Separate arrival, departure halls, new conveyer belts soon - Mangaluru Airport director

Mangaluru:  J T Radhakrishna has been serving as the director of Mangaluru International Airport since November 2012. Hailing from Ananthpura, Andhra Pradesh, Radhakrishna joined Indian aviation in 1993 as manager of engineering department. He is the winner of Best Engineer Award for successful planning and implementation of the new terminal at Mangaluru airport in 2010. He has also served in Calicut and Coimbatore airports.

Radhakrishna spoke in an exclusive interview to daijiworld editor-in-chief Walter Nandalike on Daijiworld 24x7 channel's 'Public Challenge' programme.

Excerpts

Q: We have been witnessing a significant increase in passenger inflow every year at Mangaluru airport. But, there has been an increase of only five per cent this year. What is the reason for decline in passengers?

A: A few of the flights have been cancelled this year. Bengaluru runway which is not in operation from the past three months has led to cancellation of flights. Two flights of Air India were affected as only one runway was operational.

While the inflow of passengers was 16.75 lac last year, it was 17.5 lac this year. The figure will grow and I am confident that it will cross 20 lac.
Q: Being the director of an airport is a huge responsibility. The director is blamed if anything goes wrong even in customs or immigration. Mangaluru airport stands 12th in the country in passenger inflow. A lot of negative comments are being heard about Mangaluru airport. What exactly is going on?

A: There are allegations of immigration officers harassing the passengers. Problems are being experienced in cases of NCR, NCER, ECR passports and date changes in visas. There are certain restrictions for passengers travelling with ECR passports. Problems occur when there are no proper documents with the passengers. Otherwise, there is no problem at Mangaluru airport.

Even if there are a few cases, it does not mean that the entire blame has to be put on the airport. There are no such serious problems regarding harassment of passengers. There are only a few minor issues with one or two passengers in relation to documentation and tampering of passport.
19/04/17 Daijiworld

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Indian gov't awards first batch of RCS routes to 5 carriers

India's Ministry of Civil Aviation has unveiled the first batch of seventy-eight domestic routes awarded under its Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) or alternatively Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN).

Administered by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the RCS programme aims to increase the penetration of air travel among India's working and middle classes by subsidizing flights to the country's 400+ underserved Tier II and III cities. Financing for the flights is through a system of financial incentives including Central and State government concessions and Viability Gap Funding (VGF). The latter will be raised through the taxation of scheduled commercial flights between India's Tier I city airfields which include Delhi Int'l, Mumbai Int'l, Chennai, Hyderabad Int'l, Bengaluru/Bangalore Int'l, and Kolkata.

Initial RCS projections show the fare for a one-hour journey of approximately 500 kilometres on a fixed-wing aircraft, or a 30-minute journey on a helicopter, will be capped at INR2,500 (USD36.45), with proportionate pricing for routes of different lengths/duration.

During a press conference on Thursday, March 30, Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said VGF would amount to INR2.05 billion rupees (USD31.6 million) for this round of routes which have been awarded to five operators including Air India unit Alliance Air, Deccan Charters, Air Odisha, TruJet, and SpiceJet.
30/03/17 ch-aviation

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Flights for big destinations from underserved airports

Commercial flights would connect five underserved airports in the state with cities such as Mumbai and Hyderabad following the ministry of civil aviation's announcement on the results of the first phase of the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) on Thursday.
The ministry announced that flight operations connecting the Nanded airport with Mumbai and Hyderabad would start from June. The airports at Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Solapur and Ozar (Nashik) would have flights to Mumbai from September.
31/03/17 Joy Sengupta & Tushar Pawar/The Times Of India

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No more stamping of hand baggage tags at 7 airports

BEGINNING APRIL 1, there will be no security stamping of hand baggage tags at seven major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) said Thursday. The other airports where this practice will be scrapped are Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi and Ahmedabad.
The decision comes weeks after Home Ministry had raised the red flag on doing away with this security step. On February 23, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) had moved to scrap the stamping of hand baggage but it was put on hold by the Home Ministry after the CISF argued that there wasn’t sufficient technology in place to replace the process.
“Having made the required changes in the security set-up, along with infusion of new technology, we have decided to do away with hand baggage stamping at seven airports. The new system will speed up the security check procedure and give more time to CISF personnel for checking suspect baggage. We are committed to giving air passengers a hassle-free journey without compromising on security,” said CISF D-G OP Singh.
CISF sources said that to ensure that the removal of baggage stamping does not adversely impact security, a large number of high-definition cameras have been installed, and existing cameras re-oriented to cover gaps.
“The two airports at Delhi have been made completely free of blind spots,” said Singh.
31/03/17 Deeptiman Tiwary/Indian Express

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Runway not fit for big aircraft, says Minister

Chances of wide-bodied aircraft operating from the Calicut International Airport appeared bleak on Thursday with the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha stating in the Lok Sabha on that the “runway is not suitable for wide-bodied aircraft operations.”
In response to an un-starred question by Mullappally Ramachandran, MP, the Minister said this assessment was arrived at after a joint inspection carried out by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on January 9 and 10, 2017.
31/03/17 The Hindu

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Four airports in Karnataka to benefit from UDAN

Four un-served airports in the state may get a new lease of life from the Union cabinet’s approved plan of spending Rs 4,500 crore to develop or upgrade 50 under-served or unserved airports and airstrips to boost the aviation ministry’s regional flying scheme Udan.

The airports authority of India (AAI), which is the implementing agency of Regional Connectivity Scheme under Udan has received 43 initial proposals from 11 bidders covering 92 airports, 30 currently served, 12 under-served and 50 un-served. Four airports from Karnataka: Bidar, Hubli, Mysore and Vidyanagar are in the list pitted to get the regional connectivity in the un-served category.

Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had received proposals regarding expansion and facelift of the Belgaum, Hubli and Mysore airports. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had received 364 acres land at Belgavi, 588 acres land at Hubballi and 142 acres land at Mysore from the state government against the projected requirement of 370 acres, 600 acres and 310 acres respectively in November last year.

This move of the Union government is to boost the connectivity and commencement of operation of flights to smaller airports that are at present lagging in air traffic. It has been pitted to boost the economy of these areas through intra-state operations to give a fillip to infrastructural development and job creation.

According to Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, Minister of Civil Aviation, the revival will be demand-driven and the airlines are free to select airports based on their assessment of demand on particular routes and submit proposals at the time of bidding under RCS from time to time.
30/03/17 Bangalore Mirror

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Kothagudem Airport gets Centre’s nod

The Centre has finally accorded permission to Telangana government to construct an airport at Kothagudem. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told media persons here on Thursday that as part of Udhan scheme, the Centre had taken some decisions to expand domestic air travel facilities. “We have offered permission to the Telangana government to construct Kothagudem Airport”, he said.
31/03/17 The Hans India

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25 airstrips in Punjab, Haryana in ministry’s regional connectivity scheme

As many as 25 airstrips, most of which are unserved or non-operational, in Punjab and Haryana may soon witness hectic activity as the Union ministry of civil aviation (Moca) has identified these under its regional connectivity scheme called ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik’ (Udan).

Giving details of the inclusion of these airstrips from the region under Moca scheme, assistant solicitor general of India Chetan Mittal told the Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday that all facilities where frequency of flights was limited or negligible had been included under Udan so that airlines could launch flights on local routes. The airlines would be permitted to run short flights of less than an hour on these routes and fare has been capped at Rs 2,500 so as to promote regional air connectivity.

The assistant solicitor general was responding to a petition filed before the high court on the issue of non-operational airports in Punjab. He also placed a copy of the scheme on record before the HC.

The airstrips of Punjab which have been identified under the scheme include Adampur, Bakshiwala, Beas, Bathinda, Dablan, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Halwara, Jawalapur, Jalandhar, Khemkaran, Ludhiana, Nabha, Nanak, Pathankot and Patiala. Eight air strips of Haryana which have been included under the scheme. These 25 airstrips/airports of Punjab and Haryana are part of 440 identified across the country.
30/03/17 Defence Aviation Post

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Bengaluru airport gets new board; new terminal to cater to traffic growth

The Bengaluru airport, the third-busiest in the country, now has a new board following Fairfax's acquisition of a 38 per cent stake in the airport.

The Economic Times on Friday reported that Fairfax Chairperson Prem Watsa, two other group executives Chandran Ratnaswami and Harsha Raghavan, and HDFC chairperson Deepak Parekh have been inducted in the Bengaluru airport board as additional directors.

Last week, Fairfax completed its acquisition of 38 per cent stake in the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), which includes 33 per cent stake of GVK Group and five per cent shares held by Zurich Airport. The deal value was around Rs 2,200 crore.


GVK Group was not a part of the original consortium which commissioned the greenfield airport in 2008 and it took over the management after acquiring stakes from Larsen & Toubro and Zurich Airport in late 2009-early 2010.


GVK Group Chairperson GVK Reddy will continue as co-chaiperson of BIAL and his son, G V Sanjay Reddy, will continue as it's managing director and oversee operations and expansion of the airport, a company spokesperson said.
31/03/17 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Finally! Airlines to fly to Jaisalmer this year

Ready but idle for four years, Jaisalmer airport is finally set for a take-off with as many as 128 unconnected-by-air city pairs to get flights between April and September under the first phase of the Centre's affordable regional connectivity scheme.
Five carriers - SpiceJet, Air India's subsidiary Alliance Air, Air Deccan, Air Odisha and Turbo Megha - will operate on these routes, bringing 31 unserved airports on the national flight map apart from utilising 12 under-served airports, the aviation ministry said on Thursday.
31/03/17 The Times Of India

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Indian airports handle 254m passengers in 2016

Indian airports handled over 254 million passengers in 2016, an increase of 20 per cent over 2015, a latest passenger statistics from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirms. This means that India moves into fifth place in the global rankings, overtaking Ger-many and behind only the US, China, Japan and the UK.

While the US and China are well out of reach, it is possible that India could overtake the UK - whose airports welcomed over 270 million passengers last year - either in 2017 or maybe 2018, and possibly catch Japan by 2020.

Leading the way among Indian airports was New Delhi, which sailed past the 50 million passenger milestone in 2016 and finished the year handling 55.6 million passengers, an increase of 21 per cent compared with 2015.

Of the top 15 airports, 12 grew their passenger volumes by more than 15 per cent, while two - Guwahati and Jaipur - saw growth of more than 30 per cent. With passenger numbers at Bengaluru passing 22 million thanks to growth of 22.5 per cent, local media have reported that there is now consideration being given to re-opening the city's old airport, which was closed when the new airport opened in 2008.

Passenger numbers on domestic routes increased by more than 20 per cent in every month of 2016. In fact the sequence of 20 per cent-plus growth goes back to November 2015. The last time the country achieved such growth across every month was a decade earlier in 2006.
29/03/17 MenaFN

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Brace for more queues at Goa airport

The next time you fly to Goa, be prepared for a longer wait than usual. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) announced on Wednesday that private ground handlers will no longer be allowed to work at defence airfields.
Goa's Dabolim Airport employs three private ground handlers and a subsidiary of Air India for work like x-raying check-in bags, loading/unloading luggage, and attaching stepladders to aircrafts. Sources said the airline industry could take up the issue with authorities in Delhi as the absence of private firms could lead to a sudden crunch of ground staff at the busy airport.
30/03/17 Saurabh Sinha/The Times Of India

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43 airports in regional air connectivity scheme

Ashok Gajapathi Raju Civil Aviation Minister has said 43 airports are likely to get flights under regional air connectivity scheme of Government. Besides 13 airports in tier ii and tiers iii cities which did not have many flights in a week will see more flights.

Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, has said that five regional airlines have been selected. He says the total viability gap fund which government estimates it will have to pay is to tune of Rs. 205 crore for RCS.

Air Deccan, Air Odisha, Alliance Air, SpiceJet and Turbo Megha have emerged winners in the first round of bidding under RCS.

The Centre is waiting for the Tamil Nadu government to sign MoU for RCS flights to start between Salem and Chennai, the Civil Aviation Secretary, RN Choubey, said today. He said informally the State Goverment says it is open for this flight but has not formally signed the MoU to start operations.
30/03/17 Ashwini Phadnis/The Hindu Business Line

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Nursing scam: Key accused arrested at airport

The main accused in the multi-crore nursing recruitment scam Uthup M Varghese was arrested from Nedumbassery after he landed at the Cochin International Airport limited (Cial) on Wednesday.
He was intercepted by immigration department on arrival and later handed over to the CBI. He was produced before the CBI court at 3pm. The court remanded him in judicial custody till Thursday. The custody petition by CBI and bail petition by Uthup will be considered on Thursday. CBI filed a custody plea and a petition seeking permission for further investigation as the chargesheet against Uthup and other accused had been filed last month. The court maintained that the petition was unnecessary to carry out further investigation in the case.
The CBI petition filed before the court stated that: "Uthup M Varghese needs to be questioned to unearth the end use of money extorted from the nursing emigrants. Further, he needs to be questioned to trace the blank cheques and signed stamp papers extorted by him from the emigrants. For this purpose, further investigation under section 173(8) CrPC is essential in the case."
30/03/17 The Times Of India

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Airport majors vie for Jaipur, Ahmedabad

Four major global airport operators have expressed interest in operating the terminal building of Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports — bids that may witness stiff competition from several Indian players, including the Adani and Tata groups, who have also thrown their hats in the ring for the public-private partnership project.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which operates the Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, had floated a global request for proposals to hand over the operation and maintenance of the terminal buildings to private players.

Till March 20, 11 private players, including four global companies, had registered for the bid for operating and maintaining Ahmedabad airport and seven private companies, with two global players, registered to bid for Jaipur airport.

Daa International that operates Ireland’s state-owned airports and Vinci Airports Singapore with presence across 34 airports globally, have shown interest in both Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports.
30/03/17 Somesh Jha/The Hindu

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Govt, airlines discuss UDAN, Delhi airport terminal issues

Airlines executives today held detailed discussions with Civil Aviation Ministers and senior ministry officials about the regional connectivity scheme and issues pertaining to terminals for carriers at the Delhi airport.
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and his junior Jayant Sinha as well as Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey and other officials were part of the meeting.
Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani, SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh, GoAir Managing Director and CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, IndiGo President and Whole Time Director Aditya Ghosh as well as representative from Jet Airways were among those in attendance.
Choubey said RCS (regional connectivity scheme) and issues related to terminal 2 of the Delhi airport were discussed during the meeting with the airline officials.
Earlier this year, Delhi airport operator had asked no- frills carriers -- IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir -- were asked to shift some of their operations to terminal 2 from terminal 1D.
However, differences have been persisting over the matter between the airlines and the airport operator.
About the issues pertaining to terminal 2, Choubey said several rounds of discussions have happened.
"We are taking the process forward... Today, there was one more round of discussions," he said without providing specific details.
Before taking a decision, the requirements of the airlines, airport and the passengers have to be kept in mind and those requirements have to be matched, Choubey noted.
After the meeting, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said, "we have to find a way to use the two terminals at the Delhi airport.... We are trying our best on how to find a pathway taking into account the Delhi airports master plan".
28/03/17 PTI/India Today

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Taking Flying to the Masses

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been working on making the aviation sector more accessible to the consumers who otherwise won’t choose to fly. By sweeping in economic factors and making services more affordable, the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016 is making matters easier and more convenient for the common man. With an emphasis on regional connectivity, the NCAP has the AAI as its supporting pillar. The AAI is acting as the nodal agency here, implementing regional connectivity through the Regional Connectivity Scheme. Considering the need to revive the un-served airports of the country, an increased scale of operations is being looked at; this will also help the authorities get private funding and further revive the airports.
The challenge that lies ahead for the AAI is to meet the requirements for the airlines, aircrafts and also passengers that the various airports cater to. According to figures, the last two years have witnessed resurgence of air traffic in India. The total number of aircraft movements in 2015-16 was 179,361, thereby registering a growth of 11.9 pc over the previous year. Total passenger movement stood at 223.62 million, a growth of 17.6 pc over the previous year and the total freight carried was 2,704,268 metric tonnes, an increase of 7 pc over the previous year. Average passenger load factors of all the scheduled domestic airlines have been 80 pc. The domestic passenger traffic has increased from 139 million in 2014-15 to 169 million in 2015-16, registering an impressive growth of 21.6 pc. The international passenger traffic has increased from 51 million in 2014-15 to 55 million, which implies a 7.7 pc growth over the previous year. Airlines like IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir and Air India have placed purchase orders for more than 800 aircrafts in the last one year.
While these figures seem encouraging, they are challenging at the same time. The overall available capacity (2015-16) at the Indian airports is 270 million passengers per annum (mppa), while the present demand (2015-16) is 223.44 mppa. Hence, at present the overall capacity is sufficient to cater to the demand. The projected requirement, based on the growth, will be 397 mppa by 2020-21, which requires a capacity addition of approximately 127 mppa. There are plans to augment the capacity of airports by 196.9 mppa in order to cater to the traffic up to 2024-25, which includes the AAI airports and the private airports.
28/03/17 MIG

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Aujla takes up Amritsar airport issue with P Raju

Member of Parliament from Amritsar Gurjeet Singh Aujla today met Union Minister for Civil Aviation P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and handed over a memorandum regarding Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport.
He also discussed the issues of the airport with the Civil Aviation Minister in detail.
P Ashok Gajapathi Raju assured the MP that he would make sure that the Amritsar airport got a good share of flights and facilities.
Aujla said, “I told the minister that the Amritsar airport has been neglected since long. Amritsar is an important city and situated on the international border. It is also a transit point between India and Pakistan, which brings diversity in the culture, tourism and trade.”
The Amritsar airport was knows as a hub of direct connectivity to Singapore (Singapore Airlines), London (Air India and Jet Airways), Birmingham (Air India), Moscow and Abu Dhabi (Air India). Now all these flights have been either shifted to Delhi or Ahmadabad.
28/03/17 The Tribune

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E-visa facility on arrival at Pune airport from April 1

Foreign tourists will be able to get e-tourist visa on arrival at the city airport beginning April 1.
This facility will benefit tourists from as many as 130 countries, who will be able to get visa on arrival provided they have applied for it online four days prior to their travel.
"The e-visa facility received a go-ahead during the recent meeting of the airport advisory committee. All I can say right now is that we are ready and waiting for some immigration formalities to be completed," Pune Airport director Ajay Kumar told TOI.
"The counters have come up in the airport already," an airport official said on Monday. Sources in the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Mumbai said that the equipment needed in connection with the service had been handed over to the Airports Authority of India officials in Pune.
"The system is all to be operational and the infrastructure work is almost done. Our officers will be at the Pune airport for the purpose. However, all matters regarding visa will be mainly handled by the Mini stry of Home Affairs in Delhi," the official said.
28/03/17 Joy Sengupta/The Times Of India

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Surat set to get state’s third international airport: Sinha

Surat is all set to become the third international airport of Gujarat after Ahmedabad and Vadodara.
Surti flyers' dream to fly to international destinations from the city airport is going to be realized soon. Surat airport is preparing for international flight operations and a private airline company is ready to operate direct flights from Surat to Sharjah and Dubai, said Union minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha here on Sunday.
Sinha, who was in the city to flag off direct daily flight of SpiceJet between Surat and Delhi, stated that Surat airport will get the customs notified status and be ready for limited international flight operations in the next few months.
"I have literally arm-twisted SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh and he is convinced to start direct flights from Surat to Sharjah and Dubai once the customs facilities are set up at the airport in the coming few months. There are other players too who are keen to operate international flights from Surat," Sinha said.
The minister said, "We are following up with Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for speeding up the customs notified status for Surat airport. The inspection for which has already been done by the local office. Major modifications are underway at the airport terminal for separating domestic and international travellers."
Sinha said the aviation sector has been registering 25 per cent growth in passenger traffic every year since 2014. The national aviation policy (NAP) has been a huge success. This year, we are expecting 15 crore passenger traffic, out of which 10 crore passengers are in domestic sector. With this, India's aviation sector will be at the third position in the world with the annual turnover touching Rs1.5 lakh crore.
Sinha also said that SpiceJet has accepted the ministry's proposal to operate direct flights from Surat to Ranchi and Patna. The airline will connect other destinations like Mumbai, Jaipur and Bangalore in the next six months.
27/03/17 The Times Of India

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Airfares set to rise as Centre hikes airport charges

Airfares are set to go up as the government has decided to raise airport charges across all non-major airports operated by Airports Authority of India (AAI) by 5% every year beginning April 1.

This is the second time the government has raise airport charges in the last five months.

The passenger service fee, which is charged as a part of air ticket fare, will increase from ₹85 per passenger at present to ₹89 in 2017-18.

The fee will subsequently be increased to ₹93 in 2018-19 and ₹98 per passenger in 2019-20, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, following the Civil Aviation Ministry’s decision on March 15.

The raise in fares will be applicable on non-major airports such as Amritsar, Nagpur, Bagdogra, Madurai, Vijayawada, Jammu, Vadadora, among others, which handle an annual traffic of less than 15 lakh.

Besides, the user development fee at Amritsar, Udaipur, Trichy and Varanasi airports have been raised from ₹165 at present to ₹173 in 2017-18.

A passenger service fee is charged by the airport operator for providing services such as baggage trolleys, escalators, air conditioning at airport terminals, conveyor belt systems for baggage, wi-fi systems, public address systems and other facilities.

The civil aviation ministry has also increased landing, parking and route navigation charges at all AAI airports by 5% every year to be paid by airlines which may likely pass the cost burden on to the customers. This comes after the Centre had increased the airport charges at AAI airports by about 10%from December-March this financial year.
27/03/17 Somesh Jha/The Hindu

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Raj govt signs MoU for expansion of Jodhpur airport

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was today signed between the Rajasthan government and other stakeholders for transferring 37 acres of land for development and expansion of the civil airport in Jodhpur.

The state government signed the MoU with the Air Force, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Jodhpur Nagar Nigam (JNN).

The state government through JNN in lieu of the provided land, will provide 106 acres of land to the Air Force.

The MoU was signed in presence of Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Mayor Ghanshyam Ojha and other distinguished public representatives, and Air Force officials.

According to the MoU, the state government will transfer 106 acres of its land contiguous to the airfield by JNN/state government.
26/03/17 PTI/Business Standard

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MP rides to aircraft alone

That VIP culture is ingrained in our system was evident from an incident at Patna airport today, even as the country was recovering from the outrage over Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad's behaviour that led major airlines to "ban" him from air travel.

This afternoon, BJP Lok Sabha member from Madhubani constituency, Hukumdev Narayan Yadav, was provided a bus at Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport to travel alone to board Jet Airways flight 9W0724 to New Delhi. While the 77-year-old lawmaker travelled comfortably in the big bus provided by the airline, other passengers left waiting were not amused.

"This is really shameful," said a passenger who was on the flight. "We can understand if special services are provided to the President or Prime Minister, but why pamper politicians and strengthen VIP culture? Our country has already suffered a lot due to this."
26/03/17 Dev Raj/The Telegraph

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Direct flight to Jaipur takes off

The Chandigarh international airport in Mohali today further expanded its wings with the launch of a daily direct flight between Chandigarh and Jaipur. A direct flight between Chandigarh and Bangkok is likely to take off in May. The Bangkok flight, which will be launched by Air India, will initially operate on alternate days, airport officials told The Tribune here today.
With this, the number of domestic flights has gone up to 35 while the direct Bangkok flight will take the number of international flights from here to four. At present, three international flights to Dubai and Sharjah are operating from here.
26/03/17 The Tribune

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Deoghar airport by 2019

Ranchi: The Deoghar airport would be completed by 2019 and would prove a milestone for composite and comprehensive development of the state, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said.
He was speaking after Jharkhand government, DRDO and Airport Authority of India signed an MoU to develop Deoghar airport.
Das said that eastern states should develop and the airport at Deoghar would play a vital role in it.
The new airport and new air connectivity would boost investments, he said adding work was on for connectivity between Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Dumka, Palamau, Ranchi and Deoghar.
A proposal has been kept from flight connectivity between Ranchi and Chennai and Ranchi and Hyderabad, he said.
25/03/17 India.com

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Domestic terminal of IGI airport will soon be a Metro ride away

New Delhi: By the end of this year, the domestic terminal of the Indira Gandhi International Airport will be a Metro ride away as the DMRC’s upcoming Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden line is set to have a stop metres away from Terminal 1. With four interchange stations plotted on the 38-km line, it will connect commuters from all parts of the capital, as well as Gurgaon and Noida.
Starting from Janakpuri West, the corridor will run through 22 stations and connect south Delhi at Vasant Vihar, Munirka, IIT, Hauz Khas, Greater Kailash, Kalkaji, Okhla, Jamia Millia among others and culminate at Botanical Garden in Noida. For commuters in south Delhi it will be a direct ride — as quick as 20 minutes from Nehru Place.
The four interchange stations — Janakpuri West, Hauz Khas, Kalkaji Mandir and Botanical Garden — will connect the upcoming line with four existing Metro corridors. Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden Metro stations will link the corridor to either ends of the Blue Line (Dwarka Sector 21 to Noida City Centre/Vaishali) in west and east Delhi respectively.
Commuters from Gurgaon, north and central Delhi will have to change trains at Hauz Khas station, while those in Tughlakabad, Lajpat Nagar and Khan Market can change at the Kalkaji Mandir station.
According to the initial estimates in the Detailed Project Report, the ridership of Terminal 1 station in 2016 is expected to be 66,405 commuters per day and is likely to rise to 97,184 commuters a day by 2021.
25/03/17 Indian Express

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At airport, giving them wings to fly

A bunch of overqualified airport workers with basic jobs have been assigned functions they are ideally suited for, thanks to a fantastic initiative.
A master's in zoology, Suman Paul used to sweep floors at the airport. A polytechnic engineer, Subha Sannyashi's job was to mow grass off the runway. An MBA in human resources, Nita Das Kundu used to spend her day passing on telephone calls to one extension to the other.
Now, all three — and at least five others like them — handle the Airport Operation Control Centre (AOCC), one of the most prestigious and responsible wings at the Kolkata airport, maintaining direct liaison with pilots, air traffic control, airlines and the airport.
"We identified that some of the men who were working as Group D staff and other tasks that required lower intellect were actually far more qualified to handle better responsibilities. We identified some of the talents over a period of time and have inducted them in the AOCC department," said Atul Dikshit, the Kolkata airport director.
The recipients of the new jobs are even happier that although they were once forced to take up jobs that required much less qualifications, they can now hold their heads high.
25/03/17 Tamaghna Banerjee/Times of India

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Lucknow airport to get a new terminal

Lucknow:  Lucknow airport may soon get a new terminal. Airports Authority of India on Friday appointed a consultant for development of a terminal building at the airport.
Estimated at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore, the integrated terminal building will have facilities for both domestic and international flyers.
The complex, proposed to come up over an area of over 200 acres, was mooted last year but could not take off. The project envisages a grand building with natural light with a large number of baggage handling systems, laser scanners for luggage, tourist visa counters, duty free shops, premium lounge and shops as well as eateries. It will be called as T3 terminal.
25/03/17 Times of India

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SpiceJet relaunching its Delhi-Surat services from March 26

Surat: After terminating its services from the diamond city for two-long years, SpiceJet is re-launching its flight services from the Surat airport starting from March 26.
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha will be visiting the diamond city to flag off the Spice Jet aircraft from Surat to Delhi on March 26. Spice Jet will be operating two daily flights between Surat and Delhi.
Earlier, Air India (AI), which is already operating two daily Airbus between Surat and Delhi, announced its plan to operate the morning Airbus to Delhi via Rajkot. The decision came as a big surprise for the Surti fliers starting from March 27, allegedly for allowing the smooth operation of Spice Jet.
The AI's decision was highly opposed by the Surti fliers including the air-connectivity crusaders and the two BJP MPs from Navsari and Surat, who immediately contacted the AI CMD for revoking the decision to fly the Airbus to Delhi via Rajkot.
Meanwhile, SpiceJet is preparing for the launch of its Surat-Delhi services after two long years following the ill-fated buffalo-hit incident reported in November-2014.
24/03/17 Melvyn Reggie Thomas/Times of India

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GVK divests 33% in Bangalore airport to Fairfax India for ₹2,200 crore

Hyderabad: GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd has divested 33 per cent of its stake in Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) from its wholly-owned subsidiary, Bangalore Airport & Infrastructure Developers Pvt Ltd, to Fairfax India Holdings Corporation. The divestment was made through its wholly-owned subsidiary in Mauritius for ₹2,202 crore.

GVK Reddy will continue to be Co-Chairman, BIAL, and GV Sanjay Reddy will lead the management team as Managing Director of BIAL.

GVK Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director, GVK, said, “We reiterate that our primary focus is on deleveraging our balance sheet, and all proceeds from this stake sale shall be used to bring down our debt obligations to our lenders. We look forward to partnering with Fairfax and working with all the stakeholders in developing the Kempegowda International Airport through its next stage of expansion.'
24/03/17 Business Line

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Lack of certifying agencies hampers export of goods from Tiruchi airport

Tiruchi: Even as overseas air cargo movement has witnessed a robust growth, absence of certifying agencies for various commodities at Tiruchi has been a major factor hindering export of goods of diverse types from the international airport here.

Ever since the international air cargo terminal was commissioned in 2011, perishable commodities continue to occupy the lion’s share in respect of overseas cargo since then.

This is because of the presence of plant quarantine unit functioning at the airport providing certificate required for export of perishables.

Stakeholders say other than this unit there is no other certifying agency or laboratory connected with it in Tiruchi to enable export of other products such as food stuff, marine products, leather, pharmaceutical, handicrafts and spices.

All these products require separate no-objection certificate from the competent certifying agency.

Due to the absence of such certifying agencies at Tiruchi, exporters are forced to travel to Chennai to obtain the necessary certificate entailing time and cost.

This has restricted shippers in exporting only perishables by five overseas carriers – Air Asia, Sri Lankan Airlines, Tiger Airways, Air India Express and Malindo Air.
Keeping in mind the fast growing nature of Tiruchi international airport both in terms of overseas passenger and freight traffic, it is high time that certifying agencies are set up at Tiruchi having proximity with 14 districts in the central and southern region, say stakeholders and exporters.
23/03/17 R Rajaram/The Hindu

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State yet to approve Rs 16,000cr airport deal

Navi Mumbai: Though over a month has passed since Cidco closed the finance proposal for the Rs 16,000-crore greenfield Navi Mumbai International Airport, the state government is yet to approve the deal and finalize it.
Government sources attributed the delay to a change of chief secretary midway and model code of conduct for the zilla parishad polls.
Cidco has asked for convening the chief secretary-led Project Management and Implementation Committee (PMIC) meeting, so that terms and conditions, rates of revenue-sharing with GVK-led Mumbai Internationl Airport Ltd (MIAL) and other aspects of the deal can be approved and forwarded to the state cabinet for nod for finalizing the deal.
Cidco can issue the letter of allotment only after the cabinet nod, which will be followed by signing of agreement with its strategic partner.
Bhushan Gagrani, Cidco MD, sought a meeting with the chief secretary on Tuesday for convening the PMIC meeting. The PMIC includes the joint secretary of civil aviation ministry and representative of Airports Authority of India (AAI).
23/03/17 Times of India

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Immigration grouse at Pune airport

Pune: Fed up with the “irrelevant and annoying questions” asked by Maharashtra police at the Pune airport’s immigration counters, officials from private airlines have urged the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to depute trained people from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to handle immigrations instead.

Suhas Jadhaw, station manager of Air India, Pune, has sent a letter to the AAI, mentioning that the immigration process needs a step-up. “The airport will be expanding and, like in other airports, the immigration counters need to be handled by people who have the requisite training. The process in Pune is a bit slow and as the expansion process is on, the passenger traffic, including the influx of foreign travellers, will also increase. Hence, officials from the MHA, who are trained for the job, need to be deputed at the airport,” the letter stated.

Jadhaw reasoned that those currently deployed at the counters were doing a shoddy job, saying, “It is the duty of the personnel to question fliers to ensure safety. But, sometimes, questions that are totally unrelated to safety or security are asked, which annoys the passengers. Due to this, flights often get delayed. So, we need trained officials for immigration counters.” According to airlines’ officials, around six flights have been delayed due to the process in the past month.

Four international flights take off from the airport for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt, with around 10,000- 20,000 passengers flying out for these destinations every month. Airport director Ajay Kumar said, “The proposal will be taken up with the appropriate authorities. The AAI is putting up more number of counters for passenger convenience and to reduce the time taken during immigration procedures.”

But, staff from other airlines also claimed that the immigration process is slow and needs to improve. “They take too much time for the process. We know they are trained, but they need to handle it in a more professional manner. Sometimes, they ask silly questions to the fliers, which should be avoided,” said an officer from Jet Airways on condition of anonymity. In defence, a staff deputed at the Pune airport immigration department, who did not wish to be named, added, “We are doing what we have been asked to do so. We are trained officials. If something goes wrong during the process, who will take responsibility?”
23/03/17 Sushant Ranjan/Pune Mirror

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Udan demand puts busy airport in a fix

The civil aviation ministry has sought over 20 slots at the severely congested Mumbai airport for the operation of flights under the government’s regional connectivity scheme.

This demand has, however, left the airport operator, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), in a spot, as there is a severe capacity crunch, amid increasing requests from existing operators for allotment of additional slots. Delhi airport, which has been asked to provide24 slots, is also facing a similar situation.

The connectivity scheme, known as UDAN or Udey Desh Ka Aam Nagrik, seeks to connect airports not in use and under-served airports as well as make flying more affordable with the ticket price being capped at Rs 2,500 for a onehour flight.

The state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) is the implementing agency for the scheme, and has received 43 initial proposals from 11 bidders covering 92 airports. Out of these aerodromes, 12 are under-served and 50 are not in use.
22/03/17 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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Metro VII may extend to domestic airport

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is likely to extend Metro VII (Dahisar-Andheri via Western Express Highway) till the domestic airport to ensure better ridership. Work on the project, which will cover 16.47km, is on in full swing and it is expected to decongest roads besides reducing overcrowding in Western Railway suburban trains.
Metropolitan commissioner U P S Madan said, "We will have to extend the corridor by 3km near Chhatrapati Shivaji airport (domestic) station, to be built as part of the Metro III corridor."
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is carrying out a feasibility study of the extension route after which a final call will be taken. Madan said, "The line will pass below the existing WEH station of Metro I (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar) and move underground before terminating at the domestic airport." The extension is expected to cost between Rs 1,500 and 2,000 crore. Madan futher said that the extended route could see two or three stations.
22/03/17 Manthank Mehta/Times of India

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BIACL gets sweet deal for Kurnool airport; Re 1 per acre of govt land

Vijayawada: Government land for just Re 1 per acre has been given to Bhogapuram International Airport Corporation Limited (BIACL) for establishment of a greenfield airport at Orvakal in Kurnool district, though the market value of the said land is Rs 8 lakh per acre.  A total of 638.83 acres have been given for the purpose in such a manner.

The decision was taken by the government after Investment and Infrastructure department had made the proposal to the government, citing the importance of the project. Government is keen on developing greenfield airport at Orvakal, seeing a future potential in the district, which is second largest and economically well-balanced.

With plans afoot for the development of Kurnool district as a hub for mineral-based industries and food processing and with massive solar and wind power plants being set up in the district, needed for air connectivity was considered a necessity.

Determining the market price of the land, government on February 2 had issued a government order alienating the land to BIACL for Rs 8 lakh per acre. However on February 6, BIACL managing director M Venkateswarlu wrote a letter to the government stating that the market value of the land fixed is high, which is a heavy burden on BIACL for implementing the unviable airport project. He said the project has been taken up in public interest even though it is financially unviable.
22/03/17 New Indian Express

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Ethiopian Airlines to Launch Cargo Services to Ahmedabad

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest cargo operator in Africa, announced the addition of Ahmedabad, a fifth cargo gateway to India, to its global cargo network as of March 28, 2017.

Ahmedabad, India’s second oldest stock exchange and largest producer of cotton, is an emerging economic and industrial hub of India, inhabiting a population of more than six million.

Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, said:

“Ethiopian cargo service to India dates back to the early 90’s; launching our first cargo station in Mumbai. Complementing the booming economic relations between India and the African continent at large, we have made available dependable cargo services to Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and now to Ahmedabad; our fifth Cargo Gateway to India.

“While operating in the major trade lanes between Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia, our cargo network is efficiently linking the Indian sub-continent and Africa farther with China and Hong Kong; providing the Indian market with minimum weekly import capacity of 240 tons per week. I believe our new services to Ahmedabad will further strengthen the existing trade and commercial ties between the two fastest growing regions of the world.”
22/03/17 Aviation Tribune

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Growth in non-scheduled movement of charter planes at Belagavi airport

Bellagavi: Despite less than expected pace of growth in the domestic sector, Belagavi airport has witnessed commendable growth in flight movement of non-scheduled small-size charter planes.

A “B” category airport, it is maintained by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and is perhaps third only to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport and Mangaluru International Airport to record highest number of such schedules in the State. The year 2016 (from January 1 to December 31) witnessed as many as 60 private airlines/operators landing/taking off from Belagavi airport. A total of 217 arrivals and 219 departures (totally 436) wherein a total of 648 passengers from different parts of the country and abroad, State and Central government services, defence, and political parties embarked and disembarked from these non-scheduled planes here during the same period.

These movements, essentially by smaller aircrafts owned by private airlines/operators, recorded a growth of at least 30% over the preceding year 2015.

However, a comparative analysis was yet to be made, Vinay Arora, Air Traffic Controller In-Charge with responsibilities of Chief Security Officer, Fire In-Charge, Public Grievance Officer and other duties as assigned by AAI told The Hindu here on Tuesday.
22/03/17 Vijaykumar Patil/The Hindu

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Navi Mumbai Airport project: 844 families to be rehabilitated in a year, says CIDCO

Mumbai: As many as 844 families, being displaced by the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project, could be rehabilitated within a year, officials from the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO ) said Tuesday. They said the development work on the two pockets identified for rehabilitation of project-affected persons (PAPs) was mostly complete, while the remaining work would be completed in a year.
CIDCO officials said pocket numbers 1 and 2 in Vadghar village had been redeveloped for the families. “Provision of basic facilities, including building roads for connectivity, water storage facilities, along with other requirements including building schools, hospitals, electricity, have been majorly completed.
22/03/17 Indian Express

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Airport rooftop solar array joins power grid

Ahmedabad: A rooftop solar plant at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport commissioned on Tuesday, a statement from airport officials said.
"As an initiative towards fulfilment of the government of India's target for installation of 40GW rooftop solar power plants by 2022, Airport Authority of India (AAI) has commissioned a grid-connected 700kWp rooftop solar plant at Ahmedabad airport. This will be the largest rooftop plant commissioned in Ahmedabad and is expected to give a big boost to renewable energy," the statement from the city airport director's office said.
The grid-connected rooftop solar system has been installed with a subsidy from the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE). The power from the solar plant will be used to meet the captive requirements of Terminal-1 buildings and the surplus power, if any, shall be fed to the grid under the net-metering arrangement with the distribution companies, the statement said.
22/03/17 Times of India

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SFI members stage protest, want Chandigarh international airport to be named after Bhagat Singh

Chandigarh: Demanding that the name of the international airport be changed to Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport Chandigarh, the Student Federation of India (SFI) today held a protest here. Police used water cannons on the protesters who were marching towards Haryana Vidhan Sabha, near Housing Board light point, leaving one of the agitators injured. One of the members of SFI, Naresh Kumar, was injured when the police personnel of Chandigarh and Haryana police used water cannons and mild lathi-charge for dispersing more than 250 members of SFI. The injured Naresh was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Sector 6.
More than 500 police personnel of the Chandigarh and Haryana police were deployed for preventing the entry of protesters. The protesters had assembled near the Sector 7 roundabout and were stopped at the road separating Sector 7 and Sector 18.
Meanwhile, former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has also called upon the government of India to immediately name the Chandigarh International Airport as Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport Chandigarh.
22/03/17 Indian Express

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Puducherry all set to regain its place in the aviation map

Puducherry: Flight services are set to resume from the Puducherry Airport with two operators coming on board the Centre’s Regional Connectivity Scheme to connect the city with a handful of other destinations in the south.

SpiceJet and Air Odisha will be launching operations through the airport here under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme envisaged by the Union Government to boost air connectivity between smaller cities, make flying more affordable and lay the ground for balanced regional growth.

“The Civil Aviation Ministry is expected to make a formal announcement in this regard in a few days,” Chief Secretary Manoj Parida told The Hindu.
SpiceJet, which had been the first to launch flight services from here in 2013, re-enters air space over Puducherry with direct flights connecting Puducherry and Hyderabad. The airline operator is expected to press in a 60-seater ATR aircraft.

Air Odisha will operate flights on the Chennai-Puducherry-Salem-Bengaluru circuit with a 21-seater aircraft.

“We’re looking at restoration of air connectivity from the first week of April,” Mr. Parida said.

In October, 2016, the Government of Puducherry had signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under Regional Connectivity Scheme with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India.
22/03/17 M. Dinesh Varma/The Hindu

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AAI secures mandate for Diu airport operations

New Delhi: The state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) has secured the mandate for the operations, development and maintenance of the Diu airport.
As part of this mandate, the AAI will provide necessary infrastructure and passenger facilities at the airport, which is under the Daman and Diu administration.
To execute the project, the authority has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Union Territory Administration of Daman on March 20, a release said.
With the objective of upgrading the infrastructure and services at Diu Airport, AAI’s planning department will shortly develop a new design for the airport as well, it said.
21/03/17 India.com

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Chennai airport ranks third in foreign tourist arrivals in February

Chennai: Chennai airport registered arrival of 6.72 % foreign travellers in February ranking third among airports in the country in receiving international tourists. Airports in New Delhi and Mumbai secured the first and the second places with 31.86 % and 16.10 % respectively in foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs).
According to an official statement, the number of FTAs in February, 2017 was 9.56 lakh.
"The growth rate in FTAs in February, 2017 over February, 2016 is 13.0% compared to 11.3% in February, 2016 over February, 2015," the statement said.
FTAs during the period January- February 2017 were 19.40 lakh with a growth of 14.7%, as compared to the FTAs of 16.91 lakh with a growth of 9% in January- February 2016 over January- February 2015. Tourists from Bangladesh topped the list of 15 source countries with 17.46 %, followed by the UK, the US, Russia and Canada.
21/03/17 Yogesh Kabirdoss/Times of India

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AP council demands NTR’s name for Vijayawada airport

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Tuesday passed a resolution unanimously seeking the renaming of two airports in the state.
The resolution to be sent to the Union government has demanded that the Gannavaram airport near Vijayawada be named as Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao-Amaravati Airport after the legendary Telugu film actor and founder of regional Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Amaravati is the new upcoming capital of the state.
The resolution sought that the Renigunta Airport near Tirupati should be named as Shri Venkateshwara Airport after the deity of Tirumala temple. Earlier this month the state cabinet had also recommended the renaming of the two airports. Union Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju, who belongs to TDP, has agreed in principle to the idea of renaming the airport.
Earlier, the domestic terminal of Begumpet International Airport in Hyderabad was named after NT Rama Rao while the International Airport was named after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. But when it was relocated to Shamshabad, the Greenfiled International Airport was named only after Rajiv Gandhi and NTR’s name was dropped.
21/03/17 Mohammad Siddique/Gulf News

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Development of Airports in Chhattisgarh

Delhi: For development of Bilaspur airport and Raigarh airport in Chhattisgarh, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has projected the requirement of 387.3 acres of land at Bilaspur and permanent transfer of the existing airport land of 23 acres along with an additional 569 acres of land at Raigarh. Acquisition and handing over of land free of cost and free from all encumbrances by the State Government is the pre-requisite for development of these airport projects.
Two airports in Chhattisgarh, viz. Bilaspur and Raipur belong to AAI. Raipur Airport has already been upgraded to international standards with Integrated Terminal Building. Although, Indian carriers are free to mount services from any point in India to foreign destinations as per the respective bilateral air service agreements, actual operations are always guided by traffic demand and commercial judgement of airlines.
21/03/17 Business Standard

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Govt nod for 18 new airports costing Rs 30,000 cr

New Delhi: The government has given in principle approval for setting up 18 airports which together are estimated to cost nearly Rs 30,000 crore.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha today said the government has granted “in principle” approval for the greenfield airports.
Citing information provided by developers, the total estimated cost for setting up of the 18 airports “comes out to Rs 30,000 crore (approximately)”, Sinha said.
“As regards construction of new greenfield airports, execution of project including finalisation of project cost and financing arrangement is the sole responsibility of the respective airport promoters,” he said, as per an official release.
The 18 airports which have received in principle nod for construction include Mopa (Goa), Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg (Maharashtra), Bijapur, Gulbarga, Hasan and Shimoga (Karnataka), Kannur (Kerala), Pakyong (Sikkim), Karaikal (Puducherry), Dholera (Gujarat) and Bhogapuram (Andhra Pradesh).
21/03/17 India.com

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Two BJP MPs seek air link for Shimla

Dharamshala: Two BJP MPs from Himachal Pradesh today met Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha and urged him to provide air services to Shimla.
The two BJP MPs - Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur and Virender Kashyap from Shimla met Sinha with a representation to restart the Shimla aerodrome, Jubberhatti, which is lying unused for a considerable period now.
"Shimla is one of the top hill stations of the country and the flight connectivity can boost the number of tourists visiting it," Thakur told Sinha while urging him to provide air link to the Himachal capital.
21/03/17 PTI/India Today

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BCAS has given nod to e-boarding at airports: Govt

New Delhi: The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has approved e-boarding facility that will help domestic fliers at airports reduce waiting time for baggage check-in and security clearance.
“The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has accorded approval for e-boarding on the basis of successful trial run conducted at Hyderabad airport,” Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha told the Rajya Sabha today.
An advisory to airports operating under public private partnerships (PPP) for e-boarding has been issued too, he said.
After implementing the project on pilot basis in April, 2015 for three months, the GMR group-run Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad on December 28 last year, became the first airport in the country to offer e-boarding facility to domestic fliers.
The e-boarding facility covers all boarding processes right from entry into the terminal building, check-in, security checks, boarding gate and boarding bridge check before entering the aircraft.
21/03/17 PTI/India.com

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Cidco expedites state cabinet nod to new international airport

Mumbai: More than a month has passed by since February 13 when Cidco closed the finance proposal for the Rs 16000 crore greenfield Navi Mumbai international airport, but the state government was yet to approve it and stamp the deal as having been finalised.
Government source attributed the delay to change of chief secretary mid- way and model code of conduct for ZP election.
Cidco has asked for convening the chief Secretary -led project management and implementation committee ( PMIC) meeting so that the terms and conditions, rates of revenue sharing with the strategic partner ( GVK led MIAL ) and other aspects of the finance deal can be approved and forwarded to the state cabinet for the final nod of finalisation of the deal.
Cidco , the nodal authority, can issue the letter of allotment only after the cabinet nod which will be followed with signing the agreement papers
21/03/17 Sanjay Banerjee/Times of India

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A capital flight at just Rs 999 - Links to Delhi & Calcutta from April 15

Here's some spirit-soaring news for frequent fliers.

Two pocket-friendly flights from Ranchi - both in the evening to fill up a current gap in air travel - will take off for Delhi and Calcutta from April 15, courtesy Air Asia, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Air Asia Berhad. With the new additions, Ranchi will boast nine flights to Delhi and two to Calcutta.

AirAsia officials at Birsa Munda Airport said ticket bookings were originally scheduled to begin from Monday, but owing to certain technical difficulties, the process had been briefly postponed.

"Engineers from our company headquarters are currently in Ranchi attending to a software glitch and we are now hoping to launch ticket sales by tonight (Monday night) or latest by tomorrow (Tuesday)," said an official of the airline's operations department.

AirAsia is planning to roll out the Airbus 320, which has a capacity of 180 passengers, for the flights.
21/03/17 The Telegraph

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4 new flights on Del-Patna route from March 26

Frequent fliers between Patna and New Delhi have reasons to rejoice as four new flights are expected to operate on the route from March 26.
According to Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources, Indigo and Air India have proposed one flight each while Jet Airways has proposed two flights on the route.

The new flights are part of the summer schedule of the airlines. Since flights fail to land at Patna before 10am due to foggy conditions in winter, most airlines had cancelled or rescheduled their morning flights while finalising their winter schedule, which came into effect from December. Now that the foggy conditions are over, morning flights can operate.

With the proposed additions, the number of flights operating from Patna will go up to 30. For now, the proposals have been sent for their further processing by the Director General of Civil Aviation, said the sources.
21/03/17 The Times Of India

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Night landing at Silchar airport from March 26

If everything goes well, night landing and takeoff of flights from Kumbhirgram airport, 20 km from here, are all set to begin from March 26, according to an aviation source. It is to be put on record that in view of the long and persistent demand of the travelling public, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has ultimately agreed to operate night landing from the Kumbhirgram airport of Barak Valley. The communication problem of this landlocked region is well known.

During monsoon, heavy landslips often make rail and road links fragile. People on long distance and even short trips within the interstates feel helpless not only due to the communication bottleneck but also the high air-fares as air links remains the only alternative. In order to meet the high rush of passenger traffic, under public pressure all arrangements were made to facilitate night landing at this airport way back in 2012. The limited number of flights operated by Air India and Jet Airways now joined by Spice Jet during the day could hardly cope with the ever-increasing traffic density.
20/03/17 Sentinelassam

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With Mumbai airport's new air traffic management system flights will be gone in 80 seconds

Waiting strapped to your chair in the sky for that slacker craft on ground to clear the runway so you can touch down is going to be less of a bother in Mumbai. The city airport is roaring with a new traffic management system which will allow planes to land or take off from a single runway within 80 seconds of each other.

The system, which relies on splitsecond precision and impeccable communications not just between pilot and ground control but between pilots of the two planes involved, was being trialled since last May. And after a nine-month test run, it went live on March 1.

A big challenge for the anticipated landing clearance system, as it is called, was to shave precious seconds off waiting periods while keeping safety mechanisms airtight. It was overcome by choreographing the sequence right down to every move based on anticipated time gap between the two flights, so that even as an aircraft enters the runway to land, another is waiting in queue, or lifting off at the other end.

An Air India commander who has followed the procedure at London's Heathrow airport explained it thus: "Under the plan even as an aircraft is rolling for takeoff, the controller will have given landing clearance to a descending craft. Or, there may be aircraft waiting in sequence to land and the second or third craft would have already received landing clearance."
21/03/17 Mumbai Mirror

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Passenger traffic nosedives, cargo movement increases

Domestic passenger traffic at the Aurangabad airport has shown a significant drop, but cargo movement went considerably in 2015-16 as against the previous fiscal figures.

The number of passenger count has reduced from 4.24 lakh to 2.99 lakh — nearly 29.5%. Aurangabad airport is the only facility that has witnessed a drop in terms of domestic passenger movement among other major airports in the state, the Economic Survey of Maharashtra for 2016-17 has revealed.

On the other hand, domestic cargo movement at Aurangabad airport has been increased to 1,406 tonnes in 2015-16 from 1,250 tonnes in 2014-15. The increase comes around 12.5%.

Aurangabad airport director Sharad Yeole said winding up of operations of one of the private airline has resulted in terms of drop in domestic passenger movement. "Earlier we used to have seven flights a day, which came down to five after one private airline shut its operations from Aurangabad airport," he said.

On the 12.5% increase in cargo movement, Yeole said facilitating the Common User Terminal for domestic cargo at Aurangabad airport has reflected in the rise.

The Aurangabad airport has domestic connectivity to Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Haj Flight also takes off from the airport every year. Besides Air India, a few private airlines operate flights from city airport. A group of private air charters has been engaged in cargo movement.
20/03/17 Prasad Joshi/The Times Of India

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A decade later and Mumbai airport still worst for on-time performance

Three out of six airlines monitored for On-Time Performance at airports had Mumbai at the bottom of the data charts amongst the four metros in India.

For Air India, IndiGo and Vistara, OTP at Mumbai was 59.1%, 73.9% and 66.3% respectively.  The other airlines of Go Air, SpiceJet and Jet Airways and Jet Lite had OTP at Mumbai at 70.8%, 75.2% and 66.1% respectively.

National carrier, Air India had the worst OTP among all other airlines in February at 66.2%.

The airport has consistently been rated the worst for OTP over the years.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport has 35 airlines flying to major cities across the country and handled 13,100 domestic and 9,500 International passengers daily on an average as per Airports Authority of India (AAI) data.

A flight is considered to be ‘delayed’ if it arrived or departed 15 minutes later than scheduled.

Total arrivals in the airport were 8,275 the CSIA report showed out of which 2,894 were delayed. This was 35% of the total arrivals.
20/03/17 Yoshita Rao/Z Business

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‘43 regional airports to be linked under Udaan scheme’

Ahmedabad:  Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman, Guruprasad Mohapatra, on Friday said that 43 regional airports, including four in Gujarat, will be connected to promote regional air services. The four Gujarat airfields are among unserved or underserved airports.
Talking at an award giving ceremony in the city on Friday, Mohapatra also said that the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in the aviation sector had ended up making losses. Mohapatra is the former municipal commissioner of Ahmedabad and Surat.
"A total of 43 airports from across the country will be connected in three months," Mohapatra said. "These include four airports from Gujarat — Kandla, Mithapur, Mundra and Bhavanagar. These will get connected to each other and to other parts of the country as well."
The AAI chief was speaking on the topic, 'Aviation infrastructure and leadership challenges in the sector,' at AMA awards ceremony held in the city on Friday.
Mohapatra said that bidding for the new project under 'Udaan Scheme', which has been planned for providing cheap air travel facility, will also include helicopter services in hilly areas like the North-East and Kashmir.
18/03/17 Times of India

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CM Devendra Fadnavis reiterates Purandar final site for new airport

Pune:  The state government is in no mood to budge from its decision to build the new international airport at Purandar despite protests from the residents of the area.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the site for the new Pune airport in the Purandar taluka would not be changed. Replying to a text message if the location of Purandar was final for the airport, the chief minister replied, "Yes, it (Purandar site) is."
Fadnavis also said no decision on the final compensation package had been taken yet. "Not yet," he said, replying to a question asked in this regard via a text message.
On March 3, some officials of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC) had stated that the rehabilitation package for the landowners would be announced within a fortnight.
Germany firm Dorsch was appointed the consultant for the airport after the civic elections last month. Soon after, the local residents resumed their agitation. They even threatened to intensify their agitation.
18/03/17 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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PAC draft report flag concerns over Delhi airport JV

New Delhi: The Public Accounts Committee has raised concerns about various operational aspects of the Delhi airport in its draft report, which is yet to be approved by all the panel members.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is operated by DIAL -- a public private partnership where the majority stake is owned by GMR group. The other stakeholders are state-owned AAI and Germany's Fraport AG.
In the draft report, prepared by the committee, concerns have been raised about various aspects of the venture, including about use of land, shrinkage of space for passengers and share of revenue received by AAI, sources said.
The committee, chaired by senior Congress leader K V Thomas, has prepared the draft report titled 'Implementation of Public Private Partnership -- IGIA, Delhi', they added.
17/03/17 Times of India

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Equity of Kannur airport increased by Rs500 crore

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the green field international airport at Kannur is gearing up for commissioning and commercial operations by September this year, the government has given the go ahead to increase the equity of the airport by ?500 crore.

With this, the Kannur International Airport Ltd. (KIAL) can approach financial institutions for term loan requirement of ?222.2 crore. The infusion of equity was for increasing the length of the runway from the present 3,050 m to 3,400 m, official sources said.

The decision to increase the equity was taken at a meeting of the governing body of KIAL chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on November 30 last.

At present, 35% equity is with the State gvernment, 25% with Public Sector Undertakings, 10% with Airports Authority of India (airport PSUs) and the remaining 30% with private individuals and institutions.

Under the existing equity-debt pattern, the equity portion is ?1,000 crore and the debt portion is ?892 crore through consortium of banks with Canara Bank as the lead partner. South Indian Bank and Federal Bank are the other partners.
17/03/17 S. Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Etihad withdraws A380 from Mumbai airport

Mumbai airport’s joy of hosting three of the world’s largest aircraft, the Airbus A380, each day – the only airport in the country to do so – is going to be short-lived, with Etihad announcing the withdrawal of these aircrafts in Mumbai-Abu Dhabi circuit.

Though airport sources said the A380 service was being withdrawn owing to low demand for premium service in the market, the airline said the 496-seater aircraft is being withdrawn temporarily from Mumbai route as part of its “seasonal” adjustments.

“The adjustments are part of Etihad Airways’ seasonal planning of schedules based on market demand. Due to the capacity change, any affected guests will be re-protected on other flights to their final destination,” the airline said in a statement.

The airline is redeploying the aircraft to the Abu Dhabi-Paris route from July 1hoping it will attract premium passengers.

Last year, the Mumbai international Airport Ltd (MIAL) had improved airport infrastructure by adding additional Code F aerobridges (capable of simultaneously allowing entry and exit of passengers from both the upper and lower decks) to accommodate these large aircraft as each of them carry about 400 passengers in one go, thus reducing pressure on an overstretched airport like Mumbai.
18/03/17 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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Direct flights from Srinagar to Int’l destinations may be considered in future: GoI

Minister of Civil Aviation Government of India P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju said that direct flights from Srinagar to International destinations at Srinagar Airport depend on commercial viability and as the routes will develop, the direct operations may be considered.

In response to a quarry raised by social activist MM Shujah under Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Minister of Civil Aviation Government of India in his response has said that commencement of any operations of airline depends upon the commercial viability of airlines. “At present the market potential for direct flight from Srinagar to International destinations is not sufficient to cater direct operations. Presently Indian carriers-Air India and Jet Airways are following hub and spoke model. As the routes will develop, in future depending on commercial viability the direct operations may be considered,” the Minister according to CNS has said.
17/03/17 Bright Kashmir

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No land available to extend major airports’ runways: AAI chief

Ahmedabad: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) today raised concerns about airport infrastructure planning and said it is not possible to extend the runways of major airports in the country due to non-availability of land. “Now, it is very difficult to extend the Ahmedabad runway. Same is the case with Rajkot, Chennai and Kolkata, where we can not extend the existing runway because of non availability of space, mainly due to the new Land Acquisition Act and construction in and around those airports,” AAI chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said at a function here today.
“All the top 20 airports in the country are struggling to manage the overwhelming traffic of both airplanes as well as passengers. The situation is worrisome, as not a single empty slot is available at major airports to accommodate new flights during the day time,” he said.
“Though Delhi airport is having three runways, not single slot is available between 7 AM till 10 PM. Same is the case with Mumbai. This is a matter of worry. Within just 7 to 8 years, Ahmedabad airport terminal’s capacity is completely saturated. Same situation exists in all the top 20 airports,” the AAI chairman said.
Mohapatra, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer, was invited here by the Ahmedabad Management Association to take part in a felicitation ceremony and deliver a speech on “Aviation Infrastructure – Leadership Challenge”.
To put forward his point, he gave example of Heathrow airport and London Metro, both built around 100 years back.
18/03/17 PTI/Financial Express

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Could circular runways be the future of air travel? This man thinks so

In a bid to manage air traffic efficiently, a radical and novel concept proposes to abandon the traditional runways at airports for a circular runway. Titled as “the Endless Runway”, the breakthrough model intends to shift the lift-off and touchdown points of aircraft.
After spending years researching on the subject, Aviation expert Henk Hesselink of the Netherlands Aerospace Centre believes that circular runways could be the future of air travel. “My big idea is a circular runway. Aircraft can takeoff and land at points on this circle to make certain they have no crosswind and only headwind,” Hesselink was quoted as saying by bbc.
The main highlight of this concept is that it will become possible to let an aircraft avoid crosswinds while landing and takeoff.
“Passengers will experience a slight turn similar to a turn in the air. Because of the centrifugal forces, the aircraft will automatically go slower and towards the centre of the runway,” said the Dutch expert, adding “Pilots and passengers will not feel like they are in a roller coaster. They will only use part of this limited circle”.
A circular runway is equivalent in length to three straight runways, and up to three planes can takeoff and land anytime. Apart from military tests in the 1960s, a commercial circular runway has never been built.
Besides avoiding tricky landings, the circular runways can also have positive social and environmental impact. “This offers the possibility for less fuel burn in the area around the airfield. We can also design procedures to make certain that the environment is experiencing less noise as we now have the possibility to fly in from any direction and towards any direction. We can make a decision on where to fly and where to avoid flying,” he elaborated while adding that everyone living around the airport will have similar amount of noise. The circle of the runway, whose overall diameter is 3.5 kilometers, is large enough to provide ample space to house the terminals at its centre.
17/03/17 Indian Express

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Duty-free outlets to come up at Chandigarh International Airport

Chandigarh: Duty-free outlets at Chandigarh International Airport are soon going to become a reality as the airport authority has called for tenders for opening of two duty-free outlets at the airport. The new terminal of the Chandigarh International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2015. The international flights, however, started last year only.
Chandigarh airport authority officials on Friday told Chandigarh Newsline that global tenders have been called for setting up of the outlets. “We have called for tenders from the firms. Once the authorities finalise one firm through the tendering process, one duty-free outlet each will be coming up in the departure and the arrival area of the airport,” said a senior official. The official said they are expecting duty-free outlets to come up “very soon” at the airport.
While the Chandigarh International Airport was inaugurated by PM Modi in 2015, the airport authorities have faced severe criticism, due to lack of passenger-related facilities at the airport. The Punjab and Haryana High Court too has slammed the airport authorities for lack of passenger amenities at the airport. After more than a year, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) awarded the work of wi-fi installation at Chandigarh International Airport to the BSNL.
18/03/17 Adil Akhzer/Indian Express

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Air Asia resumes cargo service

Tiruchi: Days after it suspended lifting overseas cargo, foreign carrier Air Asia resumed lifting freight from the Tiruchi international airport on Friday.

Three shipments meant for different destinations were dispatched by the morning Kuala Lumpur-bound flight much to the relief of stakeholders. Air Asia, which operates three flights a day from Tiruchi to Kuala Lumpur and back, stopped lifting overseas freight from last Saturday putting exporters and other stakeholders in a quandary. Airport sources said that among the three overseas shipments dispatched on Friday, one was fabrics bound for Brunei. The remaining two shipments were perishables bound for Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
18/03/17 The Hindu

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Srinagar airport lacks adequate, hygienic washrooms

Srinagar: The tall claims of the government about the upgrading of facilities at Srinagar International Airport (SIA) fall to flat as it lacks adequate bathrooms and hygiene for the passengers.

The two bathrooms outside, one for male passengers and other one for the females among one meant for males is locked. The only left female bathroom is left in dismal state and used by the male passengers. The bathrooms inside the building have no different fate.

Passengers scheduled to depart for different destination told PTK that the non-availability of enough number of washrooms besides keeping existing ones dirty is disgusting.

“The airport authorities have locked one bathroom and the other one is in miserable condition. Female passengers face hardship due to no bathroom availability as the female bathroom is now being used by the male passengers. How come this is an international stature airport. That seems a joke”, said Farooq Ahmad of Srinagar.

The passengers accused authorities of ignoring the plights of passengers while demanding immediate redressal of genuine grievances. Passengers said that the airports lack all the basic facilities like drinking water, toilets for passengers and people in waiting area and cleanness.
18/03/17 Brighter Kashmir

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Four bodies land in Tiruchi airport

Tiruchi: Four bodies of workers arrived in Tiruchi airport on Friday from various overseas destinations. The bodies arrived by the morning SriLankan Airlines flight from Colombo.

While three bodies were sent from Malaysia, one was from Dammam in Saudi Arabia. Airport sources said the four who hailed from different places in the State were working abroad. They had died under different circumstances. The bodies were handed over to the respective consignee after due verification, said airport sources.
18/03/17 The Hindu

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Want no private planes stuck at our airports: IAF

New Delhi: With sensitive defence airstrips often blocked by schedule carriers' planes that get stuck there due to technical reasons for several hours, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has asked airlines to station aircraft removal kits and trained personnel to operate them at its airports.
If airlines fail to do so, IAF has warned that their permission to operate flights to IAF airports like Jammu, Srinagar, Pune and Chandigarh could be cancelled this summer.
Schedule Indian carriers operate regular flights to about 20 defence airfields that have a civil enclave or passenger terminal. These include IAF bases like Gorakhpur, Allahabad and Bikaner, and Naval bases like Goa's Dabolim and Vishakhapatnam.
All these airports have only one runway. If a plane gets stuck, the forces can't operate their fighter jets — something that has security implications.
18/03/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Here’s Why Delhi & Mumbai Airports Won’t Add New Flights This Summer

Major Indian airports will not be including new flights this summer despite the increasing traffic. The situation is worse at India's major airports like Delhi and Mumbai which together accounted for 10 crore commuters out of India's total air traffic of 15 crore last year.
According to a report by The Times of India, Delhi airport will not be adding any new flight between 7 am and 10 pm this summer. Mumbai airport, on the other hand, may have to introduce additional domestic flights at night, a request which has been made by all the airlines.
In February, 2017, a Reuters report had pointed to capacity crunch at Indian airports which are failing to keep pace with the number of jets entering the market and rapid growth in demand from travellers.
The report added that airlines including IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir have 880 aircraft on order as they tap into a market growing at 20 per cent-plus annually, thanks to rising incomes and low-cost fares.
"The airport infrastructure at many airports is breaking at the seams because there is no more capacity," Sanjiv Kapoor, chief strategy and commercial officer at Vistara (an Indian airline jointly owned by Singapore Airlines and Tata Sons) told Reuters.
17/03/17 ScoopWhoop

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Centre wants to revive air services from Puducherry

The Union government has proposed to revive air services from the Union territory of Puducherry and connect the former French town with Hyderabad, Tirupathi, Chennai, Salem, Bangalore and Coimbatore, said chief minister V Narayanasamy.
The proposal was revealed by the Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati to Narayanasamy, who called on him along with health and family welfare minister Malladi Krishna Rao and chief secretary Manoj Parida in New Delhi.
Narayanasamy while quoting the Union minister said SpiceJet has come forward to launch air services connecting Puducherry and Hyderabad via Tirupathi while Odisha aviation private limited has proposed to connect Chennai and Bangalore via Puducherry and Salem. Indian Airlines proposed to connect Puducherry and Coimbatore by air, he said
18/03/17 The Times Of India

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Regional connectivity scheme will add 50 airports in next 6 months: Jayant Sinha

The Aviation Ministry's ambitious regional connectivity scheme will add 50 airports to the country's existing 75 in the next six months, said Minister of State for Aviation Jayant Sinha.

The airports that fall under the "regional airport" category will be announced in a week's time, he said.

The country is currently witnessing 150 million passenger trips per year, whereas the US, with only a third of India's population, witnesses around 900 million passenger trips per year. The aim of the Regional Connectivity Scheme is to increase passenger trips three-fold, said Sinha.

"Affordable flying will be the theme for 2017, just as [Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagarik] UDAN is launched," he said.

Sinha said Qatar Airways, the first foreign airline company that has shown interest in setting up a 100 percent-controlled business in India, has not approached the government yet.

Sinha said that certain restrictions will be imposed on foreign players and they may not get all the privileges that Indian airlines enjoy. Discussions are still underway in this regard.
17/03/17 Money Control

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Airbus gets DIAL land for India's first full flight simulator

Aerospace giant Airbus will set up its India headquarters and the country's first full flight simulator in Delhi to address the growing demand of trained pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) announced on Thursday.

The GMR Group-led DIAL said in a statement that it has signed a land licence agreement with Airbus for a period till 31 March 2036 for the purpose.

"Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd, a GMR led consortium, announced that it has signed a land license agreement with Airbus for setting up India's first full flight simulator at the Aerocity - Terminal District of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport," the statement said.

"On the 1.11 acres of land, Airbus will also establish its India Headquarters within the same development," the statement added.
17/03/17 domain-b

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Committee Suggests Gradual Bifurcation of ANS from AAI

Delhi: The present infrastructure capacity of airport is generally sufficient for handling existing air traffic. However, keeping in view of rapid growth of domestic airlines, expansion of infrastructure at airports including runway, terminal building and air space harmonization has been undertaken.

It is planned to revive 50 airstrips and airports over a period of three years starting from 2017-18 at a total estimated cost of Rs. 4500 crores. However, the development of airports and airstrips to be undertaken only in those States where the State Government agrees to provide the requisite concessions and a firm commitment from airlines to fly from or to such airports.

The Government of India has granted "in principle" approval for setting up of the 18 Greenfield airports in the country. The list of these airport along with the estimated cost is as under: MOPA in Goa (approx. Rs. 3100 cr), Navi Mumbai (approx. Rs. 16704 cr), Shirdi (approx. Rs. 320.54cr) and Sindhudurg (approx. Rs. 520cr) in Maharashtra, Bijapur (approx. Rs. 150cr), Gulbarga (approx. Rs. 13.78 cr in initial phase), Hassan (approx. Rs. 592 cr) and Shimoga (approx. Rs. 38.91 cr) in Karnataka, Kannur in Kerala (approx. Rs. 1892 cr), Durgapur in West Bengal (approx. Rs. 670 cr), Dabra in Madhya Pradesh (approx. Rs. 200 cr), Pakyong in Sikkim (approx. Rs. 553.53 cr), Karaikal in Pudducherry (approx. Rs.170 cr), Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh (approx. Rs. 448 cr), Dholera in Gujarat (approx. Rs. 1712 cr) and Dagadarthi Mendal, Nellore Dist. (approx. Rs. 293 cr), Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram District near Visakhapatnam (approx. Rs. 2260 cr) and Oravakallu in Kurnool District (approx. Rs. 200 cr), Andhra Pradesh. In Addition Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun the PPP bidding process for O&M contracts for Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports.
16/03/17 Business Standard

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Megawide, partner ready to bid for more infrastructure projects

Megawide Construction Corp. and its partner GMR Infrastructures Ltd. are open to participate in an “honest and healthy competition” in the aviation-infrastructure development sector, even after figuring in a controversial fight for the right to develop the Clark International Airport.

Louie B. Ferrer, the president of GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., described today’s investing atmosphere as “very exciting times” given the level of concentration for infrastructure projects and the level of participation from the private sector.

“It’s a sign our economy is growing and we are keeping up,” he said. “It is a good climate for development because we are open to honest and healthy competition. That drives up the quality of the proposals because we want to offer only the best services.”

Ferrer reminded the government of its mandate to be transparent and fair in its dealings with proponents of infrastructure deals. This is especially true for contracts under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program.
16/03/17 Lorenz S. Marasigan/Business Mirror

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Steps on to protect greenery at airport

Tirupati: The beautiful landscaping developed by the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) in and around the Renigunta airport appears to be in trouble, as temperatures started rising quite early indicating a scorching summer ahead.
The impressive arrays of gardens, tree plantation along the roads and the landscaping on the medians along the airport road are known to be a sight to behold.
The colourful lighting and the musical fountain are new additions to the eye-catching facilities that have already brought fame to the airport vicinity.
The surge in temperature during the last fortnight has made the authorities initiate steps to prevent drying up of plants and grass. TUDA Vice-Chairman V. Vinaychand on Thursday led a team of officials to inspect the watering arrangements currently being followed at the airport.
17/03/17 The Hindu

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Sri Lankan Airlines proposes to operate Coimbatore-Colombo flights from July 15

Coimbatore:  Sri Lankan Airlines is planning to operate four flights per week from Coimbatore to Colombo starting July 15. This will be the third international carrier flying out of the Coimbatore airport, after Air Arabia (to Sharjah) and Silk Air (to Singapore).
Director of Coimbatore Airport G Prakash Reddy confirmed to TOI that Sri Lankan Airlines has proposed to operate flights from the Coimbatore to Colombo from July 15. "The flight will operate on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The incoming flight from Colombo will arrive at 2.35pm, and it will depart for Colombo at 3.35pm," Reddy said.
Prakash Reddy on Wednesday held a meeting with the senior officials, including customs and immigration officials, to discuss the possibilities of operating a Sri Lankan Airlines flight to Colombo. Manager of government affairs, India, and a representative of Sri Lankan Airlines, Hardip Pal Singh, participated in the meeting.
16/03/17 Adarsh Jain/Times of India

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Airlines pleading with Mumbai airport to allow more domestic flights

Indians may be flying like never before but the infrastructure crunch at metro airports is limiting their choice of flights. The problem is so acute that putting an additional flight in peak hours is becoming tough at most metros.Delhi airport, for instance, will not be adding a single flight between 7am and 10pm this summer.Airlines are pleading with Mumbai airport to allow more domestic flights at night as the airport has no additional slots left.These two airports alone accounted for almost 10 crore of the total (domestic-cum-international) traffic of just over 15 crore last year.The severe infrastructure crunch at major Indian airports was highlighted during recent deliberations aviation authorities held with airlines to finalise the summer schedule this year.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) cleared a summer schedule of 17,170 domestic flights a week from 77 airports by 12 airlines.TOI accessed the minutes of the meeting, prepared by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which reveals that big airports are bursting at the seams. So much so that airlines have ordered hundreds of planes but no one knows where they will be parked.The Delhi airport's representative said at the meeting that "no new flights are being accepted from 7am to 10pm as Delhi airport is full during that period".Delhi is the only airport in India that has three runways but due to airside infrastructure crunch, the hourly aircraft movement remains way below potential.The minutes say that while the maximum hourly capacity of IGI Airport 's three runways is 75 aircraft (70 schedule and 5 non-schedule), the "practical hourly capacity to be considered for allocation of slots" is much less at 67 (62 schedule and 5 non-schedule).A reduction of eight schedule flights means 192 fewer flights a day.
17/03/17 NYOOOZ

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IGI choked: No new peak-hour flights in Delhi this summer

Indians may be flying like never before but the infrastructure crunch at metro airports is limiting their choice of flights. The problem is so acute that putting an additional flight in peak hours is becoming tough at most metros.
Delhi airport, for instance, will not be adding a single flight between 7am and 10pm this summer.
Airlines are pleading with Mumbai airport to allow more domestic flights at night as the airport has no additional slots left.
These two airports alone accounted for almost 10 crore of the total (domestic-cum-international) traffic of just over 15 crore last year.
The severe infrastructure crunch at major Indian airports was highlighted during recent deliberations aviation authorities held with airlines to finalise the summer schedule this year.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) cleared a summer schedule of 17,170 domestic flights a week from 77 airports by 12 airlines.
TOI accessed the minutes of the meeting, prepared by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which reveals that big airports are bursting at the seams. So much so that airlines have ordered hundreds of planes but no one knows where they will be parked.
The Delhi airport's representative said at the meeting that "no new flights are being accepted from 7am to 10pm as Delhi airport is full during that period".
Delhi is the only airport in India that has three runways but due to airside infrastructure crunch, the hourly aircraft movement remains way below potential.
The minutes say that while the maximum hourly capacity of IGI Airport's three runways is 75 aircraft (70 schedule and 5 non-schedule), the "practical hourly capacity to be considered for allocation of slots" is much less at 67 (62 schedule and 5 non-schedule).
17/03/17 Saurabh Sinha/The Times Of India

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DIAL gives Aerocity land to Airbus for its India HQ

The GMR Airport-led Delhi international airport (DIAL) on Monday announced that it has signed a land licence agreement with French aircraft manufacturer Airbus for setting up the country’s first full flight simulator at the Aerocity — terminal district of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
On the 1.11 acre, the France-based company will set up its full flight simulator to address the growing demand of trained pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers. Airbus will also establish its India Headquarter within the same development.
The land licence agreement was signed for a period till March 31, 2036. DIAL has received the initial security deposit and ADC and will also receive an annual licence fee from this agreement.
17/03/17 The Financial Express

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