Karnataka to rebuild Kalaburgi greenfield Airport

Bengaluru: The State government will soon take up the task of completing the much-delayed Kalaburagi green-field airport project.
Replying to a debate on the state budget, Siddaramaiah said new tenders will be floated soon to take up the work on the project which has remained suspended for over 3 years now.
The CM renewed promise came in the backdrop of his meeting with leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha M Mallikarjun Kharge who sought more funds from the state government for projects in Hyderabad-Karnataka region. Soon after the meeting, Kharge had supported Siddaramaiah's decision to set up the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) recently. Siddaramaiah also announced take up two other projects including the development of railway line
31/03/16 Manu Aiyappa/Times of India

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Flying in and out of Mumbai to get costlier due to scarcity of landing slots

New Delhi: Flying in and out of Mumbai is set to get expensive, because the city's airport has run out of landing slots, threatening to create a demand-supply mismatch soon with the nation's airline passenger traffic growing at 20 per cent annually.

The Mumbai airport hasn't allowed addition of any new flights from the summer schedule that began this month, airline executives said. This at a time when carriers announced an 18.6 per cent increase in flights on domestic routes during the summer schedule.

With airlines following dynamic pricing, not enough services to meet passenger traffic in Mumbai could drive up the cost of air travel to India's commercial capital.

"Failure to add capacity from the Mumbai airport, which is India's second largest airport, can badly impact the growth of the sector," said asenior airline executive, who didn't want to be named.
31/03/16 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Additional levy of upto Rs 120 at Mumbai airport from April 1

Mumbai: Flying out of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here is set to get costlier with an additional levy of up to Rs 120, to fund the metro rail connectivity to the aerodrome, coming into effect from Friday. Tariff regulator Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) had in January this year allowed Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) to charge an additional levy of Rs 20 from each domestic flier and Rs 120 from each international traveller as development fee to fund a metro rail project.
The additional levy would be applicable from April 1, 2016 and remain in force till March 31, 2021, AERA had said in its order. MIAL is a 26:74 joint venture between the GVK group led consortium and the Airports Authority of India. The private airport operator currently levies a development fee of Rs 600 from an international passenger and Rs 100 from a domestic traveller. MIAL had last year sought AERA’s permission to charge additional development fee, to fund the metro rail project.
Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the project implementing company for all metro rail corridors across the western metropolis, is to construct a 32.5-km underground line, connecting Colaba in South Mumbai to SEEPZ in western Andheri suburb.
31/03/16 PTI/Indian Express

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Chandigarh airport to be named after Bhagat Singh; Haryana Assembly gives green signal

Chandigarh: The Haryana Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution to name Chandigarh airport after freedom struggle icon Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
As soon as the Question Hour ended, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma moved the resolution in this regard.
Later, it was unanimously passed with ruling BJP and main opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLAs supporting it.
Opposition Congress MLAs were not present as they have not been attending the assembly session to protest the six-month suspension of their three MLAs for tearing copies of the Governor's address.
On the resolution passed on Thursday, Sharma told the House that the state government would soon write to the Union Civil Aviation ministry in this regard.
31/03/16 PTI/First Post

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Nothing to declare? Flyers not to fill customs form from tomorrow

New Delhi: Passengers coming to India and not carrying dutiable goods will not have to fill up customs declaration form from tomorrow.
Flyers carrying prohibited and dutiable goods will only be filling up such declaration form, which was earlier mandatory for all passengers coming to the country.
The move is part of a new and simplified measure announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while presenting the Budget for 2016-17.
All passengers who come to India and have anything to declare or carrying dutiable or prohibited goods need to fill up the 'Indian Customs Declaration Form', as per the new rules which will come into force from tomorrow.
All necessary arrangements have been made to ensure that new customs rules are followed properly, said Sanjay Mangal, Commissioner of Customs at Indira Gandhi International Airport here today.
31/03/16 PTI/Economic Times

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Delhi airport's top sniffer dog Sweety battles cancer

New Delhi: She has been a hero. She has been part of more than 150 operations at the sensitive Delhi airport. Her nose has been just perfect.
She has been a hero. She has been part of more than 150 operations at the sensitive Delhi airport. Her nose has been just perfect.
However, diagnosed with cancer recently, Sweety- the top sniffer dog guarding the airport as part of the CISF dog squad for nearly a decade-is now due for a painful retirement.
Her mammary tumour, which is malignant, was noticed during a training session as she was not in her usual, jovial self. "Doctors told us that she has cancer and it will take time to remove the tumour. After analysing for almost five days, an immediate surgery was required for which we took her to Bareilly where she was operated," said her handler Mohan Singh.
Until a few months ago, Sweety-a light brown-coloured Labrador-was often seen walking around the Delhi airport, alert as always in detecting anything suspicious. Now, she spends most her time in a secluded air-conditioned room away from the clamour of the airport.
31/03/16 Mail Today

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Isro to help AAI for airports' construction

Chennai:The Department of Space (DoS) to sign a MoU with Airports Authority of India (AAI) to provide scientific parameters for airports' construction. It will also provide data on the landscape around the airports.The department will also sign MoU with Department of Posts, where the space technology will be helpful in the tracking the movement of a parcel.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh said that Isro will help by providing scientific parameters for airports' construction.

It will also provide data on the landscape around the airports. The space technology will help in making the flights safer and provide the optimum utilisation of the land, he added.

In the field of aviation sector, the minister said that the use of space technology is being done on pilot basis in the Hyderabad and Port Blair airport. Based on the experience of these pilot projects, the space technology will be utilised in 42 airports in future.
31/03/16 Business Standard

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Expedite airport expansion works: Collector

Vijayawada: District collector Babu A has directed the officials to take the help of APTransco, if need be, to shift the utilities which come in the way of runway expansion at Gannavaram airport.
Inspecting the works here on Wednesday, the collector said that the district administration will offer all its assistance to ensure faster completion of the airport expansion. "As the airport is growing in prominence, it is important to complete the works at the earliest to facilitate international operations. If necessary, take the assistance of APTransco in moving the utilities," he said.
On the occasion, the officials at the airport informed him that 50 per cent works of the passenger travel building have been completed. The collector made a few suggestions in carrying out the works and told the officials to ensure completion of the works at the earliest.
31/03/16 Times of India

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Now, airport app for iPhones

Chennai: Airports Authority of India has launched its mobile app for iOs operating system for iPhones. The app which was first launched on September 15, 2015 for android, provides information about the airport, rules and guidelines, parking, charges for various facilities including gate information was introduced for iOs on March 16.
The app also works as a feedback mechanism. Passengers will be able to make complaints to airport officials. Contact numbers of senior officers have also been provided. It allows passengers to access websites of airlines and find out arrival and departure timings. tnnAirport director Deepak Shastri said that there were 1000downloads for the app since it was launched and had received good reviews from users. A Version 2.0 of the app containing real-time features will be launched soon, he added.
31/03/16 Times of India

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Flight delay piques travellers at Dabolim

Vasco: Passengers' tempers ran high at the Dabolim international airport on Monday evening after a SpiceJet flight was delayed by four hours, compelling airport authorities to summon the Dabolim airport police to take stock of the situation.

Official sources said the SpiceJet flightwhich originated from Kolkatawas scheduled to arrive at Dabolim at 5.30pm on Monday after making a stop-over at Mumbai. "But, due to another plane needing to make an emergency landing at Mumbai, the SpiceJet flight was diverted to Ahmedabad. This is why its arrival into Goa was delayed by four hours," they added.
Annoyed that they weren't given a proper reason for the flight's delay, passengers began confronting SpiceJet's ground staff a couple of hours later. Pre-empting a law and order situation, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) summoned the Dabolim police into the terminal building. The situation was brought under control by 8.30pm.
31/03/16 Times of India

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Airport’s runway bridge causing floods, say Manapakkam residents

Chennai: The Chennai airport's runway bridge across the Adyar river is hampering the free flow of water, causing flooding in neighbourhoods on its north-western side during heavy rain, say residents of Manapakkam in a petition to the state government. The bridge was built to extend the airport's second runway so that more flights could be handled. But despite warnings, the likelihood of an adverse impact on areas like Manapakkam was not taken into consideration before construction, the residents charged.
A senior official of the Public Works Department (PWD) said, "We have surveyed the area near the bridge and are in the process of studying its impact on the water flow after the airport and its neighbourhood were inundated when water was released from Chembarambakkam reservoir in the first week of December last year."
Houses in Manapakkam were submerged during the flood as the water level rose to more than five feet. The bridge has 477 pillars built close to one another. Soil dug up during construction was not removed and affected the level of river bed near the airport. The river was dry when the bridge was built.
30/03/16 Times of India

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MADC board clears city airport development tender

Nagpur: The board of Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) has cleared the tender document for city airport's development. The decision was taken in the meeting held on Tuesday.
Announcing the decision in the legislative council, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the request for qualification (RFQ) document was on the lines of that for Navi Mumbai airport. "Now bids will be invited from private parties for development of the airport," he said.

The strategic private partner will have to undertake development works to the tune of at least Rs1,420 crore in the beginning. The bidding process will be hinging on this amount which has been calculated on the basis of basic works to be carried out in the first phase.
Earlier, replying to queries in legislative assembly, the CM said that the project affected persons (PAPs) having their plots and houses outside the Shivangaon gaothan limit will be treated at par with those having plots inside it.
31/03/16 Ashish Roy/Times of India

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Mysore Silk sarees to be sold at KIAB's domestic terminal

Bengaluru: For passengers travelling through the domestic terminal of the Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (KIAB), there will now be made available an entire range of Mysore Silk sarees at the retail section of the airport. Partnering with the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), the Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC) will be setting up at the domestic terminal of the airport from April 1st. "This is a one of a kind venture and we are promoting it as part of imbibing the culture of South India into the aesthetics of the airport terminal," said BIAL officials.
As BIAL welcomed its hundred millionth passenger on March 18, a celebration for the same was conducted at the airport on Wednesday, with a focus on retail trends at the KIAB. BIAL sources stated, "The KIAB is growing at a rapid rate and the retail trends have begun to surpass that of in airports at Delhi and Mumbai as well." With an enhancement to their 'sense of place' zone, passengers entering the terminal after security check are given a taste of South India with thematic retail shops and food outlets.
30/03/16 Deepika Burli/Times of India

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Glass panel collapses in airport, none hurt

In yet another incident, glass panels ofa door collapsed and fell near the check in area of the domesticterminal at the airport here today. Airport sources said women passengers were being frisked by the security officials when the glass panels caved in. However, no on was injured in the incident. This was for the 57th time the glass panels had collapsedat the airport which was modernised at a cost of several crores.
30/03/16 UNI/WebIndia123

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The strange case of an Indian citizen of Nepali origin and his “fake” passport

A Bengaluru man of Nepali origin has alleged that his passport was taken away by the police, a week after airport officials allegedly harassed him and cheated him of money.

On Monday, Beeru Bahadur (31) approached a senior police officer for help with his passport as airport officials had earlier claimed that it was a fake and questioned his citizenship.

However, when he met the officer, his passport was “cancelled” and the officer said Beeru needed a document from Delhi to prove his citizenship.

Beeru, however, says he was born in Bengaluru in 1985 and has studied up to Class 10 in the city. Under Indian citizenship law, any person born in India between January 26, 1950 and July 1, 1987 would be granted citizenship automatically. Different rules apply to people born in India after 1987.

When The News Minute contacted the officer in question, the officer denied any knowledge of Beeru.

Coupled with the events of the last week at Bengaluru airport, Beeru is a thoroughly confused man.
30/03/16 Sarayu Srinivasan/News Minute

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143 rescued tortoises to be sent back to Madagascar

Mumbai: The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau's (WCCB) western regional office will soon send 143 of the 146 endangered tortoises, which were seized by Customs at the Mumbai International Airport on March 21, to Madagascar in Africa. The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Madagascar, has agreed and confirmed to take back the animals.

While three of the 146 had died, the rest were kept at the Karnala bird sanctuary.

Meanwhile, Nepal authorities have been asked to file a case against Nepalese citizen Lal Babu Thakur (32) as per CITES as he was carrying the tortoises in his baggage.
31/03/16 Umesh K Parida/Times of India

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Gold, cash seized from passengers at airport

Chennai: Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) today seized about2.5 kg gold bars, valued at Rs 85 lakhs, from a passenger who arrived here from Abu Dhabi at the Anna International airport here this morning. Airport sources said, the DRI officials, acting onintelligence, checked the hand baggage of the passenger and seized the gold bars. He was being questioned to ascertain the sourceof the gold and to whom he was carrying. The passenger, identified as Paramath, was a native of Kerala. In another incident, two people, bound for Singapore, were detained for carrying Rs 18 lakh cash without valid documents. The duo--Buhari and Khaja Moideen--hailing from Madurai were being questioned by the customs authorities.
31/03/16 UNI/WebIndia123

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AP woman held with 2.5kg ganja

Chennai: Customs official seized 2.5kg ganja which was found abandoned at the international terminal of Chennai airport on Wednesday.
A 38-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh who was waiting to board a flight to Kuwait was detained in this connection after a CCTV grab showed her abandoning the package before reaching security check.
Airport officials who found the package inspected it and found that it contained contraband and the checked CCTV footage.
31/03/16 Times of India

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Hijackers can't attack Indian airports: Security officials

The security agencies managing civil aviation in India are of the view that though there are no chances of an Egypt Air-like hijacking situation in India, nothing, nonetheless, can be ruled out.
All the personnel and security officials dna spoke to did so on the condition of anonymity.

A domestic Egypt Air flight, MS181, was hijacked and forcefully diverted to Larnaca airport in Cyprus after taking off from Borg El Arab airport on Tuesday. The hijacker told the passengers and crew members that he is wearing a suicide belt laden with explosives. He later surrendered himself to government authorities after sustained negotiations.
A high-ranking official of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is tasked with airport security, said that the issue of security is like a cat-and-mouse game. "However, if something like 9/11 is possible in the US, which had till then boasted about its foolproof security, then anything is possible," he added.
Another senior officer from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which manages most of the civil aviation airports in India, said that the security hold area at airports in well-equipped to detect any kind of explosives. "Anybody carrying any kind of explosives will definitely get caught," he said.
30/03/16 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Airport hoax call mystery: Abdul Razzaq's name in 4 recent calls

New Delhi: Almost every hoax call across the nation's airports after the Brussels terror attack had a mention of this name, triggering alarm and frantic searches. Callers alerting about possible terror attacks by ISIS and other groups attribute the information to this supposedly Pakistani man.
But intelligence officials are clueless about him.
While none of the callers has been traced yet, officials said Razzaq's name was taken in four recent calls giving information about a possible attack at the Delhi airport.
Agencies admit he may be a fictitious person, but are unwilling to take chances by not taking the calls seriously. Also, it is possible that one person is calling repeatedly using Razzaq's name.
According to a senior Delhi Police officer, identifying these callers is extremely difficult as these voice calls were made through Internet. Apart from Delhi, Chennai airport has also received a call which mentioned Abdul Razzaq as the person planning an attack.
"Soon after the Brussels attack, there was a call at the Jet Airways call centre in Delhi claiming bombs have been planted in five of its flights originating from the Capital," a senior airport official said, requesting anonymity. "During this call, the caller said that he got information from Razzaq about the bomb. He also said there is another plan for Delhi. Later, the call was found to be hoax."
30/03/16 India Today

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Flight delay piques travellers at Dabolim

Vasco: Passengers' tempers ran high at the Dabolim international airport on Monday evening after a SpiceJet flight was delayed by four hours, compelling airport authorities to summon the Dabolim airport police to take stock of the situation.
Official sources said the SpiceJet flightwhich originated from Kolkatawas scheduled to arrive at Dabolim at 5.30pm on Monday after making a stop-over at Mumbai. "But, due to another plane needing to make an emergency landing at Mumbai, the SpiceJet flight was diverted to Ahmedabad. This is why its arrival into Goa was delayed by four hours," they added.
Annoyed that they weren't given a proper reason for the flight's delay, passengers began confronting SpiceJet's ground staff a couple of hours later. Pre-empting a law and order situation, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) summoned the Dabolim police into the terminal building. The situation was brought under control by 8.30pm.
30/03/16 Times of India

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Pune international airport: Speed up obstruction survey, state to AAI

Pune: The state civil aviation department has asked for the obstruction survey of the site of the proposed Pune international airport at the earliest to go ahead with the project. The site at Rajgurunagar in Khed taluka in Pune district was taken up for survey and assessment by the Airport Authority of India (AAI). After a meeting held on Tuesday, senior officials said that the state government is keen to go ahead with the very site and they have asked to speed up the report. “The site is feasible but we have to get the clearance report from AAI. In a meeting with MIHAAN officials in the presence of AAI members, we have asked them to speed up the report for the Pune airport site as well,” said a senior state government official.
Interestingly, the Centre is also keen that Pune, which has logged in 100 per cent passenger growth, should have a separate airport to cater to the growing population. The present airport, which is a defence airport, is not enough for the growing passenger traffic and they have asked the state government to expedite the matter as early as possible.
State government officials stated that they are well aware of the required growth and are in the final stages of site approval. “Once there is a go-ahead from the AAI, state government and local party leaders on the site, the process can be speeded up,’’ the government official added.
30/03/16 Indian Express

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Air passengers decry AAI decision

Kozhikode: Representatives of political parties and labour unions, businessmen and non-resident Indians, under the auspices of the Malabar Chamber of Commerce (MCC) and Calicut Airport Committee (CAC), on Tuesday staged a demonstration in front of the Air India office in protest against the decision of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to discontinue the service of wide-bodied aircraft at the Calicut airport.

Deploring the decision of the DGCA, MCC president C. Mohan and CAC chairman P.V. Gangadharan said aircraft such as B77-200/300 and A330-200 had been allowed to smoothly operate services at the Calicut airport till May 2015. Now the decision had come after the runway of the airport had been strengthened and equipment such as Instrument Landing System had also been installed.

Wide-bodied aircraft had been allowed to operate before the commencement of the work and the partial shutdown of the airport. The decision is likely to affect hundreds of Haj pilgrims. At the same time, experts of airline companies had given their opinion that they were willing to conduct the services.
30/03/16 The Hindu

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JMM demands cargo airport at Chakulia

Jamshedpur: In the backdrop of Jharkhand government's proposal to develop Industrial Corridor including one between Ranchi-Jamshedpur in the state, the main opposition JMM has demanded the government develop the unused airstrip at Chakulia, around 55 km from here, as a Cargo airport to boost economic activities in the mineral-rich region.
Spread over 650 acres of land, the airstrip was built by Britishers as a back-up airport during the World War II in Chakulia-Dalbhumgarh under Baharagora assembly constituency and lying idle since then, local JMM MLA, Kunal Sarangi, said here today.

It was the best suitable location to develop an airport as the land of the airport was readily available and the long stretch of the tarmac was also in good condition despite lying idle for decades, Sarangi, who is also the Chief Spokesman of the party said.
The demand to develop unused Chakulia airport as a Cargo or Commercial airport has been raised several times in the state assembly including the recent budget session, he said adding that the state government had also responded by forwarding the proposal to the Chairman of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) for necessary action.
30/03/16 PTI/Times of India

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Security stepped up at Patna airport

Patna: Security was beefed up at the city airport following an alert issued by the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Tuesday in the wake of hijacking of an Egypt Air flight from Alexandria to Cairo.
Patna airport's chief security officer and CISF commandant Dharmveer Yadav said the MHA message to increase security was received around 11am following which the intensity and frequency of checking of vehicles entering the airport premises were increased. "Three major steps - random screening, explosive trace detection (ETD) and physical check -- have been increased four folds," he said.
The ETD practice is now being conducted on more than 40% travellers, 30% up from normal 10%., he said and added the process included taking swab samples from traveller's body and luggage putting them inside the ETD machine to identify even the smallest trace of explosives.
Electronic surveillance with the help of CCTVs has also been increased and vigil is being kept on the two new parking lots at the airport, Yadav said. The operators are already practising 'secondary ladder point check', in which travellers are checked just before entering the aircraft, following hoax calls about bombs inside aeroplanes in different part of the country, sources said.
30/03/16 Times of India

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Customs status eludes Vijaywada airport

Vijayawada: The customs airport status appears to be a distant dream for the Gannavaram airport for want of a positive response from airliners. Presently, it serves as a domestic airport providing connectivity only within the country. What is surprising is that though Amaravati region has acquired the capital status, it is no way helpful to the airport's upgradation.
The status of customs airport will facilitate operation of flights running with a free sky policy from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Dubai and Singapore from Gannavaram airport. The authorities from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) reportedly approached the airliners at an international conference in Visakhapatnam a few days back seeking expression of interest for operating flights from Gannavaram airport. As per the guidelines, the proposal for upgradation of the airport into a customs airport could not be entertained without the EoI from the operators. A senior official from the AAI told TOI that efforts were underway to secure the status with a request to the top brass not to insist on the EoI from airliners.
The lack of proactive approach from the elected representatives from the region is said to be the main reason for status upgradation remaining a far cry for the Gannavaram airport. The Visakhapatnam airport has acquired such a status a long time back because of efforts from the local MP and BJP leader Kambhampati Hari Babu, it is said.
30/03/16 Times of India

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Artifacts found in unclaimed baggage

Chennai: A handbag containing miniature antiquities and ancient coins was found in the domestic airport here today, officials said.
During routine surveillance, CISF personnel found the handbag in the departure area of the airport here this evening and alerted the local police.
Police deputed bomb disposal personnel who found that the bag had miniature antiquities and ancient coins.
According to the personnel, nothing suspicious was found in the bag.
30/03/16 PTI/India Today

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Businessman held with fake visa at airport

Pune: The Airport police arrested a 50-year-old businessman from Ulhasnagar on late Sunday evening for attempting to fly to Dubai on a fake visa. The cops have booked an Ulhasnagar-based travel agent for issuing the visa to him.
The suspect, Rajesh Nanuram Sarangi, went to Lohegaon airport around 7.30 pm and showed his documents to the immigration staff. "The immigration officers realized he had a fake visa. Intelligence Bureau and immigration officers checked the list of persons to whom visas were issued. Sarangi's name did not feature in the list," said senior inspector Sanjay Kurundkar.
Immigration officer Maheshwar Rai of Vimannagar lodged a complaint against Sarangi.
Kurundkar said that Sarangi travels to Dubai frequently, at times six or seven times in a month. "He told us that he had taken the visa from a travel agency in Ulhasnagar. We have booked the travel agent as well. Our investigation is on," said Kurundkar.
Sarangi may have forged the visa issued to him earlier by changing dates.
30/03/16 Times of India

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Cops book Radhe Maa over trident

Mumbai: The domestic airport police station on Tuesday evening registered a case against self-styled godwoman Sukhwinder Kaur alias Radhe Maa. Earlier this month the Andheri metropolitan magistrate had ordered the police to lodge an FIR under the Arms Act against her for carrying a sharp ‘trishul’ (trident) on a flight last year.
DCP of the area Virendra Mishra, confirming the development, told The Asian Age, “We have received the court order and we have registered the FIR.” When asked about the arrests, Mr Mishra said, “the decision will be taken soon.”
A senior official from the police station told this newspaper, “As it was registered after a court order, it’s a MeCr, it was registered against Radhe Maa, Jet Airways officials and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials.
The Andheri metropolitan magistrate’s order followed a complaint by RTI activist Asad Patel a year ago against Sukhwinder Kaur alias Radhe Maa for entering the domestic airport premises in August 2015 carrying the trishul, where it is banned under law.
30/03/16 Asian Age

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51-yr-old goods smuggler nabbed by airport police

A 51-year-old agent, who used to smuggle goods between India and Dubai, has been arrested by airport police officials. According to the cops, the accused is part of a bigger racket. The perpetrator has been identified as Rajesh Nanuram Sirangi, a resident of Ulhasnagar in Thane district. His accomplice Kishorbhai working at Alfa Travel Agency in Thane, who helped him to make the bogus visa, is yet to be arrested.
Police said Sirangi travelled two to three times every month, transporting the goods. On Sunday evening, he was supposed to travel to Dubai on a SpiceJet flight with garments that he would sell there. However, sleuths from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) caught him after his visa turned out to be fake. Later, he was handed over to the Airport police station.
Senior police inspector Sanjay Kurundkar, in-charge of Airport police station, told Mirror, "We have arrested him for offences under sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 471(using forged document as genuine) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Investigations have revealed that he got the forged visa from his accomplice, Kishorebhai."
30/03/16 Pune Mirror

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Woman detained for possessing ganja

Chennai: A 42-year-old woman was detained for questioning at the airport here for allegedly possessing 2.2 kg of ganja, officials said.
The Kuwait-bound Indian woman was detained after airport officials scrutinised CCTV footage and found that an abandoned bag with the contraband belonged to her, they said.
The woman confessed that the bag belonged to her when officials later confronted her, they said, adding she had abandoned the bag in check-in area.
30/03/16 PTI/India Today

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Air India tech glitch: Flyers sit inside flight for 7 hrs

Mangaluru: Hundreds of passengers were made at airport security area for seven hours at the Mangaluru International Airport here on Monday night after the Air India Express flight bound to Dammam (DMM) suffered a technical glitch.
The flight took off at 1.57am on Tuesday instead 5.30pm on Monday. Hundreds of passengers were made at security area due as the fault was discovered only after immigration process was completed. The parts for replacement were brought from Mumbai from another flight which landed at MIA at 11.30pm. Confirming this to TOI, Nagesh Shetty, Station Manager, Air India, Mangaluru said that since the fault was discovered only after immigration procedure, the passengers were made to sit at airport security area itself. However, some of the passengers with infants were shifted to private hospital. Others were provided food at the same place.
Some of the passengers had complained that their visa would expire if they did not reach the destination on time. Nagesh said there was nothing AIE could do as it was an unforeseen technical snag.
29/03/16 Kevin Mendonsa/Times of India

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'Jet staffer responding to treatment'

Mumbai: Jet Airways employee Nidhi Chaphekar is recovering well at the hospital in Brussels, after she was injured in the airport blasts on March 22. According to his sister-in-law, she has not yet spoken to her husband, Rupesh, or the brother-in-law, Nilesh, who are in Brussels right now.
"She is in the burns unit and nobody is allowed there. Her husband and his brother go to the hospital every day, see her, and then sit in the waiting room for the whole day," added her sister-in-law. "We do not know how much time it will take for her to recover completely, but I am told she is doing fine. She is responding to the treatment," she added.
Nidhi, a mother of two, has suffered burns and a fracture in the blast at the airport.
29/03/16 Yogiota Rao/Times of India

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After changing three planes, fliers at Delhi airport asked to wait for 3 more hours

It seemed to be a night of delays for domestic airlines, as frustrated passengers across the country were forced to spend hours at the airport waiting for their flights to take off. One such incident took place at Delhi airport, where a Jet Airways flight 9w 312 (Delhi-Mumbai) was delayed by three hours. And if the delay wasn’t enough, passengers were made to board and de-board three aircraft before being asked to wait for a rescheduled departure.
Speaking to mid-day, a passenger on board the Jet Airways flight, Saurabh Jhaveri said he was left fuming after a Jet Airways staffer asked him to ‘Get lost’. Jhaveri, who is a platinum customer of the airline, said, “There have been delays and as a passenger I understand the situation of the airline but this time Jet has been inhuman to all of us. The flight was originally scheduled to take off at 8.50 pm but kept getting delayed before they finally announced that it would be delayed for three hours.” Another Jet Airways Mumbai-bound flight was delayed for two hours and from its original time of departure 9.50pm was re scheduled to 11.40pm. Jhaveri said, “We were first on a Boeing aircraft, then on an Airbus and again back to Boeing aircraft stating some technical error. After a while they said that the incoming aircraft from Mumbai was delayed that was leading to consequent delays. “One of the staffer named Garima told me ‘aapse jo ban padta hai karlo (do whatever you want to) in front of another colleague Ashish Dubey, who kept apologising for his colleague’s rude behaviour. It is only after the passengers put their foot down that the staff started adjusting few of us in alternate aircraft. However in my knowledge all Jet flights after 8pm are delayed here.” According to Delhi airport sources around 120 passengers were booked on this flight to Mumbai.
29/03/16 Neha Tripathi/mid-day

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4-hour delay on SpiceJet flight leaves passengers fuming at Goa airport

On Monday evening, the Goa airport saw a barrage of agitated passengers, who had a lot to complain about as their SpiceJet flight kept getting delayed every hour. Every new announcement also brought news of another delay.
SpiceJet flight SG 487, scheduled to depart at 5.45pm, got delayed by four hours. The flight, which would have otherwise flown passengers to Mumbai and Kolkata in a matter of hours, remained in the airport from around 4.30pm (boarding time) to 9.40 pm, after which it finally took off. The passengers were provided with some food after almost three hours, that too after they created a ruckus by shouting and gathering around the crew members at the airport’s Gate D, from where the flight was to depart. Hundreds of passengers, who were stranded at the Goa airport, demanded an explanation from the airline. They fumed when the airline officials, including the crewmembers had no response for them.
The passengers, who had already checked in for their flight, were initially informed that their flight was delayed by an hour and few minutes. The airline updated this information after an hour only to say the flight had been delayed once again.
It was then that the passengers demanded an explanation from the airline to which the airline officials kept assuring them for a solution as soon as possible. Around 8 pm, the passengers were assured that their flight would be taking off at around 9.15pm. However, they were left disappointed once again, since their flight got delayed by another 30 minutes.
29/03/16 Varun Singh/Mid Day

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Ministry wants Pune Airport land to be allotted fast

New Delhi: After clearing the hurdles in building new airports in Mumbai and Goa, the civil aviation ministry has now turned its focus on Pune airport. The airport, which has logged passenger growth of about 100% during the April-January this fiscal, is being operated out of an airport that's owned by the Indian Air Force. "There are a lot of restrictions in operating out of a civil enclave, which hampers aviation growth at these airports. We will be writing to the state government to expedite the process of availability of land for the proposed airport so that construction can start," said a senior ministry official, who did not wish to be identified. The proposal for a new airport for Pune is being discussed since 2004, and the Maharashtra government is working with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to identify land for the project but has not been able to finalise the site yet.
Unlike civil airports, the civil enclaves are not always available for civil operations as the owner of the airport— the Indian Air Force or the Indian Navy — uses it for their practice sorties. In the case of Pune, the airport is shut for about three hours in the morning, and used to be shut during the evening as well but that has been relaxed now.
29/03/16 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Air India monopoly on Gaya-Delhi route hits Gaya flyers

Gaya: Air India Monopoly hits Gaya flyers as, besides higher fare, the air users do not have much of an option time wise as well. As of now Air India operates a daily service on Gaya-Delhi route. The flight takes off late in the afternoon reaching Delhi at about seven in the evening. Whereas the Gaya-Delhi AI fare for 29 March flight is pegged at Rs 7168, an Indigo flight between Patna and Delhi on the same day costs Rs 5841.
Not only that, the air travellers lose one full working day, as reaching Delhi at seven in the evening does not mean anything to travellers having work either in some govt office or business purpose. For long Gaya air users have been demanding entry of private airlines on Gaya-Delhi route to promote tourism in the state.
Asked about the likely entry of some private airlines to end AI monopoly and provide the much needed relief to air users Gaya airport director Dilip Kumar said that such decisions are taken at a higher level and as such he was not in a position to say anything on the issue.
Kumar, however said that there was great potential for the expansion of the aviation sector with Gaya as the epi centre. The Director said that with the entry of one more ground handling company at the Gaya airport, quality of service was bound to increase.
On arrival Visa facility is available to visitors from more than 100 countries of the world. The airport has already signed an MOU with Abhay Institute of Medical Sciences, a private hospital located in the airport vicinity to provide medical assistance to passengers needing such help.
28/03/16 Abdul Qadir/Times of India

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Summer Schedule Comes into Effect at CIAL

Kochi: The new summer schedule of flight services from Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has come into effect. There has been a considerable increase in the international flight movement from the airport in the summer schedule, when compared to the winter schedule, said CIAL authorities.

The number of weekly services in summer schedule has increased to 1,184 compared to 1,094 in the winter schedule. International services have increased from 590 to 594, while domestic services have gone up from 504 to 590.

There would be some new fight movements to new destinations from this season. Thai Air Asia will commence its operations from May 17 with one daily direct flight to / from Bangkok. Vistara Airlines will commence operations from April 14 with one daily flight to Delhi via Mumbai. Air Pegasus is planning to operate two daily flights to / from Bengaluru and one daily flight to/from Chennai in Summer Schedule 2016.
29/02/16 New Indian Express

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Airport rattled by hoax call

New Delhi: The Indira Gandhi International Airport here was once again rattled following a call that claimed bombs had been placed in six departing flights.
Even though the call eventually turned out to be yet another hoax, it sent security agencies into a tizzy.
The call was received at 3.05 p.m. on Sunday by a caller who identified himself as Abdul Razak. The call was made from Dubai to a well-known hotel in North-West Delhi’s Paschim Vihar.
The caller said that bombs would be placed in the luggage of six different flights between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. — a Finnair Delhi-Helsinki flight (AY 022), an Emirates Delhi-Dubai flight (EX 511), an IndiGo flight (6E 301), Jet Airways Delhi-Kathmandu flight (9W 260), an Air India Delhi-Paris flight (AI 143) and another chartered flight (RB 206). All security agencies were informed and a meeting of the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was convened at 3.35 p.m. at the airport.
“Of the six flights mentioned by the caller, only three were actually operating. The Delhi-Helsinki was delayed and parked at a stand, with an expected departure time of 9 p.m. The Jet Airways flight had already departed from Delhi at 2.06 p.m. for Kathmandu, while the Air India flight had departed from Delhi at 2.08 p.m. for Paris,” said an airport source.
29/03/16 The Hindu

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Vijayawada-Delhi late-night flight from April 15

Vijayawada: Vijayawada is having a larger footprint on the country’s aviation map with the Air India introducing a new flight on Delhi-Vijayawada-Delhi sector from April 15. It will leave Delhi at 6.50 p.m. and reach Vijayawada at 9.10 p.m. and in the return leave Vijayawada at 9.55 p.m. and reach Delhi at 12.05 a.m.
The flight will not only be beneficial for domestic travellers but also provide good international connectivity to the US i.e. Chicago, JFK and San Francisco as most of the flights for these destinations depart in early hours of morning from Delhi, according to a press release. The flight will also be useful for international travellers who are coming back from aforesaid destinations to Vijayawada as most of international flights from these destinations are landing at Delhi between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Once Vijayawada airport is declared international airport, this Air India flight will be converted into an international flight on hub and spoke model with Delhi acting the hub.
29/03/16 The Hindu

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Vistara unveils exclusive lounge for its business class at IGI airport

New Delhi: Domestic passenger carrier Vistara on Tuesday unveiled an exclusive lounge for its business class and 'Club Vistara Gold' passengers at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport's terminal 3 (T3).

According to the airline, the lounge provides a 250 square meter air-side space, and seating facility for 75 people.

“It gives me immense pleasure to unveil Vistara’s first and one-of-a-kind signature lounge at our hub, Delhi. Our vision was to create an experience that unravels and gets richer each time our customers travel with us,” said Phee Teik Yeoh, chief executive, Vistara.
29/03/16 IANS/NewsX

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Pilot's attempt to land despite captain's objection led to Flydubai crash?

It could be an attempt by the first-officer to land at Rostov-on-Don itself  despite the objection of the captain that led to the crash of Flydubai flight981 at the airport  on 19th morning, this month. The transcription of the last minute of the two-hour long cockpit voice recorder points to this possibility alone.
Though Rossiya-1, a Russian  television channel, that leaked the transcription, has suggested that the crash was caused by an inadvertent activation of the elevator while the aircraft was climbing, an analysis of the transcribed voices indicates something far more grave and intriguing.
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GVK to sell stake in Bangalore Airport for Rs 2,149 crore

New Delhi: GVK Power and Infrastructure will sell 33 per cent of total stake in Bangalore International Airport Ltd to Fairfax India for Rs 2,149 crore, a deal that will trim the group's debt burden by more than Rs 2,000 crore.
The transaction, expected to be completed by mid-2016, would also help the diversified entity save around Rs 300 crore annually on interest costs.
Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) owns and operates the Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru. The airport started operations in May 2008.
In BIAL, GVK Group holds 43 per cent stake, Siemens Project Ventures GmbH 26 per cent and Flughafen Zurich AG Ltd 5 per cent while state-owned entities Airport Authority of India and Karnataka State Industrial Investment & Development Corporation Limited hold 13 per cent each.
28/03/16 PTI/Economic Times

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Suspended AAI employee gets relief from Bombay High Court

Mumbai: In a relief to a suspended employee of Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Bombay High Court has asked him to make a fresh representation to a higher authority against the action.
Hearing a petition filed by K S Lakshminarasimhan and his wife S Mangla, both employees of AAI, a division bench of Justices Anoop Mohta and A A Sayyed last week allowed Lakshminarasimhan to make a fresh representation to S Raheja, Member (Planning) AAI who is holding charge of the post of AAI Chairman for three months.

Lakshminarasimhan contended that he was suspended because his wife was a whistle-blower in a scam in AAI pertaining to high-rise buildings being allowed in the vicinity of the airports and also because he had appeared along with his wife in the High Court during the hearing of a PIL about alleged violation of safety rules due to such buildings.

His wife had been named as one of the respondents along with AAI in the PIL.

He said AAI had suspended him contending that he had appeared in the High Court along with his wife without taking its approval.

However, Lakshminarasimhan said he had documents to show that he appeared in the court on orders from his bosses.

28/03/16 PTI/Times of India

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AI announces additional direct flight to Hyderabad

Air India Western Region Manager Noor Mohammed was felicitated by top Saudi businessmen at the Jeddah Diwaniyah. Noor Mohammed has done yeoman service for the Indian Hajis and was praised and appreciated at the well-attended function by Saudis.

Hussam Al Kahtani, praised the contribution of Noor Mohammed and introduced him to the gathering. “Saudi Businessmen are really delighted to have Noor among them. And I assure their support to Air India for its growth in the Kingdom,”he said.

Introducing Noor Mohammed, Mir Gazanfar Ali Zaki, general secretary of Indian Youth Welfare Association (IYWA), too praised his services and contribution for Saudi and Indian community. He also said that in the recent community meeting at CGI premises with Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. Dr. V.K. Singh, both Consul General. B.S. Mubarak and Gen. Singh commended Air India’s Haj operation 2015 as excellent. He praised the airline for their services without even a single disruption.
28/03/16 Siasat

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2 held with foreign currency at Hyderabad int airport

Hyderabad: Two male passengers who were to fly abroad were arrested at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here for allegedly possessing foreign currencies equivalent to Rs 96.34 lakh in violation of FEMA, a senior DRI official said today.
Acting on a specific input, the two passengers were apprehended yesterday when they were about to board a flight bound for Dubai, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence official said.
"The DRI Hyderabad Zonal Unit officers found that they (passengers) were carrying assorted foreign currency in their checked-in baggage concealed in burkhas and wrapped with tapes. The two passengers were carrying the assorted foreign currency (US dollars, UAE dirhams, Bahrain dinars and Saudi riyals) equivalent to Rs 96.34 lakh," DRI Additional Director General M K Singh said.
28/03/16 PTI/Business Standard

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30 Arrested for Entering Delhi Airport with Fake Tickets in 14 Months

People with forged e-tickets have emerged as the new threat to Delhi airport security with 30 such persons being arrested in the past 14 months.

The security at the Indira Gandhi International Airport is at maximum alert in the wake of the Brussels terror attack and multiple hoax bomb calls received almost daily.

The tickets are not checked at the entry gates and passengers only have to show a print-out along with an identification document. Most of those who were caught with forged tickets were nabbed when they were exiting the building. Many of them could not give convincing reasons for going out when stopped by the security personnel. It is then that their tickets were checked and found to be fake.
Officials said it is dangerous since a person is allowed to enter the airport building when he shows the e-ticket and an ID. Even the baggage is only cursorily checked at the entry point.
28/03/16 Mcclatchy/Aviatio Pros

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Flights resume at TIA after security clearance

Kathmandu: The Tribhuvan International Airport resumed its operation this late afternoon following a bomb hoax.

Security personnel including Nepal Army’s bomb disposal carried out an extensive search of the Jet Airways Flight 93 260 coming from New Delhi but explosives was found in it as claimed by an unidentified caller.
27/03/16 Himalayan Times

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Bomb threat to six flights at Indira Gandhi International Airport

New Delhi: Security at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi was scaled up after a local hotel received a call about bomb threat to half a dozen flights. The Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) is currently checking whether the call is specific or non-specific, a source said, adding operations at IGIA are "absolutely normal" at this stage.

Some of the flights mentioned by the anonymous caller do not exist, the source said.

"The call was made to a hotel in Paschim Vihar (West Delhi) at around 3 pm with the anonymous caller saying that bombs have been planted on six flights, including one on a Jet Airways plane," the source said.

The information was passed on to the security agencies concerned, including the CISF and Delhi Police, the source said, adding that "BTAC meeting is underway to check to whether it is a specific or non-specific call."

In the last one week several such calls have been received by various airlines, impacting flight operations at several airports in the country. Panic had gripped passengers at IGIA on March 22 after the Jet Airways call centre received threats about bombs on five of its aircraft that had departed or were to depart from here, hours after blasts ripped through Brussels airport, killing over 30.
27/03/16 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Guwahati-Agartala spice jet flight cancelled

Agartala: The last minute cancellation of the lifeline Spicejet flight from Guwahati-Agartala on Sunday caused lot of worries for the travelling passengers as there is no other flight.

Airline officials said that it would accommodate the passengers as per available in the same flight which is Flight No: SG-152 tomorrow(March 28). The flight was supposed to take off from Guwahati at 1.15 PM today, but was cancelled barely two hours before the usual time due to some operational reasons.

Besides, the flight on different routes was also delayed, sources said. Some locals said that the last minute cancellation for cash-strapped Spicejet was not new. There have been numerous occasions when the airline cancels its flight in the last moment on different routes.
27/03/16 Northeasttoday

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Jaipur airport announces summer schedule with four new flights

Jaipur: The Airports Authority of India (AAI), Jaipur, on Saturday released its summer schedule. The new schedule has four additional flights as compared to winters. These will be effective from Sunday. There is going to be one extra flight to Mumbai, two extra flights to Delhi and one to Hyderabad. According to the authorities of AAI, Jaipur, Indigo will have a flight to Mumbai every day while Jet Airways will have two flights to Delhi and Air Costa will have one flight to Hyderabad.
"With the inclusion of four new flights, the number of flights from Jaipur airport would be 42. The Jaipur airport has been handling flight operations since 2.15 am every day when flight from Pune arrives," said an official with the AAI, Jaipur.
27/03/16 Times of India

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Restructuring of Amritsar airport runway begins

Amritsar: The restructuring of the 12,000 feet runway of Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport with an investment of over Rs100 crore kicked off at 8:00 pm today.
All flight operations during night came to end as the civil wok commenced with at the airport here today. The flights will remain suspended for at least one year. Civil work will be carried out in the night while normal flights will continue to operate in the day.
Airport director Venkateshwar Rao said the mechanism would remain in force from 8 pm to 5:30 am for a year. He said labourers and other required paraphernalia had reached the runway.
No flight had been cancelled. Timings of flights landing and taking off in the night had already been re-scheduled for operation in the day, he added.
Uzbekistan, Qatar and Air India used to operate their flights in the night. All these airlines have already re-scheduled their flights in the day. The overhauling will make the airport fit to accommodate all big aircraft being used in the world. The last re-carpeting of the runway was carried out in 2001-03.
26/03/16 Tribune

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Afternoon flights suspended from Silchar airport

Silchar: Silchar airport is one of the six airfields in Assam with the rich legacy of the World War II vintage airstrips. It is ranked fourth after Guwahati, Agartala and Imphal on traffic density. State of the art navigational and visual aids for the smooth operations of aircraft in all weather conditions has been installed. But, even after 68 years of Independence, Kumbhirgram Airport near Silchar remains a tale of neglect. Of course, runway has been extended from 5859 feet to 7500 feet to facilitate the landing and take of air bus.

 Apron has also been expanded by 150 feet. Besides, night landing facility has also been completed. State of the art Instrument Landing System (ILS) has also been installed. But, the operation of flights at night is yet to become operational as the Air Force in control of the airport has not given its nod for security reasons. With the extension of runway and some sort of modernization, it was expected that the frequency of flights from this airport to Kolkata and Guwahati as well as different destinations of North East would increase.

 Direct flight to Delhi would also be introduced. Paradoxically enough, nothing of the sort happened despite 100 per cent load factor. Rather, the number of air services has been reduced and fares have gone up abnormally. The volume of passengers and cargo is projected to go up by 11 per cent in the next seven years according to the report of a Task Force constituted by the Civil Aviation Ministry. Air passengers for Kolkata and beyond will be in for more ordeal when, according to an aviation source, the lone daily afternoon flight of Jet Airways will remain suspended from March 27 until further notice.
26/03/16 Sentinel

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Park-and-ride poser for Pune airport

Harrowed by the traffic clogs created at the peak hours for flights landing and taking off, the Pune airport authority is looking to make a radical change to the flow of vehicles into its premises. It is proposing a "parkand- ride" option, where commuters no longer drive directly into the airport, but to a parking lot leased by the airport at a distance and then avail of shuttle buses from there. Predictably, frequent fliers are not impressed by the scheme, raising questions about the time consumption in the process of changeovers and fears of missing their flights in the process.

"We have 130 flights operating out of our airport.

The parking space within the airport premises is too small, forcing us to introduce a charge of Rs 85 on any vehicle tarrying over five minutes between the entrance and exit. Passengers have been complaining about this. While we are planning to increase the time allowed slightly to maybe eight minutes, we have approached the Maharashtra government to provide us on a priority basis, an open space for four wheeler parking, even if it is at a distance from the airport," informed Ajay Kumar, Pune airport director. "We will provide free rides from that parking lot to the airport at regular intervals. The idea is to minimise the flow of traffic into the airport," he explained.
27/03/16 Dheeraj Bengrut/Pune Mirror

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Chennai Airport Lifts Ban on Visitor Entry

Chennai: The bar on visitor entry into Chennai Airport, announced soon after the blast in Brussels airport on March 22, was relaxed on Saturday.

While the security alert was first for a couple of days, it was extended following a series of calls which led to a mid-air diversion of a Jet Airways flight heading to Chennai besides grounding Indigo airlines flight from Chennai to New Delhi.

A total of 16 aircraft across the country were grounded and it led to panic among passengers. Airport authorities are concerned that there has been no breakthrough in detecting the source of hoax calls from the city.
27/03/16 New Indian Express

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Fliers recall the horror

In scenes reminiscent of the recent movie, Airlift, passengers stranded at Brussels airport are being evacuated through a circuitous route as the airport was locked down after Tuesday's blasts. Only this time, a private airline has pulled out the stops to get its guests safely home. After spending some nervewracking moments at the airport - bombs tore through Zaventem airport minutes after the Mumbai- Brussels Jet flight landed there - passengers braved bone-chilling temperatures and rains before they were put in 15 buses and sent to Amsterdam, some 210 km away.
Jet announced on Thursday that it was operating special flights from Amsterdam to Delhi and Mumbai and to Toronto for its guests headed towards the Americas. At the last minute, the Mumbai-bound flight, which was to depart Amsterdam at 1400 hours on Thursday developed a snag and had to return to base. Jet said that it would accommodate the Mumbai-bound passengers in its Amsterdam-Delhi flight and then fly them home. "With the airport shut, we operated empty ferry flights to Amsterdam from Brussels," an airline official said.
Several passengers took a little time out to speak to Mirror despite the harrowing time they had been going through after the blasts in the EU capital. Bangalore-based Dr Bhaskar Rajkumar, who was returning home after attending a medical conference in Boston, said that people started running the moment the blasts ripped through the airport. "There was immediate chaos all around," he said, adding that he ran into Delhi resident Sukhvir Lota and then two other Indians, Afshaa R and Nandita V, moments after the blast. The four kept running for over 10 minutes across the terminal building before they reached the tarmac and founf some 1,000+ fliers gathered there. In another part of the airport, Koshy Jacob, a retired IAF wing commander had just landed at Brussels from Newark when the blasts ripped across the departure terminal.
26/03/16 Mumbai Mirror

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Brussels attack: Stranded Indians return without luggage, glad they escaped death

Mumbai: For Mangalore-based Francis D’Souza, who landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai Friday morning after being stranded in terror-hit Brussels, what transpired over the last three days will remain “hard to forget”. He was one of the 214 Indian passengers at the Zaventem airport when the twin blasts struck Tuesday, killing at least 31 and injuring hundreds. Three days later, D’Souza has only a back-pack to bring home. The rest of his luggage remains stashed in the belly of an aircraft in Brussels, where the airport is still shut for operations. D’Souza, who spent hours after the strike trying to establish contact with the Indian embassy, claims it provided no support the first day and arrangements for food and shelter were looked after by the Belgium government. “There was just one embassy official but he kept asking the airlines to handle us,” says D’Souza.
He had landed in Brussels at 7.30 am Tuesday from Newark airport. Fifteen minutes later, he saw people running towards his direction at terminal B40, followed by a single urgent command on the public address systems: “Evacuate.” “There were Indians, Chinese and a lot of European passengers. We were first taken to the runway for an hour. Then we were asked to leave through parking where I remember seeing a suitcase unattended. The commandos immediately took us to a military base camp in Brabanthal. I saw people bleeding, several lay injured while most ran without any direction at the airport,” said D’Souza.
26/03/16 Tabassum Barnagarwala/Indian Express

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Brussels attack: Injured crew member stable, not in coma, says Jet Airways

Following reports that Nidhi Chaphekar, the Jet Airways staffer from Mumbai had been placed in a 'medically-induced coma' after she was injured in the Brussels attack, the Airlines on Friday refuted the statement saying that she is stable and is under sedation.

"We have spoken to Dr. Steve at the hospital where jet airways crew Nidhi Chapekar is under treatment. The Doctor has confirmed that Nidhi is in a stable condition and not in Coma. She is resting and under sedation for her comfort," Jet Airways said in a statement.
Chapekar, who suffered burns and fractured her foot in the explosions on Tuesday, is receiving treatment at a hospital near Brussels.

A picture of Nidhi went viral after the attack, where she is seen sitting on a chair inside the airport in a state of horror and shock as her yellow uniform coat is ripped and her hair and face are covered in soot and blood.
Meanwhile, a Jet Airways aircraft carrying 242 persons including 28 crew members, who were stranded in Belgian capital Brussels arrived in Delhi from Amsterdam on Friday morning.
25/03/16 Daily News & Analysis

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Will give best medical attention to injured staff: Jet Airways

New Delhi: Jet Airways today said the airline would provide the best medical attention to its two staff members, who sustained injuries during the bomb attacks at the Brussels airport on March 22.
The airline's Chairman Naresh Goyal thanked the authorities for extending their support to help passengers and staff in the wake of the attacks at Brussels airport.
"To our two colleagues injured in the blasts and their families, we send loving prayers of support and assure that no effort will be spared to provide the best medical attention available," Goyal said.
Two Jet Airways crew members -- Nidhi Chaphekar and Amit Motwani -- were injured in the deadly bomb blasts at the Brussels airport on March 22.
In a message posted on his Twitter account, Goyal thanked the authorities for extending support.
26/03/16 PTI/Economic Times

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AI announces revised schedule of departure of flights

Kozhikode: The Calicut-Mumbai Air India flight will depart from here at 8.55 AM with effect from tomorrow, as per the revised scheduled announced by the airline Currently the flight departs here at 7.45 AM. The airline in a release said that the Calicut-Dubai flight will leave at 11.20 AM instead of the current timing of 10.00 AM,
The departure of Calicut-Sharjah (AI-997) flight has been advanced to 9.30 PM from the current timing of 12.10 AM, it said.
26/03/16 PTI/India Today

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Faulty scanning machine at airport has fliers worried

Surat: Passengers travelling to Mumbai and Delhi were concerned over security breaches at the airport here on Friday morning as the X-ray baggage scanning machine was not functioning.
When security at airports has become main concern following serial bomb blasts at Brussels airport in Belgium, Surti fliers boarding Mumbai and Delhi flights on Friday morning were worried.
Also, passengers were literally suffocated at the airport passenger lounge as the air-conditioning system had developed a technical snag. With increase in the humidity level, it was difficult for passengers to sit in the lounge.
"The X-ray baggage scanning machine is an integral part of security system at the airport. The malfunctioning of such a devise is dangerous for passengers onboard the flight. We were asked to open up our bags and the officers were doing manual screening, which was totally unsafe," said a passenger.
He added, "The airport staff was non-cooperative when the air-conditioning system failed due to some technical snag in the morning. Despite repeated attempts, the airport staff and the technical team were unable to attend to the complaint."
26/03/16 Times of India

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CM promises job opportunities for ITI students at Mopa airport

Panjim: The proposed airport at Mopa – mired in controversy over land acquisition – could give young job aspirants some hope as the project is expected to create employment avenues for students undergoing vocational training at Industrial Training Institutes (ITI).
To train youth for jobs at the airport, the Goa government has proposed setting up an Aviation Skill Development Centre at Pernem ITI campus or any other ITI centre.
“Our aim is to provide employment opportunities to youth and locals from the area for which we have proposed to establish Aviation Skill Development Centre on ITI Pernem or other government ITI land. It is the obligation on the part of the concessionaire to train the youth at the ITI to provide employment at the airport,” Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said. Construction work on the first phase of the project is likely to begin in December.
The government-appointed concessionaire will be bound under the Draft Concession Agreement to give preference to bona fide Goans for all jobs at the airport by advertising the vacancies in three newspapers.
However, Parsekar said that if the agency does not receive enough applications from persons of affected families at Mopa or Goans, it would not be restricted from hiring others.
26/03/16 Herald

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Runway repair: No night flights at Amritsar airport for a year

Amritsar: All flight operations during the night for the next year will cease at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport from 8 pm tomorrow to pave the way for the restructuring of its runway.
Besides, visitors’ entry has been restricted and vigil has been increased at the airport complex after the Bureau of Civil Aviation sounded high alert for a week.
Airport Director Venkateshwar Rao said flight operations would remain closed from 8 pm to 5.30 am for a year, starting tomorrow.
The revamping of 12,000-ft runway, with an investment of over Rs 100 crore, has been due for long. All airlines have re-scheduled their flights from night to day.
The overhauling will make the airport fit to accommodate all big aircraft being used in the world. The last re-carpeting of the runway was carried out in 2001-03.
25/03/16 Tribune 

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Shoppers Stop reviewing duty-free airport venture

Bengaluru: Fashion retailer Shoppers Stop has said it is reviewing the joint venture with Nuance Group, under which it had forayed into duty-free airport retailing, as there is not much scope for "cash flow and profitability".

"We are always reviewing all formats, all businessesbased on their profitability on long-term basis. Hence, we arealso reviewing our airport business," Shoppers Stop Managing Director Govind Shrikhande said here today.

Shoppers Stop's Zurich-based JV partner Nuance Group was awarded the duty-free contract for Bengaluru International Airport and Mumbai International Airport (fashion, luxury and lifestyle).

"We believe it is a tough business... We are not completely equipped to handle in full sense because we have been a domestic player, and our domestic operations we understand well... There is not much scope for cash flow and profitability," he said.
26/03/16 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Brussels aftermath: Flyers in India asked to take off footwear, belts

New Delhi: Amid a heightened alert in the wake of Brussels terror attacks, security agencies have stepped up vigil at sensitive airports in the country with passengers being made to take off their footwear and belts and go through detailed frisking.

At major airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Ahmedabad, CISF and local police have shored up security apparatus and passengers are being observed and screened minutely with reintroduction of risk-based Secondary Ladder Point Check (SLPC) which entails frisking people before they enter the aircraft.

The surveillance and patrol teams along the peripheries have also been asked to be extra cautious as passengers enter the terminal area unchecked.

While fliers at many such airports are being asked to take out their footwear and belt to undertake a "clean search", a second layer of profiling-based body search and frisking is being conducted just before passengers board the aircraft.
"More hands are deployed when such security drills are made operational. The security staff is certainly more at certain sensitive facilities and changes will be made as per the level of threat indicated by central intelligence agencies," a senior official involved in airport security said.
25/03/16 PTI/Economic Times

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‘Double scanning at Sgr airport annoys travelers’

Srinagar: Valley’s travel trade fraternity on Thursday raised issue of lack of proper infrastructure at Srinagar airport in a meeting with the Joint Secretary at Civil Aviation Asha Paari government of India. The meeting was held at SKICC which was presided over by Director Tourism Kashmir Mahmood A Shah.

The travel trade fraternity apprised about increasing air fare which they termed as ‘not justified’.

“The rising air fare to Kashmir decreases tourist flow,” the travel trade fraternity informed the Paari.

They also apprised the civil aviation official the inconvenience caused to the travelers due to the unnecessary check post at Srinagar airport.

“The travelers moving to airport have to go through double scanning which is causing unnecessary delay and is also harassment to them. The scanners should be at only one place and with proper facilities,” they said.

The tour operators demanded up-gradation infrastructure at Srinagar airport. They said public convenience, waiting halls outside the main terminal with proper facilities including washrooms, restaurant etc be upgraded.
25/03/16 Rising Kashmir

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Visakhapatnam airport in for a massive makeover

Machilipatnam: Union Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Thursday said that plans were afoot to develop Visakhapatnam airport into a modern one on the East Coast.

Speaking to newsmen here, Mr. Gajapathi Raju said that the plan was part of developing two such airports on the East Coast and another two on the West Coast.

“India has three modern airports at Hyderabad, Delhi, and Bengaluru. Given the size of the country, we need four more modern airports,” said Mr. Gajapathi Raju.

The Union Minister said that Maharashtra had approached the Civil Aviation Ministry with a proposal to set up a modern airport at Navi Mumbai on the West Coast.
25/03/16 The Hindu

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Brussels attack: Jet Airways staffer Nidhi Chaphekar recovering in ICU

 Nidhi Chaphekar, the Jet Airways staffer from Mumbai who was injured in the Brussels attacks, is currently recovering in the ICU unit after being placed placed in a “medically-induced coma” last night.
A Jet Airways manager in Brussels said Chaphekar sustained over 15 per cent burns and was left with a fractured foot. He said Nidhi was out of danger.
Amit Motwani, a flight purser also injured in the blast, is being treated for injuries to his eye and ear.
25/03/16 Indian Express

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Aircraft with Indians arrives from Brussels

New Delhi: Indians stranded in Belgian capital Brussels after the deadly terror attack on Tuesday, arrived back here on a Jet Airways flight on Friday morning.

An aircraft, carrying 242 passengers including 28 crew members, arrived here from Amsterdam. The flight landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here at 5:30 a.m., a Jet Airways spokesperson said.

The flight had 214 passengers and 28 crew members.

"A big welcome to our guests! Flight 9W 1229 from Amsterdam has landed at Delhi," Jet Airways tweeted on Friday morning.

The airline had on Thursday announced to fly three flights, one each to Mumbai, Delhi and Toronto from Amsterdam to fly its passengers, who were stuck in Brussels due to the terror attack on airport and metro stations.

However, the airline cancelled Mumbai flight due to a snag in the aircraft and combined it with Delhi flight.
25/03/16 The Hindu

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Govt proposes 100 MW power allocation to Mopa airport, electronic city, IT park

Panjim: Though Goa’s power requirement is expected to increase by 400MW by 2018-19 and the Central allocation falls short by 17 percent, the government proposes to allocate 100 MW of electricity to three of its ambitious projects – Mopa Greenfield International Airport, Electronic City at Tuem and IT Park at Chimbel.
Failing to meet the rising demand, despite signing new power purchase agreements (PPAs), the State has decided to make a fresh petition before the Union Ministry for additional power allocation of 100 MW. The government also wants a new coal block allocation for power generation, in line with the Chhattisgarh coal block, which stands cancelled following Supreme Court directives.
Goa had met the peak demand of 540 MW in 2013-14 which is expected to grow to 934 MW by 2018-19. A study undertaken by the State Electricity Department reveals that domestic power consumption demand may witness a rise up to 1073 Million Units (MU) from the 903 MU in 2015-16. Similarly, industrial demand will go up to 1892 MU in the next three years.
“With resumption of mining activities, the State may observe an incremental maximum demand of about 70 MW for industry,” a document, available with Herald, reveals.
25/03/16 Sewta Kamat/Herald

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Bhupesh Negi is new director of Dabolim airport

Panaji: The Airports Authority of India has transferred incumbent airport director Srinivasa Rao and in his place has brought in Bhupesh C H Negi, the former airport director of Tiruchirapalli airport. Negi, who has experience handling cargo operations, affirmed his desire to see that the proposed 24x7 cargo terminal at Dabolim becomes operational.
Rao was appointed as the airport director at Dabolim in October 2014, and during his stint at Goa International Airport, he oversaw its modernization and strove to increase revenue for the state-owned airport.
As per a new policy, an officer can serve as an airport director for a maximum five years, after which he must be promoted to make way for younger officers. Speaking to TOI, Rao confirmed that he would complete his tenure of five years as an airport director in June.
25/03/16 Times of India

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Security stepped up at Chennai airport

Chennai: Security has been stepped up at the airport here following a major security scare across airports in the country in the wake of bomb threat calls to IndiGo flights, officials said.

A 'seven-tier' security apparatus has been put in place at the Chennai airport, which has both Domestic and International terminals, even as visitors entry had been banned, they said.

While vehicles entering the airport were being checked by state police, all baggage was being thoroughly checked by personnel of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Security agencies, including CISF, IB, R&AW and different wings of state police, were carrying out round the clock monitoring inside and outside the airport, officials said.
24/03/16 PTI/Business Standard

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Steward who sued SIA agrees to have suit dismissed

A flight steward who sued Singapore Airlines (SIA), claiming he suffered a spine injury when a bag fell on him, has agreed to have the lawsuit dismissed and leave the airline following a 21-day High Court hearing that stretched over two years.

Mr K. Jotheeswaran, 43, also consented to give up any wage claims or post-employment benefits under the High Court order from Justice Belinda Ang.

It is understood that glaring discrepancies in witness testimony made the suit unsustainable.
The court order issued last month does not preclude SIA's right to take further action against him.

In the suit, which started in 2014, Mr Jotheeswaran said that on July 8, 2009, he was helping passengers to board a plane in Chennai, India.

A bag fell from an overhead compartment, hitting the back of his neck. Despite treatment for back pain, his condition did not improve.

Five months later, he had spinal surgery. But even after this and physiotherapy, he said he still suffers from neck pain and numbness in his left arm. He said in his claim that he even developed a degenerative disease in his spine.

Mr Jotheeswaran, represented by lawyer Mohamed Niroze Idroos, sought damages from SIA, alleging that the airline had been negligent and breached its duty of care as an employer by failing to install safety measures such as netting to stop baggage from falling out.
High Court claims start at $250,000. But SIA, defended by Mr Niru Pillai, raised doubts whether such an incident even occurred.

A key turnaround as to Mr Jotheeswaran's credibility emerged when he was recalled to the witness stand on the 19th day of the trial.

Among other things, he had sworn in documents that he went home after returning from Chennai and remained there until July 13, by which time the pain had become unbearable, and he went to hospital.

But in court, he admitted to having flown to Penang on July 9, and remaining there for three days. He said he did not know it was important to mention going to Penang.
25/03/16 KC Vijayan/Straits Times

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AAI’s annual infrastructure spending poised to jump two fold

Airports Authority of India (AAI) will have to double its infrastructure spending to around Rs 4,000 crore a year over the next three years to expand capacity of at least half a dozen airports to handle the rapid passenger traffic growth seen in the first 10 months of the current fiscal, which is likely to be sustained in future also. The cash-rich company has been spending nearly Rs 2,000 crore annually to refurbish and augment airport capacity in the last three years but will now need to ramp it up to about Rs 12,000 crore over the next three years.
Cheaper crude has seen the aviation sector pick up momentum this fiscal with several tier-2 airports posting over 25% passenger traffic growth.
This has brought some, including those at Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Patna, Varanasi, Pune, Chandigarh and Visakhapatnam, near saturation capacity.
“We plan to invest around R6,200 crore in expansion and upgradation of the current airports in the next three to four years. We will be investing around R880 crore for expanding the Lucknow airport, around Rs 850 crore for Tiruchirappalli airport, around R2,000 crore for the Chennai airport, R900 crore for the Guwahati airport and around R300 crore for Leh, Srinagar and Dehradun,” Mahesh Sharma, minister of state for civil aviation, told FE.
25/03/16 Bilal Abdi and Sumit Jha/Financial Express

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More flights from Kochi in summer schedule

Nedumbassery:  The summer schedule will see more flight services from Nedumbassery airport and the new schedule will come into effect from March 27 titill October 29. Thai Air Asia  will operate a direct flight from Kochi to Thailand’s capital city Bangkok from May.  There are 1094 services in the winter schedule and this will be increased to 1184.  The international services has been increased to 594 from 590 and domestic flights has been increased from 504 to 590.
National Airlines like Vistara Airlines and Air Pegasis will begin operations from Kochi. Vistara Airlines will begin operation from April 14 on a daily basis on the Kochi-Mumbai-Delhi route. Air Pegasis will operate Bengaluru service twice daily and a Chennai service daily. In the internnational circuit, Air India Express has increased its services to Dubai. Spicejet has increased its services to Delhi and Indigo has upped its services to Chennai. As per the new time table, there are 84 flights in a week to Mumbai and 69 flights to Delhi. There will be 68 services to Bengaluru in a week.
25/03/16 Mathrubhumi

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'Bomb' Threat: Vigil Upped at Thiruvananthapuram Airport

Thiruvananthapuram: Security was tightened at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on Thursday following a hoax bomb threat call. The call was made to an Air India manager in Mumbai, saying that some of its flights to 43 destinations in the country had been placed with bombs. The CISF, which has been entrusted with airport security, has deployed more personnel for security. Local police came with sniffer dogs and combed the area. “It was a general threat. We have taken steps to maintain extra vigil.
25/03/16 New Indian Express

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Lanka arrests Indian national for smuggling foreign currency

Colombo : An Indian national, who attempted to smuggle foreign currency out of Sri Lanka, was arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake this morning, Sri Lanka Customs said.

The Customs officials arrested the Indian national when he was preparing to board a flight to Sharjah. The 44-year-old suspect had currency equivalent to Rs. 7.5 million, reports Lanka Page.
25/03/16 ANI/Hans India

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Suspect in Egypt violence held at Mumbai airport

An Egyptian national, suspected to be involved in the widespread violence in his country in 2013 following the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, has been arrested from the city airport, a senior police official said on Friday. The suspect, identified as Hossam Mohamed, was arrested on Thursday at the Mumbai international airport upon his arrival from Qatar, after his name was flagged by a Red Corner Notice issued by Egypt. "When his papers were being checked at the immigration counter, the airport official found that the Interpol had issued a red corner notice against him," the official said. They brought the matter to the notice of police following which he was arrested. -
25/03/16 PTI/Mid Day

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Jet Airways to fly its stranded passengers from Amsterdam

New Delhi: With authorities deciding to shut operations at terror-hit Brussels airport tomorrow as well, private carrier Jet AirwaysBSE 2.53 % today said it will ferry its stranded passengers from Amsterdam, which is all set to become the airline's new European gateway for international flights from Sunday.

The airline has deployed 15 coaches to transfer its stranded passengers from Brussels to Amsterdam today. It has also cancelled all its flights to and from Brussels till Saturday.

The airline will accommodate these passengers in various hotels during the night prior to flying them to their respective destinations from Amsterdam, an airline spokesperson said tonight.

All the airline's guests will travel today to Amsterdam in 15 buses and will be accommodated there in hotels.
23/03/16 PTI/Economic Times

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‘By God's grace she is alive’: Family finds woman in iconic Brussels photo

Nidhi Chaphekar, a 40-year-old Jet Airways flight attendant, sat bloodied and dazed, her yellow uniform shredded from the force of the first blast of yesterday's deadly terror attacks in Brussels.
As she looked up, another woman took her picture.

The image of the mother of two from Mumbai, India, spread through social media Tuesday and onto front pages of newspapers around the world  Wednesday as one of the most iconic images of the horror in Brussels.

It was that haunting image that reached her family in India first.
"We were searching through the Internet to try and get details of the blasts when we saw the pics," her brother-in-law Nilesh Chaphekar told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "The first reaction was 'she's alive. By God's grace she is alive.'"
Her family, including her husband, 11-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son, is now trying to get to Brussels to be with her.
23/03/16 Natalie DiBlasio/USA Today

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Mumbai family stranded in Brussels, now taken to Amsterdam

Nagpur: After more than a day of being holed up inside a convention centre on the outskirts of Brussels, stranded passengers of Jet Airways comprising mostly Indian citizens, have now been shifted to hotels in Amsterdam. At 8.45pm (IST) on Thursday, Jet Airways tweeted that it had arranged for 15 buses to move its passengers to hotels in the Dutch capital.
Passengers will be taken to their final destinations on Thursday evening, the airline added later. Minister for external affairs Sushma Swaraj also confirmed the development.
Koshy Jacob, a retired wing commander of Indian Air Force, along with his wife and daughter got stuck in Brussels after his flight to New York made a stopover on Monday just half an hour before the bomb explosion. "This is a big relief to over 800 passengers of Jet Airways here at the convention centre as we were all eager to continue our journey," said Jacob.
This brings to end a harrowing wait for those whose flights got cancelled after Belgium shut down its airspace following the terror attacks. The decision by Jet Airways to move them came at the right time as despite the chilly weather in Brussels, temperatures inside the convention centre had started to flare up.
24/03/16 Abhishek Choudhari/Times of India

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DIAL plans 4th runway at IGI by 2020, new terminal too

New Delhi: Plans are afoot to expand the IGI airport by constructing a fourth runway and creating additional, related infrastructure. For the runway, at least, the completion target is 2020.
DIAL submitted a plan regarding this to aviation secretary R N Choubey on Monday. Sources said the airstrip would come up parallel to runway 29, which became functional in September 2008, and would have the exact same length of 4,430 metres.
"DIAL has submitted a draft expansion plan to us. We will discuss the same internally with all departments and agencies concerned. Within a month, we will give them inputs on the modifications sought by the other agencies so that they can firm up a plan that is best suited to meet Delhi's growing needs," Choubey told TOI, adding that he didn't want a Mumbai-like situation (where demand far exceeds capacity) in Delhi.
24/03/16 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

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Visitors entry banned at Amritsar airport

Amritsar: The entry of visitors was today banned at the Sri Guru Ramdas International Airport here in the wake of the terror strike at Brussels.
Confirming the ban on visitors entry, police said the decision was taken following orders from the Directorate of Civil Aviation.
The ban would be in place for the next seven days till March 29 midnight, they said.
24/03/16 PTI/India Today

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Two more flight service to Chennai

Tiruchi: Domestic connectivity to Chennai from Tiruchi is set to improve with the Jet Airways deciding to introduce two more flights in this sector.

The private airline has prepared the schedule for the operation of the additional flights in the Chennai – Tiruchi – Chennai sector. The additional ATR flights would be introduced during the summer schedule starting from March 27, sources here said.

The timings of the flights are as follows: Flight 2787 will leave Chennai at 6.10 a.m. and arrive at Tiruchi at 7.15 a.m. In the return direction, Flight 2788 will leave Tiruchi at 7.45 a.m. and reach Chennai at 8.50 a.m.

In the afternoon, Flight 2407 will leave Chennai at 4.20 p.m. and arrive at Tiruchi at 5.25 p.m. In the return direction, Flight 2408 will leave Tiruchi at 5.50 p.m. and reach Chennai at 6.55 p.m.

The sources said the morning flight to Chennai would enable passengers to have immediate connections to Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune and Port Blair. The airline is already operating three services every day in the Chennai – Tiruchi – Chennai sector. The services would rise to five every day.
24/03/16 The Hindu

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Threat calls to airline trigger security alert at Delhi airport

New Delhi: Bomb threats to 11 IndiGo flights, some bound for the city and others departing from there, put under strain the security machinery at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday. The airport has been under a security alert following the terror attacks in Brussels on Tuesday, when threat calls were received for five Jet Airways flights from the city.

An IndiGo spokesperson said the threat calls were received at the airline’s call centre in Chennai at 11.13 a.m.. By the time the call was received, most of the flights had already taken off. A bomb threat assessment committee convened a meeting at the Delhi airport’s Terminal 1D, from where IndiGo operates.

One of these flights was a Srinagar-Jammu-Delhi flight of IndiGo (6E 853) that was on its way from Jammu and was about to land in Delhi when the call was received. The aircraft had a safe landing and all precautionary measures were put in place. After landing, the passengers were immediately evacuated from the aircraft. The Airbus A320 aircraft was taken to an isolation bay at the Delhi airport, where a thorough search was being carried out till late on Wednesday.

Passengers were also searched after de-boarding and all baggages were checked. According to sources at the airport, nothing suspicious was found on-board the aircraft.
24/03/16 The Hindu

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Five-tier security for Coimbatore airport

Coimbatore: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has deployed five-tier security for the Coimbatore International Airport from the late hours of Tuesday, after the attack on the airport in Brussels by terrorists.

Security has been beefed up from the outer periphery of the airport, where the city police have also stepped up measures.

A senior CISF officer said that the airport security committee meeting was conducted and the airport, airline and other stakeholders have been put on alert.

Random check of luggage and passenger checks have been increased, while spotters are deployed in plain clothes to monitor movement of suspicious persons.
24/03/16 The Hindu

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ATA(I) urges for improving facilities at Vizag Airport

Visakhapatnam: In order to make Viskhapatnam airport a full-fledged international airport, Air Travellers Association of India (ATA (I)) has urged Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju to take up various development works including increasing the terminal space and runway length.
In a letter to the civil aviation minister, ATA(I) president D Varada Reddy said, "The terminal building should be lengthened with additional 50,000 sqft space for international arrivals/departures, commercial space for duty free shops and other commercial outlets, larger space for customs and immigrations facilities, more check-in counters and space for security should be added as immediate necessities."
He said, "the runway currently is of 10,030 ft length and should be extended to 12,500 ft to enable larger aircraft like Dreamliner (Boeing 787) and Airbus 380." He also urged the minister to examine the possibility of requesting INS DEGA (who operate Vizag airport) to make provision for a second parallel runway to meet the growing demands of the future.
Furthermore, he said, "Passenger and baggage screening areas should be increased to meet the peak hour rush in the mornings and evenings." He also urged that 24 more apron spaces be provided to meet the further needs of the airport and at the same, to provide for night parking of aircraft and mini MRO.
24/03/16 Times of India

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Chandigarh airport to remain shut on 5 Sundays from April 10

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh international airport will remain closed on five consecutive Sundays with effect from April 10 for runway repairs. The airport authorities said all flights to and from Chandigarh will stand cancelled on these days.
The move has come as a shocker for passengers as well as travel ticketing firms, restaurants at the airport and parking and taxi operators, who will have to suffer a revenue loss. “All of us will pay rent on these days but won’t earn anything. I see a 15 per cent loss of revenue in my business because of the move. This is unfair to us,” said Vijay Raina, head, Carzonrent, a taxi service at the airport.
“We are tired of the way the authorities are running the airport here. We will not take part in the tendering process next time,” said another worried contractor after the news of the airport closure broke out.
23/03/16 Sandeep Rana/Tribune

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Suspected ‘ISI’ agent arrested at Agartala airport

Agartala: Between 2013-16, Central and State government top intelligence sleuths arrested 46 Pakistani agents. This time the intelligence wing within the Tripura state police arrested a suspected Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agent from Agartala airport.

A senior special branch officer while interacting with mediapersons said that they received information about movements of a suspected Bangladeshi person moving from Agartala airport.

The suspect agent Faruq Ahmed aged 26 was nabbed with incriminating papers. A team of special branch officials laid a trap while Ahmed was obtaining a boarding pass to Calcutta.
24/03/16 Northeast Today

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Brussels attack puts spotlight on chinks in security at Indian airports

Mumbai: The terror attack on Brussels on Tuesday has put a spotlight on chinks in the security apparatus at airports in India.

The attack comes barely three months after a Parliamentary Standing Committee flagged off concerns about gaps in security at airports in India which included inadequate CCTV coverage in terminals, presence of slums and non-deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel in certain sensitive airports.

While the security at all airports in the country has been heightened following the Brussels incident, there is no plan to carry out security check of passengers and their bags outside terminal buildings. At present, passengers are frisked before accessing terminal only in Srinagar.

The idea of frisking passengers outside terminals was first examined after the attack on the Indian Parliament, but has not been implemented following a review. It was felt that this practice could lead to long queues outside the terminals during rush hours and would mean passengers reporting much earlier for their flights.
23/03/16 Business Standard

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CSIA remains sitting duck against terror attacks

The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai: despite being heavily guarded, remains a sitting duck for attacks due to several loopholes.
The seriousness of the situation can be gauged from the fact that in February last year, a report prepared by Ministry of Home Affairs revealed that Mumbai and Juhu airports are among those that are vulnerable to terror attacks due to lack of alertness in intelligence agencies, inadequate equipment for security forces and poor contract management of security projects.
The airport is guarded by 4,000 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel. CSIA, which handles over 32.22 million passengers and 2,60,666 aircraft movement annually, is among the busiest airports in Asia, and therefore, constantly remains on the radar of terrorists. The airport officials expect the passenger movement to touch around 40 million by the end of this year.

However, several airport insiders dna spoke to said that there are a number of loopholes through which anti-social elements can sneak inside the airport and create havoc with life and properties. Nicholas Almeida, an activist, politician and union leader of airport workers, said: "The first and foremost loopholes are the huge sewage outlet pipes connecting the Mithi river. One can easily use them to get inside the airport premises," says Almeida.
23/03/16 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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