Nagpur airport. Incidentally, the Indigo flight 6E 544 that carried Yakub’s body to Mumbai, took off from Nagpur airport around the same time, at 10.50 am.
31/07/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Nimesh Dave/Mid Day

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Freighter's wing flap falls off at Delhi airport

New Delhi: A major mishap was averted at the Delhi Airport after a part of the landing wing flap of a Cathay Pacific freighter, a Boeing 747-400, fell off at the runway while landing few days back.

There was, however, no emergency landing of the flight CX 2041 which had come from Hong Kong and it landed safely, Cathay Pacific said in a statement today.

"On the arrival of our freighter flight CX 2041 on 27 July 2015, from Hong Kong to Delhi, our Engineering team found parts of the left hand wing flap missing," the airline said.

The missing part was later found at the runway by Delhi airport staff, the airline said.

Delhi International Airport Limited staff also reported some flap like items found on the runway after the arrival of our aircraft, it said.

We are working closely with the relevant authorities and have launched an inquiry into the same, the statement said.
31/07/15 PTI/Business Standard

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New Taliban chief played role in IC814 hijack

Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansoor, the newly-appointed chief of the Afghan Taliban, may have played a key role in the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight 814, officials involved with the case have told The Indian Express. Mansoor, as the  Taliban’s Civil Aviation Minister, handled the 1999 hijacking of IC-814  along with its Foreign Minister, Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil, and Kandahar corps commander Akhtar Muhammad Usmani. The new Taliban chief, Indian intelligence officials believe, holds information on the role of the Inter-Services Intelligence station in Kandahar in supplying explosives and assault rifles which the hijackers came into possession of while the aircraft was parked on the tarmac. “The hijackers took pistols on board the flight inside a sweet box they smuggled through security in Kathmandu,” recalled former Research and Analysis Wing chief CD Sahai. “But in Kandahar, we found they had automatic weapons, and had rigged the aircraft with explosives. It stands to reason that someone there provided them with these things after the plane landed,” he said.
30/07/15 Indian Express

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Air India Flight Makes Emergency Landing in New Delhi

New Delhi: An Air India flight with around 150 passengers and crew on board made an emergency landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) today. All aboard are safe.

According to airport sources, the incident involving Air India flight AI-410 from Patna occurred around 11.00 am.

The source said that after detecting a technical snag the pilot requested the air traffic control (ATC) for permission to make an emergency landing.

"The aircraft landed safely after making an emergency landing. All safety procedures were followed. All passengers are safe and operations at the airport are normal," an airport official told IANS.

Air India on its part confirmed the incident and reported that all passengers were safe.
31/07/15 IANS/NDTV

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Pilot spots dog on Dabolim runway, hits brakes

Vasco: The pilot of an Air Asia flight had to hit the emergency brakes after spotting a stray dog on the runway at Dabolim International Airport on Thursday. The plane was headed for Bangalore and had 113 passengers on board.

According to sources, at around 3.10 pm, the pilot took the aircraft onto the runway and started to build speed for the take-off. Upon noticing the dog frolicking in the plane’s path, the alert pilot applied the emergency brakes and stopped the aircraft before it could hit the dog. The abrupt halt sparked panic amongst the passengers.
31/07/15 Herald

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Vistara, MIAL launch mobile phone boarding pass facility at Mumbai's T2 terminal

Mumbai: Vistara passengers flying out of Mumbai airport do not need to stand in queue for physical boarding passes, as the airline today announced the launch of mobile phone boarding pass facility for Vistara's customers travelling out of Mumbai's T2 terminal.

A release from the airline calls it a first-of-its-kind initiative at Mumbai Airport and terms it a time-saver for passengers and result in reduction in usage of paper boarding passes.
31/07/15 Economic Times

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AAI extends submission of RFQ for Chennai, Kolkata airport

New Delhi: In a move that would further delay the Government's plan to modernise four domestic airports including Chennai and Kolkata with private players, the Airports Authority of India has for the fourth time extended the deadline for submission of RFQ (Request for Qualification) documents by a month.

Interested firms can submit RFQ documents for the modernisation, operations and management of the four airports - Chennai, Kolkata, Japiur and Ahmedabad-- by August 31, 2015, according to the AAI website.

The earlier deadline for submission of documents was August 1.

The state-run airport operator, however, did not specify the reason for the further in the deadline.
31/07/15 PTI/Economic Times

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Wait for flight and access Wi-Fi facility

Bhubaneswar: Fliers at Biju Patnaik International Airport can now access the Internet as they wait to take their flight.

Starting last week, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) service has been introduced for passengers both at the domestic (T1) and international (T2) terminals of the airport.

The Wi-Fi technology uses radio waves to send the signals just like mobile phones, television and radio to maintain high-speed Internet connections, so that an integration can be built among the devices such as phones, computers, printers and cameras.

Both the departing and arriving passengers can now avail themselves of the service after getting a coupon from the airport terminal manager. One has to go through the instructions written on the coupon to login, and thereafter, can use a free service up to 30 minutes either on a smart phone, tablet or a laptop. However for subsequent use, a passenger has to pay to the service provider.
31/07/15 Bibhuti Barik/Telegraph

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This airline offers flight from Mumbai to New York at Rs 52,000

New Delhi: Air France on Friday rolled out 'special' economy fares to New York, offering its customers from Mumbai an all-inclusive fares as low as Rs 52,000 for a limited period.

The airline has offered a booking period of up to August 31 with a travel validity period from September 10 to December 15, a release by the airlines said.

The offer is valid for tickets issued in India for passengers traveling to or from Mumbai and valid only on Air France code share flights from the city, it said.
31/07/15 Zee News

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Bomb cry on aircraft triggers panic at IGI

NEW DELHI: There was panic at IGI Airport on Thursday when a passenger aboard a Manila-bound Cebu Pacific flight, diverted to Delhi following a mid-air medical emergency, raised an alarm regarding presence of a bomb on the plane. With the capital on high alert due to Yakub Memon's hanging and the approaching Independence Day, intelligence and security agencies got into a tizzy and were kept on their toes for hours.

Flight 5J-7945, an A330-300 carrying 430 passengers, underwent a detailed examination by security officials. It was delayed by over 12 hours. Officials said that a 21-year-old woman passenger, who belongs to Philippines, identified as Russell Gen, reported uneasiness. The flight contacted the nearest air traffic controller to seek immediate landing permission. Permission was granted by Indira Gandhi International Airport and the flight touched down around 4.15am.

"The women was offloaded and medical staff waiting at the airport took her to hospital where she underwent check-up for 2-3 hours. Once she was made comfortable, she was taken back to the flight and arrangements for the plane to continue its disrupted journey were made. All of a sudden, the woman started shouting that there's a bomb in the toilet of the aircraft. This triggered panic on board the flight as well as in the airport," a source said.
31/07/15 The Times Of India

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Airports Authority of India revenue rose 10% to Rs 2,150 crore last fiscal

NEW DELHI: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) saw its annual revenues rise nearly 10 per cent to Rs 2,150.34 crore in the last fiscal, Parliament was told today.

AAI had clocked revenues at Rs 1,956.44 crore in 2013-14.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said AAI generated a provisional Rs 2,150.34 crore revenues in 2014-15.
30/07/15 PTI/The Economic Times

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No need to worry about Chipi airport’

Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar told the Goa legislative assembly on Thursday that Goa need not worry about Chipi airport in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. The construction of Chipi airport began in 2013. He said that at a recent meeting in Delhi, Maharashtra Infrastructure Development Corporation (MIDC), which is developing Chipi airport, was advised by the Union ministry of civil aviation to revisit the development of the airport. Parsekar made the statement in response to queries by opposition leader Pratapsing Rane who said Chipi airport would affect tourist flow to Goa. Parsekar said the issue was raised by MIDC itself, and the corporation has been asked to revise the master plan for the airport and submit a report in two months.
31/07/15 The Times Of India

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Kolkata airport tops list for unscheduled int'l flight

A total of 1,365 foreign planes made unscheduled landings at 14 domestic airports in the country since January, 2012, driven by bad weather, medical emergency, technical glitches and bomb threats, among others, Parliament was informed today.

Of these, the maximum number of flights were diverted to Kolkata airport with 1,117 foreign planes making an unscheduled landing there in the over three-and-a-half years between January, 2012, to July, 2015 (till date), Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Mahesh Sharma, told Rajya Sabha.

The number of foreign aircraft diverted to Lucknow was 139 during this period. The number of flights diverted to Mumbai and Delhi airports stood at 64 and 63, respectively, he said.
30/07/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Glass panel at Kolkata airport caves in, CISF jawan dies

A CISF constable died in a freak accident at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here Thursday when the glass panel of a service corridor he was walking on collapsed and he fell at least 14 feet into the basement. Constable G C Singh (40) sustained severe head injuries and was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead. Expressing grief at the tragic incidem, director of Airports Authority of India, A K Sharma, said, “It is an extremely unfortunate accident. The service corridor in question was out of bounds for passengers and other people and was accessible only to the service and technical staff who were aware of the fragile condition of the glass panels. CISF units, the anti-sabotage units of course, had access too.” “Though imported, the glass panel are vulnerable to frequent breakages,” Sharma added.
31/07/15 Express News Service/The Indian Express

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Cargo Sees Upswing at Chennai Airport

Chennai: Cargo shipment, which had fallen considerably over the last few years, is finally showing signs of making a recovery, with domestic cargo showing more than 10 per cent growth over the previous year.

Within the first half of 2015, international cargo has shown a rise to 1,10,691 metric tonnes while domestic cargo has shot up to 41,488 metric tonnes. “Globally the market has slid and that is what led to a slowdown forbid too, but with key airports like Chennai the slump has more to do with administrative issues. They have been fixed now and that his why the numbers have improved,” said a senior AAI official involved with cargo handling. After the massive cargo revenue that the airport had witnessed between 2005 and 2011, the numbers began to slide exponentially. This is believed to be a fallout of clearance delayed despite the automatic cargo storage and retrieval system installed by AAI. “It would take 8-9 days for some shipments to come through which is why even smaller importers began using Bengaluru airport to fly their cargo in and have it shipped by road,” said a clearing agent at the airport.
30/07/15 New Indian Express

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International passenger traffic up at Tiruchi airport

Tiruchi: With a robust growth recorded in passenger and freight movement, the Tiruchi international airport has emerged as one of the fast growing non-metro airports in the country.

Catering essentially to select South, South East Asian, and West Asian destinations this profit-making airport has seen a steady rise in overseas flight services of certain low-cost foreign carriers spurring growth.

Serving as a hub for a large workforce of central and southern districts employed in West Asia and South East Asia, Tiruchi is unique among non-metro airports with more overseas operations than domestic connectivity.

Financial year 2014-15 was a landmark period for the airport when the overall passenger traffic crossed the one million mark with the volume of export cargo despatched exceeding 4,700 tonnes.

International passenger traffic clocked 25 per cent growth last fiscal because of the increase in overseas flight services with patronage being 90 per cent in all airlines, say airport authorities.

Kuala Lumpur–bound Air Asia with 21 services a week tops among the foreign airlines in passenger and cargo movement. Operating two flights a day in the Tiruchi–Colombo- Tiruchi sector is the Sri Lankan Airlines with the Air India Express plying in the Tiruchi – Singapore and Tiruchi – Dubai sectors.
30/07/15 The Hindu

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Soon, tag and check-in your bag at 13 airports

New Delhi: At over dozen airports, including at Chennai, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, and Thiruvananthapuram, passengers will soon be able to print their own boarding cards and tag their checked-in bags.

“We are currently engaged in a bid with the Airports Authority of India to provide self-service bag drop at 13 airports. Today, if a passenger has a check-in bag, he has to go to a counter. With a self-service drop bag, you can tag your bag and it will go directly for sorting,” said Maneesh Jaikrishna, Vice-President (India and sub-continent_, SITA.
29/07/15 Business Line

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Dead Bhopal tarmac springs to life

Bhopal: Sixty days ago, Raja Bhoj airport in the state capital was like a deserted airstrip in a far-flung city of India with just two airlines taking off to two destinations. Now, there's a dramatic change with the airport which was hugging the bottom of the air-connectivity league suddenly taking off to three new cities in three different states and two more flights in the offing.

Sources told TOI that Indigo is also likely to start operations from Bhopal airport. Currently, only Air India and Jet Airways are operating flights from Bhopal airport.
After losing connectivity to important centres like Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, airport authorities drew flak for failing to attract airlines despite big talk during the Global Investors Summit last year. The situation was such that the state capital's airport was unable to retain domestic airlines, forget about an international tag. In last one year, Bhopal had limited connectivity to Delhi and Mumbai only.
30/07/15 Ramendra Singh/Times of India

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Decks cleared for expansion of Jammu Airport

Jammu: After a long delay, decks are being cleared for expansion of the Jammu Airport by shifting the Army installation– the major bottleneck which has been hampering the ambitious project for years now.

“The shifting of Army assets and utilities from Satwari to alternate land in Sunjwan is in full swing and would be completed within a fixed time period, while the   rehabilitation of people being displaced from other areas and diversion of canals is also  on”  an official spokesperson quoting divisional Commissioner, Jammu  said here today .

The Divisional Commissioner, Dr. Pawan Kotwal  was chairing a high level meeting to discuss issues pertaining to expansion and modernization of Jammu Airport.

He said that after the shifting of Army was over, the existing chunk of land near Jammu Airport which was earlier housing army assets, utilities would be utilized optimally to convert Jammu Airport into international airport.
30/07/15 Greater Kashmir

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Airport Accident: Lucky Escape for Capital

Thiruvananthapuram: A major disaster was averted on Wednesday afternoon when a fully loaded aviation fuel tanker lorry overturned at the curve of a perimeter road parallel to the runway at Trivandrum International Airport. The speeding lorry rammed into a wall very close to a 11 KV transformer situated beside the Chackai- Domestic terminal stretch, near All Saints’ Junction, and there was a huge leakage of fuel. A section of the wall collapsed following the collision.

The driver of the lorry, who sustained minor injuries, was taken to a private hospital nearby.

The accident occurred around 1.30 pm, when the Hindustan Petroleum lorry carrying the Jet A 1 aviation fuel was heading to the international terminal from the fuel-filling station near the domestic terminal along the perimeter road on the airport premises. When the vehicle reached a point near the All Saints’ Junction, the driver tried to negotiate a curve. Then, the vehicle lost control and rammed into the compound wall bordering the Chackai- Airport stretch and overturned. The driver, identified as Selvaraj, belonging to Thiruvananthapuram, escaped by jumping from the lorry and sustained minor injuries.
30/07/15 New Indian Express

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Kannur gears up to take flight

Kannur: Kannur’s wait to figure on the international aviation map will soon be over. If everything goes as planned, the first flight would land on the brand new runway at Moorkhanparambu in December.

About thousand workers, including technical experts, are working on a war-footing to meet the deadline at the site located in Keezhallur panchayat in Mattannur municipality. The period between August and December is going to be crucial in completing the construction of the airport.

The coming days would witness a flurry of activities as everyone involved in the mega project will be committed to reach the finishing point by December, which is the deadline set by the government. Moreover, it is a matter of pride and prestige for the Kannur International Airport Ltd. (KIAL), the company floated by the State government for the development of the Rs.1,892-crore project.

The incessant rain has forced the employees engaged in drilling works to stay off the site. They will return to work once the rain recedes.
29/07/15 Correspondent/onmanorama

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AAI mulls relocating Bagdogra airport

The proposal of the Airport Authority of India to shift Bagdogra Airport to Purnea in Bihar, has sent shudders down the spines of frequent travellers from Darjeeling district, north Bengal and Sikkim.   Sources claim the AAI voted to move the city’s gateway airport to Purnea in Bihar, owing to the installation of the proposed Instrumental Landing System (ILS), for which 12.91 acres of land is required in the airport premises, followed by expansion of the airport terminal which needs another 120 acres. Earlier this month, the AAI held a meeting with Indian Air Force officials in Delhi to discuss the land acquisition process for the installation of night landing facility at the airport, extension of the terminal and setting up of residential quarters, following which the idea to relocate the airport to Purnea was construed.

It may be recalled that the airport had purchased eight acres of land at Gonsainpur under the Matigara block for the proposed projects, but the authorities are yet to take possession as the administration has failed to vacate the land. "Bagdogra airport experienced a 42 per cent boost in passenger numbers in the recent past. The airport welcomed 10.35 lakh passengers in the last financial year (2014-15) marking an increase of 4.2 per cent compared to the previous fiscal year. Around 26 flights operate daily at the airport. But at the same time, it is also very important that the airport is expanded to facilitate more people. The delay in the land acquisition process is affecting the development of the airport," said the source, also adding the AAI may approach IAF officials to take an extra land of around 30 acres at Bagdogra in exchange of the IAF land in Purnea. Following the Indo-China war in 1962, the Union civil aviation ministry handed over the airport to the IAF, which permitted the airport authority to run flights till 10 pm of July 1, 2014.
29/07/15 Siliguri/The Echo Of India

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Madurai airport gears up to handle VIP arrivals

MADURAI: Expecting many landings and takeoffs due to the arrival of several VIPs at the Madurai International Airport on Thursday, in order for them to attend the funeral of former President A P J Abdul Kalam, authorities have decided to involve all its 102 staff to manage everything without any hindrance.

Union minister for urban development Venkaiah Naidu, who came to Madurai to receive Kalam's body, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a few Union ministers, and other VIPs will be attending the funeral. However, police are not sure about the number of VIPs coming to Rameswaram via Madurai airport. "We expect many unscheduled arrivals of dignitaries," said a police officer in the city.
30/07/15 L Saravanan/The Times Of India

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Airport expansion to be discussed soon, says Rai

MANGALURU: A high-level meeting will soon be held in Bengaluru soon to discuss the acquisition of land for the extension of Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) runway.

A decision in this regard was taken at the quarterly KDP review meet chaired by the district in-charge minister B Ramanath Rai at Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat on Tuesday.

Deputy commissioner A B Ibrahim said it will require acquisition of 200 acres additional land for the extension of the runway from 8,000 feet to 13,000 feet. "A proposal has been sent to the government for the acquisition of additional land for the airport runway. It will require Rs 121 crore for the land acquisition and compensation," Ibrahim said.
29/07/15 The Times Of India

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Cebu Pacific Air flight makes emergency landing at Delhi airport

A Philippines-based Cebu Pacific Air flight between Dubai and Manila made an emergency landing at Delhi airport at 4.25 hours this morning due to an 'emotionally unstable passenger' on board.

The flight bearing no 5J 7945 was being operated by an Airbus 330-200 and departed from Delhi at 1545 hours.

Source said that the flight was flying over Gujarat when complains of an unruly passengers was informed and the flight was diverted to New Delhi.

Sources added that the lady passengers was unruly and was shouting even after the plane made an emergency landing in Delhi.
30/07/15 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Now, another security check before entering a plane

Lucknow:  Passengers might now undergo an additional security check just before a entering or leaving an aircraft to ensure foolproof safety of a flight.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation and Security (BCAS) has asked national and private airlines to introduce the extra layer of security in the wake of Monday's terrorist attack in Punjab.

Known as the secondary ladder point security check (SLPSC), the system includes a random check of passengers by the airline staff itself on the aerobridge or ladder in case of any suspicious activity. The instructions apply to all domestic and international airports.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources at Amausi airport confirmed that the instructions had been conveyed to all private airlines. Lucknow airport happens to be the secondary airport to the one in Delhi. "The additional security measure comes in handy in case of flight diversion," said a senior AAI official.
29/07/15 Times of India

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Indian flyers add to the Dubai airport growth story

Mumbai: India continued to play a major role in growth of Dubai International airport as it handled a total of 5.9 million passengers in June according to the monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports today.

"Regionally, traditional markets such as the Indian subcontinent (+281,393 passengers) and the AGCC (+154,294 ) led the growth followed by Western Europe (+121,919), Africa (+71,065) and North America (+61,535 passengers)," said a press statement issued by Dubai International on Wednesday. "Passenger traffic during June increased 16.7 per cent to 5,914,671, compared to 5,067,726 during the same month in 2014. The year to date traffic surged 10.4 per cent to reach 38,299,291, compared to 34,676,090 during the first half of 2014," the release said. "The increase in traffic during June can be attributed to the runway refurbishment project between May and July last year during which the airport was reduced to a single runway operation. The surge in traffic was countered by a drop in number of passengers during the holy month of Ramadan which fell in June this year," it added.
29/07/15 Manju V/Times of India

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Mock drill tests response system at airport

Tiruchi: A mock bomb threat contingency and building evacuation drill was carried out at the international airport here on Tuesday to test the efficacy of different agencies while responding to emergency situation.

All agencies connected with the airport such as Airports Authority of India, Central Industrial Security Force, Bomb Detection and Disposal squad (BDDS) of the City Police, Customs, Immigration, and various airlines were involved in the mock exercise that lasted nearly two hours in the evening.

Airport sources said the mock drill commenced after the receipt of a “bomb threat message” in an aircraft and in the building with all agencies sounded an alert thereafter.
29/07/15 The Hindu

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Meet on runway expansion at M'lore Intl Airport soon

Mangaluru: A high-level meeting will be convened in Bengaluru in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, to discuss runway expansion of Mangalore International Airport (MIA), District-in-Charge Minister Ramanath Rai said.

Chairing the tri-monthly KDP meeting here on Tuesday, he said there is a need to discuss whether land acquisition will be carried out by the State government or to take up the work on PPP mode.

Aditional DC Sadashiva Prabhu said to expand the runway, MIA had sought 289.335 acre land in its letter dated February 12, 2014. However, total of 190.91 acre was available in the vicinity. To rehabilitate families residing on the land, an estimate of Rs 121.05 crore was prepared and submitted to the State government. The survey of the land to be acquired has been completed and a proposal will be submitted to the government.MLC Ivan D’Souza said expansion of runway is a necessity to bring bigger aircraft to Mangaluru. There is an urgent need to speed up the work, he said.
29/07/15 Deccan Herald

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Tiruchi airport clocks 25 per cent growth in international passenger traffic

Tiruchi: With a robust growth recorded in passenger and freight movement, the Tiruchi international airport has emerged as one of the fast growing non-metro airports in the country.

Catering essentially to select South, South East Asian, and West Asian destinations this profit-making airport has seen a steady rise in overseas flight services of certain low-cost foreign carriers spurring growth.

Serving as a hub for a large workforce of central and southern districts employed in West Asia and South East Asia, Tiruchi is unique among non-metro airports with more overseas operations than domestic connectivity.

Financial year 2014-15 was a landmark period for the airport when the overall passenger traffic crossed the one million mark with the volume of export cargo despatched exceeding 4,700 tonnes.
29/07/15 R. Rajaram/The Hindu

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Flight Makes Emergency Landing

Thiruvananthapuram: A New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram Air India flight made an emergency landing at the Nagpur airport on Tuesday owing to suspected engine damage.

The passengers were shifted to a hotel near the airport safely and the flight is expected to take off to its destination on Wednesday morning, Air India officials have said.

The flight with over hundreds of passengers on board took off from the New Delhi airport at 6 pm.  Many Malayalis, including actor and MP Innocent and Principal Secretary P H Kurian, were in the flight.
29/07/15 New Indian Express

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Fuel tanker overturns inside Kerala airport, spills ATF

Thiruvananthapuram: A tanker carrying aviation fuel overturned here spilling the ATF inside the airport premises on Wednesday, triggering panic.
The vehicle had hit a boundary wall while carrying the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from the domestic to the international terminal, Airport director George Tharakan told a news agency.
29/07/15 PTI/Zee News

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Mangaluru airport runway expansion plan referred to high-level committee

The proposed runway expansion at the Mangaluru International Airport continues to be in a deadlock with the issue of land for the expansion and related compensation being referred to a high-level committee.

It was on February 12, 2014 that the Director of Mangaluru International Airport wrote to the Dakshina Kannada district administration expressing the need for 190 acres of land for expansion of the runway from 8,000 ft to 13,000 ft. Following a survey of land available in Adyapady and Kolambe villages, the district administration proposed to the State government in November 2014 that land can be acquired by paying compensation of Rs. 121.05 crore.

Stating that the compensation was too huge for the government to bear, the Principal Secretary, Finance Department, wrote back to the district administration asking it to take up the work in two phases. Hence, the district administration was proposing to acquire 61.47 acres.
29/07/15 Raghava M/The Hindu

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Officials talk Bagdogra airport relocation

Siliguri: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has talked about shifting of the crucial Bagdogra Airport to Purnea in Bihar, thanks to the alleged lackadaisical attitude of the state government and the delay in the airport's expansion plans.
The process of land acquisition for the installation of the night landing facility at the airport has hit snag, and as per the present status, one single family is still objecting to part with the land for setting up the Instrumental Landing System (ILS). The airport requires 12.91 acres of land for the purpose.
Two other proposed projects are also in a limbo. The airport separately requires 120 acres of land for the extension of the terminal and for building residential quarters. The airport had purchased eight acres of plot at Gonsainpur under the Matigara block, but the authorities are yet to take possession of the said land.
29/07/15 Statesman

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Proposals for Shivamogga, Ballari airports to be placed before Cabinet

Kalaburagi: Information and Infrastructure Minister Roshan Baig has said that proposals for completing the work on the Shivamogga airport and the construction of a new airport at Ballari will be placed at the next Cabinet meeting for approval.

He told The Hindu here on Monday that the draft note on the Shivamogga airport was ready and a similar draft was being prepared for the airport at Ballari. Mr. Baig said that the proposal for constructing an airport at Vijayapura had made headway with the visit of a senior team from the Airport Authority of India.

Levelling the land acquired for the construction of the airport might require Rs. 100 crore.

Mr. Baig said that Infrastructure Department officials would visit Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to study the working of the no-frills airport there and see whether the same pattern could be adopted for the airport in Shivamogga.
28/07/15 TV Sivanandan/The Hindu

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Flight time shortens as AAI opens up defence airspace for civilian flights

A Kolkata-bound flight taking off from Hyderabad first flies eastward to reach the coast and then takes a northerly route with more deviations to reach its destination. The route has been designed to avoid military installations at Begumpet near Hyderabad and at Barrackpore near Kolkata. But with the restricted military airspace being opened up for civilian flights last month, pilots can now take a direct northerly path.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started implementing flexible use of airspace which allows civilian aircraft to fly over military installations. This allows airliners to save fuel and time besides avoiding unnecessary detours. In June, the Kolkata-Hyderabad route was opened and this saves almost 15 minutes of flying time. As this been successful, AAI is planning to allow flights to use military airspace on the Delhi-Goa route on weekends and on the Nagpur-Pune route on Sundays very soon.
27/07/15 V Ayyappan/The Times Of India

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Soon, check in time at Ahmedabad airport to be reduced

Soon, passengers travelling from city airport will get their boarding passes from any counter irrespective of the airline they are flying, saving them from standing in long queues. Recently, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, minister of state for civil aviation Dr Mahesh Sharma said that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has under taken slew of works for upgradation and modernization of passenger facilities at various airports including Ahmedabad airport.

Among various work taken up, one of them is check in counters with common user terminal equipment (CUTE). The CUTE system will ensure smooth passage of passengers at the check-in points. This will cut short the lengthy process that passengers have to pass through at the check-in points.

Currently, passengers have to queue up before the counters of their respective airlines for baggage tagging and boarding passes which consumes lot of time during the rush hours.
27/07/15 Piyush Mishra/The Times Of India

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Tender for Mopa international airport to be finalised by December 2015: Goa CM Laxmikant Parsekar

PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar today said that the tender for Greenfield airport at Mopa would be finalised by December 2015.

He also assured that infrastructure at Dabolim airport would be reviewed, after the recent incident wherein a false ceiling had collapsed in the newly built terminal.
27/07/15 PTI/The Economic Times

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Villagers obstruct survey for Bhogapuram airport

Vizinagaram: Villagers of Kongavanipalem revenue panchayat on Monday obstructed the survey of land by officials for the proposed international airport in Bhogapuram mandal.

According to sources, a two-member team from RITES Ltd., Revenue Inspector K. Satyanarayana and some local surveyors on Monday visited Kongavanipalem, which is among the eight revenue villages chosen for the construction of the airport.
28/07/15 The Hindu

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After Punjab terror attack, security up in Mumbai airport

Mumbai: Security has been beefed up at all the major airports in the country including the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in the city following the terror attack in Pubjab on Monday.

According to security officials posted at CSIA, cars and passengers at the airport are being checked and frisked at the entry points of the airport. Also, a vigil is kept on people who loiter around the airport area. The help of local police has also been taken to keep up surveillance around the airport.

"Similarly, the cargo consignments are also being more closely scanned for any explosive etc." said a senior security official at CSIA. Most of the civil aviation airports in the country are manned by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
28/07/15 Daily News & Analysis

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Calicut Airport Upkeep: Talks with Centre Likely

Thiruvananthapuram: The government has made it clear that discussions, if needed, would be held with the Centre and the Civil Aviation Ministry to resolve the difficulties faced by the passengers at the Kozhikode Airport due to maintenance work, according to Ports Minister K Babu. He also said that a meeting has been called on July 28, taking into account the urgency in resolving the issue,the Minister told the Assembly while replying to a calling motion moved by K Muhammedunni Haji. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) had suspended the operation of big aircrafts at the airport due to safety concerns arising out of the precarious surface condition of the runway. But the airport has not been completely closed and smaller aircrafts would continue to operate, he added.
28/07/15 Nyooz

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Gold biscuits seized

Tiruchi: Customs officials seized four gold biscuits concealed in an electronic safe locker that was being carried by an air passenger at the airport here on Sunday night. Sources said the Air Intelligence Unit grew suspicious of the activity of Naseer (32), a native of Tiruvarur district, after he landed here from Kuala Lumpur by a Malindo Air flight. After detaining him for enquiry, the Customs officials searched the electronic safe locker he carried and found the gold biscuits concealed inside the locker box.
28/07/15 The Hindu

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Man held for smuggling gold worth Rs 64 lakh at IGIA

A man has been arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here for allegedly trying to smuggle gold valuing about Rs 64 lakh into the country.

The passenger was intercepted by customs officials after his arrival here from Dubai on Saturday.
27/07/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Tax break to airlines with London takeoff

Bengal will waive tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) if any airline operates direct flights from Calcutta to Europe, chief minister Mamata Banerjee promised on Sunday before taking off for London to scout for investment.

Mamata had held a meeting with senior airport officials and bureaucrats in her entourage before boarding Air India's Calcutta-Delhi-London flight. "She said if any airline operates direct flights from Calcutta to Europe, the state government would have no hesitation in waiving the tax on ATF," a senior official quoted her as saying.

"The first airline to confirm its acceptance will pay zero tax on fuel. Other airlines too would get significant tax relief if they fly directly to Europe," the official said.

The chief minister asked airport director Anil Sharma to start approaching airlines with the offer of a tax break so that Calcutta gets back a direct connection to Europe, sources said.

Officials of several international airlines said flights between Calcutta and Europe would be viable in the long term only if there was a steady flow of business fliers who weren't "price-sensitive" and travelled frequently.
27/07/15 Sanjay Mandal/Telegraph

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Museum coming up at Terminal T2 to feature minarets, paintings, and embroidered fabric

Mumbai: As part of its ongoing development, the work-in-progress museum inside Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) will soon feature minarets, paintings and embroidery done by women from Mijwan village in Uttar Pradesh, the birthplace of well-known poet Kaifi Azmi. These women are part of an NGO founded by Azmi in 1993 to educate rural women and help in making them self-reliant.

After getting a paralytic stroke which rendered his left leg and left arm incapacitated, Azmi, who had penned some of the best-known poems in contemporary Indian history, gave up the comforts of Mumbai and settled in Mijwan, a village frozen in time. Today Mijwan is a model village with schools, college and vocational centres providing education and training to hundreds of women from the area.
"Girls from Mijwan used to be married off as early as twelve years of age! It was commonplace to see them in school with the trademark sindoor in their hair. Today these girls have different aspirations," says Kaifi's daughter, actress Shabana Azmi, on the NGO's web page.
27/07/15 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Ready for 3 yrs, Jaisalmer airport yet see a take-off

JAISALMER: Businessmen related to tourism and hotel owners of Jaisalmer are losing their patience as the civil airport, which is ready for the last 3 years with all modern facilities, has not operated a single flight till date. As a result tourism in the city is getting affected. Although the civil aviation department is in touch with many companies providing air service, for starting flights to Jaisalmer but no company has shown any interest in starting flights from Jaisalmer. These companies have conducted surveys. Since the tourism season is only for six months, no company is ready to start the service. In the first week of August, a special team from civil aviation department will be coming to Jaisalmer to conduct a survey and to inspect the arrangements at the civil airport. Every year, over 100 private chartered planes come here, which clearly shows that there is a need for air service to Jaisalmer.
27/07/15 Vimal Bhatia/The Times Of India

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Bullet found in Iraqi student’s bag at RGIA

HYDERABAD: A bullet was found in the cabin baggage of an Iraqi national at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Sunday. The Iraqi national, who was identified as Al Mohammed Ahmed, is pursuing pharmacy course at a college in Sangareddy.

According to the RGI Airport police, Ahmed landed at the airport to take a flight to Iraq.
27/07/15 The Times Of India

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Navi Mumbai airport work to commence in six months

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that work for the Navi Mumbai International Airport will commence within six months. According to him, all formalities have been completed and the tender bid will be opened soon.

Fadnavis said that the airport will be in operation by 2019. "Most of the permissions are in place and all development including that of the airstrip will get completed in the next three years. We are confident that the first flight will start in 2019. This ambitious projects will reduce the burden of the existing airport," Fadnavis said.
27/07/15 Sudhir Suryawanshi/dna

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No eateries, meat shops in vicinity of airport

No eateries and meat shops will be allowed within one kilometre radius of the Gannavaram airport. This instruction was issued by Krishna Collector Babu A. at the environmental committee meeting convened by Airports Authority of India (AAI) at the airport on Friday.

The decision came in the wake of a bird hit that occurred at the airport when an Air Costa flight was taking off on Wednesday evening, causing panic among passengers. Apart from Mr. Babu, Airport Director M. Rajkishore, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation G. Veerapandian, Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan and representatives from airline operators were present at the meeting.

Mr. Rajkishore said that birds were flocking at the airport due to dumping of garbage and waste generated by meat shops around the airfield.
27/07/15 M.Srinivas/The Hindu

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21 Dubai-bound Nepali women held in India

New Delhi:  Twenty-one Nepali women who were trying to go to Dubai and other cities in the Gulf countries illegally have been caught from different hotels at Mahilpalpur in New Delhi , India.

Indian police raided the hotels as they were informed by seven Nepali women, who were being trafficked to Dubai by a human trafficking racket on Saturday. A majority of them were arrested from Shreeram Hotel and some from private apartments.

Police also detained Bishnu Tamang and Dayaram on the charge of human trafficking. They were taken into the custody of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and will be handed over to Nari Niketan Centre in New Delhi , police said.
27/07/15 Devendra Bhattarai/eKantipur.com

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Gold smugglers adopt novel methods

Smugglers now adopt novel methods to conceal yellow metal. The string of seizures made by Customs officials at the airport from the “carriers” of gold stands testimony to this practice.

In a recent case, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs seized 274 grams of gold moulded into fine needles and meticulously inserted in the rods of four umbrellas carried by an air passenger who had landed from Singapore. The officials detained the passenger and found gold valued at Rs. 6.19 lakh concealed inside.

It was yet another new method resorted to by ‘carriers’ to smuggle in gold through the airport from where flights to Colombo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai are operated every day.

Customs authorities say gold in various forms was found hidden in audio amplifiers, toner cartridge of printers, compressors of air – conditioning units, soaps, hair bands, marker pens, induction stove, television set, laptop, electrical plugs and even chocolates.
27/07/15 R Rajaram/The Hindu

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Karipur airport works to be expedited

KOZHIKODE: Works to strengthen runway at the Karipur airport will begin in the second week of September and would conclude within 18 months, said MPs E Ahamed and E T Muhammad Basheer.

Briefing reporters after the advisory committee meeting of the airport, Ahamed, who is the chairman of the committee, said the strengthening of the runway would expedite the development works at the airport.

He allayed the apprehension raised from various quarters that partial closure would spell doom for the airport in the long run. Ahamed assured that he would meet the Union minister for civil aviation to discus the further development of the airport.

The meeting examined both the long-term and short-term problems faced by the airport and felt that many of the issues are basically technical in nature.

What is to be done at the airport is not just re-carpeting by restructuring. The work is expected to be completed in 18months after the commencement of which is expected to begin in the second week of September. To ensure that work is progressing as per the plan, the work schedule will be published on line and the progress will be monitored regularly, Ahamed said. He discounted the allegation that there is a concerted move to dwindle the importance of the Karipur airport with the intention of promoting the upcoming Kannur airport. Kerala is developing rapidly and the presence of one airport will not affect the prospects of the other, Ahamed said. As a temporary measure, the meeting decided to write letter to airline companies to operate small aircrafts from Karipur. Some airline companies have stopped the operation of wide-bodied aircrafts from Kariour prior to the maintenance work at the airport.
26/07/15 The Times Of India

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Nod for domestic airport at Adampur: Sampla

JALANDHAR: Minister of state Vijay Sampla on Friday claimed that ministry of defence had given its nod for domestic airport at Adampur by acquiring more land.

"Defence minister Manohar Parrikar told me that his ministry has agreed to the project in principle and given its 'no objection' to the proposal. This was the most crucial stage for the project as now civil aviation ministry would be able to start the work," Sampla told TOI on phone.
26/07/15 The Times Of India

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Airport to get anti-hijack committee

KOLHAPUR: The Kolhapur district collector, along with superintendent of police, have decided to jointly designate a team and plan for setting up anti-hijack machinery at the Kolhapur airport.

Though the airport is not currently operational, the meeting and appointment of police officials was mandatory for security reasons. The airport has an average of 35 planes using its infrastructure every month. However, there are no scheduled flights to and from Kolhapur. There has been a pending demand from industries, educational institutes and the tourism sector for introducing a scheduled flight service.

District collector Amit Saini said, "A police inspector is already looking after airport security. However, there is special training for such security personnel and we are finalising names of senior officials to take up these responsibilities. This is being done to keep a close watch on the airport, provide security and prohibit any illegal entry to the airport. The training is elaborate and once we finalise names, we will send the police officials for training."
26/07/15 The Times Of India

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Trichy airport to get Wifi facility soon

TRICHY: As railways step up to install Wifi system in all stations, the Trichy International Airport has also come up with a similar plan. Airport authorities have sought help from government operator BSNL, for which tenders have been called.

The city airport is undergoing a complete makeover as there has been a spike in number of passengers coming from abroad, said officials. As part of the plan, authorities are introducing Wifi facility at the airport. "The proposal to introduce Wifi at the city airport is in the final stage, and DGCA has given its approval," a senior official said. The service will be similar to the ones provided at other airports in the country as well as in abroad. Passenger can use internet free of cost for the first half-and-hour and should avail a card from Internet Service Provider for further usage of the service, he added. Tenders have been called to enable the airport authorities to procure equipment required for setting up the Wifi facility, said the official. BSNL staffs have been roped in by other organizations for setting up Wifi spots at important places in the region. Thanjavur Big Temple in the delta region was marked as a hotspot, where BSNL will be jointly sharing revenue with the temple authorities.
26/07/15 The Times Of India

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Mangaluru Int.Airport becomes High Fi with Wi- Fi

Bajpe: Mangaluru International Airport gets Wi-Fi facility on Saturday. The facility was inaugurated by the CEO of BSNL, V.K.Singh.

Mr.Singh addressed the gathering and said that this would be the first step towards Digital India dream. The airport authority will extend the same to other airports too he said.
26/07/15 SeeAndSay

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When smugglers choose immigration officers

When smugglers talk about 'setting,' they mean sneaking out gold or any other contraband with the tacit understanding of the officials at the airport. Such a 'setting' had been arranged at the Karippur airport on the day CRPF personnel battled the airport staff. The flight with the carrier was diverted to Kochi when Kozhikode airport became a war-zone. The man who was carrying two kilos of gold was held by the customs officials in Kochi.

The Cochin International Airport had its own 'setting' experts. Jabin K. Bashir, the civil police officer arrested for his involvement in a smuggling racquet, was an ordinary young man at Muvattupuzha even two years ago. His friends had to collect money among themselves to help him treat his father, a ration shop owner.
26/07/15 onmanorama

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Man arrested for verbal assault of Abu Dhabi airport security

Abu Dhabi: A British man of Indian origin has been arrested after verbally assaulting Abu Dhabi International Airport security and airline personnel and for making statements offensive to the UAE after he was unable to catch his flight.

Originally coming from Heathrow Airport and heading to India, the man arrived at the UAE capital one week ago,  Criminal Investigation Department officials said.

His first flight faced some delays, which resulted in his inability to board his next flight to India. This caused the man to become agitated and to reportedly swear at an airline employee.

Authorities said that the man also refused to allow other passengers to finish their procedures, insisting that he get on the airplane after doors were closed in preparation for take off.

Witnesses said that two security officials tried to placate the man, whom police said insisted on using offensive language and making derogatory remarks directed at the UAE. Police said he also behaved arrogantly by "showing off" and waving his British passport.
26/07/15 Nada Altaher/Gulf News

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Former LTTE operative, who lost leg in Sri Lankan civil war, arrested in Tamil Nadu for acquiring fake passport

Trichy: Police arrested a former LTTE operative at Trichy International Airport while he was attempting to leave for Switzerland on a fake passport in the wee hours of Sunday.
The Trichy police arrested a native of Ramanathapuram for helping the former LTTE member get the fake passport. They were searching for a man in Chennai for helping him.
A Kumaraguru, 39, a native of North Jaffna in Sri Lanka, was apprehended by the airport police when he produced a fake passport. He was to board a Malaysia-bound flight. From Malaysia, he was to go to Switzerland, police said.
The police caught him on suspicion and interrogated him. They found that he was a former LTTE activist and had got a fake passport with the help of G Thirumurugan (30) of Thiruvadanai in Ramanathapuram district and S Mubarak (36) of Mylapore in Chennai. Thirumurugan was the member of a Tamil outfit, police said.
26/07/15 R Gokul/Times of India

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Government initiates move to cut airport charges

NEW DELHI: In a move that will reduce airfares and airlines' cost of operations, the civil aviation ministry has asked the airport regulator to follow a normative approach to decide airport charges and do away with the current costplus method, an official said.
"It was decided that the cost-plus model approach is a wrong method to decide on airport charges, as all sectors prefer normative approach over cost plus and the airport regulator has been asked to work it out within the limitations of the existing agreements of private airports like Delhi and Mumbai," said the official who was present in a meeting between officials of the ministry, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) and airlines last week.
Under cost-plus approach, the airport charges — comprising of landing and parking charges and user development fee — is determined by providing a certain return on investment to the cost of building the airport. In a normative approach the charges are fixed and does not depend on the cost of the project. Any move towards normative model will bring down airfares, too, as airlines pass on airport charges to passengers.
25/07/15 ET Bureau/The Economic Times

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Corrupt practices: Louis Berger’s airport assignments under government’s scanner

MUMBAI: Louis Berger International Inc's involvement as consultant on airport projects in Navi Mumbai and Goa has come under the government's scanner following its admission to US authorities that employees paid bribes to officials in order to win contracts in India. The company told ET that the allegations of wrongdoing only pertained to water projects in Goa and Guwahati.
The New Jersey-based construction management company admitted to violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the US Department of Justice said last week. It will pay $17.1 million as penalty for bribing officials in Indonesia, Vietnam and Kuwait, apart from India.
25/07/15 Anirban Chowdhury,ET Bureau/The Economic Times

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New Chennai Airport Arrival Hall to Miss GIM Date

CHENNAI:When investors and captains of industry from abroad arrive for the Global Investors Meet (GIM) at the end of September, they’ll have to make do with the humble old Anna International Terminal. Owing to an acute staff crunch, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has taken the decision to spruce up and refurbish the old arrival terminal as the newly constructed one could not be operationalised before the event.

“Despite their best efforts both Customs and Immigration do not have the requisite strength to begin operating from the new arrival hall,” said a senior AAI official. “This has prompted us to work on bringing the old terminal up to par so that the GIM is not affected,” he added.

Dusty and unutilised, it will take a fair amount of work to move operations there. This is something that AAI may not want to risk when such a large event is happening. From shops to eateries, scanning counters to airline operations and lounges a lot of facilities will have to be relocated in a phased manner, “There is already a lot of pressure because the Chief Secretary is in touch with the Civil Aviation Secretary and is asking for better facilities. We are doing the best that we can,” justified the official.

At least when the GIM participants fly back or take domestic trips they will get to see the fancier, newer terminals.
25/07/15 Daniel Thimmayya/The New Indian Express

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Bomb hoax: Man calls Air India at Kolkata airport, describes himself as Osama Bin Laden

A prank played by a man to his childhood friend over phone led to a bomb scare at the Air India office at the city airport early on Friday, security officials said. Air India, however, denied that anything of this sort happened.

The security officials said that at about 2 AM, a woman employee of Air India got a call from the man, a childhood friend, at her home saying a bomb has been planted in a flight of the national carrier.

On being asked who he was, the caller said, "Osama bin Laden" and the call got disconnected. The woman immediately informed the Air India security personnel in the NSCBI Airport.
24/07/15 PTI/dna

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Proposal for 2nd airport in NCR cleared, says Mahesh Sharma

New Delhi, Jul 23: In a flip flop, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today said the government has taken a decision to set up a second airport in the national capital region. The remarks are in stark contrast to his written reply to Rajya Sabha on July 21 that the Civil Aviation Ministry has not cleared any proposal to set up a second airport in NCR. Sharma, who is the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said the government has taken a decision for having a second airport in the region during a meeting last month. (Read:  Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma says norms can be found to regulate airfares)

The decision was taken at a meeting, held on June 26, which was attended by senior officials, Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman, Air India chairman and Civil Aviation Secretary, among others, he said. ”It was decided by the government on June 26 that another airport has to be set up in the national capital region in the future as Delhi airport would be choked by that time. ”On July 6, a meeting in this regard was held with the Civil Aviation Minister (Ashok Gajapathi Raju) and on July 10, an in principle decision in this regard was taken for setting up another airport in NCR,” Sharma said.
23/07/15 PTI/india

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Flyer missing, flight returns

NEW DELHI: A Colombo-bound Air India flight had to return to IGI Airport on Tuesday afternoon when the staff realized that the plane had left with the baggage of a passenger who had not boarded the flight.

According to aviation safety norms, any aircraft with "unaccompanied baggage" cannot be allowed to land at its destination. Confirming that the flight had to return to the airport, an Air India spokesman said the case is being investigated. According to procedures, the airline tries to look for the missing passenger and if he or she does not show up, their checked-in bags are taken off the plane.
23/07/15 Saurabh Sinha/The Times Of India

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Madurai airport to get 2 aerobridges by Aug 31 after safety clearance

MADURAI: The Madurai International Airport is all set to get its own aerobridges by August 31, with the study on the safety aspects to be completed soon.

Airport director, Kuldeep Singh, said that the aerobridges have already been installed and that a safety study was underway. He added that passengers are also made to participate in the safety tests. Safety is measured from their point of view also and the results of the study will be submitted to the director general of civil aviation, (DGCA) by the end of this week.

Following that, the site acceptance has to be done by the vendors as well as the engineers of the Airports Authority of India. The approval of the DGCA would take about 30 to 45 days after which the clearance would be given for opening the aerobridges for passenger traffic.

The new aerobridges would help provide easy access to the aircraft to the passengers. At present, buses transport the passengers to their respective aircrafts from the terminal. "The aerobridges are a free passenger amenity being provided by the Airports Authority of India," Singh said.
23/07/15 The Times Of India

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AAI prepares plan on night-landing facility at Juhu airport

In a development which could give a boost to use of helicopters, for example as medical ambulance, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is finally giving final touches to the draft plan to start night-landing facility at Juhu airport.
The plan will have to be okayed by the AAI headquarters before being implemented. The facility has been a long pending demand of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and private charter companies.

Juhu airport, which is considered as the oldest civil aviation airport in the country, operates only till sunset due to lack of such a facility, which is a hindrance, especially because government-owned ONGC runs its operation at High Seas using Juhu airport for its helicopters. There are several big and small private charter operators operating from there.
23/07/15 Shankar Abidi/dna

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Sharma does a U-turn, Jewar airport grounded

NEW DELHI: It's official now. The much-awaited second airport for Delhi at Greater Noida's Jewar is not going to be a reality anytime soon.

Doing a U-turn, Union minister of state for aviation Mahesh Sharma on Tuesday told Rajya Sabha that the government has not cleared any proposal to set up a second airport in the national capital. On June 26, Sharma had said that the aviation ministry had cleared the Greater Noida airport and that the proposal would be sent to the Union Cabinet for clearance.

After Sharma made this announcement, Union aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had also contradicted him earlier this month. He clearly denied any knowledge of a proposal for an airport in Greater Noida. "Please ask Mr Sharma... Anybody can give suggestion, anybody can write (to the ministry). I don't even know whether it (proposal for a new airport) should go to the Cabinet," Raju had said.
22/07/15 The Times Of India

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PMO to Take Call on Chennai Airport's PPP Plan

CHENNAI: For an airport that’s perennially in the news for the wrong reasons, the previous financial year’s balance sheet will offer some cheers: Chennai Airport posted a healthy revenue of Rs 1022.80 crore, a substantial 50% jump over the Rs 690 crore posted in 2012-13. While this coincides with the period following the opening of the newly constructed terminals, all the attention is now on whether the airport will go under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) hammer on August 1.

Express has learnt from a top source at Airports Authority of India (AAI) that the proposal has been called for by the Prime Minister’s Office - for a final decision to be taken before the end of the week. “It has already been postponed thrice this year and the PMO has asked for the file to be sent so that a final decision can be taken. From AAI’s side, the necessary proposal and the bid outline have been prepared and duly submitted for review. It is now in their hands,” said the source. An official involved with the airport’s administration in Chennai confirmed the same.
22/07/15 Daniel Thimmayya/The New Indian Express

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Hyderabad airport implements e-boarding

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here has become the first in India to successfully implement as a pilot project an end-to-end e-boarding process.

The civil aviation ministry selected the RGIA to pilot this project for a three-month duration from April.

The RGIA in collaboration with Jet Airways implemented this process. So far, more than 7,000 passengers have used this service, said a statement by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.

The unique passenger workflow designed for the e-boarding pilot not only provides an enhanced passenger experience but also ensures a high level of security.

“E-boarding reduces human interface and takes a big leap towards automation, easing the movement of passengers through the airport and reducing the waiting time at various check points within the airport. This enhances our passenger’s experience and improves the overall operational efficiency of our airport,” said GHIAL CEO S.G.K. Kishore.

A passenger who is interested in availing of the e-boarding facility does a web check-in and receives a Unique Mobile Pass and a QR Code on his/her mobile phone.
22/07/15 Can-India NEWS

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CHAOS AT AIRPORT; FLIGHT DELAYED AS PILOT ARRIVES LATE

The heavy showers in Mumbai led to chaotic scenes at the airport with four morning flights forced to abort landing at the last minute, two being diverted to Ahmedabad and Baroda, and a Kolkata flight being delayed as the pilot failed to turn up in time. Routine maintenance closure also contributed to air traffic congestion.

Passengers of Air India flight AI 675 to Kolkata spent two and a half hours in the aircraft after the pilot reportedly did not make it on time. Passenger Sameer Mathecha, 43, said, "Originally scheduled to take off at 9.30 am, the flight departed only at noon to reach Kolkata at 2.50 pm."

Agitated passengers gathered at the cockpit door demanding an explanation. "When passengers coming late are not accommodated even a minute after gate closure, how can they be held 'hostage' without a pilot turning up?" one passenger asked.
22/07/15 Mumbai Mirror

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Now, IB objects to Metro III station near ATC tower

Mumbai: Months after dna reported about airport security division of Airports Authority of India (AAI) objecting to coming up of Metro III railway station near the new ATC tower in Vile Parle, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has now raised a similar objection to it.

The Metro station's entry and exit points are dangerously close to the tower, which manages the air navigation system around Mumbai airspace.

In a security review meeting held last month, which had all stakeholders, the IB put forth its disagreement over the project design. The objections are now expected to be analysed at the highest level of ministry of civil aviation and ministry of home.
dna had reported this March how AAI, which is also a partner in the private-run city airport, recently wrote to many agencies, including operator Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), to make the required changes in the plan. "Otherwise, it could be disastrous for the safety of the new ATC tower," it wrote.
21/07/15 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Trial run of flight at Kannur airport on December 31

Thiruvananthapuram: A flight trial would be held at the under-construction international airport at Kannur on December 31 after which it would be made operational, Minister in-charge of Airports K Babu said here today.

"The trial of a flight will be held at Kannur airport on December 31 after which it will be operational. Commercial operation is expected by the middle of next year," he said.

Speaking at the fifth Annual General body Meeting of Kannur International Airport Ltd, Babu said the total cost of the airport, the second under the PPP mode, comes to around Rs 1,892 crore. Of this, a sum of Rs 892 crore was through bank loans and the balance through shares.
20/07/15 PTI/Economic Times

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Call to withdraw terms of reference for EIA

Pathanamthitta: The Aranmula Heritage Village Action Council has called upon the Union government to withdraw the terms of reference granted by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) to KGS Aranmula International Airport Limited for conducting a fresh environmental impact assessment (EIA) at Aranmula.

Inaugurating an environment protection meet at Aranmula on Sunday evening, action council chief patron Kummanam Rajashekharan has said that environment conservation was what needed at Aranmula.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Civil Aviation Department, and the Defence Ministry had opposed the idea of an airport at Aranmula and had cancelled permission granted during the previous National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre.

Mr. Rajashekharan alleged that the EAC, comprising officials appointed by the previous NDA government, had granted the terms of reference in order to protect the interests of certain Congress leaders and the airport company.
21/07/15 The Hindu

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Sawaikar inspects Dabolim airport

Vasco: Chairman of Dabolim airport advisory committee and MP of South Goa Narendra Sawaikar said that responsibility has to be fixed for the collapse of the false ceiling of the airport two days ago in which two passengers were injured.

Sawaikar made the statement after he inspected the airport especially. Airport director K S Rao was also present. Sawaikar said it was unfortunate that such an incident took place in a newly-built structure. He further said he has asked for an inquiry. Rao also concurred saying that action would be taken based on the inquiry report.
21/07/15 Times of India

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Air India to launch 3 more int’l flights to Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Buoyed by the success of its first international flight from the Biju Patnaik International Airport here on July 10, Air India has decided to start three more international flights from the city very soon after obtaining necessary approval from the Union Civil Aviation ministry, sources said.
Within just 10 days of the commencement of international flights from the city, more than 500 passengers have flown to foreign countries from Bhubaneswar, airport sources said.
Taking note of the enthusiasm of the passengers, Air India has expressed its keenness on running three more international flights—AI-873, AI-473 and AI-669— from New Delhi and Mumbai to Bhubaneswar.
21/07/15 Odisha Sun Times

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Akhilesh Yadav plans an airstrip with a VIP lounge in wife Dimple’s constituency

In yet another development project in an area associated with his family, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has now planned an airstrip with a VIP lounge in his wife Dimple Yadav’s parliamentary constituency Kannauj, which he, too, had earlier represented as a Member of Parliament. About 115 hectare of land in Rasulabad area of Kanpur Dehat district has already been identified for the project. To speed up the process, government has decided to directly purchase the land from the farmers as per its new policy rather than going in for land acquisition process. Sources inform that officials have been asked to complete the purchase and start the work as soon as possible. The land is spread across six villages of Rasulabad tehsil, which are Marhamtabad, Baranpur Kahinjari, Bhevan, Kashipur Purva and Paschim and Kashipur Madhya villages. Out of 115 hectare required for the project, about 27 hectare gram sabha land is already available with the government, while the rest about 88 hectare land has to be purchased.
Government has estimated about Rs 56 lakh per hectare rate for the purchase of land, but Divisional Commissioner, Kanpur has been authorised to finalise the actual rate with mutual consent from farmers.
21/07/15 PTI/Indian Express

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AAI, IATA join hands to train 4000 officials in Airport Mgmt

Jammu: An agreement was signed between AAI and IATA for imparting training to 4000 AAI officials for skill development in Airport Management as per Global Standards.
The agreement was signed in the presence of RK Srivastava, Chairman, AAI and Victor De Barrena, Director, ITDI, IATA by Rajesh Bhandari, Executive Director Finance, AAI and Ayaz Hussain, CFO, IATA, at IATA Headquarters, Geneva.
RK Srivastava, Chairman AAI said, “India is emerging as an important player- both as a growth market for international aviation and also a key player in the community of key global aviation powers, adding the domestic aviation growth can be orchestrated into a larger opportunity for the country. So there is a need to address the training needs of AAI officials and to invest in creating and expanding its pool of airport and air navigational services professionals who are well versed with the critical global aviation issues such as operations, safety, laws, economics and climate change, among others”.
21/07/15 Daily Excelsior

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Flights from Nashik to Pune, Surat from August 3

Nashik:  Despite seaplane service operator MEHAIR's inability to sustain the service between Nashik and Pune, the district's air connectivity is slowly taking wings. Shrinivas Airlines, which started its Mumbai-Nashik-Mumbai flights from July 13, on Monday announced the commencement of Nashik-Pune and Nashik-Surat return flights from August 3.

Earlier, the company had decided to commence air service from Nashik to Pune and Surat from Wednesday (July 22), but deferred it due to some technical reasons. The company started the Mumbai-Nashik-Mumbai service from July 13 with two flights daily from Monday to Saturday from Ozar airport terminal.

Speaking to TOI, managing director of Shrinivas Airlines Ganesh Nibe said, "We have finalised dates for Nashik-Pune and Nashik-Surat flights from August 3. The 10-seater plane will take off for Pune in the morning. It will take off for Surat after 1pm. We have also started bookings for both the flights. The air fare for Pune will be Rs 5,500 per person, while it will be Rs 6,000 for Surat."
21/07/15 Tushar Pawar/Times of India

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Rath rush prompts airports to ask for more flights

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Patnaik International Airport authorities would request Air India to use two more feeder flights for international operations, encouraged by the overseas passengers during the ongoing Nabakalebara Rath Yatra festival.

The authorities want to start one flight from here to Mumbai and the other to Delhi. There is already one Air India flight taking international passengers to the national capital.

"In three days from July 17 to 19, the average number of incoming and outgoing overseas passengers is 50. It is higher than the first days' international operation (July 10) when 38 overseas passengers boarded a flight from here. Between July 11 and 16, the overseas passengers' number was 20-25," said Air India station manager Tapas Kumar Ray, adding that on July 26 and 27 they expect similar bookings as tourists would come for Bahuda Yatra and Suna Besha.
21/07/15 Riyan Ramanath V/Times of India

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Wait for new airport terminal in Mohali continues

Though there is still no official confirmation on the date for inaugurating the new international terminal in Mohali, the airport is expected to take another three weeks to be operational.
There is a lot of work to be done at the airport still. This includes deployment of CISF officials, formal handing-over of the airport from Larsen & Toubro to AAI and setting up aviation turbine fuel tanks.
Speaking to Newsline, Suneel Dutt, chief executive officer, Chandigarh International Airport, said the construction of the terminal building has been completed, but flight services cannot be availed by public immediately.
“The land for setting up aviation turbine fuel tanks that has been allotted to Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum is not completed. The deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force at the airport awaits formal sanction from the Centre. Also, the formal handing-over of the terminal Larsen & Toubro (the company which has constructed the terminal) to Airport Authority of India will take a few days as they are conducting final trial runs of the airport,” Dutt said.
He added that these issues will take at least another three weeks for completion and consequently, the airport can then be fully operational upon their completion.
21/07/15 Kartik Kumar/The Indian Express

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Only 1 incident of offloading at Leh airport in last 1 year: Government

NEW DELHI: Some passengers of the flight from Leh to Delhi, in which Union Minister Kiren Rijiju was accommodated, could not be informed of flight preponement resulting in their delayed arrival at the airport, the government said today.

The incident, involving an Air India flight, that happened on June 23, had created a huge political controversy.
The flight was apparently delayed by about an hour and three members of a family were offloaded from the plane to accommodate Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Rijiju, his aide and, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh.

In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said there has been only one incident of offloading occurred at Leh airport in the last one year.
21/07/15 PTI/The Economic Times

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No proposal cleared for 2nd airport in national capital: Govt

In a U-turn, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today said the government has not cleared any proposal to set up a second airport in the national capital, less than a month after saying that Civil Aviation Ministry has approved a second airport in the national capital region.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Sharma -- Minister of State for Civil Aviation -- responded in the negative to a query on whether the government has cleared a proposal for setting up a second airport in the national capital.

To another question on whether it is a fact that the Ministry has taken a decision, in the last month of June, for development of Jewar airport in Noida, he said "no".

On June 26, Sharma had said the Ministry has cleared a proposal for a second airport in the national capital region to ease the burden on the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
21/07/15 PTI/Business Standard

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10 Visibility Measuring Devices Installed at Delhi Airport

NEW DELHI:  The Delhi Airport has installed 10 indigenous visibility measuring devices - 'Drishti' - on its three runways to ensure safe landing and take-off of aircraft in poor visibility conditions.

Developed by Bengaluru-based CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), 'Drishti' will be used for reporting runway visual range, which is a critical parameter for safe landing and take-off in poor visibility (25 to 2,000 meters).

"Drishti Transmissometers have been installed at this airport recently, as part of the first-phase installation of 20 such systems in 10 airports across the country.

"The CAT III B IGI (ndira Gandhi International) Airport, New Delhi, is now the first airport in the country to have 10 indigenous systems operating in all its three runways," said a statement from the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Earlier, CSIR-NAL and India Meteorological Department (IMD) signed a partnership agreement to jointly execute a mega project for installation of nearly 70 Drishti systems, at various airports of the country.
21/07/15 PTI/NDTV

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Mumbai: Multi-level parking coming up at domestic terminal

A multi-level car parking (MLCP) facility seems to be the solution to the potential bomb threat to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower at the domestic terminal of the city’s airport. A day after mid-day reported how the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had warned the city airport officials that the car parking at the domestic terminal was too close to the ATC tower, officials told this correspondent that a new mega car park facility is being built and would be ready within a few months. mid-day had reported in its front page story yesterday that the AAI had expressed grave concerns over how the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) was handling security issues near the domestic terminal.

A reply to a Right To Information (RTI) query had revealed AAI’s stern warning that the car parking near the domestic terminal was only 10-15 metres away from the ATC tower, a clear violation of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) norms, which state that any car parking had to be at least 100 metres away from a terminal building. View of the car park at the domestic airport from the Air Traffic Control tower. File pic AAI, in its letter, had also told the airport operator that the car park, which surrounds the ATC complex on three sides, had exposed a vital installation like the ATC tower to a bomb threat, since any subversive forces could plant an explosive in a vehicle parked in the parking lot.
21/07/15 NYOOOZ

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Babu: Kannur Airport to be Operational by Next May

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kannur International Airport will be operational on commercial basis from May 2016,   Excise Minister K Babu said here on Monday.

He was presiding the fifth annual general body meeting of the share holders. “On experimental basis, the first plane will land in the airport on December 31, this year,” he said.

An MoU has been signed with Airport Authority of India for investment worth Rs  100 crore in this regard. “Rs  50 crore has already been received. We expect the rest soon,” the minister said.

The minister informed that 57 per cent of the runway work of the airport has been completed. “Besides 36 per cent of the passenger terminal building has already been completed.

For the CNS/ATM service for the international airport, another MoU has been signed with Airport Authority of India and permissions to build the airport have been garnered from them,” he pointed out.
21/07/15 Express News Service/The New Indian Express

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Broken wall poses threat to Odisha’s Biju Patnaik Airport

Bhubaneswar: Even as the Biju Patnaik International Airport authorities pride themselves on the recently launched ‘international’ air operations from the airport, they have closed their eyes to the safety and security aspects. The proof: a broken wall has been lying unrepaired for more than a month allowing foxes and jackals to sneak in.

The wall that collapsed in the third week of June due to monsoon rains had been blocked by bamboos and tin sheets. The temporary arrangement, however, did not last long. The tin sheets fell off as the roots of the bamboos got damaged.

This has created gaps wide enough for wild animals like foxes and jackals to get inside the airport.

Three days after the wall collapsed, a jackal was rescued from the airport and was sent to the Nandankanan zoo. In another incident yesterday, two foxes were seen roaming around the runway while a private place was landing. They escaped the authorities who tried to catch them.
20/07/15 Odisha Sun Times

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Smugglers, Drug Mafia Flock to South

Kochi:  If the current crime trend is any indication, Kochi is turning into the new heaven for smugglers and drug traffickers, with enforcement agencies struggling to contain smuggling of gold, ivory and artifacts; rave parties and wildlife poaching.

Speaking to ‘Express,’ a senior Customs official who is investigating the recent  gold smuggling cases, said the Cochin airport would be the first airport in the country where airport staff and Immigration officials colluded with gold smugglers in their operation. The Customs Department has recently unearthed a racket that smuggled around 2,000 kg of gold through the airport.   What is more worrying is that even after the arrest of 33 persons, including the kingpin of a racket, and seizure of a large quantity of gold, the smugglers are still looking for new routes to illegally slip gold into the State.

 The Customs House, Kochi, has registered the highest number of gold smuggling cases in the State - 122 and 131 cases in the latest two fiscal years, respectively.   When it comes to wildlife poaching and illegal transportation and trade of ivory artifacts, the Forest Department officials have arrested 19 persons so far this year, including three poachers who were responsible for killing around 20 wild elephants. The others were either middlemen or artisans who make artworks out of tusks of elephants, mainly poached from forests in central Kerala.
21/07/15 Dhinesh Kallungal/New Indian Express

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Car park near ATC tower poses bomb threat: Airports Authority of India

Mumbai: Airports Authority of India (AAI) has pulled up authorities at the city airport for their lax security measures and not following safety norms laid down by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.
A Right to Information (RTI) request filed by an activist has revealed that the AAI has warned the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) that the car park at the domestic terminal is too close to the the vital Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, and poses a bomb threat to it.
The information came to the fore after RTI activist Vishwas Bhamburkar filed an RTI application and received a reply last week. According to a November 3 letter, written by AAI’s Joint General Manager (Security) S K Malik, an inspection of the airport was carried out on October 10 last year, which revealed that the ATC complex is separated by a boundary wall which is only 10-15 metres from the car park at the domestic terminal.
Malik told the airport authorities that, as per BCAS norms, a parking area should be at least 100 metres from the terminal building. His letter also points out that the car park surrounds the ATC complex on three sides and the entrance has too many two-wheelers parked.
20/07/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

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Fliers let down by limited international flights at Amritsar airport

Amritsar: Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s demand for resumption of international flights from Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, Amritsar, to facilitate Punjabi diaspora has found support in the region.
The area residents feel that the airport has been meted out a raw deal and a number of key international flights were either withdrawn or discontinued over the last one decade.
The airport, which boasts of an impressive infrastructure, has witnessed withdrawal of various international flights in the past.
Air India had sprung a surprise by discontinuing its Amritsar-Birmingham-Toronto flight, which was termed by many as the most successful flight in the national carrier’s history. The flight, which used to register over 90 per cent occupancy, was withdrawn on October 31, 2010.
British Midland International pulled out its Amritsar-Almaty-London flight in October 2012. Prior to it, Air India had suspended its Amritsar-Toronto flight. Singapore Airlines had launched thrice a week Amritsar-Singapore flight on October 1, 2004. The service was discontinued in 2009.
Later, Jet Airways launched its Amritsar-London flight only to withdraw it after some time. All these flights facilitated a crucial air link to NRIs from Punjab, a majority of who live in the US, UK and Canada.
At present Turkmenistan (Tashkent), Uzbekistan (Ashgabat), Qatar (Doha) and Air India Express (Dubai) are the only international flights available from Amritsar airport.
19/07/15 Tribune India

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Man buys AI ticket to be with lover at airport

Ahmedabad: A man booked a ticket to Mumbai only to stay 'grounded' with his girlfriend. This amusing love story unfolded in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport and was the talking point among other fliers. The man, around 28 years of age, bought an Air India flight ticket to Mumbai so that he could enter the boarding lounge and spend three hours with his girlfriend who was flying to Dubai.

The incident took place on Saturday night. The love-struck gentleman had with him an Ahmedabad-Mumbai Air India ticket for the 4 am flight while the girl had a ticket of Emirates EK 539 flight to Dubai, scheduled for departure at 4.25 am. But he never intended to fly. "Around 3.30 am, Air India ground staff approached the man and asked him to board the flight, saying he will miss it otherwise. So, he told them that he would board in 15 minutes and asked them to leave. When he did not, the officials again approached him. This time, he told them that he did not intend to board the flight," said a source.

"A senior official too came up to him. When asked repeatedly to board the flight, the man got annoyed and told the officials that he had come to the airport only to see off his girlfriend. He was taken to Air India office and made to wait there. Security personnel questioned him and after nothing suspicious was found from him, he was allowed to leave.." the source added.
20/07/15  Hemington James/Ahmedabad Mirror

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Hindus welcome “Yoga Room” launch at Sioux Falls Airport

Nevada: Hindus have applauded launching of “Yoga Room” at South Dakota’s largest Sioux Falls Regional Airport (SFRA), calling it a “step in the positive direction”.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Burlington International Airport Vermont and Chicago Midway International Airport —all in USA, and Helsinki Airport in Finland, already offer yoga facilities.

Recently opened “Yoga Room” at SFRA, in partnership with CPMFITness, carries yoga mats and a chart showing yoga poses which even the inexperienced passengers can follow and practice, reports suggest. SFRA Facebook post says: Passengers using Sioux Falls Regional Airport can now squeeze in some yoga.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, urged all US airports and top world airports—Singapore Changi, Incheon (South Korea) International, Amsterdam Schiphol, Hong Kong International, Beijing Capital International, Munich, Zurich, Vancouver International, Tokyo (Haneda) International, London Heathrow—to provide yoga facilities for the passengers if they wanted to help reduce their stress levels and be “world-class” airports.
20/07/15 Punjab Express

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Protest brewing against shifting of domestic terminal

Thiruvananthapuram: The airport action council has decided to launch intense agitation against shifting of the domestic terminal from Shanghumugham to Chackai. As part of the agitation people of Valiyathura, Shanghumugham, Vallakadavu and Vayyamoola will take out an assembly march on July 27.

A convention called by the action council protested against breaking the promises given by chief minister Oommen Chandy on this issue. The action council members had met the chief minister, health minister V S Sivakumar and MP Shashi Tharoor for discussing the issue. The CM had assured the action council members to have a high-level meeting to discuss the issue on July 15 which was postponed in the last minute.

The action council members alleged that the very same day all the Air India flights started operating from the Chackai terminal without giving any reason. The action council formed under the leadership of Latin Catholic Church has been now supported by the Vallakadavu-Vayyamoola action council which is protesting against the extension of airport runway. They are protesting against the land acquisition as they allege that many families in the area will lose their properties.
20/07/15 Times of India

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After Mishap, Aerobridges to Get Additional Sensors

Chennai: Aerobridges at the city airport may soon have additional sensors installed on them that will auto cut off docking procedures if the operator is going too fast.

This was among the measures discussed at a stakeholders consultation held in the wake of last week’s incident — where a GoAir plane had a hole knocked into its fuselage by a careless aerobridge operator. “We have asked the aerobridge provider Bukaka, from Indonesia, to examine whether an additional sensor can be put into each and every one of our aerobridges to avoid an incident of this sort in the future,” said Chennai Airport Director Captain Deepak Shastri.

After the incident, the plane was repaired and cleared for flight last Sunday. Meanwhile, the aerobridge operator involved in the incident has been de-rostered and all the others have been asked to undertake additional training to avoid such mishaps. “What we are looking at now is to take inputs from every single stakeholder — from the operators on the tarmac to  the airlines — to evolve a modern Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that will give greater clarity on how to dock and undock an aerobridge after the plane arrives,” he added.
20/07/15 New Indian Express

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Indigenous visibility measuring system Drishti installed at Delhi airport

New Delhi: An indigenous visibility measuring system Drishti, designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), Bangalore, has been made fully operational at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.

The sophisiticated instruments in the system as used for reporting the runway visual range, which is a critical parameter for safe landing and take-off of aircraft in poor visibility conditions (<25 to="">2000 meters), an official press release siad.

Drishti Transmissometers have been installed at the airport as a part of the first phase installation of 20 such systems in 10 airports across the country.

The CAT III B IGIA is now the first airport in the country to have 10 indigenous systems operating on all its three runways.
20/07/15 Net Indian

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Two CIAL hydel stations to be ready by next year

Kochi: Riding on the back of its stated objective to become power neutral by 2016, at least two of the eight small hydroelectric power stations to be set up by CIAL Infrastructure — a subsidiary of the Cochin International Airport Limited — are set to become operational by May next year.

Land acquisition for the two projects, coming up at Kakkadam Poyil (21 MW) and Kokkamkallu (2MW) in Kozhikode district, are already under way. “The agency is now working on a schedule to generate power from these two projects alongside the launch of the upcoming international terminal at CIAL, expected in May 2016,” official sources said.

With the opening of the new international terminal, the daily power requirement of CIAL is expected to go up to 1.1 lakh units from the present 50,000 units. The power to be generated from these projects will be fed to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) power grid.
20/07/15 Hiran Unnikrishnan/The Hindu

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Chennai team to repair broken airport ceiling of Goa airport

Panaji: Work began in full swing to repair the damaged portion of the false ceiling at the Goa International Airport, Dabolim, with Consolidated Construction Consortium, the company that designed and built the new terminal also undertaking an inspection of the entire false ceiling, airport director Srinivasa Rao said. "Work began this morning and we are determined to see that it won`t happen again," Rao said. On Saturday, nearly 80 feet of false ceiling, reportedly perforated metal, collapsed in the security hold area, injuring two passengers. A team of consultants from Consolidated Construction Consortium, including one of the directors, flew in from Chennai to inspect the damage and oversee the repair works, Rao said.
20/07/15 Nyooz

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