Gupta gate: IATA couldn't say no to Jet Airways

Cape Town:  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Thursday admitted it does not have the regulatory authority to reprimand airlines that rent out their aircraft as charters.
IATA has 240 member airlines, which account for 84 percent of global air traffic.
The association's chief gave an overview of safety and financial constraints facing the industry ahead of its annual general meeting in Cape Town next week.
IATA CEO Tony Tyler confirmed the Jet Airways plane that landed at the Waterkloof Air Force Base was indeed a member of the association.
On April 30, Eyewitness News broke the story that the private jet carrying over 200 wedding guests landed at the Pretoria base.
The Department of Defence and the Police Ministry have launched internal probes to get to the bottom of the incident.
Tyler said he can’t intervene and said the South African Civil Aviation Authority would have been aware of the plane and its flight path.
Next week’s conference will focus on safety in the industry.
30/05/13 Giovana Gerbi/Eye Witness News

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Guptagate: flight plan confusion

Cape Town: Transport Minister Ben Martins has given Parliament a copy of the flight plan used by the Gupta family for the Waterkloof Air Force Base landing, but it has left some confused, the Cape Times reported on Thursday.
Democratic Alliance MP Ian Ollis reportedly received a reply to a parliamentary question from Martins on Wednesday, detailing the plan used by the Jet Airways plane which landed exactly a month ago.
According to the newspaper, he said the flight plan was: "FSSSZQZX FSSSYFYX FSSSFDPA FQBEZQZX FQBEYFYX FQBEFDPA FMMMZQZX."
This left some MPs scratching their heads.
"Like many speeches one hears in Parliament, the minister's reply on the flight plan is a lot of gobbledegook," Ollis was quoted as saying.
The jet landed at Waterkloof, carrying 270 guests for the wedding of Vega Gupta, 23, and Indian-born Aakash Jahajgarhia at Sun City.
The landing sparked widespread criticism and an investigation was launched.
30/05/13 enca

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Parrikar's deal: Take Mopa, give Dabolim

Margao: Chief minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said he would raise the issue of Mopa with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and offer Mopa to the Indian Navy in exchange for Dabolim.
Trying to assuage the feelings of anti-Mopa activists, Parrikar said the appointment with the prime minister was yet to be fixed but he would bring up the issue and propose this exchange where Dabolim would be retained as a civilian airport and the Navy could take over the Mopa site. He didn't elaborate on the proposal.
The manner in which Parrikar made this statement was similar to when he had suggested earlier this month that if the Union defence minister A K Antony could get the Navy to shift from Dabolim he would give Mopa land to the Navy for free.
31/05/13 Times of India

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Green field international airport at Mopa being deliberately delayed

Panjim: Is the delay in release of a request for qualification (RFQ) for proposed green field international airport at Mopa has been triggered by the resurgence of Dabolim airport issue on a bigger scale?
There are reasons to believe that the government may be deliberately going slow on the release of RFQ in a view of the Dabolim issue getting momentum in South Goa.
The chief minister Manohar Parrikar had announced in Goa Assembly last month that RFQ for Mopa airport will be issued in the next few days.But RFQ document has not been released yet. Anand Sherkhane, joint secretary budget, said it will take a few more days to release the RFQ.
The government has repeatedly maintained that the Dabolim airport will not be closed even as Mopa becomes operational.The BJP-led government wants to have the first phase of the airport ready by early 2015.
31/05/13 Times of India

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Heathrow to crack down on noisy airlines

London: Heathrow airport has decided to impose fines of up to USD 1500 on airlines found guilty of breaking noise limits, as they try to garner public support for a controversial expansion of the busiest airport in Europe.
In an effort to make the surrounding residential area in south-west London quieter, the airport authority will rank the 80 airlines that use the facility according to how noisy their aircrafts are.
Fines for carriers that break maximum noise levels, which differ according to the time of day, range from GBP 500 to 1,000 (USD 1,500) per violation. Fewer decibels are allowed during the night.
Heathrow's two biggest airlines are British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, but it is also used heavily by major international flag carriers such as Air India, Lufthansa, Air France and Emirates.
"Heathrow is at the forefront of international efforts to tackle aircraft noise and, as a result, even though the number of flights has almost doubled since the 1970s, fewer people are affected by noise," said Heathrow chief executive Colin Matthews.
31/05/13 PTI/ZeeNews

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Landing lot easier at Sahnewal Airport now

Ludhiana: The electronic navigation instrument, Doppler Very High Frequency Omni Range (DVOR), which was installed the Sahnewal Airport in August 2012, was made operational on Thursday, which will make landing of aircraft easy even in low visibility conditions especially during winter months.
The airport officials said that aided by DVOR, the visibility requirement for landing of airplanes has now been reduced significantly to 2,400 metres from 5,000 metres at the Sahnewal airstrip.
Informing about operatinalising of the navigation equipment, the Sahenwal Airport manager V.P. Jain said, "DVOR was made operational this morning. It will reduce the visibility requirement from the previous 5,000 meters to 2,400 meters, which will help in avoiding cancellations of flight even during winters when the visibility falls due to fog. We are expecting more to and fro flights to cater the city now due to reduction visibility requirement for landing of planes."
31/05/13 Shariq Majeed/Times of India

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Mumbai Airport cancels HDIL slum redevelopment pact

Mumbai: Realty developer Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL) has received a termination notice from the Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) for its 275-acre slum rehabilitation project, citing non-completion of the project on time.
The slum rehabilitation major has not accepted the notice and is planning to move court against it. The company, however, has now accounted for costs of Rs 440 crore into its profit & loss account resulting in a net loss of Rs 280 crore against a profit of Rs 316 crore a year-ago.
"We don't see any logic in this (notice) and, therefore, we don't accept this. We will move court and also seek damages," said Hari Prakash Pandey, vice-president, finance, HDIL.
30/05/13 Economic Times

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Madurai airport to handle foreign cargo

Madurai: Here is some good news for trade and industry in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. The Central government has allowed international freight movement from Madurai airport.
According to Madurai airport director K. Sangaiah Pandian, the Union finance ministry has issued customs notification dated May 28, 2013 to handle cargo at the Madurai airport. “All types of goods right from perishable to industrial and textiles can be exported. And, there is no restriction on quantity either,” Pandian told Deccan Chronicle.
To start with, the international flights operating from and to Madurai are expected to haul belly cargo (cargo stowed under the main deck of an aircraft). However, the notification permitting “unloading of imported goods and the loading of export goods or any class of such goods” also means exclusive cargo flights could also be operated.
30/05/13 AR Meyyammai/Deccan Chronicle

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GMR Infra returns to profit in Q4 on sale of subsidiary

GMR Infrastructure  has turned profitable in the March quarter on one-time gain of Rs 1231 crore from sale of subsidiary. The firm has reported Rs 579 crore profit in Q4 versus Rs 366 crore loss year-on-year.
Sales climbed over 22 percent year-on-year to Rs 2571.07 crore on improved performance from airport division. The firm's aviation vertical which runs Delhi and Hyderabad airports reported Rs 552 crore profit against Rs 7 crore loss after the firm raised tariff at Delhi airport. The vertical's revenues also climbed 50 percent to Rs 1731 crore.
31/05/13 moneycontrol.com

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Mumbai airport to adorn Kashmir's pride

Mumbai’s swank T2 terminus is set to outshine the magnificent T3 terminal at Delhi airport. The T2 terminus, which is due to open in September, will have a Kashmiri touch — a 6,800 sqft mural featuring a range of crafts that the state is famous for. These include papier mache and walnut-wood carving, terracotta glazed tiles, Khatamband (a kind of wood-panelling done on walls and ceiling of Kashmiri wooden houses) and Pinjrakari (lattice work used to decorate windows and doors).
A three-day exhibiton of 27 panels of this mural has been organised in Srinagar and was inaugurated by CM Omar Abdullah on Thursday.
Called “Conjoining Lands”, the mural has been conceptualised by two Baroda-based contemporary artists, Nilima Sheikh and BV Suresh, who were working on a broad concept developed by Rajeev Sethi.
31/05/13 Gargi Gupta/Ishfaq-ul-Hassan/Daily News & Analysis

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Autos can now drop you near airport gate

Mumbai:  The domestic airport authorities has permitted autos to enter the canopy at the departure terminal and leave passengers right up to the main gate, in view of the coming monsoons.
Veena Pillai from MIAL said, "We decided to shift the auto drop point for passengers in consultation with the traffic police. In fact, autos will be directed to a dedicated lane closer to the terminal and passengers will be dropped right near the gate."
31/05/13 Somit Sen/Times of India

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Hyderabad airport awarded 5-star rating

Hyderabad: The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), has been awarded the prestigious 5-star rating by the British Safety Council for its health and safety management system.
RGIA is the only airport in the world to receive this award, said a GHIAL statement.
Outside the aviation industry, only a few organisations in India like Asian Paints, Tata Motors, GAIL, Reliance and L&T have received the award in the last 10 years.
30/05/13 Daily News

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Impersonation arrests puts Nigerians under airport scanner

New Delhi: Nigerian nationals are under the scanner at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport after eight people from the country were caught in separate cases this year for impersonation, police and immigration officials said.
Security staff at the airport here are carefully scrutinising the appearance and documents of passengers from the African country to ensure they are not conned again, a Delhi Police official said.
The eight Nigerian nationals were booked under section 419 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for impersonation after they were caught in separate cases this year.
An official explained that most Nigerians come to India for study and business purposes. Cases have come to light of some whose visas have expired using a friend's travel documents to go out of India, making sure their facial features somewhat resemble the person in the photograph, a police official told IANS under condition of anonymity.
31/05/13 Business Standard

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Dead bird on runway forces two Mumbai flights to land in Gujarat

A Jet Airways and a SpiceJet flight were diverted to Vadodara and Ahmedabad respectively on Wednesday as their designated runway was occupied by an Air India flight being inspected after a bird hit.
ATC sources said that the aircraft were diverted as both were running short of fuel.
According to airport sources, the Air India flight - scheduled to land before Jet Airways and SpiceJet flights - had reported a bird hit while landing on runway 09/27.
30/05/13 Mumbai Mirror

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Mushrooming meat shops give rise to bird-hits

Mumbai: With an alarming number of meat shops cropping up near the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), the number of bird-hits being reported has gone up again.
As per the latest statistics available with Airport Authority of India, 14 bird hits were recorded at the airport in 2012. In comparison, there were 12 cases of bird hits in 2010, which came down to 10 in 2011. The highest number in recent years was recorded in 2009, with 15 instances of bird-hits.
According to an estimate, the Indian aviation industry loses over Rs20 crore annually due to bird hits.
29/05/13 Daily News & Analysis

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Kishangarh airport land handed over to AAI

Ajmer: District administration today handed over the land for Kishangarh Airport, which is expected to be ready by 2016, to Airports Authority of India.
The facility, with 2,152-meter long runway will come up at a sprawling 441.7 acres of land and is aimed at giving air connectivity to the city, famous for Pushkar fair and Dargah of Sufi Saint Khwaja Moindudin Chisti.
Initially, aircraft with maximum 90 passengers capacity would be able to land here, but after expansion of runway upto 2,500 meter, even airbus can land here, AAI GM (Engineering), G D Gupta, said.
The work for runway construction is scheduled to begin before July 15 and the airport is targeted to be ready by June 2016, he said.
29/05/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Minister's stand on Aranmula airport irks public, activists

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government’s move to grant exemption to the excess land under the possession of the KGS group, the main promoters of the private airport project at Aranmula, has evoked strong protest from social, political and environmental groups citing that the the government stand is against public interest.
Anti-airport activists said that Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash’s statement that the government had discretionary powers to grant exemption to excess land and the cabinet could take a decision on it, amounted to violation of Constitution and a challenge to the law of the land.
Leaders and activists opposing the airport said that Adoor Prakash should not have made such a statement when the case related to the issue is pending before the High Court. They said that it was the Revenue Department which took action against the company and the minister has now made a statement against his own department.
29/05/13 Prabhat Nair/New Indian Express

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Pannian flays government stand on Aranmula

Thiruvananthapuram: CPI state secretary Pannian Raveendran on Tuesday criticised the UDF Government for its stand on the controversial Aranmula airport project issue, alleging that the government’s decision was a challenge to the existing land rules in the state.
The statements of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash that the government would go ahead with the proposed airport project in Aranmula were only to protect the interests of the land mafia, he said.
He said the move to give exemption to the excess land would be a big blow to the Land Reforms Act. ‘’The government, by helping the private company, will only pull back the basic achievements of the state. The Kerala Land Reforms Act, which was included in the ninth schedule of the Constitution, was a landmark piece of legislation which paved the way for the development of the state,’’ Raveendran said.
29/05/13 New Indian Express

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MIAL ends airport rehabilitation deal with HDIL

Almost six years after the contract was awarded, the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) has terminated its agreement with Housing Development & Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL) to rehabilitate almost 28,000 slumdwellers spread across the airport land. MIAL took the decision, saying HDIL has breached many conditions, including not completing the rehabilitation work as per schedule in 2011.
HDIL has not accepted the termination notice and will soon challenge the decision in court. Said Sarang Wadhawan, HDIL's vice-chairman and managing director, "MIAL's charges are unsubstantiated. If we had not fulfilled the conditions of rehabilitating 1,000 slum families, it would not have been possible to construct the Sahar elevated road. We have constructed 26,000 flats and are ready to shift the slumdwellers, but for the lack of the government's clarity in finalizing the eligibility criteria.''
30/05/13 Times of India

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Bangalore International Airport Ltd has the highest per passenger spends: MD

After much delay and amidst a chorus for the city's old HAL Airport to continue operations, Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) took-off on the mid-night of May 21, 2008. In the five years since, it has handled 500,000 air traffic movements and 50 million passengers and the airport has come to be regarded as one of the best greenfield airports in India, with even its critics admitting so. In an exclusive interview to TOI, G V Sanjay Reddy, MD of Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) and vicechairman of the airport's largest stakeholder, GVK Power and Infrastructure, talks about the airport's roadmap for the next five years.
How has the journey been since you took over control of the airport?
When we took over three years ago, we were confident about the team's talent and were aware of the high efficiency this airport had achieved. It was an exciting project to add to the GVK portfolio as Bangalore has the third highest domestic traffic in the country after Mumbai and Delhi. No national airline network can be completed without including Bangalore. We concentrated on the very specific areas of infrastructure and brought in our expertise there.
29/05/13 Times of India

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Only pass-holder allowed inside airport premises

Mumbai: Santa Cruz police requested the Juhu airport authority to ensure that the government employees and private individual allow inside the premises only with the valid airport passes. There is security threat to the Juhu airport and Santa Cruz police managing its security arrangement. The police have deployed heavy policemen for the airport security
The airport officials and Mumbai police were at loggerheads over the security issue recently. The standoff started after a security drill was carried out in which cops found that many personnel from various agencies did not have passes.
29/05/13 Vijay V Singh/Times of India

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Kashmir craft to adorn Mumbai International Airport

Srinagar: In a major boost to its handicraft industry, traditional craft works of Kashmir will soon adorn the new terminal of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. The state-of-the-art terminal-2 which is all set to open in September has an area of over 4,39,000 square meters.
 To make it look like a modern day living museum, the GVK— considered to be India's largest infrastructure developers— has decided to adorn the interiors of T2 with Kashmir handicraft work.
 To this end, a 6800 sft mural— a piece of artwork laced with traditional Kashmiri crafts including Khatamband, Pinjarakari and woodwork, paper mache—  has been made with the help of prominent artists of Srinagar and Baroda, here.
 Before being sent to Mumbai for adorning the T2, the mural will be unveiled by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during an exhibition on May 31 here, officials said.
 The idea to make the mural was planned and given a practical shape by prominent artists of contemporary art Nilimi Sheikh and BV Suresh.
 “The mural is not only about crafts of Kashmir but also its cultural antecedents. It gives a panorama of traditional crafts which have deep cultural moorings,” Nilima told Greater Kashmir.
 Nilima said Rajeev Sethi, Scenographer for the Mumbai International Airport Terminal-2, was instrumental in floating the idea of making the mural.
29/05/13 Arif Shafi Wani/Greater Kashmir

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CIAL trafficking case: Nine policemen to be arraigned

Kochi: The Organised Crime Wing of the Crime Branch is all set to arraign nine policemen  in the Nedumbassery Human trafficking case.
These police officers are under suspension  for assisting people travel abroad without proper documents from the Cochin International Airport Ltd. The department is also planning disciplinary action against two SPs and four DySPs.
According to sources in the Crime Branch, they have sought permission of the Home Department for arraigning the policemen.
“Currently a case has been registered against three persons including two policemen and one airline agent.
“The Director General of Police (DGP) had directed that legal procedures have to be completed before the case is handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Once the written permission is received from Police Headquarters, we would file a report at Aluva Judicial First Class Magistrate for arraigning them,”sources said.
29/05/13 Toby Antony/New Indian Express

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Man held at RGIA for tampering with passport

Hyderabad: RGI Airport police arrested a 47-year-old man from Vijayawada who arrived here from Hong Kong with a tampered passport.
Police arrested Mohammed Nayeem, a private employee from Vijayawada. In 2003, he went to London on a tourist visa and overstayed there. He finally came to India in 2009 and for overstaying UK authorities put a a 'red stamp' on his passport.
On May 15, Nayeem went to Hong Kong from Hyderabad using the same passport with an intention to secure a UK visa from there.

29/05/13 Times of India

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No end to ramp troubles at Chennai airport

Chennai: First, it was the new domestic terminal that had a ramp problem – a faulty baggage ramp that gave airport officials trouble for weeks. Now, it’s the new international terminal’s turn – it has just one ramp leading to the baggage-handling area, and this may cause problems, airport officials said.
“While the new domestic terminal has two ramps – one each for the entry and exit of the battery-operated vehicles (known as tugs) that carry the bags, the international terminal will have just one,” said an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The movement of the tugs may be slower, as with only one ramp, both entering and exiting tugs will vie for space. Operators will also have to be extra careful while handling the tugs within the limited space, he said.
“In wide-bodied aircrafts, there are around 16 containers of baggage. It will be difficult for the tugs to shift them quickly. Instead of 30-40 minutes, passengers may have to wait for nearly an hour to collect their baggage. We will realise the extent of this problem when the terminal becomes operational” the official said.
29/05/13 Sunitha Sekar/The Hindu

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Soon, evening flights at Bagdogra airport

Kolkata:  Travellers to North Bengal, Darjeeling and Sikkim may soon be offered evening flight options to Bagdogra airport. Located near Siliguri, Baddogra now offers flight services only during the day time.
At a meeting with the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Arun Mishra, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), indicated that it would take steps to install night landing facility at the airport.
“We have found a way out (to begin night landing at Bagdogra),” Miushra told reporters on Wednesday at the Writers’ Building.
According to Vikram Sen, Principal Secretary, State Tourism Department, a high-level meeting among the Airports Authority of India officials, representatives from Ministry of Civil Aviation and Bengal Government and DGCA said that night landing facility can be started in the next couple of months.
29/05/13 Business Line

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Visitors can’t stay calm at airport

Madurai: The airport here boasts of an Rs.128.57-crore terminal building made of glass and steel. Yet, it is no better than the Mattuthavani bus terminus in the city when it comes to providing passenger friendly amenities.
A media contingent, gathered outside the terminal on Friday on official work, witnessed that the absence of basic facilities such as drinking water, telephone booth and chairs provided a harrowing experience for the visitors.
The new terminal has three gates located at equidistance. As per the original plan, the gate in the middle was meant for visitors who could enter the air-conditioned lounge on purchase of entry ticket costing Rs. 45 per head. The other two gates were meant for passenger entry and exit.
However, for administrative convenience, the officials had closed down the passenger entry gate and were using the gate in the middle for passenger as well as visitors’ entry. But they failed to shift the electronic flight information display board from the first gate to the second gate.
29/05/13 Mohamed Imranullah S/The Hindu

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Government dangles tulips to hard-sell airport projects

Kozhikode:  Call it the government PR machinery going overboard with the hard-sell, the state industrial development corporation (KSIDC) has promised the moon to quell farmer protests against airport projects in Wayanad and Idukki. The benefits of projects enlisted in a multi-page brochure border on the fantasy -- like making the two districts go the Holland way in tulip farming, forgetting that it is impossible to grow the plant in the state.
The corporation is distributing the leaflets in these districts and operating a call centre to turn public opinion in favour of the projects, which had run into trouble following protests and objection raised by the state biodiversity board (KSSB) against setting them up in ecologically-fragile areas.
Among the promises dished out are that the airstrips would help the districts even host Davos-like meet of world leaders. The brochure advocates air travel as the most suitable mode of transportation in the districts and holds out a promise of making them a hub of observational astronomy, health research and sports.
29/05/13 KR Rajeev/Times of India

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False ceiling hangs loose at airport’s new terminal

Chennai: A few panels of the false ceiling at the arrival hall of the new domestic terminal at Chennai airport were found loosely fitted on Wednesday.
“Passengers entering the arrival hall notice ceiling panels hanging loose. It may not be dangerous now; but if we are faced with a windy situation, like the last time, then the loose panels may pose a risk to passengers,” said an official of Airports Authority of India.
On May 12, about 20 false ceiling panels had collapsed near the security hold area of the departure hall in the new domestic terminal. Officials had blamed it on strong winds and thunderstorm.
“After that incident, officials have been inspecting the area constantly,” said airport director H.S. Suresh.
30/05/13 The Hindu 

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Delhi-bound Air India plane diverted to Nagpur

Nagpur:  A Visakhapatnam-New Delhi Air India Airbus A-321 made an emergency landing at city's Dr BabasahebAmbedkar International Airport on Monday morning when one of its engines developed a technical snag, sources in Nagpur airport said. All 180 passengers and crew members on board the plane are safe.
A relief aircraft arranged by the Air India to ferry the stranded passengers from here also developed a snag.
On Monday morning, captain of the Air India Flight 542 contacted Nagpur air controllers and sought permission for emergency landing after detecting the problem with the engine system, Sujan Singh, a passenger travelling in the plane told TOI. The plane landed at Nagpur airport at 10.42am.
28/05/13 Times of India

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Cabinet will take decision on Aranmula airport project: Adoor Prakash

Thiruvananthapuram: The Cabinet would consider the issue of the proposed KGS Aranmula International Airport in Pathanamthitta and take a decision on necessary steps to facilitate its implementation, Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said here on Monday.
Responding to a question at a press conference here, the Minister said all the allegedly controversial decisions pertaining to the proposed project were taken during the tenure of the previous government controlled by the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Mr. Prakash alleged that the people who opposed the project were not the people of Aranmula, but those from outside.
28/05/13 The Hindu

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'New landfilling for Aranmula airport will not be allowed'

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that after the UDF Government came to power it had taken a stand that no new landfilling would be allowed for the Aranmula airport.
 Speaking at the inauguration of lecture series, ‘’Contemporary politics and Kerala Development’’ on Monday, Chandy said: ‘’Our stand is transparent and clear. We have made it clear that no new land will be filled for the Aranmula airport. Additional land will be allotted only if more land is needed for the runway.’’
He said that political unity was necessary to attract investment into the state and overall development of Kerala.
28/05/13  New Indian Express

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Alchemist buys 20 acres for residential development in Aerotropolis

Mumbai: Alchemist Township India Limited, a Delhi-based real estate developer, has bought 20 acres of prime land in the Aerotropolis being developed by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) at Durgapur, 180 kilometres from Kolkata. Leading international property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) were the transaction mediators for this deal, which is West Bengal's largest land transaction in 2013 to date, said a press statement from JLL, the global property consultant.
"This acquisition marks Alchemist's formal entry into the East India residential real estate space," states a company spokesperson. "We are on an aggressive expansion and diversification drive, and the Durgapur Aerotropolis undertaking will be the first in several forays into the residential real estate domain. At Durgapur, we will be focusing on the budget homes segment."
28/05/13 Rajshri Mehta/Times of India

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14th annual day of CIAL celebrated

Nedumbassery: The 14th annual day celebrations of the Cochin International Airport Ltd were inaugurated by managing director V J Kurien on Saturday. The anniversary cake was cut and distributed by him to all CIAL employees and their families on the occasion.
Kurien also lit the traditional lamp to officially inaugurate the functions in connection with the anniversary celebrations. Speaking on the occasion, he reiterated that it was the sincerity and hard work of the employees that raised CIAL to its present position of one of the top airports in the country and reminded that the same commitment and hard work were needed for future growth.
28/05/13 New Indian Express

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Techie loses jewels from checked bag

Bangalore: A city-based software engineer alleged that a gold coin and a diamond ring were stolen from his check-in baggage on a private airlines flight that he took from Indore to Bangalore via Mumbai on Sunday.
The theft came to light when the aircraft landed in Bangalore around 12.30pm.
Brijesh Arya, 31, resident of HSR Layout, said when he went to the police outpost on the premises of Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) to file a complaint, policemen there refused to accept his plaint, giving him only an acknowledgement.
"They asked me to file a complaint in Indore as I boarded the flight from there and gave me an acknowledgement instead. After I contacted media, the BIA police came forward to accept my FIR on Monday," Arya told TOI. Arya has been informed by the police that the case will be transferred to Indore police.
28/05/13 Timers of India

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Farmers protest de-notification of land for Hubli airport

Chennai: Farmers from the Gokul village in Hubli are up in arms against the state government for denotifying the land acquired from them for expansion of the Hubli airport.
The farmers are miffed over the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board allegedly handing over the land acquired from them for the expansion of the airport to a non-government organisation. The farmers also prevented the drilling of a borewell on the land.
Later, they held a meeting at the village temple to chalk out their future course of action. Leaders of a prominent farmers' outfit, who were present, alleged that the BJP government had cheated the farmers by selling their acquired land. They said, if there was excess land, it should be returned to farmers. They decided to approach the deputy commissioner to seek justice.
26/05/13 Business Standard

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Ground Mopa cry echoes in Salcete

Margao: Opposition to Mopa airport reverberated around Salcete countryside on Sunday with as many as five gram sabhas joining their counterparts to oppose the proposed airport.
At Assolna, gram sabha members in one voice opposed government’s plan to build the airport at Mopa, demanding that Dabolim be expanded and retained as Goa’s lone international airport. Members urged the government to scrap Mopa and respect the sentiments of the people.
The airport issue also echoed at the gram sabha of Betalbatim with members unanimously opposing the government plan. They also demanded expansion of Dabolim with all international facilities and retain it as Goa’s only civilian airport.
Seraulim gram sabha members too unanimously resolved to demand scrapping of Mopa airport and urged the government to upgrade Dabolim as Goa’s international airport.
27/05/13 Herald

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Delhi-bound Air India plane lands in Nagpur following engine problem

New Delhi: A Delhi-bound Air India plane from Vishakhapatnam with 174 passengers and crew onboard had to be diverted and landed at Nagpur after pilots detected problem in its engine parameters.
Flight AI 452, an Airbus 321 aircraft, took off from Vishakhapatnam around 9 AM as per schedule but after 90 minutes in air, the pilots witnessed fluctuations in the engine parameters on the instrument panel in the cockpit.
Keeping in mind the safety of passengers, the pilots decided to land the plane at the nearest airport Nagpur in Maharashtra rpt Maharashtra, an Air India spokesperson said, adding it was a normal landing.
27/05/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Jetlite plane emergency lands in New Delhi after pilots find cracks in windshield

New Delhi: A Mumbai-bound Jetlite plane, with 117 people on board, today landed under emergency conditions at IGI airport in New Delhi, returning within minutes of take off after pilots detected cracks in the wind shield.
Flight S2 4107 landed safely and the emergency was terminated by 4.55 PM but it led to delay in arrival and departure of some flights, airport sources said.
27/05/13 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Airport capacity constraints are a concern for aviation: CAPA

Mumbai: Capacity of Mumbai airport is a cause of concern, said a recent report by the Centre of Asia pacific Aviation (CAPA). The constant delays in the land acquisition for the Navi Mumbai airport means that there will be no growth in aviation once Mumbai airport is saturated by 2012-15.
The report said that Mumbai airport is currently operating at a maximum runway capacity of around 35 movements per hour for 19 hours a day. Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) has asked NATS to develop a plan for maximization of capcity. As per NATS study, the movements per hour may go up to 46-50. CAPA said that 50 movements per hour is "likely to be a stretch".
26/05/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Singapore shows interest in Navi Mumbai airport project

Mumbai: Singapore has shown interest in investing in infrastructure projects in the state. In particular, it has shown interest in international airport projects and building new cities.
Deputy prime minister of Singapore Therman Shanghurathnam visited the country's financial capital earlier this week to explore investment opportunities.
His visit came only three days after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held discussions with CM Prithviraj Chavan regarding investments in the state.
The Chinese premier had exhibited interest in investments in the auto sector and projects involving makeover of Mumbai into a world class makeover.
26/05/13 Sandeep Ashar/Times of India

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SA, India face off in Gupta row

A diplomatic scuffle may be looming between the high commission of India and the South African government.
This as the directors-general's report into the Gupta plane landing scandal accuses an official in the Indian office of "manipulating" circumstances to enable a private plane chartered by the Gupta family to land at the Waterkloof Air Force Base last month.
On Tuesday, the high commission released a statement absolving itself of any wrong-doing.
In its statement, the high commission clearly contradicted statements made by Justice Minister Jeff Radebe last Sunday during a media briefing.
Radebe said an Indian high commission official used diplomatic channels - with the assistance of suspended chief of state protocol in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Bruce Koloane - to obtain permission for the chartered Jet Airways plane to land.
27/05/13 Olebogeng Molatlhwa/Sowetan

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Jamshedpur-Ranchi flight service to be started by DTDS

Jamshedpur: DTDS Travel and Tour Planner Private Limited, which is operating flight service between Kolkata and Jamshedpur, on requests from Corporate customers, was planning to introduce flight between Jamshedpur and Ranchi.
Shyamal Chakraborty, Sales Manger (East)of the Bangalore based DTDS said to help the corporate officials who can do business in the Jharkhand capital Ranchi, the company was thinking of starting the flight between Jamshedpur and and Ranchi,
While the proposed Jamshedpur-Ranchi flight service would be provided in the morning, the return Ranchi-Jamshedpur service would be in the evening, he said adding that the service would help the officials save time as it would take only 20 minutes journey.
27/05/13 Economic Times

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No idli-vada on buses to Bengaluru International Airport

Bangalore: An ambitious plan by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to serve piping hot idlis and vadas besides other snacks on buses headed to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) has fallen flat, owing to poor response from caterers.
The idea behind serving snacks and breakfast on airport-bound buses was to ensure that air passengers flying long distances didn't end up missing a meal. But the tenders that were floated elicited zero bids as no caterer came forward to take part in the project.
BMTC managing director Anjum Parvez confirmed that the process had to be scrapped as there were no bids even three months after the tenders were floated.
He explained that one of the requirements stipulated in the tender was to have a person serve food as well as keep a watch on commuters browsing internet or watching TV on the screens fitted behind seats in the buses.
27/05/13 Aparajita Ray/Times of India

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Southern twist to duty-free shopping at BIAL soon

Bangalore: Come August-September, duty-free shopping at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) will never be the same again. Chettinad pillars, kolam-inspired patterns and jhumka-influenced lighting will greet travellers.
Airport retailer Nuance Group (India), which was awarded a five-year extension of the concession contract in May 2013, has drawn up big plans.
With a proposition for new décor and complete revamp of the shopping experience at the departure and arrival duty-free shopping, the group plans to breathe soul and character into the place.
While the style of the duty-free shopping area now is subtle with an airy touch of class, including the pick-on-arrival service and tasting counters, the future style will provide a timeless experience with many quirky Indian and international elements.
27/05/13 Sonaksha Iyengar/The Hindu

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Lack of airlines connecting non-metros to each other a cause of concern: CAPA

Mumbai: India has no successful regional airline which can facilitate connectivity between tier II and tier III cities, a fact that should be a cause of concern for the government.
In a recent analysis, the Centre of Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said that while government is trying to device policies for creating a robust regional connectivity, they lack feasibility. The scenario is not supportive of small regional ventures like MDLR and Deccan shuttles, which have succumbed to high costs of operation.
The CAPA report said that currently, 36% of the total domestic capacity is deployed only to connect six metros in the country.
26/05/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Death at airport: probe ordered

Kozhikode: Union Minister for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal has ordered an inquiry into the circumstances in which a passenger booked for journey to Muscat from the Calicut international airport by an Air India Express collapsed and died at the airport before he could be given medical help.
The Minister has also ordered a probe to find out how cracks had developed in the runway of the airport.
The Minister has asked Chairman of Air India Rohit Nanda to submit a report on the incident that led to death of the passenger Hamsakutty, a native of Pappinissery, on May 22. . He was booked by Air India Express IX337 flight to Muscat.
The probe was ordered in response to reports in the media alleging that the authorities had failed to arrange timely medical aid to the passenger.
The Minister directed the Air India chairman to take punitive action against the officials concerned if there was any lapse in providing medical help to the passenger.
26/05/13 The Hindu

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Juhu airport gets CCTVs, additional cops for security

Mumbai: Closed-circuit cameras and additional police personnel have been deployed around the Juhu airport in an attempt to make it more secure.
The Juhu airport, located by the Arabian sea, is at threat from anti-national elements who can use it as a launching pad to attack the city and its main airport which is in the vicinity.
Despite a number of alerts regarding this by intelligence agencies in the past, not a single armed guard had been manning the airport until now.
“The airport security is our priority and we are taking all possible steps to ensure the same,” said acting Juhu airport Director VK Punyal. Thirty policemen now guard the airport, and authorities are likely to increase their numbers. Chartered flight companies operating from the airport too have been asked to bring in private guards to protect their hangars, sources said.
26/05/13 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Fire station at Tiruchi airport adjudged best in South India

Tiruchi: The fire station of Tiruchi International Airport has been adjudged the best in “Group B” airports in Southern Region in 2012-13.
The Tiruchi Airport was chosen for the “Best Fire Station Award” after an intense scrutiny and evaluation of various parameters and the level of preparedness of its fire services personnel. The scrutiny was conducted in 11 “group B” airports in the southern region by a committee comprising top officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Presenting the trophy to the Tiruchi Airport Fire Services team here on Saturday, D. Devaraj, Regional Executive Director, AAI, Southern Region, Chennai, said the AAI had been according great importance to passenger safety and security besides taking a host of initiatives to augment quality. The award had been given to motivate the fire services personnel of Tiruchi airport and maintain the standards, he said.
26/05/13 The Hindu

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Diamond heist on Jet Airways flight to Brussels

Mumbai:  The Mumbai airport seems to have turned into a hotbed for thefts-the latest incident being diamonds worth Rs 3.89 crore going missing from a consignment bound for Brussels in Belgium two weeks ago.
On May 13, a consignment of 24 packets of diamonds was sealed and sent as valuable cargo on Jet Airways flight 9W 228. But in Belgium, when the client collected the consignment, there were only 23 packets.
The flight's scheduled departure time was 1.55am, but it left only at 5am and the delay apparently played a part in the theft.
The Sahar police, who are investigating the case, in a letter to Jet Airways alleged that the airline's security personnel took the said valuable consignment from the airport's strong room at 11.50pm, but left it unattended for four hours during the flight delay.
26/05/13 Manju V/Times of India

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Kovai ATC gets tech savvy for flier safety

Coimbatore: The Air Traffic Control (ATC) section of the Coimbatore International Airport has been upgraded with the ATC automation system which will ensure safe landing and takeoffs of flights.
The consoles of the ATC section have now been equipped with the AirCon 2100 and the Quadrant ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast) system developed by the Spanish company Indra and German firm Comsoft respectively.
Though ADS-B facility is part of the automation process, the airport is awaiting clearance from Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for using it.
With the automation, the airport will be able to control the arrival and departure of more  aircrafts in a short period of time assuring passenger safety, said Airport Director K Peter Abraham.
The Coimbatore airport had to be upgraded along with 38 other airports in the country for `70 crore.
25/05/13  Wilson George Thomas/New Indian Express

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Aranmula Airport project: AAAC plans to launch agitation in five constituencies

Kochi: The agitation against the proposed Aranmula Aiport is all set to spread wings out of the region. The Anti-Aranmula Airport Agitation Council(AAAC) will convene meetings at all the five Assembly constituencies in the district on June 5, the World Environment Day, to spread awareness about the environmental hazards caused by the project.
The council alleged that the State Government is trying to safeguard the interests of the promoters of the project by transferring honest officials who acted as per the prevailing law of the land.
The allegation gains significance as three top revenue officials - T O Sooraj, A Abdul Samad and V N Jithendran - who took an anti-airport stand were removed from their respective posts in less than a month’s time. “The company wants exemption of many rules as most of them are against the project. The government, which is acting at the behest of the company, wants obedient officers at the pivotal seats to dance according to its tune.
25/05/13 Chandrakanth Viswanath/New Indian Express

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Afghan national arrested with gold worth Rs. 40 lakh

New Delhi: An Afghan national has been arrested by customs officials for allegedly smuggling into the country gold valued at about Rs. 40 lakh at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi.
41-year-old Ahmad Fardin, a resident of Shahre-Mazar Sharif, had yesterday arrived from Kabul.
Customs officials intercepted him after he was moving towards the exit gate.
25/05/13 PTI/NDTV.com

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'Mopa will lead to government collapse'

Margao:  'Goans for Dabolim Only' on Friday questioned chief minister Manohar Parrikar's motives after his recent statement that the Navy will not part with land at Dabolim, and demanded the government correct its "deeply flawed stand on Mopa". Forum convener Fr Eremito Rebello warned that if the government goes ahead with the Mopa airport, it would lead to the collapse of the government on the same issue.
On the CM's statement that a binding clause has been inserted in the request for quotation (RFQ) to ensure Dabolim stays operational, Rebello said, "The RFQ is not a contract and is not binding and the closure of Dabolim airport may be forced anytime by subsequent legislations or court orders."
25/05/13 Times of India

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Educated women roped in as drug carriers: Customs

Mumbai: The drug dealers attempting to smuggle are now roping in educated women with steady professions as their carrier, say air intelligence unit (AIU) officials. In the last four cases of attempted drug smuggling, the AIU arrested four women one of whom was an event manager, the other, a beautician.
The idea, officials said, is to hoodwink authorities who rely heavily on profiling. Well turned out women pursuing a profession in their home countries are less likely to attract suspicion, feel officials. On Thursday, AIU had arrested a Zambia based beautician for carrying drugs in her check-in luggage. She was to hand over the consignment of six kg to a person in Malawi. Earlier, AIU had arrested a South African national for smuggling drugs worth Rs 13 crore.
24/05/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Kolkata airport metro on slow track; awaits airports authority clearance

Kolkata: The airport metro project in Kolkata may have to wait till the end of this year to get due clearances for construction from the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Promoted by Metro Railway, Kolkata – a wing of Indian Railways – the Rs 4,260-crore project will connect eastern fringes of the city with airport via IT hub in Salt Lake.
While construction of elevated rail track is on in the 25 km stretch, the Metro Rail authorities are waiting for necessary clearances from the airport authorities for last two years.
“Discussions are on with AAI and other Government departments. We hope to get the clearances by the end of the year,” Radhey Shyam, General Manager, Metro Railway, told Business Line.
Based on objections raised by the AAI in the past, the Metro Railway has already decided to build underground track near airport.
24/05/13 The Hindu

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Coimbatore Airport gets high capacity recording system

Coimbatore: Even as the Air Traffic Control operations of Coimbatore Airport are all set to take a huge leap forward with sophisticated aircraft tracking equipment being installed, the Airports Authority of India is also upgrading the data recording system, which will provide vital information during disasters.
An official said that existing data recording system, considered the ‘black box’ of the airport, will retain information related to flight control operations in 16 channels such as communication from ATC to the pilot, walkie-talkie conversations of ground staff and internal telephone conversations.
Among the other data being recorded were the weather reports in Coimbatore region, which are broadcast by the airport every half a minute and updated every half an hour based on the information from the Indian Meteorological Department.
25/05/13 The Hindu

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Kerala governor turns commoner at airport

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Nikhil Kumar turned a commoner after flying in from New Delhi when Air India failed to open the VIP exit door for him, airport sources said Friday.
The incident took place almost a week ago.
Kumar arrived by Air India close to 11 p.m. As per protocol, the governor is entitled to board his car on the tarmac.
24/05/13 IANS/News Track India

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Medha wants lands denotified

Chennai: Social activist Medha Patkar has urged the government to de-notify the land that it had notified for the airport expansion project. Addressing a public meeting at Manapakkam on Wednesday, Ms Patkar said the 850.81 acres, not required by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), should be de-notified so that the residents can lead a peaceful life.
The AAI had earlier planned to construct a parallel runway to the existing one, but in 2011, it decided to scrap the project and make do with a secondary runway. However, the state government, which notified 1,069.99 acres of land in the villages of Manapakkam, Kolapakkam, Gerugampakkam, Thorapakkam and Kovur, for acquisition in 2007, has not yet de-notified the unused land.
In a letter dated November 15, 2011, Mr S. Raheja, AAI member (planning), had informed the state government to de-notify the unused land.
23/05/13 Deccan Chronicle

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AAI gives green signal to bridge over river adyar

Chennai: Noting that the apprehensions raised about the bridge over Adyar river by  residents of Maxworth Nagar are untrue, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) told reporters that the bridge would soon be partially opened for operations. “We are waiting for Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) clearance to use 7,500 feet length of the runway,” said AAI executive director (projects) S. Bhaduri.
Refuting the claim by residents that the bridge was not constructed as per safety standards, Bhaduri said the structure of the bridge was perfectly alright and that it would be proved when the first flight lands on it. “The undulations in the structure were a result of deliberately adjusting differential levels to the tops of various piers, so as to reduce the wearing coat thickness on top and to facilitate drainage,” he added.
24/05/13 Deccan Chronicle

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Mangalore airport to have new taxiway for rush days ahead

Mangalore International Airport is getting future-ready to handle back-to-back flights without much time-break. At present, aircraft that are ready to take off will have to wait for 10 to 15 minutes if their departure timing clashes with a flight that is about to land. It has to wait till the arriving plane completes its course on the runway and rolls into the parking area (apron) at the terminal building. This is set to become a thing of the past.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning to construct a taxiway at the airport to avoid departing flights to wait for taking off. The parallel taxiway will connect runway to the apron.
Now, the single-runway airport has only one taxiway that is used for both for entry and exit from the runway. Once the parallel taxiway is ready, there will be separate and fixed entry and exit paths.
24/05/13 Raviprasad Kamila/The Hindu

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Mangalore air cargo complex handles first consignment

Mangalore: The first consignment of air cargo was shipped from Mangalore airport to Dubai on Thursday.
J.T. Radhakrishna, Director, Mangalore International Airport and Custodian of Mangalore International Air Cargo Complex, said that the first consignment of around 500 kg of machinery spare parts was exported in the Air India Express flight to Dubai at 2 pm on Thursday.
Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had inaugurated the air cargo complex at Mangalore airport on March 18.
Then it was told that initially the scheduled flights would carry air cargo in passenger aircraft.
Melwin D’Silva, Station Manager of Air India, Mangalore, told Business Line that this is a good beginning for the international cargo movement from Mangalore.
23/05/13 Business Line

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Probe into flight protocol violation

Thiruvananthapuram: Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal has ordered a probe into the lapses in providing protocol facilities to Governor Nikhil Kumar while arriving at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on an Air India flight from New Delhi on May 16. Air India chairman Rohit Nandan has been asked to probe into the incident and submit report at the earliest, according to a communication from the Union Minister’s office.
24/05/13 The Hindu

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Malaysia Airlines adds daytime service to Mumbai

Kuala Lumpur : Malaysia Airlines is increasing its frequency from Kuala Lumpur into Mumbai to 12 times weekly effective June 3.
Following greater demand from the market, one additional service will be made to the current daytime schedule of services put in by the national carrier since September 2012.
Starting June, daytime services from Kuala Lumpur to Mumbai on flight MH174 will depart every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Monday is the new day in the schedule, MAS said in a statement today.
 MH174 departs Kuala Lumpur at 9.20 am and arrives in Mumbai at 11.45 am. It returns as flight MH175 the same day, departing Mumbai at 12:40 pm, arriving Kuala Lumpur at 8.20pm.
24/05/13 New Straits Times

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NSG team inspects Nagpur airport

Nagpur: A team of National Security Guards (NSG) came down to Nagpur for a meeting with security officials of MIHAN India Limited (MIL), the operators of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur.
The meeting was scheduled for two days, Thursday and Friday, and discussed anti-hijacking measures and other security matters with MIL officials, and the Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF), which is responsible for the security of the airport, informed a senior MIL officer.
The official further informed that the NSG team, comprising of three members, was at the city airport to conduct a kind of a survey on the preparedness of the airport in dealing with a hijack situation or other such situations posing a security threat.
24/05/13 Aparna Nair/Times of India

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MIAL set to award advtg rights for swanky new Terminal 2

Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) is gearing up to enrich the swanky Terminal 2 at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport with various commercial activities. The Terminal, which is set to open in September this year, had invited outdoor owners to bid for advertising rights of various media formats. The tender for the same was closed sometime early this month and the announcement of the win is expected soon.
The GVK-led consortium that operates the airport hopes Terminal 2 or T2 will outshine Delhi Airport’s T3.
According to highly placed industry sources, details of the tender contract encompasses design, setting up, development and maintenance of advertisement locations in and around T2, etc. Sources have also mentioned that some of the bidders included Lakshya, JCDecaux and Times OOH. It is understood that bids have moved from fix rate to fix rate plus a revenue share system.
24/05/13 Exchange 4 media.com

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Missing Indore MBBS student found in Delhi

Indore: A city-based MBBS student, who went missing from Indore airport on May 13, was on Friday found at Old Delhi Railway station, police said here.
The girl, a second year student at Indore's Aurobindo Medical College, had disappeared after landing here by a flight from Ranchi via Delhi at around 7.30 pm, SP (West) Anil Singh Khushwaha told a news agency.
This morning, the 20-year-old's relatives, who live at Dwarka near the national capital, informed us that she had been located at Old Delhi Railway Station, he said, adding that she is currently at her relatives' house.
24/05/13 PTI/Zee News

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Zambian woman held with 6cr drugs at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) arrested a Zambian national for smuggling drugs at Mumbai airport early on Thursday morning. The passenger was carrying six kilograms of amphetamine drugs worth Rs 6 crore. The drugs were concealed in thread bobbins. This is the second case of drug seizure in a week where the contraband was hidden in thread bobbins.
Mphakati Alice was on her way to Lilongwe in Malawi. She was checking in for an Ethiopian Airways flight in the morning when AIU officials intercepted her.  "The passenger (Alice) had collected the consignment from Mumbai. She has given some details of the people who handed the consignment to her. We are trying to trace them," said an AIU official.
24/05/13 Times of India

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RIL jet makes emergency landing at Mumbai airport

Mumbai: A Falcon 900 business jet belonging to Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries made an emergency landing with three passengers on board at the city airport due to an engine failure, airport authorities said on Thursday.
Aviation regulator DGCA has reportedly ordered a probe into the incident, which took place on Wednesday afternoon.
"A full emergency was declared at 1435 hours at the airport for the Falcon 900 VT-ISH flight due to an engine failure," a Mumbai airport spokesperson said.
The flight was bound for Delhi.
Reliance said the aircraft returned for safety reasons and it could have continued its flight as the two other engines were functioning normal.
23/05/13 ZeeNews

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Air India flight grounded after bird-hit

Guwahati: Air India flight 890 from Imphal to New Delhi, which was hit by a bird mid-air some time before landing in Guwahati, was grounded on Wednesday evening. The plane safely landed here but its onward journey to New Delhi was cancelled as the bird-hit damaged the aircraft's windshield.
23/05/13 Times of India

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Passenger traffic at Surat airport up by 25%

Surat: In what could be seen as music to the ears of airline companies planning to start operations from Surat, the outbound passenger traffic from the airport catered by two airlines - Indian and SpiceJet - on the Mumbai and Delhi routes has gone up to 20,000 per month.
The official statistics of the passengers travelling from Surat airport maintained by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) suggest a 25 per cent increase in the passenger traffic in April 2013 compared to the same month previous year.
Every month around 10,000 to 16,000 passengers travel to Mumbai, Delhi and other destinations from the city in Indian Airlines and SpiceJet aircraft. From March 2013, the number of passengers has increased to 18,000 to 20,000.
23/05/13 Melvyn Reggie Thomas/Times of India

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Protest against transfer of official in Aranmula

Pathanamthitta: The Aranmula Paitruka Grama Karma Samiti has accused the government of unseating A. Abdul Samad from the post of the Kozhencherry Taluk Land Board Chairman with a design to abet unlawful activities of a private airport company at Aranmula.
In a statement here on Tuesday, Samiti general convener P. Induchoodan alleged that the government’s act of punishing honest officials by transferring them to far-off places just because they had acted against the interests of the company was condemnable. Mr. Samad, who hailed from Karunagappally, was honoured as the best Deputy Collector in the district during the first anniversary celebrations of the United Democratic Front government. However, it was highly deplorable on the part of the government to shift him to Wayanad during the second anniversary celebrations of the government only because he had taken stern measures to protect the laws of the land, he said.
The Samiti leader said the government’s modus operandi of shifting those officials, including the Collector and the Deputy Collector, for not dancing to the company’ tune had raised apprehensions in the people.
22/05/13 The Hindu

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Mockery of security: In and out of 4 airports in 3 nations with 2 live bullets

Mumbai: You might call this a slap in the face of security in these times of terror. A Delhi-based businessman, who was found with two live bullets tucked into his baggage, managed to saunter in and out of four airports in three countries over the span of last week without the cartridges being detected.
It was only at the fag end of his return trip that security officials at Mumbai airport spotted the bullets. They were found in a shaving kit in one of the bags that the businessman, Abhishek Jain, had carried on his tour to Colombo and the Maldives and back.
Jain has claimed that he carried the bullets unwittingly and inadvertently – something the police say is quite plausible.
However, the incident has set the alarm bells ringing. Security experts said this incident raises serious questions over security checks being carried out at airports in India and abroad.
23/05/13 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Preity Zinta misses flight, creates ruckus

Ahmedabad: Actress Preity Zinta created a ruckus at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Wednesday night after she was denied permission to board a flight for being too late. According to airport officials, Zinta was to catch Ahmedabad-Mumbai flight departing at about 9:45 pm. However, she reached after the Air India aircraft had closed its doors and was about to take off.
"Air India station manager refused to allow her to board the flight for being late," an airport official said. Following this, Zinta is said to have lost her temper and got into a heated argument with the Air India staffers. Eye witnesses said Zinta was so furious and aggressive that security officials had to intervene. Sources said Zinta had to spend the night at the airport, waiting for the 4 am flight. Zinta was in Ahmedabad for the promotion of Ishkq In Paris.
23/05/13 Indian Express

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Air route to the Roerich estate in the Indian Himalayas reopens

India’s national air carrier Air India today opened flights to the Indian town of Kullu in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. Not far away is the village of Naggar, where the former estate of the Roerich family, the site where Russian painter Nicholas Roerich was cremated, is located.
Up until the beginning of 2012, India’s second-largest privately-owned air carrier Kingfisher Airlines had offered regular flights to Kullu. But financial difficulties forced the flight to be discontinued, which is why over the last 12 months, tourists visiting Naggar and neighbouring towns in the Western Himalayas could only reach it by land. The trip from New Delhi takes more than 12 hours, and other major Indian cities are much farther from Kullu.
23/05/13 Russia & India Report

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Waiving airport charges in non-metro cities: AAI wants freebies

New Delhi: As government considered ending most airport charges in non-metro cities to encourage regional connectivity, state-run airports body AAI, which owns most airports in the country, wants free land, tax exemption and other freebies to help it waive these charges for airlines.
While free land should be provided by state governments for developing or extending runways, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) should be exempted from municipal taxes, officials said.
The state or local authorities should also ensure power and water supply and proper roads to the airports if enhancement of air connectivity to Tier-II and III cities has to be promoted, they said.
However, the navigation and parking charges would not be waived by the AAI, which owns or partners in managing close to 90 airports around the country, at 15 major airports including those in six metros.
22/05/13 PTI/Economic Times

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Subsidy scheme likely for regional airports

Mumbai: Domestic airlines are likely to get a waiver in landing, route navigation and security charges as part of government policy to encourage regional air transport.
aviation Minister Ajit Singh chaired a meeting with officials here today on plans to boost regional air connectivity. Naresh Chandra, a former cabinet secretary, and Deepak Parekh, chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation, also attended.
The new policy would replace the existing route dispersal guidelines. The latter make it mandatory to deploy at least 10 per cent of an airline’s total capacity to the northeast and Jammu & Kashmir, and at least one per cent of the capacity within the northeast.
Under the new plan, airlines plying to tier II-III towns will not have to bear landing and parking charges or a navigation charge. Plus, no user development charge on passengers.
22/05/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Medha Patkar meet villagers affected by Chennai airport expansion project

Chennai: Social activist MedhaPatkar on Wednesday addressed a gathering of more than 100 residents who are affected by the Chennai airport expansion project.
Medha, prior to her meeting with the state chief secretary SheelaBalakrishnan was making a personal visit to assess the impact of delay in land de notification at five villages- Manapakkam, Kolapakkam, Gerugamapakkam, Tharapakkam and Kovur.
In 2007, government of Tamil Nadu notified 1069.99 acres of land for acquisition in the villages to build a parallel runway at Chennai airport. Airports Authority of India (AAI) had issued a letter in November 2011 to the state government informing that parallel runway plan is dropped and the earmarked land can be de-notified. But the denotification process is still pending before the state government.
22/05/13 Arun Janardhanan/Times of India

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Love angry birds, save planes

Ahmedabad: To check the menace of bird-hits, the authorities of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport have decided to launch SAVE (Save Avians and Save Environment) campaign. The aim is to reduce bird-hits to the minimum by sensitizing those living near the airport to the menace.
From firing crackers to laser guns and zone guns, the airport authorities have tried many measures to curb the menace of bird-hits but they haven't been very successful. Now they want the support of citizens to bring down bird-strike incidents.
"We have been working at our level to control the problem but we need the support of the people who live around the airport," said Santosh Kumar, deputy general manager, Airport Authority of India (AAI), who is the brain behind the SAVE campaign.
"We believe that even a bird's life is precious and we aim to work in a direction where birds, humans and planes co-exist peacefully," said airport director R K Singh who initiated the campaign.
There is already the Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard Management (BASHM) which has members drawn from the Ministry of Aviation, DGCA, AAI, Ministry of Defence and the National Bird Control Committee (NBCC) which works to check bird-hits.
22/05/13 Piyush Mishra/Times of India

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Hyderabad, Delhi airports floor London Mayor Boris

Hyderabad: Hyderabad and Delhi airports are top class. Waxing eloquent on the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in the city, London Mayor Boris Johnson said a similar airport would be built in East London.
Mr. Johnson visited RGIA and the Delhi airport in November 2012 and had expressed his desire to emulate these models to create a new airport in East London as the present international airport at Heathrow was running at 98 per cent capacity.
He said London needed to catch up with India when it comes to aviation capacity.
21/05/13 21/05/13 The Hindu

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Leaky loos add to Chennai airport’s tale of woes

Chennai: The steel and glass new terminals at the airport may look snazzy, but the toilets inside are a mess. Passengers cringe at the toilets made in a crude fashion with poorly fixed floor tiles. Commodes in the new domestic terminal are fixed on raised platforms from where water run off to other cubicles.
Things are no different inside the new international terminal which may be opened in a month following an ultimatum from the civil aviation ministry.
Though the terminals are vast and spacious, there are not many toilets. The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which spent 2,015 crore on the buildings, seems to have overlooked crucial passenger amenities.
22/05/13 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Chennai airport’s a mess: ACI survey

Chennai: Bad toilets, poor internet connectivity and crowded parking spaces — passengers’ displeasure over such issues at the old terminals at Chennai airport has been backed by the findings of an Airports Council International (ACI) survey.
In its international benchmarking and customer satisfaction survey, ACI gave Chennai airport an Airport Service Quality (ASQ) rating of 3.21 out of five for the year 2012, which is much lesser its target of 4.1.
“The toilets were poorly maintained in the old domestic terminal. That apart, parking posed another problem as I found it very difficult to park near the terminal,” said Kishore Dandekar, a chartered accountant who frequently flies out of Chennai, giving vent to passengers’ complaints on cleanliness which is one of the 10 parameters on which the airport did not come out well. The others include availability of parking space, shopping facilities and internet connectivity. “The internet connectivity was atrocious in the old terminals. There were very few options for shopping too,” said Vignesh Shankar, a financial consultant, another frequent flyer.
22/05/13 The Hindu

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Visa on Arrival extended to Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: The central government has extended Visa-On-Arrival facility to international passengers travelling through Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad managed by the GMR Group.
Visitors from 11 countries will be eligible to get a VoA from May 31 at RGIA, a GMR press release said.
The Centre had introduced an Indian tourist VoA scheme on January 1, 2010 at certain airports which was initiated for citizens of five countries. Subsequently, a year later, the facility was extended to a total of 11 countries.
The Tourist Visa on Arrival with a maximum validity of 30 days with single entry facility shall be granted by the Immigration officers at RGIA to citizens of 11 countries viz Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia, it said.
22/05/13 PTI/ZeeNews

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BEST plans AC buses every 15 minutes from airports

Mumbai: BEST plans to start air-conditioned buses from the domestic and international airports every 15 minutes at one-fifth the fares of prepaid cabs.
There could be point-to-point services for business passengers to hubs like Lower Parel and Nariman Point. "We are in talks with the airport authorities and may get a bus-hold area at the new airport terminal," BEST general manager Om Prakash Gupta told a committee meeting on Tuesday.
He said BEST could ply buses to any destination depending on requirements. But, he said, the airport authorities should conduct a survey on the most preferred destinations across the island city and suburbs.
The airport precinct is presently a transit point for BEST buses. There are five to six services operating via the airport and they are mainly non-AC buses, so passengers prefer prepaid ordinary cabs, Cool Cabs or fleet cabs.
22/05/13 Times of India

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Power cut leaves fliers stranded at airport

Kolkata: On Tuesday afternoon, passengers flying into Kolkata could not fathom what was wrong at the terminal. It was only after a prolonged wait at the baggage carousals that some realized the lights were out. A few Still others noticed that the air-conditioning system wasn't functioning. But for those bewildering 30-40 minutes, there was no attempt by airlines to inform passengers what was wrong.
The terminal went on the blink around 2pm as power supply to the facility tripped, shutting down air-conditioning, elevators, escalators, check-in counters, X-ray machines and luggage conveyor belts. This immediately halted all operations - check in, security check and baggage claim.
"A CESC supply disruption affected operations briefly. The power supply was restored in 10 minutes," said airport director BP Sharma. Though the lights returned in 10 minutes and the air-conditioning thereafter.
22/05/13 Times of India

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Passenger dies after mid-air cardiac arrest

Kochi: An Irish national flying on Qatar Airways flight on the Melbourne-Qatar route died after he suffered cardiac arrest mid-flight on Wednesday morning. Even though the flight made an emergency landing at Cochin airport and the passenger was rushed to a nearby hospital he was declared dead on admission.
The body of the passenger identified as Raymond Mc Morrow (68) is being kept in the hospital mortuary after embalming. The airport sources old TOI here that they have already alerted Irish Embassy on the incident and was waiting for their feedback to decide on how the body could be sent back his home. The aircraft flew back to Qatar after the off-loading the passenger, the sources said.
22/05/13 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Aerocity project near Indira Gandhi International airport gets security clearance

New Delhi: The Aerocity project - a bunch of five-star hotels near the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport - has cleared the first major hurdle with a high-level committee giving the green light to it subject to some security riders.
The committee, comprising a panel of experts from government's various departments, has recommended that bulletproof heavy glass should be used in all hotel windows facing runways. It has also advised using censor devices at all windows so that any attempt to break the glasses can be detected immediately.
The panel said that the hotels operating at Aerocity should have sophisticated security gadgets like body scanner and others. Besides, hotels have been advised to install a biometric system just to avoid unwanted access.
Among the recommendations that have been submitted to the ministry of civil aviation is providing limited access to the roof tops of high-rise buildings.
21/05/13 Kumar Vikram/India Today

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Madurai, Tuticorin airports to get land soon for expansion

Chennai: Airports in Madurai and Tuticorin will soon get additional land for their ambitious expansion plans. The State government has almost completed the necessary formalities for acquiring land and vast stretches will soon be handed over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Land acquisition for public projects is a two-stage process, involving a preliminary notification and a final one for acquisition.
D. Devaraj, Regional Executive Director, AAI Southern Region, told The Hindu that in the case of Madurai, the State government is on the verge of issuing acquisition notification. The State has to pay compensation to those who parted with their land. In Tuticorin, the process of issuing acquisition notification would be completed soon. Once these processes are completed, the AAI would get the additional land in Madurai and Tuticorin.
Mr Devaraj said the AAI had asked for 615 acres of land in Madurai to take up expansion work. Of the total extent, patta land accounted for 433 acres.
21/05/13 P. Oppili/The Hindu

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Voices raised in Pernem in support of airport

Pernem: With South Goa recently witnessing a series of 'Dabolim only' meetings that had slammed the government's move to construct a Greenfield airport at Mopa, Pernem taluka, where the new airport will come up, is witnessing voices raised in support of the project.
Recent gram sabhas in Arambol, Morjim and Paliem village panchayats saw resolutions passed supporting the government move.
The taluka's most prominent NGOs-Morjicho Ekvott in Morjim and Durvankur in Arambol-have also expressed their support to the project.
"We need development, and the airport project will help develop the backward areas of North Goa," said Vasant Shetgaonkar, president of Morjicho Ekvott.
21/05/13 Times of India

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Smart intranet to end airport woes

Kolkata: Acknowledging the lack of coordination between various stakeholders at the airport, Director General of Civil Aviation Arun Mishra told TOI that the industry needed to make a paradigm shift. "At present, partners like airport operator, airlines and controllers function in compartments. Walls need to be pulled down. We need to adopt a system in which everyone will know what is happening around. Lack of situational awareness is a major safety concern," he said.
Kolkata airport authorities said work on a collaborative decision-making (CDM) model was already under way. "We are working to improve operational efficiency of all airport operators by reducing delays, increasing predictability of events during the progress of a flight and optimizing utilization of resources. This will be achieved through improved real-time information sharing on the intranet between airport operators, aircraft operators, ground handlers and air traffic control," Kolkata airport director BP Sharma said.
To ensure that the latest information is available to all, an intranet is being created where each airport partner can feed information on its domain while getting to view data provided by other partners.
21/05/13 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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GMR asked to pay Rs 70K to man who tripped on pipe at IGI

New Delhi: A 67-year-old flier, who was injured after tripping over some construction material lying around at the IGI airport terminal, has been granted compensation of Rs 70,050 by a district consumer forum.
The South West District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum observed that there was deficiency in service on the part of the airport authorities and GMR Group, which manages the Indira Gandhi International airport, as the passenger was hurt when he stumbled over a cast iron pipe while moving towards the immigration counter on his return from Dubai in August 2008.
"We find the complainant on his arrival from Dubai at IGI Airport was grievously hurt by a cast iron pipe lying there. It is apparently deficiency on the part of opposite parties (GMR and airport authorities). We are of the view that some reasonable compensation be granted to him.
21/05/13 PTI/Business Standard

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Glass panel at Kolkata airport breaks again

Kolkata: A glass panel near boarding Gate No. 59 crumbled at the new airport terminal on Monday morning. No one was injured as the area was empty around the time. Airport authorities have decided to install fiberglass canopies over the boarding gates and airport entrances to minimize chances of injury from glass breakage. Till now, more than 100 glasses have shattered in the terminal with the number inching close to a dozen since the terminal became operational in March.
21/05/13 Times of India

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Tata DOCOMO inks pact with GMR Airports

Tata DOCOMO, the mobility and business services brand of Tata Teleservices, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive partnership with GMR Airports, a global leader in creating world class private Airport infrastructure, to offer high-speed Wi-Fi services at Indira Gandhi International Airport- Terminal 3 in Delhi and Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport, Hyderabad.
The coming together of Tata DoCoMo and GMR Airports, both leaders in their respective fields, is a natural alliance of two partners renowned for breaking new ground and is a first-of-its-kind partnership in India that will cover entire airports including private airline lounges.
21/05/13 myiris.com

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Air passengers worry over privatisation

Chennai: For those who have not visited other privately maintained airports in the country, the massive chrome and glass structure of Chennai airport might look awe-inspiring. In reality, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has just spent public money to construct two new terminals which are in no way better than the old buildings. Further, after having built such swanky terminals, the move to lease them to private hands has added fuel to the fire.
“In the case of Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, airports were built or expanded under build, operate and transfer model (BOT) by private operators. They invested money to construct new buildings. But in case of Chennai, AAI has spent the money to build and we are not sure what model they are looking at to lease out to a private player” quipped Air Passengers’ Associ­ation of India (APAI) secretary Hiren Shah.
Shah pointed out that the structure is definitely modern but then AAI is not maintaining it properly. “It appears they have not designed it suitably for passengers’ use. They have not thought out the process well,” he said, adding that passengers are forced to walk long distances inside the terminal.
20/05/13 Deccan Chronicle

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CM to meet project-affected persons of Navi Mumbai airport

Mumbai: The stand-off between the Maharashtra government and the Navi Mumbai International Airport project-affected persons (PAPs) is expected to end soon as the chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has decided to intervene and directly hold talks with them in the next 10 days.
The PAPs are pressing for the allotment of 35 to 40% of the developed land while the state government has shown its willingness to provide 22.5% of developed land.
At the detailed presentation made by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) vice chairman and managing director Sanjay Bhatia to Chavan, about 30 issues including the allotment of developed land to PAPs came for discussion.
A senior government official, who was present during today's presentation, told Business Standard: "About 450 hectare of private land is yet to be acquired for the Navi Mumbai airport project. Series of talks were held between Cidco and PAPs. The market value of the 22.5% developed land will be worth Rs 18 crore per hectare against the present value of Rs 15 lakh per hectare. PAPs are certainly going to benefit. Besides, Cidco will develop a world class city for PAPs adjacent to the airport."
20/05/13 Sanjay Jog/Business Standard

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Sonam Kapoor or Sridevi: Who’s a bigger airport style disaster?

The two actors were seen at the Mumbai airport on the weekend. While Sonam Kapoor was returning from the Cannes film festival, we wonder if Sridevi and husband Boney Kapoor were getting back from an exotic holiday destination!
Sonam Kapoor is done spreading her charm on the red carpet of the 66th Cannes International Film Festival. She finally returned home and Ms K who usually flies in style opted for a very thanda look this time around. Settling for an androgynous statement – a biker leather jacket and burnished moccasins – Sonam could have at least made sure she wore a light coloured shirt to complement her dark coloured denims. The only saving grace is the pop of blue which she carries in the form of a bag, but mind you, not in a great way.
20/05/13 Daily News

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Consuls visit SA woman held in India

South African consular officials on Monday visited a South African woman held in Mumbai, India, for alleged drug trafficking, a Pretoria official said.
International relations spokesman Nelson Kgwete said the woman was confirmed to be a South African citizen.
"Her next-of-kin has also been informed of the arrest. She did not give permission for any further information to be shared with the media."
The woman was arrested when drugs were allegedly found in her luggage at a Mumbai airport.
"She was on her way to South Africa via Addis Ababa, flying on an Ethiopia Airlines plane," Kgwete said.
20/05/13 SAPA/The New Age

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Probe initiated into diamond theft case

Mumbai: Sahar police have initiated a probe into the disappearance of a packet of diamonds worth Rs 3.91 crore, which allegedly went missing during transit to Belgium earlier this week.
The complainant is an employee with a diamond trading firm based in the city. On May 16, the complainant sent a consignment containing 24 packets of diamonds to a firm based in Belgium by air cargo. A representative of the Belgium-based firm was to receive it at the airport and confirm the delivery. "The Belgium-based firm got back to the complainant saying the consignment was one packet short of what was decided to be sent. The complainant then approached us and we registered a complaint of theft on May 17," a senior inspector with Sahar police station said.
Police are now conducting inquiries with the loaders in the cargo area of the airport, and courier company employees who visit the cargo area to pick their consignments, police said.
20/05/13 Indian Express

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We Need an Independent Investigation Into Guptagate By the Public Protector

From the start, the investigation into the landing of the Guptas' chartered Jet Airways Airbus at AFB Waterkloof was a carefully crafted damage control exercise designed to protect President Jacob Zuma and members of his Cabinet from the political fallout generated by "Guptagate". It comes as no surprise therefore that the investigation effectively exonerated President Jacob Zuma and members of his Cabinet.
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Jeff Radebe, was at pains to point out that "no ministers were involved in this matter". He went on to say, "Members of the Executive were not required to issue instructions, did not issue any instructions, and did not create the impression that they ought to have issued any instructions".
However, with respect, the fact that some ministers sat on their hands and did not issue any instructions is part of the problem and should have been investigated.
The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, received and turned down a request for landing rights at AFB Waterkloof.
19/05/13 All Africa.com

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The Great Gupta Farce

On the face of it, the South African government acted with unprecedented high speed to deal with the fallout over the landing of the Guptas’ private jet carrying wedding guests from India at the Waterkloof Air Force Base. Within three weeks of the show-stopper wedding of the niece of the Gupta brothers, Cabinet ministers trotted out to present to the public the findings of a government investigation. So far, so good.
The report by a team of directors-general contains some startling new facts about the landing of the jet and transport of the wedding guests to the Sun City resort. The full report is to be released in the coming week, according to Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, who heads the justice, crime prevention and security Cabinet cluster which commissioned the investigation.
The total deployment of government personnel during the operation was 194 people and 88 vehicles, according to the statement on the report’s findings read by Radebe. Another 296 private security officers were deployed at the expense of the event organiser. The organisers also deployed two fixed-wing aircraft and seven helicopters to ferry their guests from the base to Sun City. This was authorised as a package linked to the already-issued clearance for Flight JAI 9900 (the Jet Airways plane carrying the wedding guests), Radebe said.
20/05/13 Renjeni Manusamy/Daily Maverick

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Guptagate report shows manipulation, collusion and illegal blue lights

Manipulation of processes and collusion between officials led to the politically connected Gupta family being allowed to land their private jet carrying VIP wedding guests at Waterkloof Air Force Base last month, after having two requests for landing rights elsewhere turned down, Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radebe said on Sunday.
“The breach in this instance was a consequence of manipulation by the responsible persons, who contemptuously manipulated the system to advance the wedding objectives at all costs,” he said.
Mr Radebe was presenting the findings of a team of seven directors-general of the justice and security cluster appointed in the wake of “Guptagate” to probe any wrongdoing in the matter.
He said: “We can state without any fear of contradiction no minister was involved, nor was (President Jacob Zuma).”
Mr Radebe added that the activities of some of those involved in the debacle had been driven by the “undesirable practice of the exercise of undue influence and abuse of higher office”, though he added that Cabinet members “were not required to issue any instructions, did not issue any instructions and did not create the impression that they ought to have issued any instructions”.
The issue has already led to the suspension of five senior government managers, three of whom are South African Air Force senior officers, along with eight Tshwane metro police officers and one South African Police Service reservist.
19/05/13 BDlive

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'Guptagate': SA/India relations not strained

Johannesburg: International Relations insists the Indian government has not requested a diplomatic apology following the Gupta jet debacle.
The Sunday Independent on Sunday reported that President Jacob Zuma should expect an angry reception when he visits India in two weeks' time.
Fingers have been pointed at Indian High Commissioner Virendra Gupta for the role he apparently played in the saga.
However, International Relation's Clayson Monyela said the relationship between the two countries was not under strain.
“The relations between India and South Africa are historic. They are friendly, strong and solid ... There are no tensions between the two countries.”
Eyewitness News broke the story on 30 April when around 200 Gupta weddings guests made a controversial landing at Waterkloof Air Force base in Pretoria.
The plane was ordered to leave the base and depart from OR Tambo International Airport two days later.
The wealthy family is said to have close ties with President Jacob Zuma.
20/05/13 Mandy Wiener & Gia Nicolaides/Eye Witness News

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Guptagate: Zuma and Co in the clear

Johannesburg: The names of President Jacob Zuma and other government ministers were used to push officials into allowing the Gupta family’s wedding guests to land at Waterkloof Air Force Base last month, but no members of the executive gave their say-so.
A team of directors-general appointed to get to the bottom of the Gupta scandal took sworn statements from implicated officials – among them chief of state protocol Vusi Koloane – which absolved the president and cabinet ministers of blame, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe told a media briefing on Sunday.
“We’ve got a statement from (Koloane) on record explaining himself on all these issues. That is why we are saying, without any fear of contradiction, that no minister was involved in this matter. The president was not involved,” Radebe said.
But the investigation had established that name dropping was “very bad” and had resulted in “the manipulation of the process” by people who “shared a common purpose and acted in concert”.
These included Koloane – who has been placed on compulsory leave – and the officer commanding movement control at Waterkloof Air Force Base, Lieutenant-Colonel Christine Anderson – who has been put on special leave.
Radebe said disciplinary processes would continue to determine “the guilt or otherwise of these individuals”.
20/05/13 Craig Dodds/IOL News

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Now Zaidi wants to be exempted from frisking

New Delhi: AS civil aviation secretary, S N A Zaidi had strongly advocated reducing the list of over 30 categories of VIPs exempted from security checks at airports. As Election Commissioner, Zaidi has raised the matter again — now he wants to be exempted from frisking at all Indian airports.
In a letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the first week of May, Zaidi said that as EC he enjoys the status of a Supreme Court judge and was, therefore, eligible for exemption from frisking.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Supreme Court judges are exempted from security checks at airports, and Zaidi noted that all election commissioners enjoy the same status.
Zaidi told The Sunday Express that he would not like to comment on the matter. Asked about the change in stance from the time he was a civil aviation secretary, he said: "That was in a different context. In any case, it is for the Ministry of Civil Aviation to decide on this."
19/05/13 Ajmer Singh/Indian Express

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Not a single flight goes to Jalgaon airport

Jalgaon (Maharashtra): The then President  Pratibha Devisingh Patil, at the fag end of her tenure, hurriedly inaugurated an airport in her home district Jalgaon, but airline carriers are showing scant interest in flying their planes to this place.
 The only plane to land at this airport was that of the then President's in March last year, when she descended to cut the ribbon and inaugurate the airport.
Since then not a single flight has landed here. The reason: the airport doesn't have a licence, and it doesn't have Fire, Air Traffic Control or Meeorological departments working there, reports Mumbai Mirror.
18/05/13 India TV

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AAI team inspects land identified for Jhansi airport

Lucknow: With the UP government identifying land for developing a civilian airport in Jhansi, a team of senior officials from Airports Authority of India (AAI) and UP Civil Aviation have visited the proposed sites for the first airport in Bundelkhand region.
Last year, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had written a letter to CM Akhilesh Yadav, asking him to hand over the Jhansi airstrip run by the Army to AAI so that a civilian airport could be developed there. Singh had written several letters to the Chief Minister, expressing his keenness to develop civilian airports at Agra, Meerut and Jhansi and providing the land for this purpose.
A UP civil aviation department official said a team comprising AAI executive director (planning) Kalpana Sethi, state civil aviation department special secretary S K Raghuvanshi and UP civil aviation director Devendra Swaroop visited the two sites on Friday.
19/05/13 Ramendra Singh/Indian Express

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AI loaders left high and single, for decades

Mumbai: When Keshav Gundal, 43, a casual loader with national carrier Air India, solemnized his marriage on Saturday, with family members and relatives in attendance, he had conflicting emotions. Friends said he was naturally thrilled that his bachelor days were over. However, he still felt remorse about the lost years of his youth as a daily wager with the country’s national carrier.
Gundal is one of about three dozen daily-wage casual loaders with Air India who have waited a very long time in the hope that they would be appointed full-time employees. Most of them even put off getting married and starting a family for, which is an oddity for men in their social circle.
Many of them are in their 40s, and tired of waiting endlessly for that elusive career climb, some have got married only in the past couple of years.
19/05/13 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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