Porbandar Airport to see base expansion to encourage tourism to Mahatma Gandhi’s birthplace

Porbandar is one of the most prominent cities of Gujarat. With that in mind, the Gujarat government has taken a call to expand Porbandar Airport to encourage tourism prospects and support security agencies in better landing of helicopters and aeroplanes.

As per an official release, the decision was taken at a meeting held on Tuesday, between CM Vijay Rupani and Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman of Airports Authority of India, in Gandhinagar.

The expansion has been planned to considerably increase the passenger capacity of the airport. This would also be helpful for the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy, involved in promoting India’s maritime interests.
What makes Porbandar a popular place is the fact that it is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, also known as the Father of the Nation. Having good air connectivity to the city will further improve tourism prospects in the future. According to the plan, the existing runway shall be expanded to 2600 m from the current 1372 m. This expansion will allow the Coast Guard and Indian Navy to land their aeroplanes and helicopters at the airport.
31/05/19 TimesTravel

Read More

AAI to to improve land documentation for airports across India

New Delhi: State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) has tied up with NTrust Infotech–Anarock Consortium for asset rationalization, lease administration and related services on pan-India basis through “lease administration technology”, in a bid to make asset documentation a “robust and real time process”. The state-run airport operator has signed up with the consortium for three years.
AAI member (finance) S Suresh said this pact will help the authority in rationalizing its assets by making use of best potential of land and properties. Anil Gupta, AAI’s ED (land management and business development) said tying up with NTrust Infotech–Anarock Consortium will help AAI — that manages 129 airports across India — in identifying best potential of land asset and improve revenue stream.
“AAI is committed towards upgrading itself continuously with best in class system technology and knowledge for streamlining day to day operations bringing higher efficiency and transparency,” AAI said in a statement.
31/05/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

New ATC Tower at Delhi's IGI

Next summer, from your window seat you could watch another aircraft make a parallel landing at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport alongside your flight.
Common enough abroad in places like San Francisco, it is only now in India that the Airports Authority of India intends to have parallel operations on IGIA’s runways.
The change is expected within six months of the new air traffic control tower becoming operational.
The transition from the old to the new tower will begin on June 15 and is likely to be completed in three months.
With the bird’s-eye view it offers of each corner of the sprawling airport’s operational area, the new tower, equipped as it is with the latest technology, will give a significant upgrade to the air-traffic handling capacity of the airport.
This means IGIA will be able to handle more flights, more safely.
The real and final boost in capacity will come when the fourth runway is ready in about three years.
31/05/19 Economic Times

Read More

Flights from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar, Raipur from June 5: Official

Jharsuguda: Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, will launch flight services from Veer Surendra Sai Airport (VSSA) in Odisha’s Jharsuguda to state’s capital city Bhubaneswar and Raipur in Chhattisgarh from June 5, official sources said.
The flights will operate under the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme of the Central Government.
“Alliance Air would be commencing operations from Jharsuguda connecting Bhubaneswar & Raipur on June 5, 2019,” tweeted Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The Jharsuguda-bound Alliance Air flight will depart from Bhubaneswar at 9.05 am and arrive at the VSSA at 10.10 am. The flight will leave Jharsuguda at 10.35 am towards Bhubaneswar and will land at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) at 11.40 am, an airport official said.
31/05/19 Odisha Sun Times

Read More

Soon, fly to foreign shores from Indore

Indore: The infrastructure for immigration services at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport has been completed and the service will be started soon, said airport officials on Wednesday.
This came a day after Ministry of Home Affairs released a gazette notification designating Indore airport as an authorized immigration checkpost for international flyers.

“We have got authorization for immigration clearance from the Centre and the first international flight to Sharjah is expected soon,” said airport director Aryama Sanyal.

She said that permission for customs was already granted, and the only obstacle for airlines willing to start international flights to and from Indore was authorization for an immigration facility, which has also been cleared.

“We have everything in place, and only wait is for airlines to obtain necessary permission from DGCA and start international flights,” added Sanyal.

Currently, the airport sees around 54 domestic flights flight on a daily basis. And monthly passenger footfall has also gone up to 2.24 lakh.

Airport’s advisory committee member and former chairman of CII, Indore Ranjan Mimani said, “Infrastructure-wise, the airport is ready for quite some time now. We are now waiting for the first flight to take off. And Indore will then be listed as an international airport, and more carrier would come forward to introduce flights on international routes,” said Mimani while speaking to TOI.
30/05/19 Times of India

Read More

Kozhikode team meets Emirates officials

Kozhikode: A delegation of business community in the city met the top officials of Emirates Airlines in Dubai on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum urging the airlines to resume wide-bodied flights from Karipur airport.
The delegation of Malabar Development Council and Malabar International Airport Committee was headed by MDC chairman C.E. Chakkunni, chief coordinator of Airport Development Committee. The team met the Emirates team headed by group vice-president Adel Ahmad Al-Redha, who is also the Chief Operating Officer of the company, at the Emirates headquarters, Dubai.
The delegation said that passengers from the region opt for the Emirates flights due to the excellent service and connectivity across the world. At present the sector is receiving international services from IndiGo, Spice Jet and Fly Dubai, which are flying at their maximum occupancy rate.
30/05/19 Deccan Chronicle

Read More

AAI issues work order for Surat airport terminal extension

Surat: The work for expansion of terminal building at Surat airport is all set to start after monsoon. Airports Authority of India (AAI) has issued work order for construction of extended terminal building worth Rs350 crore on Tuesday.
Official sources said process for appointing consultant for the project will be completed within a few days and that structural material to be used in the terminal expansion project will be calculated soon. Based on this, the work for the construction of the terminal building will be taken up post-monsoon. Expansion of the terminal building will be completed within two years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid foundation stone for the extension of terminal building at Surat airport worth Rs350 crore in January. Information gathered under Right to Information (RTI) revealed that Airports Authority of India (AAI) had not awarded work contract in the last two months. Official sources said the tender for terminal building extension was floated in December 2018, but the work order was delayed due to model code of conduct in view of Lok Sabha elections.
The terminal building of Surat airport is being extended by AAI at a cost of Rs354 crore. The existing terminal building has an area of 8,474 square metre and it will be extended by additional 17,046 square metre (excluding city side and air side kerb) to have a total area of 25, 520 square metre.
After the extension, the terminal building will be capable to handle 1,800 passengers (1,200 domestic + 600 international) during peak hours. Consequently, Surat airport will be able to handle 2.6 million passengers annually.
30/05/19 Times of India

Read More

IndiGo set to start flight ops from Gaya airport

Gaya: Conceding the request of budget carrier IndiGo for space at Gaya airport to begin its operation, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has allotted specified area on the apron as well as terminal building to the airlines.
Confirming the allotment of space, Gaya airport director Dilip Kumar said, “Space has been earmarked for its ticket counter, check- in counter, back-up office and ground handling work. IndiGo is the first domestic operator from the private sector to get such a facility at Gaya airport.

Till now, Air India has been operating its lone domestic flight A- 433 daily on the Gaya-Varanasi-Delhi route. Besides Air India, some foreign airlines including those from Thailand, Sri Lanka and Myanmar operate flights between Gaya and their respective capitals in the peak tourist season (October-March). Asked about the time required by IndigGo to complete the pre-operation formalities, airport director Dilip said things will be clear once the airlines takes possession of the facility provided for conducting its operations.
Earlier, IndiGo teams conducted a survey on the business and safety aspects of their proposed operations. “If everything goes as per plan, IndiGo is likely to start its operations from August,” said the director.

Asked about the route on which IndiGo will operate from Gaya, the airport director said the airline is yet to submit details of its proposed operation. According to sources, besides operating on the Gaya-Delhi, Gaya-Mumbai and Gaya-Bangalore, IndiGo may also operate at least one international flight for the Buddhist countries.
30/05/19 Abdul Qadir/Times of India

Read More

Identify land for second airports, AAI tells states

New Delhi: Realising that the second term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi could see unprecedented focus on infra development, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked state governments to identify sites for second airports in relatively smaller cities also. And after doing so, states have been requested to impose height restrictions there so that no structures are built to a height beyond what is permitted in area around airports and impede work on secondary airports starts in these relatively smaller cities when it starts.
“Not just metros require secondary airports, even relatively smaller cities now need the same. While work has already started in some places like Delhi, Mumbai and Goa, there is a need to for the same in other many other cities. State governments are being requested to identify suitable size land for the secondary airports and notify height restrictions in those places. This will enable work to start there at a later date without any hinderance (of pre-existing tall structures),” AAI chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said.
Some of the cities requiring secondary airports are Visakhapatnam, Jaipur, Pune, Ahmadabad, Rajkot, Patna, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. A majority of Indian airports are handling passenger way beyond the built capacity of terminals. Airports in places like Patna and Guwahati are highly constrained and metros like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore had no free slots till the Jet crisis erupted earlier this year.
30/05/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Gujarat government plans to expand Porbandar airport

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government is planning to expand Porbandar airport to boost tourism and help security agencies land helicopters and aircraft, an official release said.
The matter was discussed at a meeting held Tuesday between Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Airports Authority of India chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra in Gandhinagar.

The expansion will increase the passenger capacity of the airport and also beneficial for the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy engaged in securing country's maritime interests, the release said.

Porbandar is an important tourist centre for being the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi, and hence air connectivity to this place will boost tourism.

The plan is to expand the existing run way to 2,600 metres from existing 1,372 metres, it said.

This will also help Coast Guard and Indian Navy to land helicopters and aircraft, the release said.

Currently, Porbandar airport operates services to Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
28/05/19 PTI/Times of India

Read More

Upping the antennae for safe landing

Tiruchi: With more overseas flight movements witnessed daily to select foreign destinations, a fast growing Tiruchi international airport is poised to be equipped with an advanced version of Instrument Landing System (ILS) that will provide precise landing guidance to pilots.

A high-level officer from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) headquarters in New Delhi recently carried out a survey at the proposed site at the non-metro airport ahead of the installation of the new ILS facility.

The advanced version of the ILS will have 16 localiser antennae with specialised control units, instead of 12 antennae of the existing version, say AAI officials. The advanced ILS is planned to be installed on Runway 27 end of the airport adjoining Tiruchi-Pudukottai National Highway. The existing ILS will be removed once the new equipment is installed.
The sophisticated ILS facility comes at a time when the airport is on a major expansion mode with work underway for construction of a futuristic integrated passenger terminal in the wake of a steady rise in passenger traffic over the years and a new apron to accommodate 10 aircraft.
AAI has also accorded sanction for construction of a new technical block-cum-air traffic control tower.
A separate technical team from AAI, which has the necessary expertise in installation of ILS facility, will be entrusted with the task of fixing the new antennae once the new equipment was purchased.
Flight calibiration tests will be conducted and only after obtaining approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will the advanced ILS be commissioned, say senior AAI officials.
The localiser antennae of the ILS will provide the centre line for the aircraft while landing and the glidepath will provide correct angle for landing. The advanced ILS will provide precise landing guidance for the pilots, say airport officials.
A new platform will be constructed for fixing the 16 localiser antennae of the advanced ILS at the runway end besides carrying out other civil and electrical work required for its installation.
28/05/19 R Rajaram/The Hindu

Read More

Fire at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport, no casualties reported

A major fire broke out at Kempegowda International Airport premises in Bengaluru during the early hours of Wednesday creating panic among the passengers and airport staff.

According to reports, the fire broke out at the restaurant area outside the airport complex at around 6 am. Fire tenders were quickly rushed to the sot and the fire was doused out. However, no casualties or major loss were reported in the incident.
The airport officials confirmed that there was no disruption to flight operations because of the fire.

Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) spokesperson said, "There was a fire-related incident at a food and beverage outlet, away from the terminal, at the Bengaluru airport campus in the early hours of Wednesday, May 29. Trained personnel on the scene extinguished the fire using fire fighting equipment."
29/05/19 Amal Rasheedali/IBTimes

Read More

UP Approves Rs. 894 Crore For Resettlement Of Displaced For Jewar Airport

Noida: The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposed bid document for Jewar Airport near Noida and sanctioned Rs. 894 crore for the resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced families, an official statement said.
The land acquisition process for the Greenfield International Airport in Gautam Buddh Nagar, the second in Delhi-NCR and billed to be the biggest in the country, picked up pace in the last quarter of 2018, but the work halted in April due to restrictions clamped for the Lok Sabha elections.

"The council of ministers has approved a proposal related to the establishment of the Noida International Greenfield Airport in Jewar in Gautam Buddh Nagar. The cabinet has approved the bid document and the draft concession agreement which were presented to it by the Project Monitoring and Implementation Committee (PMIC)," a statement released by the state government''s Department of Information said.

The cabinet also agreed to the global tender process for the Noida International Airport Limited as per the timeline proposed by PMIC after its May 21 meeting, it added.

"The cabinet gave its administrative and financial approval to provide Rs. 894 crore for resettlement and rehabilitation of families which will be displaced after the commencement of the project. It also gave its administrative and financial approval to an already-sanctioned Rs. 275 crore fund for the project," it said.
28/05/19 PTI/NDTV

Read More

Ground reality: What goes into the making of an airport

New airports have been coming up across India in recent times. But what actually goes into choosing the location for an airport? Finds Ashwini Phadnis >>

Read More

UDAN to restore air connectivity between Mysuru, Bengaluru

The long-awaited air connectivity between Mysuru and Bengaluru will be realised as flights between the two cities will be launched on June 7 under the UDAN scheme.

Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, has come forward to operate a flight offering 70 seats five days a week. There will be no service on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Bengaluru is the second city after Chennai to be linked with Mysuru by air under the regional connectivity scheme named ‘Ude Desh Ka Nagrik’ (UDAN). Trujet has been operating flights from Chennai to Mysuru under the scheme since last year, and the response to the service is said to be encouraging.

Five cities, including Bengaluru, had been included under UDAN flights from Mysuru. The other four cities are Belagavi, Goa, Kochi and Hyderabad.


Alliance Air had been operating flights between Bengaluru and Mysuru for a few years before the service was stopped. Apart from that, special flights had been operated during Dasara as a tourism promotion drive. The re-launch of commercial flight operations between the two cities is expected to increase tourist footfalls, especially international travellers, besides benefiting businesspersons.
28/05/19 The Hindu

Read More

Hindon airport to begin commercial flights from June-end! Fly to these places at affordable rates from Delhi

Hindon airport to begin commercial operations! Fliers from and to Delhi-NCR have reason to cheer as commercial flight operations from Hindon airport in Ghaziabad are set to start by the end of June. A senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has confirmed this to Financial Express Online. Adding to the cheer is the fact that flights from Hindon airport will operate under the affordable UDAN scheme, which means the airfares will be capped. The Ministry of Defence had given its approval for civil enclave which belongs to Indian Air Force (IAF). AAI has developed the facility to ease air traffic congestion from the Indira Gandhi Airport (IGI, DEL) in Delhi. Hindon airport is located around 40 kilometres from the Delhi IGI Airport.
29/05/19 Debjit Sinha/Financial Express

Read More

Visakhapatnam airport adjudged third best

Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam International Airport was adjudged as the third best in the category of airports having passenger footfalls from 15 lakh to 50 lakh a year. Members of Andhra Pradesh Air Travellers Association (APATA) have welcomed the assessment done by the Quality Council of India (QCI).

Airport Authority of India (AAI) had entrusted QCI – a third party – to conduct an independent assessment of 34 airports on terminal building services and facilities along with assessment of airside safety parameters. This assessment was conducted in last December, and Vizag Airport stood third out of the 18 airports in the category.
About 28.53 lakh passengers travelled from the city airport in financial year 2018-19 against 24.81 lakh in the previous fiscal. The movement of aircraft had also recorded a 21 per cent growth with 24,237 flights to and from the airport in 2018-19 when compared to 20,021 in previous fiscal.

APATA chairman K. Kumar Raja informed that the city airport secured 78.9 per cent score, next only to Chandigarh (83 per cent) and Mangalore (79.5 per cent). Earlier, Vizag airport director also announced about the QCI-2018 awards on the official twitter handle. The ranking of airports is based on the overall scores given to the airport by QCI and AAI.

Vizag airport is surveyed, both quarterly and half-yearly period. It comes under Airport Service Survey being conducted by the global body of airport operators, Airports Council International (ACI) on behalf of the AAI on a quarterly basis. Also, the quality of the services is also assessed by the QCI.
29/05/19 Deccan Chronicle

Read More

Partial closure of lounges, transit hotels at Bengaluru airport for renovations

Mumbai: Passengers boarding flights from Bengaluru (BLR) airport will have only partial access to lounges and transit hotels.
BLR Airport currently has four lounges — two at International Security Hold Area (SHA) and two at Domestic SHA. "The refurbishment project would be executed in two phases spanning 18-20 months. Starting June 1, 2019, parts of the domestic & international lounges and transit hotel would be closed. The new lounge operator – a JV between Gate Group and Travel & Food Service (TFS), India – will take over operations," said a statement issued by the airport

The entire conceptualisation, design and development of the new lounges are being done by BIAL to elevate the overall lounge experience for passengers, it said adding that once renovations are complete, the lounges will provide customers with amenities including live cooking, celebrity chef-curated menus, digital zones, library, spa, barista bar and wine cellar – to name a few.
28/05/19 Manju V/Times of India

Read More

Fly to Hisar in ’24

Chandigarh: The integrated aviation hub in Hisar would be established in a phased manner and an airstrip of 10,000 feet would be ready by January 2021, where A-320 and Boeing-737 airplanes can land. Apart from this, the Hisar airport would be completely ready by 2024 for operation. Also, a flying school would be established in Hisar, which would have the provision of imparting training to about 100 pilots.

This was disclosed at a meeting of the Civil Aviation Department, held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here on Wednesday.
It was informed that by 2021, concerted efforts would be made to provide MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility to big airplanes, along with parking facility, in Hisar. The airport would also be established as an alternate so that flights from the busy Delhi airport could use this airport. There would also be parking facility so that airplanes could be parked here in case of shortage of parking space at Delhi.

It was informed that a special-purpose vehicle would be established in Haryana for management and expansion of airports and other activities, under which Haryana State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited would be constituted, for which the Chief Minister gave in principle approval. It was informed that in view of drone activities, a drone academy would be established in Bachhodin Narnaul.
29/05/19 Tribune

Read More

You can fly to Mysuru for just over Rs 1,000

The capital city of Karnataka and the cultural capital of the state will soon be connected via air. Air India’s subsidiary Alliance Air will commence flight service between Bengaluru and Mysuru starting June 7 under the Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) or the Regional Air Connectivity scheme.
 While the fare (super value economy) for the one hour long Bengaluru-Mysuru flight is Rs 1,589, the web special economy fare is Rs 1,365. On the Bengaluru-Mysuru route the flight AI 9539 will depart from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at 10.30 am and arrive at the Mysuru airport at 11.25 am.
From Mysuru, flight AI 9540 will depart at 12 noon and arrive at KIA at 1 pm. The fare (super value economy) on the Mysuru-Bengaluru route is priced at Rs 1504 and the the web special economy fare is Rs 1,365. Alliance Air will operate the 70 seater ATR-72’s on the route five days a week.
 There would be no flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Mysuru airport restarted operations of commercial flights after a long gap in September 2017 with the commencement of flights between Mysuru and Chennai. Trujet started operations on the route under the UDAN scheme. Air Odisha was also scheduled to operate flights from Mysuru.
28/05/19 Hemanth CS/Bangalore Mirror

Read More

Hyderabad Airport Authorities Respond To Riteish Deshmukh's Tweet

New Delhi:  Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh faced trouble at the Hyderabad Airport Lounge and made sure to address the issue and report it to the authorities.
The 40-year-old actor took to his Twitter handle to share a video from the Airport Lounge where he got stuck after the power went off.

Along with a short clip, he wrote, "So we were at the Hyderabad Airport Lounge - suddenly the power goes off- the way in & out is an elevator that shuts down. The only exit door is locked in a chain (Incase of FIRE it's a tragedy waiting to happen)."

Riteish went on to add that "public exits can't be locked in case of emergencies" and asked the authorities to "wake up".

He explained the situation further and wrote, "Security personnel refuses to give permission to open the door at the cost of passengers missing their flight. Wake up Hyderabad airport Authority - public exits can''t be locked in case of emergencies."
The airport authorities quickly responded to Riteish's tweet and wrote, "We regret the inconvenience caused. It was a minor technical snag which was resolved immediately. Please be rest assured that our Airport Terminals are safety compliant. In an event of any emergency, the glass doors can be broken. Passenger safety is of utmost importance to us."
In another tweet, they added, "Hi Riteish, thank you for your valuable observation. In the current set up, there is a manual lock - the key is placed in a box next to the glass door and can be accessed in case of an emergency."
Twitter users also commented after watching the actor's video.
28/05/19 ANI/NDTV

Read More

Bapat to focus on better flyer amenities at airport

Pune: MP Girish Bapat, the new president of the Pune Airport Advisory Committee, said he would actively take up the new regulations introduced by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at the Lohegaon facility, if they hassled the passengers.
Bapat said he was planning to hold the first meeting of the committee next month. “I have to study the new systems in place, but I have heard that stands of all public transport, including autorickshaws and cabs, have been moved out of the airport premises. The matter will be taken up in the meeting of the advisory committee next month and I shall check what the AAI plans to do. If the new system is causing inconvenience to flyers, it needs to be corrected,” he told TOI.
The new parking regulations are over two months old. Most passengers are unhappy about it. The penalty of Rs340 for vehicles remaining on the airport premises for more than three minutes is also a cause of worry. Public vehicle drivers must pay Rs50 whenever they enter the airport premises for a pickup.
Bapat said getting more land for the overall expansion of the airport was important.
28/05/19 Times of India

Read More

ISIS case: CCTV images at Mumbai airport deleted in 30 days

A lawyer from Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) told a special NIA court on Monday that CCTV footage from the airport is deleted after 30 days unless there is a specific request to preserve it.
MIAL submitted the response after Areeb Majeed, accused of going to Syria to commit acts of terror, sought footage to strengthen his defence that his entry into the country was facilitated by the NIA. While Areeb claimed that he reached India on November 28, 2014 with the NIA's knowledge, the NIA had claimed he was arrested on November 29, 2014 after "sneaking into the country". Areeb was booked for having association with a banned outfit, ISIS. The court, while framing charges, had not found evidence to charge him with being a member of the Islamic State.
28/05/19 Times of India

Read More

Mumbai: Gang targeting flyers at airport busted, three arrested

Mumbai: Sahar police have busted a three-member gang that included a taxi driver for robbing over Rs 2,000 from a 35-year-old bank executive who had hired the cab from outside the international airport on May 25 night to go to his home in Andheri.

The complainant said, one gang member standing outside the airport car parking bay stopped the car pretending to be a passenger. He robbed the bank executive as the cab reached Sahar village road.
Senior inspector of Sahar police Shashikant Mane said, “Soon after the victim got into the cab, one of the accused, Mohammed Khan, too, boarded the cab. Midway, he threatened the victim and driver and fled with the money. The driver pretended to be innocent and took the cab to MIDC police station on the victim’s instructions. They then took the cab driver and victim to Sahar police where the case was solved.”
Mane said while one gang member lured fliers at the terminal arrival point with cheap fares, the second was the cab driver, while the third accused posed as a passenger and executed the robbery.
28/05/19 V Narayan/Times of India

Read More

Civil Aviation Ministry to focus on developing new airports, boosting regional air connectivity

Continuing efforts to bolster the Indian aviation sector, the civil aviation ministry will focus on developing new airports, enhancing regional connectivity and training hub for people in the sector, according to an official.

India is one of the largest aviation markets in the world and annual air passenger traffic is estimated to touch 1.1 billion in the coming years.

As the new regime is to take charge, the ministry is working on various plans that seek to strengthen the aviation infrastructure, further improve air connectivity as well as create the necessary ecosystem for skill development, the official said.

Various initiatives, taken up during the tenure of outgoing Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu, including air cargo and green aviation policies, and the road map for drone ecosystem would also be taken forward, the official added.

The ministry would encourage development of airports by state governments, private player and through public private partnership.
27/05/19 PTI/Economic Times

Read More

Taxibots to tow aircraft, save fuel, cut pollution

New Delhi: Come Tuesday, IGI will become the first airport in the country to have taxibots to tow aircraft whose engines are shut from the parking bay to the runway. The taxibots, which are semi-robotic vehicles, will not only curb pollution at airports but also save fuel. These vehicles will be remote-controlled by pilots till the runway point.
An official of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said the taxibots were ready for commercial operations after lengthy trial runs. To begin with, these will be used by the aircraft of SpiceJet. An official explained that the semi-autonomous vehicle was developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), which an enabled aircraft to taxi without their engines running. The technology aims to reserve the use of aircraft engines and serves as a tug to tow them safely and efficiently.

“Taxibots are a technological innovation in the aviation space. We are proud to be world’s first recipients of this technology and to commence its commercial operations. We are excited about introducing this advanced taxiing solution that is operationally efficient and environmentally friendly. Delhi Airport has won numerous awards for its sustainable and green initiatives. The commissioning of taxibots further strengthens our position in this league,” Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, DIAL CEO, said. Jaipuriar said the taxibot system would save approximately 213 litres of fuel per flight. “This converts into a potential saving of $35 million annually for domestic carriers at IGI alone.”
DIAL conducted intensive trials for eight months to assess the operational viability and safety of the machine. The trials included stakeholders like Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Air Traffic Control and various airlines. Almost 400 successful trials were conducted with three airlines — SpiceJet and two other domestic carriers.
27/05/19 Times of India

Read More

Flights to small towns in TN to soon take off

Chennai: With the new Union government set to take over, the airlines and airports authorities hope that it will fast-track regional connectivity scheme in the state which is lagging the deadline by at least three years.
Though the Vellore, Neyveli airstrips are ready, there is no push to start flights. These towns should have been connected under phase-1 of the scheme which is set to enter phase-4. Thanjavur development is also on. Chennai-Salem is the only Udan route started in the state. However, apart from TruJet, other airlines have not shown interest.

AAI is looking at the ministry to encourage airlines to take up the route or allot it to others.

An AAI official said, “The Union government will continue to the push for Udan flights. However, more incentives may be needed to encourage low-cost carriers to take up routes. Now, they are looking only at routes that may bring them profit. This must change."
Rajeev Kale, president and country head, Thomas Cook India Limited, said, “Tamil Nadu is a key market for us, and its regional towns are gaining ground as potential for both domestic business and leisure travel; equally as a feeder to hubs for outbound travel. With schemes like Udan, we appreciate the government’s tourism-focussed initiatives to catalyze the travel and tourism sector in widening the ambit via increased accessibility and affordable air connectivity.”
28/05/19 Times of India

Read More

IndiGo bestowed with ‘Customer choice Airline of the Year’ at BIAL Pinnacle Awards 2019

Bhubaneswar: To celebrate its five accolades won at the BIAL Pinnacle Awards 2019 held in Bengaluru, the country’s largest airline, IndiGo would like to thank its customers who made this feat possible. BIAL (Bangalore International Airport Ltd) conferred five awards on IndiGo spread across prestigious categories including Airline with Best Growing Network – Domestic, Customer choice Airline of the Year – Domestic, Cargo Airline of the Year – Domestic, Passenger Airline of the Year-Domestic Low Cost, Passenger Airline of the Year-International Low Cost.
Mr. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Chief Operating Officer, IndiGo said, “It gives us immense pleasure to be recognised by Bangalore International Airport Authority across five prestigious categories across customer service, cargo and business growth. This is a recognition for all the IndiGo employees who strive to deliver an exceptional, efficient and reliable service to our customers on domestic as well as international routes every day, while working relentlessly to strengthen our network and cargo operations. It has been our constant endeavour to live up to and exceed our customer’s expectations and we will continue to work hard to accomplish higher standards of excellence. This achievement is testament to our commitment towards being on-time, courteous and hassle free, and providing low fares, always.”
27/05/19 Orissadiary.com

Read More

Maldives govt says, no taxes payable by GMR on Male airport contract compensation: Media report

Shares of GMR Infra will be in focus today as a PTI report stated that the government of Maldives has decided not to press for income tax and fines of over $20mn from the company on the compensation it received from the island nation for the premature termination of Male International Airport contract.

As per reports, the Maldivian Attorney Generals Office has issued a statement on May 23. The statement says that no sum will be imposed on GMR by the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority on the Final Award Sum in respect of taxes.

In 2017, the Maldive government had issued a notice seeking $20.5mn towards income tax and fines from GMR Male International Airport Private Limited, a GMR group company, that won $270mn arbitration against the premature termination of the contract for modernization and operation of the Male airport. The Indian infrastructure major refuted the tax claim by Maldives.
27/05/19 India Infoline

Read More

5,000 trees to be felled for Bokaro airport upgrade

Bokaro: The work to upgrade Bokaro airport has resumed with the felling and shifting of 6,771 trees here.

Jharkhand State Forest Development Nigam Limited (JSFDNL) has begun felling trees from Saturday. Disagreements over the fate of the trees delayed the project to upgrade Bokaro airport by more than one and half years.

In the recently held parliamentary elections, opposition parties blamed BJP MP P N Singh and the state government for the delay.

An officer of JSFDNL, Arvind Kumar, said, "Around 1,772 trees will be shifted. The remaining trees will be cut within two months, following which necessary infrastructure will be put up. The chopped trees will be transported to a closed BSL School, and the wood will be auctioned. Necessary steps are being taken in this regard."

The foundation ceremony of the work to upgrade Bokaro airport was conducted on August 25, 2017 by the chief minister of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das, and the Union minister of state for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha. Then the authorities had announced that the refurbished Bokaro airport will be ready by December 25, 2018.
27/05/19 Times of India

Read More

Airport inks pact with AAI

Mohali: Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) signed its annual performance contract for the year 2019-20 with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) that specifies various parameters and targets to be performed by CHIAL during the current year. The MoU was signed between Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, AAI, and IN Murthy, Chairman, CHIAL. The MoU covers targets in the field of finance, capacity utilisation and improvement in airport service quality.
27/05/19 Tribune

Read More

Jewar airport plan likely to get govt nod next month

Greater Noida: With the Lok Sabha elections over, the nod from the state government on the Jewar concessionaire bid document is likely to come by next month. Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) sources said the government is likely to give its approval following a recommendation from the project monitoring and implementation committee. After the nod, the process of issuing global tenders for the construction of the airport will begin.
The bid document received the final approval from the Union ministry of civil aviation in February this year. Expected to be ready by 2023, the Jewar airport aims to take load off Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport. “We will initiate global tendering for the airport project once the state government approves the bid document,” said YEIDA chief Arun Vir Singh.
Singh maintained that the bid document was “finalised as per Government of India in February 2019”. He added, “All media speculations regarding number of domestic/international terminals as well as number of footfall per year at the proposed airport is totally wrong as it can’t be determined as of today.”
YEIDA is waiting for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) revised plans for the Airport Express line as well as the commercial connectivity line to Jewar. “We had our second meeting with DMRC on May 10, in which we have asked for a new chapter on a separate dedicated airport line for Jewar, which should run parallel to the current proposed 35.64-km commercial line by DMRC. The DMRC had sought time to come back on the proposal,” Singh said.
27/05/19 Meenakshi Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Kolhapur airport gets aviation fuel facility

Kolhapur: The city airport has been facilitated with the aviation fuel facility, which means that the aircraft landing here will have the facility to refuel while on halt.
The facility, according to experts, will help in carrying more passenger load, which eventually will help both the airlines as well as the passengers.

Kamal Kataria, airport director, Kolhapur, told TOI that the facility started from May 12, and is being provided by the Hindustan Petroleum, a public-sector oil and natural gas company. The facility will henceforth remain available on a permanent basis.

When asked about how it could impact the current aviation scene over the city skies, Kataria said that earlier when the aircraft arriving to the Kolhapur airport had to made sure they carry the reserve fuel to depart to their next destination, the limited availability of the fuel can restrict the number of passengers on board a plane. However, that would not be the case any more. With the availability of aviation fuel, the number of passengers will increase.

Notably, from May 12, Indigo airlines started its operations to-and-fro the city to Tirupati, which is receiving an overwhelming response.

At present, the Kolhapur airport hosts daily to-and-fro flights for Tirupati, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, carrying over 8,000 passengers since December 9 last year.
26/05/19 Piyush Bhusari/Times of India

Read More

Three more flights from city airport by next week

Patna: The number of flights operating from Jayaprakash Narayan International (JPNI) Airport here increased to 42 with the addition of a daily flight between Patna and Delhi on Saturday.
IndiGo flight (6E-2039/2041) on Delhi-Patna-Delhi route landed here at 8.30pm on Saturday and took off for Delhi at 9pm.

The number of flights operating from Patna may further go up to 45 as three more flights would be added in the summer schedule of various airlines by next week. With this, IndiGo will operate 19 flights from the city airport, SpiceJet 12, GoAir 11 and Air India three.

SpiceJet has announced introduction of two new flights connecting Patna. The IndiGo will start operation one more flight to Delhi from May 28. The new flights will operate on all days.

SpiceJet station manager in Patna Syed Hasan confirmed the introduction of new flights. “Kolkata-Patna-Mumbai-Patna-Kolkata flight (SG-6425/6426) of SpiceJet will land here at 7.10am on May 30 and depart for Mumbai at 7.40am. The same flight will return to Patna at 7.10pm and leave for Kolkata at 7.40pm,” he said.

26/05/19 Faryal Rumi/Times of India

Read More

Bengaluru airport completes 11 years of operations, expects 65 million passengers per annum by 2025

Bangalore: One among the fastest growing airports in the world, the Bengaluru International Airport has completed 11 years of service. The airport located at Devanahalli, on the outskirts of Bengaluru city, began operations on May 24, 2008, as Air India’s flight AI 609 from Mumbai landed at the airport.

According to a spokesperson from the airport, it is estimated that 65 million passengers will transit from KIA per annum by 2024-25. “The same number will reach 80-90 million in ten years,” the spokesperson adds. A record 33.3 million passengers transited through the airport in 2018-19, indicating a 23.8% growth in the same from that of the previous year.

Interestingly, the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), as it is known now, features prominently in the ‘history of firsts’ among other air terminals in India. Bangalore is home to the first airport in India which was constructed through a public-private partnership. Also the first airport in the country to introduce check-in through face recognition technology, this development is expected to be an end-to-end solution for paperless air travel in the country.
As many as 16 fully-automated self bag drop machines were installed in the airport in 2018, making KIA the first in the country to introduce the same in a big number.
26/05/19 Ralph Alex Arakal/Indian Express

Read More

Daily direct flights to Mumbai from today

Vijayawada: The Vijayawada international airport is set to reach another milestone on Sunday, when it will get daily flight services between Vijayawada and Mumbai.
The daily direct flight to Mumbai has been a long pending demand and business circles had submitted representations regarding this earlier. SpiceJet has come up with the service.
The airport has registered a double-digit growth in last five years in terms of passenger traffic. The Air India Express has been operating a three-day per week Vijayawada-Mumbai direct flight service and it records about 90 per cent occupancy. With increased demand, prices for the service also shot up to Rs 12,000 during weekends which was too much of a pocket pinch.
SpiceJet is likely to run the services on Boeing 737 jets which have a capacity of 168 seats. The base fare of the ticket has been fixed at Rs 4,500 by the operator which is attracting the business circles.
26/05/19 Times of India

Read More

City airport to get sophisticated four-level inline baggage scanner

Chennai: Passengers travelling from the international terminal of the city airport will have to scan their luggage before checking in, as work on installing a new inline baggage scanning machine is all set to begin. Airports Authority of India (AAI) has installed five standalone baggage scanners at the terminal for passengers to scan the bags until the work to install the new four-level inline baggage scanner is completed. The work is expected to take three months.
The new inline scanners with CT X-Ray and CT scan system, which can detect explosives, have been procured as per the new security regulations introduced by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

An official said the machine, which is better than the old one, will provide a good resolution picture of the bags and will automatically divert bags with suspicious content to a manual checking area.

“The machine will do four levels of checks. The first two levels are automatic and do not require human intervention. In the third level, the machine will divert bags with suspicious content for security personnel to screen and those which need to be opened will be sent to the fourth level where the passenger is summoned,” he added.

The modification to the inline baggage scanner is part of the move to have new machines at international and domestic terminals. The machines and conveyors for both the terminals have arrived.
26/05/19 Times of India

Read More

AAI conducts airport walk to spread safety awareness

Recently, a TajSats catering vehicle hit the barricade of apron floodlight mast.
In November 2018, a water tanker hit a Qatar Airways aircraft while passengers were boarding the plane that was bound for Doha.
In May 2017, an aircraft refuelling tanker of Reliance Aviation overturned at the airport, leading to a massive oil spill

In December 2015, a Jet Airways shuttle bus driver dozed off and crashed into an Air India ATR aircraft, causing damage worth crores

Concerned about intermittent incidents in the airport operational area, Kolkata airport authorities have chalked out a plan to raise awareness and compliance to safety among various stakeholders.

Multiple incidents, including one in which an Air India ATR aircraft worth Rs 400 crore had to be scrapped when a Jet Airways coach rammed it after the driver dozed off at the wheel, has resulted in finacial loss to airlines and raised uncomfortable questions about the safety protocols and practices at the city airport. Officials of Airports Authority of India said they were keen to address the issue, not only to prevent the airport’s image getting tarnished, but also to prevent any loss of life that may occur due to lack of vigilance or casual behaviour while working in one of the most critical areas of the airport.
26/05/19 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

Read More

Indore: Fourth aerobridge to be built at city airport

Indore: Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport has received sanction to build the fourth aerobridge. It will be ready in one year. At present, two aero bridges are functional and third one is under construction. Airport director Aryama Sanyal said Airport Authority of India has approved the proposal of fourth aero bridge at city airport and approval letter has been received. Sharing the future plan, she said next step is to take permission from Directorate General of Civil Aviation Safety (DGCA). As soon as the permission will be received, the tender for the construction of aero bridge will be floated.
After completion of fourth aero bridge, two bridges will be used for connecting the domestic flights while another two will be used for international flights, which are likely to start soon. The aerobridge is also known as a jet bridge or termed as jet way, skybridge. Its formal name is passenger boarding bridge. It is an enclosed, movable, connector, which commonly extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane.  It allows passengers to board and disembark without moving outside. The number of availability of aerobridges at an airport shows more number of passengers and airplane traffic and upscale airport.
26/05/19 FreePressJournal

Read More

NGO rescues peacock at IGI Airport

New Delhi: An injured peacock was rescued from Terminal-3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) here, an NGO said. On Friday afternoon, a team of Wildlife SOS rushed to the airport after getting information that a peacock with battered wings was found near the arrivals area. They rescued the bird and kept it under observation for a few hours, before releasing it into the natural habitat, a Wildlife SOS spokesperson said. The peacock had sustained minor dog bites on its wings and was highly stressed. Peacocks and other birds are a common sight in the airport area and they often venture into the green covers around the airport in search of water and shelter, the spokesperson said. Peacock is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
26/05/19 Hans India

Read More

Consultant appointed for tunnel project at Chennai airport

Chennai: A consultant has finally been appointed to examine a proposal to construct a tunnel inside Chennai airport.

Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said Singapore-based Meinhardt Group had been given the contract for the work. “The consultant is likely to take about six months to provide suggestions and recommendations,” said an official.

This tunnel will link the satellite terminal — which will be located near the remote bays — with the new integrated terminal, which is under construction. There will be two tunnels, one for transporting passengers and the other for moving baggage from the new integrated terminal to the satellite terminal.

“Soon after the consultant finishes the feasibility study, a new contractor will be appointed for building the tunnel and the satellite terminal,” an AAI official said. “It will be quite a challenge to build it in a fully functional airport, but we can take it up in parts and finish the construction. For a start, the consultant will first do soil tests to identify the right location for the tunnel. The satellite terminal will be compact and a small one with basic facilities for passengers,” the official said.
26/05/19 Sunitha Sekar/The Hindu

Read More

Jewar Airport Update: What to expect from Modi govt 2.0?

New Delhi: One of the most awaited development projects in Uttar Pradesh, Jewar airport is on the priority list of Union Minister, Mahesh Sharma. Sharma has been elected as a Member of Parliament from Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) constituency, where Jewar Airport is expected to be developed soon.  After getting elected for another Lok Sabha term from Gautam Budh Nagar, Sharma said Jewar Airport is at the top of his priority list and he is committed to expedite work on the airport and have it ready soon.

In an interview to TOI on May 24, Sharma said Jewar airport would be the largest airport in the country with cargo and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services. The airport will help save huge amount of money paid to other countries for MRO. Sharma said that the airport will boost the local economy and provide jobs to many. He made a personal commitment in the interview to expedite the work on the airport and get it ready soon.

The Jewar Airport is expected to lighten the load on Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, which is already facing capacity issues. Projected to be ready by 2023, the airport is expected to begin operations with nine domestic and six international flights initially and grow up to handling six million passengers annually. Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) has begun its homework in this regard as the tender would be of global attraction because there would be many foreign companies interested in Jewar Airport construction.

The government of India had cleared the road map that would be implemented for constructing the international airport in Greater Noida. In fact, the tender document has also been approved subject to some terms and condition. All, these things would be tabled before the Project Monitoring and Implementation committee (PMCI) and after getting cleared by the PMIC, the global tenders would be issued with tenders within six months.
26/05/19 Hardik Bansal/ZeeB iz

Read More

City masterplan envisages international flights from Srinagar airport

Srinagar: Fourteen years after Srinagar Airport got international status, it is yet to operate full time international flights. The state government has now made yet another proposal for throwing open the airport for international flights after several other such attempts did not yield any fruit. State governments have also picked up the issue many times, but with no results.
The latest proposal has come in the recently approved Master Plan of Srinagar metropolitan region. The document has said that the airport shall be made open to international aircraft operations under Limited International Airport Category, especially to the Gulf and SAARC countries.
“This move is expected to boost the economic development of the State by way of promoting tourism, horticulture, handicrafts, etc,” said the report.
The airport was formally granted international status by the Government of India (GoI) in March 2005. The GoI funding of Rs 130 crore expanded the terminal and increased its parking stands from four to nine, making it able to serve both domestic and international flights. In 2009, Air India started weekly flights to Dubai from here for the first time in the airport’s history. but these were terminated in the beginning of 2010.
Before Jammu and Kashmir became a contested territory between India and Pakistan, the airport was previously used only by the British Air Force. During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947, the airport received Indian military troops. Although it was small and lacked landing aids, an airdrop was still carried out successfully here on October 27 that year. In 1979, the Airports Authority of India established a civil enclave at the airport.
25/05/19 Junaid Nabi Bazaz/Kashmir Reader

Read More

Check average airline ticket prices for Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad

Flight ticket prices for Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata are likely to rise as peak travel season approaches.

SpiceJet and GoAir have announced new domestic routes and discounts.

"Airfares on domestic routes have witnessed a significant rise in comparison to the same period last year as we stand in the middle of peak travel season of the country. Travellers are planning their trips to domestic destinations to enjoy their summer break. We expect airfares to increase further and would advise them to book their tickets accordingly," said Sharat Dhall, COO (B2C), Yatra.com.

Below is an overview of the spot airfares and flight prices trends to help you find the cheapest flights for airlines such as IndiGo, Air India, GoAir, Vistara, AirAsia, SpiceJet and international carriers.
25/05/19 Moneycontrol.com

Read More

Alliance Air now connects Mysuru to Bengaluru onwards to Vijayawada

Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India is launching flights from Mysuru to Bengaluru onwards to Vijayawada via Bengaluru effective 7th June, 2019. Flight Mysuru to Bengaluru will be operated under Regional Connectivity Scheme-UDAN. This route has been awarded to Alliance Air to bolster regional connectivity under “Connecting India” mission of Government of India. The inaugural is planned at Mandakalli Airport,Mysuru.
Mysuru is known as the cultural capital of Karnataka and receives a large number of tourists from around the world especially during the Dasara festivities.Last Year Mysuru saw record tourist turnout of approximately 1.53 lakh people during Dasara.The title Mysuru is used in many of it’s specialities such as sweet delicacy Mysore Pak, Mysore Masala Dosa, Mysore Painting,Mysore Sandal Soap,Mysore Ink, Mysore Peta,Mysore silk and tourism is the key industry here. This flight would offer seamless connectivity and help garnering the immense tourism potential Mysuru has to offer.Tourist spots such as Coorg,Ooty and Bandhipur National Park are in close proximity to Mysuru and this flight will reduce the total travel time to these destinations as well.
All flights will operate with a 70 seater ATR-72.
Flight 9I 539 departs from Vijayawada at 0820Hrs, arrives into Bengaluru at 1000Hrs further departing from Bengaluru at 1030Hrs arriving into Mysuru at 1125Hrs.
Flight 9I 540 departs from Mysuru at 1200Hrs arriving in Bengaluru at 1300Hrs further departing from Bengaluru at 1325Hrs arriving in Vijayawada at 1455Hrs.
25/05/19 Orissa Diary

Read More

Alliance Air To Connect Bhubaneswar, Raipur With Jharsuguda

Bhubaneswar: Good news for air travellers as Alliance Air is all set to connect two State capitals- Bhubaneswar and Raipur from the Veer Surendra Sai airport in Jharsuguda.

Alliance Air, the subsidiary company of Air India limited will start its flight operations from June 1, 2019.

Jharsuguda airport director, SK Chauhan informed that the airlines company was awarded three routes- Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Kolkata under the Regional Connectivity (RCS) Udan scheme 3.0.
25/05/19 Odishatv.in

Read More

Two flights diverted from Kolkata airport due to poor weather conditions

At least two flights were diverted on Saturday from the Kolkata airport in West Bengal to Bhubaneswar Airport in Odisha due to poor weather conditions. The city of Kolkata witnessed heavy rains and strong winds on Saturday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier predicted widespread rainfall in the state.
The flights were diverted from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, to Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar.
25/05/19 Zee Media

Read More

Tender for Digi Yatra boarding system at CIAL

Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) in India has issued a tender for the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a Digi Yatra eBoarding system. The tender was issued May 14, 2019 and closes May 30, 2019.

The Digi Yatra initiative will enable air travel passengers in India to board flights using facial recognition instead of physical documents.

The tender notes, among other details, that bidders should have successfully commissioned a biometrics-based passenger processing system in at least one airport and that they have a local office in India.

Digi Yatra was initially expected to go live in April, and is expected to reach half a dozen airports in the initial roll-out. Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru will be the first airport to implement the Digi Yatra system.
24/05/19 Stephen Mayhew/Biometric Update

Read More

Attack on Jagan at airport case: accused Srinu released on bail

Kakinada: The accused in the case relating to the vain bid on the life of YSRCP Chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy at Visakhapatnam airport seven months ago which is popularly known as `Kodi-Katti case-Janupalli Srinivas alias Srinu has been released on Bail from the central prison Rajahmundry on Saturday.
 He told media persons that he was still an ardent follower and admirer of Jaganmohanreddy and what happened on that fateful day at airport was purely accidental. He said he approached Jagan only for taking a selfie with him and not have any intention of attacking him.
 `I did not make any attempt to kill Jagan .I did not have any connection what so ever with the Telugu Desam party . I am ready to face even the Norco analysis test to prove my innocence ’he added. Later accompanied by his brother and advocate, he left for his native village Thane Lanka near Mummidivaram.
 25/05/19 UNI

Read More

Decision on crucial permission for Thiruvananthapuram Airport expected soon

Thiruvananthapuram: Now, with the Narendra Modi Government being voted back to power for a second straight term, a final decision on the six major airports up fpr grabs across the country, is expected in a matter of days.

Though Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL)  promoted by the Adani Group won the bid for the airports, including the Trivandrum Airport, the Letter of Approval (LoA) was not issued to the operator since the model code had kicked in on account of the Lok Sabha polls. The cabinet nod is required to hand over the LoA to the operator. Though six cases were filed before the Kerala High Court against the Centre’s decision to privatise the Trivandrum Airport, a rollback of the proposed move seems highly unlikely given the brutal majority secured by the Modi Government.

Though the Pinarayi Vijayan-led  LDF Government and Digvijay Singh Government in Rajasthan vowed not to allow  Adani to take over the airports, Government of Kerala’s decision to participate in the bidding process has arguably weakened its position. This is despite the LDF Government moving the High Court against the privatisation move.

S Ajith Kumar, secretary,  Trivandrum Airport Authority Employees’ Union- which has been staging an indefinite sit-in protest before the airport for the last six months - told Express,“We were pinning our hopes on the LS poll outcome. Now, the courts are our only hope and we have reposed our faith in the judiciary as the bidding process was plagued by violations,” he said. 

Airport Authority of India(AAI) sources said the Centre had passed the buck to the AAI for the decision to privatise the six airports while refusing to shoulder responsibility for the same. Following this,  AAI authorities had insisted the Union Cabinet’s nod is mandatory for issuing the LoA to avoid a possible loss of face in case the decision is challenged in the court. According to them, the new Cabinet is expected to assume charge on May 30 and the LoA will be handed over to the concessionaire without any delay. The privatisation move has witnessed a marked shift from the past. Mainly, it was a tailor-made RFP (request for proposal) suiting Adani’s requirements.
24/05/19 Dhinesh Kallungal/New Indian Express

Read More

NGT directs AAI, DIAL to submit report on steps taken to reduce noise pollution at IGI airport

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Airport Authority of India and the Delhi International Airport Limited to submit report on the steps taken to reduce noise pollution in the vicinity of the IGI airport here.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel asked AAI and DIAL to submit report within a month.

"Let a factual and action taken report be furnished in the matter by the Airport Authority of India and the Delhi International Airport Limited within one month by e-mail," the bench said while posting the matter for hearing on August 23.

The tribunal's order came on a plea filed by an NGO -- Society for Protection of Culture, Heritage, Environment, Traditions and Promotion of National Awareness -- seeking execution of NGT's November 24, 2017 order which directed authorities concerned to take all mitigating measures for reducing noise pollution expeditiously.
NGT had said: "The official respondents shall ensure providing of a green belt around the boundary wall of the airport, while keeping the safety and security both in mind. The plantations shall be of the species which would only grow to the permissible height or would be maintained at the permissible height only.
24/05/19 PTI/moneycontrol.com

Read More

Modi 2.0 govt to take Adani Group's airport deal off the back burner

One of the first major deals to be signed by the Modi 2.0 government is expected to be the airport lease deal with the Adani Group. In February, the Group had emerged the highest bidder for six Airports Authority of India (AAI)-run airports put up for privatisation, namely Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Guwahati and Jaipur.
But the actual handing over had to be put on hold since the Cabinet could not ratify the bid in view of the polls, The Hindu Business Line reported. The Election Commission of India's Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections came into play less than a fortnight after winning bids were announced. The Code not only prohibits the 'party in power' from gaining an unfair advantage at the time of elections, but also bars political parties from making promises that exert an undue influence on voters.
However, speculation was rife at the time that the real reason for putting the deal on the back burner was that the government did not want to court controversy. But with the NDA now back with a bigger bang, the stage is set for the deal to be completed. This is the Gautam Adani-owned conglomerate's first foray into the airport business.
In November 2018, the Centre had cleared a proposal for carrying out operations, management, upgradation and development of the above-mentioned six airports on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis for 50 years. This is part of an initiative to provide world-class infrastructure and services to stakeholders.
24/05/19 Business Today

Read More

Solar power plant commissioned at Tirupati airport

Tirupati: As a commitment towards environment, the Airports of Authority of India (AAI) has commissioned a solar power plant with a capacity of 998 KW was commissioned at Tirupati Airport. The Regional Executive Director of AAI S Sreekumar has switched on the plant. The Airport Director S Suresh was also present on the occasion. The ground mounted solar photovoltaic power plant will generate power for airport's requirement. Excess power will be added to the national grid. The project has been developed under Renewable Energy Service Company Model (RESCO) jointly by AAI and Fourth Partner Energy Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad. When fully functional, Tirupati airport will be benefited with clean, renewable and cost-effective energy source of solar power.
24/05/19 Hans India

Read More

Air India to launch Red Eye flight to Delhi

Bengaluru: Following the huge success of its late night flights from Bengaluru to Kochi and Ahmedabad, Air India is now all set to start this service to New Delhi. The first Red Eye flight will make its debut at 11 pm on June 5 from the city airport and reach Delhi at 1.30 am on June 6.

The cost of a ticket on a Red Eye flight is much cheaper than day flights, which makes it attractive for a flyer. After a gap of 11 years,

Air India relaunched its Red Eye flight from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad on November 2018, and followed it up with its Kochi route.

“Both routes run full with the Kochi route even overbooked a few times. We promote economy class passengers to Business Class without any extra cost, “ said an airline spokesperson.
24/05/19 New Indian Express

Read More

No flights to Sikkim from June 1

Bangtok: Opened with fanfare by PM Narendra Modi last September, the greenfield airport at Sikkim’s Pakyong will have no flight service from June 1 as the lone operator, SpiceJet, has decided to indefinitely suspend its Kolkata-Pakyong flight.
The reasons: frequent cancellation of flights due to bad weather, poor visibility and lack of an instrument landing system (ILS).

Airport director Ramatanu Saha said though there is no move to close the airport after June, an AAI team will be stationed there to aid any aircraft wanting to land and take off. He added that AAI has not yet received the service suspension information from the low-cost carrier.

SpiceJet’s website indicates that no flights are available on the Kolkata-Pakyong-Kolkata route after June 1. SpiceJet had earlier suspended its Guwahati-Pakyong-Guwahati service. On May 3, its flight was unable to land at Pakyong due to bad weather and returned to Kolkata. Many passengers were inconvenienced and had to make alternative arrangements to reach their destinations.
23/05/19 Chewan K Dahul/Times of India

Read More

Staff shortage hits security checks at Trichy airport

Trichy: Flight operators at the Trichy International Airport have demanded the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to provide necessary security services to ensure smooth operation of flight as the shortage in manpower is causing delay in overall operations.
To ensure passengers’ travel safe and secure, the airport security services (ASS) follows certain regulations before loading the baggages of passenger into the aircraft. Security personnel check and scan the luggage and cargo and provide tags before loading them.

Jet Airways had been providing the security services to carriers operated from Trichy with 40 staff along with Air India. Since Jet Airways withdrew all its services from Trichy, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) cancelled its licence to Jet Airways to continue its service. So, Air India has been continuing the process.

Due to this, the number of security staff has come down to half, and the burden of the Air India Security Services has doubled, sources said.

“Trichy airport is registering 13 international departures per day. So, it is impossible to handle all the baggage of the passengers and cargo of exporters promptly on time. It may bring lapses in security. So, the civil aviation ministry should take steps to assign any other service provider to ease the work burden,” a senior official from the airport said.
23/05/19 Times of India

Read More

Air India adds new flights to meet summer demand

New Delhi:National carrier Air India on Wednesday announced adding new flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Dubai, besides expanding its domestic footprint to meet the peak demand for air travel during the summer vacation season.

Effective from June 1 this year, the carrier will offer 3,500 more seats per week on Mumbai-Dubai route; from June 2, it will offer another 3,500 seats per week on Delhi-Dubai route by operating two more new flights.

The airline will offer one-way economy class promotional fare of Rs 7,777 (all Inclusive) from both Delhi and Mumbai to Dubai for travel up to July 31.

The government had, while allocating Jet Airways’ international flying rights to other airlines, announced that Air India would be given priority, as it hopes the move to normalise airfares that had overshot post grounding of Jet.

In the domestic market, Air India will introduce new flights on Bhopal-Pune route as well as between Varanasi and Chennai from June 5. The number of flights on Delhi-Bhopal will be raised from 14 to 20 flights per week. Flights on Delhi-Raipur route will be increased from seven to 14 flights per week. New flights will be introduced on routes such as Delhi-Bengaluru, Delhi-Amritsar, Chennai-Ahmedabad and Chennai-Kolkata.
23/05/19 New Indian Express

Read More

Airlines keen to add flights to New Delhi

Kathmandu: After Jet Airways halted its Kathmandu bound flights, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), and Indian airline companies, Indigo Air and SpiceJet, have applied for new slots to operate flights on the Kathmandu-Delhi sector.

A senior official from NAC, seeking anonymity, said the national flag carrier has already received necessary slots to operate flights at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. “We are now finalising the new documents for the process.”
After receiving a slot from the concerned airport, the airline company has to submit an application to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) for rescheduling its flight time at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

However, NAC is yet to submit its application at CAAN to reschedule its flight time. Aviation sector stakeholders had expected NAC to immediately take advantage of the situation arising from Jet Airways’ collapse to expand its business. But it was only after much dilly-dallying that NAC has finally prepared to add flights on the Kathmandu-Delhi route.
23/05/19 Himalayan Times

Read More

CIAL offers global consultation; International Airport summit soon

Kochi: International Solar Alliance (ISA) Director Upendra Tripadi informed that it would convene an international summit for the managing directors of the airports of members countries to decipher possibilities of repeating the CIAL model in global level.
 Addressing media at the CIAL, about 40 km from here he said it was expected that airport managers from about 50 airport across the world would take part in the summit, to know about the success and experience of the CIAL solar energy fields. Appreciating the CIAL efforts to attain self-reliance in energy through solar and informed that representatives of 20 airports from the country as well as foreign would visit CIAL to know about the of solar energy, its technology and model. ISA director general Upendra Tripati said that the organization was overwhelmed by the success of CIAL model.
"They really proved that high energy consumer like an airport can rely upon alternative energy sources. This has to be taken in another level. We plan to organize an international summit for the airport managing directors of the member countries so that they can replicate the model."
 He also expressed the hope that they were keen to appoint CIAL as its consultancy in other airports, once implementing solar energy system there. In his reply CIAL Managing Director P J Kurian expressed his readiness and said CIAL managing director said that the company was all set to provide consultancy service to the member countries.
 "We are glad to know that other countries are keenly interested in our solar model. We have no qualms in sharing with them the technical knowhow of establishing solar power plants at their airports," he added. CIAL achieved power neutral status in August 2015 and won 'Champions of the Earth award' in 2018; the highest environmental honour instituted by the United Nations. At present CIAL’s total installed capacity is 40 MWp producing 1.63 lakhs unit of power a day whereas the requirement stands at 1.53 lakhs units.
 22/05/19 UNI

Read More

CIAL ready to provide consultancy to member countries of ISA

Kochi: Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) Wednesday expressed its readiness to provide consultancy services to airports of themember countries of International Solar Alliance (ISA).

As part of ISA's initiative to find out suitable models to be incorporated to achieve its plan of massive deployment of solar energy, a delegation consisting of 40 ambassadors/ high commissioners visited Cochin International airport today, a CIAL release said.


Cochin International airport, the world's first airport to be fully operated on solarenergy, has been identified by ISA as one of the models.

The visitwill give a boost to CIAL's effort in taking its project to the next level, contributing globally as a consultant, the release said.

"CIAL would convene an international summit for the Managing Directors of the airports of members countries to decipher possibilities of repeating the CIAL model in the global level," ISA Director General Upendra Tripathy said.
22/05/19 PTI/Business Standard

Read More

IKEA innovates at airports for new campaign 'A tribute to India'

IKEA has come up with a new campaign “A tribute to India”. “Anglatarar” is a textile collection inspired from the synergy of Indo-Sweden cultures. The brand has put two in-house designers to work on the designs, creating a new collection showcasing the collaboration of the two countries.

The collection used Indigo as one of the colours bringing out its relevance with the Indian history. The ethnicity and livelier designs were fitted in a vast range of products, right from its living room to the bedrooms. With this concept, the real challenge for Kinetic India was to display this new collection in a unique way, which will not only help the consumers to relate to the brand but also redesign their comfy spaces in a calming Indian avatar. So, the agency decided to create a new media exclusively for this collection.

With the rise in low-cost airlines, airports are the new busy transit points and are a good way for consumers to experience the product. IKEA has replaced the plain brown curtains at the ladies frisking booth with real IKEA curtains.
22/05/19  exchange4media

Read More

Runway material 'liberates' during take off roll, severely damages Air India A321 aircraft

Hyderabad: In perhaps the first instance of its kind, an Air India aircraft got damaged during take off as “runway material liberated” and severely impacted its underbelly and the rudder. The Airbus A321 (VT-PPN) was damaged while operating from Tirupati to Hyderabad this January and is since then parked at AI engineering facility in Hyderabad, awaiting repairs. The airline has sought damages from Airports Authority of India (AAI).

“While on final take off roll, the runway surface material liberated and hit the aircraft in its underbelly and rudder. (The liberated material hit the plane possibly under the impact of jet blast and being thrown up by the wheels). The A321 took off and landed safely in Hyderabad. While we were taking a round and doing a visual inspection of the aircraft before releasing it for the next flight out of Hyderabad, we saw the severe damages,” said N S Chakraborty, deputy GM of AI engineering subsidiary’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad.
Immediately after observing the damages -- which Chakraborty says are possibly the first of its kind -- the aircraft was taken to the Hyderabad AI MRO at the airport and is since then parked there, awaiting repairs. A team from Airbus recently came to inspect the aircraft.
“They said it was a good fortune that the plane was able to land safely after such damages. The Airbus technical expert has carried out structural integrity tests and will send us a report,” said an MRO official.
The impact was so severe that aircraft rudder, elevator and underbelly suffered cracks. The rudder had holes. According to Skybrary website, “rudder is a primary flight control surface which controls rotation about the vertical axis of an aircraft. This movement is referred to as ‘yaw’…. rudder is not used to steer the aircraft; rather, it is used to overcome adverse yaw induced by turning or, in the case of a multi-engine aircraft, by engine failure and also allows the aircraft to be intentionally slipped when required.”
22/05/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Read More

Air India A321 plane remains grounded after runway debris causes damage

National carrier Air India has not been able to operate one of its A321 planes for nearly five months now as it was damaged by runway debris during take-off from Tirupati in January this year. The impact of the runway debris caused severe damages to the aircraft belly and the rudder during the incident which took place on January 29 and it is currently parked at Air India's Maintenance, Overhaul and Repair (MRO) facility at the city airport for repair, a senior Air India engineer said.

Air India has sought damages from the Airports Authority of India, N S Chakraborty, deputy general manager of the Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL), said. AIESL is the wholly-owned engineering subsidiary of Air India, with MRO facilities in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Tiruvananthapuram and Kolkata.

"The elevators (flight control surfaces) and the rudders, which help the pilot to steer the plane, of the Air India A321, VT-PPN, suffered damages from liberated runway surface material during the take-off at Tirupati airport," he said.
The aircraft was operating Air India flight AI541 to Hyderabad, he said adding the flight, however, landed safely.
A post-flight visual inspection, which was being carried out as part of a normal exercise before allowing the plane to perform the next flight brought out the substantial damage to the aircraft, he said.
22/05/19 PTI/ZeeBiz

Read More

Can’t fly places from Chandigarh, rue passengers

Chandigarh: Residents and businessmen in the city, who often travel across the country and abroad, find themselves inconvenienced by the lack of adequate number of flights from the Chandigarh international airport. At present, there are only 27 flights from the airport, with two flights to Dubai and Sharjah.

According to Ashwini Gupta, a corporate consultant, people mostly end up boarding flights from the Delhi airport, which is a time-consuming process. Gupta adds that the Delhi airport has also become extremely crowded since it is forced to cater to passengers from across the region.

“Even if I have to go to Hyderabad, there is only one flight, otherwise I have to take an early morning flight to Delhi, which is so time consuming. We also have to go through security twice,” he adds.
“The problem arises because we have to leave for the Delhi airport at least 10 hours in advance. We also have to board a taxi, arrange for board and lodging, all of which becomes a task and also adds to the cost,” says Sanjeev Sharma, a visa consultant.
22/05/19 Kaveesha Kohli/Tribune

Read More

Homage to 2010 air crash victims

The district administration, NMPT and Airports Authority of India (AAI) organised a condolence meeting in memory of air crash victims at the memorial site at Kuloor on Wednesday.
A total of 158 passengers had their lives in one of the deadliest aviation disasters that took place in 2010.
Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil said, “Observing the anniversary of this crash is painful. But it also reminds us of the lessons learnt from the tragedy. It is an occasion to remember that all are with the family of the deceased.”
“Though nine years have passed, it is an unforgettable day for the people of the district. It is our duty to remember all those deceased in the crash by paying tributes,” he said.
Senthil said the crash has taught a lesson to disaster management planners. Even Airports Authority of India too has upgraded its disaster response system after the incident, he added.
Air Crash Victims’ Association President Mohammed Beary remembered the efforts made by former DC A B Ibrahim in constructing the memorial. The association is continuing the legal fight in Supreme Court to get equal compensation as per the Montreal Convention for women and children who died in the air crash.
Mangaluru International Airport Director Abraham Khosy, Senthil, Zilla Panchayat CEO Selvamani and others placed wreaths at the memorial.
The memorial was constructed in 2011 at the spot where 12 air crash victims were buried at Kuloor on Tannirbavi Road.
The Dubai-Mangalore Air India flight IX 812 overshot the table-top runway before bursting into flames, killing 158 passengers including crew members, on May 22, 2010. Only eight passengers survived in the crash.
Twelve bodies could not be identified. After DNA tests failed, the 12 bodies were buried at the site near Kuloor bridge, just off National Highway 66, adjacent to the Phalguni river.
22/05/19 Naina JA/Deccan Herald

Read More

AI flight lands in Jamnagar Air Force Base

Mumbai: In a rare instance, an Air India flight from Delhi to Muscat made an emergency landing at the Air Force base in Jamnagar late on Sunday night, after a 33-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest.

Officials said the Air Traffic Control of Jamnagar Air Force Base received a request for diversion to the airfield from the Air India pilot. The IAF responded promptly and the aircraft was allowed to divert to a defence aerodrome.

The Public Relations Officer Defence (Gujarat), Puneet Chadha said, “Diverting the aircraft to a civilian airfield would have taken time. The patient was shifted to a hospital accompanied by IAF doctors,” he said. The patient is being treated at the Guru Govind Singh Hospital.
20/05/19 The Hindu

Read More

Coimbatorians demand non-stop flight to Dubai

Coimbatore: With industrialists and citizen groups continuing to mount pressure on the civil aviation ministry to connect the city with Dubai, Air India is offering flights from Coimbatore to Dubai with a stopover in Chennai.

During the weekend, several passengers received a message from Air India stating that it is offering a one stop service from Coimbatore to Dubai. A 321 would leave the city at 3.05pm and reach Chennai at 4.15pm. Passengers could then take the 6.45pm flight that reaches Dubai at 9.45pm. They can return in the 11.10pm flight from Dubai and reach Chennai at 4.55am. They can then shift into the 5.50am Alliance Air flight to Coimbatore and land here at 7am.
Air India clarified that the flight is already operational. “The new addition is the 7am Alliance Air flight. But catching this flight might be difficult if passengers get delayed in the customs and immigration,” said Girija, Air India station manager in Coimbatore. “But the flight going to Dubai is comfortable, because the 2.5hour stopover will give passengers adequate time to walk to the international terminal and clear immigration and customs,” she said.
21/05/19 Pratiksha Ramkumar/Times of India

Read More

Finance Ministry asks AAI to issue shares against govt funding of Rs 656 crore

The Finance Ministry has asked Airport Authority of India to issue shares in lieu of the Rs 656 crore capital it has received from the government, sources said.

AAI, a 100 per cent government owned statutory corporation, was constituted by an Act of Parliament and came into being on April 1, 1995, by merging erstwhile National Airports Authority and International Airports Authority of India.

The fact that AAI did not issue equity to the government in lieu of fund infusion by the government, last year during discussions in the Finance Ministry over share buy back by profit making public sector enterprises.

Following that, discussions were held among the officials of Ministry of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Civil Aviation for corporatisation of AAI and legal opinion was obtained on share issuance corresponding to the capital infusion.
"The Finance Ministry has written to AAI for issuing shares in lieu of the paid-up capital of Rs 656.56 crore infused by the Government," the sources told PTI.

With the issuance of equity capital, AAI will become a company under the Companies Act and can go in for divestment of equity, share buyback or listing on bourses.
21/05/19 PTI/Business Today

Read More

Suspension of Lufthansa, Jet flights hits e–tourist visa service at airport

Pune: Response to the e-tourist visa service at the city airport has nosedived after an encouraging take-off two years ago.
Officials said close to 30% passengers, especially those travelling to Pune on Lufthansa, were opting for the service.

“More than the Jet Airways grounding its service, the suspension of Lufthansa’s Pune-Frankfurt flight has affected the e-tourist visa facility. There was a steady rise in the number of passengers from Germany opting for the e-tourist visas during their visits here,” an official told TOI.

“We were looking at anything between 25% and 30% flyers opting for the e-tourist visas while visiting India via the Pune airport. The percentage has now dropped to 15,” he said.

Lufthansa had suspended its flight from Pune to Frankfurt from February this year after PrivatAir, with which the German airline had a wet lease agreement, filed for bankruptcy in December 2018.

When the airline was asked about an update on the situation, a spokesperson said, “Lufthansa is doing everything in its power to find a successor solution, in which the technically necessary aircraft for Pune can be offered with the appropriate intercontinental equipment. Lufthansa is currently investigating the market for this purpose.”
21/05/19 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

Read More

Trial run for 3 aerobridges next month at Pune airport

Pune: The trial run of the three new aerobridges at the city airport will start from the second week of June.
Officials said the three aerobridges were supposed to be ready by May, but there were delays. Most of the parts of the bridges are being assembled here.

“We expect the work to be over by the first week of June. But before allowing the passengers to use them, there will be trial runs for at least 10-15 days,” an official said.

“The timing of the bridges getting ready is perfect, considering the arrival of monsoon. There have been several complaints every year about passengers getting wet while boarding a flight in the absence of the aerobridges,” the official said.

Once the three new aerobridges become operational, the airport will have five such facilities. “This will be a decent number. All civil work related to the aerobridges is complete,” the official said.

The new terminal building of the Pune airport is under construction and it will have five more aerobridges. “We are looking at 10 aerobridges at the airport by 2021,” another official said.

The aerobridges are important in terms of basic facilities for the flyers. The airport has been receiving dismal ratings since last year in the Airports Council International’s survey on passenger facilities.
21/05/19 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

Read More

Ahmedabad: AC fish market to avoid bird menace at airport runway

Keeping in line with the aircraft safety, the Asarwa fish market, which is the main cause of scavenger bird population hovering near the airport, is likely to be air-conditioned. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has requested the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to relocate the market, but till the time relocation plan is finalised, it is learnt that the temporary plan includes the market to be -covered with a glass and air-condition it to avoid birds hovering around the place.

A meeting regarding the same was held between AMC commissioner Vijay Nehra and Airport director Manoj Gangal on Monday. Highly placed sources close to the development said, "The AMC will convert the market into an air-conditioned one and AAI will fund the temporary project."

The Chamanpura fish market is located about 3.5 kms from Ahmedabad airport. In 2011, the vendors were allotted closed shops under the Chamunda bridge for a token amount. A waste collection van visited shops twice a day. But over the years, for their convenience and comfort, the vendors moved out in the open.
At present, the market falls on the funnel (the aircraft landing route) of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport. An official from AAI said, "The main cause of problem is the left over meat or fish lying on the road, attracting birds.
AMC commissioner Vijay Nehra said, "We received some suggestion, but no specific decision has been taken." Airport director Manoj Gangal was unavailable for comment.
21/05/19 DNA/Tanushree Bhatia

Read More

Delhi's Jewar International Airport to be a prime focus area for next Union government

One of the mega-projects which will be in prime focus for the newly elected central government will be the upcoming Jewar International Airport. Land acquisition at a cost of Rs 600 crore has already started for the prime infrastructure project which will give the National Capital Region its second international airport. The airport itself is likely to be completed by 2023 and will have the distinction of being the country’s largest airport in terms of surface area and could serve up to 6 million passengers a year in the very first phase.
This number, which is expected to go up to 10 million by 2029-30 and then to 100 million by 2050, will be very important in solving the transportation needs of Delhi NCR and nearby districts. While one study estimates that Delhi will become the most populous city in the world over the next ten years, another study claims that India’s aviation market will become the world’s third largest by 2024.
The airport is expected to take off some load from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, which is already facing capacity constraints and has its own expansion plans underway. In FY 2018-19, IGI Airport handled 69.23 million passengers. Air passengers who reside in the western Uttar Pradesh region would likely opt for Jewar Airport as their first choice since it would save them more than an hour’s time and the hassles of negotiating busy traffic as they negotiate their way to IGI.
21/05/19 Arshad Khan/New Indian Express

Read More

Soon, say bye bye to boarding passes, long queues at airport

Bengaluru: The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is in talks with various domestic airlines as it puts in place a facial recognition system that will replace boarding passes of passengers. The project, titled ‘Digi Yatra’, is to be implemented in a phased manner.
“We are currently finalising the integration with various airlines’ departure control systems (DCSs) to manage the check-in process using biometric ID. The first phase will be rolled out during Q3 (third quarter) of 2019,” a BIAL spokesperson told ET. The project, officials said, will enable registration at the airport using the ‘digi yatra’ kiosk at the kerbside, terminal entry using e-gates, pre-embarkation security check (PESC) using e-gates and also boarding through e-gates.
Several airports in India are also expected to roll out a similar facility, conceptualised by the ministry of civil aviation. “The project facilitates paperless travel and avoids identity check at multiple points,” the official website states.
At the KIA, the first phase will only cover domestic passengers. “Once the domestic passenger roll-out is stabilised, international passengers are also expected to be included subject to appropriate government and regulatory approvals,” the spokesperson said. “We are starting with Vistara. We are also in talks with other domestic airlines as well to bring them on board over Q3 and Q4, 2019.”
21/05/19 Naveen Menezes/Economic Times

Read More

Central forces to jointly monitor Srinagar airport

New Delhi: The Centre is all set to tweak security norms at the sensitive Srinagar airport by continuing with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and deploying Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). CISF will replace Jammu and Kashmir police while CRPF will be responsible for securing the outer perimeter of the airport.
Last year, the Union home ministry had ordered CISF to take over the security at Srinagar airport. But after a recent audit, the ministry has decided to continue with the deployment of CRPF along with CISF, officials said.
A home ministry official told ET, “Considering the high threat perception at the Srinagar airport, it has been decided that CRPF will continue to guard the outer periphery and approach roads while CISF will take over from the Jammu and Kashmir police. CISF has asked for additional logistics which is being sanctioned to them. The force has already been sanctioned and the plan will be operational soon.” CISF is responsible for security at 61 major airports across the country including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. There have been numerous attempts in the past to carry out attacks at the airbase, also known as Sheikh-ul-Alam airport. In 2018, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for carrying out fidayeen attack on a BSF camp near the Srinagar international airport.
One BSF assistant sub-inspector was killed and three jawans were injured while two militants were gunned down during the attack. Airport operations had to be suspended due to the gunfight. A similar attempt was thwarted by the security forces in October 2017. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has three airports — Jammu, Srinagar and Leh.
21/05/19 Rahul Tripathi/Economic Times

Read More

Virgin Atlantic Launching Flights To Mumbai

Virgin Atlantic’s expansion continues! So far this year Virgin Atlantic has announced new routes to Tel Aviv and Sao Paulo, and now they’re announcing yet another new route.

Virgin Atlantic will be launching daily flights between London Heathrow and Mumbai as of October 27, 2019. Flights are expected to go on sale as of Tuesday, May 28, 2019.

This announcement marks a service resumption, as the airline canceled their Mumbai route about four years ago. It also marks Virgin Atlantic doubling their capacity to India, given that they currently only fly to Delhi.

Virgin Atlantic intends to use a Boeing 787-9 for the Mumbai route, featuring 258 seats. This includes 31 Upper Class seats, 35 premium economy seats, and 192 economy seats.
This flight covers a distance of ~4,500 miles in each direction, and is blocked at 8hr55min eastbound and 10hr10min westbound.
21/05/19 One Mile At A Time

Read More