DGCA suspends ATC who okayed IndiGo flights that came too close after take-off

New Delhi: India’s aviation safety regulator DGCA has suspended an air traffic controller for three months for approving simultaneous departures of two IndiGo flights at Bengaluru airport on January 7 — a move that led to the planes coming dangerously close to each other just after take-off.

The two IndiGo flights — 6E455 (Bengaluru to Kolkata) and 6E246 (Bengaluru to Bhubaneswar) — averted a mid-air collision over the Bengaluru airport just after their simultaneous take-off from north runway and south runway, respectively, on January 7 morning.

In a statement on Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said: “South tower controller gave departure to 6E 455 in coordination with Approach Radar controller and at the same time North tower controller gave departure to 6E 246 without prior coordination with south tower controller and Approach Radar controller.”

As both aircraft, after departure, were on converging heading (moving towards each other), Approach Radar controller gave diverging heading to separate these aircraft, the regulator noted.

“At the closest point of conflict, the vertical and lateral separation between both aircraft was 100 feet (compared to a standard 1,000 feet) and 0.9 nautical miles (compared to a standard 3 nautical miles),” the DGCA stated.

This matter was classified as “serious incident” and was investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Based on the regulatory assessment, DGCA has decided to issue a “warning letter to Tower supervisor for not monitoring the activities of the ATC (air traffic controller) tower and non-reporting of (the) incident”.

Further, the licence of the “North tower controller who was also the watch supervisory officer (WSO) of the shift” has been suspended for a period of three months as he did not follow procedures and rules regarding runway operations and he did not report the incident, the DGCA added.

31/05/22 Indian Express

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Taxi track rejig to help Kolkata airport take extra flight load

Kolkata: The city airport is planning to commission a section of a taxi track (F) currently under construction to enable flights reach the end of the runway for takeoff run without impinging on flight operations. This will increase the capacity of the primary and secondary runways. A taxi track is a path used by planes to travel between the runway and the parking bay.

While the airport operator had intended to start operations on taxi track F after its completion, it now intends to commission a part that is ready instead of waiting for months for it to cross two hurdles: a bus stand on the edge of the airport wall and a fenced pathway leading to the mosque within the airport. While the bus terminal will have to be relocated, the fenced pathway to the mosque will be demolished and devotees will be taken across the taxi track by bus.

With taxi track F now connected to the northern end of the secondary runway, planes can enter the secondary runway and make the takeoff run directly without backtracking. Also, planes can move off taxiway A quickly, thereby increasing the operational time of the secondary runway.

“The secondary runway’s efficiency can increase to 20 per hour from 15-16 flights at present. This will reduce delays and disruptions,” an airline official said.

The capacity of the secondary runway will improve further when it has rapid exit taxiways or inclined exits to allow planes to move quickly off the runway after landing. At present, the exits are perpendicular to the runway, requiring planes to come to a halt before taking the sharp exit turns.

31/05/22 Subhro Niyogi & Tamaghna Banerjee/Times of India

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Hyderabad: Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali holds meeting with RGIA officials on Haj pilgrims' needs

Hyderabad: A review meeting was conducted by Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali with officials of RGIA on Monday on various issues such as prayer area and ablution, sitting arrangements for the Haj pilgrims During the meeting, Telangana State Haj Committee chairman Mohammed Saleem insisted on a separate Haj terminal for the pilgrims at the airport because airport tax is being collected from them. Facilities should also be provided to them. He told the airport officials that 80 per cent of pilgrims are aged between 60 and 65 years. They need special attention. He said places for prayers and ablutions should be arranged separately for men and women.

Mahmood Ali directed the airport officials to make best arrangements for pilgrims, because they are guests of almighty. He asked them to provide better facilities. Principal Secretary, Minority Welfare department, Ahmed Nadeem, State Haj Committee Executive Officer B Shafiullah gave concrete suggestions to the officials. Shafiullah said, as capacity of the Haj flight is 350, necessary arrangements should be made.

31/05/22 Hans India

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AAI inspects IPD tower being built at SMS hosp

Jaipur: The Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) has moved a step forward in attaining a No Objection Certificate for the in-patient department (IPD) tower at SMS Hospital, which is going to be the tallest building in the state with a proposed height of 115 metre and having a rooftop helipad.

After the survey of the site, a team from the ministry of civil aviation has indicated to give an approval to the state government’s ambitious project. A senior JDA engineer claimed, “The members of the team have communicated to us that allowing the height according to our proposal should not be a problem.”

Officials said high-rises coming up in proximity to the airport have to get a ‘NOC’ for a height clearance from the Airports Authority of India (AII) to ensure airspace around airports is free of any obstacles and high-rises do not interfere with radar signals or flight paths. The site on which the building is being constructed falls within a 9-kilometre radius from the airport. An official said, “The project having a height above 51.48 metres has to approach AII to obtain a NoC.”

31/05/22 Times of India

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Over 50 flights delayed at Delhi airport, 8 diverted; no cancellation

New Delhi:  The sudden change in weather impacted the flight operations at the Delhi airport from 4pm to 6pm on Monday. Around 50 flights were delayed and eight diverted to other cities due to the severe thunderstorm.

According to sources at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), the flights were diverted to Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Dehradun during the two-hour window. However, no flight was cancelled due to the adverse weather.

Officials at India Meteorological Department (IMD) said among weather hazards, thunderstorm caused the highest threat to aviation. At the Palam station, which is situated at IGIA, gusty winds were recorded as the wind speed rose to 70kmph. “A combination of factors like formation of cumulonimbus clouds — associated with clouds that can produce thunder or lightening — and gusty changing wind pattern can affect flight operations,” said R K Jenamani, senior scientist at IMD.

Met officials said for safe take-off and landing, the wind direction had to be uniform. “May and June are known for moderate thunderstorms causing diversion of flights. In May 2018, around 70 Delhi-bound flights were diverted, which was the highest impact of thunderstorm in summer in the past 20 years,” Jenamani said earlier.

31/05/22 Times of India

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AAI works for barrier-free facilities at airports

Kolkata (West Bengal)/ Udaipur (Rajasthan): In continuation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of equipping airports with additional services or people with reduced mobility, the Airports Authority of India under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has been endeavouring to accomplish the objective of making airports a barrier-free facility.

And today, one can see ramps, railings, water facilities and other public utilities being brought about at airports’ premises with a special focus on the convenience of such people.

At Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, right from the entry point, passengers with mobility issues are rendered special attention by the airport staff.

And their movement is not just facilitated by the recently developed infrastructure but they are accompanied all along by one or the other department to provide them with a premier-level airport experience at par with others.

C Pattabhi, Airport Director at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, said, “We have installed various special things for impaired persons. Starting from the main entrance, we have provided a ramp so that they can have easy access inside the terminal building. Apart from that, we have tactile strips for easy movement.”

People with mobility issues can communicate with the airport staff from the parking space itself at Maharana Pratap Airport in Udaipur.

A help desk has been installed in the space which allows people to contact the department with their needs.

Travellers having disabilities will receive special attention from the airport staff at the ramp developed outside the terminal building so that they can have easy access to the building.

Nandita Bhatt, Airport Director at Maharana Pratap Airport in Udaipur, said they have taken initiative towards an accessible India program where passengers with reduced mobility such as fractures, pregnant women or old-aged people will receive a fresh facility at the airport.

She said, “If you come towards our terminal, we have developed special parking for disabled people where we have put signage for that. We have installed a telephone outside the terminal from where one can call the help desk to access the wheelchair and other facilities needed. In this case, our team will assist the person with the same. With the help of CISF, we help them in security access so that they can reach their plane comfortably.”

Retiring room facilities are also made available for the PRM Passengers if they have connecting flights the next day.

31/05/22 ANI/Print

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Kochi airport director ACK Nair to retire after 22 years in service

Kochi: Kochi airport director A C K Nair will retire on Tuesday after 22 years of service with the Cochin International Airport Authority (CIAL). His 18-year stint as an airport director marks a record in the country for anyone in that post. Having joined CIAL in 2000, he has been serving as the Kochi airport director since 2004. 

Nair played an important role in the modernisation of the airport, pivoting several projects. Over the years, they have set new benchmarks in airport operations, including the installation of an integrated airport management system, innovative power distribution system and India’s first computed tomography-based baggage screening system. His leadership has been instrumental in making Kochi airport one of the best in the country, and in the process helping the airport management find new revenue streams.

A BTech degree holder from College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, Nair was deputed to CIAL in 1996 while working as the regional head of the electrical division of the Airports Authority of India. CIAL was then in its formative years and struggling to build an airport. His technical knowledge and leadership qualities enabled CIAL to surmount many technical challenges during the initial years when the project was under way.

31/05/22 New Indian Express

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Airports in India to get more facilities for specially-abled passengers

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) under the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has been endeavouring to accomplish the objective of making airports a barrier-free facilities. As a result today, one can see ramps, railings, water facilities, and other public utilities being brought about at airports' premises with a special focus on the convenience of specially-abled people. At Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, right from the entry point, passengers with mobility issues are rendered special attention by the airport staff.

Their movement is not just facilitated by the recently developed infrastructure but they are accompanied all along by one or the other department to provide them with a premier-level airport experience at par with others. C Pattabhi, Airport Director at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, said, "We have installed various special things for impaired persons. Starting from the main entrance, we have provided a ramp so that they can have easy access inside the terminal building. 

Apart from that, we have tactile strips for easy movement. "People with mobility issues can communicate with the airport staff from the parking space itself at Maharana Pratap Airport in Udaipur. A help desk has been installed in the space which allows people to contact the department with their needs. 

Travellers having disabilities will receive special attention from the airport staff at the ramp developed outside the terminal building so that they can have easy access to the building. Nandita Bhatt, Airport Director at Maharana Pratap Airport in Udaipur, said they have taken initiative towards an accessible India program where passengers with reduced mobility such as fractures, pregnant women, or old-aged people will receive a fresh facility at the airport. 

She said, "If you come towards our terminal, we have developed special parking for disabled people where we have put signage for that. We have installed a telephone outside the terminal from where one can call the help desk to access the wheelchair and other facilities needed. In this case, our team will assist the person with the same. 

With the help of CISF, we help them with security access so that they can reach their plane comfortably. "Retiring room facilities are also made available for the PRM Passengers if they have connecting flights the next day. Booking services are made available inside the airport for the services of retiring rooms.

31/05/22 ZeeNews

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Flyers at Kolkata airport fret over cash-only prepaid cab counters

Kolkata: Passengers looking to book prepaid cabs at Kolkata airport are in for daily harassment as the kiosks operated by Bidhannagar Police are accepting only cash and refusing any mode of digital payments - UPI or card. With no ATM in the vicinity outside the airport, several passengers claim, they either have to wait several minutes for petty change or have to deal with bullying app-cab drivers.

"So much of advertisement about digital India and the moment we come to Kolkata airport, we find them still dealing with cash and petty change. When we are talking about bringing a change in the system it has to start from the basic," said Kiran Singh, resident of a high-rise in Ultadanga.

Sandesh Yadav, a businessman from Kolhapur who frequently visits Kolkata, said that last week he had to wait at the prepaid taxi counter for almost 30 minutes to get a change of Rs 235, as he had only Rs 500 notes. "It gets frustrating at times, how are we supposed to carry exact cash amount for pre-paid cabs? They don't even have an ATM here," said Yadav.

In the absence of adequate cash, passengers are forced to book app cabs, which in itself is a trouble.

There are also occasions when the taxi driver loaned money to the passenger, and the latter repaid after finding an ATM on the way.

30/05/22 Tamaghna Banerjee/Times of India

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Mini Airport At Kushalnagar: Team Inspects Land In Kodagu

Kushalnagar: Days after Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai mentioned at the World Economic Forum Summit in Davos that a mini-airport or a heliport will be constructed on a 49.5-acre Agricultural Department land adjacent to Sainik School, Kushalnagar (Koodige), a high-level team of officials and technical experts visited the land this morning.

The team was led by Managing Director of Karnataka State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) Limited Dr. M.R. Ravi, Project Technical Advisor Brig. D.M. Purvimath (VSM), who is also the Chief Engineer of Border Roads Organisation (BRO), KSIIDC Executive Director D.P. Prakash and other officers. MLA M.P. Appachu Ranjan was also present.

The land is located at Chikkathoor village and there are plans to either construct a mini airport where 20-seater aircraft can land or to construct a heli-port from where it can connect planned heli-ports in Mysuru, Hampi and Chikkamagalur.

Both the projects will give a new dimension to the Kodagu tourism. “Kodagu District features among the top 10 tourist destinations in India and if the air connectivity is ensured, there is scope for accommodating 20,000 to 50,000 tourists every weekend and this will include foreign tourists who come for circuit tours,” Dr. Ravi told reporters.

The KSIIDC is the nodal agency for the development of airstrips across Karnataka. The 950-metre or 1.5 km strip would have basic minimum facilities like the airstrip, terminal with security post, fencing and security by local Police, Dr. Ravi added and said that Rs. 100 crore to Rs. 120 crore would be needed to develop the land into a full-fledged airstrip or a heli-port.

Inspecting the land, Project Technical Advisor Brig. Purvimath said that the area is undulated and needs levelling. MLA Ranjan told the team that whatever silt that will be removed from the Harangi Dam in the coming months will be dumped in the airstrip. The entire area will be levelled with silt mud and this will solve the problem of lack of land to dump the silt from the Dam, he added.

Interacting with the district officials, Dr. Ravi said that for the work on the airstrip to begin, the land has to be transferred to the KSIIDC. The land is at present under the possession of the Agriculture Department and it must be transferred to the Revenue Department headed by the Kodagu Deputy Commissioner, who will initiate the transfer to the KSIIDC, he explained.

30/05/22 Star of Mysore

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Blaze at Mumbai airport’s cargo complex doused

A temporary tarpaulin shed inside the cargo complex of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport caught fire on Monday noon. The Mumbai Fire Brigade and the fire services department of the Mumbai airport quickly responded to the emergency and doused the blaze.

The chief fire officer of the Mumbai Fire Brigade, Hemant Parab, said, “A monsoon shed on the terrace caught fire.’’

The Mumbai fire brigade sent three fire trucks and two jumbo tankers and the fire was completely doused by 12.59 pm

A Mumbai airport spokesperson said, “With prompt action by the airport’s fire safety department, a minor fire was contained within eight minutes. Staff at CSMIA diligently administered and assessed the entire process. No damage or injury has been recorded to any property or person. Operations continued smoothly with no disruption to passengers.”

30/05/22 Indian Express

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Air passenger traffic inching close to pre-pandemic levels at Coimbatore

Coimbatore: The passenger traffic at the Coimbatore international airport is inching close to pre-pandemic levels as 1,95,706 had used the airport in the month of April, according to the data released by the Airports Authority of India.

It was the highest number of passengers travelled from or to the airport since Covid-19 pandemic struck flight operations in April 2020.

It includes 12,477 international passengers.

There was an increase of 8.33% of passengers using the airport compared to its previous month of March. With new flights being introduced, the airport will achieve its pre-Covid level soon.

The airport had handled 2.18 lakh passengers, including 20,209 international passengers, in April 2019. The numbers are well within the reach in a couple of months with new flights scheduled to be operated, aviation enthusiasts feel.

Recently, Vistara launched its maiden flight service from Coimbatore, adding the city as the 31st route in its list. While it has already launched Coimbatore-New Delhi and Coimbatore-Mumbai flight services, it is scheduled to launch two flight services to Bengaluru from June 3 onwards, officials said.

29/05/22 V Devanathan/Times of India

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Maldives flier alleges harassment by staff at Mumbai T2 airport

A Kolkata based passenger, who had gone to Maldives to celebrate his mother's birthday, has alleged that passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Mumbai International Airport T2 were being forced to get a Rapid Antigen Test by Air India staffers.

On May 6, Ashwani Diwan, who was travelling with his mother Punam Diwan, 60, and brother Kunal, had a flight scheduled to Maldives from the Mumbai airport. In an online complaint filed with the Sahar police station on May 26, Diwan alleged that his mother was harassed by the Air India staff to get a test done.

Speaking to mid-day, Diwan said, "We were going to Maldives to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday, but the airport staff of Air India left her in tears. They misbehaved and threatened us, saying that they wouldn't allow us to board the flight to Maldives if we didn't produce my mum's negative RT-PCR report." His mother wasn't carrying her COVID-19 vaccination certificate, though she had the first dose certificate on her as proof.

After an argument, Diwan said that his mother was asked to get an RT-PCR done from the airport counter on an urgent basis at a premium cost. When Diwan pointed out that the new guidelines didn't demand an RT-PCR, and that they could miss their flight due to this, the staff suggested getting the Rapid Antigen Test. "Only after my mum did the test, were the boarding passes issued." To add their woes, Diwan says, their mum's seat number was manually changed using a pen to 20 rows away from his, despite pre-booking the seat.

When contacted, a spokesperson from Air India said, "We pride in serving our nation and its people with sincerity and dedication. In this case, the inconvenience caused to the passengers is entirely unintentional resulting from a communication gap on COVID guidelines in some of the counter staff belonging to our Ground Handling Agency. Air India has already communicated this to the passenger.

Throughout the interface with the passenger, all support and cooperation was extended with courtesy. In fact, our counter staff had guided the [three] passengers with the IMUGA registration that is mandatory for travelling to Maldives, and which was not done by them. Since the updated information on COVID protocols for Maldives was not clear to one of our staff, one of the passengers was advised to go for the test with the sole mission to help them board the flight. Our airport staff in fact, guided the passengers to get the test done from authorised test centres at the airport." The spokesperson, further said that the seat allocation of the particular flight had to be readjusted, due to technical reasons. "Consequently, some of the passengers' seats had to be reallocated, and the said passenger's seat was among those. Air India has sincerely apologised to all the passengers. At no point in time, did the staff have any intention to harass, mislead or take any advantage of any passenger."

29/05/22 Mid Day

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Lankan crisis turns blessing for Thiruvananthapuram international airport

Sri Lanka’s fuel crisis is proving beneficial for Thiruvananthapuram airport. SriLankan Airlines, owned by the government of the island nation, has chosen the capital as the refuelling and crew change spot for its long-distance services, bringing in revenue to the airport.

Already, two SriLankan Airlines flights from Colombo, one bound to Frankfurt in Germany and the other to Melbourne in Australia, had a stopover at Thiruvananthapuram on Friday and Saturday. Each long haul flight, with around 12 hours of flying time, needs to refuel at least 120 tonnes. A rough calculation indicated the airport earns Rs 1 crore from refuelling alone. 

Sources at the airport said the stopovers were also for cabin crew layover and technical landing. “The halts would help the fuel supply units at the airport generate more income and also fill the state and Centre’s coffers with tax revenue,” said a source. “More SriLankan Airlines flights would land here for refuelling. This has spiked the demand for fuel at the airport and oil firms have had to ensure more supply,” said a source.

India has been a major supplier of fuel to Sri Lanka ever since crisis hit at the island nation, said the source. “Many crude oil tanker ships were directed to travel to Sri Lanka for supplying fuel. So Colombo airport has sufficient fuel storage for other international private flights and domestic operations. However, SriLankan Airlines relies on Thiruvananthapuram airport as it is closer to Colombo,” the source said.

The arrival of the flights would net Thiruvananthapuram airport revenue from landing and working charges too. 

“Besides revenue from refuelling, the airport will also make money from landing and parking charges. We have a vast area for parking even the biggest Airbus Boeing 777. So the airport has good opportunities. More flights will come here,” said the officer.  

28/05/22 Krishnachand K/New Indian Express

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Tech glitch: BSF staffer rushing for funeral denied boarding at Bengaluru airport

Bengaluru: It was an emergency. Border Security Force (BSF) constable Ripunjay Kumar Jha had to rush to Bihar to attend his father-in-law's funeral. But little did Jha know that his attempt to travel by a SpiceJet flight would turn out to be a harrowing experience. An alleged technical glitch because of which his boarding pass could not be generated left Jha stranded for four hours at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).

On Thursday, Jha got the news of his father-in-law passing away following a massive heart attack at their native village of Gajipur in Vaishali district, Bihar. Jha was visiting Bengaluru for work and was stationed at the BSF headquarters in Yelahanka. He rushed to KIA to catch the earliest available flight to Patna and tried to book a ticket at the SpiceJet counter. But he was told that the defence staff concession is applicable only when tickets are booked online.

Jha immediately called his younger brother Deepak Kumar, who was in Nagpur, and asked him to book a ticket (to Patna) for him online as he didn't have enough cash.

Around 3.30pm, Kumar spotted seats on SpiceJet flight SG 9493 (Bengaluru to Patna) scheduled to depart from KIA at 4.55pm and booked a ticket for his brother online by paying Rs 7,739 using his credit card. "We got the defence personnel concession online and booked the ticket. I clicked the auto check-in option and waited for the boarding pass, but nothing came through," said Kumar. Jha, meanwhile, was waiting outside the Bengaluru airport gates to receive the boarding pass to enter the terminal.

While Kumar made vain attempts to call SpiceJet customer care, Jha reportedly explained the situation to CISF security personnel at the departure gate, following which he was escorted to the SpiceJet counter inside the airport.

"To my brother's utter frustration, the SpiceJet staff didn't allow him to check-in physically, saying only online check-in was permitted. He tried explaining to them that he had the PNR number and that the ticket had been booked, but the online boarding pass wasn't being generated on the SpiceJet portal, but got no help. No one even considered the fact that he was a defence personnel and he was shooed away," said Kumar.

With attempts to reason with SpiceJet staffers failing and time running out, the BSF constable with his brother's help booked an IndiGo flight to Kolkata on Thursday night and reached Patna on Friday morning. From there he travelled by road to Gajipur to attend the funeral in the afternoon.

28/05/22 Times of India

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Flying to small towns from Chennai airport becomes more expensive

Chennai: Flying to small towns from Chennai airport remains expensive due to high demand and increase in operational cost.

One-way fares on direct flights to Ranchi, Bhopal, Visakhapatnam, Surat, Patna, Chandigarh and a few other destinations are edging closer to 10,000 for travel in the first and second week of June though summer holidays are drawing to a close.

Though demand for tickets is high, airlines are operating only 1-2 direct flights a day to many small towns. The air fare is 7,000 to Bhopal, 8,300 to Ranchi, 10,000 to Chandigarh, 7,700 to Surat, 9,000 to Ahmedabad, 8,900 to Patna for travel in the first week of next month.

Sources said the fare is also fixed at a higher band to earn maximum revenue when ticket demand is high.

An airline official said that the “load factor is definitely above the average on most of the routes. There is scope for increasing the frequency because its an under penetrated market. But the airlines are also incurring an increase in cost due to the high fuel price."

ATF price is 1.27lakh per kilo litre in Chennai, the highest after Kolkata.

Sriharan Balan of Madura Travels said that domestic travel has increased, pushing up the fares on most of the routes. “The demand is high due to the summer holidays. Groups are also switching to domestic holidays because of the time taken to obtain a visa to popular foreign destinations. It has become difficult to make last minute changes. A one-way ticket from Srinagar to Chennai was 30,000 when booked a few hours before departure.” The fares are likely to come down in June or July.

28/05/22 Times of India

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Airport Runway Lights Malfunction: Electricity Supplier’s Blunder

Mysore/Mysuru: Malfunction of lights on the runway and also at the Mysore Airport led to the diverting of a Chennai flight to Coimbatore last night. The lights were restored later and the flight returned at 10.30 pm and again took off to Chennai carrying the passengers who were waiting at the lounge for hours.

Mysore Airport Director R. Manjunath told Star of Mysore this morning that there was an issue with the transformer that supplied electricity to the Airport that led to a pitch-dark runway. Though the pilot circled around the airport for over an hour, the lights were not restored and he decided to divert the flight to Coimbatore.

The Chennai-Mysuru IndiGo flight was supposed to land at Mysore Airport at 7.30 pm and then take passengers back to Chennai. The transformer that supplied power to Mandakalli (location of the Airport and runway) suffered a major glitch. Though the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) personnel were trying to restore the connection, it did not happen anytime soon.

The flight that came to the Mysuru airspace hovered around the airport for nearly an hour. But taking the fuel capacity and flying time, the pilot decided to divert the plane to Coimbatore. After landing in Coimbatore, the IndiGo authorities were waiting for a clearance from the Mysore Airport. But as no news of power restoration was forthcoming, the pilot decided to fly back to Chennai.

Many passengers, who had prior engagements in Mysuru, objected and said that instead of going back to Chennai, they would rather travel to Mysuru from Coimbatore in taxis. They demanded the airlines to allow them to alight the plane. Meanwhile, the CESC staff restored the power supply and the same was conveyed to the IndiGo authorities. The same was communicated to the pilot.

Finally, the flight took off to Mysuru from Coimbatore and landed here at 10.30 pm. Many passengers who were waiting to go to Chennai from Mysuru at 7.30 pm had to wait till 10.30 pm to fly. They boarded the plane that took off in some minutes.

27/05/22 Star of Mysore

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Flyers shake off Covid fears, KIA sees surge

Bengaluru:In a clear sign of the aviation sector beginning to breathe easy in a post-Covid world, Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) recorded a 96.6% surge in flyers in April, compared to the same month last year, reveals data released by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). A total of 22,55,393 domestic as well as international passengers used Bengaluru airport last month, bringing relief in terms of patronage, as the airport completes 14 years. 

The airport was thrown open for operations on May 24, 2008. Statistics reveal that only 11,47,061 flyers had taken off or arrived in Bengaluru in April last year.  This forms part of the healthy overall trend in passenger boom with 2,43,41,467 having travelled through airports across the country in April this year, compared to 1,24,62,723 in the corresponding period last year, marking at 95.3% passenger growth. 

Out of those who took to the skies last month, 1,95,521 were international passengers, almost a three-fold increase last April, while 20,59,872 were domestic passengers, up by 91.7 per cent over last April. Trends at KIA and other airports across India indicate that this financial year is set to be a good one for the aviation industry. 

KIA has emerged as the best performing airport in terms of growth of passengers in Karnataka. The rush inside the airport has become a matter of much online criticism since last month, with the hope that the launch of Terminal 2 by the end of this year would reduce congestion. 

As per data, Delhi and Mumbai airports continue to hold the top two positions in air travel in April this year, with 49,24,992 and 30,63,147 passengers respectively. Bengaluru stands third, and Hyderabad is playing catch-up with 16,25,233 flyers. 

27/05/22 S. Lalitha/New Indian Express

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Flights at Deoghar drome ahead of Shravani, hints AAI

Dumka: The Deoghar airport is likely to become operational ahead of this year’s Shravani Mela, Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman Sanjiv Kumar said on Thursday.

Speaking to media persons here after conducting a meeting with district officials, Kumar said, “In all likelihood, Deoghar airport will start operating domestic flights in a few months’ time.”

Shravani Mela is held between July and August and during that time thousands of pilgrims throng the Babadham temple every year. “This time pilgrims coming to Doghar from far-off states during Shravani Mela can take flights as steps are being taken to get the airport ready by then,” Godda MP Nishikant Dubey, with whom the AAI chairman had a meeting, said.

On Thursday, Kumar inspected different installations at the upcoming airport, including the air traffic control system and the runway and supervised other preparations.

The foundation stone for the Rs 401-crore-airport was laid in 2018 and it is being jointly developed by AAI, Jharkhand government and the Defence Research and Development Organization. Spread over 653.75 acres, the airport’s terminal building is being built over 4,000sqm.

Once it starts operating, the Deoghar airport will be the second airport in Jharkhand after the Birsa Munda International airport in Ranchi.

27/05/22 Times of India

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Runway expansion project will not be abandoned, says Minister

Puducherry: Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan on Thursday said the government respects the sentiments of people who could be affected due to expansion of airport but the project will not be abandoned as it involved the larger interests of society and the Union Territory. 

“We respect the sentiments of people and they have every right to raise their concerns. They met me and I listened to their concerns. But as a government, we have to work for the larger public good and the Union Territory. The project will immensely benefit the people of the Union Territory. The expansion of runway will pave way for tourism growth and the spinoff impact will be on government revenue which ultimately benefits a large section of our population, “ he told The Hindu. 

The government can give an assurance on the compensation part of land acquisition. “A person losing a house or property will be able to build at least houses and buy two properties. The compensation will be huge and there will not be any delay in payment. We cannot sacrifice a project that will have huge impact on the development of the Union Territory,” he said. 

Mr. Lakshminarayanan said the Centre was keen on development of the airport. There had been several communications between the Centre and the Union Territory in the recent months. The Airports Authority of India was in the process of preparing a detailed project report. The area and properties that have to be acquired have already been identified, he added.

26/05/22 Rajesh B Nair/The Hindu

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No funds, work stalls at Halwara international airport

After being expedited recently, the work on the upcoming international airport at Halwara in Ludhiana has stopped. Reason: The Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), which was mandated by the state government to bear the expenditure, has failed to release the funds.

For the want of funds, both the contractors, who were separately allotted the work to construct interim terminal building and undertake the allied works of the big ticket project, have left the site with their men and machines.

A visit to the Air Force Station in Halwara revealed that except some watchmen, there was no workforce or machinery at the site and the work was lying standstill.

The Public Works Department (PWD), which was the main executing agency, has repeatedly raised demand for funds before the GLADA but to no avail.

In a latest communication to the GLADA Chief Administrator (CA) on Thursday, a copy of which is with The Tribune, the PWD (B&R) Executive Engineer Adesh Gupta wrote that both the contractors have raised bills before the department for payment of the work they have already done on the project but due to non-release of funds, the payments could not be made.

He has also noted that the shifting of utility services, including electricity poles and transformers, from the project site was also stalled due to lack of funds.

27/05/22 Nitin Jain/Tribune

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LAS Goldair Handling officially takes over the ground handling services at Bagdogra International Airport

The LAS Goldair Handling JV CEO, Mr. Burzin Daver, has informed the Press that the joint venture company has now officially started work as the ground handler at the Bagdogra International Airport. In December 2021, the JV company clinched the license for ground handling services at the Bagdogra International Airport after a successful bidding process. The concession agreement was signed between the JV Company and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in December 2021. The agreement has a term period of ten years, during which LAS Goldair Handling will be responsible for the airlines and chartered operators' ground operations at the Bagdogra International Airport. Considering that Bagdogra is the gateway to the majestic North-East of India, this was a prestigious deal that showcases the expertise of both partners in the joint venture. Not just that, it is a matter of great pride that LAS Goldair Handling is the only private company entrusted with the responsibility of ground handling at Bagdogra.

The LAS Goldair Handling JV takes care of the terminal, ramp, and cargo for chartered flight operators, all domestic and international flights arriving and departing from Bagdogra. It is pertinent to mention here the resourcefulness and the experience of Goldair Handling, the biggest ground handlers of airports in Greece. The company is the ground handler at 32 airports in Greece, Zurich, and other European airports. The joint venture uses state-of-art technology and the diverse competency of its core team members to deliver top-notch and seamless ground handling services at Bagdogra Airport. 

27/05/22 Zee News

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Flyers shake off Covid fears, KIA sees surge

Bengaluru: In a clear sign of the aviation sector beginning to breathe easy in a post-Covid world, Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) recorded a 96.6% surge in flyers in April, compared to the same month last year, reveals data released by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). A total of 22,55,393 domestic as well as international passengers used Bengaluru airport last month, bringing relief in terms of patronage, as the airport completes 14 years. 

The airport was thrown open for operations on May 24, 2008. Statistics reveal that only 11,47,061 flyers had taken off or arrived in Bengaluru in April last year.  This forms part of the healthy overall trend in passenger boom with 2,43,41,467 having travelled through airports across the country in April this year, compared to 1,24,62,723 in the corresponding period last year, marking at 95.3% passenger growth. 

Out of those who took to the skies last month, 1,95,521 were international passengers, almost a three-fold increase last April, while 20,59,872 were domestic passengers, up by 91.7 per cent over last April. Trends at KIA and other airports across India indicate that this financial year is set to be a good one for the aviation industry. 

KIA has emerged as the best performing airport in terms of growth of passengers in Karnataka. The rush inside the airport has become a matter of much online criticism since last month, with the hope that the launch of Terminal 2 by the end of this year would reduce congestion. 

As per data, Delhi and Mumbai airports continue to hold the top two positions in air travel in April this year, with 49,24,992 and 30,63,147 passengers respectively. Bengaluru stands third, and Hyderabad is playing catch-up with 16,25,233 flyers. 

27/05/22 S Lalitha/New Indian Express

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This Is Why 300 Passengers From USA To Delhi Had To Wait For 24 Hours At SVPI Airport

Imagine, you are on a very long flight that gets diverted to a different destination than it was bound for, stranding you an entire day, at an airport with no support from the airline or ground staff! Sounds like a horror show, right?

A New Delhi-bound United Airlines (UA) flight from Newark in USA was diverted to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport in Ahmedabad and passengers had to live this horrific experience, all due to bad weather.

Early on Tuesday, heavy rain and hostile winds in Delhi brought around 300 unscheduled fliers streaming into the Ahmedabad airport. And, they were stranded for around 24 hours.

According to airport officials, UA82 Flight operated by United Airlines left from Newark Liberty International Airport in the US around 10 pm Sunday night and was scheduled to reach Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport by 11 pm on Monday night.

However, around 1 am, the flight was rediverted to SVPI Airport due to bad weather conditions and around 300 passengers were deplaned around 4 am.

The airport officials informed that UA has tied up with Air India to facilitate the services for passengers at airports in India. 

Additionally, sources said that some passengers who arrived from Newark reported that their baggage was missing. Some of them took to social media platforms to express their grievances.

A distressed passenger aboard flight UA82, Bhavesh Kookani, posted: “UA82 flight diverted to Ahmedabad last night, and passengers deplaned at 4am. It’s been 4 hours and bags have still not arrived.” The post added: “AI ground staff responsible for managing on United’s behalf are nowhere to be seen… Many passengers have missed their rebooted connections and are now left fending for themselves without a semblance of support or response from both United and Air India ground staff."

26/05/22 Gursharan Bhalla/India Times

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Kozhikode-bound Air India, Air Arabia flights from UAE diverted to Coimbatore due to bad weather

Due to bad weather in Kerala, three planes from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi bound for Kozhikode were diverted to Coimbatore. At roughly 7.15 a.m., two Air Arabia flights from Sharjah and an Air-India flight from Abu Dhabi were diverted to Coimbatore's international airport. However, the flights left Kozhikode airport after an hour as soon as the visibility improved. Though, the passengers on the flight were annoyed because of the delay, reports PTI.

The weather in India has recently been disrupting the flight schedules in different states of the country. Earlier, The heavy rain storm in the national capital also affected flight operations at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, with the airport authority requesting the passengers to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information.

At the time, Delhi airport said in a statement, “Due to bad weather, flight operations at Delhi Airport are affected. Passengers are requested to get in touch with the airline concerned for updated flight information.”

Meanwhile, many airlines advised the passenger to keep some buffer travel time on their hands and check the latest status of their flights in view of the bad weather.

26/05/22 Zee News

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Panel suggests safety upgrade for Calicut airport runway

Mumbai: Over 20 months after the Air India Express Calicut accident which killed 21 people, the role played by the infrastructural inadequacies of the table-top Kozhikode (Calicut) airport runway is in focus. A government committee, in a report made public on Wednesday, recommended that Airports Authority of India (AAI) acquire land in 11 months for Kozhikode runway extension so as to provide what’s called a Runway End Safety Area or RESA. It is an area beyond the runway ends, laid out to arrest and decelerate overshooting or undershooting aircraft.

The Kozhikode airport hilltop runway had a RESA even in August 2020 when the Air India Express accident occurred. But it is entirely paved, with no soft portions. Back then and currently as well, the land-starved Kozhikode airport’s hard surface RESA is used by aircraft to taxi.

“The committee was unanimous in its opinion that safety is paramount and RESA as mandated in the extant rules and regulations has to be provided in order to enhance the safety of operations at Kozhikode airport,” the report said. It recommended the existing 90m-long RESA be filled with 15cm sand or soft soil for effective deceleration of aircraft that go off the runway. The state government may be requested to provide sufficient suitable filled up levelled land for runway expansion, it said, setting a March 2023 deadline. If land was not available by then, the runway length should be reduced to 2,540m to provide RESA of 240m from the ends of the runway strip, the report said.

On August 7, 2020, an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 aircraft operating a flight from Dubai with 184 passengers on board overshot the hill-top Kozhikode runway after a delayed touch down. The aircraft sped past the paved RESA surface to drop 110 feet down a gorge, separate into three sections and kill 21 people, including both pilots.

The committee comprising aviation experts was formed in September last year to oversee implementation of the recommendations made in the Kozhikode accident investigation report. The final report, released a month earlier in August 2021, made 43 safety recommendations. “Out of the 41 recommendations accepted by the committee, 24 recommendations (19 critical and 5 non-critical) were implemented by the respective stakeholders as per action plan,” the report said.

The report allowed the airport to continue to handle up to ‘Code C’ aircraft (such as Boeing 737, A320), but with suggested mitigating measures in place. It recommended a training program for the Kozhikode aircraft rescue and fire fighting crew; they were not familiar with the Boeing 737, which resulted in poorly coordinated rescue operations and delayed evacuation of the pilots from the cockpit. “The Kozhikode airport perimeter road which surrounds the airport should be capable of supporting heavy fire fighting vehicles…In Nov 2019, DGCA during their surveillance had made similar observations, however, the observed deficiencies still existed as on the date of accident,” it said. AAI has agreed to install runway centerline lights at Kozhikode and Mangalore during next recarpeting of the runway which is due in 2022 and 2024 respectively, the report said. Despite recommendations made in two incident reports earlier, AAI hadn’t done this.

26/05/22 Manju V/Times of India

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Three Calicut-bound flights land in city

Coimbatore: Three Calicut-bound flights from the Middle East landed at Coimbatore airport on early Wednesday morning due to an unfavourable weather condition in Calicut. Two Air Arabia flights from Sharjah and an Air India flight from Abu Dhabi reached Coimbatore airport between 4.30am and 7am. The flights departed to Calicut after 8.30am when weather conditions improved there. 

26/05/22 Times of India

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First Pics Of New Terminal At Andaman's Port Blair Airport Unveiled And It's Breathtaking

The Airports Authority of India is set to construct a new terminal building at the Port Blair airport by October this year, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). The new terminal building is being built at a cost of around Rs 707.73 crore due to the increase in passenger traffic, according to the MoCA's statement.

The Airports Authority of India took to Twitter to share the stunning pictures of the new terminal. "Inspired by nature, the design of the terminal is a shell-shaped structure depicting the sea and the Andaman islands. The entire terminal will also have 100 percent natural lighting for 12 hours a day. More than 80% of the project work is completed," it said. 

The new passenger terminal building will have three floors comprising lower ground, upper ground and first floor, it noted. Along with the new terminal, additional parking bays are also being constructed at the airport, the ministry said.

The lower ground floor will serve as a remote arrival, bus lounge, and service area, while the top ground floor will serve as passenger departure and arrival access.   

"More than 80 per cent of the project work is completed, and the development project is targeted to be completed by October 2022," MoCA stated.

The new terminal structure, which has a total built-up area of 40,837 sqm, will be able to accommodate 1200 people during peak hours and around 40 lakh passengers yearly. 

The terminal is designed as a shell-shaped building with sea and island imagery. The building is a 120-meter-long structural steel-framed structure with aluminium sheet roofing and cable net glass all around.

Construction of an extra apron area is currently underway, which will offer four additional bays for aircraft parking.

26/05/22 Gursharan Bhalla/India Times

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MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary reviews progress of work at Adampur airport

Jalandhar: MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary on Wednesday said he would meet Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in New Delhi to urge him to restart flights from the civil terminal of Adampur airport.

He visited the airport to review the progress of the construction of the terminal building and other ongoing works. Inspecting the construction site accompanied by officials, he expressed satisfaction over the work and asked them to complete it within the expected timeframe.

As for resuming commercial flights from the airport, the MP said due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the flights had been suspended by the government, but it was now time to restart them as people of the Doaba region were feeling the need to travel to cities like Delhi and Mumbai for their work. He said he would take up the matter with the Civil Aviation Minister soon.

During the review meeting, Airport Director Kamaljit Kaur, ADC, Urban Development, Aashika Jain and officials of various departments apprised the MP of the works being undertaken at the airport. The officials informed him that work on the new terminal building with apron and taxi track would be completed by June end.

The MP said the new terminal building would enhance the capacity to handle passengers during the peak periods and provide them with basic amenities.

25/05/22 Tribune

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Flights from showpiece Navi Mumbai airport to take off by 2024, developer assures in writing

Mumbai: After a string of missed deadlines, the Navi Mumbai International Airport, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in 2018, is likely to be commissioned for operations by December 2024.

The project crossed a major milestone two months ago when the concessionaire, the Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), reached financial closure, giving the implementing authorities the confidence to meet this deadline.

Sanjay Mukherjee, vice-chairman and managing director of the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the state’s implementing authority for the project, told ThePrint, “Financial Closure would mean that the fund flow of the project has been finalised. Obviously, that would ensure project milestones to be achieved and enable the project to be on schedule. All clearances have been obtained. CIDCO’s pre-development work is complete.”

The NMIAL is a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited and is developing the Navi Mumbai International Airport on a public-private partnership basis with CIDCO.

The much-needed Rs 16,000 crore Navi Mumbai International Airport is touted to be one of the world’s largest greenfield airports with two parallel runways of 3,700 metres and full-length taxiways, spaced 1,550 metres apart.

Pre-development work was necessary to prepare the greenfield site for construction. The work, which started in 2017, involved flattening a hillock, reclaiming marsh land and diverting a river at the site.

25/05/22 Mansai Phadke/Print

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Long queues at immigration irks travellers at Chennai airport

Chennai: Airports Authority of India (AAI) continues to struggle to set right delays faced by passengers while clearing immigration in the departure and arrival terminals of Chennai airport.

The complaints about delays and crowding at immigration counters has started to crop up quite often as international flights have resumed almost to the pre-Covid level.

The airport handles around 24 international departures overnight and more than 10,000 international passengers use the terminals per day.

On May 18, passengers to Kuala Lumpur had to wait for more than an hour to clear immigration as adequate counters to handle the number of passengers were not operated.

Prathap, a passenger, said, “It took almost an hour for the passengers to clear immigration at the departure at around 9.50pm. There were six counters functioning and passengers were divided into groups which means there were just two officers serving 100 people.”

However, the immigration officials said that 13 counters were functioning in departures and 12 counters in the arrival terminal. Another version said that nine to 10 counters were operational on the same night.

Though the authorities claim that adequate counters are being operated, passengers suffer delays and crowding on many of the days causing people to complain.

C Mohan, retired deputy general manager, Air India, said that passengers are suffering due to poor planning and indiscriminate allotment of slots for airlines without considering the infrastructure at the terminals.

24/05/22 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Domestic fliers from Nashik region pick Shirdi

Nashik: A section of the domestic air travellers of the Nashik region are opting to travel via Shirdi rather than Mumbai.

Some travel agents of Nashik said some domestic fliers prefer the Shirdi airport as the travel time by road to the airport is shorter when compared to travelling to Mumbai Airport. “The distance between Shirdi airport and Nashik is around 85 km and takes less than two hours to reach the airport. But in the case of Mumbai Airport, the distance from Nashik is over 170 km and takes over three hours. Moreover, one has to remember about the traffic snarls to enter Mumbai,” said some travel agents.

Datta Bhalerao, the former president of the Travel Agents Association of Nashik, said around 20 to 30% of his customers prefer to travel via Shirdi rather than Mumbai to take flights.

“I prefer to travel to Delhi via Shirdi Airport rather than the Mumbai Airport. One can reach Shirdi much faster as compared to Mumbai,” said Hemant Godse, Nashik city MP, stressing on the dire need of the Union government to improve air connectivity from Nashik Airport.

The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) manages Shirdi Airport and is connected to important destinations like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Tirupati.

“The daily footfall of fliers at Shirdi Airport is over 2000. After the night landing is allowed at the airport, the footfall will further increase as more flights to newer destinations will start operating. ,” MADC sources said.

Unlike Shirdi Airport, the air connectivity from Nashik Airport is limited as it is connected only to Pune, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Belagavi.

24/05/22 Times of India

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Despite having special lock, bag ripped open for checking at Bengaluru airport

The trolley bag of a passenger, who landed at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) from the US, was allegedly ripped open by Customs sleuths. This despite it being shut with a transportation security administration (TSA) lock, for which security agencies had the master key. Not just that, the luggage was said to be abandoned near a conveyor belt.

The flyer, an IT engineer, has now raised a complaint with the airport authorities, questioning how his bag could be opened illegally.

Marathahalli resident Krishna Prasad had flown to Illinois, US, seven months ago on an IT assignment and returned to India early Saturday.

He landed at Bengaluru airport on an Emirates flight (EK 546) from Dubai (where he had to transit). “I had a really long and annoying immigration clearance experience at Bengaluru airport on Saturday morning. Finally, when I reached the conveyor belt to collect my luggage, there was a shocker awaiting me,” said Prasad, who claimed that he spotted his black bag tossed on the floor with a few other bags and its zip open.

“Someone tried to open it but clearly due to the TSA lock they couldn’t. Thereafter, the zip was ripped open and when they found only some sweets, art items and children’s books inside, they abandoned it. When I questioned the airport staff nearby, they said Customs officials had checked the bag and would have left a note on it. But I found none,” said the 36-year-old passenger, who was forced to bundle up the bag as the zip had completely come off .

TSA locking system is a global security feature for flight passengers that permits airport security agencies across the globe and India to open bags of suspicious nature using a master key, which often remains in possession of agencies such as Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Indian Customs here.

In Prasad’s case, it is alleged that despite the TSA lock, Customs sleuths inspected the luggage by cutting open the zip. “If the accusation is true, it is illegal on the part of Customs officials to have opened the passenger’s bag in such a manner. Usually, the master key remains with CISF personnel and can be sought by Customs officials on duty in case of the requirement to open a luggage for security reasons,” said a senior airport official.

25/05/22 Petlee Peter/Times of India

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Kolkata: Lookout for monkeypox symptoms among flyers

Kolkata: Health officials and immigration officers at Kolkata airport have been alerted to be on the lookout for passengers suffering from fever, rashes of swollen lymph nodes in the hands and face. They have been instructed to isolate and send them to the Infectious Diseases & Beliaghata General Hospital to check if the person is afflicted with monkeypox.

While health officials deployed at the airport will conduct a visual surveillance, immigration authorities have been asked to alert them if they find a person with recent travel history to Europe, the US and Africa displaying symptoms of monkeypox.

Cases of monkeypox have been reported from the UK, the US, Portugal, Spain, and some other European countries.

However, the alert is only verbal as of now as no cases have yet been detected in India. With no direct flights from the three continents to Kolkata, the scanner will primarily be on passengers arriving on flights from the Gulf.

"Any sick passenger with a travel history to monkeypox-affected countries will have to be isolated and samples sent to the BSL4 facility of the National Institute of Virology in Pune for investigation," an official said.

According to the WHO, monkeypox manifests in humans with fever, rashes and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. It is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from two to four weeks but can take a severe form, with the case fatality ratio around 3 to 6% in recent times.

24/05/22 Times of India

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15 Delhi flights diverted to Jaipur due to bad weather

Jaipur: Record 15 flights including five international aircraft on way to Delhi made emergency landings in Jaipur on Monday due to bad weather conditions in the national capital, airport officials said.

Of these five international flights, four were big carriers with 250-300 passengers in each. They included a Polish Airlines aircraft from Warsaw, an Air India flight from Tel Aviv, Air Canada flight from Toronto, a flight from Muscat and an Ethiopian airlines plane.

“Five international flights and 10 domestic flights made emergency landing in Jaipur on Monday morning owing to bad weather conditions in Delhi. The air traffic team handled the situation very well with back-to-back emergency landings. This is the first time that so many international flights made emergency landings. All were sent safely to their destination after weather conditions improved,” said a spokesperson of Jaipur airport.

The spokesperson further said passengers of Polish Airlines were sent to Delhi via air-conditioned buses as the flight had to return, but other flights took off for the national capital after weather conditions improved.

Four domestic flights from Jaipur airport were also cancelled on Monday because of weather conditions.

The India Meteorological Department had issued an orange alert for Delhi on Monday predicting light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied with squall (speed50-60kmph).

24/05/22 Times of India

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Delhi Rains: Chaos at IGI Airport as 140 Flights Delayed, 19 Diverted; Advisory Issued For SpiceJet & IndiGo Flyers

New Delhi: Flyers at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport had to face a harrowing time as more than 100 flights were delayed on Monday morning owing to the heavy rains and thunderstorms in the city. If reports are to be believed, nearly 140 flights have been delayed— 90 at the departure terminal and 44 at arrivals. Furthermore, airport sources asserted that operations of 20 flights have been impacted by more than an hour. On the other hand, the capital city also faced prolonged power cuts and traffic jams due to the torrential downpour since morning. Many commuters were stuck on roads and waterlogging led to traffic snarls. Several trees were uprooted during the storm.Also Read - Delhi Rains Affect Flight Departures, Arrivals at IGI Airport, Traffic Snarls Likely. Deets Inside

Speaking to MoneyControl, an official aware of the development said that 4 international and 16 domestic have been delayed for more than an hour. Besides, several flights have been diverted to Jaipur, Lucknow, Indore, Ahmedabad, Amritsar due to bad weather in Delhi.

“Due to bad weather, flight operations at Delhi Airport are affected. Passengers are requested to get in touch with the airline concerned for updated flight information,” the Delhi airport said in a tweet as waterlogging scenes were also reported at the runway of the airport.

Meanwhile, several airlines such as SpiceJet, IndiGo and Vistara have issued advisories asking flyers to check their flight status before heading to airport to avoid any inconvenience.

“Due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status via bit.ly/2tG9xBx,” budget carrier SpiceJet tweeted.

23/05/22 India.com

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Chennai airport to gain from resumption of services by Jet Airways

Chennai: With Jet Airways likely to restart its flight services, Chennai airport could gain a lot from it.

Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said there would be an increase in aircraft movement and passenger traffic.

Jet Airways is planning to relaunch its services in September as it has secured the clearance of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the same. The airline is in the process of recruiting staff.

“Usually, at least a week before the operations begin, airlines send the schedule of flights to the airport. We haven’t received it as yet for Chennai airport from Jet Airways. We are hoping to receive it soon. When the airline restarts its operations, we expect the number of flights and number of passengers travelling from and to the airport to go up by at least 15-20%,” an official said.

Officials said when Jet Airways stopped its operations in 2019, its slots at Chennai remained unused for sometime. Later, other airlines were given those slots. “But a few of those slots still remain with the airport and are vacant. It can have them back. In any case, the AAI headquarters in Delhi will decide about the number of slots and inform the airport,” another official said. 

Initially, the officials expect the airline to operate from Chennai to other major metro cities after which it may expand its services.

23/05/22 The Hindu

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Bhagwant Mann Bats For Direct US Flights From Punjab

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday directed the state civil aviation department to immediately tie up with the Centre for direct flights to countries like the US and Canada from the international airport in Chandigarh.

At present, only two international flights are operational from the airport to Dubai and Sharjah.  

Chairing a meeting to review the functioning of the civil aviation department, Mann said a large number of people from the state are settled in countries like the US, Canada, UK, New Zealand and Australia.

This initiative will facilitate the Punjabi diaspora settled abroad to visit their native places in the state in a seamless manner, he said.  

To give an impetus to the agro and food processing industry in the state, Mann also asked the department to immediately start cargo flights from the international airport, according to an official release.  

The chief minister said this step will go a long way in giving much-needed boost to the export of food products across the globe and especially in supplementing income of state farmers manifold through this farmer-friendly initiative.  

Mann also asked the department to immediately convene a meeting with the Haryana civil aviation department for evolving a broad consensus on naming the international airport here as Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh International Airport.  

23/05/22 Outlook

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Biocon's Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw suggests reforms at Bengaluru airport; here's why

Indian billionaire and promoter of Biocon Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw took to Twitter addressing the issue of long queues and chaos at the Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport, especially at the immigration counter. Mazumdar-Shaw quote tweeted a tweet by music composer Ricky Khej who on Sunday wrote that he was stuck with over 1000 people waiting at the immigration counters as few were functioning.

"We need to outsource immigration services based on technology," Mazumdar-Shaw wrote.

Grammy-winning music composer Ricky Kej had taken to the microblogging site complaining about the “pathetic state of immigration” at Bengaluru International Airport. The Indian-origin composer, who recently attended the Cannes Film Festival, said he had to face long queues at the airport where not all counters were working and the staff was unhelpful and clueless.

"Why have so many flights, when there is no capacity?," he wrote.

The video posted by him showed queues of people waiting for their turn at the Kempegowda International airport.

23/05/22 Business Today

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Replacement Work Halts Evening Flights At Srinagar Airport

Srinagar: The recently undertaken work for upgradation of Srinagar International Airport’s runway has disrupted the schedule of post sunset flights leading to cancellation of several evening flights in the past few days.

Taking to the microblogging site, Twitter, Director Airports Authority of India ( Srinagar) Kuldeep Singh on Sunday wrote that the IAF is installing a new Instrument Landing System at our airport. “As a part of this change the Approach Lights are also being replaced. The removal of old lights began on May 15th. The installation of new lights is likely to be completed by Jul 15th.” Director Srinagar Airport, Kuldeep Singh said in his tweet.

As per the aviation regulator of India, Singh noted, no flights can operate post sunset till the new lighting system on the runway is in place. “The DGCA has directed that in the absence of these lights, the night flying operations after sunset cannot be permitted Therefore, four flights were cancelled by various airlines yesterday.” Singh Tweeted.

In his tweet, the Airport Director further said that “As flights are not permitted after sunset, such cancellations may continue till the Approach Lights installation is completed. This is an essential infrastructure and replacement is necessary for flight safety.”

“Inconvenience caused to the passengers is regretted. Kindly reschedule your flight bookings accordingly.” The Director noted.

Pertinently, in March, the authorities at the Srinagar airport had installed six new modern equipment including In-Line Baggage System(ILBS) in an attempt to enhance the air-navigation of the aircraft, passenger safety and security.

The six equipments installed at the Srinagar airport included Doppler Very High Frequency Omni Range (DVOR), non-directional (radio) beacon (NDB), the instrument landing system (ILS), X-Ray Baggage Inspection System (XBIS), In-Line Baggage System(ILBS) and ETD.

23/05/22 Zaid Bin Shabir/Kashmir Observer

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