HC junks ACI plea against eviction from Safadarjung Airport

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today dismissed a plea of the Aero Club of India (ACI) challenging its eviction from land belonging to the Safdarjung Airport here, saying it had already "overstayed" for four years.
Justice Vibhu Bakhru denied any relief to ACI, the apex body of all Flying Clubs/Institutions engaged in Flying Training and Aero-Sports in the country, after the Airports Authority of India (AAI) submitted that it needed the land for its own use.
"Your (ACI) license expired in 2013. You have overstayed for four years. They are right to ask you for eviction. What is your legal right to occupy the land," the court asked.
The ACI had claimed that AAI had acted in an arbitrary manner in cancelling the lease.
Advocate Digvijay Rai, appearing for AAI, opposed the petition, saying that the licence for the 17,400 square feet land opposite Jor Bagh colony in South Delhi, located opposite the airport, was given to the ACI in 1983 for 30 years and it had expired in 2013.
04/07/17 PTI/India Today

Read More

DHL Express opens expanded Delhi Gateway at IGI Airport

Mumbai: Part of the German logistics company Deutsche Post DHL, DHL Express has opened its expanded Delhi Gateway that will double the capacity of export clearances from India for the express logistics company and handle an additional 60% of imports.

Located at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, the new facility will take DHL Express' handling of shipment to 10 MTPA, and is expected to give a boost to trade in addition to enabling speedy clearances of shipments going from north and east India to global markets.

“India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and is a very critical part of the DHL Express network. We have, over the years, seen strong and sustained volume growth in the international trade between India and the rest of the world. To support this high growth, Deutsche Post DHL Group has earmarked €250 million (US$268 million) toward future investments in India by 2020. The new Delhi Gateway is part of that commitment to this country," Ken Lee, CEO, DHL Express Asia Pacific, said.

“Currently the logistics costs to India’s GDP is 14% as opposed to other developed countries in the world, which spend approximately 5%-7%. India can save up to $50 billion even if costs are brought down to 9%. We see a huge potential in express logistics with the current wave of online shopping," said Rajiv Pratap Rudy, union minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship (independent charge).
29/06/17 Vatsala Gaur/Economic Times

Read More

Tourism bodies intensify campaign for international airport in Agra

Agra: Tourism organizations of the city on Friday launched a signature campaign from Agra Cantt railway station in support of an international airport in Agra. On the first day of the campaign, they mustered support of 400 people, while their target is 10,000 signs before they can send their request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The signature campaign will be carried out at various places including Taj Mahal and various commercial complexes.
On July 4, a motorcycle rally will be taken out to residence of Agra MP Ramshankar Katheria, who is also president of the local advisory committee constituted by the Airport Authority of India. The organizations have also formed Agra International Airport Sangharsh Samiti and launched a Facebook page. A video of Modi's pre-Lok Sabha elections speech here in 2013 in which he had promised an international airport for Agra has been liked by more than 8,000 people within a day of being posted.
Rajiv Tiwari, who has been made convener of the Samiti, said, "I have stepped down as the member of the AAI's advisory committee, given the fact that the body is toothless and has not been able to implement simple rulings, leave alone big measures like having regular flights from here or an international airport for Agra."
30/06/17 Aditya Devi/Times of India

Read More

Strong case for direct route from Manchester to Mumbai or Dehli, says MIDAS CEO

Securing a direct flight between Manchester and one of India’s major cities such as Mumbai or Delhi would further strengthen developing economic ties between the two destinations according to Tim Newns, chief executive of MIDAS, Manchester’s inward investment agency.

Speaking at the India – UK Economic Relations Conference as part of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) UK Conference in London, the investment boss said that as relationships between the UK and India develop, Indian businesses are increasingly seeing the benefits of choosing Manchester as a base of operations.

The CII UK conference brought senior business leaders from India to the UK for a three day agenda including meetings with UK government, business and university representatives.

Mr. Newns was joined by a delegation of Manchester business leaders, attending the event to promote the benefits of Manchester as a leading European business location, and communicate the long-term objectives of the Manchester-India agenda.

The Manchester delegation included representatives from BDP, Clyde & Co LLP, Deliotte, EV Group, Manchester Airports Group, Manchester Metropolitan University, PWC, Slater Heelis, University of Salford, and Vernacare.
30/06/17 IndiaGB News

Read More

India's tallest air traffic control tower to become operational in December

New Delhi: India's tallest air traffic control (ATC) tower will be operational at Delhi airport by this year-end, a top official said.
The 101.9-meter air traffic control (ATC) tower has already been handed over by the operator of the Indira Gandhi International Airport to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
"ATC operation is something that cannot be put on hold. We will start the trial run soon and there will be tests for two to three months," Guruprasad Mohapatra, AAI chief, told the media Thursday.
"After that parallel operations will start by December and gradually we will shift to the new tower," he added.
30/06/17 Xinhua

Read More

Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport to Have New Radar System

Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati will have a state-of-the-art surveillance air traffic control (ATC) Radar system covering almost the entire North Eastern sky, according to the Airports Authority of India.

The upcoming Radar system is part of the Airports Authority of India undertaking a project for replacing 20-year old Radar systems with the new state-of-the-art technology, said an AAI press release. It is part of AAI’s continuing endeavour for modernising Air Navigation Services (ANS) with new Radars, ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcasting) equipment and ATS (Automation Tooling Systems) at various locations in the country, the release said.

The data from the new radar will be integrated with the INDRA ATS Automation system of the local Approach Control and Area Control Centers in Guwahati. The same data will also be provided and integrated with other automation systems for providing satisfactory Radar coverage at the required redundancy levels over the North Eastern air space, it said.
29/06/17 North East Today

Read More

Centre May Tweak Airport Tariff Rules

In a bid to make the upcoming greenfield airport projects attractive for global players, the Civil Aviation Ministry may amend its regulatory law to fix airport charges in advance, ensuring assured returns to investors at time of participating in the bidding process.

“We are examining how to amend the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) Act 2008 so that the aeronautical charges are determined upfront or disclosed in the bid document itself for upcoming greenfield airport projects,” Civil Aviation Secretary R.N. Choubey told The Hindu in an interview.

“If aeronautical charges are captured in the bid document of the greenfield airport project itself, there would not be any need for fresh determination of such charges by the regulator (AERA).,” Mr. Choubey said,. He said the proposed law would not impact the regulatory regime at existing airports.

In addition to land, service standards and airport design, the bidding document for greenfield airport projects will specify the airport tariff which will be indexed “appropriately” to factor in inflation, foreign exchange and interest rates.

AERA is a statutory body established in 2009 to determine tariff in respect of airport services provided at major airports across the country. The charges allow operators to get adequate rate of return on the investments incurred on developing and providing services at major airports.
28/06/17 Defence Aviation Post

Read More

Indira Gandhi International Airport offers fourth-fastest Wi-Fi speeds among airports in Asia: Ookla

Ookla conducted a survey between March and May this year to analyze the Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity at the busiest airports in Asia. The survey was conducted in countries like the UAE, South Korea, Japan, India, Thailand and more. In India, the speed test was conducted in New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The survey also highlights the difference between speeds offered by Wi-Fi and cellular network, and which one can be opted.


In terms of Wi-Fi connectivity at airports, Dubai International airport bagged the top position with 39.50 Mbps download speed and 46.27 Mbps upload speed. Dubai’s Wi-Fi speed was commended since its recorded the fastest amongst airports in Asia, Europe and Africa as well. Seoul Incheon International Airport in South Korea came second with download speeds of 26.52 Mbps, followed by Tokyo Haneda Airport in Japan with download speeds of 18.28 Mbps. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport took the fourth place with 15.95 Mbps of download speed and 14.98 Mbps of upload speed. The free Wi-Fi service at IGI Airport is provided by Tata Docomo. Telecom operator Vodafone also launched its free Wi-Fi service at the IGI Airport last October.
28/06/17 Marcia Sekhose/BGR

Read More

Tourism industry up in arms as Agra loses international airport bid to Jewar

The people of Agra, especially the tourism sector, had full hopes that the international airport will be constructed in the city of Taj Mahal as it holds significant importance in the tourism industry. Tourists from all over the globe flock to Agra in order to catch a glimpse of this famous wonder of the world.
The demand for an international airport in Agra is several decades old. When the Agra MP Ram Shankar Katheria gained a place in the Modi cabinet, the hope became strong that the MP will canvass for the cause of an international airport in Agra at the Union government-level.
Katheria too assured the people that the international airport will be constructed in Agra. Even, the then Union MoS for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma had assured the Agra tourism industry that the international airport will be constructed in the city. However, Sharma changed tack as soon as he reached his constituency Noida and began the process for approval of an international airport at Jewar.
28/06/17 Siraj Qureshi/India Today

Read More

Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport to Have New Radar System

Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati will have a state-of-the-art surveillance air traffic control (ATC) Radar system covering almost the entire North Eastern sky, according to the Airports Authority of India.

The upcoming Radar system is part of the Airports Authority of India undertaking a project for replacing 20-year old Radar systems with the new state-of-the-art technology, said an AAI press release. It is part of AAI’s continuing endeavour for modernising Air Navigation Services (ANS) with new Radars, ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcasting) equipment and ATS (Automation Tooling Systems) at various locations in the country, the release said.
29/06/17 PTI/Northeast Today

Read More

Landowners up in arms against airport authorities

About 20 people, who own land around the Coimbatore airport, complained to the revenue divisional officer that airport authorities have begun building a compound wall around their land without clearing their lease arrears and paying the cost of the land.
The airport authorities, who were earlier building the wall, had stopped the construction after around 10 landowners got an injunction against construction of the wall until the authorities clear the lease arrears and acquire the land.
Residents, whose land has been under lease to the airport, said that the past one week construction workers and contractors were coming to work on the compound wall that the airport began building last year to improve security. "Every day when some residents, on seeing workers, chase them away showing a copy of the court order against building the wall," said S Jagannathan, an owner of land in Singanallur. "But we can not keep a watch on their activities every day on our land," he said.
The residents in their petition to the revenue divisional officer, have stated that the airport authorities were free to construct the compound wall, after they clear the lease arrears of two to four years and acquire the land from them. "We just want to be fairly compensated for the land that they are using without paying lease arrears. They should acquire the land from us before building the wall" said the petition. "They are building the wall around land that they do not own," said the petitioners.
29/06/17 The Times Of India

Read More

Airport to get facelift with roofed walkway

Authorities of the Coimbatore International Airport have decided to construct a roofed walkway connecting the terminal to taxi pick-up and drop-off point. The new arrangement is being made to facilitate passengers who depend taxis to reach and leave airport.

Airport Director R. Mahalingam said that roofing work of the walkway connecting the terminal building and taxi pick-up and drop-off point will start soon. “The roofing will protect the passengers from sunlight and rain. The walkway will pass through the parking area to connect the taxi pick-up and drop-off area close to the airport road. No works are required to be done on ground as only roofing for about 50 metres is planned,” said Mr. Mahalingam.

The new facility was introduced in the parking area of the airport to facilitate taxi operators. Also, the arrangement would control waiting of taxi cabs on the lane close to departure and arrival sections of the airport creating congestion.
29/06/17 Wilson Thomas/The Hindu

Read More

Airport goes green, to run on solar power by March

The entire Pune airport will run on solar power by March next year, say officials, as the facility would be able to generate 200 kilowatt (KW) of solar energy a day.
"Planning is on. By March next year, the airport will be able to generate power with the help of solar panels. A sum of Rs 1.25 crore will be spent on this project, which mainly involves setting up solar panels," Pune airport director Ajay Kumar said.
Another senior airport official said the whole facility will be lit up and operated by solar power. "The security systems --which include CCTV cameras -parking areas, floodlights, etc, will be run through it. However, regular electrical power supply will be kept as an alternative, and used in case of snags," the official told TOI.
Airport sources said they will soon identify spots in the airport for installing the solar panels. "These issues need to be finalized and a proper study will be done to identify suitable places. The panels could be set up on the roof or the AAI can designate a spot in the airport area," another airport official said.
29/06/17 Joy Sengupta/The Times of India

Read More

AAI cargo wing transforms into a separate entity

Consequent to the demerging and corporatisation of Cargo Department of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) into an independent organisation, the Tiruchi airport authorities will soon keep users and stakeholders in this part of the region informed about the new entity.

A local notification is in the process of being issued by the Tiruchi airport authorities here regarding the transformation of the Cargo wing of the AAI into a separate entity. This is being done following instructions from the AAI headquarters to all airports managed by it where cargo terminal functions.

The Cargo department was demerged and corporatized into a functionally and administratively independent organisation christened ‘AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited’ (AAICLAS) last year by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The AAICLAS will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the AAI with a vision to become the foremost logistics integrated network in the country, according to the company’s website.
28/06/17 R Rajaram/The Hindu

Read More

MADC pronounces Shirdi airport fit to do business

Pune: The officials of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC) have said that the Shirdi Airport is 100% operational ready and an inspection this week by officials of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will pave the way for the facility to be operational.
"The airport is 100% ready and construction work has been completed. All aspects related to security, comfort and safety of passengers have been taken into consideration. The much awaited inspection by BCAS and DGCA is set to take place this week. We are sure that everything will go well as expected," an official said.
Located at Kakri village, some 15 km from Shirdi town, the airport is fully designed and managed by MADC.
27/06/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

Read More

Bad weather disrupts landing of flights at Udaipur airport

The weather on Monday was a most welcome one causing happiness all around. But this is not so when it comes to flights. This kind of weather causes landing trouble for the flights. Flights coming in from New Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur could not land at Maharana Pratap Airport on Monday evening.
Indigo Airline flight departing to New Delhi and Jet Airways flight that comes from Mumbai and also another flight that comes from Jaipur could not land at Udaipur airport because of wind and heavy rain. These flights were diverted as a result the passengers suffered. Jet airways flight which leaves for Mumbai was diverted to Ahmedabad. Passengers for the Mumbai flight were sent to Ahmedabad via road route. Jaipur flight was also diverted back to Jaipur. Indigo flight Mumbai-Udaipur-Delhi was also diverted. Since the weather was troublesome, all flights from and to Mumbai were diverted to Ahmedabad. Passengers coming to Udaipur from Mumbai had to deboard at Ahmedabad. All passengers were highly irritated due to lack of arrangements for their onward journeys. Almost 180 passengers going to Delhi from Udaipur through Indigo airline were later sent to Ahmedabad through road route by the authorities.
27/06/17 Monika S/Udaipur Times

Read More

Airport bus needs more wind beneath its wings

Ahmedabad:  The civic body's latest tango with popularizing bus services in the city — the Route 1000, airport shuttle — is taking baby steps. On Monday, the service with a bus fleet of five, saw 86 passengers on board, while on Tuesday till 6pm some 74 passengers had boarded the bus.
The bus service has elicited mixed responses from frequent flyers. Many passengers TOI spoke to wanted that the bus service should be prompt at arriving at each of the 29 bus stands marked on the route. They also required an active help desk at Karnavati club and Airport stand that can help passengers plan their onward journeys within and outside the city — links with BRTS, AMTS and GSRTC services or depots or even auto rickshaw services.

Senior AMTS officials said that the shuttle services witnessed heavy passenger traffic during early morning hours and late evening as maximum flights were scheduled during these hours.
"The bus gets anywhere between 43 to 56 passengers between 4 am and 7 am and then between 9 pm and 10.15 pm," says a senior AMTS official. The passenger traffic thins to 3 to 8 passengers during the rest of the day. A passenger, Amit Katoch, suggested, "The service should ideally begin at 3am and end at 12.30am the following day to tap maximum passengers."
27/06/17 Times of India

Read More

Food court for Cial's domestic passengers

Kochi: As part of Cial's plans to convert its old international terminal (Terminal 1) into the new domestic terminal, renovation work has started and they plan to have a full-fledged food court to cater to the increasing domestic passenger movement.
The decision to start work on converting the Terminal 1 to domestic airport was taken soon after the airport opened the new Terminal 3 to international passengers.
Cial this week issued a tender seeking a single concessionaire for the implementation and the running of the two food facilities at the terminal, which will include three snack bars at level 2 and a food court at level 3. At the moment there are limited food options for domestic passengers.
As per Cial's requirements, the concessionaire must facilitate the terminal with one popular international fastfood joint such as KFC, McDonald's or Burger King at the food court. They must also ensure a South Indian eatery at either the snack bar or the food court.
27/06/17 Vikram Vinod/Times of India

Read More

Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi airport to have new Radar system

Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here will have a state-of-the-art surveillance air traffic control (ATC) Radar system covering almost the entire North Eastern sky, according to the Airports Authority of India.

The upcoming Radar system is part of the Airports Authority of India undertaking a project for replacing 20-year old Radar systems with the new state-of-the-art technology, said an AAI press release.

It is part of AAI's continuing endeavour for modernising Air Navigation Services (ANS) with new Radars, ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcasting) equipment and ATS (Automation Tooling Systems) at various locations in the country, the release said.

The data from the new radar will be integrated with the INDRA ATS Automation system of the local Approach Control and Area Control Centers in Guwahati.

The same data will also be provided and integrated with other automation systems for providing satisfactory Radar coverage at the required redundancy levels over the North Eastern air space, it said.
27/06/17 PTI/DNA

Read More

Announcement of airport in Jewar dashes Meerut residents’ hope

Meerut: After Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Saturday announced setting up of an international airport at Jewar, 100 km from here, the long-standing hope of Meerut residents dashed.
This is the second set back to the city residents in just two days, as on Friday, Meerut failed to make it to the smart city list.
The minister said the project had been cleared by the central government, and once completed the airport would cater to 30-35 million passengers per year.
The government's decision came despite the fact that an airport in Meerut would have served the population of not only western Uttar Pradesh, but also neighbouring Uttarakhand, who have to travel 100 km by road — an unpleasant drive — to board a flight in Delhi.
An official of the Meerut Development Authority, who did not wish to be identified, said, "It is be a setback to years of planning, because it is now virtually impossible for Meerut to get an airport since Jewar is very close to Meerut. I don't see two airports coming up within 100 kilometres of Delhi. So, the possibility of Meerut getting an airport is pretty much gone."
25/06/17 Kabir Agarwal/Times of India

Read More

Centre’s approval for Jewar airport will reduce Agra to 'two-hour tourist stopover', say tourism organisations

Agra: Two days after the Centre's approval for an airport at Jewar in the National Capital Region, more than 10 tourism and civil society organisations of Agra has decided to launch a signature campaign against the government's decision saying the move will reduce the district to a "two-hour tourist stopover".
Agra, situated at a distance of around 135 kilometre from Jewar, houses three Unesco world heritage sites and welcomes nearly 60 lakh tourists every year, including several lakh foreigners who come to see the Taj Mahal. The organisations have also decided to stage a protest outside the office of the civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju in Delhi. A city-wide bandh of hospitality and tourism-related establishments will also take place on June 30.
Rajiv Tiwari, president of Paryatan Mitra, an organisation working for the welfare of tourists here, said, "We have been fighting for an airport in Agra city for the past three decades. Several promises were made by numerous politicians but nothing was done. When RLD chief Ajit Singh became the civil aviation minister in the UPA government, an airport was promised at Baldev in Mathura. Later, we were also told that an airport is likely to be set up at Firozabad in Saifai but none of these turned into reality."
26/06/17 Times of India

Read More

Upgrading of Srinagar airport delayed due to land unavailability

Srinagar: The upgrading of Srinagar International Airport is reporting no headway as the Airport Authority of India is struggling to identify land required to install the Approach Lighting System .
Officials at the SIA said that they don’t have adequate land for installing the Approach Lighting System (ALS) to make the runway fit to allow landing and takeoff in poor visibility.
“The ALS is an integral part of Instrumental Landing System. The entire process is halted due to the delay in acquiring around 900 meters of land required for the purpose. We only have 300 meters available,” an official said.
In the winter, the SIA witnessed repeated cancellation of flights due to its poor infrastructure.
As per the records, the airport saw cancellation of about 200 flights during a fortnight in January, when smog had engulfed the valley for several weeks.
The existing ILS at the airport allows landing and takeoff only in 200 or 300-meter visibility.
Meanwhile sources said that the AAI has asked the Deputy Commissioner Budgam to file a report about land acquisition in the High Court, which is hearing the case.
“Currently, the case is in the court,” he said.
24/06/17 Bright Kashmir

Read More

Donakonda Aviation project remains a non-starter

Ongole: The sleepy Donakonda village in backward Prakasam district shot into the limelight when Titan Aviation zeroed in on the British-era airstrip for setting up a Rs. 22,000-crore Aviation Special Economic Zone and a greenfield airstrip in 5,500 acres of land.

But a year after the proposal was made by the private player, which has roped in leading firms such as Antonov, Motor Sich & FED, the project in the Donakonda Industrial Corridor remains a non-starter putting paid to the hopes of elite sections to see that the big ticket projects takes off.

It was at the partnership summit in Visakhapatnam in January that the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board, set up to facilitate industrial growth in the State.

Since then, no significant progress has been made despite delegations of Tata Aviation officials and their overseas partners making repeated visits to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and officials concerned up to the district level, including the District Collector, to make power-point presentations.
26/06/17 S. Murali/The Hindu

Read More

New terminal to come up at Agra airport

Agra: The Uttar Pradesh government has sanctioned Rs 64.94 crore for a new international terminal building at the Agra airport, an official said on Monday.
Work on the airport, renamed Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay, is expected to begin in the first week of July, Agra Divisional Commissioner K. Ram Mohan Rao told the media.
The money will be used to buy land from farmers. The state government is purchasing 23.3 hectares of land in Dhanauli village, he said.
Rao said the air terminal project will boost tourism in Agra.
Since the last two days, tourism industry leaders and civil society activists have been on the warpath after the Union Government cleared the international airport project for Jewar close to the Yamuna Expressway.
Two local MPs and nine MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Agra were also unhappy and pressed the Yogi Adityanath government to respond to Agra’s long-pending demand for an international airport.
26/06/17 IANS/India.com

Read More

Four new check-in counters at airport

Patna: The Jayaprakash Narayan International (JPNI) Airport here will have four more check-in counters as the number of passengers is bound to increase after five new flights become operational from July 1, sources said. At present, there are 14 check-in counters at the airport.
Another scanner machine will also be placed by July-end to screen the passengers' luggage. The airport has two luggage scanners — one in the security hold area and the other at the departure junction.
"With minimal resources, the airport authorities intend to improve passenger amenities to the best of their abilities. The four new check-in counters will be of great relief for passengers. We will start with the extension work shortly," said acting JPNI airport director M M Francis.
25/06/17 Times of India

Read More

Pantnagar airport to be expanded, modernise

Pantnagar: The only airport in Kumaon region at Pantnagar will soon be expanded and modernised to improve connectivity by increasing flight frequency to various destinations across the country.
The project — to be executed by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) — will come up at an approximate cost of Rs 600 crore in six months (by December).
Pantnagar airport director S K Singh told TOI, "AAI will develop this airport as a regional hub, which will also have transit flights to several international airlines."
"In the meantime, after protests by locals and politicos, AAI has shelved the earlier plan, and has given consent to a new plan, under which a total of 571 acres will be acquired from GB Pant University," he said.
The expansion of the airport is due for the past two years. In 2015, 571 acres was identified in Sanjay Colony for the expansion plan, but due to protests by residents and politicians, the land could not be acquired.
26/06/17 Aakash Ahuja/Times of India

Read More

Now, Airports Authority of India revises bidding norms for Jaipur, Ahmedabad airports

New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has reworked the bidding parameters for awarding operation and maintenance works of Ahmedabad and Jaipur aerodromes to private players amid the process hanging fire for over a year.

Seeking to attract more bidders, the contracts would now be awarded for 15 years instead of the 10-year time frame while the same entity could be awarded the two projects.

Along with putting in place revised parameters for bidders, the AAI has again extended the deadline for submitting the bids for Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports.

With the deadline being extended for the sixth time in nearly one year, the process for awarding the contracts would be further delayed.
25/06/17 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Surjewala upset over Jewar airport

Haryana Congress MLA Randeep Singh Surjewala has taken strong exception to the recent decision of the Central government to set up an international airport at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, saying that the interests of Haryana were being sacrificed at the “altar of political expediency”.
Mr. Surjewala, who represents Kaithal in the Haryana Legislative Assembly, said that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had granted in-principle approval for a green field airport in the State in 2013-14. The present BJP government in Haryana, he said, had failed to protect the State’s claim. He added that the Centre had made a unilateral announcement about setting up an international airport at Jewar, ignoring Haryana’s claim for one at Jhajjar, Meham or Karnal.
25/06/17 Ashok Kumar/The Hindu

Read More

Chandigarh International Airport: Two years after inauguration, new terminal to get Wi-Fi facility

Chandigarh: Passengers visiting the new terminal at Chandigarh International Airport in Mohali, will soon be able to access Wi-Fi facility. State-run BSNL which has been awarded the tender work for installing Wi-Fi at the airport on Saturday said that the services would likely be thrown open for public from June 29. BSNL officials said that testing has been completed by both BSNL and airport authorities.
“The installation has been completed and from next Thursday (June 29), we are expecting to start Wi-fi services for passengers at the airport,” JS Sahota, General Manager, BSNL Telecom District, Chandigarh, told Chandigarh Newsline. He said the testing of the services were successfully conducted on Saturday.
Earlier, the officials had said that “technical problems in the server, were hampering the trail run of the Wi-fi services at the airport and the problems have been resolved now.”
Sahota said that passengers will have free access to Wi-fi services for the first 15 minutes. “The services will be chargeable after 15 minutes. There be would cards available which a passengers can choose from if they want to continue the services,” he said.
For long, passengers have been demanding that Wi-fi services should be made available at the airport. From May 1, Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) of India started charging User Development Fee (UDF) of Rs 250 on the outgoing passengers at the airport.
While the airport was inaugurated in 2015, the passengers are yet to get all the facilities at the airport. After two years, Airport Authorities was awarded a tender for setting up as many as 14 food and beverage (F&B) outlets at the airport.
25/06/17 Adil Akhzer/Indian Express

Read More

Goa airport operating without valid consent: Pollution board

Panaji: The Goa State Pollution Control Board has found that the international airport at Dabolim is operating without a valid consent under air and water acts. The pollution board also found that the sewage treatment plant at the airport was not functioning.
"As per the board records, the unit doesn't have the consent to operate for the new terminal building. The board may direct the unit to apply for consent to operate at the earliest and may also apply penalty for delay in obtaining consent to operate," GSPCB said in its inspection report.
The pollution board inspected the Dabolim airport after it received a letter on May 30 from panchayat minister Mauvin Godinho's office. The minister's office forwarded a complaint of May 3 from one Jude Joseph Thypo of Assoi Dongri, who had alleged that the Airports Authority of India was discharging sewage in Assoi Dongri nallah.
25/06/17 Murari Shetye/Times of India

Read More

Air Travellers’ Association opposes airport at Bhogapuram

Visakhapatnam: There was no need for spending crores of rupees to set up an international airport at Bhogapuram at the cost of farmers’ livelihood, according to Air Travellers’ Association of India president D Varada Reddy.

He addressed a letter to this effect to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. He alleged that there were attempts to remove the present international airport in Visakhapatnam by the overenthusiastic Andhra Pradesh government which was snatching away thousands of acres of land from farmers at Bhogapuram in the name of a greenfield airport there.

Reddy noted that the present airport is of international standards and there was a direction from the Airport Authority of India to extend it by 150 metres on either side. The Bhogapuram airport could be built to cater the needs of travellers of Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts, he suggested.
25/06/17 Telangana Today

Read More

Indian man's body kept in airport for five months as family refuse to take him away

The body of an Indian man who died in Saudi Arabia has been kept in South Asia's biggest airport for five months because his family refuse to claim it until they are given DNA results.

Jaswinder Singh burned to death in the Saudi province of Al-Kharj two years ago, but his remains are still lying in a morgue in the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
Mr Singh's family are demanding DNA test results to prove he is their relative before claiming the body.

They said the diesel mechanic's phone was still active six months after his death in November 2015, and remained hopeful that he was still alive despite the fact that nobody answered their calls.

Saudi officials didn't release Mr Singh's body until his family members sent them DNA samples for an identity match in December 2016, according to India Times.
His cadaver was then flown to India, but authorities did not send the DNA test results with the body.
25/06/17 Greg Wilford/Independent

Read More

What is the Jewar airport project in Greater Noida?

New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday approved the Jewar Airport project in Greater Noida which on realisation shall become the second airport in the National Capital Region (NCR) after Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI). Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said at a press briefing in New Delhi that “in-principle clearance has been granted” for the airport.
“Noida International Airport will cater to 30-50 million passengers per year over the next 10-15 years,” tweeted the minister.
The approval has come after a series of loggerheads that the project faced for about a decade primarily because of differences between the Centre and state governments. The previous regime in Uttar Pradesh under Akhilesh Yadav had issues about the location of the upcoming international airport.
The Samajwadi Party favoured Firozabad or Agra to be the site of the airport whereas the government at the Centre has been arguing for the airport to be in close proximity to New Delhi, in a bid to divert the air traffic from IGI.
The idea of an airport in Western UP was first conceived in 2001 by the then CM Rajnath Singh. However, the formal proposal from the state government was forwarded by BSP supremo Mayawati who succeeded Singh as the chief minister in 2002. In what appeared to be a major impediment for the project, Samajwadi Party’s rise to power in 2003 and the subsequent demand it raised for the airport to be set up in Agra caused the project to be virtually stall for four years.
24/06/17 Indian Express

Read More

Airport expansion plan hits land acquisition hurdle

Aurangabad: The proposed expansion of Aurangabad airport could fail to take off anytime soon due to issues related to land acquisition.
The government was supposed to acquire land in parts of Mukundwadi, Murtijapur and Chikalthana, which are adjacent to the airport.
Some of these localities are densely populated and a considerable number of homes have to be demolished to facilitate the expansion. As announced earlier by authorities, around 180 acre land will be needed for the purpose.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday held a special review meeting for expansion of the Aurangabad airport, where different roadblocks in the project were discussed.
Top-officials from the State Town Planning Department, Public Works Department and General Administration Department along with Aurangabad divisional commissioner and district collector were present during the meeting, which was also attended by state assembly speaker Haribhau Bagde.
24/06/17 Prasad Joshi/Times of India

Read More

AAI extends operating period for two airports

New Delhi: The Airports Authority of India has amended the bidding documents for the right to operate and manage terminal buildings at Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports to allow global private players run the airports for 15 years against 10 years proposed previously, in a bid to make projects more attractive, a senior Civil Aviation Ministry official said.

“We have made some changes to the bidding document after we held pre-bid consultations with the stakeholders recently,” said Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman, Guruprasad Mohapatra.

Airport operators, including Vinci Airports Singapore, had asked the AAI to increase the contract period for Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports to “15-20 years”, according to documents reviewed by The Hindu.

Further, the new norms also permit a single private player to win bid for handling the terminal building for both the airports.

The AAI had floated a global request for proposal to hand over the operation and maintenance of its terminal building to private players earlier this year. The technical bidding for the two airports is expected to begin from September.

Till March 20, 11 private players, including four global firms, registered for the bid for operating and maintaining Ahmedabad airport and seven private companies, with two global players, registered for the Jaipur airport.
23/06/17 Somesh Jha/The Hindu

Read More

Government plans air connectivity in Sawai Madhopur

Jaipur: After throwing open Ranthambore Tiger Reserve to tourists round the year, the Rajasthan government is now planning to connect Sawai Madhopur by air to increase the footfall. Directorate of civil aviation has proposed to start services between Delhi-Sawai Madhopur along with four other routes.
Making it easy for tourists to reach at tiger reserve, the government has asked private players to ply between Delhi and Sawai Madhopur. At present the nearest airport is in Jaipur. The distance from there to the tiger reserve is about 170 kms.
"In the budget of 2017-18, chief minister Vasundhara Raje had proposed to establish air connectivity between Jaipur and the state's tier-3 cities of Kota, Ajmer and Ranthambore (Sawai Madhopur). Taking it forward we have asked players if they can start scheduled flights between these routes," said an official.
"An airstrip which was already there is now been renovated and will be ready for operations. An amount of Rs 16.54 crore has already been sanctioned for renovation and maintenance of the other airstrips in the state," added the official.
24/06/17 Times of India

Read More

Vijayawada old airport terminal readying for international operations

Vijayawada: The old terminal of Vijayawada Airport is going to have all international airport terminal facilities such as immigration section, plant quarantine and others.

The old terminal, which was deserted after the domestic terminal facilities were moved to the new swanky terminal, will be open for international services starting from August 1.

The Civil Aviation Minister officially declared Vijayawada Airport as international airport with effect from August 1 when requisite facilities for international operations will be made available.
However, it takes much time for international services to start.

In all likelihood, Dubai-based Emirates airline would begin the first service to Dubai from Gannavaram. According to officials, it has already applied for the bilateral agreement for international air service with the Civil Aviation Ministry to start a service between Vijayawada and Dubai.

Meanwhile, works at the old terminal are going on at a fast pace.
24/06/17 The Hindu

Read More

AAI eases bidding terms for Ahmedabad, Jaipur airports

New Delhi: Airports Authority of India (AAI) has changed the tenure of the operations and maintenance contracts for the Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports to 20 years from 10 years, and will allow airline operators to bid for them in an effort to improve revenue for successful bidders.

“We have changed certain criteria as requested by interested parties,” Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said, adding several global players were interested in the two projects.

The AAI plans to privatise the two airports except their airside facilities. The successful bidders will manage the passenger terminals, aprons and car parks.


This is the second attempt by the government to involve private players in the two airports. Domestic airport operators GMR and GVK and global players Daa International Airport and Flughafen Zurich have shown interest in them.
24/06/17 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard

Read More

We are committed to provide better air connectivity for Surat: SpiceJet CMD

Surat: The CMD of SpiceJet, Ajay Singh has stated that the airline is working towards enhancing the network for Surat to ensure better connectivity with key metros in the country.
The SpiceJet on Friday announced the launch of four new daily non-stop flights connecting Surat to the Country's key business metros including Mumbai and Hyderabad.
Effective July 10, SpiceJet will launch its new daily direct flight for the Mumbai-Surat-Mumbai and Hyderabad-Surat-Hyderabad sector. With this, the airline will be operating its second daily direct flight to Hyderabad from Surat .
Spice Jet is the only airline to connect Surat with direct flights to Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Goa and Mumbai.
Ajay Singh, SpiceJet CMD said, "We have been working towards enhancing the network for Surat to ensure better air connectivity with key metros. Hyderabad and Mumbai are key business centres drawing huge movements. In the absence of a daily direct flight on these routes up till now, SpiceJet is optimistic to attract huge demand"
Singh added, "We are thankful to the Gujarat Government and Navsari MP CR Paatil for their support, which has enabled us to explore new flight between Surat and Mumbai."
23/06/17 Melvyn Regiie Thomas/Times of India

Read More

Jewar to be second airport in Delhi NCR

New Delhi: Jewar in Greater Noida will become the second airport in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi after the aviation ministry granted approval to the project today. The government expects the airport to be operational in the next five to six years and would see an investment of about Rs 20,000 crore.

“We have granted in-principle approval for a greenfield airport at Jewar (Greater Noida) to cater to the growing flying requirements of NCR," aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju told reporters today.

He added that the International Airport will cater to 30-50 million passengers per year over the next 10-15 years. "The area notified for Noida Airport is 3,000 hectares. The first phase will be developed in 1000 hectares. We expect up to Rs 20,000 crore of investment into the project," Raju further said.

Jewar airport will be the first big ticket investment for Uttar Pradesh after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won election in the state in March this year.

The ministry also expects this airport to give a boost to connectivity in the whole of western Uttar Pradesh, which will give a boost to tourism and economic potential of the region.
24/06/17 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

Read More

Airport expansion plan hits land acquisition hurdle

Aurangabad: The proposed expansion of Aurangabad airport could fail to take off anytime soon due to issues related to land acquisition.
The government was supposed to acquire land in parts of Mukundwadi, Murtijapur and Chikalthana, which are adjacent to the airport.
Some of these localities are densely populated and a considerable number of homes have to be demolished to facilitate the expansion. As announced earlier by authorities, around 180 acre land will be needed for the purpose.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday held a special review meeting for expansion of the Aurangabad airport, where different roadblocks in the project were discussed.
Top-officials from the State Town Planning Department, Public Works Department and General Administration Department along with Aurangabad divisional commissioner and district collector were present during the meeting, which was also attended by state assembly speaker Haribhau Bagde.
Speaking with TOI on Friday, Bagde said that the land-acquisition in urbanised areas could prove to be a major hurdle in expansion of the airport.
24/06/17 Prasad Joshi/Times of India

Read More

Centre's nod to greenfield Noida International Airport in Jewar, will ease air traffic at Delhi's IGI

The government has cleared a proposal for setting up a greenfield airport in Jewar in Greater Noida, which is likely to be operational in the next five to six years.
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said at a press briefing on Saturday that in-principle clearance has been granted for the first phase of Jewar airport in western Uttar Pradesh.

The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority has notified 3,000 hectares of land for a world-class international airport, Raju said, adding that the Noida International Airport will cater to 30-50 million passengers per year over the next 10-15 years.
The airport will help reduce congestion at the Delhi international airport. "In Delhi, we are expecting 91 million passengers by 2020 and 109 million passengers by 2024," Raju told reporters.

According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, site clearance for the first phase of the airport at Jewar in Greater Noida is envisaged to be completed in five years.

Elaborating on the project, minister of State for civil aviation Jayant Sinha said the first phase of the airport is expected to cost Rs 10,000 crore.
24/06/17 First Post

Read More

Bullet mystery has officials at IGI stumped

New Delhi: Ramandeep Singh, Jagjit Singh Dhillon and Rahul Kant Singh may have never seen — or met — each other. However, they have a connection, or so it may seem. They are among the scores of people who are under police lens for having been caught with a bullet in their check-in baggage at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The mystery of these passengers carrying just one bullet — with no idea of where it came from — has stumped officials. Every month, around five people have been found carrying a single bullet in their baggage. Interestingly, while these passengers are from different corners of the world, a majority of the bullets have KF engraved at the base signifying the ordnance factory where they were made. Also inscribed on the bullets are the letters S&W and the digits 32, referring to the model, Smith & Wesson, and firearm calibre, according to the FIRs lodged in the cases. Security and airport officials say the first few digits of the serial number in cartridges are usually the same with unique digits at the end.
In most case, the bullets were detected during X-ray screening in the check-in baggage of passengers headed abroad. CISF and airport officials, however, aren't sure if there is some foul play involved. "Most of the individuals belong to the army or paramilitary forces and may have accidentally carried a cartridge or live round in their baggage. We follow protocol and hand them over to police for action," said a senior CISF officer.
Ramandeep Singh (22), for example, was headed for Malaysia on June 17 when the airline security was alerted about a bullet in his check-in baggage. He was promptly offloaded from the flight. The live cartridge had "KF 32 S&W L" engraved on it. Singh, however, was clueless about how the bullet landed in his luggage.
24/06/17 Raj Shekhar/Times of India

Read More

Interim report on social impact study submitted

Thiruvananthapuram: The land acquisition process for the development and expansion of Trivandrum International Airport have picked up pace, as Loyola College of Social Sciences, entrusted with the social impact study submitted the interim report at the collectorate.
The airport was allotted 18.53 acres at Pettah and Muttathara by the government in 2014, but land acquisition was delayed due to the protest from the local residents. Social impact study was proposed by the government, considering the request of the local residents to have a fair deal in land acquisition. The study began in the last week of May.
The team from the college conducting the study visited the site and met the residents and action council representatives.
"The residents responded positively and even showed us the area to be acquired for airport development. When we first met them, people were apprehensive about the rehabilitation package. They were told about the benefits of the study. We will meet all residents, whose land will be acquired for airport development, including those who do not live here to include their demands in the study. The study is expected to be complete in three months," said Fr Sabu P Thomas, vice-principal of Loyola College of Social Sciences who is leading the social impact study from the institute.
23/06/17 Times of India

Read More

Bus service to and from airport begins today

Ahmedabad: From today, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) begins its exclusive airport shuttle bus service. The bus will have 29 pick-up and drop-off points on the 22.7km route. The shuttle service will begin from Karnavati Club on SG Highway and will be called 'Route 1000'. The service will start at 4am and will run till 10.15pm. The AMC claims this service will be the first such one in the country.
The maximum ticket price is Rs 50, from Karnavati to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. To begin with, some five buses will operate on the route and one can expect a bus at each pick up point every 30 minutes once the service becomes fully operational. Deputy municipal commissioner Arjav Shah said, "The bus will have free WiFi service, ergonomic seats and an LED screen to provide information related to flight arrivals and departures."
24/06/17 Times of India

Read More

Airport Authority of India ropes in Tata Elxsi to design IT guidelines for airports

Design services provider Tata Elxsi has been roped in by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to design information and technology guidelines for all upcoming AAI airports. Tata Elxsi will help AAI set up a team and create a process to design and implement customer-centric information and wayfinding system, which will cover the entire passenger journey, right from parking to boarding the plane, the company said in a statement on Thursday. Tata Elxsi Chief Designer, Service Design, Narendra Ghate said prior experience on redefining passenger experience for some leading airports in India gave Tata Elxsi an edge to bag the mandate.
AAI Member Planning Sudhir Raheja said the authority was looking out globally for a company that can understand what people in India need and found that Tata Elxsi can help AAI in setting guidelines for all future airports at par with global standards.
22/06/17 PTI/The Indian Express

Read More

Traffic troubles on airport advisory committee radar

Pune: The Pune Airport Advisory Committee stakeholders are expected to focus on the traffic problem in the Lohegaon facility and find ways to ensure it has solar power in the meeting slated for next week.
A source told TOI the meeting would be significant because the state civil aviation minister had visited Pune earlier this month and discussed the development and expansion plans of the Pune airport at length.
"The meeting is slated to take place in the last week of this month. Earlier, the advisory committee meeting was held once a year. But now it is being held more than once, which is a good sign considering that the facility is under expansion. There will be detailed discussions about the status of the work being done and the future projects related to the airport," an airport official said.
Pune MP Anil Shirole, the chairman of the committee, said all issues would be discussed in details. "Some decisions would also be taken," the MP said.
23/06/17 Joy Sengupta/The Times Of India

Read More

NoRKs sweat on high airfares

Upsetting the Ramzan travel plans of Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs), airlines have hiked the fares five to six times from destinations in West Asia to the three airports in the State.

The increase in fares by airlines based in West Asia and India, including Air India and its low-cost arm Air India Express, is to cash in on the demand among NoRKs for seats during the festival season and closure of educational institutions for summer vacation in the Gulf.

The fare hike has hit workers who depend on the budget carriers for their travel back home. Many NoRKs are finding it difficult to fly down to Kerala with their family in view of the hike in fares.

Seats, especially in the sought-after economy class, are not available in the majority of the airlines during the weekend.

Those who want to be with their kin for Ramzan back home will have to get seats at an exorbitant rate.
22/06/17 S.Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

Read More

Airport bursting at the seams

While the flight operations from Surat airport have increased in the last couple of months and more flight connections to be added to Kolkata and Patna starting from July 1, the terminal building will soon run out of the capacity to handle the passenger traffic.

At present, the terminal building is having peak hour passenger handling capacity of merely 250 passenger —125 arrivals and 125 departures — against the required capacity of 1,761 passengers per day. After the proposed Surat, Kolkata and Patna flight operations announced by SpiceJet starting from July 1 and the Surat to Dubai direct international flight by Air India Express in the next couple of months, the total passengers will increase at 2,401 passengers per day.

As per the rough estimate, the present capacity to handle passengers at the terminal building is 2 lakh per annum. At present, there are around 6.42 lakh passengers travelling to and from the Surat airport per annum in seven flights operated by SpiceJet and Air India, private operator Ventura Airconnect and Non-Schedule Operator Permit (NSOP). After the Surat-Kolkata and Patna and Surat-Dubai operations from July 1 onwards, the total passengers are projected to increase at 8.76 lakh per annum.
Also, there are only six check-in counters and three airlines using it and few more airlines interested to start! However, at least 20-25 check-in counters are needed to cater to the increasing passenger rush on the airport.
23/06/17 The Times Of India

Read More

Bright days ahead for Madhurapudi Airport

Bright days are ahead of the airport at Madhurapudi near Rajamahendravaram. According to airport director M Raj Kishore, the runway expansion works are expected to be complete by end of December. The runway, if expanded, will allow landing of big flights. The existing 5,000 feet runway will be expanded to 10,500 feet to felicitate A 321 and Boeing 737-900 flights, if the project is completed.

The footfall of air passengers is steadily on the rise with 2.61 lakh in 2016-17 over 1.08 lakh in 2012-13. At present Jet Airways, Spice Jet and True Jet are operating flights to Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. New airliners are reportedly showing interest to operate their services from the airport connecting major cities across the country.

The state government has given 857 acres of land to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to facilitate the runway expansion. The runway is presently located in 389 acres of land, which is said to be quite inadequate for landing of big aircrafts. The expansion programme was initiated with a cost of Rs 185 crore by AAI.

Sources said Indigo Airways representatives recently visited the airport and enquired about the existing facilities for running their services from Rajamahendravaram connecting all the major metros such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Chennai etc.
22/06/17 The Hans India

Read More

Approach road to IGI airport’s terminal 1D diverted: DIAL

The approach road leading up to terminal 1D of the IGI airport here has been temporarily diverted due to ongoing construction work, an airport official said on Thursday.

According to the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which manages the IGI airport, the approach road had to be diverted due to construction work for a metro station at the terminal by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
22/06/17 India.com

Read More

Hosur Airport May Not Be Able To Solve South Bengaluru’s Woes

The Tamil Nadu government recently announced that it would build a domestic airport at Hosur in the Krishnagiri district, 40 kilometre south of Bengaluru. This proposed airport, is to be an extension of the existing aerodrome that is located at Belagondapalli, 10 km southwest of Hosur.

The Hosur aerodrome, known locally as Taneja Airfield, is a private airfield owned and operated by Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Limited (TAAL) and has been in operation from 1994. It has a 2,168 metre long runway that can handle most modern aircraft including Airbus A-320s and Boeing 737s, and features night-landing facilities. The aerodrome is primarily used by Air Works India and its subsidiary Air Livery for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) as well as painting aircraft.

Support for Hosur airport has existed in various forms for several years now. In the early 2000s, when the then airport serving Bengaluru, the HAL Airport was struggling to handle the crowd, the city of Bengaluru was significantly different from what it is today.

Back then, India’s Information Technology (IT) capital was vastly different in terms of the location of commercial centres. The largest concentration of IT parks and offices was in the suburb of Electronics City, 10 km south of Silk Board along Hosur Road (the Bengaluru - Kanyakumari National Highway). The region was reasonably well connected to the city as well as Hosur as Hosur Road was part of both the Golden Quadrilateral and the North-South Corridor. The second largest concentration was in Whitefield, in eastern Bengaluru, originally at the International Tech Park Limited (ITPL). Today, Whitefield is home to the Devangonthi fuel terminal from where a pipeline carries fuel to the Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli.
23/06/17 Srikanth Ramakrishnan/Swarajya

Read More

Airport Advisory Committee Meeting held at BPI Airport Bhubaneswar

Airport Advisory Committee Meeting was held at BPI Airport Bhubaneswar on 21.6.2017 (Wednesday) under the chairmanship of Dr Prasanna Kumar Patasani, Hon’ble Member of Parliament , Lok Sabha along with the all other members of the committee. At the outset , Airport Director Shri S C HOTA welcomed Chairman and other Committee Members to the meeting and outlined the various improvement steps being taken by the airports authority for the airport.
Esteemed members suggested Various Points for improvement the Airport services . Airport Director informed to all committee Member about Airports Authority Plan for future growth of the Airport and described various steps taken by Airport Authority to make the airport more friendly and comfortable for the Passengers.
22/06/17 Orissa Diary

Read More

Hyderabad’s RGIA to enhance security

A glaring gap in the security of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, classified as one of the hyper sensitive airports in the country from the terror threat perspective, is finally being addressed.

The Cyberabad police, which has been of the view that the airport’s primary runway was visible to anyone outside the compound wall since the wall was not of the required height, have convinced the GMR officials, who run the airport, to initiate remedial measures.

The decision to go for an enhanced layer of security came after a recent high level meeting between police and GMR officials in the wake of recent alerts from central intelligence agencies on potential threats from terror modules to the country’s vital installations.

According to a senior official, it was the 4,260 metre-primary runway of RGIA that was prone to attacks, courtesy the low compound wall. The 3,707 metre-long parallel runway was used only in case of emergencies or when the first one was shut down for maintenance.
23/06/17 Telangana Today

Read More

HC disposes case on Greenfield Airport

Referring to the news item published in this daily under the headlines “High court dismisses PIL, paves way for Greenfield Airport” on June 19, petitioner Tadar Takio said that the HC has disposed of the case and not dismissed it.
Citing his PIL No. 22 (AP) 2015 regarding the Greenfield Airport, Takio further claimed that the interpretation regarding Greenfield Airport was not made in compliance of the court order.
23/06/17 The Arunachal Times

Read More

CISF reunites two kids with families at IGI

In two separate cases, two children were re-united with their families at the IGI airport after they reportedly got lost inside.
CCTV surveillance was used in both cases by the CISF after personnel found the children roaming around Terminal 3 on their own. The first incident was reported on Wednesday around 11.30am when CISF personnel noticed a child roaming alone in the check-in area of T3. The child was approached and was asked questions about his parents, while CCTV footage was analysed. Officials say the father of the child was identified immediately.
23/06/17 The Times Of India

Read More

33 destinations to have air integration soon

Chennai: About 33 destinations (unserved airports) throughout the country will be connected by air services by this September-end, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has informed on Wednesday.

Five operators would operate on 128 routes connecting 70 airports, most of which are not well connected by airlines at present. “Five airlines will be participating in the first phase and we will see (air) connectivity by this September-end,” Gajapathi Raju said.

These 33 destinations would be connected under the Udan scheme, Gajapathi Raju who earlier participated in the International Day of Yoga at SBOA School here, said. Noting that Salem airport in Tamil Nadu is inoperative, the Minister said it is for the state government and airline operators to decide on providing regional connectivity.

Over 45 unserved and under-served airports are expected to be connected under the scheme - UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) that aims to make flying more affordable.

In the first round of bidding, Air Odisha Aviation has won the bid to connect the maximum number of unserved airports in the country.

Other carriers which won the bids to fly to unserved airports in tier-2 cities include Air India’s subsidiary Alliance Air, Air Deccan, SpiceJet, Air Odisha and Turbo Megha. About 50 per cent of seats on every flight will cost Rs 2,500 per seat under the Udan scheme. This will be applicable for flights where the distance is less than 500 km or one-hour.
22/06/17 Deccan Chronicle

Read More

7 Delhi-bound flights diverted to Jaipur airport due to air congestion

Jaipur: Seven Delhi-bound flights including two international flights diverted to the Jaipur International Airport due to air traffic congestion at national capital Delhi on Wednesday. All seven flights departed to Delhi after around two hours of halt at Jaipur.

“Total seven flights bound to Delhi were diverted to Jaipur between 1 to 1:30 o’clock in the afternoon,” Jaideep Singh Balhara, director, Jaipur International Airport told DNA.

“Five domestic flights that were diverted included two Air India flights from Bhubaneshwar and Hyderabad respectively, Indigo flight from Hyderabad, Aliance Air flight from Pant Nagar and Jet flight from Bengaluru. Two international flights also diverted including one of China Airlines and the other one from Dhaka, a Jet flight,” he added.

According to Jaipur airport director, due to congestion at Delhi, the flights could not land at the airport in the national capital and they had to take rounds for a long time over Delhi so they were diverted to Jaipur.

“The flights departed for New Delhi after around two hours as the congestion eased,” Balhara said.
22/06/17 DNA

Read More

Naidu: Orvakal airport will accelerate growth

​Kurnool: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has said the greenfield airport being constructed at Orvakal will help weed out faction feuds in Kurnool district. With the construction of the airport, many industries will come up in the district thus helping business in this area and generating more employment.

The Chief Minister, who laid the foundation stone for the airport on Wednesday, said that it will be constructed in 2,000 acres at a cost of Rs 120 crore. He said as of now businessmen of Kurnool have to go either to Hyderabad or to Bengaluru airports by travelling hundreds of kilometres for not having the airport facility in Kurnool. He said the Orvakal airport would be constructed with international standards and would be completed just in a year.

Naidu also laid the foundation stone for a food processing unit at Tangadancha village in Jupadubungla mandal. The food processing unit is being established by the Jain Irrigation System at a cost of Rs 400 crore.

He also inaugurated a school building constructed at a cost of Rs 7 crore funds of the Self Help Groups. CPM district secretary K Prabhakar Reddy said the construction of the airport is to benefit the realtors only.
22/06/17 Hans India

Read More

Airports in private sector at Amaravati, Vizag: Naidu

Kurnool: Airports better than the one in Hyderabad would come up at Amaravati and Visakhapatnam in the private sector, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced at Orvakal on Wednesday. The State government was according priority to logistics and augmentation of passengers and good transport, expansion of roads, railway network and ports in the State, Mr. Naidu said at a meeting after laying the foundation stone for a greenfield no-frills airport at Orvakal in Kurnool district. The airport, coming up on 1,010 acres at a cost of ₹90 crore, would be completed in a year, he asserted.

The Central government launched the UDAN regional connectivity scheme to make air travel affordable to the common man, Mr. Naidu said. His government revived the Kadapa airport and developed international airports at Tirupati and Visakhapatnam.
22/06/17 The Hindu

Read More

India's GMR, four others other bid for Belgrade airport

Four consortia and one company will proceed the next round of bidding for a 25-year concession to operate Belgrade's Nikola Tesla airport, the biggest in the Balkan region, the company and a Serbian government commission said on Wednesday.

Serbia, which has an 83.1 percent stake in the airport, expects the deal to be worth around 400 million euros ($446 million).

The only company to have a non-binding bid accepted was France's Vinci Airports, according to a statement posted on Belgrade airport's website.

The consortia are France's Meridiam Eastern Europe Investments, Zurich Airport AG and France's Eiffage; India's GMR Infrastructure Limited and Greece's Terna; South Korea's Incheon International Airport Corp., Turkey's Yatirimlar ve isletme and Russia's VTB Capital Infrastructure; China's Hainan Air Travel Service, HNA and China National Aero Technology, the statement said.

The government repeatedly extended an initial March deadline to give bidders more time to complete their offers.
21/06/17 Reuters

Read More

Hyderabad-Nanded: Trujet to extend service till Mumbai from July

Mumbai: Regional carrier Trujet has decided to extend its Hyderabad-Nanded service till Mumbai, under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), from the first week of July. The airline has received good response from passengers for its Nanded-Hyderabad route, which was launched on April 25. While the extension till Mumbai was planned since then, various reasons delayed the launch.
“We were waiting for specific clearances concerned with flying. We have also been allotted a slot from Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) for the same. We are sure of starting it from this July,” a senior Trujet official said. The airline operates a 72-seater ATR on the route.
According to airline officials, the regular service between Nanded and Hyderabad has seen more than 50 per cent booking in its flights in both directions. “We will offer a regular service to passengers for Mumbai with these flight services. Once the Mumbai route is initiated, we will prepone the present scheduling of flight to adjust the additional stoppage,” a senior Trujet official said.
Officials claim the religious importance of Nanded will invite huge traffic from Mumbai. “We expect the service to go full. There is immense demand from passengers of Mumbai for this service. Not only does this save journey time but it also cuts down time for commuters planning a trip to neighboring cities like Aurangaabd and Parbhani,” said Daljeet Singh, a representative of Nanded Gurdwara Board from Hyderabad.
22/06/17 Indian Express

Read More

AAI ropes in Tata Elxsi to design IT guidelines for airports

New Delhi: Design services provider Tata Elxsi has been roped in by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to design information and technology guidelines for all upcoming AAI airports.

Tata Elxsi will help AAI set up a team and create a process to design and implement customer-centric information and wayfinding system, which will cover the entire passenger journey, right from parking to boarding the plane, the company said in a statement today.

Tata Elxsi Chief Designer, Service Design, Narendra Ghate said prior experience on redefining passenger experience for some leading airports in India gave Tata Elxsi an edge to bag the mandate.
22/06/17 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Protest against proposed airport turns violent near Kalyan, several policemen injured

A protest against a proposed international airport at Newali, near Kalyan, in Maharashtra on June 22 turned violent, leaving several policemen injured.

Thane Police officials said the protesters, who gathered on the Haji Malang Road near Kalyan, first started burning tyres and later pelted stones at passing motorists and policemen. At least nine policemen were injured in the clashes that ensued.

“The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ulhasnagar division, and the Senior Police Inspector, Hill Line police station, along with three other officers and four constables sustained injuries. The protesters also set two police vehicles and a private vehicle on fire,” said Thane Police spokesperson Inspector Sukhada Narkar.
Reports of the protest turning violent were sent out on the police wireless network and manpower from all nearby police stations, as well as Quick Response Teams, were rushed to the spot to quell the protest. Senior officers, including Joint Commissioner of Police Madhukar Pandey, Thane Police, too rushed to the spot.
22/06/17 Gautam S Mengle/The Hindu

Read More

Shirdi airport may not join UDAN scheme

New Delhi: The soon-to-be-inaugurated airport at the temple town Shirdi is unlikely to be part of government's regional connectivity scheme (RCS) or UDAN with some stakeholders opposed to the 3-year exclusivity clause.
UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) aims at making flying affordable by capping fares at Rs 2,500 per hour on select routes and enhancing air connectivity for tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
Under the scheme, airlines that win the bid for a route gain exclusively right to operate on it for three year.
Airline operators are also provided a subsidy by the Centre and the state governments concerned, along with incentives by the airport, in order offer low fares to passengers.
"Airlines have been demanding that exclusivity clause be removed for the Shirdi airport and if that can't be done the airport should be removed from RCS category," said a civil aviation ministry official.
The Maharashtra government, too, is opposed to the airport being included in RCS as it would restrict the number of operators because of the exclusivity clause, while the travel demand for the pilgrim town is expected to be very high, said an official at the ministry.
21/06/17 PTI/Times of India

Read More

Mumbai airport unlikely to be part of next bidding under UDAN

New Delhi: The Mumbai airport is unlikely to participate in the second round of bidding for air routes for the government's regional connectivity scheme or UDAN because of capacity-crunch at the busy aerodrome.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport handled 837 flights a day, or one in 65 seconds, on an average in fiscal 2016-17, becoming the world's busiest airport with single- runway operations.
According to sources, while the airport has a capacity of 45 flights per hour, it often sees an aircraft movement rate of 54.
Under the regional connectivity scheme, also known as UDAN (or Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik), routes are bid out to airline operators based on certain criteria, including that related to tariff and requirement of subsidy from the government.
After stakeholder consultations, the routes and airports that would be made available for bidding are decided. Participating airports are required to provide certain incentives to the carrier concerned.
The UDAN scheme aims to connect unserved and under-served airports as well as make flying affordable by offering fares capped at Rs 2,500 per hour on select routes.
"Mumbai, Juhu and Safdarjung airport in Delhi are unlikely to be part of second phase of the regional connectivity scheme (RCS)," said a senior official at the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
21/06/17 PTI/Times of India

Read More

Gorakhpur, India to see maiden int'l flights?

A new terminal at India's Gorakhpur airport was opened this week, with the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announcing that air services to Mumbai Int'l and Kathmandu, Nepal will start "soon". The minister, quoted in the Hindustan Times, did not elaborate on when the services would start, or who would run them.

Gorakhpur, located in India's north, approximately 100 kilometres from the border of Nepal, is currently served by SpiceJet , flying to Delhi Int'l and Kolkata Int'l, and Alliance Air (India), flying to Delhi. The new terminal increases the airport's capacity to 100 passengers.

The Chief Minister added that the state government's priority is to provide connections for other cities in the region, such as Allahabad, Bareilly, Kanpur, Jhansi and Faizabad.
21/06/17 ch-aviation

Read More

Flight services set to resume from September 1

Puducherry: After much delay, flight services from the Puducherry airport are set to resume from September 1.

SpiceJet will operate a 60-seater ATR aircraft for Hyderabad-Puducherry-Hyderabad route every day.

Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and SpiceJet will undertake a joint inspection of the airport facilities which has been scheduled for Friday.

“A communication in this regard was provided by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday,” Chief Secretary Manoj Parida told The Hindu.

The government has also written to the Civil Aviation Ministry about the request by commercial airline operators for free night-time parking facility at the airport. The appeal had been made been at a videoconference convened in Delhi by R.N. Choubey, Civil Aviation Secretary with respective Chief Secretaries, operators and various stakeholders under the Centre’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS).
20/06/17 M Dinesh Varma/The Hindu

Read More

DGCA rolls back airport charge hike

New Delhi: Beginning July 1, airfares from some Airports Authority of India airports will become cheaper as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has rolled back the 10% hike in airport charges at non-major airports made effective from December last year.

The Air Navigational Charges at all airports and airport charges at non-major airports of AAI for domestic flights stand restored to rates prior to Dec. 16, 2016, said DGCA chief B.S. Bhullar.
20/06/17 The Hindu

Read More

Rs. 100 crore to be spent on reducing delays, congestion at airport

Chennai airport will invest ₹100 crore for air side development, including a parallel taxiway and two rapid exit taxiways. Work on these facilities will begin by the end of the year. The implementation of these projects will ensure the runway occupancy time of flights is reduced, thereby decreasing delays. Currently, the airport handles about 32 aircraft movements per hour. The development of these facilities will allow more aircraft movement.
Apart from this, the straightening of the Bravo taxiway will also be taken up in phases. A taxiway is a route that an aircraft may take to either head to the terminal or runway.
Airport director G. Chandramouli said these two projects will be taken up in phases since work has to be carried out without affecting aircraft movement. “We will first have to get the safety study done. Subsequently, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will have to give its approval, after which work can commence,” he said.
The straightening of Bravo taxiway, that has been in the works for years, will take at least two years to complete.
20/06/17 The Hindu

Read More

Aviation sector to up airport security

As aviation sector and its related infrastructure around the world is increasingly getting under the radar of terrorists, India will soon be implementing a unified command structure for the safety of its airports, airline and passengers. This will be on the lines of countries like US and others who have the same structure.

At present, the security system is airport specific and not centralised as should ideally be, claim the officials from ministry of civil aviation.

Jayant Sinha, civil aviation minister of state, in an aviation summit organised by IMC chamber of commerce and industry in Mumbai on Tuesday said that in India on certain airports the security is maintained by CRPF, while at most other airports it's the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which is mandated with the task. On few other airports local police are incharge for the same. " We are working with CISF on how to move forward in this regard" said Sinha.

The development comes after a similar concept was being mulled by the civil aviation ministry in 2010 to create a dedicated aviation security force (ASF) for the civil aviation airports across the country. An expert team of Consultants from UN backed International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) was engaged in 2010 to study the restructuring of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and other aspects related to aviation security in India. However, the plan was later shelved.
21/06/17 Shahkar Abidi/DNA

Read More

GMR to bid for expanison and modernisation of airports in Serbia, Jamaica

Mumbai: The GMR group is planning to bid for expansion and modernisation of existing airports in Serbia and Jamaica, as it aims to double airports to 10 under management over the next few years.

"We are looking for opportunities both in India and abroad. We have qualified to bid for Belgrade (Serbia) and Kingston (Jamaica) airports,"  said Sidharth  Kapur, president, GMR airports on Tuesday.

The group will be partnering with a major European construction firm for Belgrade airport. It is an operational airport with over five-million passenger capacity. The concession period will be for 25 years.


Within India, GMR plans to bid for new Bhogapuram airport near Visakhapatnam and privatisation of Nagpur airport.

GMR group runs airports in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mactan-Cebu in Philippines. It has won bids to construct a new airport in Goa and to develop and operate an existing airport in Heraklion in Greece.

"Our airport business is growing and now contributes around 55-60 per cent to the group's revenue," Kapur said.
21/06/17 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

Read More

Relief for domestic air passengers as airport charges slashed

Domestic air passengers will have to pay less at the airports, particularly the non-major ones, from the next month as the aviation regulator has brought down certain charges to the level of last December.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had hiked the air navigational charges at all domestic airports besides increasing passenger service fee, user development fee as well as landing, parking and housing fee at all non-major airports from December 16, 2016.

"The tariff pertaining to air navigational charges at all airports and airport charges at non-major airports of AAI for all domestic flights are restored hereby to the rates... prior to 16.12.2016," DGCA said in a notification last Friday.

The restored tariff will be applicable for the period from July 1 to March 31 next year.
19/06/17 Economic Times

Read More

DGCA guidelines to help airport firefighters beat stress

New Delhi: Aviation regulator in India Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday issued guidelines to airports across the country on helping emergency responders cope with stress and fatigue. According to the advisory issued by DGCA, the airports must observe “human factors” and incorporate them in emergency planning and training manuals. The regulator has also recommended that all airports must have a treatment program for emergency responders, who may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders, in order to ensure their mental and psychological well-being. “Such treatment and counselling can be provided by other airport personnel who have undergone proper training or by external medical institutions,” says the advisory.
20/06/17 New Indian Express

Read More

Refugee issue under threat as Greenfield Airport set for take-off

Itanagar: The much debated Greenfield Airport at Hollongi might be given wings after the Gauhati High Court Itanagar Permanent Bench dismissed the PIL filed in 2015.

On disposing the case, the court directed the Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner, “To ensure that compensation that is payable on account of acquisition of land, is done upon due and proper verification of the claims of the genuine land owners and as per rates permissible under law.”

A Facebook post in 2012 reported that around 400 Chakma and Hajong persons will be displaced from the proposed Greenfield Airport at Hollong. Last year the Greenfield Airport Land Affected People’s Forum of Hollongi (GALAPF) secretary Likha Teji questioned as to why the Airports Authority of India (AAI) rejected the Banderwa-Karsingsa site and selected Hollongi adding that the initial compensation was Rs 507 per sqm and was hiked four times for rural and two times for urban areas by a central act. The land owners had unanimously consented to accept double the rate at Rs 1014 per sqm, which was never paid and the issue dragged on.
To end the dispute the Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) even had stepped in to create a channel between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Arunachal Pradesh government in making way for the construction of a new Greenfield airport at Itanagar at a cost of Rs 650 crore.
19/06/17 NorthEastToday

Read More

High court dismisses PIL, paves way for Greenfield Airport

Itanagar: In a major relief which may pave way for construction of the Greenfield Airport at Hollongi, the Gauhati High Court Itanagar Permanent Bench has dismissed the PIL filed in 2015.
While disposing off the case, the court directed the Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner, “To ensure that compensation that is payable on account of acquisition of land, is done upon due and proper verification of the claims of the genuine land owners and as per rates permissible under law.”
The Court also noted the government advocate’s submission that proposed land at Hollongi has already been deserved by the government and therefore question of it coming under forest reserve does not arise. The government advocate also made it clear that Chakma families are not being paid compensation and are only being rehabilitated.
Recently, the state Cabinet also decided to accept the recommendation of technical committee constituted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, which selected Hollongi as permanent site for construction of a Greenfield Airport. However, the Cabinet put the condition that Hollongi will be selected subject to outcome of PIL filed by Tadar Takio.
18/06/17 Arunachal Times

Read More

New ATC in 3 months to boost flying handling capacity

The much-delayed new air-traffic control tower at IGI Airport may finally get operational in three months. At 102.9 metres, it is the tallest tower in India and zooms over the current 60m-high tower that was built in 1999. The new tower is crucial in the plan submitted by UK-based ATC specialist NATS to Delhi airport for increasing the hourly flight handling capacity of its runways.
Airports Authority of India chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra told TOI: "There was a delay in constructing the new tower. All systems and machinery have been put in place. It will begin operation and we will have simultaneous operations from both the old and new towers. In about a year, IGI will have complete ATC operations from the new tower."
A senior ATC official said a schedule has been drawn up for a three-part strategy: initiating operations at the new tower; holding simultaneous operations from both old and new towers and, then, finally switching over completely to the new tower. The tallest-in-India tower will help ATC controllers keep a bird's-eye view of operations on the three runways as well as the fourth one that is scheduled to be ready by 2021. It was supposed to have become operational a year back.
19/06/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Gov’t shelves private bids for new airports

Manila: The government has put on hold unsolicited proposals for new airports to serve Manila as it focuses on measures that can be undertaken immediately to address congestion at the country’s main international gateway.

Manuel Antonio Tamayo, undersecretary for aviation at the Department of Transportation (DOTr), told reporters the National Economic and Development Authority has decided to defer the unsolicited proposals submitted by All Asia Resources Reclamation Corp. (ARRC) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) for a new airport.

“It’s still there. It’s still being considered. But it’s not immediate. It’s more of medium term. What we need now is the short term. We need to immediately decongest Manila,” he said.

ARRC is proposing to build an international airport, seaport as well as a mixed-use development on reclaimed land off the coast of Sangley Point in Cavite.
Unsolicited proposals for the Clark Airport are also taking a backseat for now.

The group of GMR Infrastructure Ltd. of India and Megawide Construction Corp. submitted a proposal to the government to develop the Clark International Airport to be able to handle up to 100 million passengers per year over a period of 50 years, worth close to P200 billion.
19/06/17 Philstar Global

Read More

Shivakumar writes to CM, opposes GVK’s exit from BIAL

Energy Minister D K Shivakumar has requested Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to stall GVK Group’s proposal to sell its remaining 10% share in Bangalore International Airport Ltd, which is operating the Kempegowda International Airport, to Fairfax Group.
He has written to Siddaramaiah, arguing why GVK Group should not be allowed to exit BIAL.
Recently, Fairfax, owned by a Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa, increased its stake in BIAL to 48% from 38%.

At present, the government of Karnataka and Airports Authority of India hold 13% each. Siemens holds 26%, while the rest 48% is held by Fairfax. The process of acquiring (10% held by GVK) stake in BIAL by Fairfax is expected to be completed by early July this year.

Shivakumar said, “You (CM), should instruct the concerned in the government to see that the government has required control on the management and affairs of KIA, in the interest of providing services of international standards to the passengers.” He said continuing GVK group as one of the shareholders at the present juncture is required. The shareholders’ agreement mandates that at least one of the shareholders shall have experience and expertise in operation and maintenance of the airport.
19/06/17 Deccan Herald/Energyinfrapost.com

Read More

Your digital buddy to the airport

Making it a tad simpler for air travellers to navigate through the rather tedious procedure of taking a flight, Airwhizz is weaving every single nuance thread by thread and presenting it to customers in their favourite format — an app.Conceptualised in 2015, the development of the app took over one-and-a-half years, and was officially launched on June 1, 2017.

In an interaction with DH, Airwhizz co-founder Rishabh Beria says, “With flight tickets becoming more affordable and the number of air travellers increasing by the day, there are many first time travellers, and also travellers visiting different cities and their airports for the first time. While all this can be a little overwhelming, Airwhizz is a one-stop destination for all requirements, right from determining what time to leave home to make it in time to the airport for check-in.”

The Android-first platform is also available on iOS and claims cumulative installs at 4.5 lakh. “In terms of customers, our focus is domestic travellers and international travellers from India, although the platform hosts information for all airports across the globe, and is open to a global user-base,” he says.

“The ultimate aim of the app is to make air travel hassle-free with all relevant information at the user’s finger tip. The beauty of the app is that the user has to first enter flight details to navigate through different portals, such as restaurants, shops, spas, cabs, etc, so that the information received is relevant,” he adds.

At present, Airwhizz is recording a 30-40 active users on a daily basis, and hopes to take the number to 500 by the end of this fiscal. The bootstrapped company has made an investment of Rs 1.3 crore till date and plans to raise its seed round of Rs 3.2 crore, soon.

On generating revenues, Beria says, “While we have generated some revenue through ancillary development with the airports, we are looking to create a user base before monetising the app. We will be mildly monetising the app in 2017-18, and are expecting a revenue of Rs 16 lakh. In 2018-19, we are projecting a revenue of Rs 64 lakh, which should grow then on.”
18/06/17 Mamta Bhardwaj/Deccan Herald

Read More

Airport expansion: Plot allotment process for oustees kick-starts

Vijayawada:  The Andhra Pradesh government has begun the process of allotting returnable plots to farmers and landholders in and around Gannavaram who had given their lands under land pooling scheme for the development of Vijayawada airport.
Revenue officials will begin holding public hearings in the villages from Monday before landholders submit their preferences. About 700 acres of land from Gannavaram and 10 neighbouring villages were acquired through LPS after chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu decided to use the scheme instead of land acquisition. The district administration had handed over the land to the Airports Authority of India which has begun runway extension works. Principal secretary (CRDA) Ajay Ja in issued a government order (GO MS 232) on Friday specifying the rules of the plot allotment policy . "Landlords, according to their eligibility in their revenue villagesland pooling development scheme may file applications in form 18 (A) or form 18 (B) within 15 days from the publication of plot allotment policy," he said. The allotment of plots would be done by drawing lots just like the plots returned in Amaravati.
19/06/17 Times of India

Read More

Ministry may roll back airport charges

New Delhi: Airfares are set to become cheaper as the Civil Aviation Ministry has recommended a rollback of an airport charge increase, across all non-major airports operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which came into effect December last year.

“Civil Aviation Secretary [R.N.Choubey] has written to AAI earlier this month demanding a rollback of hike in airport charges at non-major airports which were notified in December last year,” a senior Civil Aviation Ministry official said, on condition of anonymity.

The Aviation Ministry asked the AAI to take back the increase in aeronautical charges at non-major airports from July this year. In December, airport charges were raised by 10% — a first such hike in eight years. This was followed by a subsequent hike by 5% in airport charges beginning April 1.

The airport charge increase was applicable on non-major airports such as Amritsar, Nagpur, Bagdogra, Surat, Madurai, Vijayawada, Jammu, Varanasi, Vadadora, among others, which handle an annual traffic of less than 15 lakh.

“The rising aviation turbine fuel prices and switching over to Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime will lead to a sudden rise in the airfares. So, the Ministry has asked the AAI to cut airport charges so that airfares do not soar,” another senior Aviation Ministry official said.
09/06/17 Somesh Jha/The Hindu

Read More

HAL wants a full-fledged airport

Though Tamil Nadu has offered to open up its Hosur Air Station for Bengalureans under the recently-launched Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme, there is also hope that the HAL airport would be a second airport in the city for short-haul flights.

However, the defence PSU does not want its airport to be bracketed as an under-served or unserved one that operates flights under the UDAN scheme. It wants the airport to function as a full-fledged one and only then HAL can collect landing charges from the aircraft.

Under the UDAN scheme, only aircraft with or below 80 seats are allowed to operate. Aircraft classified in three categories are allowed to operate – with 20 seats or fewer, with 21 to 80 seats and fewer than 80 seats.

“Aircraft with 80 seats or less are exempted from paying the landing fee charge at airports. So under the UDAN scheme, airport operators cannot collect landing fees. That is why HAL is keen to make it a full-fledged airport,” a source said.

Senior officers of the Airport Authority India (AAI) have already inspected the terminal building for operationalisation of the airport’s civil enclave.
19/06/17 Hemanth CS/Bangalore Mirror

Read More