Cabinet may clear 2nd Mumbai airport today

New Delhi: In a bid to ease congestion at existing Mumbai airport, the government may approve a proposal of the civil aviation ministry to construct second airport in the city near Navi Mumbai. The proposal is expected to come up for approval before the Cabinet meet on Thursday.
The proposal on the new civil aviation policy may, however, be deferred as PMO has sought more clarifications over some of the provisions of the draft policy, an official source said.
The second airport in Mumbai would be constructed under the public private partnership (PPP) model by a (SPV). The government wants to develop this airport on a fast-track basis as existing Mumbai airport is expected to become saturated by 2012.
The new airport is proposed to be developed in four phases with a total investment of about Rs 10,000 crore. When fully complete by 2028, the airport would have capacity to carry 40 million passengers per annum (mppa). By then number of air travellers for Mumbai is expected to grow to about 90 million passengers per year from 20 million passengers at present.
31/05/07 Subhash Narayan/Economic Times

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Mumbai airport prepared for monsoons

Mumbai: With the monsoons set to strike the city by the first week of June, the airport authorities claim that they have completed a wide range of tasks in order to ensure smooth air traffic flow.
All the drains at the airport are being cleaned and particular attention has been paid to storm water drains, which have been widened and cleared, in order to ensure that water accumulating due to the rains is drained efficiently, airport officials said.
High power pumps will also be kept ready if needed to flush stagnant water from the airport, they added.
"The responsibility of taking care of passengers and informing them about flight delays will continue to be that of the airlines, but in the event of major delays we will pitch in and provide food and water facilities to travellers stranded at the airport," a spokesperson for the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said.
Canopies to shield passengers from the rains would also be put up at every terminal building of the airport, both domestic as well as international, by the time the monsoons arrive in the city, he said.
A contingency plan in the event of emergencies which had earlier resulted in the closure of the main runway or any of the taxiways, had also been prepared, they added.
30/05/07 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Malaysian firm takes 'Touch & Go' to India

New Delhi: The “Touch & Go” ticketing system at Malaysian highways and car parks will be used in India, after a Malaysian-based company, Tenaga Group, clinched a contract to manage the automated parking management system at the Hyderabad International Airport that will be commissioned next March.
Tenaga Parking (India) Pvt Ltd, the Indian arm of Tenaga Group, secured the three-year contract to operate the car park facility, designed to accommodate 3,500 vehicles, in the face of tough competition from car park specialists from Australian, South Africna and Indian companies.
Under the deal, Tenaga will use the “Touch n Go” system at the airport, which is set to handle 12 million passengers a year by 2020.
Describing the project as a tough challenge for the company in India, where paid parking is a relatively new concept, Rashpal said Tenaga will use its Sri Lanka experience to implement the system in Hyderabad.
30/05/07 Business Times - Malaysia, Malaysia

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Fly by night to Northeast

New Delhi: Delhi is planning to upgrade all airports in Northeast and make night landing possible in most of them. The Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati, whose “international” status came minus the facilities, will finally undergo a makeover to match “international standards”.
Three greenfield airports will be set up in Sikkim, Itanagar and Kohima.
The government is also considering a proposal to relax norms to allow airlines operating in the Northeast to connect Guwahati to international destinations.
“We will have instrument-landing systems installed at both Lilabari and Silchar, among other places,” a senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said. The plan to upgrade Guwahati airport to “international standards” will be implemented over the next five years.
For Sikkim, the AAI has drafted a greenfield airport project with a budget of Rs 340 crore. The Sikkim government will contribute about Rs 100 crore and provide land at Pakyong for the airport.
Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland will also get greenfield airports. The AAI has selected sites at Bandardewa, near Itanagar, and Chiethu, near Kohima, for the projects. Both these projects will be taken up during the eleventh Five Year Plan period.
Another plan on the drawing board is to link three tourist destinations — Tawang(Arunachal Pradesh), Kaziranga and Majuli (Assam) — by air. Four defunct airports — Rupsi, Kamalpur, Pasighat and Tezu — will soon be resurrected.
30/05/07 Jayanta Roy Chowdhury/The Telegraph

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Squatters evicted from airport land

Mumbai: The Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL) today successfully evicted over 350 squatters who were using the approach road to the international terminal at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport as their makeshift homes. Belonging to the Phase Pardhi tribe found mostly in Maharashtra and parts of Maharashtra, most of the squatters had encroached the land for five months and are casual daily wagers at the airport.
“These people had first squatted on the quarry land and then moved to the road leading towards the international terminal,” said a MIAL spokesperson. While some squatters packed their belongings and vacated the road voluntarily, most resisted and were taken to the nearby Sahar police station.
“Over 50 police personnel led by an Additional Commissioner of Police were mobilised for the drive,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police R N Tadvi who was also present during the two-hour long drive that started around noon.
30/05/07 Mumbai Newsline

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DIAL invites cos to set up luxury hotels at airport

New Delhi: Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has sought expression of interest from hotel developers and real estate players to develop a hospitality district in the airport. It has earmarked five land parcels within the airport complex that would house luxury and business hotels, service apartments and a convention centre, spread over 40 acres.
Roadshows are currently on both in India and abroad to solicit international and Indian hospitality developers as partners in the project. DIAL is expected to finalise the development partners for the hotels by August this year and the properties are likely to be operational before the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
DIAL has floated a new subsidiary company, Delhi Aerotropolis Private Ltd (DAPL), to undertake the development of the 250-acre of real estate around the airport, creating a hub for hotels, commercial office and retail space. It had appointed property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) and Lehman Brothers to prepare a master plan for the project.
31/05/07 Sudipto Dey/Economic Times

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Draft aviation policy focus on AAI recast, connectivity & FDI

New Delhi: The Cabinet is scheduled to unveil the new civil aviation policy on Thursday which, among other things, makes out a strong case for restructuring the Airports Authority of India (AAI), improving domestic and international air connectivity and reviewing FDI norms in the sector to encourage investments.
Though the civil aviation ministry has for long thought of giving shape to a proper policy framework to regulate the sector, it is only now that it is being put before the Cabinet.
The NCAP contains a blueprint of the ministry’s roadmap for the sector, enunciated in a document christened Vision 2020. The paper is divided into six sections, each focusing on a separate theme. While the first chapter presents an overview of the current situation and emerging trends, air transport services, measures for enhancing affordability, airport infrastructure, safety regulations and civil aviation security form the thrust areas.
Realising that AAI had failed to live up to the expectations of the consumers by ensuring development of airports with state-of-the-art facilities, the document makes a strong case for revamping the body.
It reiterates the government’s commitment to put in place world-class airport infrastructure by building new airports and modernising/restructuring the existing ones, including revival of non-operational airports. It also exhorts the government to go in for multiple airports in larger metropolitan regions, such as Delhi and Mumbai.
30/05/07 Devesh Kumar/Economic Times

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GMR bags mandate to host Routes Regional Asia-2009

The GMR-Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) has won the bid to host the prestigious Intra-Regional Route Development Forum – 2009 conference. The company won the mandate to organize the event in Hyderabad for the year 2009.
‘Routes’ is an annual congregation of airlines and airports across the globe, which are joined by other interested or associated parties such as tourism, business and economic development boards and authorities.
In this annual meeting, they deliberate on how best to enhance air services and meet the growing needs of local business, industry, tourism, research organizations, and other sectors. The scale of Routes is unique, which represents over 100 airline companies and 150 airports from all over the world.
So far, Routes has been held in 11 cities across the globe. Last year’s event had being hosted in Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre, while 2007 and 2008 events will be hosted by Stockholm City Conference Centre and Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, respectively.
29/05/07 India PRwire (Press Release), India

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CISF receives threat to blow up Mumbai Airport

Mumbai: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) received two calls on Tuesday from an unidentified person threatening to blow up the Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport in Mumbai. Extra security measures have been put in place at the airport in the wake of the threat.
Mumbai Police has also stepped in with around 50-60 of its jawans. They have been deployed at all the entry and exit points of the airport. CISF commandoes too are maintaining vigilance and visitors are being observed as a precautionary measure.
29/05/07 Zee News

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275 missing diplomatic passports recovered

New Delhi: Delhi Police Tuesday recovered 275 more blank diplomatic passports from a garbage dump in the city following the discovery that the sensitive documents had gone missing from the airport here last week.
The missing passports were recovered from Githorni area in south Delhi, where waste materials from the airport are dumped.
However, sleuths of Delhi Police were yet to recover 41 passports out of a total 500 that had gone missing.
"Search is still underway to recover the remaining passports. We are still verifying the date of arrival of the passports from the government's security press in Nashik. No arrests have been made yet," Joint Commissioner of Police Aditya Arya told IANS.
The matter came to light May 24 when 100 blank diplomatic passports were found in a heap of garbage and 84 more inside a water tank in the premises of the domestic airport.
Police registered a case of theft and launched investigation along with the Intelligence Bureau.
30/05/07 IANS/Economic Times

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Chandigarh on international map soon

Chandigarh: Chandigarh will be soon on international map, as Chandigarh will have its international airport. This was disclosed by the Governor of Punjab and Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, Gen. (Retd) S.F. Rodrigues at New Delhi today while addressing the 53rd meeting of the National Development Council's special session on Food and Agriculture.
General Rodrigues said that Government of India has already given his consent on the issue of international airport for Chandigarh. He said that the though Chandigarh is a small territory yet it was best located adjoining to Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
29/05/07 PunjabNewsline.com

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GVK has feeder airline plans, to operate from small city airports

Airports developer GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd has teamed up with a domestic carrier to launch a new airline to capitalize on the country’s aviation and airports boom, focusing especially on 35 tier-II city airports across the country where airports are up for modernization bids.
The proposed airline will connect the district capitals of various states to their state capitals or the nearest metro using small aircraft that seat around 70 passengers or less. The company said it would launch the airline service only in states where it wins bids to develop airports.
“We have already tied up with a domestic liner whose name I would not like to disclose,” said G.V. Krishna Reddy, chairman and managing director, GVK Power, in an interview with Mint.
“While they (the domestic carrier) will do the flying, we will handle all the management functions (of the airport) while someone else may handle the commercial operations,” he added.
According to people familiar with the situation, GVK could be one of the companies that General Electric Co. is speaking to for developing various airports that are being thrown open to the private sector for upgradation and development .
Reddy said GVK would float a new joint venture firm along with its partners to develop the airports and operate the airline. Reddy declined to further elaborate on the new company’s operations.
29/05/07 Utpal Bhaskar and C.R. Sukumar/Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Airport upgrade: GE Looks to Unite With India Firms

General Electric Co. is looking to team up with some of India's top construction companies to help the U.S. company win lucrative contracts as India upgrades its airports, a news report said Tuesday.
GE officials have begun talks with at least three Indian companies - Larsen and Toubro Ltd., Gammon India Ltd. and the GVK group, the Mint financial newspaper reported.
India is expected to spend about US$12 billion (euro8.9 billion) over the next 15 years in upgrading airports, according to a joint study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Sydney-based Center for Asia-Pacific Aviation
The country's airports have failed to keep pace with a boom in air travel that has followed the country's rapid economic expansion, making traffic chaos and flight delays routine.
Airports at New Delhi and Mumbai, which handle more than two-thirds of international flights into India, are being modernized and expanded, while Bangalore - the country's technology hub - is building a new airport. Airports in several other cities are getting upgrades.
29/05/07 AP/Forbes, US

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Govt plans massive airport expansion

New Delhi: The New Delhi airport is taking off and so is Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai are on the runway for fast transformation.
However, the government is thinking even bigger. A study commissioned by the government says that by year 2020, 400 million passengers will be flying by air and airlines in India will be flying at least 1,000 aircraft, almost five times the number of aircraft in the country at present.
No wonder the government will need a huge investment in airport infrastructure. The report also states that by 2020 India will need $30 billion investment in airports. Out of which $9 billion has already been committed. So government needs a further $21 billion.
Mumbai may need three airports by that time while Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata will need a second airport.
So the government is getting its policy ready for airport construction. The report suggests that the government should allow 100 per cent private ownership of airports, give more powers to state governments, start projects with big companies and corporatise air traffic control.
The government has already started work on merchant airports, greenfield airports wholly owned by private players with no government participation.
28/05/07 NDTV.com

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Rs 651 cr earmarked for airlink in Northeast

Guwahati: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will invest Rs 651 crore in the eleventh plan for the development of airports in the Northeast.
The airports authority has earmarked Rs 66 crore for 2007-08 and Rs 127 crore for 2008-09. AAI sources said the investment was imperative because of increased passenger traffic and private sector participation in the region.
The AAI has proposed several projects for the region during the plan period.
In Guwahati, it proposes to construct an international terminal building for 500 passengers with all modern amenities and an additional parking bay.
In Silchar, it proposes to expand and modify the terminal building to accommodate 500 passengers and an additional car park.
It also plans to develop non-operational airports in the region. The North Eastern Council (NEC) has asked it to prepare detailed project reports for airports like Tura in Meghalaya and Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh to make them operational.
Sources said the AAI has also asked the Arunachal Pradesh government to identify a probable site at Tawang for the development of an airport. Plans are also afoot to construct an airport at Kokrajhar.
28/05/07 The Telegraph

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Govt looking for international airport site in Kandra/Ghatisila areas

Jamshedpur: The Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) here has urged the Madhu Koda government to address the various long-pending issues marring the state's industrial development.
On air connectivity for the steel city, which apart from steel and automobile giants Tata Steel and Tata Motors, houses hundreds of other industrial units, Koda had told the delegation that the government was looking for a suitable international airport site in the Kandra/Ghatisila areas 35km & 50km, respectively, from here.
"We have several renowned companies, but foreign buyers are unable to reach the place by air, which is affecting their business," added the SCCI president.
The steel city already has an airstrip operated by Tata Steel. Supported by the steel major, Air Deccan has already declared its intention of starting service soon.
28/05/07 Financial Express

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Centaur not to be razed till 2012

New Delhi: The suspense over Centaur Hotel's future — whether it will stay till Commonwealth Games or not — is finally over. Air India, whose subsidiary Hotel Corp of India runs the place, has learnt from the GMR-backed Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL) that the hotel won't be knocked down, at least till 2012. And if air traffic does not grow fast enough to necessitate construction of the second new terminal, then it may even remain till 2016, said a senior AI official.
In the first phase of development, DIAL is building an integrated domestic-cum-international airport and a runway, all of which have to be ready by 2010. In the next phase, one more runway has to be built and Centaur lies in the path of this proposed strip. Hence, DIAL had last year told AI that the Centaur will have to be demolished.
"We had asked the airport management to give exact timeframe, as plans to renovate the hotel were on hold. As many as 100 of its 376 rooms are locked as they have become unusable over the years. A Rs 13-crore plan was prepared to renovate 100 rooms, refurbish 50 others and modernise the flight kitchen in the hotel," said the official.
Now with DIAL removing the sword over Centaur's head, AI will begin the renovation.
29/05/07 Times of India

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Airport Show opens in Dubai

Massive airport development and expansion across the Middle East, Africa and Indian Subcontinent and the major issues affecting operators, local authorities, airlines and passengers, came under the spotlight Monday when the seventh Airport Show opened in Dubai.
According to research carried out by the organisers, Streamline Marketing Group, airport development and expansions worth nearly US$60 billion are currently taking place across the region, with US$ 20 billion in the UAE alone.
More than 500 suppliers – up 25% on last year – have been attracted to the three-day event at Airport Expo Dubai, including key projects such as the US$ 8.2 billion Dubai World Central International Airport, the US$ 5.5 billion New Doha International Airport project, the US$ 6.8 billion expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport and the US$ 4.5 billion revamp of Dubai International Airport.
The suppliers represent three main areas – ‘Build’, which includes airport planning, design and construction; ‘Supply’, including technical systems and installations, security and lighting; and ‘Operate’, which includes ground handling, fuelling and air traffic control.
All exhibitors have pre-arranged meetings with buyers representing a record 30 civil aviation authorities from across the region, including Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, China and India.
Three conferences, focusing on aviation security, ground handling and air traffic control, run alongside the show for the first time this year and will be a major highlight.
29/05/07 ASIATravelTips.com, Thailand

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Bangalore airport design flawed

Bangalore: The Union civil aviation ministry has given its stamp of approval to the GMR Hyderabad International Airport but dumped the design for the Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli.
In a letter sent to the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) in May first week, the Union civil aviation ministry has expressed serious reservations over the quality of the airport design.
The points of concern pertain to structural design itself. For example, three sides of the terminal building's floor at Bangalore are below ground level.
The Centre is also unhappy about the lack of a canopy outside the terminal building, again in view of the rain. Design factors like lack of distance between the escalators/ staircases have also been pointed out.
"The look of this airport is also like that of a factory; there is no international flair. In contrast, the Hyderabad airport looks truly international. They have used the best of the consultants for everything. Even the additions AAI has made to the Mumbai airport look better,"officials said.
The ministry has suggested that colour and geometric shapes should be used to make the airport look bright and lively. Hyderabad prides itself on its "spacious and abundant natural light".
This is the second time the Centre has complained about the quality of Bangalore airport.
29/05/07 Times of India

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MLA’s Baggage tampered with

The lock on an MLA’s suitcase has gone missing on a flight from Delhi to Calcutta on Monday. Bharati Mutsuddi, CPM legislator from Haripal, also complained that the contents of the suitcase had been rummaged through.
The MLA arrived in the city around noon on an Air Deccan flight. She was carrying a red suitcase as registered luggage. “I had put a special lock on it so that I could identify it easily. However, when it arrived on the conveyor belt, it was without the lock,” she said.
Mutsuddi initially thought it was a different suitcase but a closer look confirmed it was hers. “I was shocked to see the lock missing,” said the MLA.
The Central Industrial Security Force personnel took her to the airport manager’s office. “He asked me to lodge a complaint with the airline,” said Mutsuddi. She did accordingly. In the evening, she opened the suitcase for the first time and found somebody had rummaged through the contents.
“A probe will be carried out,” said an Air Deccan official in Calcutta. The airline’s ground handling has been outsourced to a private agency.
29/05/07 The Telegraph

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Disappearance of laptops, cellphones haunts Kolkata airport

Kolkata: When you board a flight from Kolkata, zealously guard your laptops and cellphones during the security check at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose international airport before entering the plane.
There have been several cases of expensive electronic gadgets vanishing from the conveyer belt of the X-ray machine or from the plastic tray during the X-ray scan. But Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel and airport officials are yet to crack the mysterious thefts.
Last week, yet another mobile phone went missing after it was placed in the tray for an X-ray scan. It belonged to Darshan Sheth, a passenger travelling from Kolkata to Guwahati by an Indian flight. After he raised a hue and cry, CISF showed him the feed from a closed-circuit camera placed near the security-check counter.
“The camera was positioned in such a way that the all-important view was obstructed by a pillar”, said Sheth.
Recently, another passenger lost his laptop. And many cellphones have been lost in the airport X-ray zone.
Passenger Judhajit Majumder, an IT professional, was all set to board a Bangalore-bound Air Sahara flight when he lost his laptop and mobile phones.
29/05/07 Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

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‘Security screening gap will be bridged’

Mumbai: A complicated procedure of relocating the security screening area of terminal 2-C from the mezzanine to the departure level on the first floor, which has nearly trebled the passenger hold area from 2,800 mts to 10,000 mts, shifting four X-ray machines, baggage scanners and security personnel, plus coordinating with various airport stakeholders — including airlines, immigration, and CISF — was concluded at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Saturday.
All of this, without disrupting flight movements — nearly 400-500 passengers use terminal 2-C every hour during peak hours.
Confirming the move, a spokesperson for the Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL) said that the “idea was to create a sterile area by consolidating all the checks at one level.”
In effect, this means that after check-in, passengers can complete immigration and proceed for handbag screening at the departure level itself. Then on, they can head to the mezzanine level, which will be a passenger waiting area, prior to boarding their flights.
From a security perspective, things will be more streamlined since there will be a more even spread of passenger flow — “there were times when we would have too many passengers at once, and times when there would be trickle in. This gap in security screening will now be bridged,” said Sanjay Prakash, Senior Commandant, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
28/05/07 Mumbai Newsline

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India protests detention of film-maker in Malaysia

New Delhi: India has lodged a protest with Malaysian government over detention of an Indian film-maker there and asked it to ensure that such incidents do not recur.
The Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has asked the Malaysian government to conduct an inquiry into the incident involving night-long detention of Sanjeev Mishra by immigration officials at the airport.
Mishra, who was accompanied by a German partner, was accosted by RELA personnel on May 14 night and bundled into a van that was full of Bangladeshis, sources told PTI.
He was not allowed to talk to anybody and was taken to Chowkit detention centre, they said.
In the wee hours of the next day, Mishra was able to talk to one of the local contacts who informed the High Commission. He was released in the early morning of May 15.
The High Commission has sent a letter to the Malaysian Foreign Ministry protesting the detention.
28/05/07 PTI/The Hindu

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Millionaire given bail, DRI livid

Mumbai /Pune: Ducking from the probing flashes of the media at the Azad Maidan police station in Mumbai on Sunday evening, millionaire builder Avinash Bhosale was preparing for the worst.
Bhonsle claimed a tax refund at the Heathrow airport saying he would pay the same in India. When he reached Mumbai he tried to walk through the green channel and avoid customs with Rs 47 lakh in travellers cheques and five diamond studded watches.
He was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) early on Sunday morning, not knowing that authorities in London had tipped off Mumbai about him.
DRI officials then sent Bhosale, their biggest catch in months, to the Azad Maidan police station, for the night. When they turned up on Monday, Bhosale was gone, given bail late on Sunday night.
The DRI now wants to know why it was not told that Bhosale was getting bailed out and what the hurry was.
28/09/07 Toral Varia & Shilpa Dhamija/CNN-IBN

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State blamed for airport delay

Malda/Balurghat: Civil aviation minister Praful Patel has accused the Bengal government of not responding to requests for land and infrastructure to get the Malda aerodrome running again.
In response to a query by information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, Patel said 400 acres of additional land would be required to restart commercial flights from Malda.
“A team of Airports Authority of India officers was deputed to examine the present status of the airport infrastructure. The team has reported that development works at Malda airport require 400 acres of additional land, removal/diversion of obstacles…. The response of the state government is still awaited,” Patel wrote.
A copy of the letter is with The Telegraph.
State chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb declined comment, saying he has to first see what Patel has written.
In neighbouring South Dinajpur, the airports authority has started building a wall around the aerodrome there.
27/05/07 The Telegraph

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300 diplomatic passports missing from Delhi airport

A consignment of more than 300 blank diplomatic passports from the government's high-security printing press at Nashik in Maharashtra has been missing from the domestic airport in the Capital, police said Sunday.
The matter came to light on May 24 when over 100 blank diplomatic passports were found in a water tank and 84 more in a garbage heap in the airport premises, following which police registered a case of theft and launched an extensive probe along with the Intelligence Bureau.
Police said the consignment, meant for the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi, originally contained 500 blank diplomatic passports, which were to be sent to various Indian missions and embassies abroad. Thus, 306 such passports remained untraced.
The discovery has left the government in a tizzy since the blank diplomatic passports are liable to be misused.
Police along with the Intelligence Bureau sleuths have questioned over 150 people including some senior airport officials as well some policemen posted at the Palam Airport police station.
27/05/07 Indo-Asian News Service/Hindustan Times

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Chennai airport modernisation to be taken by PM's Infra Committee

New Delhi: A final decision on Chennai airport modernisation and the creation of a greenfield airport near the Tamil Nadu capital is likely to be taken up by Prime Minister's Committee on Infrastructure.
Official sources said that at its next meeting, the infrastructure panel would consider various aspects, including pros and cons of a new greenfield airport near Chennai, before taking a final view on the matter.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi, had recently announced that Chennai airport revamp as well as development of a greenfield airport would be handled by Airports Authority of India. West Bengal government has already entrusted the Kolkata airport modernisation work to the AAI.
The DMK government was planning to have a greenfield airport at Sriperumbudur and Tiruvallur talukas near Chennai, Karunanidhi had said after a meeting of all legislative party leaders.
He had also said the existing airport at Meenambakkam would be the expanded to Manapakkam, Kolapakkam, Kerugambakkam and Tharapakkam in Sriperumbudur talukas and the government would provide suitable compensation to 947 households in these areas and rehabilitate them.
On the greenfield airport, the sources however, said the current traffic projections show that the southern metropolis does not require a second airport in the next 12-13 years.
28/05/07 PTI/The Hindu

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Greater Noida realty rates may fly on airport talks

New Delhi: UP chief minister Mayawati’s push for a second international airport at Greater Noida may come as a shot in the arm for realty players. Real estate analysts expect that capital value of existing residential, commercial, retail and hospitality projects in Noida and Greater Noida are likely to go up in the short term.
However, one concern is this may even lead to speculative rise in real estate rates, with focus of investors shifting from Gurgaon to Noida. “If a well-planned international airport does come up at Greater Noida, this could mark the beginning of shift in the development axis from Gurgaon to Noida in the long-term,” noted Mr Ankur Srivastava, managing director, DTZ India, a real estate consultancy firm.
Aviation analysts point out given the traffic growth in Delhi airport, a second airport in the city is quiet viable, without impacting the bottom line of the first one. Moreover, the GMR group, which is involved in upgrading the Delhi International Airport, has the right to match the highest bidder for the new airport, if they are within 10% of the bid figure.
“As per our passenger traffic projections, Delhi should have over 25 million passengers by 2010. The second airport can very well take some load off us,” Points out a spokesperson from the GMR Group. GMR Group is already modelling the development of the current airport as an Aeropolis or “a city within the airport” encompassing hotels,commercial office space, convention centre, and space for leisure activities.
28/05/07 Sudipto Dey/Economic Times

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Airport slum dwellers sweat it out

It was a typical Sunday in most Mumbai households. People watched movies, ate out and spent time with their families and friends. In stark contrast to this, thousands of men, women and children stood in the scorching sun for four hours. These people — slum dwellers who have lived near Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport for the past few decades — were protesting against the Mumbai International Airport Limited’s (MIAL) expansion plans as they face the prospect of being relocated to Dahisar or Mankhurd.
The Sangharsha Samiti, had therefore, called for a ‘One-Day Agitation for Rehabilitation’, where nearly 10,000 slum dwellers, led by BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde and Parag Alwani, corporator and group leader in the BMC were to camp at a plot opposite Hansa Bhugra Marg, at Kalina University Campus. But the police bandobast prevented them to do so.
“This 30-acre land belongs to the university. Some part of it was given to the Hyatt while a part of it is being used to make a tennis court and stadium. Under the law slum dwellers should always be rehabilitated in the vicinity. We are fighting so that these people, from 80,000 hutments, can be rehabilitated here,” said Alwani, chairman of the Sangharsha Samiti.
Alwani pointed out that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has several plots in the vicinity — like the one between the Reliance Energy office and Milan Subway along the Western Express Highway, or another between the Le Meridian hotel and the Andheri-Kurla road.
28/05/07 Megha Chaturvedi/Daily News & Analysis

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Top builder from Pune detained at Mumbai airport

Pune: Even as the news of city-based prominent builder Avinash Bhosale being detained and interrogated at the Mumbai airport trickled in on Sunday morning, the local builders community was taken by complete surprise.
Bhosale was reportedly being questioned by directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) sleuths on charges of attempting to sneak in foreign currency on his arrival from London at Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport on Saturday night.
Bhosale was not contactable, but an employee at his residence, who picked up his cellphone on Sunday afternoon, told The Indian Express that they are unaware about any news of his detention. “We have not heard anything,” said Satyen Dravadian, adding that the entire family was away from home. “Avinash Bhosale is in a meeting,” he said.
From a small time builder to one of the biggest developers in Pune in less than a decade, Avinash Bhosale’s meteoric rise is unparalleled since he arrived on the city’s construction scene in 1980s and founded the Avinash Bhosale Group.
27/05/07 Pune Newsline

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Kerala’s first helicopter service to start ‘soon’

Doha: The first helicopter service to start from the Aranmula airport in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district will be launched in about six months, said the managing director of the airport company and US based Indian businessman Abraham Kalamannil yesterday.
Kalamannil, who runs a number of educational institutions in the district was addressing journalists at a meeting hosted by expatriate forum Friends of Tiruvalla (Fota).
The NRI businessman said more than 250 acres of land required for the airport had already been acquired and work was in full swing.
More than 5000ft of the 8000 ft long run way presently planned for the airport, has already been filled and the work is continuing at a fast pace to fill the remaining piece of land.
Aranmula Aviation Limited is developing the airport project. Doha resident Dr K C Chacko is the vice-chairman of the company.
Sasidharan Nair, another US-based NRI is the chairman of the company.
Earlier it was announced that a meeting of the Aranmula Airport Limited will be held at Travancore Nest, Qatar Malayali Samajam, this evening.
Kalamannil will inaugurate the sale of airport shares to Qatar residents at the meeting which is being hosted by Fota.
28/05/07 Gulf Times, Qatar

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Man forgets bag at airport, pays Rs 500

Kolkata: Madan Reddy had mistakenly left behind his bag at the check-in-counter of the Indian on Sunday. However, this mistake put the domestic terminal of the city airport on a high alert.
Suspecting that the bag contained explosives, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) was pressed into action. After an extensive search with sniffer dogs, the BDDS officials, however, found no explosives inside the bag.
The bag was then put into the custody of the manager of the domestic terminal. Finally, Mr Reddy was traced and the bag was handed over to him after he paid a fine of Rs 500.
Sources said, Mr Reddy arrived at the airport on Sunday afternoon to board an Indigo flight bound for Hyderabad. During the check-in process, he left one of his bags at the check-in-counter of the Indian.
27/05/07 Asian Age

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Delhi airport scores over Mumbai delays

Mumbai: The Delhi airport will have a head start of about two years over the Mumbai airport, according to a report by Macquarie Research. The development of the Mumbai airport has run into delays over slum encroachment.
Land earmarked for the new runway at the Mumbai airport is encroached by slum dwellers and the land acquisition process could take a while to sort out. Delhi airport has, on the other hand, not only finalised designs for the new runway and passenger terminal building but has also awarded construction contracts. The expanded capacity is expected to come on stream by 2010-11, ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
The Delhi and Mumbai airports are being upgraded through private-public partnership ventures. The development of Delhi airport was awarded to a consortium led by the GMR group, while another consortium led by the GVK Group has bagged the contract for Mumbai airport. The Airports Authority of India holds 26 per cent stakes in each of these joint ventures and the respective consortiums hold 74 per cent. The government estimates investments of Rs 7,961 crore and Rs 6,131 crore over 20 years for the Delhi and Mumbai airport upgrades respectively.
27/05/07 Lalatendu Mishra/Hindustan Times

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Thai drug mules caught in India

New Delhi: Two Thai women were arrested in India for trying to smuggle drugs to Thailand after smuggling capsules with the narcotics, police said on Saturday.
Identified only as Pranee and Nungrutai by authorities, they are in custody at a New Delhi hospital and the capsules are being flushed out of their stomachs. Thirty-four capsules have been recovered till now - one capsule can contain between 8 to 16 gms of contraband.
Police are not even certain of what drug they were carrying. The women were then taken to a court where the Customs took permission for medically examining the accused. "We are carrying out the flushing of capsules from their stomach," said a customs official. The process will probably take two to three more days, he said. A Customs official said 20 capsules had been recovered from one accused and 14 from the other.
Pranee (37) and Nungrutai (20) were arrested by Customs at the IGI Airport two days ago as they were crossing the customs check on their way to boarding a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok.
Officials are now trying to track down the missing links in the chain. But the accused do not appear to know much about the suppliers. "They have just been able to tell us that the men in Delhi who supplied them drugs were Nigerians. We are interrogating them and have gathered some leads. More arrests are likely," an official said.
27/05/07 Bangkok Post, Thailand

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Thai drug mules caught in India

New Delhi: Two Thai women were arrested in India for trying to smuggle drugs to Thailand after smuggling capsules with the narcotics, police said on Saturday.
Identified only as Pranee and Nungrutai by authorities, they are in custody at a New Delhi hospital and the capsules are being flushed out of their stomachs. Thirty-four capsules have been recovered till now - one capsule can contain between 8 to 16 gms of contraband.
Police are not even certain of what drug they were carrying. The women were then taken to a court where the Customs took permission for medically examining the accused. "We are carrying out the flushing of capsules from their stomach," said a customs official. The process will probably take two to three more days, he said. A Customs official said 20 capsules had been recovered from one accused and 14 from the other.
Pranee (37) and Nungrutai (20) were arrested by Customs at the IGI Airport two days ago as they were crossing the customs check on their way to boarding a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok.
Officials are now trying to track down the missing links in the chain. But the accused do not appear to know much about the suppliers. "They have just been able to tell us that the men in Delhi who supplied them drugs were Nigerians. We are interrogating them and have gathered some leads. More arrests are likely," an official said.
27/05/07 Bangkok Post, Thailand

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Delhi, Mumbai airports running behind schedule, face penalties

New Delhi: The private managers of the airports at New Delhi and Mumbai, who are spending more than Rs5,000 crore to upgrade the two airports to meet a March 2010 deadline, are set to be penalized for delays in the execution of modernization projects, the civil aviation ministry said.
The ongoing delays, ranging between a few weeks for Delhi and up to six months for the Mumbai airport, raise the prospect that the two projects could miss the deadline of the much anticipated Commonwealth Games, scheduled for October 2010, according to one independent analyst.
The airports in the two metros, which handle more than half of India’s air-passenger traffic, which was about 32 million passengers in 2006, were given on a 30-year lease to private consortia.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the consortium in charge of airport modernization in the capital, is led by Hyderabad business house GMR Group. Meanwhile, the GVK Group, also led from Hyderabad, was awarded the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (Mial) contract.
Under an “operations, management and development agreement” with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the regulator that looks after airport development in the country, by the end of fiscal 2010, both operators are to execute about 32 mandatory “subprojects” each, including upgradation of passenger facilities, modern runways, new terminal buildings and other infrastructure. But work at both the airports is running behind schedule.
26/05/07 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Mumbai to relocate airport slums

Mumbai: Vast tracts of salt pan land could ease up Mumbai's staggering housing problem with the Centre's willingness to open it up for slum rehabilitation.
The Mumbai airport is eyeing at least 180 acres to rehouse 32 slums with at least 65,000 families that are currently occupying airport land. Specifically salt pan land in Mulund, Kanjurmarg, Wadala in the east and Borivali in the west.
At least five private builders have already shown an interest in helping out the Mumbai airport through SRA model, wherein a private developer will construct houses for slum-dwellers.
''They are quite large tracts of land straddling about 5,000 acres. We are also looking whether there are urban lands available,'' said GV Sanjay Reddy, MD, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL).
MIAL says that at the end, these slum dwellers are encroachers and not legal residents of the land and they will have to go in the next three-five years. The removal of the slums on airport land will free 276 acres of land right in the heart of the city, land that is crucial for upgrading the Mumbai airport.
25/05/07 Miloni Bhatt/NDTV.com

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Modern airport: Lohegaon gone, hopes rest with Chakan II

Pune: With Lohegaon airport having missed the bus to modernisation due to non-availability of land, the only option the city now has to get a modern international airport is at the site at Chakan II where the Indian Air Force has given its clearance for a runway. A socio-economic feasibility report has also been conducted by the Airports Authority of India.
Nearly 10 of the 35 non-metro airports including Chandigarh, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Port Blair, Agra, Dehradun, Agatti, Udaipur, Goa and Jammu, besides Pune are in the same boat. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has set December 2007 as the deadline to complete the process of selecting joint-venture partners for individual airports or clusters of airports.
The modernisation would require a minimum of 100 acres. The AAI’s proposal for earmarking 200 acres of vacant land south of the Lohegaon airport for developing infrastructure was given an in-principle nod last June. Airport Advisory Committee president Suresh Kalmadi had then said that AAI’s demand for earmarking the land had been met with.
Subsequently, Lohegaon airport director, Deepak Shastri said they had given the AAI the input that land for modernisation was not available in Pune.
The civil aviation ministry had excluded Pune from the list of non-metro airports slated for city-side development through public private partnerships (PPP) last October.
25/05/07 Expressindia.com

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Nagpur airport security plan put up for nod

Nagpur: An exhaustive draft security programme and contingency plan for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International (DAI) Airport has been put up for approval.
Following the directive of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Airports Authority of India (AAI), the 500-page draft proposal has been prepared under the supervision of chief airport security officer, CASO. The draft-completed within a span of around 90 days-was complied adhering to the standard and recommended practice (SARP) followed by the ICAO.
The airport security programme (ASP) of DAI, Nagpur, outlines the role and responsibility of each specific agency operational at airports across the nation so that airport, vital installations, properties, aircraft, passengers and public and operational facilities of the civil aviation are safeguard. ASP is basically prepared to meet the requirement of the civil aviation security programme. Airport controller is entrusted with the responsibility of enforcement of airport security plan.
Discussed in a recent meeting among other security issues, the ministry of civil aviation has proposed to ensure that all the airport authorities are ready with their specific security and contingency plan. Once approved by the Bureau of Civil Aviation security (BCAS) and Commissioner of Security, Civil Aviation (COSCA), the prepared guidelines would be mandatory for each and every agencies functional at the airports.
26/05/07 Times of India

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Defence Ministry, AAI to inspect runway

Visakhapatnam: The Defence Ministry and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) will conduct a joint inspection of the newly laid runway and other facilities at the Visakhapatnam airport on Friday.
Joint Secretary of Defence Ministry B. Vinay Kumar and AAI Chairman K. Ramalingam will be here for the purpose following a request by Visakhapatnam MP and former Chief Minister N. Janardhana Reddy to utilise the new facilities at the earliest.
Talking to mediapersons after a telephonic chat with officials concerned on Thursday, Mr. Reddy said: "When I urged the Defence Minister to commission the new runway, he told me that there were still some defects to be rectified and the work is not complete. So, I spoke to the Defence and Civil Aviation departments. Tomorrow, Mr. Vinay Kumar and Mr. Ramalingam will make a personal inspection of the runway and other facilities and take a decision. At least, we will know where we stand," he said.
Mr. Reddy hoped that the new runway would be commissioned at the earliest to pave way for increased traffic. While only about 10,000 or so travelled by air in a year a decade ago, their number increased to four lakhs now and it could go up further by next year in the fast growing city. Hence the need to open the airport to traffic round-the-clock on all 365 days, he pointed out.
25/05/07 Siasat Daily

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Women arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport for smuggling heroin from India

Two Thai women were arrested Friday for allegedly smuggling in heroin bars into the kingdom from India.
Officials from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and 191 emergency police stopped the women at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
The arrest followed the arrest of a Thai man and his sister on Tuesday for smuggling in heroin from India by swallowing 50 bars of the drug each. ONCB secretary-general Kitti Limchaikij said the two suspects disclosed that three Thai women would be hired to smuggle in more heroin Friday.
Kitti said officials monitored the airport and managed to arrest only two of the women but the other managed to sneak through the checking and got away.
Each of the women was found t to have swallowed 50 heroin bars each.
The two admitted that they were hired to smuggle in the drug to Bangkok and it would be later shipped to China.
25/05/07 Nation Multimedia, Thailand

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‘$2.27m Found on Capt. Ojedokun Approved’

Abuja: Nigerian Miltary may have approved the $2.27 million found on the Nigerian Defence Attaché to India, Navy Captain G. A. Ojedokun, for which he was arrested by Indian security agencies,
a senior officer in the Military who would not want his name in print yesterday clarified that the money was duly approved by the Ministry of Defence for certain projects earmarked for the Nigerian High Commission in India.
He said the money was part of an approval released for the project after the endorsement of the Defence Ministry, pointing out that the project was initially meant to be undertaken by the former Defence Adviser, also a Navy Captain, who is currently
attending the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, in Kuru near Jos, Plateau State.
"Following the appointment of the new Defence Adviser, the cost of the project was reviewed downwards. From our discussions with the Ojedokun and investigations, we discovered that the officer was trying to return the money which is the balance of the original sum that was approved to the country.”
The senior officer explained that problems arose when he failed to declare that he had such an amount of money on him, which is normal international practice.
Explaining that the arrested Captain has since been released and has resumed duties at the Nigerian mission in India, the senior officer said the incident was blown out of proportion simply because it involved a diplomat.
When contacted for comments on the development, a senior official of the ministry who pleaded anonymity said “the Defence headquarters has set up a board of enquiry to further investigate the incident and unravel the circumstances surrounding it."
24/05/07 Juliana Taiwo/This Day, Nigeria

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Mangalore airport expansion likely to be delayed

Mangalore: The commencement of work on an integrated terminal building at Bajpe (Mangalore) airport of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is likely to be delayed as the State Government has not shifted 66 families from the area where a terminal building, an apron, taxi way and other associated facilities have to come up.
Sources in the AAI told The Hindu that work on the construction of the apron, at an estimated cost of Rs. 19 crore, had begun and 10 per cent of the work had been completed. Work on the construction of the terminal building, taxi way and other associated facilities was yet to begin.
The AAI was finding it to difficult to proceed further with the work on the apron, as the Government had not shifted families from the project site. If the work had to be completed at least some families had to be shifted. The apron would come up in an area of 43,620 square metres, the sources said.
25/05/07 The Hindu/Daijiworld.com

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Bullets seized from passenger

Chennai: The CISF personnel today seized four bullets from a passenger bound for Coimbatore on a Paramount Airways flight at the airport here.
A PWD contractor from Palayamkottai, Murugesan (47) went into the check-in area with the cartridges. CISF personnel, on on checking his bag, found the bullets.
When questioned, Murugesan produced the licence for the cartridges and claimed that he had forgotten to declare them.
He was let off after the bullets were seized, airport sources said, adding that Murugesan later cancelled his trip.
The Paramount flight, which was scheduled to leave at 1400 hrs, was delayed by half an hour due to the incident.
24/05/07 PTI/The Hindu

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Lease out airports to private players: Assocham

New Delhi: Indian government can attract huge private investments by leasing out its under-utilized air-strips and airports to private players, industry body Assocham said.
Private developers can turn such airports and airstrips into merchant airports and each of them would fetch a revenue of Rs 100 crore on an average for the government, according to an estimate by the chamber.
If the government leases out 200 of 450 airstrips and airports to private airport developers for a period of 66 years, government can get Rs 20,000 crore worth of private investment, it added.
Assocham said merchant airports can efficiently cater to civil aviation requirement on feeder routes and save the economy a loss of at least Rs 2 lakh crore per annum.
The chamber also suggested that government should set up a single window clearance system for giving approvals and clearance from air traffic clearance and other regularity agencies for such projects.
24/05/07 Zee News

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Cargo lifting made easier

Hyderabad: Bills of entry and claim of imported cargo have been made much easier in the Air Cargo Complex in Hyderabad.
Importers of goods need not wait for long hours or days to take delivery of their consignment with the introduction of risk management system (RMS). The average assessment time has come down to just two hours from 46 hours and that of customs examination from 18 hours to six hours.
Chief Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise Jasdeep V. Singh launched the facility here on Wednesday.
" The RMS facility has revolutionised the procedure," she said and urged custom house agents (CHAs) to put the facility to optimum use. Hyderabad is the seventh airport in India to have this facility.
Additional Director-General (Systems) Arun Sahu said the objective of the RMS was to strike an optimal balance between facilitation and enforcement to enable low-risk consignments to be cleared by accepting the self-assessment submitted by importers.
24/05/07 Siasat Daily

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Vizag new terminal building to be completed by 2008

Visakhapatnam: The progress on the modernisation work of airport was explained during the Airport Advisory Committee meeting held here on Wednesday.
The officials told Visakhapatnam MP and former Chief Minister N. Janardhana Reddy, who presided over the meeting, that works on the runway and night landing facility were completed. Calibration of the runway to receive wide-bodied aircraft was also done.
He was also told that the Rs. 95-crore new terminal building would be completed by 2008 and that flood control measures were being taken up.
General Manager (projects) of the Airport Authority of India H.S. Suresh explained about the works on the airport while Superintending Engineer (irrigation) K. Damodara Rao said that Rs.15 crores was so far on the Rs. 74-crore project to construct channels to send excess water from Meghadrigedda and Kondagedda reservoirs into the sea without inundating the airport. He also said that a quarry belonging to a contractor should be closed as it was proving to be a hurdle for the channel from Meghadrigedda reservoir.
The Naval and airport authorities would meet on Friday to decide when to commence operations on the newly extended runway. Mr. Pattabhi said that the new facilities would be made operational soon.
24/05/07 Siasat Daily

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Mumbai airport 'landlocked'

Mumbai: When one talks of encroachment on airport land, the images that come to mind are of the slums.
But there are other colonies rather housing colonies that stand on 150 acres of prime land belonging to the Mumbai airport.
There are colonies for Air India employees, Indian Airlines, The Posts and Telegraph Department and Central Public Works Department.
They were all built in the last 50 years and which now need to be tackled.
"We have approached these companies and they have agreed to densify these areas in such a manner that excess land becomes available for the airport," said G V Sanjay Reddy, MD MIAL.
By densifying they mean, building taller towers to pack in the 4,500 houses currently occupying over 150 acres into just half the area.
But there is a problem, there are four schools, community halls and a sports pavilion in the colonies and shifting all this means money, which is a problem.
24/05/07 Miloni Bhatt/NDTV.com

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Airlines security review

Airports and aircraft continue to face a major threat - the past year alone has seen a number of alerts at airports around the country, and incidents that exposed glaring lapses in the security setup at airports:
The subject of a letter from the Civil Aviation ministry to all domestic airlines and major airport authorities – a copy of which is available to TIMES NOW - says it all. A meeting has been called to review and revamp security at airports and inside aircraft. And indeed the issues to be addressed are many...
- Access to areas in airports will be shifted to smart card and biometric systems. Fingerprints and smart cards cannot easily be faked
-An APIS or advance passenger information system is being implemented, that puts passenger information in the hands of security agencies before the passenger even arrives, so that suspicious persons can be singled out.
-Passenger profiling, a new for the Indian aviation industry, is being considered. The controversial procedure classifies passengers on the basis of region, even religion, for more stringent security checks.
-And finally, there will be contingency plans at various airports to deal with extreme events like hijackings and attacks. Small detachments of the crack NSG might even be deployed at major airports to reduce reaction time.
24/05/07 Times Now.tv

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Plaza to manage lounges at Hyd Intl Airport

Hyderabad: GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) has signed a deal with Plaza Premium Lounge of Hong Kong to maintain and manage lounges at the upcoming international airport at Shamshabad. The agreement is for a period of seven years from the date of operation of the airport.
Plaza Premium currently manages and operates 21 airport lounges in seven international airports including the Hong Kong International Airport and the Changi Airport in Singapore.
The Shamshabad airport lounge will be spread over 17,000 square feet. The services to be offered include a business centre, self-service buffet counters and drinks bar, limousine services and other guest services.
23/05/07 Business Standard

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New greenfield airport in Chennai: MK

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today announced the setting up of a new greenfield airport apart from the expansion of the existing airport at Meenambakkam.
The expansion of the existing airport would be taken up at Manapakkam, Kolapakkam, Kerugambakkam and Tharapakkam in Sriperumbudur taluk, Karunanidhi told reporters here today after a resolution to this effect was adopted at a meeting of the legislative party leaders held at the Secretariat.
While the greenfield airport would come up on 4,820.66 acres, expansion of the existing airport would be done on 1,069.99 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore, he said.
Karunanidhi said that the work for both the expansion and the greenfield airports would be entrusted to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The government would provide suitable compensation to 947 households in these areas and also rehabilitation to them.
The rehabilitation would be done in the first phase of the expansion work itself, he said.
Land acquisition was estimated to cost Rs 1,000 crore and construction would need an investment of another Rs 1,000 crore, he added.
22/05/07 Chennai Online

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Airbus makes maiden landing in city of destiny

Visakhapatnam: Kingfisher created history by landing its Airbus A 319 for the first time at the Visakhapatnam Airport on Tuesday. The 144-seater aircraft came from Mumbai for a trial run on the runway here and landed on the old runway and took off after a 10-minute halt.
This is the first Airbus to land in Visakhapatnam. Indian Airlines has been planning to operate an Airbus to Visakhapatnam for long but its plans didn't materialise.
Though Boeings of a similar capacity are being operated by other airlines, the Airbus is the most modern aircraft, which can take off and land smoothly despite its huge size. With the successful trial run, Kingfisher is now planning to launch Airbus operations to Vizag in about a month's time, according to sources.
23/05/07 B. Madhu Gopal/The Hindu

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I-T sleuths release Nigerian diplomat after interrogation

New Delhi: The Nigerian diplomat, who was caught with 2.27 million US dollars at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, was released by the Income Tax department after his interrogation as he enjoyed diplomatic immunity, but the money was seized.
"We have released him after his interrogation. His explanation about the source of money was not satisfactory and that is why we seized the entire money," Director General of Income Tax (Investigation) SS Khan told PTI.
Khan said that the Ministry of External Affairs and other relevant authorities have been informed about the whole incident and for necessary action.
The I-T sleuths on Tuesday caught Captain GA Ojedokun, the Defence Attache of Nigerian High Commission in New Delhi with 2.27 million US dollars when he was going to catch a Lagos-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane.
22/05/07 Press Trust Of India/Hindustan Times

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Land acquisition to expand Hubli airport begins

Chennai/ Dharwad: The state government has issued preliminary notification for the acquisition of 650 acres of additional land near the Hubli airport for its expansion.
The Airports Authority of India has prepared a master plan for upgrading the airport to handle Boeing 747 aircraft and has sought an additional 650 acres.
The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) has been designated as the authorised agency to issue a public notice, giving details of the revenue survey numbers of the land for inviting objections from the parties affected.
Most of the land to be acquired under the master plan is agricultural land while some fall in the Gokul industrial area and the remaining are residential.
A joint survey by the AAI and revenue officials had identified nearly 200 houses in Renuka Nagar, Kumara Park, Radhakrishnan Nagar, Omkar Nagar, Laxmi Nagar and Sarswatipuram that would be affected by the expansion.
Dharwad deputy commissioner MS Srikar has submitted a report to the state infrastructure development department, which estimated the project cost to be Rs 194 crore including the compensation to be paid to the owners of acquired land and residential buildings. According to the DC, the entire process may take eight months.
23/05/07 Business Standard

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GMR redesigns Hyderabad airport to handle more capacity

The cost of building the Hyderabad International Airport has gone up by almost Rs 750 crore. But the GMR led consortium has decided to scale up its capacity and facilities, and fast-track it to finish before schedule.
The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad has been redesigned to accommodate 12 million passengers annually as compared to the 7 million passengers in the original blue print. That is because the studies done by the GMR led consortium suggested that passenger traffic in Hyderabad had grown by 45% over the last year, the highest among all metros in India.
Srinagesh, COO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport, says, "This growth rate will continue because of the overall progress in the economy and the state’s proactive method of wooing the service industry. So we decided to expand.”
This means extra bays, aero bridges and rapid exit ways and a run way that can handle an A-380 in full capacity. But it also means added capital for Rs 750 crore taking the total investment up to Rs 2,478 crore.
22/05/07 Moneycontrol.com

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Alpha expects delays in opening airport stores in New Delhi

London: Alpha Airports Group PLC said it expects delays in opening airport stores in the Indian capital New Delhi and security issues in Sri Lanka to affect its full year results, although it is too early to assess their full impact.
Alpha, which runs airport shops and provides catering to airlines, said its joint venture with Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd was expected to begin trading at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi in January.
However, due to a number of issues including delays in receiving various regulatory approvals and trading clearances, the JV's stores were unable to open until the end of March.
The group said the delay had resulted in pre-trading costs being significantly greater than originally expected.
'Additionally, in a market where the airport experience has traditionally left a lot to be desired, the first month's footfall and trading performance were disappointing,' the statement said.
Alpha said revenues increased by 7 pct at its Alpha Airport Services unit, which runs airport shops.
23/05/07 Thomson Financial/Hemscott, UK

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Nigerian diplomat caught with $2.3m at IGI airport

New Delhi: A senior Nigerian diplomat was caught on Monday seeking to spirit away $2.27 million in cash.
Captain G A Ojedokun, defence adviser to the Nigerian high commissioner here was caught when Indian Airlines staffers handling the baggage on the early morning shift at the Indira Gandhi International Airport were alerted by the X-ray images of contents of his bag. When asked, the Nigerian tried to fob off IA employees saying the bag contained clothes only.
The suspicious baggage handlers, however, refused to let him go even when the protocol officer of MEA accompanying the diplomat strongly intervened on his behalf, citing diplomatic immunity and seeking a smooth passage for Ojedokun.
Ojedokun is being questioned by Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate officials, but would soon be let off because of the diplomatic immunity he enjoys.
Interestingly, the biggest-ever cash haul was made just a day before the new Nigerian high commissioner is scheduled to present his credentials to President A P J Abdul Kalam.
22/05/07 The News - International, Pakistan

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Three Nigerians arrested at Delhi airport

New Delhi: Three Nigerian nationals were arrested at Delhi's international airport, just before they were to fly out of India, for allegedly cheating many Delhites in a lottery scam, police said Monday.
Sleuths of Delhi Police's Crime Branch Sunday arrested the trio - identified as Obinna Emmaeml, Okey Ammezi and Ubagu Austin - from the Indira Gandhi International Airport for allegedly duping mainly south Delhi based people of millions.
According to police, they used to send emails from accounts lottery3@won.com, uk_lotto_office12@yahoo.co.uk and master12@planet.nl, informing the recipients that they had been selected in a 'Euro-Afro-Asian Sweepstakes Lottery Programme' held in Britain or Amsterdam or China and had won amounts ranging from Rs.10 million to Rs.20 million.
The victims were asked to deposit a bank draft of $525 in a foreign bank account if they wished to draw their prize. The victims were further demanded of $2,500 towards 'clearance and delivery taxes',' Deputy Commissioner of Police A.S. Cheema said.
21/05/07 India eNews.com

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Decision on Chennai airport expansion likely tomorrow

Chennai: The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu is expected to take a decision on the much awaited airport expansion project at a meeting of legislature parties to be convened tomorrow.
Chief Minsiter M Karunanidhi would chair the meeting, convened to elicit the views of the leaders of legislature parties, which included the opposition AIADMK, its ally, the MDMK besides DMK allies, the Congress, PMK, CPI(M), CPI and the Dalit Panthers of India.
The DMK, which came out with a proposal to expand the existing airport couple of months ago, had to put on hold its plan, following stiff opposition from the PMK, with its founder leader Dr S Ramadoss launching a campaign against the eviction of people living near the airport.
Expressing concern over the delay in expanding the airport, industrial and trade bodies had warned that if Tamil Nadu did not take up the expansion immediately, Chennai would lose the chance of becoming an international hub in the South.
21/05/07 UNI/NewKerala.com

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Absence of quarantine facilities in airport poses a challenge to Customs

Chennai: The absence of separate animal quarantine facilities and kits to test exotic plants brought in by passengers at the Chennai international airport has been posing a challenge to the Customs.
As of now, whenever officials seize exotic plants or animals, they dispose them of using incinerators.
Customs officials say a large number of tourists, returning from a trip to the Southeast Asian countries, bring in a lot of `Feng-Sui' items, both plants and fish. As per the norms, such passengers have to obtain certificates for plants/seeds and the animal. For the plants/seeds, the passengers must get the `phyto-sanitary' certificate from the country from where they are bought or collected. As for animals, they should obtain a certificate that the animal is free from diseases such as rabies or leptospyrosis.
In the absence of such certification, the Customs authorities have to impound the consignment, quarantine it and subject it to laboratory tests before either granting or refusing permission. But, since there is no space available in the airport for storing the seized materials and there is no animal quarantine officer in the airport, the officials are forced to destroy the materials. The plant quarantine office is located close to the airport, while that of animal quarantine is located far away.
22/05/07 P. Oppili/The Hindu

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IOSL signs agreement with BIAL

Bangalore: IndianOil SkyTanking Limited (IOSL) has signed an agreement with the New Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) for offering 'into-plane services' to domestic and international airlines for 10 years.
Through this agreement, IOSL will get access to fuel the aircraft which land at the airport directly from their dispensers by connecting it to the hydrant system, a release said on Monday.
IOSL, which is also the fuel partner for BIAL, is currently building the fuel farm facility and hydrant system at a cost of USD 23 million at the airport. The fuel farm facility is expected to be completed by the end of December 2007, the release said.
IOSL, which is a joint venture of Indian Oil Corporation, the Indian Oiltanking Ltd and Skytanking Holding Gmbh, Germany, has become the second into-plane service agent, selected by BIAL at the the New Bangalore International Airport, scheduled to opened in April 2008.
21/05/07 PTI/Economic Times

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National Aviation Services acquires a majority stake in Indian ground handling services company

Kuwait: Kuwait's leading airline ground handling services provider National Aviation Services (NAS) has signed a landmark agreement with top Indian ground handling company Nova located in Mumbai India.
The agreement was signed by Managing Director Mr. Bara Al-Roumi of NAS and Mr. Sahil Mahta, Director of Nova, India at a signing ceremony at the NAS headquarters in Kuwait will give NAS more than 50% ownership of the Indian company and will enable it to effectively manage projects currently handled by Nova in India.
'Research indicates that passenger traffic into Indian domestic airports will increase to 45 million passengers by the year 2010 and the airlines operating within the country will have around 450 - 500 new aircrafts added to their respective fleets by then. This estimated growth in itself reaffirms our faith in the growing aviation industry in India and NAS along with Nova will definitely be looking towards achieving many milestones in the future' Business Development Director, Adel Al Askar said.
21/05/07 AME Info (press release), United Arab Emirates

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Emaar MGF to go down under to scale up

New Delhi: Real estate major Emaar MGF has floated a 50:50 JV with Australian construction major Leighton Asia to execute projects worth $2.5 billion in India over the next five years.
The JV has earmarked an initial investment of $150 million for the first three years. The Australian construction company, which is also eyeing mining and airport construction projects in India, plans to cross $1billion in turnover over the next two years.
The JV will limit itself to real estate projects being developed by Emaar MGF, while the Australian company would be free to pursue infrastructure business in the country.
Leighton Asia Southern, a flagship company of the Leighton Group, with annual revenues of over $8 billion, has over the last two years secured $600-million worth of infrastructure and building projects in the country.
Emaar MGF also planning to enter the airport modernisation business when the government puts out 35 non-metro airports for upgradation. Talks are currently on to rope in an international airport operator while bidding for the projects.
22/05/07 Economic Times

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More facilities for air passengers at Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has geared up to cater to the heavy movement of travellers in the domestic sector through the international airport by commissioning facilities worth Rs.45 lakh at the domestic terminal.
An additional 300 square metres had been made available on the city side and airside to the passengers in addition to the existing 4,465 square metres at the domestic terminal.
The passenger concourse was extended by annexing 240 square metres to the domestic terminal building.
The X-ray machine inside the terminal building was shifted to the newly annexed area.
Now, passengers can step in and screen their baggage in any of the two X-ray units and proceed to the terminal for check-in at the airline counters.
The number of conveyor belts also has gone up to two.
The authorities extended the security-hold area by 60 square metres on the airside to accommodate more passengers.
Two toilets were constructed and a ramp installed for the benefit of senior citizens and the physically challenged.
22/05/07 S. Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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SITA Augments VHF for Indian Airports

Societe Internationale Telecommunication Aeronautique (SITA) is working with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to deploy an additional 17 VHF ground stations at Indian airports that will allow Indian Airlines and AAI to exchange real-time data with aircraft.
This move taken by SITA will bring its AIRCOM network in India to 23 stations supporting India's national air fleet.
K Ramalingam, chairman of AAI commented, "AAI has pioneered the use of SITA's data link service in its oceanic airspace that covers the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. It is delivering operational benefits, enabled by remote airspace surveillance and data link communications between air traffic controllers and pilots."
SITA's AIRCOM network in India originally comprised of 4 VHF ground stations at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. In recent years, Jet Airways, Air Sahara, and Kingfisher have all became customers for AIRCOM Server.
ACARS also allows the uploading of weather and flight plans, and downloading of engine performance, data, etc.
21/05/07 CXOToday.com

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False alert at Chennai airport

Chennai: Tension prevailed at the Kamaraj domestic airport here for some time following an alert that a passenger on a Hyderabad-bound Air Deccan flight from Port Blair was carrying a bomb.
However, it was found that the alert was based on a misunderstanding by one of the airlines officials.
Airport sources said one Anand Natarajan, a resident of suburban Tambaram, had gone to Port Blair on tour. Planning to visit Hyderabad next, he had booked a ticket with the private airline.
However, he decided to cancel the visit after receiving an SMS from a friend about the tense situation prevailing in Hyderabad following Friday's bomb explosion in a mosque.
He informed the airline manager at Port Blair that he would get down at Chennai in transit as he had received an SMS about the Hyderabad bomb blast.
Mistaking his information, the manager sent an alert to airport officials here that the passenger was carrying a bomb, following which security was tightened and a bomb disposal squad took position.
20/05/07 Chennai Online

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Gammon India signs MoU for Chennai Airport project

Gammon India Ltd has announced that Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd (Gammon), a subsidiary of the Company and Macquarie, a global leader in infrastructure acquisition, funding and management, have formed an exclusive alliance to bid for the grant of rights for the development, operation and management of Chennai Airport, which is the next expected privatization opportunity in the Indian airports sector.
According to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently, Macquarie and Gammon will hold equal equity stakes in the project. The consortium may also look to tie up with a leading airport operator.
The stock was trading at Rs.395.05, up by Rs.1.70 or 0.43%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.406 and low of Rs.395. The total traded quantity was 26363 compared to 2 week average of 91043.
21/05/07 Equity Bulls

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Are merchant airports the future of aviation?

As airport infrastructure heaves under the pressure of an unprecedented 40 per cent growth in passenger traffic, the civil aviation ministry is seriously considering allowing of merchant airports.
Ideal for areas with high population density and relatively higher air traffic, merchant airports can help circumvent roadblocks which have hit airport modernisation plans like land acquisition issues and the relocation of project affected people.
In a meeting held in Delhi recently, Civil Aviation secretary Ashok Chawla told members of industry chambers, airport operators and consultants that it would be difficult to generate such resources in the public sector or even through a public-private-partnership. Therefore, the need to explore the merchant airport option.
Merchant airports are operated entirely in the private sector, and are run with private resources and government funding is absent. Government intervention at such airports is limited to land acquisition approvals (a state list subject) and the necessary clearances required from the defence and environment departments at the Centre.
The policy had also come to the fore recently when Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel talked about the need for a more liberal and licence-free civil aviation policy as a vision 2020 statement. It also proposes to allow 100 per cent FDI at such airports.
21/05/07 Manisha Singhal/Manisha Singhal

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GMR Hyderabad Airport ties up with IMRB

Mumbai: To ensure full utilisation of its new airport, GMR Group promoted GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) has tied up with IMRB International to base its strategy on the potential for passenger traffic and cargo movement, specifically from identified spokes in the catchment region.
IMRB consultants will focus on the macroeconomic trends as well as insights from consumers and businesses in the region to suggest measures for achieving full utilisation of the airport within a year of commissioning.
The new Hyderabad International Airport with its modular design of the passenger terminal will initially cover 100,000sqm of floor space that would ensure rapid transit between its Domestic and International concourses. The runway is about 4.26 km which is supposed to be the longest in south asia.
The airport will be operational by March 2008.
IMRB has specialised units for Consumer research, Qualitative research and Business to Business research and research on Customer Satisfaction.
The partner companies of Kantar (Millward Brown, Research International and Henley Center) are present through IMRB International in India and the surrounding regions it caters to.
21/05/07 Business Standard

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Mumbai Airport gears up for Kingfisher’s gentle giant

Mumbai: The Mumbai airport is gearing up to tailor the airport infrastructure to meet the specific takeoff, landing and parking requirements of the A380. Kingfisher Airlines will be the first domestic airline to start operating the A380 in India in 2011. Mumbai airport is amongst the 60 airports worldwide that are preparing for commercial operation of the A380.
An official from the Airport Authority of India says that International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has laid down aircraft-specific operational recommendations to accommodate large aircraft like the A380. Recently, a series of tests with Airbus technical personnel ensured the city airport’s compatibility with the A380. Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) officials inform that the A380 will be parked in the main apron area at the international terminal which will be connected through an aerobridge with Terminal 2A. A Follow-Me vehicle with support staff from Airbus will be provided to escort aircraft to the parking bay, once the aircraft commences it operations in 2011. Runway inspections will be carried out after landing and take-off of the aircraft.
An extensive watering programme will be deployed before landing and departure to ensure that graded areas along the runway are damp in order to prevent any dust damaging the aircraft. Additional fire and rescue staff shall also be deployed at the airport.
21/05/07 Shaheen Mansuri/Financial Express

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Mumbai Airport gears up for Kingfisher’s gentle giant

Mumbai: The Mumbai airport is gearing up to tailor the airport infrastructure to meet the specific takeoff, landing and parking requirements of the A380. Kingfisher Airlines will be the first domestic airline to start operating the A380 in India in 2011. Mumbai airport is amongst the 60 airports worldwide that are preparing for commercial operation of the A380.
An official from the Airport Authority of India says that International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has laid down aircraft-specific operational recommendations to accommodate large aircraft like the A380. Recently, a series of tests with Airbus technical personnel ensured the city airport’s compatibility with the A380. Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) officials inform that the A380 will be parked in the main apron area at the international terminal which will be connected through an aerobridge with Terminal 2A. A Follow-Me vehicle with support staff from Airbus will be provided to escort aircraft to the parking bay, once the aircraft commences it operations in 2011. Runway inspections will be carried out after landing and take-off of the aircraft.
An extensive watering programme will be deployed before landing and departure to ensure that graded areas along the runway are damp in order to prevent any dust damaging the aircraft. Additional fire and rescue staff shall also be deployed at the airport.
21/05/07 Shaheen Mansuri/Financial Express

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Three Cypriots held with fake passports at Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: Immigration officials at the Ahmedabad international airport have detained three Cyprus citizens who were about to board the afternoon Ahmedabad-London Jet Airways flight using fake passports.
An official who was here to train the Ahmedabad immigration staff noticed that there were no water marks in the passports of Alexandros Dimitrios (31), Mezynsky Jasek (18) and Jani Marusz (20), though their visas were genuine. Further scrutiny revealed that the passports were fake with some pages freshly stuck together.
During the last two months, five rich Punjabi youths and two Sri Lankans carrying bogus documents have been arrested in the city.
An airport official told Khaleej Times that Ahmedabad was increasingly being used as a transit point by illegal immigrants and their agents to sneak into the UK from where they easily enter the United States.
21/05/07 Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

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Air passenger dies

Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a passenger who showed signs of breathing difficulties all through a flight had to be rushed to a local hospital by his brother in an autorickshaw after they disembarked at Mumbai airport. The patient was declared dead before admission.
The incident took place late on May 17. The passenger, Jaisingh Chauhan (35), had travelled from Kochi to Mumbai on a GoAir flight along with his brother, Chandrashekhar Chauhan. It was the eleventh time an air passenger has died in the last seven months in Mumbai.
After landing at the domestic airport around midnight, the duo started looking for tickets for their onward journey to their native town in Uttar Pradesh. During this time, Jaisingh became breathless and had to be taken to a local hospital and then to Cooper Hospital in an autorickshaw, where he was declared dead before admission.
Strangely enough, all this while, despite the airport administration’s claims about state-of-the-art emergency facilities and an ambulance being present to deal with such emergencies, no medical assistance was provided.
Police sources said the deceased was an artisan working for a jewelery unit in Kerala for the last few months and was under treatment for a medical condition.
When asked why the patient had not been provided with an ambulance despite such an emergency, a spokesman for Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), said that it was possible that the medical staff was not informed about the patient’s status, either by the airlines or the relatives of the deceased persons.
21/05/07 Rajiv Sharma/Times of India

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Russian help for Mizoram airport

Aizawl: Mizoram will seek permission from the Centre to avail of assistance offered by Russia for installing an instrumental landing system (ILS) at Lengpui airport to ensure stable air services.
Addressing a press conference with Union Minister for DONER Mani Shankar Aiyar here, Chief Minister Zoramthanga said on Saturday that the Russian ambassador, who visited the state recently, had conveyed his willingness to help improve the airport.
Repeated cancellation of flights due to the absence of landing aids have made Lengpui airport a fair-weather airport and the state government had been pressuring the Centre, Airports Authority of India and the North Eastern Council to help install ILS at the airport.
19/05/07 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Gujarat Govt books AAI for using erratic, irregular weighing machines

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government today booked the Airport Authority of India (AAI), under violation of the Weights and Measures Act, 1985, for using erratic and irregular weighing machines at the city airport.
A surprise check was conducted at Ahmedabad Airport under the direct instruction of Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Affairs Principal Secretary Dr S K Nanda this morning and the team found the weighing scales kept at the International Departure Terminal ''erratic and irregular'' and not conforming to the Weights and Measures Act and Rules, according to a release by Controller Legal Metrology and Director Consumer Affairs of Gujarat Government.
In total, eight machines were not correct and the goverment has launched a prosecution case against the AAI, the release added.
19/05/07 UNI/NewKerala.com

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Civilian flights too to operate from upcoming Karwar naval air station

With the operationalization of the armament depot at INS Kadamba just a few months away, the Navy is poised to complete the first phase of operations at India's state-of-the-art, integrated naval base on the western seaboard at Karwar.
To become India's fourth naval command headquarters, it will eventually be the biggest such base this side of the Suez.
The construction of a naval air station with a 6,000-foot runway is also expected to be one of the primary activities under phase II.
With Karnataka evincing interest in operating civilian commercial flights of the Airbus 320 class out of the naval airport, the runway will have to be extended to 10,000 feet. The Defence Ministry has been in discussion with the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Karnataka Government on this proposal.
A site inspection by the Airports Authority of India indicated that 75 hectares of additional land was required for runway extension.
19/05/07 India Defence

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Airport Economic Regulatory Authority planned

Hyderabad: The Centre is contemplating the creation of an Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) to ensure a level-playing field for all airport developers, according to Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation K. N. Srivastav.
Addressing a session on `The challenge of connectivity' at the `Look South 2007' conducted by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here on Saturday, Mr. Srivastav said 300 new aircraft would be added in the next five years. This would necessitate additional airport infrastructure and about 5,000 pilots, besides other airport staff. As a consequence, the Government would have to make 300 airstrips, which were currently defunct, operational. This apart, airports in tier-II and tier-III cities would have to be developed, he said.
General Manager of Singapore Airlines Foo Chai Woo called for liberalisation of routes through open sky policy. Frequency to and from the south Indian cities to major world destinations should be enhanced and international players should be allowed to augment their services.
20/05/07 The Hindu

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Private 'Merchant Airports' to take off

New Delhi: Aiming to create infrastructure as fast as the growth in air traffic, the government is finalising a policy on 'Merchant Airport' to allow private players to build and run airports without government funding. The government has held a meeting with the private sector and other stakeholders to evolve such a concept and a policy initiative in this regard is likely to be finalised shortly, official sources said.
It is understood that 100 per cent FDI would be allowed in these airports, though the government is yet to take a decision on whether foreign airlines or airport operators would be allowed to participate. The meeting, convened by Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla on Wednesday, was attended by representatives of industry chambers, airport operators, consultants, regulatory bodies like DGCA and BCAS and infrastructure companies.
The participants at the meeting felt that while there were no set international practices which could be used as benchmark for merchant airports, such facilities were required given the massive growth in air traffic, the sources said.
'Merchant Airports' have been conceptualised as those which are entirely created by private parties with their own resources, without any government funding. These airports would, however, function subject to safety and security oversight of the government.
Such airports are expected to come up in areas of high population density and more air traffic, they said. As large parcels of land would be required to develop these private airports, the assistance of the state governments was necessary, it was felt.
As the entrepreneur was expected to set up and operate these airports, subject to safety and security oversight by the government, the proposal for merchant airports would dispense with the requirement of public investment.
18/05/07 PTI/Deccan Herald

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Delhi airport to be busiest by 2010

Mumbai: New Delhi will overtake Mumbai as India's busiest airport by 2010. The gap between passengers using the two airports is closing, with more aircraft landing and leaving Delhi than Mumbai for both domestic and international travel.
Mumbai airport handles over 22.25 million passengers annually, while Delhi handles over 20.44 million passengers. But according to figures of the two airport authorities, by 2010 Delhi, with a projected passenger traffic of 28.7 million, will move ahead of Mumbai, with a projected traffic of 27.5 million. By 2007-08, the two could be neck and neck with Delhi's traffic projected to grow 16.4 per cent to Mumbai's 7 per cent.
With more and more foreign airlines coming to the capital city, Delhi will become the country's busiest airport for international flights as well. In 2006-7, international passenger growth for Delhi (6.44 million) was 15 per cent to 9.2 per cent for Mumbai (7.35 million).
19/05/07 Business Standard

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Danger to Khajuraho temples from aircraft

Khajuraho: Minister for Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni has said that there were apprehensions that vibration caused by the low flying aircraft may adversely affect the historic temples of Khajuraho. This was taken up with the airlines and also the Airport Authority of India. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today she said, the Airport Authority of India has initiated corrective measures like changes in landing and departure procedures and various amendments in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) procedures which would minimize the possibility of aircraft flying over these monuments.
19/05/07 Central Chronicle

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