Showing posts with label Airports Jun 2016. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Airports Jun 2016. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

MIA to get two additional aprons by December

Mangaluru: A move by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to add two more aprons at the Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) at Kenjar here is in sync with the steady growth of passenger traffic from this airport. Taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore, the additional aprons will take the total number of parking stands for aircraft to eight and enable the airport authorities to handle additional flights at any given point in time. The work is expected to be completed in December.
J T Radhakrishna, airport director, MIA said the construction of the new aprons will enable AAI to handle eight flights at a time, if the need arises.
While the six aprons are spread over an area of 48,000 sq m, the new aprons coming adjacent to the existing aprons will be spread over around 8,000 sq m, he said, adding this will enable AAI to handle seven narrow bodied air bus/boeings and an ATR.
"We have set aside one parking slot exclusively for ATRs," he noted.
12/07/16 Times of India

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Two towns of north Bengal to have airports soon

The process of having airports in Malda and Balurghat, two towns of north Bengal, has started with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) agreeing to hand over airport land and runway to the state government.

Transport department officials said AAI has agreed to hand over 132.66 acres and 114 acres of airport land including runway in Balurghat and Malda airport respectively for use by the state government initially for a period of 30 years at a token cost of Re 1.

A cabinet decision in this regard has already been taken while an MoU for this purpose was signed today with AAI at 'Uttar Kanya', the state secretariat in the north Bengal.

PWD will take up the development work of existing runway at Balurghat airport immediately, officials said, adding development of Malda airport will also be taken up as soon as possible.
29/06/16 PTI/Business Standard

Mangaluru airport revenues up 27%

Mangaluru: Aided by the increase in passenger handling, Mangaluru International Airport recorded 26.88 per cent growth in revenue during 2015-16.

A press release by JT Radhakrishna, Director of Mangaluru International Airport, said that the airport achieved total revenue of ₹85.62 crore during 2015-16 against ₹67.48 crore during 2014-15.

The airport handled 16.75 lakh passengers during 2015-16 against 13.07 lakh passengers in the previous fiscal, recording a growth of 28.15 per cent.
30/06/16 AJ Vinayak/Business Line

Istanbul effect: IGI goes under multi-layer blanket

New Delhi: A multi-layered security blanket was thrown around Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport after the attack on Istanbul Ataturk Airport on Tuesday night. While the anti-terror squad of the IGI police was deployed on the airport premises, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was instructed by Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to be more stringent in scanning luggage and frisking passengers.
Airport officials said that most of the flights are being scanned for possible threats and frisking of passengers has been further tightened.
The heightened security measures come in the wake of multiple instances of passengers caught carrying arms and ammunition inside the airport premises. In January, a youth managed to enter the international terminal on a fake ticket without being noticed by the security agencies. In March, a man was caught with a pistol near the check-in counters. Two days ago, a man was held for trying to carry ammunition in his bag.
Such incidents have resulted in the authorities considering a change in the airport's security plan. Under IGI's current Security Hold Area (SHA) plan, a ticket holder can enter the terminal without being frisked till the security hold area. Officials are mulling whether this should be changed to the Concourse Plan in which a person is thoroughly scanned at the entry itself.
30/06/16 Anvit Srivastava/Times of India

Mumbai airport put on high alert

Following the Istanbul attack, Mumbai Airport has been put on high alert since yesterday. The airport operator, along with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), has increased the security and are all on alert.
Speaking to mid-day, a Senior Airport Official said, "The security is tightened with extra CISF deployment at city side and outside. Random screening by CISF has been increased with an aim to cover more screened baggages entering inside the terminal area. Private security personnel are also on continuous guard.”
The Quick Reaction Team (QRT) was put on alert along with the Bomb Disposal and Detection Squad (BDDS). Denying to comment on the number of days of high alert, they stated that the city airport is expected to be on alert for some days for which passengers may have to spend some extra time during security check both inside and outside the terminal.
30/06/16 Mid Day

Cial security takes a beating, 5 breaches in 2016

Kochi: The recent repeated instances of multi-level security breach at Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) at Nedumbassery has raised eyebrows as five such instances have taken place in as many months, though only two were reported by authorities.
Sources said that these breaches happened despite augmenting security at the airport following routine alerts received from the bureau of civil aviation security (BCAS).
Four days ago, a mentally-unstable person from Maharashtra reached the check-in counter without a ticket. CISF personnel later arrested Nanadada Bichu Kale (31), who was wearing dirty clothes, after an airport staff noticed him wandering aimlessly at the counter. "We have sought a detailed report from CISF on the security breach," said P S Jayan, manager, public relations and corporate communications, Cial.
CCTV visuals later verified that Kale did wander around the airport for a long time. At the same time, there were two instances where passengers - who were supposed to enter the international terminal were directed to domestic terminal and those bound for domestic were allowed at the international one during the past two weeks. Sources said that such goof-ups at the airport are not reported to higher-ups.
30/06/16 Times of India

NSA alerts Pathankot airbase on ‘aerial attack’

Pathankot: The National Security Agency (NSA) has alerted the Pathankot Air Force station about a possible aerial attack by Pakistan-based terror outfits through micro-light aircraft, including gliders, and para-motors.
The authorities here have distributed posters warning residents about these aerial vehicles.
Sources claim that the authorities have gone on overdrive warning residents of ‘aerial offensives’ after the NSA sent alerts claiming that Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed may be planning these attacks.
The air base was declared a sensitive zone after the January 2 attack in which four militants and seven security personnel were killed.
On July 27 last year, three terrorists had laid siege to the police station in the border town of Dinanagar, 25 km from here, before they were gunned down in a 12-hour-long battle.
Sources claim that these aerial vehicles can be used for surveying sensitive areas and also to launch an offensive.
Scores of posters have been distributed in recent days in localities falling on the periphery of the air base. These posters contain pictures of gliders and have the telephone numbers of officials who can be contacted in case of an aerial threat.
29/06/16 Ravi Dhaliwal/Tribune

Undue intervention behind delay in airport project: ACS

Itanagar: Arunachal Civil Society (ACS) has drawn attention of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Chief Minister Kalikho Pul over construction of the proposed Greenfield Airport at Hollongi, which according to the NGO, is getting delayed not because of the compensation issue but due to undue interventions of some associations/unions/or groups of people with vested interests.
“The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airport Authority of India are not saying anything on the compensation issue. But, they became confused by intervention made by some person(s) or group of people on the matter. Whom do they believe,” ACS stated in a release.
Not only the proposed Greenfield Airport Project but also many developmental activities could not take place in the state because of such undue intervention, the society claimed.
The ACS strongly urged Rijiju and Chief Minister Pul to immediately sort out the differences that has posed as stumbling block to the construction of the vital project.
30/06/16 Arunachal Times

In-line baggage handling system commissioned at Karipur airport

Kozhikode: The passengers at the Karipur airport can now have faster and efficient screening of their baggage during check- in with the commissioning of the in-line baggage handling system (ILBHS) at the airport.
The system commissioned at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore uses conveyor belts to automatically screen and track baggage during check- in.
Airport authority officials said that with the commissioning of the in-line baggage handling system there is no need for passengers to subject their baggage to security screening before check- in.
Previously the passengers had to finish the security screening of their baggage prior to the check- in and then take the baggage to the airline counters. Often the baggage had to be reopened during check- in, if they exceeded the stipulated weight, causing much inconvenience to the passengers. The new in-line screening system is expected to provide enhanced security by enabling fool proof checking of the baggage and would also reduce passenger congestion before the airline check- in counters.
Though the system was installed at the airport years back, the commissioning was delayed due to technical glitches and lack of trained manpower.
29/06/16 K R Rajeev/Times of India

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

AAI sets up panel to study hiving off air navigation services

New Delhi: Reviving a long-pending proposal, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has set up a two-member expert panel to explore ways to hive off air navigation services into a separate entity
Even though the idea to make Air Navigation Services (ANS) a separate and independent unit was mooted in 1970s, there has not been much movement forward despite some detailed studies being done in this regard.

The two-member expert panel comprises former Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla and former DGCA Chief Satinder Singh, a senior official said.
The two-member expert panel comprises former Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla and former DGCA Chief Satinder Singh, a senior official said.

According to the official, the committee, which would look at ways of making ANS a separate unit from AAI, is expected to submit its report within three months.
The setting up of the panel assumes significance against the backdrop of rising domestic air traffic which is expected to go up further following the implementation of the new civil aviation policy.
29/06/16 PTI/Economic Times

Glass Panel Collapses at Chennai Airport for 64th Time

Chennai: In the 64th such incident, a glass panel collapsed at the international terminal of Chennai airport on Wednesday.
The mishap took place at Etihad Airways’ departure area. No injuries have been reported. Chennai airport, one of India’s busiest airports, is run by government-owned Airport Authority of India (AAI).
Minor accidents are a regular feature at the infamous airport. During the devastating floods in 2015, the entire airport was flooded for weeks.
Several travel websites, like hellotravel, have declared it as one of the worst airports in Asia.
According to a survey done by a travel website, the Guide to Sleeping in Airports, Chennai airport ranks as one of the worst airports in Asia.
The survey done in 2016, in which 26,297 travellers participated, says passengers are unhappy with the maintenance of toilets and baggage handling. “Baggage-wise, complaints begin with the amount of time it takes for your bags to be disembarked from the plane. Once you have them, it is then unlikely that you will find a working trolley or helpful staff. Bathroom-wise, problems tend to stem from the leaking faucets, the dirty floors and the never-scrubbed toilets,” it said as reported in 'The Hindu'.
29/06/16 News18.com

An uncertain future

Mysuru: Mysuru airport has already had its tryst with viability gap funding which initially worked well but subsequently died out. The State government promised to extend viability gap funding to Air India’s subsidiary Alliance Air.

It was announced that viability gap funding would be at the rate of Rs. 9.5 lakh per month for one year consequent to which the flights operated regularly for one month.

But soon after, the airlines announced its decision to suspend operations.

It transpired that though the State had initially offered to extend viability gap funding for one year, the facility was withdrawn after one month.

Not withstanding the financial viability or lack of it, Mysuru airport has another lacuna which cannot be easily addressed.
29/06/16 The Hindu

Close shave for Indian passengers in Istanbul

Indians travelling from Instanbul’s Ataturk airport had a close shave last night as terrorists struck the airport killing over 40 people and injuring over 150.

The two Turkish Airlines flights to India departed barely two hours before the terror strikes.

“The terror attacks occurred at around 10 pm. Turkish Airlines flights to Delhi and Mumbai departed Istanbul last night as scheduled. Both leave Istanbul at around 8 pm,” said a senior official.

Meanwhile, the government said it was taking all possible steps to ensure safety and security at Indian airports.
29/06/16 Defence Aviation Post

Will ensure safety of Indian airports, Ashok Gajapathi Raju says

New Delhi: Government is committed to ensure the safety of Indian airports and skies, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Wednesday said as he expressed shock over the deadly terror attack at Istanbul airport.
More than 30 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the terror attack at Ataturk airport in Istanbul.
"I am deeply shocked and agitated at the terror attack on Istanbul Airport. We stand with Turkey and its citizens in their loss & grief," Raju said in a tweet.
He emphasised that the government is committed to ensure safety of airports in the country.
"It's our commitment that we will continue to ensure safety and security of Indian airports and skies," he said.
29/06/16 PTI/Times of India

After Istanbul terror attack, security stepped up at Kolkata airport

Kolkata: In the wake of today's terror attack in Istanbul, the security system at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose terminal in Kolkata has been augmented.
The airport is spread in an area of 20 square kilometers and is manned by a minimum of 250 personnel at any given hour and now more personnels have been pressed into action.

From cargo services to entrance and departures, everything is now being screened three times.
Earlier it was being done two times with sniffer dogs in eight hours and now will be done six times in the same time span.
Policemen in civil clothes have been deployed.
Senior officials of CISF are monitoring every movement.
No vehicle is being allowed to stay at the main gate for more than five minutes.
Sniffer dogs are being used to identify any mischievous objects.
The three layer security system has been extended to parking area where all vehicles are being checked.
Cargo services is a vulnerable area and thus additional security has been deployed there, mainly because the screening of cargo is usually done by airline officials.
The enhanced security cordon is expected to continue till further orders.
29/06/16 Manogya Loiwal/India Today

Indian airports on high alert

New Delhi: After the triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport killed 32 people on Tuesday evening, security at Indian airports has also been put on high alert.

Sources told BusinessLine that the Airport Security Committee, which is headed by the Airport Director and has high level representation from the Central Industrial Security Force and State Police and all airlines, goes into an immediate huddle to ensure safety and security of the airport.

Security at Indian airports is largely the responsibility of the Central Industrial Security Force and airline security staff which follow the orders laid down by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.

To ensure that an Istanbul or Brussels type of attack does not occur here, airports across the country are enhancing the frequency of patrols that the Quick Response Teams carry out in airport perimeter areas. Also more number of passengers are being subjected to Secondary Point Ladder Check (SPLC) which is carried out just before boarding a commercial aircraft at airports termed extra sensitive such as Srinagar and Leh.

After a terror attack, the number of passengers subjected to SLPC increases to close to 30 per cent, a three-fold increase from normal times, a person connected with airport security said.
29/06/16 Business Line

Hrithik Roshan was at the Istanbul Airport hours before the terror attack

New Delhi: Hrithik Roshan along with his sons Hrehaan and Hridhaan were at the Istanbul airport hours before it came under a bomb and gun attack, which killed 36 and injured more than 140. The Bang Bang actor missed his connecting flight and was supposed to stay back at the airport till the next day. However, he chose to fly out in an economy.
The Bollywood actor was thankful to the airport staff and expressed shock and grief for those affected because of the attack. Hrithik tweeted his prayers for the victims, saying we have to stand united against those who kill innocents in the name of religion.
The attack at Ataturk airport have been linked to IS or Kurdish militants. Three militants open fired at an entry point of a terminal and then blew themselves up after police fired upon them, the officials were quoted.
World power across the globe denounced the act, with US calling the attack 'henious' and added they were 'steadfast in support of Turkey'. German foreign minister said, "We grieve for the victims, we stand by Turkey." Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan said the attack should serve as a turning appoint in the global fight against militant groups.
29/06/16 India Today

High alert sounded at LBS airport

Varanasi: A high alert was sounded at the city's LBS International Airport at Babatpur on Tuesday following the alert sounded by central intelligence agencies in view of the possibility of terror activities.
Before the passengers started reaching the airport in the morning, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel had taken their position for checking. While no vehicle including buses, four and two wheelers were allowed to enter the parking zones without proper frisking, extra precautions were also being taken at baggage scanning and checking points.
Senior CISF officials admitted that a countrywide alert was sounded by the ministry of home affairs in view of the possibility that some terrorists involved in Pampore (J-K) ambush, in which eight CRPF personnel were killed on Saturday, could take shelter in Delhi and Lucknow. The alert was received by CISF at Varanasi airport on Monday evening. The officials denied that there was any specific input for the airport. But, they said, "As Varanasis airport is in the list of the highly sensitive airport category, where security arrangements are never relaxed, extra precautions were initiated since Tuesday morning."
29/06/16 Times of India

Noise norms fail to take off

The ministry of civil aviation's move to boost regional connectivity by allowing airlines to import aircraft as old as 18 years may not be good news for people living near airports. While modern planes are quieter, older aircraft are not.
People living near airports may have to put up with an increase in sound levels in the coming months and there is not going to be an improvement for those near railway stations either as the railways does not have any sound barriers in place or restrictions on honking for locomotives.
"Noise pollution awareness is still at a nascent stage at airports. Following complaints, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation set up some norms for the Delhi airport. The circular issued a few years ago is supposed to be followed by other airports also," says a senior Airports Authority of India official. "However, implementation is difficult if an airport is surrounded by residential buildings, like in Chennai." There were a few complaints years ago when the Madras Flying Club was operational. "People wanted us to stop flying at night. Now, we do not have any complaints," says an airport official. This is primarily due to aircraft manufacturers who have made the new planes quieter.
The noise generated by a modern B747-8 or A350-900 aircraft touches 85 decibels (dB) when engines are at full throttle during take-off. This is far lower than the ambient noise in some of the busiest neighbourhoods in the city. This is one of the reasons why many spot a plane but don't hear its noise.
According to DGCA norms, permissible noise levels near airports are 105dB for civil aircraft during the day and 95dB at night.
28/06/16 V Ayyappan/Times of India

Aviation Ministry asks BCAS to form panel to review baggage tags' need

New Delhi: The government has revived the plan to provide respite to air travellers in India from the hassle of tagging their cabin baggage and then standing in the long queue at security checkpoints to get them stamped.

The plan, which has been discussed by the government since long, may happen soon with the civil aviation ministry asking the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to form a panel to review the necessity of cabin baggage tags and give its report within four weeks.

The decision to set up the panel was taken in a meeting called by the civil aviation secretary RN Choubey on Thursday. The meeting was part of a regular monthly exercise to discuss ways to improve the operational efficiency of airlines.

"The good thing about the aviation secretary is that he works with timelines. He has given BCAS four weeks to decide on the abolition of cabin baggage tags across India," said a senior executive of an airline, who attended the meeting."This issue is being discussed for long and despite a consensus on its abolition, we have not been able to abolish it."

As part of the standard operating procedure (SOP) followed at all the airports in the country, every passenger boarding a flight has to get a tag for the cabin baggage, which is then stamped at the security check and checked by the security personnel at the boarding gates to ensure that no unchecked baggage enters the aircraft.
29/06/16 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

Incessant rainfall affects flight schedules adversely

Mumbai: Ever since the onset of monsoon in Mumbai, flight operations from the city airport have been badly affected. An official informed that every day, flights, especially in the morning, were getting delayed by a good 15 to 20 minutes owing to inclement weather and poor visibility. As a result, the concerned airlines were keeping their passengers updated about delays and addressing their grievances on social media. A top air traffic control official from Mumbai airport revealed that every day, nearly five flights faced go around at the city airport due to congestion and bad weather however no diverts had been reported thus far.
The official explained that pilots needed a visibility of almost one kilometre for safe operations and due to the downpour they failed to see the runway and took the aircraft back to the bay which led to delays. “When flights keep on getting delayed during certain times, the whole schedule goes for a tailspin. The shower spells cause delays,” he said. With the rain showing no sign of abating, city airlines were warning fliers about delays and asking them to enquire about flight status before leaving for the airport.
29/06/16 Asian Age

Plan for Thoothukudi airport expansion ready

Thoothukudi: Addressing a meeting of the airport advisory committee here on Tuesday, E.C. Taji, Airport Director, said the master plan envisaged provision of several key facilities to upgrade Thoothukudi airport. Once 586 acres of land was acquired and handed over to the AAI, expansion and upgrading work would be taken up immediately and completed in two years. The State government had agreed to hand over 586 acres of land free of cost to the AAI. The AAI was ready to install Doppler VHF Omni Directional Range (DVOR) at the airport.

Referring to facilities envisaged in the master plan, she said the new runway would be 3000 metres long to facilitate landing of wide bodied aircraft. Other facilities would include new international and domestic terminal building with world class passenger facilities, new technical block and air traffic control tower, hangers for aircraft maintenance, state-of-art communication and navigational facilities, cargo complex for international and domestic cargo, instrument landing system for all-weather landing and advanced security equipment.

J. Jeyasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee, Thoothukudi MP, and chairman, airport advisory committee, appealed to the AAI to revive the British period air base near Kayathar. He wanted the airport authorities to accord top priority to runway extension to accommodate bigger aircraft and also establish nigh navigational facilities.
29/06/16 The Hindu

Stakeholders confident of airport revival through viability gap funding

Mysuru: Stakeholders from the commerce and industry sectors are pinning their hopes on the new civil aviation policy unveiled by the Union government and the proposed viability gap funding for revival of the Mysuru airport.

The city airport at Mandakalli is off the air map with no commercial flights scheduled as three airlines withdrew their services citing poor patronage in recent years.

However, members of the commerce and industry sectors and various trade organisations in the city are vocal about the imperatives of air connectivity to the city to spur investment and are positive of originating air traffic from Mysuru provided the services are reliable.

“We are planning a presentation about Mysuru and its potential in terms of air passenger traffic besides the long-term industrial growth of the region … we will seek viability gap funding from the government to subsidise the airline operators to fly to Mysuru,” said Sudhakar Shetty, regional convenor of the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI).

The presentation will be made to the higher authorities in the government and plans are to rope in the local MP, Pratap Simha, and other elected representatives to influence the policy makers, Mr. Shetty added.
29/06/16 R. Krishna Kumar/The Hindu

Goa seeks Central help to upgrade facilities at airport

Panaji: Goa Minister for Tourism Dilip Parulekar has sought support from the Central government to upgrade infrastructure at the Dabolim international airport here ahead of the tourist season.

Paruleker said on Wednesday that he has taken up the problems at the Dabolim airport with the Civil Aviation Minister, Ashok Gajapathi Raju. Poor work quality that resulted in the collapse of the false ceiling, below par housekeeping services, limited food outlets, and lack of bus bays were among the major problems, he added.

“The tourism industry of the State is alarmed and concerned at the lack of world-class facilities at the Goa airport which receives thousands of international travellers,” Parulekar said in his representation to the Union Government.
29/06/16 Business Line

AERA to hire consultants for determining aeronautical tariff

New Delhi: Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) is planning to rope in consultants to help determine the aeronautical tariff at major airports.
The airports tariff regulator, which is preparing to decide on the tariff in various aerodromes, is now looking to engage consultants to assist it “in determination of tariffs for aeronautical services at major airports”, according to a public notice.
The aeronautical services have been put into three segments –aeronautical services provided by airport operators; cargo, ground handling and fuel supply services; and air navigation services.
Consultants are being sought to help AERA in deciding the tariffs at various aerodromes, including Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, and Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru.
AERA would be hiring the services of consultants for “AAI airports at Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Guwahati, Kozhikode and enclaves at Goa, Pune and Srinagar, the notice said.
28/06/16 PTI/Financial Express

Expressway will be runway to Mumbai airport

Ahmedabad: In its third phase, the Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway will reach up to the Navi Mumbai airport, enabling NRGs to drive straight to the Mumbai airport to take connecting flights.
Sources said that flyers coming from Gujarat often have to wait for nearly four hours in Mumbai before checking in to take their onward international flights. But with the new connectivity, they can drive straight to the Mumbai airport in comfortable time. At present, flyers from Vadodara and Anand who disembark in Mumbai come to Ahmedabad and then drive to their destinations. But the highway will make it possible for them to drive from Mumbai to their destinations, helping them save time.
Besides, to give impetus to the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the governments concerned have resolved to have the highway run close to the DMIC.
29/06/16 Times of India

Naval air enclave at CIAL to be ready this year

Kochi: The Navy’s air enclave at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) will be ready for commissioning this year, said a top official of the Southern Naval Command.

The enclave, planned by the Navy to cater to its future air operation requirements in the region and in the backdrop of the force-level augmentation that is under way, will be come up over an area of 11 acres alongside the airport’s cargo complex.

The enclave was originally slated for completion by end-2011.

The Navy intends to operate its maritime recce aircraft, including the latest Boeing P8-I on a need basis, from the facility which has maintenance hangars capable of providing back-end support to the operation of a squadron from the enclave.

As already reported by The Hindu , the enclave will be able to back up full-load operation of the long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Boeing P8-I, if required.
29/06/16 The Hindu

Grounded flight leaves for Kuala Lumpur

The Air Asia aircraft which was grounded at the international airport here for nearly 15 hours following a technical snag left for Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. The spares required for rectifying the technical snag were brought from Malaysia and the flight took off shortly after noon, sources said. The stranded passengers left in the same flight. The flight developed snag moments after it took off from the airport here on Monday evening. After hovering in the air space for over an hour, the flight made an emergency landing at Tiruchi a couple of hours later.
29/06/16 The Hindu

GMR Hyderabad Duty Free, Cathay Pacific to offer shopping discounts

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Duty Free Retail Ltd, the 100 per cent subsidiary of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd., has joined hands with Cathay Pacific Airways to introduce a discount offer for customers.

Passengers travelling to and from Hyderabad Airport can now avail of a 15 per cent shopping discount at the Hyderabad Duty Free stores after presenting their Cathay Pacific boarding pass. This offer is active and valid for three months, until September 30, according to a statement.
29/06/16 V Rishi Kumar/Business Line

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Rickety Juhu hangar will be 30 air traffic controllers’ new home

Mumbai: In an inhuman move, the Central government-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked 30 air traffic controllers to vacate their staff quarters in Juhu and Vile Parle to make way for new transfers and move to a run-down aircraft hangar in the Juhu airport.
It's not a temporary arrangement. The abandoned, dilapidated 'Shobha Singh' hangar will be the new residential address of about 40 AAI officials, including 30 air traffic controllers. Inside the hangar, covering about 4,000 sq ft area, the AAI has rigged up two rows of twin-sharing plastic cubicles, each about 100 sq ft, said a source. Each cubicle has two cots and an overhead fan.
What is worse, every monsoon, the Juhu airport gets inundated and so does Shobha Singh hangar.
"It's worse than a prison cell. It's shocking and demoralising," said an airport source. "The hangar is not conducive for human habitation. It is located barely 10m from Indamer hangar and so there is a constant deafening noise as engine run-ups of helicopters are carried out even at night. It's not possible to get decent sleep there."
This move is likely to also affect air safety as controllers carry out the critical job of giving navigational instructions to the pilots to ensure smooth and safe flow of aircraft. "This move will surely affect air traffic control job functions. There is already an acute shortage of staff and this will add to the stress," the official added. "It's no place to send an official whose job demands split-second decisions that impact air safety."
28/06/16 V Manju/Times of India

Many airports without passengers: will the new aviation policy make a difference?

The recently unveiled National Civil Aviation policy aims to transform the aviation map of India by reviving numerous airports and airstrips that are either not operational or witness little activity. Boosting regional air connectivity is a highlight of the policy - a task that may prove challenging given the present domestic passenger traffic trends at our airports.

The country is dotted with as many as 450 airports and airstrips but only 75 have scheduled operations, the policy document says.

A number of these belong to Defence establishments while some others belong to State governments or private entities. Many of these airports or airstrips are not operational or have fallen into disuse. They also include newly constructed airports that have not taken off, for various reasons.

The large Metro airports account for the bulk of the domestic traffic. The data released by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for April 2016, relating to 82 airports (international and domestic airports, apart from ones owned by state governments and private parties), reveals that nearly 65 per cent of the domestic passenger traffic totalling nearly 1.6 crores was handled by just six airports - Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. And just 26 airports had recorded traffic exceeding one lakh domestic passengers that month. And between them, these airports accounted for over 90 per cent of the total domestic traffic handled.
Some of these airports have also witnessed a dramatic growth in passenger traffic year over year - over 50 per cent in the case of Varanasi, Mangalore and Visakhapatnam. Six other airports have recorded a growth of 25 to 50 per cent.
The majority of the remaining airports have handled less than 50,000 domestic passengers. Some of the small airports have recorded a big surge in traffic but the total number of passengers they have handed are relatively small. Among the airports which have accounted for more than 50,000 domestic passengers, Udaipur, Dehradun and Madurai have seen a growth of more than 50 per cent, while Imphal and Vadodara have recorded a surge of 25 to 50 per cent.

The Regional Connectivity Scheme, to be implemented from the second quarter of 2016-17, aims to revive the fortunes of un-served or under-served airports and routes. The government offered several incentives to promote these underserved locations.
28/06/16 T. Ramachandran/The Hindu

Navi Mumbai airport set to get environ nod this week

Mumbai: The final approval from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) for the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is expected to come this week.

"After this clearance from the MoEF, there will not be any more sanctions left from this ministry," said a senior official from City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco).

Called Stage II Clearance, the approval involves a review of Stage I Clearance accorded earlier. Plans for compensatory forestation, river diversion, mangrove plantation, etc, were cleared under the Stage-I nod.
Once the Stage-I compliances are met with, the next stage is to present a rehabilitation plan by Cidco to MoEF.

A week ago, the Cidco had awarded two contracts for pre-development works. The work involved land leveling for the construction of the airport and cutting of Ulwe Hill (80 metres) to fill the marshy land. Contracts worth Rs 398 crore and Rs 700 crore was awarded to Supreme Infrastructure and Gayatri Projects respectively. An area of 1,160 hectare (2,800 acre) will be leveled for the construction of the airport.
28/06/16 Ateeq Shaikh/Daily News & Analysis

Cargo handling at Chennai Airport up 23%

Chennai: Cargo handling at Chennai Airport shot up by 22.7 per cent as of May compared to the year-ago period.
Revenues rose to Rs 27 crore from Rs 22 crore during the same period, a top airport official said today.
"Cargo handled up to May 2016 (from June 2015) was 42,765 tonnes as against 31,649 tonnes registered during the same period last year," Airport Director Deepak Shastri said.

Revenue from cargo handling was close to Rs 27 crore, against Rs 22 crore during the same period last year. "We have already begun reaping the benefits of our initiatives in cargo handling," Shastri told PTI.
On the efforts taken to improve facilities at the airport to ramp up cargo handling, he said, "The Airports Authority of India has introduced self-feeding of data by respective agents instead of depending on AAI officials."
"It means a separate counter has been provided, which has become an instant success as 50-100 consol related entries were fed by bulk agents directly," he said.
28/06/16 India Today

MNS petition over airport parking fees

Mumbai:  The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has moved the Bombay high court against Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd to prohibit them from collecting parking charges at pick-up and drop points and entry fees at the international airport and domestic terminal in the city.
"At the international airport, all commercial vehicles are required to pay Rs 110 merely on entry while all private vehicles if they halt for more than 5 minutes are required to pay Rs 110 for 5 minutes," said the petition filed on Monday and questioned the legality of such parking charges.
MIAL spokesperson said that they were "not aware of any such petition and hence cannot comment on it". He added "when any such petition is served on them appropriate steps will be taken."
28/06/16 Times of India

On wings of nightmare, sleep takes flight

Hemant Maheshwari, a 59-year-old businessman, is awakened every 10 minutes in the night by aircraft flying over his Vasant Kunj house. Almost every morning, he wakes up groggy and irritable. The roar of aircraft leaving and coming to the Indira Gandhi International Airport tells on their lives so much that the resident welfare associations of Bijwasan, Vasant Kunj, Samalkha and Pushpanjali got together with NGO Chetna and filed a petition with the NGT. These residential areas fall directly under the take-off and landing paths of aircraft and the thunderous sound often exceeds permissible limits. According to the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre at Vasant Kunj, the boom is in the magnitude of 75-94 decibels, which is "clearly beyond the stipulated standards laid down in the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000". The airport operator, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), argues, however, that the IGIA has incorporated all measures to reduce aircraft noise. Among the initiatives adopted at IGIA are "restrictions on the operation of older aircraft during night hours, use of engine run-ups, application of reverse thrust and use of auxiliary power unit at the airport", says an executive. In April this year, NGT asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation why a night-time curfew could not be imposed at IGIA as is done in 275 out of 555 airports in the world. "We have proposed multiple measures to both NGT and DGCA, like using Noise barriers and night curfews, but the airport authorities are yet to act on it," said Anil Sood, president, Chetna. The airport pleaded that 20 international flights operated between 10pm and 6am. Residents have tried to get politicians to help.
28/06/16 Anvit Srivastava & Jasjeev Gandhiok/Times of India

Tiruchi airport authorities urge IndiGo, SpiceJet to launch flights to West Asia

Tiruchi: Amid tremendous demand for introduction of overseas flight services to key West Asian destinations from here, the Tiruchi airport authorities have requested two private carriers to explore the possibility of operating services in that sector.

In addition to exploring the possibility of operating flights to select West Asian destinations, the airport authorities have appealed to the two airlines — IndiGo and SpiceJet — to operate flights in the domestic Tiruchi-Mumbai-Tiruchi sector as well.

The airport authorities conveyed their interest in this regard through separate letters forwarded to IndiGo and SpiceJet.

The request has been made at a time when there is a heavy demand for operation of international flights to connect more West Asian countries from Tiruchi as well as to augment domestic connectivity.

At present, Air India Express is the lone overseas carrier operating a daily service to Dubai in the West Asian region.

Although flight services were operated to Sharjah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi from Tiruchi a few years ago, they were all withdrawn one after the other for different reasons.
28/06/16 R Rajaram/The Hindu

CIAL ground-handling staff threaten stir

Kochi: The ground handling staff at the Cochin International Airport has threatened an indefinite strike from July 4 to bring to the attention of stakeholders the demands raised by the workers.

The service provider Khullar Hospitality in a statement issued to the press has appealed to the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) to immediately intervene to address what it called “the deteriorating ground handling operations.” Khullar Hospitality had also alleged in its statement that the airport authority had turned a blind eye to the developments and allowed the situation to deteriorate leading to service disruption. However, CIAL sources said the airport operator was not in a position to legally intervene in the dispute as the contract for the service had been awarded to Air India, which had, in turn, engaged a contractor for the purpose.
28/06/16 The Hindu

Air India to connect Hubballi & Bengaluru

According to a report by Pramod kumar Vaidyav in The New Indian Express, it is almost certain that Air India will operate a flight between Hubballi and Bengaluru from July 20. The flight is scheduled to land at Hubballi airport at 5.05 pm and fly back to Bengaluru at 5.25 pm. Confirming the development, Prahlad Joshi, MP, Dharwad, said the top management of both Air India (AI) and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) have met over the issue after he brought it up with Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Government of India. Currently Air Pegasus is operating two flights daily between Bengaluru  and Hubballi. Besides Bengaluru, AAI officials note that there is a large demand for air travel to Mumbai as many business houses which operate from Hubballi have connections in Mumbai, Surat and Ahmedabad. Joshi said that the earlier plans of Air India to operate a Hubballi-Mumbai flight was not realised due to non availability of slot at the Mumbai Airport. Even GVK management which is in charge of operations at Mumbai airport, has reiterated about congestion in the airport.
28/06/16 TravelBizMonitor

No sign of civilian terminal at ALG Pasighat

Itanagar: The delay in the construction of a civilian terminal at the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh's East Siang district has led to resentment among locals here.
The Pasighat ALG, part of the Air Force's ambitious plan to repair and relaunch eight ALGs in the state, is almost ready but the promised civilian terminal still seems a distant dream.
Various organizations led by Adi Baane Kebang (ABK)'s East Siang Unit have stepped up their demand for a civilian terminal at the Pasighat ALG at the earliest. The Civilian Terminal Demand Committee ALG Pasighat submitted a memorandum on the matter to the deputy commissioner last week. The organizations alleged that the Air Force would use the ALG simply as a defence base and not for civilian use as promised. Vice-chairman of the committee Tobom Dai said, "Our anxiety regarding construction of a civil terminal is genuine. The construction of the ALG is nearing completion but there is no sign of a civilian terminal. People want a civilian airport rather than a military one," he added.
28/06/16 Times of India

'Let's raise funds for more flights'

Surat: With diamond barons getting together to start an airline - Ventura Airconnect - to connect Surat with various destinations in the state, a citizen group on Facebook has begun toying with the idea to raise funds to invite private airlines to operate flights on important domestic routes.
'We Want Working Airport at Surat' (WWWAS), a citizen group on Facebook having more than 70,000 members, has started a campaign on social media to raise funds for providing seat undertaking to private airlines for operating on routes from Surat to Pune, Hyderabad, Goa, Bangalore, Kochi, Trivandrum, Kolkata, Patna, Varanasi, etc., on PPP model. The citizen group is toying with the idea of bank guarantee. If each member contributes Rs 100 per month, it will be Rs 70 lakh per month, which could be used to provide seat undertaking or deposit money to a private airline against its operating cost.
In October 2015, textile industrialists led by Navsari MP C R Paatil had offered bank guarantee of Rs 3 crore to Air India for Airbus operation between Delhi and Surat. Air India officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and an evening Airbus operation between Delhi and Surat was started. At present, Surat is catered to by Air India on Delhi-Surat and Surat-Mumbai routes.
28/06/16 Melvyn Reggie Thomas/Times of India

Three held with 'fake' entry passes at IGIA

New Delhi: Three persons were apprehended at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here today when they were found with "fake" airport entry passes by security personnel.

Officials said the incident was reported at about 4:00 PM when an on-duty CISF official detected suspicious movements of the trio at the airport terminal.

It was later detected that the three Delhi-based persons were allegedly conned by someone with a fake promise of providing them employment at the IGIA and they were subsequently handed over the fake airport entry passes.
28/06/16 PTI/Business Standard

Tanzanian national held with 'Pseudoephedrine' drugs worth Rs 10 lakh at IGI Airport

New Delhi: Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the surveillance staff at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Monday, detected and recovered 10 kg of 'Pseudoephedrine' drug work Rs 10 lakh from a Tanzanian national.

Based on suspicion during profiling, Kitumba Risasi Ahmad was picked-up for random checking at departure gate no.4 of Terminal- 3.

Ahmad came to travel to Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) via Doha on a business visa.

While on the way to random checking at the X-ray BIS machine, Ahmad threw one back-pack bag kept on trolley near a pillar, between gate no 4 and gate no 3, which the CISF staff could not see, as he was a little ahead.

After clearance from random, the Tanzanian passenger was allowed to proceed for check-in.

While returning to gate no. 4, the CISF staff noticed an unattended back-pack bag lying near a pillar and informed the matter to senior officers, following which the backpack was checked through EVD (Explosive Vapour Detector) and found negative result.
After conforming there was no dangerous/hazardous item inside the bag, it was brought to the random checking X-ray BIS machine for X-ray screening.
27/06/16 ANI/Business Standard

Monday, June 27, 2016

MoCA to focus on regional connectivity and unused airports

ASSOCHAM’s National Council on Civil Aviation in support from Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India was recently organised in New Delhi. The conference brought the stakeholders of aviation and travel industry to discuss the new aviation policy. The inaugural session included special address by key people in the industry. Talking about further plans, Rajiv Nayan Choubey, secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said, “It has been a great year for the ministry with 22 per cent growth in the sector; but to look forward, we are drafting a scheme for increasing regional connectivity in the country. The unused airports can be converted into Special Economic Zones (SEZ) or leased out to the private sector for further training purposes. Instead of just investments, we need to build an ecosystem in order to continue growing at the same rate.”
India has the potential to become the third largest aviation market by 2020 and the largest by 2030. There is untapped potential for growth due to the fact that regional connectivity to several areas is still to be established. On being asked about capping prices, Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India, stated, “A cap on airfares will not help reduce the steep rise in ticket prices. A recent analysis showed that only 1.7 per cent of the tickets sold were at high cost. A cap on the airfares will push up lower prices that would eventually increase the ticket cost. Only the last minute high price of ticket is a matter of concern.”
27/06/16 Saloni Bhatia/Financial Express

Airports Authority of India again rejects Changi Airport plan for Jaipur, Ahmedabad airports

New Delhi: For the second time, state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) has rejected Singapore's Changi Airport proposal to operate and maintain Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports after finding the latest plan "unfeasible".

Now, AAI would move ahead with steps to start the international bidding process for choosing the entities to operate and maintain the two domestic aerodromes.

The proposal to rope in Singapore's Changi airport for the projects was floated during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the island nation last November.

The revised plan from Changi Airport, owned by the Singapore government, also sought a "higher" quantum of revenue in managing Jaipur and Ahmedabad aerodromes. This is "unfeasible" and not commercially viable for AAI, a source close to the development said.
27/06/16 PTI/Economic Times

Runway shutdown fails to staunch flyer flood

Ahmedabad: Eight hours of runway shutdown every day, and suspension of some flights could hardly dampen the rush of air travellers to city airport with passenger footfall, for the first time, crossing five lakh in April.
According to latest data from Airports Authority of India (AAI), 5.63 lakh passengers (18,776 flyers per day) including 1.42 lakh international and 4.2 lakh domestic passengers used the city airport in April 2016, a whopping 13.5% increase in footfall compared to April 2015.
Until 2014, passenger footfall recorded in April at city airport was less than 3 lakh, but this year the numbers shot up despite the daily 8-hr runway shutdown.
The re-carpeting and renovation work on the only runway at the city airport began from April 16, forcing flights to be suspended between 10am and 6pm. However, according to airport officials and travel agents, the beginning of summer vacation in April ensured the rush of flyers stayed high.
27/06/16 Times of India

AAI again rejects Changi plan for Jaipur, Ahmedabad airports

New Delhi: For the second time, state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) has rejected Singapore's Changi Airport proposal to operate and maintain Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports after finding the latest plan "unfeasible".
Now, AAI would move ahead with steps to start the international bidding process for choosing the entities to operate and maintain the two domestic aerodromes.
The proposal to rope in Singapore's Changi airport for the projects was floated during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the island nation last November.
The revised plan from Changi Airport, owned by the Singapore government, also sought a "higher" quantum of revenue in managing Jaipur and Ahmedabad aerodromes. This is "unfeasible" and not commercially viable for AAI, a source close to the development said.
Hence, the latest proposal has been rejected after discussions with the Civil Aviation Ministry, the source said.
Earlier also, Changi Airport's proposal was rejected on the same grounds.
"It has now been decided to re-open the global bids route for the two airports and (if interested) Changi Airport can also participate in it," the source said.
According to him, AAI is in the process of appointing a consultant for preparing the bid documents,"AAI expects to come out with the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Jaipur and Ahmedabad and airports by August," he added.
27/06/16 PTI/Business Today

CIAL sets target of Rs.3,000-cr. turnover

Kochi: Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) will diversify its services and expand its electricity generation business, among other activities, to achieve the target of Rs.3,000 crore turnover by 2023.

The airport operator’s business target has been made public in its ‘vision mission document’ presented before the State government recently. The company has said that the business of operating other airports too is within its vision.

Sources said that CIAL would leverage its subsidiaries to achieve the business target. Twenty per cent of the targeted revenue would come from aero-related business; 30 per cent from non-aero areas of activities and 50 per cent from non-aviation business over the next seven years.

CIAL is the first company in the country in public-private partnership to build and operate a greenfield airport and the presentation made before the State government by the CIAL management said it had the competence to take on any challenge.
CIAL, which generates 15.2 MW of solar energy now to make its current operations power-neutral, will achieve its target of generating 30 MW of solar power by the end of the current year. Together with solar power, work is in progress on building eight small hydro-electric power generation facilities across Kerala.
27/06/16 KA Martin/The Hindu

Duty-free shops at airports now out of FSSAI purview

Mumbai: As per Hindustan Times, food, drinks and other edibles sold at duty-free shops at all airports will no longer need an approval stamp from India’s top food regulatory body.

In a decision taken last month, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has exempt these retail outlets at airports from following country’s food import regulations.

A notice in this regard was uploaded on the FSSAI website.

“We heard their side carefully and after a thorough consultation with our experts came to this decision that those outlets being customs-bound and are not technically importing any items directly on the Indian soil, will not be subject to FSSAI inspection and licensing processes,” said Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI.

“... it was decided that duty free shops would be outside the ambit of food safety standards Act 2006 and regulations made there under till the time import regulations are finally notified,” read the FSSAI notice.
 27/06/16 Hospitality Biz India

Terror alert: Security beefed up at Chandigarh airport

Security has been beefed up in and around sensitive places including airports in Punjab on the basis of intelligence inputs that  Pakistan based terror groups are planning another terror attack in India.
The security arrangements also come in the wake of Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) on Home Affairs report submitted to the Central Government which has also warned that Pathankot is facing another terror threat as the terrorists may be hiding in  the villages.
Besides Pathankot airbase, the security has also been heightened at Amritsar and Chandigarh airports. Warning sign boards  containing shoot-at-sight orders have been put up on the airport fencing wall at many places in Mohali.
Sources said the arrangements were made after a recent meeting on the security issues held between the local administration ,Air Force and Army authorities in Chandigarh. Besides the security , the army authorities have also asked Chandigarh administration to remove the illegal encroachments in Jagatpura village which is located close to the airport.
27/06/16 Manjeet Sehgal/India Today

Heavy Rains Delay Flights at Mumbai Airport

Heavy showers and routine congestion slowed flight movement at the Mumbai airport on Saturday.

An airport spokesperson confirmed the delays but said no flights were diverted or cancelled. Airport records showed that arrivals and departures were running late by up to 25 minutes.

Runway visibility was above 800 metres -- within range for safe operations -- officials manning air traffic said that small bouts of heavy spells triggered the delay.

"Sometimes pilots are unable to see the runway for a few seconds when it's pouring. Such instances disrupt the traffic flow pattern causing a cascading effect on the schedule," a senior air traffic control (ATC) officer said.
India Meteorological Department's Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai predicted intermittent rain with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few place in the city and its suburbs for the next 24 to 48 hours.
25/06/16 Soubhik Mitra/Mcclatchy/AviationPros

Goa International now India’s tenth busiest airport

Located on India’s south-west coast, Goa International Airport (also known as Dabolim Airport) is the main airport for the small Indian state of Goa, which between 1510 and 1961 was an enclave of Portugal. In the year ending 31 March 2016 the airport handled almost 5.4 million passengers, ranking it tenth among Indian airports, just behind Pune, which overtook it last year. The previous year Goa had been ranked ninth.

In the last decade passenger numbers have tripled with the airport handling under 1.7 million passengers in 2005/06. Demand fell by 14% in 2008/09 and was virtually unchanged in 2012/13, but annual growth has been greater than 14% in seven of the last 10 years as India’s air travel market has grown rapidly.
While traffic overall grew by 19.1% in the year ending 31 March 2016, domestic traffic was up 21.3% to 4.73 million while international traffic grew by a more modest 5.3% to 646,000. As a result, international traffic represented just 12.0% of the total traffic last year, compared with 13.6% in the previous year.

In each of the first four months of 2016 passenger numbers have been up at least 20% compared with 2015, with the latest figures for April showing a massive 30.5% increase in demand. The airport’s SVID score (Seasonal Variation In Demand) is a “good” 2.97. The airport’s busiest months are between November and March. Goa is a popular tourist destination for both locals and foreigners especially during the winter season.
27/06/16 anna.aero

City airport to get advanced air navigation services equipment

Mangaluru: Come April next. Mangaluru International Airport under the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will provide air navigation services to aeroplanes with more sophisticated equipment.

According to J.T. Radhakrishna, director of the airport, modern equipment being installed at the airport now would provide enhanced safe navigation services to flights. The total revamp of air navigational services equipment would cost about Rs. 18 crore and the projects would be completed by March-end 2017.

The airport is in the process of replacing its three main navigation equipment. They are very high frequency omni directional radio range equipment, monopulse secondary surveillance radar and instrument landing system (ILS).

The very high frequency omni directional radio range equipment provided navigational services to flights crossing over Mangaluru in a range of more than 200 nautical miles. Such flights need not land at Mangaluru airport. The equipment is now at Kaikamba about 12 km away from the airport. It was being shifted from there to the premises of the old terminal building at the airport and an advanced equipment valued at Rs. 4 crore would be installed there to replace the old one.
27/06/16 Raviprasad Kamila/The Hindu

Tiruchi airport takes top spot in customer satisfaction survey

Tiruchi: Witnessing a spurt in passenger traffic, the rapidly growing Tiruchi international airport has emerged on top among all non-major airports in the Southern region in the first round of a customer satisfaction survey conducted for 2016.

The Tiruchi airport has ranked sixth at the all-India level in the nationwide survey that was conducted for the period January to June by an agency commissioned by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

The customer satisfaction survey was carried out in 53 airports across the country taking into account various parameters on a scale of five. The survey result was released recently.

With a score of 4.66 on the five-point scale, the Tiruchi international airport emerged on top among all non-major airports in the Southern region. It was ranked sixth at the all-India level in the Round –I of the survey.

Chandigarh was on top at the all-India level scoring 4.85 closely followed by Raipur (4.79), Udaipur (4.71), Dehradun (4.70), and Amritsar (4.70).

Various parameters were taken into account during the survey at each airport to come out with the final ratings.
27/06/16 The Hindu

2 ground staff at IGI held for jewellery theft

New Delhi: Two employees of Air India-SATS, an airport services company, were arrested on Friday for allegedly stealing jewellery and other valuables from a woman's bag at Indira Gandhi International Airport, while unloading luggage from an aircraft's belly.
The accused were identified as Amit Kumar (23) and Rohit Kumar (22). The theft was reported earlier this month by a passenger of an international flight-Dubai to New Delhi. She said her valuables had gone missing from her bag after she arrived at IGI.
"A case was registered and investigations started. All suspected ground handlers and other staff of the airline were questioned. But it wasn't of much help. Then investigations led the police to AISATS. Its manager provided the cops with CCTV footage of the aircraft's belly. While going through the video, investigators noticed two employees of AISATS rummaging through a passenger's bag," said Dinesh Kumar Gupta, DCP IGI.
27/06/16 Times of India

Caught on cam: How Delhi airport ground staff stole jewellery from passenger's luggage


The Delhi Police has arrested two ground staff of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport for stealing valuables from the baggage of passengers. The two men, who were employed by the Air India-SATS, which provides ground services at the airport, were nabbed with the help of CCTV footage.

The accused Amit Kumar and Rohit Kumar were deployed as loaders at the airport. The duo used to stole jewellery and other valuables while loading, unloading luggage from airplane's cargo unit.

Here's is how they are caught

Earlier this month, a passenger, travelling on an international flight from Dubai to New Delhi complained of theft after landing at the IGI.
The woman passenger said that her jewellery had gone missing from her bag which was checked-in.
After registering her complaint, the police launched an investigation. Cops were clueless after scanning the CCTV images of the airport.
They then examined the video footage recorded by the CCTV camera installed in the luggage belly of the aircraft.
The video showed the two accused checking the luggage of passengers while unloading it. Unaware that their act was being recorded in the CCTV, one of the accused is seen cutting a bag using a cutter and stealing the jewellery.
During interrogation, the two men told the cops that it was not for the first time that they had stolen stuff from passengers' luggage.
The police is now on the lookout for the man who used to buy the stolen items from the two accused.
27/06/16 Anuj Mishra/India Today

Sunday, June 26, 2016

‘Allow private players to train air traffic control officers’: Civil Aviation Ministry

New Delhi: Allowing private players to set up training facilities for air traffic control officers will help in addressing manpower shortage in air traffic management activities, says a report.
Air Navigation Services (ANS) comes under state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) and for quite sometime there has been a shortage of air traffic controllers.
A report prepared by industry body Assocham and consultancy KPMG has said the number of Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) grew to 2,600 last year but there is a shortage of around 1,500 such people.
Noting that staff crunch is a cause for concern, the report suggested enhancing capacity at existing ATCO training facilities and also permit private entities to carry out training activities.
The Civil Aviation Ministry may consider the option of allowing private players to set up ATCO training facilities, subject to adequate supervision by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), it said.
“This may be started in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode first and thereafter be made fully open to private sector in the long run,” the report said, adding partnership with international ATC training institutes should also be explored.
Currently, there are ATC training facilities at the Civil Aviation Training College, Allahabad and at the Hyderabad airport.
26/06/16 PTI/Indian Express

Belagavi airport to be named after Rajeev Gandhi

Belagavi: Government has planned to name the Sambra Airport of Belagavi after former Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi.
Former minister Satish Jarkiholi declared it here on Saturday, on launching of the works under Smart City project on the eve of completing one year to the announcement of project by the central government.
He said Congress government has decided to name the Sambra Airport after Rajeev Gandhi and district administration has decided to name the ongoing Kanabargi Double Road after chief minister Siddaramaiah.
25/06/16 Ravindra Uppar/Times of India

Govt to expand airstrip at Rangeilunda

Berhampur: Odisha government has decided to expand the airstrip at Rangeilunda at an estimated cost of Rs.44 crore to facilitate landing of 40 to 70 seated turboprop aircraft.
The existing airstrip with a 900-m runway is on 40 acre of land. Another 40 acres of land, including 30 acre of private land is required to upgrade it to 1,874-m runway, officials said today.
A high-level official team led by special secretary in the general administration department, AK Meena visited the airstrip on Friday.
"The works department has prepared a detail project report (DPR) at Rs.44 crore, including Rs.14 crore for land acquisition. The project report was submitted to the government," said Executive Engineer, Works department, Berhampur, PK Das.
"We have asked the Ganjam district administration to start the land acquisition process soon," said Meena.
The state government will provide funds for land acquisition to the district administration. A culvert will be built on the nearby canal and the Berhampur-Gopalpur road diverted slightly.
26/06/16 PTI/Statesman

WWWAS urges govt to bat for Surat-Delhi Airbus morning flight

Surat: 'We Want Working Airport at Surat' (WWWAS) members have urged the state government to intervene with Air India and central government for providing daily Airbus operation between Surat and Delhi in the morning and introduction of two flights to Mumbai with easy connections to Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.
The 'WWWAS', a Facebook group having more than 57,000 members, submitted a memorandum to Gujarat's civil aviation minister Saurabh Patel during his visit to the airport here to flag off the Surat-Bhavnagar inaugural flight on Saturday.
The 'WWWAS' members said the Diamond City having a population of 50 lakh is the eighth largest city with an estimated GDP of $75 billion in the country. Still, the city has just two flights a day to New Delhi and three days a week flight to Mumbai. On the other hand, cities like Vadodara, Bhopal, Indore and Visakhapatnam having a population base between 13 lakh and 25 lakh are well-connected with domestic and international destinations.
26/06/16 Melvyn Reggie Thomas/Times of India

BSF adds part of Guwahati airport as its airbase

Guwahati: In a bid to bolster central armed police forces’ air support capabilities in Northeastern region, Border Security Force’s (BSF)  air wing has added Guwahati as its new airbase with taking over of a hangar at new apron area of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport in Guwahati yesterday. This move is expected to help central armed forces in better troops’ deployment during disaster management, especially during floods and counter insurgency operations in the region.

This hangar and associated aerodrome facilities would enable BSF to undertake independent maintenance and flying operation of MI-17 V5 aircraft on short notice. This would also facilitate emergency medical evacuation of critical central armed police force personnel.

Union home ministry has approved operation of three MI-V5 helicopters, of Russian origin, from this airbase, a BSF press release stated.
BSF has its frontier headquarter at Patgaon, near Guwahati, and development of an airbase in close proximity is expected to enhance its operational capabilities.
25/06/16 Supratim Dey/Business Standard

Cong. against diversion of Eluru Canal for airport expansion

Vijayawada: The Congress is against the shifting (diversion) of Eluru Canal by 13.5 km to facilitate expansion of the Gannavaram airport.

APCC vice-president and former Minister Devineni Rajasekhar said that the State government, which came to power predominantly on the votes of farmers, was giving little respect to their problems. He said that the Airports Authority of India initially suggested that it was enough to shift the Eluru Canal by 6 km, but the Telugu Desam government had come up with a second plan under which the Eluru Canal would be shifted by 13.5 km from it current location.

Mr. Rajasekhar said while in the first plan the government needed to acquire only 195 acres, in the second plan it required 425 acres.
26/06/16 The Hindu

NPC team reviews Aurangabad airport

Aurangabad: In what is being seen as a sign of Aurangabad Airport being on the consideration list of the government, a four-member National Productivity Council team on Friday reviewed the situation at the Aurangabad Airport.
The city airport is amongst the eight airports being reviewed by the high-level committee that would prepare a report of the assessment and submit it to the central government as well as the Airport Authority of India, for taking a call on further development of the airport and making it compatible with the international standards.
Sources said that considering the potential of the city, the state has been pushing hard for the development of the Aurangabad airport on various fronts and already a long list of proposals is pending with the central government. The development and expansion of the airport is necessary to provide various facilities here, said sources adding that these factors were being considered by the NPC team.
25/06/16 Mohammed Akhef/Times of India

CAG starts audit of DIAL, AAI books amid concerns over "irregularities"

New Delhi: Government auditor CAG has started auditing the books of GMR consortium-led DIAL and state-owned Airports Authority of India, amid concerns of alleged irregularities in the leasing of land for the international aerodrome here.
Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL) is a joint venture in which 64 per cent is owned by diversified group GMR. The state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) has 26 per cent shareholding and the remaining 10 per cent is with Germany's Fraport.

"The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of the accounts of DIAL and AAI has started. It is in progress," Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey told PTI.

The Civil Aviation Ministry had sought audit and all documents required for the exercise were submitted by DIAL to AAI, he added.
The CAG had conducted an audit of the Delhi Airport in 2011 as well.
26/06/16 PTI/Economic Times

Flights diverted due to bad weather

Mangaluru: Bad weather forced three flights that were scheduled to land at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) to be diverted on Sunday.
The Goa - Mangaluru, Mumbai - Mangaluru and Bengaluru - Mangaluru flights were diverted due to bad weather. Air India IX 822 Goa - Mangaluru flight was diverted back to Goa but later landed in Mangaluru after few hours. Jet Airways 431 Mumbai - Mangaluru and 815 Bengaluru - Mangaluru too have been diverted with passengers due to bad weather.
MIA director J T Radhakrishna told TOI that flights were diverted due to lack of visibility. "Lack of visibility forced pilots to divert flights back. Weather was clear and Goa - Mangaluru flight landed safely later. All flights, including those diverted ones, are expected to land safely," he added.
Minister of food, civil supplies, consumer affairs U T Khader was travelling in Jet Airways 815 Bengaluru - Mangaluru flight. Though the flight was scheduled to land at MIA at 4.10pm, lack of visibility forced the pilot to return to Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. Following this, a meeting convened by the minister in Mangaluru has been postponed.
26/06/16 Vinobha K T/Times of India

Airports Authority of India co-sponsors run against drug abuse

New Delhi : On the eve of International Day against Drug Abuse, Airports Authority of India co-sponsored a short run in capital New Delhi to create awareness about the ill effects of drugs.
he theme of the event was: "Let's Develop Communities without Drugs".

The event was a joint effort by Airports Authority of India and various government ministries to promote awareness about drug abuse.

Union Minister of Social justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot flagged off the run at India Gate. Around 5000 people - both young and old - participated in the event.

"It is our endeavor to say no to drug abuse. This is second year in succession since we are supporting this event and we will continue to do that in future as well. The youth has to be sensitized against drug abuse. AAI wants to sensitize the youth of today to say no to drugs. Drug is not only harmful to the youth but the whole society will suffer because of this," said S. Raheja, Chairman of Airport Authority of India.
26/06/16 Paras Bisht/New Kerala

Man arrested at Bhopal airport for carrying cartridges

Bhopal: A 44-year-old man was today arrested from the Raja Bhoj Airport here after cartridges were seized from his luggage, police said.

Syed Saif Ali, a resident of Civil Lines in Shamla Hills here, was scheduled to catch a flight to Mumbai when he was suspected of carrying cartridges by airport officials while scanning of his luggage.

The officials informed the police who searched his luggage and seized 30 cartridges of .22 bore rifle, 11 of them live, said inspector Jitendra Patel.
25/06/16 PTI/Business Standard

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Tourism Minister expresses concern over poor facilities at Goa airport

Panaji: The Goa airport faces several problems like inadequate number of immigration counters, poor housekeeping, limited food outlets and inferior quality of civil work, state Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said and requested the Centre to address these issues ahead of the tourist season.
“The state tourism industry is alarmed and concerned at the lack of world-class facilities at the Goa airport which receives thousands of international travellers,” Paruelkar has said in a communication to Civil Aviation Minister Gajapathi Raju.
Parulekar, in the letter sent on Friday, apprised Raju that the newly renovated Dabolim Airport terminal faces several problems like poor housekeeping, limited food outlets, inferior quality of civil work of the building.
25/06/16 PTI/Indian Express

Airstrip expansion takes wings

Berhampur: Odisha government has taken the initiative for expansion of four airstrips in the State. A team comprising Special Secretary, General Administration, Ashok Kumar Meena, Aviation Director SP Mohanty and R&B Secretary Nalinikanta Pradhan visited  Rangeilunda on Friday to take stock of the existing airstrip.

In the first phase, expansion of Rangeilunda would be taken up with a tentative proposal to start large aircraft service. Later, expansion of air bases at Jeypore in Koraput district, Padmapur in Bargarh district and Baripada in Mayurbhanj district would be taken up.

After a visit of Rangeilunda airstrip, Meena held discussions with Ganjam Collector Prem Chandra Choudhary and other officials.

It was decided that the airstrip, measuring 975 metres by 130 metres, would be expanded to 1,875 metres by 210 metres. For the purpose, 80 acres land, including 50 acres Government land and rest 30 acres private land, would be acquired. The private land belongs to Gobinda Nagar village under Karapalli panchayat. Moreover, at the time of expansion, the road between Berhampur and Gopalpur-on-sea would be diverted.
25/06/16 New Indian Express

Centre affirms financial aid for Karaikal airport: CM

Chennai: The  centre has promised financial support to set up a new airport at Karaikal, once the Puducherry territorial government finds the necessary land, said Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.

Narayanasamy was speaking to Express, after returning home from his first visit to Delhi after taking charge as the Chief Minister. Following the UT’s plea, the Civil Aviation Ministry has assured support, he said.

Accompanied by senior members of his Cabinet, Narayanasamy called on PM Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Ashok Gajapathi Raju to submit a memorandum seeking a financial package for the UT This included waiver of Rs 2,117 crore legacy loan (along with interest of Rs 1,300 crore) which the Home Ministry has been rejecting for a long time and Rs 118-crore flood relief fund assured by the Central committee after spot inspection.

Addressing newspersons in Chennai, Narayanasamy said that he had also sought speedy clearances for the Rs 2,100-crore water supply and sanitation projects funded by the French government, one-time grant of Rs 500 crore for building a new Legislative Assembly and Convention Centre and for renovating the Puducherry airport.
25/06/16 New Indian Express

Chandigarh Airport: International flights to start from August end

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh airport would start operating international flights by August-end, Rajya Sabha MP and chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture Kanwardeep Singh told Chandigarh Newsline.
The 11-member Committee visited the airport Friday and held a meeting with Civil Aviation, Defence and Home Ministry officials to “resolve” the delay in starting of international flights from the city.
“So much money has been spent on this airport. Why haven’t international flights been started? We summoned all the departments concerned, including Ministry of Home, Defense, civil aviation, and every concern stakeholder,” Singh said. “In today’s meeting, we were able to successfully resolve all the issues. I expect that before August end, international operations will be started from this airport.”
Singh, however, did not give the exact date of the first flight or the airline that will operate it.
Asked if the infrastructure available at the airport was sufficient, he said, “The airport authority has done a commendable job — the way the airport has been constructed”.
25/06/16 Adil Akhzer/Indian Express

Tear gas scare at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

Hyderabad: There was a lot of commotion at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Friday when some passengers ran out of the departure area fearing that they were being tear-gassed.

An Air India flight from Jeddah to Mumbai via Hyderabad was delayed in the morning. Passengers who were to board the flight at RGIA started to protest when they were told that there would be a two-hour delay due to a technical problem. In the melee, a fire extinguisher was accidentally knocked down by an agitated passenger.

The fire extinguisher started releasing chemicals and the passengers thought that the CISF personnel were using tear gas to break up the protesting crowd, and ran out.
25/06/16 Deccan Chronicle

Airport would cater to marketing horti products, says CS

Ziro: Underscoring the importance of an airport at Ziro, Chief Secretary, Shakuntala D Gamlin said an international airport would cater to the long felt need for marketing the horticultural products of Ziro like kiwis and orchids which are in huge demand in the international market.
The Chief Secretary was inspecting the Advanced Landing Ground at Old Ziro on Friday.
Assured to extend all possible assistance to make this airport operational soon, she noted that the airport would create a vibrant economy and uplift the economic status of the people.
The CS also visited kiwi gardens, floricultural centers and interacted with the farmers. Encouraging the kiwi farmers, she assured to assist in providing marketing linkages. Emphasizing for encouraging small farmers for a more vibrant economy, she stated that a unified effort from all stakeholders alone can propel our economy forward.
25/06/16 Arunachal Times

DRI seizes foreign currency worth Rs 53L on Singapore flight

Chennai: Investigators from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Thursday seized Saudi riyal worth 53.05 lakh from a passenger who was about to board a flight to Singapore from Chennai international airport.
DRI officials said the money could be part of a hawala transaction. The accused, identified as Raja Mohammed of Tondi in Ramanathapuram district, was arrested under the Customs Act and Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of currency) Regulations, 2000.
The officials received a tip that foreign currency would be smuggled through a Chennai-Singapore flight. Officials said Raja a frequent passenger on this route, was to board flight SG 529. He had concealed the money in specially-stitched cavities of his trousers, rolled some cash in Tamil magazines and some under his clothes.
No document for purchase or possession of foreign currency was found on Raja and he admitted to being a courier for smuggling the currency on interrogation. He revealed that he was given the currency by some traders outside the airport and was instructed to hand it over to their contacts in Singapore.
25/06/16 Times of India

Friday, June 24, 2016

Six more airport parking bays by May 2017

Visakhapatnam: At a time when Visakhapatnam Airport is witnessing a surge in air traffic, the proposal to construct six additional parking bays is likely to take one more year to be completed. Airport officials told TOI that construction of six additional parking bays is likely to be completed by May 2017.
The proposal for six additional parking bays at the Visakhapatnam Airport was mooted about a year ago. Currently, the airport has six parking bays, which are used by aircraft to park upon arrival. According to sources, additional parking bays are needed to accommodate more airlines - especially during the peak time between 7.30 and 9.30 am.
Speaking to TOI, airport director Vinod Kumar Sharma said, "Around 30% of the work has been completed and the project is in full swing. We are confident that the work will be completed well before the target date of May 2017."
"The development of additional parking bays involves a lot of work as it is located on low land and the water from the area has to be drained out. After that we need to fill the area with soil and conduct soil tests to ensure that it can withstand the high pressure. We are continuously monitoring the process and once the land filling is completed, we will go for laying concrete. This is a time consuming process and we are undertaking the work as per the standard procedure," he said.
24/06/16 Manish/Times of India

Kolhapur airport gets government push

Kolhapur: The Maharashtra government has asked the Union civil aviation ministry to speed up the development of the Kolhapur airport.
In a letter written last week, the government has requested the ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to expand the airstrip and start night-landing facility at the earliest.
The Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd (MADC), a subsidiary of the state government, is keen on making the Kolhapur airport operational this fiscal and has decided to pursue the issue with the Union government.
"We are holding discussions with the AAI and have also written a letter to the Union ministry for two much-needed elements at Kolhapur airport. The airstrip must be expanded and there should be a night-landing facility. The lights required for night-landing facility cost a few crores, which the AAI can afford it.
24/06/16 Times of India

Changes in airport tariff mechanism a booster: ICRA

New Delhi: The standardisation of tariff mechanism is expected to improve cash accruals for existing greenfield airports besides attracting investments for the future projects under the PPP mode, ratings firm ICRABSE -2.80 % said today.

To ensure uniformity and level-playing field across various operators, the government, in its newly-announced civil aviation policy, said the future tariffs at all airports will be calculated on a hybrid till basis, unless otherwise specified for any project being bid out in future.

There are broadly three approaches in regulatory till methodology (to calculate charges at airports) -- single till, dual till and hybrid till.

In the hybrid model, the charges are calculated by taking all the aeronautical and 30 per cent of the non-aeronautical revenue into account.

"ICRA sees the standardisation of tariff mechanism, in particular the 'till factor' for all airports in the government's new aviation policy, as a move that would improve cash accruals for existing greenfield airports and attract future investments for developing airports under the PPP model," the ratings firm said in a report.
24/06/16 PTI/Economic Times

Flight restrictions at Bagdogra Airport in July

Due to runway recarpeting work at Bagdogra airport, all flights will be able to land only between 12 noon and 6 pm (6 hours everyday) from July 20, 2016 till September 20, 2016.
During this period, the runway length will also be reduced to 7500m for installation of Instrument Landing System(ILS CAT 2).
This work has been taken up by AAI in collaboration with all airlines operating at Bagdogra.
Flights will be least affected as this is the lean period at Bagdogra. With installation of ILS, flights will be able to land even in poor visibility at Bagdogra.
23/06/16 Times of India

Mumbai airport cargo workers on strike

Air cargo movements into and out of Mumbai have been hit as the loaders have gone on a flash strike.
The strike which began on Wednesday at the Mumbai airport cargo complex spread to the export section on Thursday severely crippling operations.
"It's a salary issue. The loaders are employed by contractors and the issue needs to be resolved soon, else goods will pile up," said a cargo agent, requesting anonymity.
23/06/16 Manju V/Times of India

MSU students' artworks to adorn new international airport

Vadodara: The M S University syndicate will take a decision regarding a proposal received by the Faculty of Fine Arts to install art work in the new international airport.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had approached the faculty to provide artistic look to the international airport and asked for a design layout.
"We have been allocated four to five spaces for the art work in the airport. At present, AAI has asked us to prepare a mural. We are in the process of designing layouts as per their requirement. We will be submitting the final outline within a week or two," said Jayanti Rabadia, associate professor at the Department of Painting.
"It will be a joint effort which includes involvement of the teaching faculty and students of the painting department," he said.
24/06/16 Times of India

Hiranandani Group gets MHA clearance to bid for Mopa airport

Panjim:  The Hiranandani Group will participate in the tendering process for the new Mopa International Airport in Goa through its subsidiary, Voluptas Developers Pvt Ltd. Bids are due for submission by July 11, 2016.
The company had originally been denied security clearance but the matter was reconsidered by the Ministry of Home Affairs under directions of the High Court of Delhi.
“We are pleased to learn from the Government of Goa, that the necessary security clearance has been finally granted to Voluptas Developers Pvt Ltd,” a senior spokesperson of Voluptas told Herald.
Director of Civil Aviation Suresh Shanbhogue confirmed the development. “The Hiranandani Group was always in the fray but just that they were denied security clearance by the Ministry of Home Affairs,” Shanbhogue said.
He further stated that the company had approached the Delhi High Court, which gave them interim relief. “The court asked the MHA to give them RFP document and last month the writ petition was disposed off by the High Court asking MHA to review its decision on security clearance,” he said.
24/06/16 Suraj Nandrekar/Herald

Baggage swap! Shraddha Kapoor and Neha Kakkar end up with each other’s luggage

When Neha Kakkar and Shraddha Kapoor travelled in the same flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai recently, the two ladies exchanged more than just pleasantries. Apparently, the two were carrying identical suitcases — same brand and same colour, due to which Neha's bag ended up at Shraddha's place and Shraddha's bag at Neha's home.
A source told a leading newspaper, ""When the flight landed in Mumbai, Neha's aide picked up her bag from the conveyor belt while one of Shraddha's staff members took care of her luggage. The two were unaware that their baggage had been swapped. When Neha reached her place, she tried to open the bag, but the combination lock did not work. Since she was tired after her stage show and subsequent travel, she let the bag be and caught up on some rest. Later in the day, the airlines called Neha's manager saying there had been a baggage mix-up."
23/06/16 Times of India

Future in dark? Kaali-Peeli booking to airport just 20%

Mumbai: Kaali-Peeli taxis have witnessed a sharp decline in bookings for domestic and international airports with aggregators and fleet cabs eating into its customer base, according to the Mumbai Taximen's Union.
About three years ago, nearly 60% of the bookings to travel to the airport would be black-and-yellow taxis, but now, it has fallen to below 20%, said the union, which has the biggest membership of taxi drivers in the island city and suburbs.
Commuters, however, blame the poorly maintained black-and-yellow taxis and the "arrogant" attitude of the drivers for the decline in demand. "They do not maintain the vehicle taxi, the drivers are arrogant and fare refusals maximum," said Ashish Patil, a businessman from Goregaon who travels by cabs every day.
"Our business has been badly hit due to the presence of private taxis and cab aggregators," said union leader A L Quadros. "Earlier, people would book a black-and-yellow taxi to head to the airport or railway station. But now, they prefer to book cabs over the phone or through an app. They also don't mind paying double the fare. This has eaten into our business."
24/06/16 Somit Sen/Times of India

Action-packed day at airport

Chennai: DRI officials today seized Rs 40 crore worth drugs and Rs 30 lakh foreign currency in a series of raids at the city airport. According to airport sources, DRI officials this morning seized Rs 30 lakh worth unaccounted foreign currency from Abdul Razak, a Colombo bound passenger from Ramanathapuram.

The money was found while checking the luggage of Razak. Investigation was being carried out to know if it was hawala money.

Last night, a team of seven DRI officials conducted raids in the customs section of the international airport following a tip off regarding smuggling of drugs and foreign currencies.

"While checking the belongings of Masood and Rafeeq from Mannadi in Chennai out of suspicion, DRI officials found 40 kg of heroin hidden between sugar and maize packets the passengers carried in their suitcase," sources added.

Both the passengers along with the airlines staff who helped them were arrested and were taken to the DRI office for further investigation. The cost of the seized drugs is estimated to be around Rs 40 crore.
24/06/16 News Today

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Government mulls converting unused airports into SEZs

New Delhi: The government is looking at converting some unused airports into special economic zones where aircraft leasing companies can park their planes and showcase them to potential customers, a senior official said today.

Besides, it would explore ways to reduce the cost of leasing aircraft as part of larger efforts to make the domestic aviation space more attractive, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said.

The new civil aviation policy, unveiled on June 15, provides for measures to enhance regional connectivity and reducing the cost of leasing would help this initiative.

The Civil Aviation Ministry would look at the possibility of utilising certain unused airports for the purpose of parking aircraft and even use aerodromes for plane-breaking or dismantling of old aircraft. There are around 400 unused airports and airstrips across the country.

"I met someone who said that we have so many airports in the country. Is it possible for us to declare some of them as SEZs (Special Economic Zones) and allow them to be used for two things. One for leasing companies all over the world to come and park the aircraft.
23/06/16 PTI/Economic Times

Air India flight stranded at Chennai airport runway

Chennai: An Air India flight from Delhi was stranded on the runway soon after landing because of a technical snag for around 10 minutes at 13.30pm at Chennai airport on Wednesday. Runway was opened for operations in 15 minutes.
Sources said that the plane reportedly developed a hydraulic failure which slowed down taxiing out of the runway after landing. Air traffic controllers told approaching planes to be on hold while the stricken aircraft was towed away from the runway.
Airport director Deepak Shastri said, "It was a minor incident which was caused because of a technical issue of the aircraft. It did not affect flights. There were no diversions. The runway was opened in 15 minutes."
22/06/16 V Ayyappan/Times of India

Hybrid till model to boost AAI's revenues

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry's decision to adopt a hybrid till model will boost the revenues of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which clocked record earnings in 2015-16.

The AAI till now used to set airport charges on a single till model, for which the total revenue and expenditure of all AAI airports were taken into consideration and the tariff for the gap was arrived at on a reasonable rate of return.
The hybrid till model is a combination of the single till model, under which all airport activities, including aeronautical and commercial, are taken into consideration while determining airport charges, and the dual till model, under which only aeronautical activities are taken into consideration to set airport charges. The new model will be used to set charges from the second control period, which started from April 2016.

The civil aviation policy states that future tariff at all airports will be calculated on a hybrid till model. It adds 30 per cent of all non-aeronautical revenues will be used to cross-subsidise aeronautical charges.

"Definitely, it will increase revenue for the organisation," said an AAI official.

He added the AAI would have to forgo charges on all airports under the regional connectivity scheme and the hybrid till model would help it to take up development initiatives.
The AAI will undertake initiatives to boost non-aeronautical revenue in all major airports in the country. "Airports like Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad have the potential to attract franchisees. The AAI is also undertaking city-side development in various airports," the official said.
23/06/16 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard