GMR takes Maldives airport contract scrap to Singapore High Court

Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) GMR Group has filed an injunction at the Singapore High Court against the Maldives government decision to annul the contract to run the airport and to stop the government from evicting them within seven days.
During the first hearing of the case, GMR had applied for a temporary order preventing the Maldives government from taking any action against the Indian infrastructure giant in violation of the existing contract.
"GMR had requested for an immediate interim measure. But our lawyers told the court that there were no grounds to issue an temporary stay order today. The hearing ended after the court refused an interim measure in favor of GMR today," an official of the Attorney General's office told Haveeru.
According to the official, the next hearing on the case would be held on Monday.
Meanwhile, after the Civil Court had ruled that GMR cannot charge USD27 from passengers as Airport Development Charge (ADC) and insurance surcharge, the Indian infrastructure giant had taken the case to Singapore arbitration which is still ongoing.
Maldives cabinet had passed to annul the agreement made with GMR Group to operate the INIA for 25 years on Tuesday citing that the contract was "void ab initio" (invalid from the outset).
GMR had been given a notice of seven days by the Maldives government to handover the airport, but the company will receive a 30 day period to remove its assets.
30/11/12 Niumathullah Idhurees/Haveeru Online

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Maldives Airports Company files police complaint against leasing of airport to GMR

Male: The Maldives Airports Company has filed a complaint with the police here over what it terms as "unlawful leasing" of Male International Airport to Indian infrastructure major GMR.
"The Maldives Airports Company Limited has submitted a complaint to the Maldives Police Service requesting to investigate the unlawful leasing of Male International Airport on June 28, 2010 by the senior officials of the former government and former board members of the Company," the government owned firm said in a statement today.
It said that issues raised for investigation include the "unlawful proceedings" in awarding the airport to GMR; "the changing of some of the criteria of the original agreement in a manner that would bring about great losses to the state; amendments made to the agreement that decreases state fuel revenue; allowing GMR to levy USD 25 as an Airport Development Charge; not obtaining the necessary legal counsel before handing over the airport to GMR," among others.
30/11/12 PTI/Economic Times

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GMR Infra chairman raises stake, buys shares of Rs 1.61cr

GMR Infrastructure's chairman G M Rao has increased his personal stake in the company by buying shares worth Rs 1.61 crore.
According to a GMR filing to BSE, Rao bought 9,17,500 shares of GMR through open market transactions yesterday and post this, his personal holding in the company has increased to 0.0316 per cent.
Rao, who is also one of the promoters of the company, used to hold 0.0081 per cent stake in GMR before the transaction. At the end of September, 16 promoter entities including G M Rao, controlled 71.62 per cent stake in the company. GMR has been in the news recently as Maldives government on Tuesday had cancelled company's contract to operate and modernise Male international airport.
The company had said it was exploring legal options against the Maldivian government's move. Meanwhile, in an another filing, the company said that one of its promoter group firm, GMR Holdings Pvt Ltd has pledged 25,00,000 shares in favour of STCI Finance Ltd.
30/11/12 PTI/moneycontrol.com

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Assocham seeks government intervention against GMR project termination

New Delhi: Industry body Assocham today sought immediate government intervention against unilateral decision of Maldives to terminate GMR airport project there, to protect the interest of the company and Indian banks.
The move violates the spirit of International Concession Agreement which was signed after biding global tender by the GMR Group, the chamber said.
In a communication to the Maldives Embassy in New Delhi, Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said their government must provide the opportunity to GMR Group to have discussion and find an amicable solution.
This will certainly further strengthen the spirit of economic relations amongst the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations, Rawat said.
The chamber has also urged upon the government to take immediate steps as may be necessary to protect the interests of GMR, its people working in Male as well as the Indian banks against such irrational moves,
30/11/12 PTI/Economic Times

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Pilot safe after flying club aircraft skid while landing

Nagpur: A small aircraft of the Nagpur Flying Club skidded while landing at the international airport in Nagpur this afternoon, sources said.
However, the trainee pilot Captain Rohit is safe.
30/11/12 PTI/ZeeNews

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GVK refuses to infuse more equity into MIAL

The GVK Power and Infrastructure today informed the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority that it is unable to put additional equity infusion into Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL).
Reacting to the development, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) said that it would consult the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on the matter, a CNBC-TV18 report said.
The AERA final order on the airport charges for MIAL is expected on 31 December.
The AAI had earlier proposed a Rs 239 crore equity into MIAL to abolish the airport development fee.
In October, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh directed MIAL and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) to abolish airport development fee from 1 January next year.
30/11/12 First Post

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Aurangabad airport hopes to make a Dubai connection

Aurangabad:  A Dubai-based airline has shown interest in starting direct flights to Aurangabad, provided the airport gets its customs office upgraded, said a highly placed source at the Aurangabad International Airport. According to sources, flyDubai has sent a proposal to the authority here showing interest to start three flights a week.
The ball now lies in the aviation ministry's court to expedite the matter. According to the proposal made by the Dubai airline, once the requirement is fulfilled of setting a customs team in place, the airline will start its services in six weeks after its approval.
"More than three lakh tourists, including foreign tourists visit Ajanta caves and another six lakh make it to the Ellora caves each year," said Jagdish Patil, regional head of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation ( MTDC). And the footfall is increasing by each passing year, he said.
30/11/12 Himanshu Nitnaware/Times of India

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Jet Airways to start Mangalore-Dubai flights

Mangalore:  The six year long monopoly of Air India express to the Middle East sector from Mangalore now faces a threat.
The second largest Indian airline based in Mumbai, Jet Airways, is expected to start its Dubai services from December 14, which should see competitive fares and better services kick in for the passengers in the Mangalore-Dubai sector. Sources in the travel industry said Jet will offer business class travel from day one, giving relief to passengers who can afford, but could not avail it on Air India Express.
Bajpe airport director GT Radhakrishna said "We have not got the dates as yet from the operator. As far as Airports Authority of India is concerned all necessary infrastructures is in place. There are some minor hitches regarding security and staff shortage in some departments, which should be addressed soon. Consultations are going on to this effect".
30/11/12 Stanley Pinto/Times of India

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Prime-time flying slots to be auctioned

The peak-hour vacant slots, which have been allotted but are not being used by airlines, would be auctioned "on an experimental basis", according to a proposal of the Civil Aviation Ministry.
The airlines wanting prime-time departure and arrival slots would have to bid for their preferred choices if the experimentation was successful, the sources said.
As per the current practice, an airline has to file its flight schedule with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation which allocates them in consultation with airport operators in line with the World Slot Guidelines of the global airlines' body International Air Travel Association (IATA).
An airport slot is defined by IATA as a permission given by a coordinator for a planned flight operation to use the full range of airport infrastructure necessary to arrive or depart at an airport on a specific date and time.
The auction move has been adopted following complaints of partiality by some airlines, especially at busy airports like the ones in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, with all carriers clamouring for prime-time slots at these airports.
30/11/12 Samay Live

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Poor road to Kolkata airport miffs AAI

Kolkata: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Friday took a dig at the poor city road infrastructure causing trouble to fliers from the Kolkata airport. The criticism has come barely two months before the airport is slated to throw open to the public its brand new terminal.
“There is lot of congestion on the (only) approach road to airport. There should be another road to airport,” B. P. Sharma, Regional Director of AAI, said. He was speaking at Bengal Builds — a conference on urban infrastructure.
Sharma has his reasons to worry. Kolkata airport currently ferries nearly 10.5 million passengers a year. The number is “expected to be double”, once AAI opens up a modern terminal, creating space for more national and international flights.
But, serious congestion on the 9-10 kms long Kaji Nazrul Islam Sarani (formerly VIP Road), connecting city with airport, may add to the concern of fliers.
30/11/12 Business Line

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Cathay Pacific to launch Hyderabad-Hong Kong flights from Dec 4

Hyderabad: The non-stop four-time weekly service will not only connect Hyderabad to Hong Kong but would also provide onward connectivity to several destinations in the US and the Asia Pacific, said an official of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here.
D. P. Hemanth, chief operating officer, hub development, cargo, free trade zone, GHIAL, said this while addressing a conference of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
On concerns raised by representatives from information technology over low international connectivity, Hemanth said one of the constraints was the bilaterals. "We don't get as many bilaterals as we would like to because bilaterals are negotiations between two countries," he explained.
On Lufthansa pulling out of Hyderabad, the official said it took the decision for a very odd reason.
30/11/12 Business Standard

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Maldives issues seven-day ultimatum to GMR to pack bags

Male/New Delhi:Tightening the noose around GMR, the Maldives’ Immigration department  announced on Thursday that no further visa renewal requests from employees of the Bangalore-based infrastructure giant would be entertained from now till further notice. A seven-day ‘ultimatum’ was  also given to the foreign employees of GMR to leave the island nation.
 In a separate notification, CAA(Civil Aviation Authority), the country’s aviation regulator has also decided to cancel the aerodrome certificate of GMIAL by December 7, a date coinciding with the seven-day deadline given by the immigration department.
 While the original contract signed with former president Nasheed gave GMR a 30-day notice period, Immigration department announced that GMR should pack its bags within seven days as older contract stood no good now.
 The moves come a day after the Indian government threatened to terminate the generous aid package, which include the defense aid as well, to President’s Waheed regime if it didn’t take back its decision to cancel the contract awarded to GMR.
  In another strikingly related development, the government-owned Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) issued a circular on Thursday “opening opportunities for GMIAL staff who were keen to join the MACL team.” But ,there was no unequivocal reply from the Maldivian authorities on the fate of those workers who were not interested in joining MACL, or those whose visa would not expire in near future.
30/11/12 Dailybhaskar.com

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GMR seeking legal remedy to stay on in Male

Mumbai: The GMR group, which is being evicted from the Maldives over the cancellation of its airport development contract, is seeking legal remedy to enable them to remain in the archipelago and to protect its investment and employees.
“We are seeking legal remedy and are hopeful of getting legal protection to continue our airport operations at the Maldives,” said GMR group spokesperson Arun Bhagat.
Several senior GMR officials are in the Maldives, trying to find a solution to the imbroglio.
The Maldives government has issued a notice to GMR, asking it to move out of the airport within seven days and threatened to cancel the visas of GMR employees seven days hence.
Mr. Bhagat, who flew down to the Maldives after trouble broke out and returned on Thursday, said although the airport was operating normally, the situation was very intimidating.
30/11/12 The Hindu

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‘GMR deal row will hurt India, Maldives ties’

New Delhi: Two days after Maldives took a decision to terminate GMR’s airport contract in Male, India continued to seethe below the surface with South Block making it clear that it’s “inevitable” for the move to “affect bilateral relations”.
It’s learnt that this sentiment was also reflected in Indian High Commissioner D M Mulay’s first meeting with Maldives Foreign Minister Abdul Samad Abdullah after the crisis. Mulay, who has been facing flak from all quarters in Maldives and some in Delhi for not handling the situation properly, discussed the recent development with Abdullah.
According to top government officials, South Block is extremely “concerned” that the current climate of agitation has taken a political colour in Maldives, using the GMR issue as a “lever”.
Mulay has come under the shadow following rapid deterioration in the ties. Insiders revealed that a decision has been taken to move him out of Maldives to New York as Consul General by February. He has, incidentally, already completed his term in Male.
30/11/12 Shubhajit Roy/Indian Express

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Anti-India sentiments behind Maldives' termination of GMR contract?

New Delhi: While India's relations with the Maldives are about to take a nosedive as a result of the Waheed government's decision against Indian infrastructure major GMR, New Delhi is concerned that "many other interests" may be at work in the Indian Ocean nation that could have prompted such a decision.
Sources here said the "climate" created in the Maldives, which prompted a "victory rally" after the termination notice was announced was of immediate concern. It showed a deliberate fanning of anti-India sentiments that could have other more disturbing implications. It appears to be accompanied by a rise in radical Islamist sentiments, and seems to be directed against India.
Instead, China seems to have established itself as an attractive alternative to India. The radical Islamic party Adhaalath tweeted on Thursday, "We would rather give the airport contract to our friends in China, who now make the majority of our tourist population." The tweets went on to say that Maldives as a tourist destination was beyond the reach of Indians but affordable for the Chinese.
29/11/12 Times of India

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Main runway shut, flights at Mumbai airport hit

Mumbai: Flights in and out of Mumbai airport will be seriously affected over the next two months as the main runway has been shut for upgrading radars and other operational equipment.
Due to this, over 120 domestic departures at the Mumbai airport — which airport handles as many as 600 flights daily — have been affected, airport sources said. They added, “by the time the work gets completed, airlines’ on-time performances will go for a toss, as the main runway will remain unavailable between 9 am and 5 pm till February 7”.
They further said, “In the past two days, every airline has experienced a delay of up to 30 minutes as all the take- offs are now taking place from the 09-end of the main runway 09/27 due to the glide path relocation.”
30/11/12 PTI/Indian Express

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GMR may approach Singapore court against Maldives Govt

New Delhi: The GMR Group is considering legally challenging in a Singapore court the Maldives Government decision to terminate its contract for modernising the Male airport.
The decision to approach courts in Singapore was taken as the contract for modernisation of the Male airport states that arbitration can take place either under Singaporean or British laws, sources said.
A GMR team is in Singapore and the legal process could begin in the next seven days, sources said. Late on Tuesday, the Maldives Cabinet recommended termination of the contract awarded to the GMR Group to develop the Male airport.
In 2010, GMR Male International Airport Private Limited (GMIAL) won the right to build and operate the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport for 25 years, extendable by 10 years. GMR Infrastructure holds majority stake in GMIAL.
Sources claimed the Maldivian Government’s letter terminating the contract was a “weak one”. The bone of contention is GMR’s decision to levy a departure fee of $25 per passenger on those using the airport.
28/11/12 Business Line

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Maldives` move to terminate airport contract unlawful: GMR

Maldives announced on Tuesday Maldives' cabinet has recommended termination of a contract given by the previous regime to GMR Group for developing Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) at Male.
GMR Group said the Maldivian government's decision to scrap the airport development contract awarded to it as 'irrational and unlawful'.
Reacting to the decision, GMR said, ''In a unilateral and completely irrational move the Government of Maldives has issued a notice to the GMR Male International Airport (GMIAL) intending to take over the possession and control of the Ibrahim Nassir International Airport (INIA) under the pretext that the agreement is void.''
The company said that this unlawful and premature notice on the pretext that the Concession Agreement is void is completely devoid of any locus standi and is therefore being challenged by the company before the competent forums.
''We would also like to inform all that this action by the GoM is in complete disregard of and has been done during the pendency of arbitration proceedings in the designated tribunal in Singapore,'' GMR said.
29/11/12 MyIris

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GMR Infra seeks legal options against Maldives govt

New Delhi: GMR Infrastructure is exploring legal options against Maldives Government for terminating its USD 500-million airport development contract for running the Male airport.
"We are seeking legal opinion (against the termination notice) and we will formalise our strategy shortly," a GMR spokesperson said, adding that operations at the Male airport are functioning "normally".
Meanwhile, Maldives has denied a report from local Sun Online that work permits and visas of GMR officials working in Maldives will be cancelled within seven days.
Maldivian President's Press Secretary Masood Imad said that GMR has been given more time than what is stipulated in the contract. Visas to GMR officials will continue as per the normal procedures, he added.
29/11/12 ZeeNews

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Won't quit Maldives, says GMR

Male: Indian infrastructure giant GMR has described as ''illegitimate'' an order by the Maldives government to hand over the Male airport within seven days after its contract was annulled, and insisted the company will not leave the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.
On the cabinet's decision to annul the agreement, GMR head of communication Arun Baghad told Haveeru Online he refused to accept that the government can terminate the agreement after just two years into the 25-year contract. Despite the seven-day notice given by the government to hand over the airport, GMR would look to honour the agreement and stay in the Maldives till the end of the 25-year contract, Baghad said."We are going nowhere. A solution to the matter will be sought out," he was quoted as saying.
28/11/12 moneycontrol.com

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GMR airport ops revenue to slide 20% on Male loss

New Delhi: New Delhi: With the Maldives government terminating the GMR Group’s contract to operate the Male airport, the company stands to lose around 20% of revenues coming from its airport operation business. What would hit the company hard is that the revenues from Male were showing robust growth as it is the gateway to Maldives, a major tourist centre.
During the July-September quarter, GMR’s total revenues from the airport segment stood at R1,469 crore, of which around R300 crore came from the Male airport operations. This was a 35% growth over the revenues booked during the same period last fiscal. The period also saw strong operational performance with a 10% y-o-y growth in traffic. Ebitda grew y-o-y to R71 crore and net profit was up 193% at R57 crore.
Apart from losing a growing business, the fate of the company’s investment of $150 million, apart from the acquisition fee of $78 million, has become uncertain.
29/11/12 Financial Express

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Private airport operators accuse govt of shielding Air India from non-payment penalty

New Delhi: In the sharpest ever attack on the government handling of Air India, India's private airport operators have accused the state of 'patronising' the national carrier and preventing them from acting against the airline for non-payment of dues. The Association of Private Airport Operators (APAO), that represents private airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Cochin, had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Kingfisher was put on cash-and-carry when it ran up dues but the same is not being allowed for AI.
"In the case of AI, whose outstanding dues are of much higher magnitude (than Kingfisher), our five member airports are being restrained from enforcing the cash-and-carry on account of government patronage. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) advocates non-discrimination in the levy/enforcement of airport charges. India, as a signatory, is bound by ICAO regulations but the stipulation is being patently violated," APAO secretary-general Satyan Nayar wrote to the PM recently.
The five private airports claim outstanding of about Rs 1,180 crore from AI. State-run Airports Authority of India also claims dues of over Rs 1,000 crore from AI. Delhi, which is AI's hub, alone claims dues of about Rs 625 crore from AI. The aviation ministry, which directly runs AI, has not allowed either AAI or private airports from denying any further credit to AI.
29/11/12 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Durgapur private airport to take off by April next year

Kolkata: West Bengal’s first private airport is expected to be operational by March-April next year.
The airport is being developed near Durgapur — approximately 200 km south of Kolkata — by Bengal Aerotropolis Pvt Ltd (BAPL), a venture involving four Indian companies and the Singapore-based Changi Airports International.
“Nearly 80 per cent work has been completed. We are hoping that the project will be operational around the first half of next year, say, around March-April 2013,” Ang Cheng Nam, Vice-President, Changi Airports told Business Line.
Ang was in the city to attend Bengal Builds, a conference on urban development.
Changi holds 26 per cent equity in the project.
The airport is being developed under direct technical assistance from Changi and will be fitted with modern night-landing facilities. “It will be run differently from other Indian airports,” he promised.
29/11/12 Abhishek Law/Business Line

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SpiceJet launches two new international flights from Kochi, Kerala

Kochi:  SpiceJet Ltd, one of the leading low cost airlines, has announced the launch of two new international flights from Kerala.
The airline has launched daily flight from Kochi to the Maldivian capital Male from Thursday. In the second week of December the airline will introduce daily flight from Kochi to Dubai.
At present, SpiceJet is operating international flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Madurai.
29/11/12 S Sanandakumar/Economic Times

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Bigger aircraft to continue to land at Patna airport till further order

Mumbai: Bigger aircraft like Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 will continue to operate from Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna beyond November 30, 2012 till further orders, as per a TOI report. Yesterday, the airport authorities received a new order from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), allowing the existing runway length to be used till the AAI sets a new deadline.
Earlier, the AAI had issued orders for reducing the runway's length in view of obstructions in the vicinity of the airport and called for removing the same  on a priority basis. Implementation of this order was deferred a couple of times, with the latest deadline being set to expire on November 30. Reduction of the runway length would have made the airport unfit for operation of wide-bodied jets.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier asked the AAI to get the minimum safety requirements fulfilled for operating the airport. “The revised runway length was to be implemented from November 30, which has been deferred for the time being,” said Arvind Dubey, Director, Patna Airport.
29/11/12 TravelBizMonitor

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Man held for carrying drugs worth Rs90 lakh to Malaysia

Mumbai: The customs officials at Mumbai airport have held a 54-year-old man from Chennai who was trying to smuggle 6.5kg of ketamine, a banned party drug, worth around Rs90 lakh to Malaysia.
The accused has been identified as Jaffer Ullah Khan, who works as a driver in Chennai.
Khan was caught by a team of customs officials lead by assistant commissioner of customs (air intelligence unit), Sameer Wankhede. Khan was on his way to Kuala Lumpur in a Malaysian Airways flight at around 11pm on Tuesday when he was stopped for the checking of his baggage by the officers near the immigration counter.
The accused had hidden the drugs in photo frames, managing to conceal packets of 700gms of ketamine each inside every photo frame. The frames had been sealed back neatly, so as to avoid suspicion.
29/11/12 Daily News & Analysis

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Two SpiceJet pilots argued over who should land first: Sources

Mumbai: Putting the safety of around 160 passengers at risk, two SpiceJet pilots allegedly got into a verbal fight over who should land first, sources here said.
The incident had occurred yesterday at around 7 pm when the Indore ATC cleared the Delhi-Indore flight of SpiceJet for landing. Around the same time, the airline's flight SG 1053 Hyderabad-Indore was also on the approach but was to land after the Delhi flight.
"However, the pilot of the flight from Delhi contacted the ATC, saying the Hyderabad flight pilot was arguing with him over landing. In the process, the two aircraft came at a distance of 3,100 feet though they were in the required vertical separation limit," sources added.
29/11/12 PTI/Economic Times

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33 flights delayed due to fog

Bangalore: Commuters at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) had their first brush with flight delays and diversions this winter due to fog.
The thick radiation fog which lasted about two-and-a-half hours resulted in the delay of almost 33 flights, including several international flights.
Airport officials said that 11 arrivals and 22 departures were affected due to the fog which lasted between 5 am to 7.30 am.
Officials added that the flights were delayed for a period between 15 minutes to one hour.
According to flightstats.com, an online portal that tracks flight movement, an Emirates flight bound for Dubai and scheduled to depart at 4.15 am departed at 7.32 am.
Similarly a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai scheduled to land at 4.45 am landed at 7.35 am.
Though visibility improved by around 7.30 am there was cascading effect on flight schedules as several inbound and outbound flights were delayed.
29/11/12 Daily News & Analysis

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No takers for Maharashtra Airport Development Company warehousing tender

Nagpur: Apparently private investors are not finding Mihan project very attractive. Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) that had invited tenders for developing a warehousing facility on 7.7 acres of land could get no bidders. The last date for accepting bids ended a week ago but none applied. With no bidders in the first round, sources in MADC say they are now reworking the strategy.
Mihan has been projected as a major hub for warehousing ventures due to Nagpur's central location and the area's proximity to the airport. Land for this project earmarked outside the special economic zone (SEZ), area was supposed to be leased out to a private party for a period of 99 years. MADC had pegged the reserve price at Rs 3885 a square foot.
When contacted MADC's vice-chairman-cum-managing director UPS Madan confirmed no bids were received and said that the strategy was being reworked. Sources said that MADC could not get bids probably because the current rates appeared too high especially in the light of the conditions at which Future Group, which is already operating a warehouse, was offered a land.
26/11/12 Shishir Arya/Times of India

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New equipment to improve coordination between Juhu airport and CSIA

The air traffic control tower at the Juhu airport will get new equipment next year, which will help in improving coordination between the aerodrome and the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) and enhance the safety in operations at both airports. The equipment — situation data display — will make available flight movements, flight plans and details about air traffic such as location of an aircraft, altitude and air speed, at the Juhu airport to the CSIA and vice versa.
“It will ensure that these details are digitally available and reduce manual coordination. The equipment will make the current system more perfect,” said M Yadagiri, director at the Juhu airport. The equipment, being procured by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), is expected to be commissioned in the next six months. The Juhu airport caters to roughly 100 movements per day, the details of which are not readily available at the Air Traffic Control (ATC) of CSIA.
26/11/12 Manasi Phadke/Indian Express

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Revised Air India flight schedule affects NRKs

Kochi: The departure of the Air India Express flight IX 412 from Sharjah in the revised winter schedule to around 9 am local time, to arrive at 2.05 pm at Cochin International Airport has come as an inconvenience to a section of NRKs working there.
They say that they could board the same flight at around 3 pm without upsetting their work to land at around 6.25 pm, whereas now they are forced to take a day’s leave just because of the revised schedule.
The rescheduling of the two daily Air India and Air India Express flights leaving Kochi airport from evening, to morning, has also been cited as an inconvenience by another section which complains that this revised timing leaves the airport without any flights of the national carrier to Sharjah in the evenings.
26/11/12 Deccan Chronicle

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4 chartered flights arrive in Kochi

Kochi: Giving a fillip to the tourism sector in the state, four chartered flights arrived in Kochi on Monday with over 1,400 tourists, coinciding with the arrival of luxury cruise liner AIDA DIVA which docked at Kochi port on Sunday.
These flights, which came from Germany through Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf, Bahrain and Sharjah sectors, were operated by Condor Airlines, Air Berlin and TUIfly. The Cochin International Airport saw a flurry of activity as around 950 tourists who had arrived in Kochi on Sunday in AIDA DIVA went back by these chartered flights.
26/11/12 Times of India

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Delay in reviving TRIADS hits airport development

Thiruvananthapuram: A delay in reviving the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Development Society (TRIADS) has hit the third phase development of the airport, including the construction of a new domestic terminal.
The functioning of TRIADS, set up in the 1990s by the government for speeding up the development of the airport and creating infrastructure, has come to a halt after the commissioning of the Rs.300-crore world-class terminal at Chakka in 2011.
The functioning of TRIADS, which played a major role in land acquisition and subsequent development of the world-class terminal complex, had now been confined to paper, a top civil aviation official told The Hindu.
In place of the Additional Chief Secretary, the District Collector has been holding the charge of the Managing Director of TRIADS.
26/11/12 S Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Kannur: Airport consultant reviewing report

Thiruvananthapuram: The new project consultant for the Kannur international airport has started reviewing the detailed project report prepared for the fourth airport proposed in the State.
The review of the report was included in the scope of work when Kannur International Airport Ltd. (KIAL), formed by the State government to build and operate the airport, floated tenders for appointing a new project consultant after the consultancy agreement of August 17 with Mumbai-based STUP Consultants Private Ltd. was cancelled for violation of the request-for-proposal conditions.
KIAL sources told The Hindu that the new project consultant — a consortium led by the Hong-Kong-based AECOM Asia Private Ltd. and including AECOM India Private Ltd. and CRISIL — that bagged the bid for Rs. 13.8 crore had started work from the site of the proposed airport at Mattannur. Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIAL) had prepared the detailed project report.
The review assumes significance as the KIAL had asked the CIAL in May to revise the report as aviation experts pointed out over a dozen technical flaws.
26/11/12 S. Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Airports Authority of India suspends landings on secondary runway at Kolkata

Kolkata:  The Airports Authority of India has decided to suspend all landings on the secondary runway following persistent pilot complaints of a malfunction in a critical visual landing guidance system. Consequently, repair work on the primary runway will have to be done in the dead of the night when there are no touchdowns scheduled.
The problem in the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) was first reported by a cargo flight on November 2 when readings on the distance measuring equipment (DME) failed to match the indicators on PAPI and he pulled out of the landing sequence.
PAPI consists of four equally spaced light units next to the runway that are colour coded to provide visual indication. The pilot knows he is on the right glide path when he spots two white lights on the inside and two red lights on the outside.Four red lights mean the aircraft is lower than the desired altitude and will fall short of the runway while four white lights mean the plane is high and will overshoot the runway.
26/11/12 Times of India

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Speed up Coimbatore airport expansion works: Indian Chamber

Coimbatore: The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Coimbatore, has requested the Union Civil Aviation Minister to expedite works relating to the expansion of Coimbatore airport that has been declared an international airport.
It has also urged him to link more domestic and international cities with Coimbatore and encourage global operators to launch services.
R.R. Balasundharam, President, ICCI, Coimbatore, in a communication to the Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, welcoming the recent announcement of making Coimbatore airport an international airport, said it was yet to be equipped with requisite infrastructure facilities and the flights operated from here were ‘not sufficient’.
He said the airport expansion programme should be speeded up and the number of cargo flights from the city enhanced. He wanted the airport to be included in the cities under bilateral agreements for unrestricted operations as has been done in case of all other non-metro airports in the South for getting more international connectivity.
25/11/12 Business Line

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Serious security threat at Karipur airport

Kozhikode: In a shocking security lapse with potentially imponderable consequences, the door frame metal detector (DFMD) installed at the Customs area of the airport arrival hall at Karipur airport has not been working for over two years. So is the re-examination x-ray, which is used to re-examine luggage suspected to contain dutiable items or contraband after the initial luggage scan.
Intelligence agencies have raised repeated alarms that the lapse could be exploited by people to smuggle in gold or even dangerous objects. A senior Customs official confirmed to TOI that the door frame metal detector at the arrival area has not been functioning for a long time. "There is definitely a security issue involved but as an alternative arrangement we have been examining passengers through hand-held metal detectors," he said.The official said that though the department higher-ups have been notified about the issue several times, the problem is yet to be rectified.
26/11/12 Times of India

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TN probes security breach by IPS officer at Chennai airport

Chennai: Police are inquiring into a serious security lapse during a brief transit through Chennai by L K Advani. The BJP leader comes under the 'Z Plus' security category. On November 10, Advani took a flight at the Chennai airport en route to Thiruvananthapuram after a visit to Tirupati. Sources in the state police said a senior IPS officer, who was not earmarked for this VVIP duty, had managed to break into Advani's convoy with a civilian in his car and later took him into the VIP lounge through gate 5 at the airport.
"The entry of a civilian via the highly-secured gate no. 5 without any valid pass into the VIP lounge, when Advani was there, is a clear breach of security. An enquiry is still on about the matter," a senior official told TOI. The incident has kicked up a storm, especially since it came days ahead of President of India Pranab Mukherjee visit to Chennai on November 30 to take part in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Tamil Nadu assembly.
26/11/12 Times of India

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Dubai-bound Monday Night AI Express Flight Cancelled

Mangalore: The Dubai-bound Air India Express flight from Mangalore, scheduled to depart on Monday November 26 night has been cancelled.
The flight was scheduled to take off at 10.30 pm from Mangalore International Airport.
Sources at the airport informed Daijiworld that the flight was cancelled due to 'operational reasons'.
However, it is said that the passengers were intimated about the cancellation only at around 7.30 pm, when most of them had already arrived at the airport.
26/11/12 Daijiworld.com

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Aircraft's tyre bursts while taxiing

Chennai:  Around 125 passengers on board a Muscat-Chennai Oman Air flight had an escape after nose wheel of the aircraft burst while taxiing after landing at Chennai airport on Monday. Nobody was injured in the incident. The aircraft was later towed to the parking bay.
Airport sources said that the flight landed at 6.30am and was taxiing near cargo terminal when a tyre burst and the aircraft was halted. The pilot informed the air traffic control about the incident. Controllers closed the taxi way and alerted the apron from where a pushback vehicle was brought and the aircraft was towed to the parking bay.
26/11/12 Times of India

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AAI yet to set new deadline for Patna airport runway

Patna: The authorities of Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport here are yet to receive the new deadline to use the existing runway beyond November 30.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had last month extended its decision to re-notify the runway length of Patna airport to November 30. This was the fourth time in three months that the AAI had decided to extend the implementation date of its notice to airmen (NOTAM), initially issued on August 4.
Given the obstructions in the vicinity of the airport, the AAI had, on August 4, issued a NOTAM reducing from August 16 the landing distance available (LDA) which would have made the airport unfit for operation of wide-bodied jets like Airbus-320 and Boeing 737.
According to the revised length of runway (from Phulwarisharif end) will be 1,141 metres instead of the earlier 1,677 metre. Similarly, the runway from the Patna zoo end will now be 1,289 metres instead of earlier 1,820 metres. Aviation sources said the minimum runway length required for Airbus-320 and Boeing 737 aircraft to land is 1,540 metres and 1,790 metres respectively.
26/11/12 Sayantanee Choudhury/Times of India

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Greenfield airport in Krishna district mooted as an alternative

Vijayawada: Development of a Greenfield airport elsewhere in Krishna district has been suggested as an alternative to the expansion of Gannavaram airport, which is fraught with problems. At a meeting organised to help the affected farmers quote the price of lands they will be parting with, former secretary and correspondent of V.K.R. College Chinthapalli Seetharamaiah said he would approach the court if alternative land was not provided for the college that had a history of 60 years. Mr. Seetharamaiah said the college would be affected by the expansion. In fact, Buddhavaram village, which had a population of over 2,000, would be cut off with the airport on one side and the Eluru Canal on the other. The authorities had not shown a proper alternative road to the village till date.
Mr. Seetharamaiah said while the Calicut airport was built in just 337 acres, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was saying that another 400 acres was needed for expanding the Gannavaram airport, which was already existing in 530 acres.
25/11/12 The Hindu

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Gannavaram Airport expansion: farmers seek Rs. 50 lakh per acre

Vijayawada: “All farmers who have to give up land for expansion of the Gannavaram airport should be paid compensation at the same rate as the purpose is the same.”
Farmers put forth the demand at a meeting of industrialists and elected representatives organised on Saturday on the issue by the Vijayawada electronic media led by Siti Cable.
Siti Cable head Potluri Saibabu said the meeting was primarily convened for farmers to seek their opinion on the rate they were expecting and other issues.
When farmers of Buddhavaram, who would be worst-affected due the proposed expansion, said that Rs. 50 lakh an acre would be a fair price, none opposed it.
Machilipatnam MP Konakalla Narayana said the rate could be fixed only when the State government had funds at hand. “The State government had earlier said it had Rs.91 crore for payment to farmers. But the amount is yet to be paid to them. It is therefore fair to begin negotiations with farmers only after the government has money at hand,” Mr. Narayana said. He said the government had clear cut guidelines for land acquisition.
25/11/12 The Hindu

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Airlines, airport brace for the fog

New Delhi: The Delhi Airport authorities and airlines are getting ready with a series of measures to deal with the fog season which causes flight delays every year.
According to the Meteorological Department, the airport will see fog from mid-December to February. Fliers will be worst affected in January, the peak fog season.
The airport authorities have decided to set up additional help desks and put more customer care executives on duty to help out passengers during the fog season. Traffic marshals will be deployed to clear roads leading up to terminals, which get clogged with traffic due to poor visibility. According to airport sources, parking boys will be deployed to deal with fog at the airside.
Air India, which has the largest number of pilots trained to fly in low visibility conditions, is preparing for the fog season. IndiGo spokesperson said the airlines pilots have been adequately trained to fly in the fog season. Besides, all the airlines aircraft are CAT III compliant.
25/11/12 The Hindu

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Aircraft movement dips at BIA

Bangalore: Despite the creeping winter resulting in several delays at Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) could go into Christmas with a smile in 2011.
This year, although there are no major delays reported even as it is almost December, the BIA has seen a considerable dip in aircraft movement this winter.
The turbulence in the Indian aviation sector has seen BIA lose almost 25 flights per day this winter compared to 2011. The BIA, which has the third highest domestic traffic in the country, has seen the total number of aircraft movement decrease to 298 per day this winter, compared to 328 last year.
25/11/12 Deccan Herald

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AI cancels flight, takes passengers to Trichy by bus

Chennai: Around 74 passengers who arrived from Kuala Lumpur by an Air India Express flight kicked up a ruckus at the Chennai airport on Saturday , after the airline staff told them that they will have to travel by bus from Chennai to Trichy .
The passengers' ticket was from Kuala Lumpur to Trichy , via Chennai . They refused to travel by bus initially and staged a protest claiming that they were not informed at Kuala Lumpur that the Chennai-Trichy leg of the flight would be cancelled .
Airline and airport officials intervened and pacified the passengers who had turned livid and argued with the staff . An airport official said that the passengers finally left by a bus arranged by the airline from the airport at 2.30 pm.
25/11/12 Times of India

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Bhubaneswar airport seeks immigration 'check'

Bhubaneswar: With Biju Patnaik airport on the verge of getting the international tag, the authorities have written to the chief immigration officer, New Delhi, to visit the airport and assess immigration requirements.
An immigration cell with two counters will be opened for immigration clearance for passengers as the airport gears up for operation of flights to international destinations, said airport director Sarat Kumar. "We have sent a request letter to the chief immigration officer at New Delhi to assess the requirement of immigration cell. Initially there may be two immigration counters considering landing and take off of less number of international flights, for check during entry and exit," said the director. He said there would be necessary networking facilities with installation of specialised software which ensures connectivity with all the airports for identifying immigrants.
25/11/12 Riyan Ramanath V/Times of India

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Anti-hijack mock drill at Patna airport

Patna: The airport authorities conducted an anti-hijack mock drill at Jayaprakash Narayan international airport on Saturday. The mock drill lasted for about an hour.
Senior Airports Authority of India ( AAI) and government officials, including principal secretary, home, Amir Subhani, DGP Abhayanand and the Patna airport director Arvind Dubey were present on the occasion.
Dubey said, "Instead of using an aircraft, a four-wheeler was used to carry out the exercise and all the possible fallout of a hijack were simulated during the exercise. Such exercises are carried out every year to test the alertness of officials."
Subhani exhibited his negotiation skills and was seen talking to the four hijackers. While negotiations were on, the routine precautionary steps like blocking the runway with fire brigade vehicle were also taken.
25/11/12 Times of India

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Customs foils man’s bid to smuggle gold

Mumbai: The Customs department on Saturday foiled an attempt by an individual to smuggle gold worth Rs 1.55 crore.
Ilyas Ismail Museji Bhana, who arrived from Dubai by a Jet Airways flight (9W 0543), was arrested for the act. Customs officials said that Bhana was found to have hidden five gold bars weighing 1 kg each in a white coloured waist belt that he had tied below the abdominal region inside his pants. He was apprehended after being searched, officials said.
After landing in Mumbai, Bhana managed to clear through the green channel but ran out of luck after the Customs officials intercepted him around 3am.
25/11/12 Times of India

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Chennai airport new terminal is late again

Chennai: The opening of the new terminal building at Chennai airport gets further delayed. It may now be inaugurated by March 2013.
Airport director H.S. Suresh attributed the delay to the civil aviation ministry’s decision to wait until the installation of inline baggage screening systems and facilities like ATM kiosks and Forex counters.
“Initially, we were hoping for a September opening, but the ministry insisted that everything be put in place before the terminals begin functioning,” he said. Instead of waiting for inline systems to be set up, the terminals could begin operations with standalone machines to screen baggage, he said.
“We are yet to receive the final decision of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security on the specifications of new inline screening systems. Also, we faced some issues with the contracts for commercial establishments like ATM kiosks,” Mr. Suresh said.
24/11/12 Sunitha Sekar/The Hindu

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CAT-I approach lighting to be installed at Indore airport

Indore:  Indore airport is gearing up for the installation of CAT-I approach lighting to increase the visibility. At present, the airport is having only simple approach lighting, which is not sufficient to cater to the airport's requirement for fighting fog-like situation.
Indore airport is all set to turn CAT-I compliant, said the director of Indore airport, RN Shinde, while talking to ToI on Thursday. Installation of CAT-I approach lighting is a step in that direction.
Chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, recently met union minister of civil aviation in New Delhi to discuss the issue. The electromagnetic device will take the airport a step further in the direction of being equipped with navigational aids.
24/11/12 Kumud Das/Times of India

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Navi Mumbai airport: Government hikes offer for farmers

Mumbai: In order to break the deadlock between the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and farmers, whose land will be acquired for the development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport, the state government has decided to offer them almost 22.5% developed land against the conventional norm of 12.5%.
Jayant Patil, Peasant and Workers Party MLA said, “Earlier we were demanding either 50% developed land or Rs20 crore per acre plus government jobs for the farmers’ relatives. We have now placed a final demand of 33% developed land.”
23/11/12 Sudhir Suryavanshi/Daily News & Analysis

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Govt allows Maya car to drive up to plane

In a stunning volte-face in the background of the growing proximity between the Congress-led UPA government and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the civil aviation ministry on Thursday allowed vehicles carrying BSP chief Mayawati to drive right up to her aircraft on tarmacs at civil airports across the country. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security issued orders on this after the Union home ministry gave its go-ahead on security grounds, top aviation sources told this newspaper.
When she was UP chief minister, Ms Mayawati had asked that her bulletproof car be allowed up to the tarmac at civil airports, but this request was rejected in February this year, just months before the Uttar Pradesh polls.
23/11/12 Asian Age

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Visakhapatnam air cargo complex yet to take wing!

Vishakhapatnam: Nearly eight months after it went international, the Visakhapatnam Airport is not yet ready for international cargo exports. Red-tape is said to be coming in the way of airport development and unless something is done on a war-footing the development of the region will remain a cry in the wild.
The undue delay in commencement of round-the-clock operations and lack of facilities for export of international cargo is making new international airline operators as also cargo exporters to shy away from the airport.
There is a huge demand for air exports from the city.The location of two ports – Visakhapatnam Port Trust and Gangavaram Port – in the city and two other ports at Kakinada indicate the tremendous export potential. In the absence of facilities to handle international cargo, the Air India flight to Dubai and the Silk Air flight to Singapore have been deprived of a chance to carry cargo to international destinations.
23/11/12 B Madhu Gopal/The Hindu

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Int'l tag for city airport in a few months

Bhubaneswar: Odisha's long wait for an international airport may finally end next year. The Centre is likely to accord the much sought after status to the Biju Patnaik Airport here within a few months, Union civil aviation secretary K N Srivastava said on Wednesday.
Sources said, during a meeting with chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Srivastava said once the airport's new terminal would be ready by mid-December and functional in January, the old terminal could be used for international flights.
"We would need two-three months to make necessary infrastructure arrangements (like immigration and custom check facilities) at the old terminal," Srivastava told media persons. "I don't think there should be any delay as the approval has already been given in principle," he added, pointing out that the Centre was looking at allowing overseas flights to the city from 2013.
Sources said Srivastava told the CM that the proposal for giving the airport an international tag should go to the Union cabinet in March-April.
22/11/12 Times of India

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Declare Indore international airport: CM

Bhopal: Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has requested Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh to restore the earlier schedule of Indian Airlines flight between Bhopal-Delhi sector, which made possible to and fro journey the same day.
During his meeting with the minister on Wednesday, Chouhan also requested Singh to declare Indore an International Airport, which has been upgraded and equipped with all required facilities with extended cargo handling facilities for operating international flight for the benefit of trade, industry and agri-growers, a government spokesman later informed.
There is an urgent need for perishable cargo hub at Indore, which will cater to the need of floriculture and pharmaceutical sector, which has immense potential. The detailed DPR of this has already been submitted by the state government.
23/11/12 Times of India

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Aircraft door get jammed on flight from Dhaka to Kolkata

Kolkata: Nearly a hundred passengers of a United Airway flight from Dhaka to Kolkata had to stay inside as the doors of the plane was not opening at NSC Bose International airport here today.
The engineers later found that the doors were not opening as an engine was running in the plane that landed at about 10.30 am, airport sources said.
23/11/12 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Dubai Airport woos business class travellers with special boarding

New Delhi: Come early next year, business and first class travellers will be able to board the A380 aircraft direct from special lounges at Dubai Airport.
Dubai Airport is developing a new dedicated concourse ‘A’ within the existing structure. This will be a dedicated one for Airbus 380 and Boeing 777 types of aircraft. This will be used by Emirates and after some time by Australian airline Qantas. This new facility is part of its expansion project at the cost of $ 7.8 billion.
Giving details about the project, Dubai Airport’s Head of Marketing and Corporate Communication Lorne Riley told Business Line, “The new concourse will have 18 out of 20 gates with twin aerobridges. Twin Aerobridges will allow two different entry points to the aircraft, at upper deck for premium passengers and lower deck for economy passengers.” This new facility will enhance the capacity from 60 million to 75 million by first quarter of next year.
22/11/12 Business Line

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Cabinet revises Kolkata airport overhaul budget

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Thursday approved the revised cost estimate of Rs 2,325 crore for the modernization and expansion of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata (NSCBI) including construction of an integrated terminal building.
Earlier, the CCEA had considered the proposal of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in July 2008 and approved it for an amount of Rs.1942.51 crore.
Thereafter, based on award of certain packages of work, by competitive bidding and review of scope of certain works, the project cost increased to Rs.2325 crore.
According to official sources, the airport is likely to be inaugurated on Jan 23, 2013 on the birthday of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
The revised estimated cost of the work is Rs.2325 crore and the same will be met through internal resources and borrowings, said CCEA.
22/11/12 India Blooms

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More funds for Kolkata integrated terminal

New Delhi: Government on Thursday approved additional funds for the development of the integrated passenger terminal building at the Kolkata international airport expected to be inaugurated in January.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the revised cost estimate of Rs 2,325 crore for the modernization and expansion of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata (NSCBI) including construction of an integrated terminal building, a release said.
In July 2008, CCEA had cleared Rs 1,942.51 crore for the project, cost of which had increased based on award of certain packages of work, by competitive bidding and review of scope of certain works.
23/11/12 PTI/Times of India

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Women’s World Cup trophy detained at Mumbai airport

New Delhi: In a surprising incident, the 2013 Women’s World Cup trophy replica has been detained by the customs officials at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday. The trophy was brought for a promotional event as the cricket tournament is scheduled in the city early next year.
 According to the customs officials, the trophy arrived via baggage from Dubai while the rules suggest that it can only be brought into the country through cargo.
 The officials also revealed that one needs to seek prior permissions in order to bring the trophy via baggage. As per the regulation, the authorities will have to pay a duty on it.
 Also, the BCCI had sent a letter to the customs officials requesting an exemption from taxes. But, the officials said that without documents signifying the approval of the central government, the trophy will not be released.
21/11/12 dailybhaskar.com

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Shock as casket goes 'missing'

A man who thought he was accompanying the body of his dead brother-in-law home to India got a shock when he landed in Trivandrum and was told the casket was nowhere to be found.
The remains of 48-year-old Swaminathan Tulasi were supposed to be repatriated to India on a Bahrain Air flight to Trivandrum International Airport on Monday.
His brother-in-law, identified only as Mr Tyagarajan, thought he was travelling with the body when the plane took off from Bahrain International Airport.
He reportedly didn't know that the casket had been stopped because it had not been properly sealed and sent back to the Salmaniya Medical Complex mortuary.
An Indian Embassy official confirmed there was a problem with the container and the body had to be repackaged before being flown out the following day.
22/11/12  Ahmed Al Omari/Gulf Today

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Airlines refuse to fly Kozhikode-Thiruvananthapuram sector

After SpiceJet pulled out from the Thiruvananthapuram - Kozhikode sector in July, not many airlines, including the national carrier, has shown interest to resume services between the two cities. State industries minister's office had even requested SpiceJet to ply at least a few flights a week during Ramzan. But airlines say the route is unprofitable.
"There is no point in using the sector that has less than 10% occupancy . Even if an airline wants to start a Thiruvananthapuram-Dammam flight via Kozhikode, it does not make sense to open the bookings for domestic passengers . It is not feasible to load a long-haul flight with short distance passengers," said the manager of an airline.
22/11/12 Sangeetha Nair/Times of India

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Gold worth Rs 35 lakh seized at Mangalore airport

Mangalore: Abdul Khadir, 25, from Bhatkal made a futile attempt to smuggle 1.11 kg of gold ornaments and biscuits stuffed in his underwear at Mangalore International Airport on Wednesday. Just a few weeks ago, Sri Lankan national Mohammed Hashim was caught at Bengaluru International Airport while trying to smuggle 1.75 kg of gold hidden in his rectum.
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths seized the gold worth Rs 35 lakh when he arrived by Air India Express IX-814 from Dubai at 6.15am.
22/11/12 Times of India

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CCEA approves addl funds for Kolkata international airport

New Delhi: Government today approved additional funds for the development of the integrated passenger terminal building at the Kolkata international airport expected to be inaugurated in January.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the revised cost estimate of Rs 2,325 crore for the modernisation and expansion of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata (NSCBI) including construction of an integrated terminal building, an official release said.
In July 2008, the CCEA had approved Rs 1,942.51 crore for the project, cost of which had increased based on award of certain packages of work, by competitive bidding and review of scope of certain works.
The airport is likely to be inaugurated on January 23 on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
22/11/12 PTI/Business Standard

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BMC bulldozes shops for bird-free airport zone

Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday demolished around 30 shops in Pokhariput, around 500 metres from the wet-side boundary of the airport to ensure bird free zone near Biju Patnaik airport in the city. The shops included slaughter houses and fish selling points.
"In the first phase, we demolished around 30 shops to check bird menace. It was a small stretch, which had meat and fish shops on the roadside behind the proposed city bus station site. We will carry out demolition of more shops on the eastern side soon," said Sumita Behera, assistant commissioner (recovery) at BMC. She said some more areas attracting birds have also been identified by the airport authorities.
The demolition drive was taken up after identifying the place during a joint visit by BMC and airport officials. "Initially, there was some resistance but it was deftly contained by police personnel of Airfield police station. The shops were unauthorised as they were encroaching upon the roads," said Behera. She said in the next phase the civic body will demolish some meat shops in Ganga Nagar.
22/11/12 Riyan Ramanath V/Times of India

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6.84 million air travellers from India using Dubai airports

New Delhi:  Dubai Airports (DA), which owns and manages the operations and development of the two airports in Dubai, considers India its topmost market as it accounted for 6.84 million air travellers last year.
Seven airlines, including five from India, were operating into the two airports in Dubai -- Dubai International and Dubai World Central (DWC), from as many as 17 Indian cities, Lorne Riley, Head of Corporate Communications of DA, told reporters here.
He said the maximum number of people travelled on the Mumbai-Dubai route, followed by those from Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Estimating a major growth in overall passenger traffic, Riley said traffic to Dubai International reached "a historic 50.9 million in 2011 and is projected to cross 56.5 million by this year end, making it the world's fourth busiest airport for international passengers."
22/11/12 PTI/Economic Times

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CBI should probe denotification of airport land: Vijai Sardesai

Margao: Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai has demanded a CBI probe into the denotification of land that was acquired for a parking lot as part of the expansion plans of Dabolim airport and plans on calling on the governor to push his demand.
While addressing mediapersons on Wednesday, Sardesai said that it is high time the people of Goa asked the state government why it is protecting the interests of a private builder at Dabolim at the cost of Goa's tourism industry and national security.
Sardesai pointed out that he had discovered that commodore L K Agrawalla, chief staff officer of the flag officer commanding, Goa Naval area, had written a letter to the Goa government that the real estate project, which is coming up on the denotified land, is considered a serious threat to the military, VVIP and civil aviation security.
22/11/12 Times of India

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Fleece brigade preys on air passengers

Kolkata: Kolkata may have fewer planes on the roster than Delhi and Mumbai but comes up tops in chaos at the arrival gates.
"Come with me. I have a taxi. Where do you want to go?" a scraggy-bearded man demanded of Australian social worker Dorothy as soon as she stepped out. In seconds, several others swarmed her, some demanding Rs 1,500 for the 20-km ride to the Missionaries of Charity and a few offering Rs 100 'discount'. They yanked at her stroller bag and even pulled by her arm.
"It was maddening," said a terrified Dorothy. She has come here to do voluntary service but was so shaken that she wanted to fly out immediately. "I felt like a hostage. I knew they were out to fleece me but could do nothing. Even arriving in Lagos, Nigeria, I felt safer," she said.
At the international terminal, elderly couple Arati and T K Mukherjee were accosted by touts and cabbies who demanded Rs 300-500 for a ride to Salt Lake.
23/11/12 Subhro Niyogi/Times of India

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Hijack alert at Air Force base turns out to be a mock drill

Chandigarh: The local police sprung into action following a phone call informing that an aircraft had been hijacked at the Indian Air Force base on Wednesday afternoon. However, it turned out to be only a mock drill. One chopper of the Air Force had also taken sortie "to rescue the aircraft from the hijackers" during the mock drill.
According to Sector-31 police station SHO, as soon as the air force authorities called the police station about "hijack of a plane", a melee of police, fire brigade personnel and ambulances rushed to the airport. All of them heaved a sigh of relief when it finally turned out to be a mock drill.
22/11/12 Times of India

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SIT arrests man from IGI airport in Moga passport scam

Moga: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2008 Moga passport scam have arrested a man from Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi on the charges of making his passport on the basis of forged documents.
The accused, identified as Hardev Singh Dhaliwal, a resident of Kishangarh village in Moga, was nabbed from IGI on Tuesday night, Surjit Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Moga, said today.
A lookout notice had also been issued against the accused two years back, he said.
Dhaliwal, who returned from the United States Tuesday, was detained at the airport by the authorities who then alerted the Moga police.
"The SIT rushed to Delhi, arrested the accused and brought him to Moga yesterday. We have secured his remand (from a court) for further investigations," he said.
22/11/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Lankan caught with heroin acquitted

Chennai: A special court for NDPS cases on Tuesday freed a 26-year-old Sri Lankan national who was caught carrying more than 1.5 kg of heroin, saying his guilt could not be established by the prosecution.
According to the prosecution, the accused was caught by a customs officer at Chennai airport on January 23, 2009. After a check revealed the narcotic in a keyboard in his bag, he was arrested. The accused told officials the keyboard belonged to a man named Sudha who had asked him to give the keyboard and two photo albums to his (Sudha's) wife in Sri Lanka.
22/11/12 Times of India

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Airport customs seize methaqualone valued at Rs 85.50 lakh

Mumbai: An Indian passenger has been arrested from Mumbai international airport for allegedly trying to smuggle out 5.7 kg of methaqualone valued at Rs 85.50 lakh to Malaysia, a customs official said today.
Acting on a tip off, the passenger identified as Monikandan Thangathurai was intercepted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Tuesday.
Upon checking his black coloured zipper strolley bag, the contraband of white crystalline drug weighing 5.7kg was found concealed meticulously, the official said.
22/11/12 Times of India

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Mitre seals India partnership pact

The MITRE Corporation has formalised its partnership with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) during the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 12th Air Navigation Conference in Montreal.
Since 2006, The MITRE Corporation has been working closely with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to provide solutions to meet India’s significant aviation growth. That relationship was further strengthened in April, when MITRE and AAI signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for developing a long-term partnership in which MITRE agreed to provide technical support to AAI for establishing an in-house research and development capability to improve the aviation infrastructure and to meet air traffic management challenges in India. On November 20, leaders of the two organisations formally exchanged signed agreements.
“MITRE has been a trusted partner in the Air Traffic Management (ATM) developmental programme in India since 2006. Technology and knowledge transfer are key elements of cooperation,” said V.P. Agrawal, Chairman, Airports Authority of India.
“India is the major Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) in the Asia Pacific Region;  AAI having proven its capability to lead regional implementation activities has taken a strategic move to develop a long-term partnership with MITRE for technical support in the areas of Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance (CNS) and ATM system planning and implementation strategy, specialized competence-based management training, technology transfer activities and adopting industry best practices, and software development.  These efforts will help place AAI in a leading role for facilitating global harmonization and seamless ATM across the regions,” said V. Somasundaram, Member (ANS), Airports Authority of India.
21/11/12 Aimee Turner/Air Traffic Management

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British Airways to increase frequency from Hyd, Chennai

Hyderabad: British Airways is planning to add one more flight each from Hyderabad and Chennai to London from March. It currently operates five flights a week each from these two cities.
The expansion in the route network will translate into an additional 200 seats per week each from Hyderabad and Chennai, said Christopher Fordyce, regional commercial manager (South Asia), British Airways, while addressing the media here.
With this, the total number of flights being operated by the airline from India will go up to 47 per week. Currently, BA operates from Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
"We are looking at expanding our operation in the growth markets with major focus on giving better customer experience, increasing technology and adopting new menus in the flight," he said.
21/11/12 Itishree Samal/Business Standard

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Antony to decide fate of new Ranchi airport

Ranchi: Union defence minister A K Antony will take a final call on construction of a 1km approach road to the new world-class integrated terminal building of the Ranchi airport. A Rs 138-crore project, the terminal building is ready and awaits its inauguration. Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials had earlier planned to inaugurate the building soon after Diwali.
Anuj Kumar Bishoni, additional secretary in the defence ministry, who held a meeting with Jharkhand chief secretary S K Chaudhary, development commissioner and other officials on November 16, promised the officials concerned that the matter will be taken up with Antony, who would have the final word on the issue.
Sources at the airport said if things go as planned and Antony gives his nod to the project, the approach road would be ready before December 31 and the terminal building would be thrown open in the first week of January.
21/11/12 lok K N Mishra/Times of India

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Shivraj Chouhan meets Civil Aviation Minister

New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today met Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh and briefed him about key aviation needs of his state.
Chouhan requested Singh to grant Indore airport the status of an 'international' airport as it has been upgraded and modernised with extended cargo handling facilities for to and fro operations of flights from foreign shores.
The grant of this status will "benefit trade, industry and agri-growers" of the state, the Chief Minister was quoted as telling Singh.
"He (Chouhan) requested Singh to restore the earlier schedule of Indian Airlines flight between Bhopal-Delhi sector which made the journey to and fro on the same day possible.
"He also said that there is an urgent need for perishable cargo hub at Indore which will cater to the need of floriculture and pharmaceutical sector which has immense potential," a state government spokesperson said here in a statement.
21/11/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Vigilance team visits Indore airport

Indore: A team of vigilance officers of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) paid a visit at Devi Ahilya Airport to investigate the allegations of infrastructural shortcomings in the newly built international terminal building. The visit occurred after a day when principal secretary to the chief minister Manoj Srivastava visited the airport to explore possibilities of setting up an aerospace at the airport.
The new terminal building was constructed at a cost of Rs 135 crore and is now under the scanner after several allegations of anomalies reached to the officials of DGCA officials in New Delhi. Earlier also a vigilance team had visited the airport in connection with the allegations. The team comprised two vigilance officers from Mumbai. According to sources, the team members recorded statements of the airport employees and checked paper work.
21/11/12 Times of India

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Operations back to normal at Chandigarh airport

Chandigarh: Operations at the Chandigarh airport, which had been disrupted due to an emergency landing made by Congress MP from Kurukshetra, Naveen Jindal’s helicopter on Monday, returned to normal on Tuesday.
“All operations at the airport are normal and all flights are operating as per schedule,” Airport Director H S Toor said. The runway, which was blocked after the chopper’s emergency landing on Monday evening, was cleared for take off and landing around 9 pm. However, no flight could operate as the airport, which is operated operated by the Indian Air Force, does not allow take off and landing by civil flights after 8 pm.
Last evening, the Eurocopter EC145 helicopter of Jindal had landed under emergency conditions at the Chandigarh airport after it developed a “technical snag”.
21/11/12 PTI/Indian Express

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Antony to decide fate of new Ranchi airport

Ranchi: Union defence minister A K Antony will take a final call on construction of a 1km approach road to the new world-class integrated terminal building of the Ranchi airport. A Rs 138-crore project, the terminal building is ready and awaits its inauguration. Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials had earlier planned to inaugurate the building soon after Diwali.
Anuj Kumar Bishoni, additional secretary in the defence ministry, who held a meeting with Jharkhand chief secretary S K Chaudhary, development commissioner and other officials on November 16, promised the officials concerned that the matter will be taken up with Antony, who would have the final word on the issue.
Sources at the airport said if things go as planned and Antony gives his nod to the project, the approach road would be ready before December 31 and the terminal building would be thrown open in the first week of January.
21/11/12 Alok K N Mishra/Times of India

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Bhubaneswar airport to get international tag

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Patnaik Airport here is likely to get international tag soon after fulfilment of certain formalities.
This was stated by Union secretary for Civil Aviation K N Shrivastava who met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here this evening. "The Ministry will place the proposal to convert Biju Patnaik Airport to an international airport in the union cabinet in March-April next year for approval," he told reporters.
Patnaik had earlier met the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh in New Delhi seeking his support for making the city airport an international airport.
Shrivastava said the new terminal at the Biju Patnaik Airport will be completed by December and become functional from January, 2013.
21/11/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Juhu airport wakes up to terror threat

Mumbai: The Juhu airport authorities have decided to barricade areas which are not under use to cut costs required for providing security.
The airport, which is the oldest civil aviation airport in the country, has been facing threats from anti-national elements, who can use it as a launch pad to attack the main airport at Santa Cruz.
A number of security alerts have been issued by intelligence agencies in the recent past.
The airport does not have even a single armed guard at present.
“We are identifying and barricading unused areas so that we can minimise the number of security personnel required. These areas could be opened later when required,” said M Yadagiri, director, Juhu airport.
21/11/12 Shankar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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Instrumental Landing System to Facilitate Low Visibility Aircraft Operations at Agra Airport Becomes Operational

Instrumental Landing System (ILS) to facilitate low visibility aircraft operations at Agra Airport became operational this morning. Installed following the directions of Union Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ajit Singh the new system with provisions of flight calibrator and appropriate landing procedures will make possible landing and take-off by aircrafts in cases of visibility as low as 800 metres. It will be helpful particularly during the foggy season.
The issue of Installation of ILS at Agra Airport had been pending for a long time. Shri Singh asked the concerned authorities to take it up on a priority basis due to high importance that Agra has in the world tourism map.
Agra Airport is an Air Force Airport with a civilian enclave maintained by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for providing facilities for scheduled passenger aircraft operations. AAI so far had VOR facility at the Airport for homing and landing of aircraft in visibility up to 2400 metres.
The new facility will considerably improve the connectivity of Agra with other cities and is expected to boost tourism in the City of Taj Mahal.
21/11/12 Press Information Bureau

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Army jawan, three others arrested with drugs at IGIA

New Derlhi: An army man along with three others was today arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 85 kg of a narcotic drug from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.
The four people were arrested in the wee hours after a CISF check squad detected suspicious activity in terminal-1D of the airport when they arrived to board a Go Air flight to Kolkata.
The security personnel identified the four as Naik Lalparmawia (30) of the 3rd battalion of Assam Regiment from Shillong, David Lalnuntluanga (23), Vin Ramdingngheta (27) and Ramdim (22) from Mizoram.
CISF sleuths in plainclothes tailed the four people for sometime and upon suspicion asked them to undergo detailed frisking which led to the recovery of 85 kg of pseudoephedrine tablets, a popular narcotic stimulant and party drug, from their bags.
21/11/12 PTI/Business Standard

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Civil aviation joint secy reviews AI hangar functioning

Thiruvananthapuram: The joint secretary of civil aviation G Ashok Kumar visited the Air India maintenance, repair and overall (MRO) facility at the Trivandrum International Airport on Monday to review the functioning of the recently installed facility.
"The joint secretary has been put in-charge of the MROs and wanted a first hand understanding of the issues pertaining to the MRO at Thiruvananthapuram. I've briefed him about the various bottlenecks such as obtaining third party business, taxation and the like and he has invited me to New Delhi for a more comprehensive discussion. I hope he will help us out and fuel our growth," said chief engineer, AIE, H R Jagannath.
The Air India hangar, which started functioning early this year, has been undertaking wheels production (overall servicing of wheels) and routinely conducting phase check, which is done after every 500 hours of flying. "We service at least three aircraft per week and are in the process of conducting an internal audit for starting breaks assembly," he said.
20/11/12 Sangeetha Nair/Times of India

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Air passenger traffic grows by 13 per cent in October

New Delhi: Domestic air passenger traffic, which had a free fall for the last five months, gained some momentum in October as it grew by 13.36 per cent and stood at 45.50 lakh from 40.18 lakh in September 2012, the civil aviation ministry said on Tuesday.
"A total of 5.37 lakh more passengers travelled in the month of October 2012 compared to September 2012," the civil aviation ministry said in a statement.
The respite came after the passenger traffic fell 8.03 per cent for the fifth straight month in September and stood at 40.18 lakh from 43.69 lakh in August.
 The trend started in May during which the traffic came down 0.87 per cent and stood at 54.48 lakh from 54.96 lakh in the corresponding month of 2011. June had recorded a substantial fall of 3.84 per cent at 51.08 lakh from 53.12 lakh in the like month of 2011.
20/11/12 IANS/Times of India

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How a snag-hit VVIP helicopter grounded flights at Chandigarh airport

Chandigarh: Finally, it was the twin engine Eurocopter EC-145 that saved the day for industrialist and Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal on Monday when his helicopter landed under emergency conditions at the Chandigarh airport after developing a technical snag on Monday.
However, from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm (just about time when the airport closes for air traffic) Chandigarh airport officials were straining their every nerve to get the helicopter, lamely sitting on the short runway, out of the way. Flights, disrupted because of a single disabled chopper, had to resume.
One of the many techniques they employed was the great Indian ‘jugad’ trick, sources said. When it was realised that the copter had no wheels and that “dragging it away” would only damage the VVIP carrier, airport staff began trying on wheels of other helicopters. That did not help since every copter has its own wheels.
When the ‘jugad’ wheels failed, officials made frenetic calls to the Pinjore Flying Club. Luckily, they had the wheels specifically suited for the Eurocopter. By the time the wheels were brought in and the helicopter cleared off the runway, it was time for the airport to shut operations for the day.
20/11/12 Tribune India

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Juhu airport plan is stuck in the green zone

Mumbai: Fifty years ago, the Juhu airport was declared a green zone in spite of it being home to India’s first civil aviation airport. Now, in an attempt to cover up the blunder, the state government has suggested that the Juhu airport authorities construct a road across the airport so the land use of the area can be changed accordingly.
“We had a meeting with the state government authorities to discuss this issue. During the discussion, they suggested that we construct a road across the airport,” said a senior official from the Juhu airport.
The airport now handles all helicopter operations out of Mumbai. It also hosts several executive and light aircraft and gliders.
The state government, during the preparation of the development plan decades ago, had erroneously declared the area a green zone, although the airport has existed there since 1928. In 1932, legendary Tata scion JRD Tata had landed at the Juhu aerodrome, inaugurating India’s first scheduled commercial mail service from Karachi.
20/11/12 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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NRI attempts suicide in airport washroom

Chennai: A 26-year-old software engineer who returned from the US on Wednesday morning attempted suicide at the international airport in the city.
Police said Eswaran Ramani, originally from Dharmapuri, had arrived from the US via Bahrain. He cleared immigration and went to the washroom, where he tried to strangle himself. Other passengers heard unusual sounds and broke open the door of the toilet cubicle. He was admitted in a private hospital and is out of danger.
Police said they were looking into the possible reasons why Ramani attempted to commit suicide. One possibility was that the company he worked for in the US had laid him off and he was upset.
22/11/12 Times of India

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Civil aviation joint secy reviews AI hangar functioning

Thiruvananthapuram: The joint secretary of civil aviation G Ashok Kumar visited the Air India maintenance, repair and overall (MRO) facility at the Trivandrum International Airport on Monday to review the functioning of the recently installed facility.
"The joint secretary has been put in-charge of the MROs and wanted a first hand understanding of the issues pertaining to the MRO at Thiruvananthapuram. I've briefed him about the various bottlenecks such as obtaining third party business, taxation and the like and he has invited me to New Delhi for a more comprehensive discussion. I hope he will help us out and fuel our growth," said chief engineer, AIE, H R Jagannath.
The Air India hangar, which started functioning early this year, has been undertaking wheels production (overall servicing of wheels) and routinely conducting phase check, which is done after every 500 hours of flying.
20/11/12 Sangeetha Nair/Times of India

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41-year-old housewife arrested at airport for smuggling Ketamine

Mumbai:A 41-year-old housewife was arrested from Mumbai International Airport for allegedly trying to smuggle out five kg of Ketamine drugs worth Rs 50 lakh to Kuala Lumpur, a customs official said on Tuesday.
Gopi Janki, who hails from Chennai, but is currently staying in Thane district, was intercepted on Monday night when she was to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur. According to custom officials, Janki used to frequently smuggle drugs out of the country and in the past had gone to Malaysia four times.
20/11/12 PTI/IBN Live

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Udaipur airport set to handle international flights soon

Jaipur: Soon Udaipur airport will be capable of handling international flights. Finally, the cement manufacturer has agreed to reduce the chimney of a stone crusher situated outside the airport by four metres making it suitable for boeings to land.
The chimney is located just outside the airport and stood like a stumbling block disabling even domestic flights to use the entire runway stretch of 9000 feet. Domestic flights could use 7,500 feet of the runway to avoid a collision with the chimney.
"Once the obstacle is be removed/reduced, the airport will be fully operational for international flights," said Amit Verma, Udaipur airport director, adding that the airport frequently handles charter planes from abroad. Every day the airport receives eight to 10 charter planes.
Though, a runway of 7,500 feet is enough for most flights, including international ones but many global airlines have made it a norm that they didn't operate at destinations where the runway was less than 9,000 feet.
20/11/12 Times of India

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SriLankan Airlines increases flights to Trivandrum

Colombo: Sri Lanka's national carrier, SriLankan Airlines is adding three more flights between Colombo and Trivandrum in India bringing the total to 10 flights a week.
As more people are travelling between Sri Lanka and India and Trivandrum being the commercial hub of Kerala, the airline has decided to increase the frequency of flights to the Indian city.
Accordingly twice daily flights to Trivandrum will commence from November 22.
The increase in Sri Lankan flight frequency to Trivandrum is expected to enhance connectivity across the airline?s global network, and particularly for its South Indian customers from the state of Kerala, the airline said in a statement.
20/11/12 Colombo Page

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Wait for Navi Mumbai airport gets longer

Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation ( Cidco ) now plans to start the bidding process for Navi Mumbai airport only after completing the crucial land acquisition process. This could delay the project and further push up costs.
Although the project received environmental clearance in November 2010, it has been stuck largely due to delays in land acquisition and lack of approval from the Centre for the issue of a formal Request for Qualification ( RFQ ) from bidders. Cidco, nodal agency for the project, had planned to issue the RFQ in June, parallel to the land acquisition and rehabilitation of affected villagers. However it has now planned to do so only after the latter issues are sorted.
The proposed airport is to be spread over 2,020 hectares (ha). Of these, nearly 1,400 ha are already in Cidco’s possession. It has yet to acquire 291 ha, as it is yet to arrive at an agreement with the project affected villagers ( PAPs ). Although the PAPs have withdrawn their demand for compensation of Rs 20 crore an acre, they are now demanding return of 22 per cent of developed land following the project implementation.
19/11/12 Aneesh Phadnis & Sanjay Jog/Business Standard

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Ready to talk to Maldives govt within agreement framework: GMR

Male: With its 500 million-dollar airport development project here becoming a target of political football, Indian infrastructure major GMR has said it is flexible about discussing with the Maldives government all the issues within the framework of the concession agreement.
The project, inked between GMR and former President Mohammed Nasheed's government to develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, is facing protests from political groups here who term this agreement as "illegal" alleging that it was signed despite objections from the Parliament.
Even current President Waheed Hassan has termed the agreement a "bad contract" signed "conceivably under dubious conditions" by previous government.
However, Nasheed and GMR both refute these allegations.
18/11/12 ZeeNews

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Air India reduce flight frequency for Surat-Delhi flights

Surat: Air India has gone again spread unhappiness among the residents of the diamond city with the decision to curtail the daily flights between Surat and New Delhi to four days a week.
A decision to this effect was recently taken by the top management of Air India to reduce the frequency on Surat-Delhi route from the existing five days a week to four days a week starting from December.
Sources said that Indian, a subsidiary of Air India was the lone flight operator to begin operation from the Surat airport in 2009. Since then Air India has not increased its frequency or covered new destinations.
19/11/12 Melvyn Thomas/Times of India

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Aircraft's tyre bursts while taking off

Kozhikode:  Front landing tyre of the Saudi Airlines aircraft burst when the flight was taking off from the Karipur airport on Sunday.
Sources at the airport said the tyre burst when the SV 743 Kozhikode-Jeddah-Riyadh aircraft reached the end of the runway at 1.40 pm.
Airport sources said they got the information in the evening that the flight has safely landed at Jeddah.
19/11/12 Times of India

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Wait for Navi Mumbai airport bids gets longer

Mumbai: City and Industrial Development Corporation plans to start the bidding process for Navi Mumbai airport after completing the crucial land acquisition process, a move that could delay the project and push up the costs further.
Although the project received the green nod November 22, 2010 it has been stuck largely due to delays in land acquisition and lack of approval from the Centre for the issue of request for qualification (RFQ).CIDCO had planned to issue the request for RFQ in June in parallel to land acquisition and rehabilitation of affected villagers. However CIDCO, which is the nodal agency for airport project, now
plans to issue the RFQ after the land acquisition issues are sorted out.
Navi Mumbai airport will be spread over 2020 hectares and of which nearly 1400 hectares are already in possession of CIDCO.
18/11/12 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Ready to talk to Maldives govt within agreement framework: GMR

Male: With its 500 million-dollar airport development project here becoming a target of political football, Indian infrastructure major GMR has said it is flexible about discussing with the Maldives government all the issues within the framework of the concession agreement.
The project, inked between GMR and former President Mohammed Nasheed's government to develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, is facing protests from political groups here who term this agreement as "illegal" alleging that it was signed despite objections from the Parliament.
Even current President Waheed Hassan has termed the agreement a "bad contract" signed "conceivably under dubious conditions" by previous government.
However, Nasheed and GMR both refute these allegations.
The political parties, which formed the government after the ouster of Nasheed in February this year, are demanding scrapping of the present agreement.
18/11/12 PTI/ZeeNews

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Dabolim airport issues discussed at advisory panel meeting

Vasco:  The airport advisory committee, comprising local MLAs, tourism stakeholders airport and district officials, met at the Dabolim airport on Saturday afternoon to discuss various issues affecting the airport and travellers. The meeting was chaired by South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha.
Topping the list of issues was the exorbitant rates charged by taxis and the need to regulate the operators. The lack of other means of transport and a proposal to introduce coach services from the airport to major cities in Goa were also discussed.
Members also stressed the need to have a grade separator/flyover at the airport junction to ease traffic.
Airport officials spoke on the need to immediately identify land for parking of buses and coaches. They also want an integrated solution to the garbage problem around the airport, in order to reduce bird strikes and to curb the dog and stray cattle problem.
18/11/12 Times of India

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Passengers left stranded at airport

Mumbai:  Pre-paid taxis at the Mumbai airport refused to ply on Saturday evening, with drivers calling it an "act of mourning" after Bal Thackeray was declared dead. Moments after Shiv Sena head Bal Thackeray was declared dead, the pre-paid taxis at Mumbai airport refused to ply. Calling it an "act of mourning", the cabbies refused to take passengers.
Hundreds of passengers who landed in the city in the evening were stranded for hours or had to pay almost double the fare to get a ride home. Varsha Rodewale, who teaches at a school in Bandra-Kurla Complex, landed from Goa at 5.30pm. After struggling for almost an hour to get a Cool Cab or a pre-paid taxi, she ultimately implored a black-and-yellow driver. He agreed to drive her to Malabar Hill for Rs 850 instead of the usual Rs 550. "Why should the common man be put through such trouble? This is unfair" Rodewale thundered.
18/11/12 Times of India

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Nine flights to bring back Haj pilgrims

Two flights carrying 230 Haj pilgrims each landed at Raja Bhoj International Airport on Saturday morning at 3.30, about 2.30 hours behind its scheduled arrival time of 1.00 am and at 8.30 pm, also over 4 hours behind schedule. The third flight would be on Sunday followed by two flights each on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
A total of nine flights will bring back 1,869 pilgrims of the State capital. The return flights for the pilgrims of Bhopal that started from Saturday will end on Wednesday.
Of the 230 pilgrims that returned in the first flight on Saturday morning 228 are from the State capital while there was one pilgrim each from Sehore and Ujjain.
18/11/12 The Pioneer

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