GMR bags ‘Gold’ in America’s PR World Awards 2018 for Delhi airport campaign

GMR Group has won ‘Gold’ at PR World Awards 2018 for the PR campaign undertaken by its corporate communication team on the reopening of Terminal 2 (T2) of Delhi Airport’. The communications team adopted multi-pronged strategy through traditional media and social media to communicate with millions of passengers to and from Delhi Airport. The Ministry of Civil Aviation was also roped in to iron out differences and enable shifting of operations by three of India’s leading low cost carriers to T2.

The coveted annual PR World Awards program recognizes the world's best public relations, marketing, corporate communications, investor relations, and business development professionals, teams and departments. Organizations from all over the world are eligible to submit nominations.

More than 80 judges drawn from a broad spectrum of industries from around the world evaluated the campaigns tod decide the 2018 winners.

The Winners will be honoured in San Francisco on July 30, 2018 during the annual SVUS Red Carpet Awards Ceremony Dinner in San Francisco. The ceremony will be attended by the finalists, winners, judges and industry peers.

On the achievement, Mr. G. M. Rao, Group Chairman, GMR Group said, “It is an honour to be named a Gold winner by PR World Awards in this esteemed industry and to be eligible for the peer recognition. This award is a testament to GMR Group’s commitment in providing world-class services through reopening of Terminal 2 of IGI Airport for domestic passengers. Delhi International Airport Ltd will continue to enhance passengers experience by providing unique services every time they visit the airport.”

The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Delhi, has climbed to ‘The World’s No. 1 Airport’ position from 101st rank, since GMR Group took over operations in 2006. The airport has consistently moved up in rakings and won awards in various categories of service quality and passenger experience. Recently, IGI Airport reclaimed ‘The World’s No. 1 Airport’ award by Airport Council International in the highest category- airports that cater to more than 40 million passengers per annum.

The GMR Group has spent Rs 100 crore to double the capacity of the Terminal-2 to 12 million passengers. The T2 now provides seamless experience to flyers including adequate check-in counters, X-ray machines, baggage reclaim belts and aerobridges & parking bays for aircraft.

The award winning campaign included press releases issued to the media, social media campaigns with #T2Reopens and #WelcomeToT2 contests, flyers posted on Facebook and Twitter, teasers in social media showing progress of work at T2, video of DIAL CEO Mr. I. Prabhakara Rao welcoming the passengers to T2 along with a separate sneak peek video of the revamped T2.

The inauguration of T2 received mostly positive coverage in mainline, financial, regional and online media. The social media campaigns also generated more than 100 million impressions with 100% positive sentiments from Delhi Airport followers.
11/07/18 Press Release

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Nagpur International airport: 5 companies qualify for final round of bidding

Mumbai: Essel Infraprojects, GMR, GVK, PNC Infratech and a consortium of Tata Realty and Tata Projects have qualified for the final stage of bidding for the construction of the second runway at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport at Nagpur.
The five bidders were selected after the first round or request for qualification (RFQ) from a group of six applicants by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), the operator of the airport, which is overseeing the expansion plan.
The airport currently has only one runway which is just over 3 km long and 30 metre wide. The plan is to construct a brand new parallel runway that will be 4.5 km long and 60 metre wide. Suresh Kakani, VC and MD, MADC said: “We would like the largest aircraft to land here.”
Besides the runway, the winning bidder will have to construct a taxiway that can be used to evacuate aircraft to the two upcoming maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities. The airport currently has one MRO, run by Air India. IndaMer Aviation and Reliance are expected to come up with their MROs shortly.
31/07/17 Rouhan Sharma/Indian Express

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MADC selects five bidders for final round for Nagpur airport runway project

Five bidders have been selected by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) from a group of six applicants for the construction of the second runway at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport at Nagpur.

The five companies that qualified for the final stage of bidding are Essel Infraprojects, GMR, GVK, PNC Infratech and a consortium of Tata Realty and Tata Projects.

MADC is the operator of the airport, which is overseeing the expansion plan.

Currently, the airport has only one runway which is just over 3 km long and 30 metres wide. The bid is for the construction of a brand new parallel runway that will be 4.5 km long and 60 metres wide.

Apart from this plan, the winning company will have to construct a taxiway that can be used to evacuate aircraft to the two soon-to-be-ready maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities.
31/07/17 Dalal Street Investment Journal

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AAI seeks change in flight schedule

Pune: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) wants Air Deccan, set to start operations from Solapur, to change its Mumbai flight schedule to daytime.
This comes ahead of the second round of bidding for the unserved and under-served airports and airstrips as part of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) in August.
"The Air Deccan from Solapur to Mumbai is scheduled ar 5:30pm. The 70-seater flight will reach Solapur at 4:35pm from the first week of September. Many people, particularly from the business community, in Solapur have been seeking a change in the timing. They say the timing will not be beneficial for their businesses. The AAI has got several letters. We will hold a discussion with Air Deccan in August and request them to change the schedule," Solapur airport director Santosh Kaulke told TOI.
31/07/17 Jpy Sengupta/Times of India

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Minor stir by loaders at Dabolim airport

Vasco: About 90 loaders working for a private agency at the airport decided to go on a sudden strike on Sunday following a dispute over payment and other issues. The strike was called off after the Dabolim airport police intervened into the matter.
The company caters to Oman Airways, Qatar Airways and Vistara Airlines.
After the dispute was sorted out, PSI Jatin Potdar attached to Dabolim police station warned the loaders against organizing protests in the airport.
31/07/17 Times of India

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BMC awaits central nod for aeronautical survey

Mumbai: The BMC wants to carry out an aeronautical survey of the city's airspace to get clarity on the maximum height buildings can have in various parts of the city so that they may not be hindrances in flight paths during emergencies. The proposal for the survey has been pending with the central government for a year.
Building heights became a controversial issue recently after the civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), ordered about 70 buildings in Vile Parle, Santacruz and Ghatkopar to reduce their height within 60 days. Some of these buildings are over 50 years old, and are now being considered as flight path obstacles.
The BMC told the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the state government about the survey in a meeting held last August, stating that the civic body will bear the project cost of around Rs 300 crore.
The BMC said that the study will help bring transparency and speed up the building construction permission process.
The AAI has colour-coded zone mapping for the city, which indicates the approximate heights buildings can go up to without AAI approval. If a developer wants to go beyond that limit, he needs a noobjection certificate (NOC) from the AAI. There is no standard format in the public domain, and AAI experts study individual proposals before issuing an NOC.
"The fact is," said a senior BMC engineer, "that most of the buildings go beyond the height mentioned in the AAI's colourcoded map".
The BMC says it cannot directly appoint an international consultant, and must depend on the state government to pursue the matter of the survey with the central government. An official said the MMRDA has already received permission to conduct an aeronautical survey for two specific areas in the city—BKC and Wadala— where the MMRDA is the planning authority. The aim is to utilize the maximum height available in those areas for upcoming buildings, of course, also adhering with Development Plan specifications.
31/07/17 Vijay V Singh/Times of India

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Biometric access control system at airport

Thiruvananthapuram: The security system at Trivandrum International Airport will be improved with the introduction of bio-metric access control system for employees. The Aadhaar enabled system will be functional from August 1.
Once the system is in place, authorized persons can enter the airport only by stamping the thump impression in the device for the control system. The system will ensure more security in the airport, especially in the sensitive zone.
The project is being implemented at Rs 33.23 crore in 72 airports across the country by Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Airport Authority of India for airport officials, airport staff, airline crew, engineers and security personnel. A study was conducted by BCAS and AAI prior to the installation.
Initially, the facility will be available for airport officials and staff. The airline crew and other airport staff have to enter the airport with airport entry permits (AEPs).
"Our passes had expired in 2016, when it was planned to introduce the bio-metric access system. And a temporary pass with validity for one year was given for access to airport," said a staff at Airport.
The device for the control system have been installed at entrance and exit gates in both terminals, cargo area and nearly ten other sensitive spots in the airport. A trial run was conducted for two months at the airport.
30/07/17 Times of India

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Kishangarh Airport to be commissioned by August, says AAI

Rajasthan: In yet another achievement for the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Kishangarh airport in Rajasthan is likely to be operational by next month. AAI officials believe the new airport will cater to tourists who visit Ajmer on regular basis.
Sudhir Raheja, Member (Planning) of the AAI, said, “Hostile to smile was the motto we were working on. Eventually, we won the trust of the people and were helped by the people and state government, and today, this airport is ready. Licensing work is underway and I expect that airport will be commissioned in August.
AK Pathak, Executive Director of the AAI, said, Kishangarh Airport is one of the very important airports in the Rajasthan region. Ultimately, “Kishangarh Airport will feed our Ajmer Sharif as this carries religious value and lot of domestic as well as international tourists visit Ajmer every year. It will also serve the large marble business community.”
31/07/17 ANI/Indian Express

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BIAL reconstitutes board, to fast-track airport expansion

Bengaluru: Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), which reconstituted its board after Fairfax India Holdings Corporation acquired a 48 per cent stake in the company, has vowed to fast-track airport expansion project.

BIAL had on Thursday announced the induction of new members to its board of directors. They include Marcel Hungerbuehler (former CEO of BIAL from November 2008 to February 2011) and Hari Marar.

Harsha Raghavan will take over as Managing Director, while Marar will be Executive Director and President.

Reconstitution of the BIAL board follows the acquisition of GVK’s residual, 10 per cent, stake in BIAL by FIH Mauritius Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fairfax India Holdings Corporation. The board, under the stewardship of the Chairman Subhash Chandra Khuntia, the Karnataka Chief Secretary, will work towards speedy implementation of crucial capacity-expansion projects.
30/07/17 Business Line

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Jammu Airport to get modernised terminal building by Aug

The Jammu Airport is set to offer a world-class experience to passengers with an expanded and modernised terminal along with aerobridges that will be completed by the end of this year.

"The ongoing project of Terminal building expansion is in its final phase and likely to be completed by the end of August," Airport Authority of India (AAI) Director D K Gautam said today.

Gautam said the Jammu Airport is being considered to be "hypersensitive" with several security restrictions besides by space constraint.

Execution of the massive expansion work without any flight disruptions and minimum inconvenience to the passengers is a major achievement for AAI, he said.

"Of the Rs 80 crore project, the complete departure hall at ground floor is now completed and will be open to passenger traffic by mid August. The first floor is be likely to be completed the same month," Gautam said.

The three aerobridges under construction are expected to be completed by September-end and will be commissioned by mid November, he added.
30/07/17 PTI/DNA

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Jammu airport to get modern terminal building with aerobridges by August, says AAI

Jammu: The Jammu airport is set to offer a world-class experience to passengers with an expanded and modernised terminal along with aerobridges that will be completed by the end of this year.

"The ongoing project of Terminal building expansion is in its final phase and likely to be completed by the end of August," Airport Authority of India (AAI) Director DK Gautam said on Sunday.

Gautam said the Jammu airport is being considered to be "hypersensitive" with several security restrictions besides by space constraint.

Execution of the massive expansion work without any flight disruptions and minimum inconvenience to the passengers is a major achievement for AAI, he said.

"Of the Rs 80 crore project, the complete departure hall at ground floor is now completed and will be open to passenger traffic by mid August. The first floor is be likely to be completed the same month," Gautam said.
30/07/17 PTI/First Post

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Bullets found in cop’s bag at airport

Bhopal: A passenger sent security personnel at Raja Bhoj airport aflutter on Saturday when four bullets were detected in his luggage just before he was to board a flight to Mumbai. Turned out, he was a police officer.
Airport security handed him to Gandhi Nagar police, who let him go rather than register a case, saying it was negligence and not a crime.
The officer, Anil Bamaniya, is posted as a traffic inspector in Rajgarh district. Police said four bullets — two each of 9mm and 5.56mm (Insas rifle ammo) — were found in his bag. When questioned by CISF personnel, the inspector identified himself and said he forgot he had the bullets in his bag. He tried to argue that bullets of this calibre are issued only to law enforcement, but airport security would have none of it and handed him to police.
30/07/17 Times of India

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Indian body repatriation rules cause confusion again

Abu Dhabi: While the controversy on the repatriation procedures of mortal remains to India continues, two divergent positions have emerged on the issue from two different quarters of the Indian government.
As Gulf News reported on July 10, a circular issued by the airport health officer at Calicut Airport in Kerala recently tightened the repatriation procedures by asking for submission of all documents such as death certificates 48 hours before the arrival of the body.

This led to an uproar from Indian expatriates, mostly from the South Indian state of Kerala.
Social workers had said such conditions would cause at least two more days of delay in repatriation of the body and that had prompted the airport health officer later to reassure that the status quo would prevail.
Meanwhile, a senior parliamentarian told Gulf News on Thursday that the central government had assured him that the documents related to the repatriation could be submitted to the destination airport even 30 minutes prior to the departure of the aircraft carrying the body.
In a letter dated July 21, a copy of which is with Gulf News, issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi to N.K. Premachandran, Member of Parliament (MP) of Kollam constituency in Kerala, it was stated that the matter was taken up with the airport director at Calicut International Airport.

The assistant solicitor-general representing the Indian Government told the court that new rules are being framed, which would stipulate getting approval of the airport health officer 12 hours before bringing the body to India.
28/07/17 Binsal Abdul Kader/Gulf News

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Shortage of CISF men may hit Singapore flight plan

Shortage of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel is likely to affect night flight operations at Madurai international airport, particularly Air India's proposed flight to Singapore. In fact, representatives of industrial bodies in the city have warned that the shortage of security personnel may hit the development of the airport in the long run too.
Airport sources say that the present strength of CISF in Madurai airport is only around 140. At present, CISF, which is entrusted with the security of the airport, has two operational shifts with the second shift ending by 10 pm. However, there would be minimal strength providing security to the terminal. This was not adequate for night shifts which involve covering the operational area of the airport.
As the proposed Singapore flight is expected to arrive in Madurai from Delhi after 10 pm it will take another 45 minutes to depart. A reply from the CISF on increasing its strength is still pending. However, sources from the Airport Authority of India have expressed confidence that the nod will come soon.
28/07/17 Times of India

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Pondicherry, India to resume commercial flights

SpiceJet will launch flights from Pondicherry on August 16, marking the airport's first commercial operations for at least a year. SpiceJet's flights will be operated under India's regional connectivity scheme – known as UDAN – and will operate 1x daily to Hyderabad Int'l aboard Dash 8-400 aircraft, reports The Hindu.

Although SpiceJet has not applied for viability gap funding for its UDAN flights, it has been offered substantial discounts for its Pondicherry operations, including free water, electricity and security services and reduced VAT on jet fuel, reports the New Indian Express. The airline previously operated a Pondicherry-Bangalore Int'l service which was forced to end in January 2014 as it was unsustainable. Alliance Air (India) (9I, Mumbai Int'l) also tried its luck at Pondicherry in 2015, lasting just six months before cancelling services.
29/07/17 ch-aviation

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Bengaluru airport operator BIAL appoints two new directors

New Delhi: Bengaluru international airport operator BIAL today said it has appointed two new directors on the board, close on the heels of GVK group exiting the venture.
Canadian NRI businessman Prem Watsas Fairfax group now has around 48 per cent stake in Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL).
At its board meeting today, the company appointed Marcel Hungerbuehler and Hari Marar as new members. Hungerbuehler had served as CEO of BIAL from November 2008 to February 2011. "Reconstitution of the BIAL board of directors follows the acquisition of the residual 10 per cent stake of GVK in BIAL by FIH Mauritius Investments Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fairfax India Holdings Corporation," according to a release. Harsha Raghavan would take over as the managing director of BIAL while Marar would be executive director and president. The board is chaired by Karnataka governments chief secretary Subhash Chandra Khuntia. According to the release, Hungerbuehler and Marar would spearhead the establishment of the Fairfax Centre of Aviation Excellence at the airport.
28/07/17 PTI/India Today

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Ghodawat group to start air service from Belagavi

Kolhapur:  The Ghodawat group here is planning to start air services from Sambara airport in Belagavi, around 120km from here, under the name Star Service from January next year.
Initially, services will be provided to Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Tirupati. Special arrangements will be made for passengers from Kolhapur to go to Sambara airport, said city-based industrialist Sanjay Ghodawat.
"We have completed the formalities as per the guidelines of the aviation ministry. Some legal process are pending and will be completed within six months,"Ghodawat said.
The group has recently signed an agreement to buy two 50-seater aircraft for the service.
"At the initial level, our aim is to connect with major cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Gradually, we will connect with other major cities. This will help develop the district's education, industrial and tourism sector," said Ghodawat.
28/07/17 Times of India

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ATC tower, tech block construction to start soon

Kolkata: The construction of an air traffic control tower (ATC) and a technical block, that was designed for the Kolkata airport by a French architecture firm a decade ago, is finally set to begin after monsoon with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) issuing the work order to Rama Construction Pvt Ltd.
Controllers — who have been calling for a modern and spacious workplace — are, however, far from enthused as their hopes of an iconic, cloud-kisser have been dashed. Instead, a stunted tower, half the size they had yearned for, has been approved at a cost of Rs 458 crore. While the construction will be completed in three years, the tower will be functional by mid-2021.
The tower and technical block had been designed alongside the integrated terminal by international architect firm Aeroport de Paris SA in 2007-08. Initially, the construction of both projects were scheduled in succession, first the terminal and then the tower. But the latter was held up for four years as AAI debated the design and height. Initially proposed at 86m, controllers had lobbied for a 112m structure that would be AAI's showpiece. But the approved tower is 57.9m, way shorter than the ATC towers at Delhi (102m) and Mumbai (83.8m).
28/07/17 Times of India

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Centre's nod to Rajkot international airport: Government

New Delhi: The Centre has given its approval for setting up of a new international airport at Rajkot in Gujarat, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

"Site clearance approval (was granted) to the government of Gujarat for setting up of Rajkot International Greenfield Airport at Hirasar, District Rajkot, Gujarat in May, 2017," Minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha said in a written reply.

The Ministry grants clearances in two stages, i.e. "site clearance" followed by an "in-principle approval", he said.

Last year, the government had given in-principle approval to Dholera International Airport Company Limited (DIACL) for setting up a new greenfield airport near Navagam village in Ahmedabad.
27/07/17 PTI/Economic Times

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Government to offer only 20 airports in second round of RCS bidding

New Delhi: The government is likely to offer only 20 airports in the second round of the bidding for flights under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS), Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said today.

In the first round, in which five air operators including government-run Air India and budget carrier SpiceJetBSE 0.70 % got permission to fly on 128 routes, there were 33 airports in the bid offer.

The second round of bidding for RCS routes is expected to take place by August end.

Taking both rounds together, the present government has put into public use 53 airports in the last three years, whereas only 76 airports could be added in 70 years, Choubey said at a conference organised by airlines passengers body, Air Passengers Association of India (APAI).
According to an APAI release, the secretary said that there will be two major changes applicable in the case of North Eastern region and island states, such as Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, among others in the next round of bidding.
27/07/17 PTI/Economic Times

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Mayor humiliated at airport, Deputy Commissioner cites security audit

Hubballi:  Mayor D K Chavan was “humiliated” again at the airport here on Thursday. He was allegedly denied entry into the airport tarmac to receive Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who landed in the city on his way to Haveri to attend some programmes.

According to the protocol, the mayor, who is also the first citizen of the city, has to receive the VIPs. But, he was allegedly not allowed to enter the airport.

Chavan alleged that Police Commissioner Pandurang Rane and Deputy Commissioner S B Bommanhalli did not allow him to go inside the airport.

The mayor, who wandered at the airport lounge following denial of entry, went to the media persons, who were waiting outside the lounge for the arrival of the chief ministers, and expressed his dissatisfaction.

He said: “Both the officers did not allow me to greet the Chief Minister according to the protocol. The Congress workers were allowed and the mayor was not allowed. The officials are working according to the direction of District Minister Vinay Kulkarni. I will write a letter to the government condemning the incident. This is the third time such an incident happened to me in the same location.”
28/07/17 New Indian Express

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PTI fires photographer after Smriti Irani tweets about wrong image used for Ahmedabad’s airport

The Press Trust of India on Friday issued a clarification and fired a photographer for uploading an image of the flooding at the Chennai airport in December 2015 (pictured above) as one of a supposedly waterlogged Ahmedabad airport on Thursday. “PTI deeply regrets the error and has terminated the services of the concerned photographer,” the news agency said after Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani called for a corrigendum on Twitter.

The PTI Photo service on Thursday had uploaded a photograph of planes standing in waterlogged hangars at Chennai’s Kamraj airport, but with the caption, “Aeroplanes stand in a queue at the waterlogged Sardar Patel International Airport, after heavy monsoon rains in Ahmedabad on Thursday.”

After a number of publications, including The Indian Express and the Hindustan Times, used the image on their front pages, many readers pointed out that the image was from Chennai and not Gujarat. Irani then asked PTI to notify media houses about the error.

PTI on Friday issued an advisory to editors of publications, clarifying that the image they had uploaded was incorrect and that they “deeply regretted the inconvenience caused”. “On Thursday 27th July, photo number PTI7 27 2017 000164 B has been killed by the PTI Photo service due to incorrect information,” the agency said.

The Indian Express, too, admitted the error. “The PTI photo on the Express Front Page is not of the Ahmedabad airport,” the newspaper said on Twitter. “PTI News captioned it wrong and is investigating. We deeply regret the error.”
28/07/17 Scroll.in

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Fake pics of submerged airport go viral

Mohali: Two photos of a submerged airport that had gone viral on the social media following a heavy downpour in the city apparently kept the airport authorities on their toes. It was claimed that both photos, showing around seven aeroplanes, two Volvo buses and a tractor standing at the submerged airport, were of the Chandigarh international airport. Local airport CEO Sunil Dutt said, “Please don’t talk about the photos. It’s not our airport”.
27/07/17 Tribune India

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Two new members on BIAL’s board of directors

Bengaluru: The Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) has announced the induction of new members to its board of directors.

According to a communiqué here on Friday, the new directors are Marcel Hunderbuehler, former chief executive officer of BIAL, and Hari Marar. While Harsha Raghavan will take on the role of managing director at BIAL, Hari Marar will be executive director and president at BIAL.

The reconstitution of the BIAL’s board of directors follows the acquisition of the residual 10% stake of GVK in BIAL by FIH Mauritius Investments Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fairfax India Holdings Corporation.

The communique added that the board, under the chairman, Subhash Chandra Khuntia, chief secretary, Government of Karnataka, will work towards the speedy implementation of crucial capacity-expansion projects. Mr. Hungerbuehler and Mr. Marar, who are both aviation experts, will spearhead the establishment of the Fairfax Centre of Aviation Excellence at the airport.
28/07/17 The Hindu

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KIA, first airport to launch custom-made patrolling bikes

The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) now has its own patrolling bikes.

Bengaluru: Introduced for the first time in any airport in the country, the custom-made motorcycles were launched on Monday.
Two bikes have been introduced now for ground traffic control duties within the airport premises. An airport spokesperson said these bikes will help in quicker and seamless movement of personnel through the network of roads and pathways inside the
campus.
More such two-wheelers are expected to be introduced soon.
28/07/17 Deccan Herald

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Centres nod to Rajkot international airport: Govt

New Delhi: The Centre has given its approval for setting up of a new international airport at Rajkot in Gujarat, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
"Site clearance approval (was granted) to the government of Gujarat for setting up of Rajkot International Greenfield Airport at Hirasar, District Rajkot, Gujarat in May, 2017," Minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha said in a written reply.
The Ministry grants clearances in two stages, i.e. "site clearance" followed by an "in-principle approval", he said.

Last year, the government had given in-principle approval to Dholera International Airport Company Limited (DIACL) for setting up a new greenfield airport near Navagam village in Ahmedabad.
27/07/17 PTI/India Today

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Man detained at Delhi airport for carrying lighter in bag

A passenger was briefly detained at the airport here for allegedly trying to carry a lighter in the aircraft by concealing it in a laptop, an official said today.

A senior official in the airport security said the incident was reported yesterday when a CISF security personnel detected the lighter in the hand baggage of a man who was to take a flight to Hyderabad.

The passenger, identified as F S Khan, had concealed the lighter in his laptop by putting it inside the CD drive slot, the official said.

The passenger was briefly detained and was let off after he furnished a written apology to security officials, he said.

Carrying fire items like lighter inside the aircraft is prohibited under Indian aviation rules.
27/07/17 PTI/DNA

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Why Are Kerala’s Politicians So Obsessed With Building New Airports?

A year ago, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan ruled out permission for what would have been a fully private airport in the central district of Pathanamthitta. He then symbolically planted paddy in part of the land, perhaps hoping it would be a stirring moment in Marxist iconography – the noble act of giving back land to the poor farmer from whom it had been acquired.

Now, barely nine months later, Vijayan has announced the construction of a new, government-funded airport in neighbouring Kanjirapally district, which will be closer to the famous Sabarimala temple. The announcement of the government plan to acquire land for the Sabarimala airport overflows with ironies, paradoxes and idiosyncrasies.

Why does Kerala love airports so? The state already has four airports, three of them international. With the proposed airport, it will become the only state with four international airports. Two of them are within barely 150 kilometres of each other.

Kochi, right in the middle of the state, is its busiest airport, getting between 85 and 90 flights a day – sources say it is capable of handling at least 25 more each day. A 500-acre extension to this airport would have been enough to add sufficient capacity instead of a 3,000 acres greenfield airport in the forested interior of Kerala.

Also, Sabarimala is only about 125 kms by road from Kochi, a distance that can be covered in three hours on a good day. Why would a pilgrim coming for an encounter with divinity mind this distance? In addition, Sabarimala is also roughly about 200 kms away from Trivandrum airport, which is thoroughly underfed in terms of traffic, with about 30-40 flights a day.

The acquisition of the 3,000 acres or so for the Sabarimala airport, however, is not going to be easy since it belongs to a Christian fundamental group called Believers Church founded by a faith-healer and freelance preacher called K.P. Yohannan, against whom the IT and ED are already conducting investigations. According to reports, the church had bought it from the Harrisons plantations, which like most other industries in Kerala, shut down and sold out. A church official has been quoted as saying they would not mind selling the land. Obviously, 3,000 acres is good money.

In any case, the larger irony of land being bought from a church – by a Marxist government – to build an airport for Hindu pilgrims when there is no such tearing hurry nor demand, is very obvious. Pilgrims are mostly poor or middle class and buses and trains are more than enough. Only the Ambanis (Anil is said to be a regular) or a few other super rich would want to land near the temple doorsteps and rush back to Mumbai like they do in Tirupathi. If an airport was a necessity in the interior parts of Kerala, why was the private airport – for which land was ready – scrapped?
28/07/17 Binoo John/The Wire

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BIAL inducts new members on board to speed up expansion projects

Bengaluru: At the board meeting held on Thursday, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) announced the induction of new members to its board of directors: Marcel Hungerbuehler (former CEO of BIAL from November 2008- February 2011) and Hari Marar were appointed as new Directors on the Board.

Harsha Raghavan will take on the role of Managing Director at BIAL, while Hari Marar will be Executive Director and President at BIAL. Reconstitution of the BIAL board of directors follows the acquisition of the residual 10 per cent stake of GVK in BIAL by FIH Mauritius Investments Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fairfax India Holdings Corporation.
28/07/17 Anil Urs/Business Line

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Delayed flight from Lucknow leaves flyers stranded in Delhi

Pune: A group of 13 passengers travelling to the city from Lucknow was allegedly mistreated by the officials of Jet Airways in Delhi airport on Wednesday after they missed their onward flight because of late arrival of their plane in the national capital.
Mayuraish Dandaicar, one of the passengers, said they were travelling from Lucknow to Delhi on a Jet flight and then had to travel to Pune. "The flight from Lucknow was delayed and it took off at 4.30pm instead of 3.40pm. For around half-an-hour, we sat in the aircraft before it took off and reached Delhi at 5.45pm. Our flight to Pune from Delhi at 5.30pm had left by then," he told TOI from Delhi.
A source said the delay was because of ATC congestion. According to Dandaicar, a corporate trainer, the 13 people included senior citizens, women and a kidney patient.
27/07/17 Times of India

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Government has awarded 128 routes to 5 airlines under the UDAN scheme

The Government has awarded 128 routes connecting 43 unserved and under-served airports to 5 selected airlines for commencing operations under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN in the 1st round of bidding. RCS flights from six RCS airports - Shimla, Nanded, Kandla, Porbandar Gwalior & Bhatinda-  have already commenced. The 2nd round of bidding under RCS-UDAN is likely to commence soon.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched RCS-UDAN  scheme on 21-10-2016  to facilitate/stimulate regional air connectivity by making it affordable. Promoting affordability of Regional air connectivity is envisioned under RCS by supporting airline operators through (i) concessions by Central Government, State Governments and airport operators to reduce the cost of airline operations on regional routes and (ii) financial support (Viability Gap Funding or VGF).
As per provision in the National Civil Aviation Policy, the revival of the airstrips and airports where scheduled operations are currently not undertaken, will be demand-driven depending on firm demand from airline operators and development as no frill airports will be done at an indicative cost within Rs.100 crores.
28/07/17 Dollar Business

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Low cost airlines, DIAL to meet aviation secy July 31 over shift to Terminal 2

The three budget airlines— InterGlobe Aviation-run IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir – and GMR Infrastructure-controlled Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd (DIAL) will meet Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey on July 31 to resolve the impasse arising out of no airline willing to shift to terminal T2 of the Delhi airport, according to an official with one of the carriers.

July 15 was the deadline for the airline companies to resolve among themselves on shift to the terminal.

DIAL wants one or more of these airlines to shift their operations to T2 in order to undertake expansion of T1. As per the agreement signed between the airlines and the airport operator, DIAL has the right to ask any airline to shift its operations.

Low-cost carriers use T1, also called the domestic airport, for all their local and international flights from and to Delhi. The Delhi airport currently has three terminals with T3 being used by full service local carriers for both their domestic and international flights.
27/07/17 Moneycontrol

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Authorities’ intervention sought in late departures

Pune: Accusing airlines of providing them with little or no information, passengers plagued by frequent delay of flights from the city last week asked the airport authorities to intervene.

There have been at least three instances of flights to different destinations getting delayed in a week, excluding the delay of an Air India flight from Delhi to Pune on Tuesday. Passengers were little satisfied with the airlines' excuses like weather and technical snags.

"I was in the SpiceJet flight getting late by over three hours on June 21. The same flight to Ahmedabad was delayed again on Saturday for over five hours. The problem is airlines don't tell the passengers the issue and just keep them waiting, adding to their frustration. It is high time the airport authorities took up the cases of frequent delays," a businessman told TOI. Tushar Nayak, a passenger of the SpiceJet's (SG-524) flight mailed to TOI, stating, "On Saturday last week, the flight departed at 1.50am while its original time of departure from Pune was 8.40pm. They served food but it was not good at all.'
27/07/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Destination CNN: Kannur gets the code for take-off

Kannur: Key in ‘CNN’ to book a flight ticket to Kannur. The city of looms and lores will be hereafter known as ‘CNN’ in the skies with International Air Transport Association (IATA) allotting  the mandatory destination code to Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL). The allotment of the three letter Code ‘CNN’ was first announced by KIAL managing director P Balakiran in a tweet in which he said “Happy to inform our Kannur airport received today the IATA three-letter location code CNN (short for Cannanore)”.

A letter sent by IATA officer for Coding and Multilateral Interline Traffic Agreements (MITA) Jeffrey Ross to Harsh Pandey of Air India Charters Limited, Mumbai, said: “We are pleased to inform you your company has met all the requirements for the assignment of a Location Code. Therefore, and in accordance with IATA Passenger Services Conference Resolution 763, we have assigned you the above-mentioned Location Code.”

The airport code is an IATA location identifier. All airports in the world are identified by a three-letter code defined by the IATA. The codes are published biannually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory. It is used for passenger reservation, ticketing, and baggage-handling systems.
27/07/17 New Indian Express

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September date for UDAN flight service to Jharsuguda

Bhubaneswar: ir connectivity from Bhubaneswar to the industrial township of Jharsuguda under 'Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik' (UDAN), a regional connectivity scheme of the Centre, is likely to begin from September this year.

"We have decided to operationalise the flight route between  Bhubaneswar and Jharsuguda from September and for other routes like Bhubaneswar-Jeypore, Bhubaneswar-Rourkela and Bhubaneswar-Utkela we need some time for the preparations before they are opened up for flights," Chief Secretary A P Padhi told mediapersons.Padhi reviewed the progress of the regional air connectivity under UDAN at the first State-level monitoring-cum-coordination committee meeting here on Wednesday.

The Chief Secretary directed the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to complete the first phase works in Jharsuguda airstrip and make it ready for flight operation by September 1. He further asked the authority to expedite the preparatory works at other airstrips.Five airstrips of the State have been selected for inclusion in UDAN scheme. Biju Patnaik International Airport will work as mentor airport. The other four airstrips are located at Rourkela, Jharsuguda, Utkela in Kalahandi district and Jeypore in Koraput district.
27/07/17 New Indian Express

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Ahmedabad airport witnesses water-logging due to incessant rains

Ahmedabad: As incessant rains+ battered the city, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport on Thursday morning witnessed water-logging outside the airport and also near the operational area.
However, the airport authorities claimed that no flights got delayed or diverted due to water-logging at the airport.
SVPI airport terminal manager said that the water-logging did not cause any serious issue to flight operations. "No flight was delayed or diverted due to water-logging at the SVPI airport. The water-logging mainly occurred outside airport, but as the rains stopped in the afternoon, rainwater receded gradually. There was no major water-logging issue near the operational area including the runway," said airport officials.
But many passengers said that there was water-logging near the taxi runway and also near the GUJSAIL terminal near torrent sub-station at the SVPI airport.
27/07/17 Ashish Chauhan/Times of India

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3 new aerobridges in June next year

Pune: Flyers will have to wait till the next monsoon for three new aerobridges at the Lohegaon airport.
This rainy season, most passengers will have to go through the ordeal of walking up the aircraft amid showers and bear with soiled luggage. An airport official told TOI, "The construction work of aerobridges is in progress and they will be operational by June 2018."
The fresh deadline goes against what was promised last year by the Pune Airport Advisory Committee in mid-October.
27/07/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Chemical leakage from plane causes panic at IGI airport

A recently landed Jet Airways flight created panic at the Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport on Monday, after a chemical leakage was noticed from one of the luggage in the aircraft's belly.

Immediately, bomb detection and disposal teams, armed commandos of Quick Response Teams and dog squads surrounded the aircraft and all its cargo was seized. After conducting more than three-hour-long drill, the substance was declared non-hazardous and was found to be a paint box.

According to senior officers from the Central Industrial Security Force, who take care of the airport's security, the alert was sparked around 6.10 am, when a staff on duty noticed that some liquid had leaked from the aircraft and alerted the concerned departments.

"Keeping in mind earlier leaks, where radioactive scare was sparked, the matter was treated with utmost importance and disaster response teams were rushed to the spot, along with the CISF's bomb detection teams and dog squad. The aircraft was taken to a secluded bay and was thoroughly checked for any suspicious or hazardous material. After completing the drill the plane was declared safe for use and the leak was spotted to be from a box of paint," said a senior CISF officer.
27/07/17 DNA

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Security measures to be stepped up at airport

Security measures at the airport here will soon get bolstered further with the introduction of Biometric based Access Control System.

Guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel round-the-clock aided by surveillance cameras, the new system would cover certain sensitive areas within the airport.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the regulatory authority for civil aviation security, and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are involved in the new exercise.

Under the new system, access control devices would be installed at entry and exit gates of certain sensitive spots including operation area, vehicle gate leading to the operational area, cargo area and at the international terminal building.

Before executing the system, BCAS and AAI officials carried out a survey at the airport.
Entry into the sensitive areas through the gates would be either by stamping the thumb impression or displaying cards proposed to be given to the staff. Doors of sensitive spots would get opened by displaying the card or stamping the thumb impression, the official said. Access rights would be given by the Security Directorate of the AAI, Tiruchi.
27/07/17 R Rajaram/The Hindu

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AAI hikes penalty amount for violators at airports

New Delhi: Individuals violating regulations at airports will now have to pay higher penalties, with state-owned AAI notifying revised fine amounts.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said the penalties have been increased as the earlier quantum was not appropriate with the changing times.

Now, any person contravening the AAI regulations would face up to Rs 5,000 penalty, a steep hike from the earlier quantum of Rs 500.

"... In the case of continuing contravention with an additional fine which may extend to Rs 500 for everyday during which such contravention continues after conviction for the first such contravention," according to a notification issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Under the earlier rules, this amount was just Rs 20 per day.

The revised quantum of fines have been notified by way of amendments to the AAI (Management of Airports) Regulations, 2003.

"Earlier provisions were very dated and not keeping in tune with changing times," Mohapatra told PTI.
26/07/17 PTI/Business Standard

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Daily flights from Hubballi to Bengaluru likely from August

Hubballi: Air India, which is presently operating flights from Hubballi Airport, is likely to begin operating daily flights from August first week.

Managing Director of Air India Ashwin Lohani conveyed it to Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar and Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi when they met him in New Delhi on Tuesday. Apart from discussing the need for daily flights from the airport, they about completed development works at Hubballi Airport, which now had a bigger runway suitable for bigger aircraft, such as Boeing.

They urged him to launch flight services from Hubballi to Mumbai. It is said that Mr. Lohani responded positively and directed the officials concerned to work out the technical details and time table adjustment to launch the service, Mr. Joshi said in the release.

Mr. Joshi also said that the pending demand for daily flight services from Hubballi to Bengaluru had been now fulfilled and would help to a great extent in improving the air connectivity of the region.
26/07/17 The Hindu

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Hajj: CM flags off 1st batch of pilgrims

Srinagar: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday flagged off Hajj pilgrims from the Srinagar ‘international’ airport.
A government spokesman said she met the intending pilgrims individually and requested them to pray for peace in the state and for prosperity of its residents. She wished them a safe and smooth performance of the tenants of Hajj.
“Many pilgrims thanked the Chief Minister for the arrangements including their training, documentation and other facilities,” the spokesman said.
The Air India will operate two flights carrying 840 intending pilgrims daily to Madinah-Munawarah and the last batch of Hajjis will leave on August 3.
25/07/17 Greater Kashmir

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Cial passengers may have to fork out higher air fare now

Kochi: The change in tariff model put forward by Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA), Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) will lead to an increase in ticket fare for passengers using Cial.
As per the order, Cial is required to compute the aggregate revenue requirement under the 'Hybrid Till' model.
Under this model, the airport charges are calculated using 100% aeronautical revenue and 30% of non-aeronautical revenue to determine airport charges.
Airport officials suggest that the new order will only lead to "marginal" increase in landing fee and parking fee for airline operators. But the operators suggest that the introduction of 'Hybrid Till' will introduce an increase in the expenses of passengers as it would lead to rise in the fare.
"These policies put forward by nodal agencies only take into consideration the profitability of airport, while the finances of airlines are not given thought," said a senior official with an Indian airline.
He said that currently, Indian airlines are finding it difficult to compete with foreign competitors in terms of pricing.
26/07/17 Vikram Vinod/Times of India

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Gujarat floods: Air India flights diverted after Ahmedabad Airport runway damaged

New Delhi: Two Air India flights had to be diverted after the runway of the Ahmedabad Airport was damaged due to incessant rain even as the situation in the state continued to worsen. It has been learned that Delhi-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Ahmedabad have been diverted to Mumbai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had undertaken an aerial survey of the flood affected areas and announced an interim assistance of Rs 500 crore.
PM Modi, who was accompanied by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, said 10 more IAF helicopters would be pressed into service for rescue and relief operations. The Prime Minister also said while the state government has provided immediate relief to those who lost their kin in the deluge, an additional ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh would be extended to them from the PM’s relief fund. Those injured would be given Rs 50,000 by the Centre which would be over and above the assistance extended by the state government.
According to reports, 70 people have died in Gujarat due to rains till now. As many as 25,000 people were shifted, mostly in Banaskantha, as the district witnessed its worst floods in recent years on Monday.
26/07/17 Financial Express

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Greater Noida airport to have Metro link

New Delhi: The proposed airport at Greater Noida will have direct metro connectivity with the capital. The UP government has told the aviation ministry it will extend the current Greater Noida Metro line to the airport site at Jewar, said aviation secretary R N Choubey. "This was conveyed to us during a recent meeting with the UP government. The Metro line currently is cleared till Pari Chowk in Greater Noida and will be extended from there," Choubey said.
Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC) ED Anuj Dayal said: "The proposed link of about 23 km is from Pari Chowk to Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Area's (YEIDA) Sector 20. DMRC had prepared the alignment, station location and traffic study and had submitted to the UP government last year."
26/07/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Hyderabad airport conducts emergency mock drill

Hyderabad: GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here, conducted a mock drill to dispose of life-threatening hazardous material at the airport last week.

The Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) emergency mock drill was conducted in collaboration with Cathay Pacific Airlines, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Telangana State Disaster Response & Fire Services (TSDR&FS) Department, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), State Police and Department of Atomic Energy among others.

The exercise was led by the GHIAL’s Airport Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) team, which is the first responder in case of any emergency situation at the airport. The drill was conducted at the cargo apron of Hyderabad International Airport on a live freighter, which was provided by Cathay Pacific Airlines. TSDR & FS provided their HAZMAT vehicle for the exercise. The GHIAL has been conducting the HAZMAT mock drill every year as part of the airport’s regular emergency exercises and in compliance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards.
26/07/17 The Hindu

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Tata Power Solar to install 2.67 MW solar carport at Cochin Airport

Tata Power Solar on Tuesday announced the commissioning of 2.67 MW solar carport at Cochin International Airport.

The project comprised of putting together 8472 solar panels on 27 carports spread over 20289.9 square meters of area. The entire solar plant is aimed towards reducing 1868 tonnes of Carbon dioxide (CO2) annually.

The grid-connected carport plant required high-level engineering and designing skills for assembling the massive car port structures. Additionally, advanced technology and design was of utmost importance to match and maintain the quality standards in place.

?Cochin International Airport Limited became the first airport in the world to be fully powered by solar energy during August 2015. It has now accomplished another milestone by implementing India?s largest solar carport,? said V J Kurian, Managing Director, Cochin International Airport Limited.
25/07/17 ANI/DNA

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IGI Airport's Twitter account hacked

New Delhi: The Twitter handle of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here was hacked today and a "derogatory" message was posted on its page.

IGIA is operated by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) -- a joint venture between GMR, AAI and Fraport AG.

"The incident happened at 11 am when a derogatory message was posted. The post was removed within 10 minutes. An internal inquiry has also been initiated," an airport source said.

"Our Twitter handle @Delhi_Airport was subjected to a hacker attack. This was noticed and timely action was taken to prevent any further attacks. One inadvertent post published through our handle was immediately removed and normalcy restored with added security measures," Delhi International Airport Limited said in a statement posted on its Twitter page.
25/07/17 PTI/Economic Times

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Veg passenger finds meat in airport food

Indore: A vegetarian passenger was served non-vegetarian food at a restaurant on the premises of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore on Wednesday evening.
Agam Bhatnagar, a resident of Agra, landed in Indore on Wednesday evening for an official visit and went to a restaurant on the first floor of the airport building. He alleged that he was served non-vegetarian food inspite of him ordering vegetarian fare.
He alleged that he realised the blunder only after eating half of the contents on his plate when his colleague alerted him. "One of my colleagues and I who was also travelling with me had ordered manchurian, noodles and fried rice at Saptagiri Restaurant," Bhatnagar told TOI. "There were chunks of chicken in the rice. My colleague alerted me about it, but it was too late since I had already eaten a major portion of the food," he said.
Bhatnagar claimed that the restaurant staff confirmed the presence of chicken in his order. "There was no manager at the restaurant. Only operation staff members were there. They did not even apologise for the mistake and tried to pass it off as human error," he said.
26/07/17 Ashok Kumar/Times of India

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Navy will use Vasco airport more in future: Parrikar

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said the Indian Navy will make more use of Goa's only airport for military purposes in the coming years.

Pointing to the need for Goa's upcoming second airport at Mopa, Parrikar told the assembly that the Dabolim international airport, which operates from a naval base in Vasco, would remain operational even after the Mopa airport comes up.

"... because it is a defence airport, (there is a) naval requirement. Two aircraft carriers will be placed on the western coast and the third one may be on the eastern sea coast. These two together require around 100 aircraft, either stationed on the aircraft carrier or stationed at Goa," Parrikar, a former Defence Minister, said.

"When the next aircraft carrier arrives, naval planes will fly for an hour and a half to two hours (more)," Parrikar said, adding that currently the Navy uses the Vasco airport for three and a half hours.
25/07/17 daijiworld

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Accidental gunfire at airport creates panic

Lucknow: Panic gripped visitors at the Amausi airport after the double barrel gun of private security guard of a Central government officer went off accidentally, on Tuesday evening. According to police, the incident took place around 7pm when Chhote Lal, private security guard of director of Rajiv Gandhi Petroleum Institute P K Bhattacharya was waiting outside the arrival section of the domestic terminal in the car and the gun went off accidentally. The bullet pierced through the car's roof.
Passengers who had arrived from Delhi and were standing outside the airport in the parking lot were scared by the sound. CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) personnel rushed to the spot and took the guard into custody and later handed him to state police, said an airport official. According to Sarojninagar police inspector Dharmesh Shahi, the gun went off accidentally. He added that the security man had been detained and was being questioned about the incident. Airport authorities said no casualty was reported in the incident.
26/07/17 Times of India

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Air India SATS Airport Services launches mobile app for tracking cargo

Bengaluru:  Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS), the airport services company, has launched a mobile app - ‘AISATS Cargo’ - to facilitate the cargo tracking process at AISATS Air Freight Terminal and at AISATS COOLPORT, located at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru.

P Anjani Kumar, Commissioner of Customs-Airport & ACC, Bengaluru, along with M R Reddy and Bipin Kumar Upadhyaya, Joint Commissioners of Customs and Harshvardhan Umre, Additional Commissioner of Customs, launched the app at the AISATS Airfreight Terminal.
25/07/17 Business Line

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DIAL wins prestigious award for excellence in cost mgmt

The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has secured first place under the category of Infrastructure and Construction Services in the 14th National Award for Excellence in Cost Management awarded by the Institute of Cost Accountants of India. The award ceremony was held in New Delhi earlier this week.

The award was conferred by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy, Manoj Sinha, Union Minister of State for Railways, and Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs.

Commenting on the win, DIAL CEO I Prabhakara Rao said: "This award is a testimony to our continued effort to be a cost-conscious organisation. It is also a recognition of our effort in areas such as efficient use of tech, on-time performance, shorter aircraft holding and taxiing times, and lower security check times
24/07/17 DNA

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Kerala High Court stays order issued by Calicut airport health officer

Kochi: Kerala High Court has stayed the order issued by the health officer of Calicut International Airport who had insisted getting his approval 48 hours before human remains are brought to India from Gulf countries.

The court issued the interim order on the petition filed by Dr Hanil Sajjad, Manager, Abudabi Universal Hospital seeking to quash the circular mandating prior permission for bringing bodies.

The circular mandates four certificates - death certificate, embalming certificate, no objection certificate (NOC) from Indian high commission of the country concerned and cancelled copy of the passport of the deceased.

According to the circular these certificates should be provided 48 hours before the arrival of mortal remains, either online or in person at the Airport Health Office (APHO).The cause of death should be mentioned on the death certificate, to ensure death is not due to a contagious decease or other deceases notified by international health organisations.

According to the petitioner, the circular is inhumane and the same is akin to treating the dead body as a hazardous object. This is causing hardship to the relatives.
24/07/17 New Indian Express

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Site for new Pune airport will not change, says CM Devendra Fadnavis

Pune: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told TOI categorically on Monday that the new airport will come up only at Purandar and the site will not be changed even as the Maharashtra Airport Company Development Limited (MADC) authorities said they would await clearance from the Indian Air Force (IAF) as the proposed airport falls under its flying zone. Replying to a text message on whether the state government will consider moving the airport out of Purandar if the IAF has objections with the site, the CM replied, "No."
MADC sources told TOI that after their meeting with the ministry of defence and IAF officials in Delhi earlier this month, the IAF has asked for intricate technical details of the airport's site from the Airports Authority of India (AAI). "The new airport falls under the IAF's flying zone. It has been stated that we will need the clearance of the IAF for the new airport and only then other work can start. Though it is premature at this moment, we might have to make changes to the site if the IAF, after studying the report, asks for the same. Though we are not saying that the project will move out of Purandar, the site might be tweaked a bit in accordance with the observations of the IAF. However, we would want to repeat that it will be solely based on the IAF's report which will take sometime to come," an MADC official told TOI.
25/07/17 Jpoy Sengupta/Times of India

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Jewar Airport: Cleared for take-off

With the government giving the nod for a greenfield airport at Jewar in Greater Noida, UP, the enormous strain on IGI Airport in Delhi will lessen. However, considerable groundwork—starting from acquiring land, inviting bids, short-listing suitable bidders and awarding contracts without favouring any contenders—will have to be completed before the project moves forward. The preparatory work before bidding begins could itself take at least five years, according to a source linked to one of the interested bidders. But the good news is that the first step has been taken. The project had faced many ups and downs with the plan being conceived in 2001 by the Rajnath Singh-BJP government in UP. Then the Mayawati and SP governments tried to revive the project but faced hurdles.

This Public-Private Partnership (PPP) will be undertaken by Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority and is some 72 km from IGI. It is expected to handle 30-50 million passengers per year and will take the load off IGI airport which currently handles nearly 62 million passengers every year. This is expected to go up to 109.33 million passengers by 2024. Therefore, another airport close by will come as a breather. It will also give a fillip to Prime Minister Modi government’s Udan scheme of regional connectivity. With domestic air traffic growing at around 20 percent (from January 2016 till February 2017) as compared to growth after 2011 which was 9 percent, aviation in India looks bright. Already, May saw domestic passengers crossing the one crore mark.

25/07/17 India Legal

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Delhi Airport faces condemnation for ‘Congress is enemy of India’ tweet

Since Narendra Modi became India’s prime minister, many critics have pointed out how social media pages of the key government departments were being used to settled political scores in favour of the BJP.

The latest in the series is the Delhi Airport, which has become a topic of huge social media outcry after some users detected a politically biased tweet targetting Congress party allegedly posted by it on Tuesday morning.

The tweet by Delhi Airport was in response to a known Hindutva Twitter troll, who had posted, “The Congress is not the enemy of BJP. It’s the enemy of India.”

To which, the verified Twitter handle of Delhi Airport wrote, “Without Doubts.”
25/07/17 Janta Ka Reporter

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AAI, Uttarakhand Govt.ink MoU on aviation development

Going ahead with its commitment towards the responsibility of creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in the country, Airports Authority of India (AAI), has signed an MoU with Government of Uttarakhand on 21st July, 2017 and joined hands with Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA).

The MoU was signed by S. Ramaswamy, Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand and Anil Gupta, General Manager (Business Development), AAI in the presence of Dr. R Rajesh Kumar, ACEO, UCADA, Capt. Ashok Shetty, Head of Ops, UCADA, Sh. Chandra Shekhar, AGM (Business Development), AAI, Capt. Sandeep Soti, Chief Pilot, UCADA and Mr. G. Seetaiah, Chief Engineer, UCADA.

The scope of the MoU is to identify relevant factors influencing the development of civil aviation infrastructure in Uttarakhand, assessing commercial potential of various airports of the State, identifying technical considerations for airport operations in the State, evaluating site related technical and engineering parameters for development of projects, making estimate of the capital outlay for the future projects and development of master plan for existing and future civil aviation infrastructure in the state. AAI will also assist UCADA in obtaining necessary clearances for airport operations starting with the upgraded airport at Pithoragarh and later at Chiniyalisaur.
24/07/17 ANI/DNA

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How safe is our RGIA?

Hyderabad: Despite being billed as one of the busiest airports in the country, the vicinities of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad continue to remain exposed and vulnerable. The Cyberabad police are literally losing their sleep over several sections of the airport that lack proper CCTV surveillance coverage, which were very recently identified as vulnerable points.

According to the Cyberabad police, despite regular collaboration meetings with the security personnel and top officials from GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) on the issue, a fool-proof plan to install the best available CCTV surveillance technology has not been installed at RGIA.

Security chinks call for care at Hyderabad airport
In the recent meetings with the GHIAL, police department had apparently stressed on the need to have CCTV surveillance cameras at the identified vulnerable spots. “As many as 21 places were identified as vulnerable spots in RGIA. Essentially, these places cover the areas like runway, parking, ticket booking counters and arrival and departure points. The spots were identified based on earlier reported cases,” says Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shamshabad, PV Padmaja.

The top police officials also rue lack of support from GHIAL in taking measures to secure the vicinities of the busy airport. “The proposal to strengthen security and CCTV surveillance had come up several times for discussions during the coordination meetings but action is yet to be initiated on this issue,” says DCP, Shamshabad said.
24/07/17 Y. Sravan Kumar/Telengana Today

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Battered airport parking lot needs a fix

Chennai: It will take two more months for a new contractor to take over the mess that is the parking lot at Chennai airport. It is currently maintained by a company under an extension of contract, after the tender process to select a new company was delayed by more than year.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) had issued a termination notice to the current contractor, and asked the company to hand over the parking lot within a month, but the contractor approached the Madras high court asking for more time to vacate. The high court stayed the termination notice that AAI had issued. A senior official of AAI said, "The contractor challenged the order in court, saying they should be given time to vacate.The court has given the existing company three months time to vacate." The new contractor, a Mumbai company, was awarded the contract to operate the car parking lot and entry exit booths of the airport.
The extension of the contract of the existing company on a monthly basis due to the delayed tender has prevented the contractor from maintaining and repairing the fee collection booths. An official said the condition of the booths has an adverse effect on the image of the airport because it is the first things visitors see on arrival.
24/07/17 Times of India

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Believers Church knew of Sabarimala airport coming up near Cheruvally estate

Thiruvananthapuram: Was Cheruvally estate selected much earlier for the Sabarimala Airport or was it recently identified by the four-member panel headed by the Revenue Secretary? Though the government had entrusted a three-member team to identify the site for the airport this year, the Believers Church is learned to have known about it much earlier.
The Believers Church, possessing the estate, had submitted before the High Court in 2016 there was a proposal by the state government to establish an airport nearby. The submission is mentioned in the order (which is with Express) by the then Chief Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar in the case related to removing trees in Cheruvally estate for drawing a power line from Kanjirappally to the proposed Erumely sub station.
Soon after the government announced the decision, the Congress and BJP came out with strong protests. Some Congress leaders alleged there was an understanding for choosing Cheruvally estate.

They raised the million-dollar question - even before a committee was constituted to identify the land, how could the Believers Church know about it and mention it in 2016? Former Revenue Minister and Congress leader Adoor Prakash said the decision to choose Cheruvally estate for the proposed project was steeped in mystery.
24/07/17 Prabhat Nair/New Indian Express

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Coimbatore airport sets up Zika virus screening centre

Coimbatore: Health Department has set up a screening centre at Coimbatore International Airport following Zika virus scare.

The screening facility has come up as a precaution after a 27-year-old man from Krishnagiri district was found with the virus infection a few weeks ago.

Deputy Director of Health Services P.G. Bhanumathi said that a health inspector will be available at the screening centre when international flights arrive at the airport.

“The health inspector will check the list of passengers on the arrival. Details of passengers with fever will be collected. Such passengers will be treated in quarantine on our advice. Also, a team from Health Department will visit the place of the passenger and carry out source reduction works to prevent mosquito breeding in the area,” said Dr. Bhanumathi.

A virus spread by aedes aegypti mosquito as in the case of dengue, infection of Zika post incubation will manifest symptoms such as fever, rashes on skin, inflammation of eyes, muscle and joint pain, uneasiness and headache.
24/07/17 Wilson Thomas/The Hindu

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Yogi Adityanath looks to get Jewar International Airport in Greater Noida up and running in 5 years

After a delay of almost a decade and a half, a second international airport in the National Capital Region (NCR) is likely to be a reality, with the civil aviation ministry granting an in-principle approval to the Jewar project in Greater Noida weeks ago. The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh aims to operationalise the airport in the next five-six years. The state’s 2030 Master Plan has notified 3,000 hectares for the purpose. “The project would see an investment of about Rs 20,000 crore and be developed in four phases. It would have four runways, four taxi-ways and terminal buildings, apart from passenger facilities,” says an official, adding the state government has applied for environmental clearance and is working on procurement of land. “We have to get a fresh techno-feasibility report done and then submit a DPR to the ministry. After that we will go for the selection of the developer,” he says. The department expects all clearances as well as the selection of the developer to be completed in a year’s time.
According to Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju, the greenfield airport at Jewar would fly 30-50 million passengers per year over the next 10-15 years. It would also serve neighbouring cities and towns like Agra, Bulandsahar, and Meerut. Needless to say, it would ease congestion at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi.Arun Vir Singh, CEO of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) says, “we will develop 1,250 hectares of land in the first phase and 3,000 overall. In fact, it would be more than an airport project, also serving as a cargo centre and a logistics hub, and would connect with the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor, the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways and the Railway Freight Corridor.” The project has the potential to change the topography of the region. “Western UP would be on a different plank as far as development is concerned,” Singh says.
24/07/17 Financial Express

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Withdrawal of airport access pass to Lalu, Rabri "unfortunate"

The withdrawal of the VIP access given to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi at the Patna airport is "unfortunate and condemnable", a party MP said in the Lok Sabha today.

Raising the matter during Zero Hour, RJD member Jaiprakash Narayan said considering the health condition of his party's supremo, the tarmac access pass of Prasad and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi should be restored.

Last week, the Civil Aviation Ministry had decided to revoke the permission granted in 2009 allowing the RJD chief and his wife's vehicle to drive up to the tarmac.

Under the earlier order, the two former chief ministers were permitted access in their own vehicle up to the tarmac of Patna airport during their departure or arrival there.
24/07/17 PTI/DNA

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Gannavaram airport registers 14 pc growth in first quarter

Vijayawada:  In the first trimester of 2017-2018 financial year, Gannavaram airport has registered a huge growth in passenger traffic by 14.28 per cent.

In the first quarter, Gannavaram airport registered 1.64 lakh footfall. Total 2,945 flight services have taken off between April 1 and June 30.

This is comparatively higher than the total passenger traffic which stood at 1.43 lakh with 2,706 flight services during the first quarter of 2016-17 financial year, a growth margin of 8.83 per cent as compared to this year.

Gannavaram Airport Director G Madhusudan Rao said, “The passenger growth rate by 14.28 per cent is less than what we expected. Many airlines had withdrawn their services despite Gannavaram having an international status. Still we managed to acheive such growth. By the end of second quarter, the number of services will increase as we are initiating talks with some of the airline companies.”

The financial year turned sour as Air Costa withdrew their services. Spicejet airline too limited their services restricting only to particular cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Varanasi.
24/07/17 New Indian Express

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Process of land acquisition for Pantnagar airport begins

Chandigarh: The process of land acquisition for the expansion of the Pantnagar airport has been started.

As part of this, the officials of the Airports Authority of India have been directing necessary surveys of the area. Amidst this development,

the local residents, anxious about their future gheraoed the local MLA and raised their issues and demands with him.

It should be mentioned here that the Haldi area is to be among the most affected by the planned expansion of the airport.

As the time advances, the local residents are getting more anxious to get a clear picture of the situation.

Locals point out that for the expansion work of the airport, the Utarakhand Seeds and Terai Development Corporation colony, farm colony, shopping entre, temples and two schools among other constructions will have to be demolished. Concerned about these issues, the locals gheraoed the local MLA Rajesh Shukla.

The Bharatiya Janata Party local media in charge Pawan Dubey informed that the locals talked to the local MLA for about three hours, expressing their concerns and stating their demands.

During the meet with the MLA, the locals demanded that before the colony compound in Haldi is demolished, the residents should be provided adequate housing facility as they have at present. The residents should be rehabilitated and to relocate the shopping centre a new building should be constructed and shops should be allocated as the
shopkeepers have no other means of livelihood other than their shops.
24/07/17 Pioneer

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Faced With Demolition, Mumbai Homeowners Prepare for Legal Battle

Seventy-four-year-old Ratnaprabha Joshi has been spending sleepless nights for a month now. Ever since she received a notice from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in June, informing her of an impending partial demolition of her building in 60 days’ time, the retired yoga teacher constantly fears she will lose her home.
Over 500 families living around Ratnaprabha’s Santacruz area, most of them senior citizens, could become homeless by the end of this month. Reason – a portion of their buildings are allegedly causing an obstacle for flights in landings and take offs from the Mumbai Airport.
Representatives of over 70 buildings around the Mumbai airport have received notices demanding they demolish anywhere between 1 to 6 metres of their respective buildings by the end of July. With some of these buildings over fifty-years-old, residents fear this would cause the entire structure to become unstable. What’s more, most of the old buildings constructed before 1978 have all the necessary clearances from the Airports Authority of India.
“We purchased our flat from a previous owner. The building is fifty-two-years-old. After we purchased the flat, we found out that this area is part of the official town planning scheme of the Govt. Thus, it was built by people who got together and invested their own funds in it. Since this house becomes their asset for life, all the required certifications – like the occupancy certificates, building completion certificates – are all in place. You must understand that this is where we have to finish our lives and pass on to our children. Therefore, we would not risk not having documents” said fifty-two-year-old Preeti Mehta, a teacher.
It all started after advocate Yashwant Shenoy filed a petition in the Bombay High Court in 2014 against buildings causing an obstacle for flights at the Mumbai airport. Following a reply filed by the Airports Authorities of India, MIAL and the DGCA, the High Court asked the DGCA for a detailed list of such buildings. The DGCA then submitted a list mentioning over 427 obstacles noted as per their survey in their reply in 2016. While a few of these buildings had received no NOC, most had allegedly flouted norms. According to petitioner Yashwant Shenoy, the NOCs issued after 2010 to most of the buildings were mostly fraudulent.
Backing Yashwant Shenoy’s claims, S Mangala, DGM (Aviation safety), WR, AAI, says she refused to sign NOCs for illegal heights for 11 sites very close to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport's main runway in 2011.
24/07/17 Ankita Sinha/The Quint

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Residents around International Airport demand clarity in MIAL survey, DGCA says building height norms flouted

Mumbai: Lata Shirodkar stays with her husband on the ground floor of Sadhana building in Santacruz. For the past 50 years, her conversation with her neighbours largely revolved around the education of their respective children and sharing of recipes. Over the past few weeks, however, all that Lata and her neighbours, who are now part of a WhatsApp group, discuss is ways to save their two-storey building.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has deemed her building, along with 70 others, to be an obstacle in the flight path for Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai, and marked them for partial demolition. “They have listed our building to be 8 feet more than the required height specifications. This means, the authorities aim at razing the ceiling of the top floor of the two-storeyed building. For a 50-year-old structure, removing any structure of the building is going to leave the entire structure into rubbles. How are we to agree to this mishap with our homes?” she said.
Like Lata, representatives of around six societies in Vile Parle have received different notices stating the heights of their building shoot the permissible height limits. While some cases involve removing antennas, water tankers on the terraces of the buildings, rest call for razing one or two floors. A majority of these residents on the Vartak Marg and Sant Janabai Marg in Vile Parle believe touching any part of their over 50-year-old buildings will lead to a collapse and render them homeless.
In April, the Bombay High Court had directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to take quick action against the buildings found to have flouted the height norms, asking they cannot sit back “waiting for an accident to take place”. According to the survey conducted by the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), which manages CSIA, in 2015-16, as many as 317 structures were listed to be obstacles in the funnel area of the airport.
Since May, the safety body has been conducting personal hearings of residents of each of these buildings to clarify the height clearance of the building. What they have been checking is the expected height ratio of the building from the runway which has to be in a ratio of 1:7 and a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) of AAI that permits the height clearance of the building. By June end, buildings found violating any of the above requirements have been sent letters to notify the additional increase of height.
“By notifying the additional increase in the height of our building, they plan to indirectly scare us on vacating the premise. Most of our occupants have occupied the homes since before the airport existed around the area. Even then, we had taken the required completion certificate from the local government authorities. After 67 years, when not even one incident of a hit and miss accident or scare from any of the prevalent building’s height was reported from the airport, we have suddenly turned a threat to them?” said Sunil Vartak, chairman, Sarvodaya building in Vile Parle.
24/07/17 Neha Kulkarni/Indian Express

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DGCA finds shortcomings at Shirdi airport, seeks changes

Pune: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked the Shirdi airport authorities to improve certain aspects before allowing flights at the facility declared "operation ready" around 10 days ago.
The DGCA's orders, which have to be carried out by Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC), has further delayed the start of the much-awaited airport in the temple town. Among the objections and suggestions raised by the DGCA is the need to close the corners of the runway.
"A DGCA team visited the airport on Tuesday evening, inspected the facility and left on Friday evening. It has made some observations and we need to work on them. It will take at least 25 days or close to a month to implement what the DGCA wants," an MADC official told TOI requesting anonymity.
MADC, which has developed and will manage the airport, had never declared a specific date to start flight operations. An MADC official had said last month that the airport was 100% operational ready.
"The airport cannot start functioning without a licence from the DGCA. We need to work on the DGCA's suggestions to get the licence. We have been waiting for the inspection for about a month. We cannot ignore the DGCA's directions and endanger the lives of people," an MADC official said.
24/07/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Operations at international cargo terminal likely to begin soon

Visakhapatnam: Operations from the international cargo terminal at the Visakhapatnam airport are likely to commence in a couple of months if everything goes well.

The proposal has been hanging fire for over four years now.

The AP Trade Promotion Corporation (APTPC), which had bagged the contract two-and-a-half years ago, could not carry out the works as its contract was cancelled by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at that time on ‘technical grounds’.The AAI was averse to awarding the contract to the APTPC as it owed some dues for works done at the Begumpet airport in Hyderabad.

The reasons had been reported under the headline, ‘Air cargo complex caught between two agencies’, by The Hindu (February 5, 2013).

The AAI is the owner of the land and buildings on which the airport is located and the APTPC is the custodian of the international cargo operations.

“The tender of the APTPC was approved about a week ago. It would now have to provide the logistics at the international cargo terminal. It would be given about two months time to provide infrastructure. Precious time has been lost and I am hopeful that the international cargo terminal will begin at least now,” Visakhapatnam MP and State BJP president K. Haribabu told The Hindu when contacted on Tuesday.
23/07/17 B. Madhu Gopal/The Hindu

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Hand baggage stamping in all airports to be stopped by year-end

Chennai: Stamping of passengers hand baggage in all airports will be completely stopped by the year-end, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Director General O.P. Singh has said.

The system had already been implemented in nearly 15 airports across the country to provide hassle free security checks for the passengers, Mr Singh said. He was here to review the security cover in Kalpakkam, the Chennai Airport and other vital installations.

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu, Mr. Singh said, “I had gone to Kalpakkam to review the security in the atomic power station and interacted with the management there, besides my officers and men. I wished to assess the conditions there and see what the requirements are.”

Referring to the the recent CISF initiative of dispensing with the system of hand baggage tags in the airport, Mr. Singh said, “We have done away with the stamping of hand baggage in as many as 14 airports and a few more are under way. We hope by the end of this year, we will be completely removing the system of stamping of hand baggage from all 59 airports. We have taken adequate measures to do that.”
22/07/17 R. Sivaraman/The Hindu

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Mopa deal favours GMR more than Goans: NGO

Panaji: A group of social activists, who are fighting against the construction of a new airport at Mopa, has alleged that the government has signed a one-sided agreement with GMR Airports Ltd which benefits the company even if the project is terminated, leaving the people of Goa to pay for it.
Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) claimed the Mopa airport is an unviable project that goes against the interests of the people of Goa. "The government is flouting its own concessionaire agreement to breathe life into this unviable project," it stated.
The state government has agreed to give 381 acres of land to the concessionaire, of which 240 acres is for unrestricted development, the group said, pointing out that without a timeline for developing the 381 acres, the land will not benefit the Goans, only allowing GMR to hold on to the land resources by keeping them vacant until the land prices escalate.
23/07/17 Times of India

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Survey soon to develop Charama airport in Ambikapur

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh Government will soon get an ‘Obstacle Limitation Survey’ (OLS) carried out at Charama airport at Ambikapur in Surguja district for developing the airport as per the specifications of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), officials informed.

The survey data will enable the Aerodrome Operator to make safety evaluations and assist the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to make assessments for the grant, retention or modification of an Aerodrome Licence.

Notably, Chhattisgarh is aggressively focussing on development of three regional airports mainly Jagdalpur, Ambikapur and Raigarh under the Regional Connectivity Scheme of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, officials informed.

The State has already spent more than Rs 34 crore in the development of the aforesaid three air strips.

The Union Home Ministry appears to be very keen to see Jagdalpur Airport in Bastar to be developed and fully operational at the earliest.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in his review meeting on May 8 this year in his address in New Delhi had stated that the Airport at Jagdalpur will be operational very soon.

Notably, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on January 27 this year had performed bhoomi pujan for construction of terminal building and for taking up expansion works for Jagdalpur Airport at a function held here on Thursday.

During the programme, the Chief Minister had also inspected the construction site.
23/07/17 Daily Pioneer

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City airport to get BRTS services by July-end

Surat: Surat Municipal Corporation's (SMC) BRTS cell conducted a trial run of its buses from Magdalla junction to airport here on Saturday.
It was a long-pending demand by Airports Authority of India (AAI) to extend the BRTS services to the airport premises to facilitate passengers, especially those coming from other states. The airport is yet to have taxi facilities, which is annoying for many outstation passengers who have to wait outside the premises in search of transport vehicles.
Official sources said the trial run of BRT buses was conducted from Magdalla junction to airport on Saturday and that the passengers who arrived in various flights were given a free ride.
As per the survey report of AAI, around 150 passengers are at the airport per flight. In a day, the airport caters to around 11 direct flights to various destinations including Jaipur, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa, Patna and Kolkata. Over 2,000 passengers arrive and depart from the airport on a daily basis.
23/07/17 Times of India

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Outfits seeking international airport in Agra put up posters reminding PM of his 2013 promise

Agra: "Why can't these people build a world class airport in Agra? This is injustice to Agra". These are excerpts from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public address in Agra on November 21, 2013, while he was campaigning for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The PM's words are now being highlighted on posters and banners by members of tourism organizations who have been demanding an international airport in Agra.
These posters have already been put up in some parts of the city and the agitators claim that they will be pasted in each and every corner of Agra if the Modi government does not pay heed to their long-pending demand.
Towards the bottom of these hoardings, there is a mention of PM Modi's promise and an appeal to him to honour his commitment. Members of over 20 tourism organizations say that through these posters, they want to remind the PM about his promise.
From lighting candles to holding public meetings, these organizations have been holding various forms of protests to "wake up" the government to address their decades-old demand. Rajiv Tiwari, convener of the action committee, said, "We will add more hoardings in the city to create awareness and remind our elected representatives of their commitment. We want to turn this into a mass movement which will end only after we achieve our goal."
21/01/17 Aditya Devi/Times of India

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'Mammootty arrested in the airport' news is fake, clarifies sources close to the actor

Recently, Mammootty fans were taken aback when reports about the megastar getting arrested in Kochi airport started circulating on social media.
However, sources close to the actor has now clarified that Mammootty was not even in Kerala meanwhile. One of the sources posted a few photographs of the actor, who is currently in Singapore, and said, "He has been in Singapore for a week now. Then how would he be caught in Kochi? When you make fake news, please be vigilant about the timing too," he said in jest.
23/07/17 Deepa Soman/Times of India

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Nine small towns of Maharashtra to get connected via air route

Mumbai: Maharashtra government has chosen Amaravati, Gondia, Nashik, Jalgaon, Nanded, Solapur, Kolapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of the Centre via the air route. The companies that have chosen to run these airports have been given some concessions for fuel, electricity etc. A committee has also been appointed by the government headed by the principal secretary civil aviation to monitor functioning of the airports.

The RCS was launched by the Centre to connect small cities through the air route. To make the scheme financially viable, the Centre has told the state to give concessions to the companies that will be running the services. The state appointed committee will monitor the functioning of the airports.

The concessions given by the state includes “ tax on Air Turbine Fuel which would be one per cent for the next 10 years.  The state will speak to oil companies to ensure the required services at the airports. The state will provide infrastructure and roads connecting the airports with other modes of transport like metro, railways and waterways. It would also give free land as and when required for the infrastructure. The state’s responsibility is to make trained manpower, well-equipped security and fire brigade avaialbe for the airport. Maharashtra government will also provide water, electricity and other facilities at a concession.”
22/07/17 Shruti Ganapatye/Asian Age

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TDB seeks to reclaim 100 acres of Cheruvally estate

Thiruvananthapuram: The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) would file an affidavit in the High Court for reclaiming its 100 acres of land remaining with the Cheruvally estate where the government has planned to set up an airport, president Prayar Gopalakrishnan has said.

Mr.Gopalakrishnan told reporters here on Friday that details of the Devaswom land on the estate have been mentioned in the M.G.Rajamanickam report submitted to the government. The board was waiting to see the modus operandi planned by the government for setting up the airport and after that it would take a decision on adopting legal steps, he said.

The government is working on the board’s request for setting up a land tribunal. Once the tribunal for the board comes up, all issues pertaining to alienation of Devaswom land would be addressed. Mr.Gopalakrishnan said that he had discussions with those delegated by Bishop K.P. Yohannan on the land issue.
The Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) has urged the government to reconsider the Cabinet decision to set up the Sabarimala greenfield international airport on the Cheruvally estate.
22/07/17 The Hindu

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KSSP opposes airport on Cheruvally estate

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) has urged the government to reconsider the Cabinet decision to set up the Sabarimala greenfield international airport on the Cheruvally estate at Kanjirappally taluk in Kottayam district.

The proposed site for the fifth international airport of the State, aimed at making travel hassle-free for Sabarimala pilgrims and those in Central Travancore, is within the Periyar Tiger Reserve and any future development for Sabarimala should be on the basis of proper scientific and comprehensive master plan, said KSSP president T. Gangadharan and general secretary T.K. Meerbahi on Friday.

The significance and need of an international airport, 48 km away from Sabarimala, for the hill temple needs to be scrutinised as the nearest airport is just 110 km away, the KSSP leaders said. The move to construct the fifth international airport in the name of catering to the needs of Sabarimala pilgrims was not aimed at protecting the interests of ordinary citizens, the KSSP said.

Any future development for Sabarimala should be executed after holding discussions with all sections of people and on the basis of the master plan being worked out in consultation with scientists, devotees, Adivasis, development experts, environmentalists, and others.
21/07/17 The Hindu

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