Mystery of drone at IGI airport remains unsolved

According to a senior Delhi Police official, so far cops have been able to conclude that the object was flying almost at a level of 1,500-1,900 metres above the ground.
"We are trying to gather information and we have questioned various government officials and staff members regarding the case. We have got information, but so far, nothing substantial has been offered by any agency that might help solve the mystery," a senior Delhi Police official associated with the investigation told Mail Today.
During investigation it was found that radars hold no recordings of the incident. Not even one picture could be captured by the IAF radars.
"We have also roped in the local police to inquire if anyone noticed anything suspicious regarding the object, but have found nothing so far. The investigation has hit a dead end," police official added.
On October 27, Indian agencies went into a tizzy after the ATC flashed a message about a mysterious 'unknown flying object' hovering over the IGI airport and suspected that it could be a drone. The agency had received information about the suspicious flying object over the Dwarka side of the IGI airport.
30/11/15 Shraddha Jandial/Mail Today/India Today

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Unclaimed baggage keep BDDS busy

Mumbai: The baggage delivery system of Mumbai airport is the major reason why the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) receives calls at the airport. According to a senior official from Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), every month Mumbai airport sees almost 38 to 42 BDDS calls and every normal check by the squad takes 20 to 30 minutes. According to sources from the airport, sometime the terminal or city side area of the airport gets blocked due to these calls, which inconveniences passengers.
According to officials from MIAL, the main reason behind calls to the BDDS is unclaimed bags that are found at the city side, parking, terminal building or waiting area. Every day airport security officials are intimated about at least one such bag, and due to the protocol they call the BDDS team and dog squad, and vacate the area in order to check the bag.
According to the official, “Incidents related to unclaimed bags mostly happens on the international terminal as Rs 2,000 is charged for every extra kilogramme of luggage on international flights. Hence, passengers who have extra edibles, clothes, fruits or some relatively cheap decorative items abandon them in the terminal or city side area.”
While explaining the process of a BDDS call, an officer from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the security agency of Mumbai airport, told The Asian Age, “When passengers notice any unclaimed bag they inform our jawans, MIAL people or ground staff. Then at least 12 to 15 CISF personnel go to the spot, which includes eight BDDS personnel and one or two sniffer dogs, on whose response we open the bag.”
30/11/15 Ashita Dadheech/Asian Age

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IGI airport witnesses worst smog cover in three days

Delhi: Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport witnessed the worst smog cover in the last three days on Monday, with visibility barely crossing 800 m.
According to the airport’s meteorological office, the fog was particularly dense between 6 am and 8 am with visibility dropping between 150 and 200 m.
Dr R K Jenamani, head of the IGI airport MeT office, said the next two days will see severe smog with moderate fog during the night.
On Tuesday in particular, Dr Jenamani said the fog is likely to intensify.
“There is a likelihood of slight intensification of fog coverage on the morning of December 1. Visibility may reduce to 100 m for three to four hours. However, from the afternoon of December 2 or by December 3, we expect to see an improvement in the weather,” he said.
30/11/15 Indian Express

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Honest Mumbai airport janitor returns diamond rings worth Rs 40 lakh

In an exemplary show of honesty, a janitor at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport’s Terminal 2 returned a passenger’s four diamond rings worth Rs 40 lakhs. She was rewarded by the Airport Operator and SILA Group, her employer, with Rs 2,000, a certificate and a trophy on November 24.
Suman Dhoiphode (37), who works at the CIP Lounge, which is accessible only to first class and business class fliers, found four diamond rings lying inside the washroom’s basin while cleaning it. She couldn’t find the passenger but reported the matter to the Airport Operator. The passenger, however, while boarding the aircraft, had realized that she had forgotten her rings in the washroom and had notified the ‘Lost and Found’ department via email. The department then took the rings from the janitor and handed them over to the passenger in the flight.
30/11/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

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Flight makes emergency landing at BBSR airport

Bhubaneswar: A Kolkata bound IndiGo flight, which took off from Hyderabad, made an emergency landing at the Biju Patnaik International airport here at 7.50 am on Monday after a passenger complained of severe chest pain.

The passenger, identified as Sashi Menon, was admitted to Capital Hospital for treatment. His condition was stated to be stable. Other passengers of the flight had to wait for around half-an-hour before it took off to Kolkata again.
30/11/15 Pragativadi

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Blue Cross to remove dogs at Chennai airport

Chennai: The Chennai airport will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Blue Cross to remove community dogs from its premises.

Airport director Deepak Shastri said: “We have tight security in the ‘air’ side of the airport (flight operations area). So, the dogs can never enter these areas. In areas that are outside these spots, there have been instances of community dogs straying.”
30/11/15 Sunitha Sekar/The Hindu

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Unhappy with ‘low salaries’, Indigo loaders go on flash strike

Vasco: Cargo loaders of Indigo Airlines on Monday went on a flash strike at the Dabolim international airport demanding an increase in wages causing inconvenience to passengers flying Indigo flights. Flights were not affected.

After futile attempts to break the deadlock through discussion, Indigo airline officials immediately got the help of contractors to surmount the issue. Indigo is the biggest operator in Goa with 16 arrivals and 16 departures per day.

Around 107 loaders of Indigo airlines which operate the maximum number of domestic flights to Dabolim airport, were upset over the treatment meted out to them. The loaders told mediapersons that, on Monday morning they went to visit the contractor with a request letter to hike their salaries. Instead of accepting the letter and giving any verbal assurance, the officers tore the letter in front of them, the striking workers alleged. The loaders had initially given the airline 10 days to increase their salaries but, infuriated by the officer's actions, the agitated loaders immediately decided to start their strike.
30/11/15 Times of India

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Andal-Delhi flight from December

DURGAPUR: For residents of Durgapur, Asansol, Raniganj and Dhanbad, connectivity will take a whole new meaning with direct Airbus flights to Delhi and Kolkata.Till now, only an ATR aircraft operated between Kolkata and Andal.

The new flight, using an Airbus A319 aircraft, will make its maiden flight to Andal from Kolkata on December 7 and fly onward to Delhi. The return flight will first halt at Andal and then reach Kolkata. The flight, with a capacity of 125 passengers, will operate three times a week.

"We are on the cusp of creating aviation history . The connection to Delhi has been a long-cherished dream of residents of this industrial ner ve centre," said airport promoter Bengal Aerotropolis Project Ltd director Partha Ghosh. The flight to Delhi from Andal will take 2 hours and 15 minutes, reducing travel time by at least an hour and a half.

Rajendra Prosad Khaitan, president of South Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industries, is delighted. "We have been waiting for this flight for years. I am really glad it is finally taking off," he said. The flight will meet a longstanding need of the residents in the Asansol-Durgapur belt. Durgapur city is home to some of the largest industrial units in the state: Durgapur Steel Plant, an integrated steel plant of SAIL; Alloy Steels Plant of SAIL and CMERI, a CSIR laboratory. The half-hour connection to Kolkata will also benefit students and public and private sector employees working in the Durgapur-Asansol planning area, besides boosting the industrialization needs of the region.
30/11/15 Debajyoti Chakraborty/The Times Of India

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Birds posing threat to aviation safety

The State and Central security agencies have highlighted the increased bird-hit risk over the international airport here as an imminent danger to civil aviation safety.

At least five airliners suffered bird hits over the airport in 2015, according to intelligence officials privy to Airports Authority Of India (AAI) data.

Airline pilots reported nine bird hits in 2014 and eight in 2013. The number of near misses could be much higher, they said. The State police are part of the airport coordination committee that oversees matters concerning aviation security. They also routinely conduct safety audits in conjunction with other stakeholders.

The airport handled 9,076 domestic and 14,929 international flights in 2015. It has a commendable safety record. Only two emergency landings and nine flight diversions, all due to bad weather, were reported this year.

An estimated 10,81,526 domestic and 21,07,036 international passengers used the airport in 2015. Their numbers have shown an encouraging upward trend over the past three years, making it imperative for airport, municipal and police authorities to moderate the threat urgently.

A veteran pilot with over 8,000 hours on Boeings told The Hindu that the bird hazard had grown more persistent over the approach path for landing in Thiruvananthapuram compared to other airports.
30/11/15 G.Anand/The Hindu

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Flight delayed by 7 hours over threat message

A Jet Airways flight to Kuwait carrying 158 passengers and eight crew members was delayed by seven hours on Saturday night after one of the passengers noticed a threat message scribbled on a note inside the aircraft.
The message was noticed by a passenger when the aircraft was taxiing, after which the cabin crew was alerted. The aircraft then had to return to the bay to get security clearance.
After the security clearance, the aircraft was able to take off only after seven hours on Sunday morning. A source from the Mumbai airport said the Jet Airways flight 9W 574 Mumbai to Kuwait was taxing on the main runway at about 10.15 pm on Saturday to take off. Minutes after taxiing, the pilot of the aircraft contacted the Air Traffic Control Center (ATC) of the airport and informed them that a bomb threat message had been found scribbled on a safety card. The ATC then asked them to the bay.
According to a senior security official at the Mumbai Airport, the message read, “There is a bomb under your seat, this will be the last flight.”
When the aircraft reached the bay, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was alerted. The CISF, along with officials of Mumbai airport limited, local police and bureau of civil aviation security created a team and as per the standard operating procedure (SOP), the bomb and dog squad was alerted.
All the passengers, meanwhile, were off loaded, and the aircraft, along with the passengers’ checked-in bags, were searched. No bomb or a suspicious object was found on board.
30/11/15 Ashita Dadheech/The Asian Age

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No progress in airport official ‘assault’ case

Clarity remains elusive as the police as well as airport authorities are in a dilemma as to how to make a headway in the case of alleged assault of an airline officer by Rajampet MP Peddireddy Mithun Reddy three days back.

Though senior officials of the airport brokered peace and both the parties left the spot, the Air India station manager Rajasekhar returned at the thick of night to lodge a complaint of assault basing on which a case was registered under Sections 448, 323 and 353 r/w 34.

Mr. Mithun Reddy had initially brushed the entire episode aside as ‘nothing worth discussion’ and even told the media that he was not aware of any person by name Rajasekhar (the complainant), but is now getting ready to file a complaint against him.

There are 60 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras installed in the new terminal of the airport, which are reportedly connected to two systems.

It is learnt that the engineering team had taken the cameras offline for undertaking the process of configuring them so as to make the retrieval process easy and the unfortunate incident had happened exactly during that time.
30/11/15 A.D.Rangarajan/The Hindu

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SCB may seize Begumpet airport

The ‘Old Airport’ could soon be seized by the Secunderabad Cantonment Board for failing to pay property tax arrears even as it retains the dubious distinction of being cantonment’s biggest tax defaulter, for more than a decade.

The SCB on Saturday served Airport Authority of India Rs.1.20 crore property tax demand notice for the 2,000-acre Begumpet Airport for the present financial year. Failure to pay this year’s tax and Rs.12 crore in arrears, entitles the board to issue attachment warrants and seize property. While such warrants have been made in the past, a seize may be a distinct possibility this year given that the board is keen to more than double its fiscal tax revenue over last year.

SCB sources informed that AAI refuses to pay citing dwindling revenue since the airport does not operate commercial flights, though some tax arrears date to before 2008, when commercial operations ceased.
30/11/15 Rohit P.S./The Hindu

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NRI cries theft at IGI, suspects helper

NEW DELHI: A 62-year-old wheelchair-bound NRI from Malaysia, who landed at the IGI airport from Canada in October, has alleged that $1,100 (over Rs 73,000) and a few blank cheques of Royal Bank of Canada were stolen from her handbag at the airport.

The woman, Amajit Kaur Bhan Singh, said she landed at the airport on the night of October 13. She was waiting at the baggage carousel number 14 along with her 71-year-old husband, Uttam Singh Dhaliwal, when she handed over $400 to him for shopping at the Duty Free area.
29/11/15 Anvit Srivastava/The Times Of India

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Jet airways Mumbai-Kuwait flight returns from taxiway after bomb threat

Mumbai: Minutes after a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Kuwait began taxiing to the Mumbai runway for take off, it returned back to the bay after a passenger found a bomb threat message scribbled on a document onboard the aircraft. The incident happened on Saturday night.

The incident took place around 10.15pm, when the Jet flight 9 W 574 was pushed back for departure. "A passenger on board the flight was reading the safety instruction booklet, when he found a message scribbled on it. It said that there was a bomb onboard the flight," said an airline official.

The passenger alerted the cabin crew who in turn informed the commander of the flight. "The captain decided to take the aircraft back to the bay," the official added. The aircraft returned to the bay at 10.25pm. The CISF personnel and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad were called in. The airline filed a police case in the matter.
29/11/15 Manju V/Times of India

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Fog hits flights at KIA

Bengaluru: The season’s first fog at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) affected several early morning schedules, delaying over 100 flights  leaving thousands of passengers stranded, on Saturday.

The fog played spoilsport with the travel plans and triggered a cascading effect on several other flights.

KIA officials said the airport runway operations were halted between 4:30 am and 8 am. Due to low visibility, none of the flights could take off or land. These included several international flights bound for Frankfurt, London and West Asia.

Passengers of Lufthansa, Emirates, British Airways and Qatar Airways were among the worst affected.

In all, 36 arrivals and 70 departures were affected. Normal operations resumed only after 8 am. However, this had a cascading effect on many other day-time flight schedules.

Stranded passengers were provided breakfast and other basic facilities by the airport officials in coordination with the respective airlines.
29/11/15 Deccan Herald

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Fog reduces visibility

Bengaluru: The fog, which enveloped Kempegowda International Airport on Saturday morning reduced visibility from 1,000 metres to 100 metres in a mere eight minutes between 3.51 a.m. and 3.59 a.m., according to the Meteorological Department station at the airport.

As visibility reduced further to around 50 metres between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m., operations were stalled and several passengers were forced to wait for upwards of four hours before their flights finally took off.

“I wanted to go home and thought I would take an early morning flight to Delhi before flying onward to Imphal. However, my flight took off at 9.35 a.m. instead of 7.10 a.m. I missed my onward flight that was at 10.30 a.m. The next flight is only available on Sunday and I will have to pay more for the ticket now,” rued Mahesh Paonam, who works in the city.
29/11/15 Avinash Bhat/The Hindu

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‘KIA needs newer technology’

The absence of a state-of-the-art Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Kempegowda International Airport led to more than 100 flights being delayed when a blanket of fog enveloped the airport early on Saturday morning, according to experts.

As visibility dropped to less than 100 metres on the runway, the ability of pilots to take off and land, which is dependent on the ILS, was nullified leading to the delay. The KIA is equipped with a Category (CAT) I ILS system at a time when airports like the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi have installed CAT III-C ILS to deal with fog.

CAT I ILS requires a runway visual range (RVR) of 550 meters while CAT III-C systems can help a plane operate in RVR of 50 metres and above.

“Bengaluru airport is not fully equipped with the latest technology and this hampers operations,” said Shyson Thomas, Managing Director of Air Pegasus, which is based at KIA.

The lack of a CAT III-C system makes it impossible for a plane, which has just taken off in foggy conditions to land in case of an emergency. For an airport like KIA, which has a majority of flights taking off in the early morning, the lack of proper ILS facilities has the potential to severely handicap operations on days when fog descends.

“Given the fact that there is a significant amount of traffic early in the morning, it is time for the airport to consider upgrading to CAT-III ILS,” opined Devesh Agarwal, a blogger with Bangalore Aviation, which follows the aviation sector.
29/11/15 Avinash Bhat/The Hindu

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Airport runway extension work to start next month

SURAT: The much-needed work to lengthen the Surat airport's runway is finally set to begin from the second week of December.

Sources at that Airport Authority of India (AAI) told TOI that the revised documents for work execution have been submitted to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for approval. The cement concrete (CC) mixture plant has been set up at the airport and all important surveys have been completed.

Now, the AAI is hopeful that the required permission will be received soon and digging work will begin.

AAI had invited tender applications for upgrading and extension of the runway from the existing 2,250metre to 2,905metre in May. First phase of the work will be to extend the runway by 655metre and recarpet the existing 2,250metre.

After completion of runway extension, the Surat airport will be classified as grade 4C airport.

For international status, an airport needs to fulfill a number of parameters. One of them is that the length of the runway should be 3,150metre. After completion of the project, the length of Surat runway will be 2,950metre, just 200metre short of being classified as 4D for full-fledged international status.
29/11/15 The Times Of India

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Role Of Greenfield Airports In Greening Indian Economy – Analysis

Greenfield airports play a significant role in accelerating the urbanization of a country, although at the same time the development of greenfield airports has some adverse environmental impacts such as use of agricultural land, deforestation, cutting of hills, diversion of rivers and erosion of the sea shores, etc. All these adverse environmental impact have significant ramifications on the environment.

An increase in air-traffic demand in existing airports, increase in level of urbanization and growth of small towns into bigger cities has led to increased pollution and as a result necessitated the need for the development of greenfield airports. The impact of the greenfield airports and urbanization has significant impact on economic growth. The Government of India has decided that during the next 20 years the number of airports will be increased from existing 133 to 500 airports and among them 367 airports will be greenfield airports. Searching sites for a greenfield airport involve a number of activities, such as the identification of the site, obstruction clearance within 30 nautical miles, etc. High rising building, hills, HT lines, forest, industrial chimneys, railway tracks, roads/highways etc., should not create an obstruction for landing and takeoff. Besides, factors such as the wind rose diagram, rainfall, temperature, wind speed, the elevation above mean sea level of the proposed site are also analyzed. In addition to the above constraints the site should have adequate traffic potential and be economically viable.
29/11/15 Dr.Narendra Nath Dalei & Prof D.P.Singh/Eurasia Review

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11 women detained for visa violation

Hyderabad: The immigration authorities at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) on Saturday detained 11 women for possessing two visas – one tourist and another work permit. According to officials, the women, who hailed from Kadapa, booked the air tickets to travel to Dubai on Saturday from RGIA airport.

During the check, the women showed the tourist visas to the officials. When the officials asked them about their travel plans, the women were obviously taken aback and produced the work visas too.
29/11/15 The Hans India

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IGIA gets new eyes to peer through coming winter fog

Persistent thick smog is affecting visibility at the Delhi airport and dense fog might be just a fortnight away. This winter, however, flyers and airlines can look forward to some accurate fog forecast thanks to an infrastructure overhaul by the meteorological department.

Fog forecast is tricky business as the dynamics of fog sometime changes rapidly. One of the most crucial meteorological infrastructure that is required at an airport to get real time fog updates is a Runway Visual Range (RVR) machine and this year, the met department is replacing the old machines at the airport's runways with new ones and also adding more machines on standby. In simple terms, RVR is the distance at which a pilot can see the surface markings on a runway while landing.

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport has earlier witnessed situations when malfunctioning RVR machines have eventually led to flight disruptions. With the airport now witnessing more than 1,000 flight movements a day, a technical glitch like this would result in utter chaos.

Taking no chances, the met department has installed eight RVR machines at the airport's third runway 29/11, even though the norm for fog landings require just three – one each at both ends and one in the middle. Dr. R.K. Jenamani, Director-in-Charge of the IGIA met unit said that while three new RVR machines have been installed as standby, two have been added at both ends specifically for Low Visibility Take Offs (LVTO).
29/11/15 Sidhartha Roy/The Hindu

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High rent, low sale kill airport shops

Ahmedabad: With four more stores at the Ahmedabad airport downing shutters in the last few months, the number of closed shops at the airport has reached six this year. Sources have said the high rent to be paid by store leasers and low footfall has prompted several store owners to pack up. There is space for around 25 stores in the domestic terminal at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. As per sources at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, five other stores will not be renewing their lease in December. "Store contracts are renewed at the end of the calendar year and several stores have opted not to renew their contracts," the source added.
Sources told Mirror that shops that downed shutters include a jewellery store, a garment store, a book store and an eatery, among others. Even 'Khadi' owned by the Aditya Birla group has shut store. When quizzed about the reasons for the stores shutting down, a former employee of the jewellery store that wrapped up business in July, said, "The store was unable to recover the costs. The number of customers was very low. So the company decided to shut shop." An employee at a Croma outlet, that has decided to keep the store open, confirmed the state of affairs.
29/11/15  Alok Brahmbhatt/Ahmedabad Mirror

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Vasco police to book airport contractor

Vasco: Vasco police will soon book a case against the parking contractor appointed by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) for failing to comply with the verification of character and antecedents process of the security guards and supervisor employed by him at Dabolim airport.
According to Vasco PI Sagar Ekoskar, four security guards were detained on Saturday after police found that they had not gone through the verification process, but were still working at the airport. All four guards, employed by contractor Century Services, Mumbai, were collecting airport parking fees and excess time fees at the exit point of Dabolim airport.
29/11/15 Herald

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Fire-crackers found in luggage, youth held at airport

Vadodara: A 21-year-old youth was arrested after fire-crackers were found in his luggage at the city airport today, police said.
R Sharma, an event manager from Delhi, was held after fire-crackers were found in his luggage during scanning at the airport, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Leena Patil told PTI.
He was going to the national capital with two women dancers after the trio had come for a wedding party in Surat. However, inadvertently he kept the fire-crackers in his luggage, she said.
29/11/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Air India to launch tri-weekly Hyderabad-San Francisco flight via New Delhi

Air India on Friday said it will start a new tri-weekly Hyderabad-San Francisco flight via New Delhi from next week.
The flight will travel non-stop from New Delhi to San Francisco and passengers headed to the US city will undergo all customs and immigration formalities at Hyderabad airport itself for their onward journey, the national carrier said in a statement.
Flight AI-127 (a B777-300ER Boeing aircraft) from Hyderabad to New Delhi will depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 2105 hours and arrive in the national capital at 2315 hours.
Flight AI-173 to San Francisco will leave New Delhi on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 0235 hours and will be operated with B777-200LR aircraft. It will arrive in San Francisco at 0600 hours (local time) the same day.
The return flight will depart at 1030 hours and arrive at New Delhi the next day (Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays).
It will leave at 1740 hours for Hyderabad, where it will land at 1955 hours, the statement said.
28/11/15 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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IAF ‘stalls’ night flights at Srinagar Airport

Srinagar: The Indian Air Force has failed to facilitate operation of night flights at Srinagar ‘International’ Airport despite clearance by Union Defence Ministry.

Sources revealed that then Union Defence Minister A K Anthony had given nod to the operation of night flights in 2013, but despite passing of two years the IAF has failed to make any progress in upgrading the facilities which could have proven boon to the tourism and economy of Kashmir.

“Air HQ (headquarters) has already issued instructions to extend watch hours for civil flights at Srinagar...till 2200 hours (10 PM) on daily basis," Antony had said on July 17, 2013, in a communication to various state and central leaders who had pressed for allowing night flights at Srinagar Airport.

The Airport is under the direct operational control of the Indian Air Force. The control of air traffic and that of the landing strip is with the IAF while the terminal building is taken care of by the Airports Authority of India. The AAI also controls the apron area (where an aircraft is parked), but the airspace control is with the IAF.
29/11/15 Mukeet Akmali/Greater Kashmir

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Perfect weather data for safe flight

Bhubaneswar: A digital weather forecasting system installed at Biju Patnaik International Airport will provide accurate data on wind, temperature and air pressure to the air traffic control (ATC) to ensure safe flying.

The Wi-Fi-based system has the capability of sending its observation automatically to the recipient (as set in its memory), so that the recipient can act according to the requirement warranted in the aviation sector.

According to the Indian Meteorology Department (IMD), the device is called the current weather instrument system (CWIS), which has been installed near the main runway of the airport.

Local director of the IMD Sarat Chandra Sahu said: "Earlier, the manual system was to be studied by a person for collecting data. But now, the new system can work automatically irrespective of weather conditions. It takes data from the runway area, so that the pilots can get real-time inputs. Earlier, the data used to be generated from weather observation equipment placed nearly 1km from the runway."
28/11/15 Telegraph

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Flight leaves early, passengers stranded

New Delhi: A Delhi-Indore Indigo flight allegedly departed before time on Saturday evening, leaving behind a few passengers.

The hapless passengers of flight 6E 436 claimed they had received an SMS alert from the airline that said the flight had been rescheduled from 4.50pm to 6.30pm. "We reached IGI well in time to catch the 4.50pm flight. But then the SMS came so we waited for about half an hour. An hour before the flight, we proceeded towards the boarding lounge when we were told it had already left," said Sanjay Agarwal (50), a businessman.

Agarwal came from Ranchi on Saturday morning to take a connecting flight to Indore. "It is important that I reach latest by tomorrow morning. But Indigo officials have said there is no early flight available. They have also refused to arrange for accommodation for outstation passengers," he said.

The passengers also alleged that the airport display boards reflected wrong flight status. But an IGI official said, "There was no mistake from our end. As informed by the airline, we changed the time to 5.25pm."
29/11/15 Times of India

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Fog hits flight operations in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Passengers looking to fly out of the Kempegowda International Airport were in for a surprise on Saturday as all early morning flights into and from KIAL were delayed due to fog. Close to 100 flights saw delays and cancellations according to Airport authorities.

Operations at the airport were stalled between 4:30 am and 8:00 am as fights could not land or depart due to low visibility. Flights resumed after 8 in the morning and were normal during the day, but hundreds of passengers were stranded at the airport.
28/11/15 The Hindu

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New ATC tower at Delhi awaits launch

The new and state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower at the Delhi airport is ready, but may have to sit out the winter season before it becomes operational.

According to sources at the airport, extensive trials are required before air traffic management can be shifted from the existing tower to the new one. With the dreaded fog season fast approaching, the authorities don’t want any glitches.

“Flight operations get severely affected during dense fog conditions when visibility drops to zero at times. While this delays flights, the backlog also results in huge pressure on air traffic management,” said an airport official who didn’t wish to be named. “Shifting operations to the new tower at this time could cause difficulties. Any teething troubles or technical glitches would result in huge flight disruptions,” he said.
28/11/15 Sidhartha Roy/The Hindu

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Air India Passengers Stranded at Hyderabad Airport for 6 Hours

Hyderabad: Passengers of an Air India flight were stranded at the airport in Hyderabad for more than six hours
after the carrier failed to get landing clearance in Bengaluru due to "bad weather" and thereafter had to deploy new set of pilots.

The flight which came from Muscat was scheduled to depart to Bengaluru at around 3.30 am.

"Because of bad weather in Bengaluru, we did not get clearance," an Air India official said.

Meanwhile, after getting clearance, the two pilots came under "Duty Time Limitations" which means they were not allowed to fly after a certain number of hours on duty.
28/11/15 PTI/NDTV

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ILS already in place at Srinagar Airport: Director

Srinagar: Barely two days after PDP president and Member Parliament Mehbooba Mufti expressed dismay over the frequent flight disruptions at the Srinagar Airport and demanded Instrumentation Landing System (ILS), the Airport Authority of India Friday claimed that the ILS is already in place since the Srinagar Airport has been commissioned.

“We have ILS in place at the Srinagar Airport since it has been commissioned. The Airport Authority of India at its own cost has provided the same ILS to the Srinagar Airport which is installed in the Delhi Airport. I can say with responsibility that the system is working very well here at the aerodrome,” Director, Airport Authority of India in Srinagar, R K Shinde was quoted as saying by local news agency KNS.

He claimed that if the Air Force will provide ‘approach lights’ at the aerodrome, then landing can be done during even the low visibility.

“We have no approach lights in the runway. If at all the Air Force which is looking after the runway, provides the approach light system of runway, then it will help flights land in the fog or low visibility also,” Shinde said.
27/11/15 Kashmir Images

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'Refugees should be removed from Greenfield airport beneficiary list'

The All Arunachal Pradesh Border Student's Union (AAPBSU) on Friday demanded that the state government direct the Papum Pare deputy commissioner to stop the identification process and proof of beneficiaries for the Greenfield Airport at Hollongi.

The student body president, Atung Tana, said that of the 409 compensation beneficiaries for the airport, 233 are Chakma and Hajong refugees. If the state government didn't remove the refugees from the beneficiaries' list, then there was no point in filing a curative petition against the Supreme Court verdict to grant them citizenship, he added.
28/11/15 Times of India

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Taxi owners hold Dabolim airport to ransom for close to an hour

Vasco: The Dabolim airport was tense for close to an hour Friday afternoon, when taxi drivers and owners blocked the exit to the main airport terminal building. Taxi owners were agitated over the alleged harassment meted out to them at the hands of bouncers appointed by the private contractor of the Airport Authority of India.

At 1.30pm on Friday, taxi owners of the North Goa taxi owner's association and South Goa taxi owner's association joined forces outside the main terminal building and blocked the exit with their vehicles for an hour. The Dabolim police who were prepared for the situation, diverted the outgoing traffic towards the entry point.

There are two points for entry and, during the blockade, one side was temporarily converted to an exit point. This greatly relieved the stranded passengers.

The situation got worse after Mormugao DySP Mohan Naik reached the site and asked his policemen to record the taxi registration numbers and later cancel their permit. Hearing this, the agitated taxi owners told Naik that if he dared to do so, they "will send their children to his house and commit suicide". After an hour of negotiation, the taxi owners consented to speak to the police at the Dabolim airport police station.
28/11/15 daijiworld.com

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Hawala money seized at Chennai airport; TN passenger to Singapore held

Chennai: Air Customs personnel seized Hawala money to the tune of Rs 28 lakhs from a Singapore bound passenger from Illeyankudi in Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu, at the international terminal early today.

Airport sources said the passenger Abdul Rahim, who was arrested, was carrying the unaccounted money in US dollars and Euro currency, acting as a courier to Singapore. He hid the money in his suitcase. The crime came to light when his baggage was being scanned before he boarded a Tiger Airlines flight at0130 hrs this morning.
28/11/15 Central Chronicle

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Andhra MP fails to board flight on time, slaps Air India officer

New Delhi: In yet another case of VVIP misbehaviour, a member of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh allegedly slapped an Air India station manager at Tirupati airport on Thursday for refusing to accept him and his relatives on a flight for which boarding had been closed.

According to sources, a YSR Congress party MP reached the Tirupati airport about 20 to 25 minutes before flight departure time with some of his relatives to board AI 541 to Delhi (where Parliament is in session and MPs are supposed to be in attendance) via Hyderabad. Boarding counters for domestic flights close at least 45 minutes before departure time.

"Since the boarding counter had closed for the 2:30 pm flight when the MP and his entourage reached the airport, the VVIP asked the station manager to accommodate him and his relatives on board. Expressing his inability to do so as boarding had closed, the employee apologised to the MP. The politician flew into a rage and slapped the station manager," said a source.

The airline asked the employee to file a complaint against the MP. However given the clout that politician wields and given the fact that AI is a government organisation, the employee had till late on Thursday night not filed a police complaint. Highly placed sources said that the MP subsequently pacified the employee and the latter did not file a complaint.

The AI station manager was in the security hold area, supervising the flight's preparedness for take off as boarding counter had been closed. He was called out of the area to meet the MP, where he was slapped after refusing to accept the VVIP and his relatives on board.
27/11/15 Times of India

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Andhra MP Mitun Reddy Booked for ‘Slapping’ Air India Official

Tirupati/New Delhi: YSR Congress MP Mithun Reddy was booked on Friday for allegedly slapping an Air India official at the Tirupati Airport after the latter refused to accept the MP and his relatives on the flight for which boarding had been closed.

Reddy, however, denied the charge and has instead accused the Air India official of misbehaving with him.

The incident occurred yesterday when Reddy reached the Tirupati airport about 20 to 25 minutes before flight’s departure time with some of his relatives to board a flight to Delhi. The official refused to allow the MP to board the flight as boarding counters for domestic flights close at least 45 minutes before departure time.

Following this, the MP reportedly ‘shouted’ at the manager before allegedly slapping him.
27/11/15 ANI/New Indian Express

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AI Delhi-SFO non-stop flight tickets sold out for two months, despite higher fares

New Delhi: Air India may have at long last struck gold with its Delhi-San Francisco (SFO) nonstop connection that starts from next Wednesday. The airline says that this flight is nearly sold out on both the India-US and US-India routes for December and January -- despite the fact that its fare for the nonstop on this route is higher than the fare of popular foreign airlines flying one-stop on this route through their hubs in Gulf or Europe.

AI has been struggling for years to make its longhaul flights profitable and this is possibly the first time that a new launch has been sold out for next two months. "The yields have been much higher on this flight (which in common man language means fare are high). Our fares were a little more than competing foreign airlines. Still the response has been tremendous, proving that travellers want direct point-to-point connectivity instead of getting off planes at some intermediary hubs and then going through the hassle of security checks and boarding again," said a senior AI official.

For instance, a return ticket on this sector in last week of December was costing between Rs 83,000 and Rs 91,000 on some leading Southeast Asian, Gulf and European carriers. AI return fare for the nonstop was Rs 94,000. AI new chairman Ashwani Lohani is personally overseeing the revenue department of the airline and is trying to maximize earnings while trying to ensure that travellers get a premium feel.
27/11/15 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Thiruvananthapuram airport’s licence bid in trouble

Thiruvananthapuram: Securing an aerodrome licence for the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is going to be arduous as its runway lacks the mandatory basic strip as per the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) norms.

The 3,373-metre runway lacks the150-metre basic strip from the centre line on many stretches and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been securing the mandatory licence for the airport over the last 10 years by managing “temporary exemption” for non-compliance of the ICAO norms.

With the current aerodrome licence expiring in March next and the ICAO team flying down next month for an audit, the AAI officials are burning midnight oil to get 5.46 hectares from the State for creating the 150-metre basic strip on either side of the centre line of the runway.

Of the 5.46 hectares of land sought by the AAI for creating the basic strip, 1.39 hectares is on the Shanghumughom side, 0.40 hectares on Vallakadavu side and the remaining in between.

The laxity on the part of the State government in acquiring the required land, the reluctance of elected representatives to take up the issue with the government and the opposition raised by local people have upset the AAI officials.
27/11/15 S. Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu

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Air India to operate Delhi-Durgapur services from Dec 7

Kolkata: Come December and Eastern India’s first greenfield airport, Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, is all set to be connected to Delhi. National carrier, Air India, will commence three flights a week from Durgapur to Delhi.

The inaugural flight will take off on December 7 from the Dum Dum airport at 13.00 hours. It will fly from Kolkata to Durgapur and from there reach Delhi at around 17:45 hours.

From Delhi, the flight will take off at 18:15 hours and will reach Kolkata via Durgapur at 22:00 hours. It will reach Durgapur (from Delhi) at 20:45 hours.

Interestingly, Air India had been amongst the first airlines to start commercial operations from the Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport at Durgapur. The inaugural flight was operated by Alliance Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, with a 48-seater ATR-42 aircraft.
27/11/15 Business Line

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Jammu Airport"s plight poses threat to passengers: Harsh

Jammu: Expressing concern over the tragic chopper crash near Katra which claimed seven lives, Harsh Dev Singh Chairman JKNPP and former Minister regretted that the govt. generally wakes up only after the catastrophe has struck. He said that it was reprehensible that the Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated the Safety Audit of the Heli operations only after the occurrence of the tragedy that had left the people of Jammu shocked. Harsh Dev Singh expressed concern over hazardous plight of Jammu Airport whose short and rough runway is not only a nightmare for pilots but poses threat to lives of passengers. He said that the govt. had not only neglected long pending extension of the existing runway at the Jammu Airport from 6700 feet to 8000 feet as repeatedly warned by Aviation experts but also displayed criminal negligence in ensuring proper maintenance of the Airport thus putting the very lives of passengers to jeopardy. Expressing serious concern over the only recent reports of the Air officer commanding (AOC), who had expressed apprehensions of serious threats to the safety of aircrafts and passengers in view of shabby plight of Airport. He regretted that the much awaited expansion of Jammu Airport seemed to have gone in a limbo despite Rs. 70 crore having been sanctioned for the project in 2011 under PM"s Task Force recommendations.
26/11/15 The Northlines

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Monsoon dhamaka: 14 lakh fly through Ahmedabad airport

Ahmedabad: Flash sales by airlines besides discount offers led to record movement of passengers through city airport during the monsoon season this year. The trend, which began with summer, continued in the monsoon season as more than 14 lakh flyers flew in and out of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport during July-August-September. The preceding three months of summer brought in more than 15 lakh flyers.

According to the latest data available from Airports Authority of India (AAI), movement of 14.30 lakh passengers, including 3.37 lakh international and 10.93 lakh domestic, was recorded in July-September 2015, an increase of 27% compared to the same period last year.

In the period from 2012 to 2014, movement of close to 11 lakh passengers was recorded at city airport in monsoon months due to economy slowdown and sluggish demand. But this year, the trend reversed partly due to positive sentiments and partly because of flash sales and discounts.
26/11/15 ANI/Times of India

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Can Mufti free Srinagar Airport from IAF control?

Srinagar: The frequent disruption of flights at the Srinagar “International” Airport has once again given rise to the clamour of having a civil airport in the summer capital, with stakeholders asking the Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed to free the aerodrome from the direct control of the Indian Air Force.

President of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mushtaq Ahmad, said the Chief Minister “should prioritize taking back the control of Srinagar Airport from IAF” and allow the Airports Authority of India (AAI) “to operate it like other airports.”

“We don’t have an airport in Srinagar. It’s an army air base used as an airport where tourists only feel insecure in presence of forces. The Chief Minister needs to act and ensure that it is made a civil airport run by the AAI,” he told Greater Kashmir.

He said the “occupation” of the place by the IAF “sends a wrong signal among tourists and investors visiting the place” and “thus acts as a big impediment to the Valley’s economic growth and prosperity.”

The Srinagar Airport is again in news for wrong reasons for the past three days when flights have failed to operate owing to absence of an advanced landing gear that could facilitate operation of flights in low-visibility conditions.
27/11/15 Mukeet Akmali/Greater Kashmir

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Solar-run CIAL to double its power capacity

Kochi: The Cochin International Airport, the first airport in the world to operate completely on solar power, will double its capacity from present 13.1 MW.

A decision in this regard was taken at director board meeting of the CIAL chaired by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here today.
Foreseeing that the power usage in the airport will be doubled with the completion of the new international terminal, the board decided to increase the solar electricity generation capacity.

A CIAL release said it would help the airport retain its tag as the fully solar-powered airport in the world.
27/11/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Bird hits flight

A Sri Lankan Airlines flight (UL131) from Colombo to Tiruchi suffered a bird hit while landing at the Tiruchi Airport this morning. The aircraft was grounded at the airport for more than seven hours.

According to sources, the bird hit was reported in the left engine of the aircraft while landing. The aircraft had a safe landing. The return flight (UL132), which was scheduled to leave at 9.40 a.m., was delayed. A team of engineers of the airlines arrived here by the afternoon flight from Colombo and rectified the problem. The flight left for Colombo by 5.20 p.m., the source said.
27/11/15 The Hindu

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IGI gets elite unit to foil Paris-like strike

New Delhi: A team of commandos has been deployed around IGI airport in the wake of the Paris terror attack. Called anti-terrorist squad and trained by the NSG, these commandos are armed with assault rifles and advanced gadgets. And senior officials claim they will form an unbreakable security ring around the airport.

The team has undergone weeks of rigorous training at the Police Training College in Jharoda Kalan and is capable of handling all types of weapons for anti-terror and anti-hijack roles. They have been familiarised with the entire airport, including air traffic control, aircraft bays and even interiors of an aircraft so that in times of emergency, they can react quickly. They will be mainly posted at the outer level of the airport.

"Their training and combat skills are airport-centric. From getting into a highjacked aircraft without being visible to the enemy to eliminating the targets, and from rescuing the hostages to gathering intelligence, these men will proficiently deal with the situation," said Dinesh Kumar Gupta, DCP IGI.
26/11/15 Anvit Srivastava/Times of India

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AAI takes over Defence land for Umroi Airport expansion

Shillong: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has taken possession of Defence land measuring 31.825 acres for the expansion of Umroi Airport according to the affidavit filed by Sanjay Tyagi, Airport Director, Shillong, as per the last order of the High Court on November 24.
After the matter came up for hearing on Thursday, the Court referred to the affidavit which said that, the officials of the State Survey department on November 24 and 25 carried out survey and demarcation of 31.825 acres of Defence land at Umroi military station adjacent to Umroi Airport for handing over the same to the Airports Authority of India for expansion of Umroi Airport.
“After survey and demarcation, a memorandum has been prepared which has been duly countersigned by the officials from the local military authority, Defence Estate office, State Survey department, office of the Deputy Commissioner, Ri Bhoi, as well as officials of Airports Authority of India,” the affidavit said. The local military authorities have also issued a letter granting no-objection for commencement of construction by the Airports Authority of India.
27/11/15 Shillong Times

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Why this Mumbai airport cafe fails to impress

Mumbai: What would you do, if you walk into a bar, and you’re refused a drink because you waited ‘four minutes’ longer? Worse, what if the manager refuses to acknowledge your request, and shows up 15 minutes later to tell you that they would have, but the bar closed 30 seconds ago? This is after you spend 20 minutes waiting for an attendant and another 15 minutes hoping to catch someone’s attention for a beer or a milkshake (yes, they refused that as well) in a beer café, with not more than 15 customers inside.
This is how we spent our first 35 minutes at the Beer Café’s new outlet near Terminal 2 at the international airport last Tuesday. We are told they have license to serve alcohol only till 11.30 pm (later changed to 12 midnight and then 12.15 am by the manager). There was no signboard either to inform the customers of the timings either on their website or at the restaurant.
So, what if no beer, we gulped down our pride, and took to one of the al-fresco tables at the café. The ambiance calmed us down (along with a few drags of cigarettes; yes you can smoke at the al fresco seating area). The lone factor that prepped our evening was the food. It impressed us with its variety of pastas, sandwiches, burgers, egg dishes, snacks and main course items. We settled for Sausage Omelette (Rs 245), Girlled Vegetables and Basil Pesto Sandwich (Rs 275), and Pasta in 3 Cheese Sauce (Rs 425).
27/11/15 Hassan M Kamal/Mid Day

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500 gm gold seized at RGIA

Hyderabad: Customs officials at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport seized as much as 500 grams of gold moulded in the form of bars from an air passenger when he attempted to smuggle the yellow metal into the city on Thursday.

According to sources, the passenger arrived during early hours on Thursday in a flight from Bangkok. While exiting the airport, officials searched his baggage and found that the weight of the television stand that he was carrying was suspicious.

On thorough verification, the officials could identify gold bars hidden in the TV stand. The air passenger was detained immediately for questioning.
27/11/15 Hans India

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IGI runway inspector held for theft

New Delhi: A runway inspector at the Indira Gandhi International airport was arrested on Tuesday for his involvement in the theft of 10 cellphones from the cargo terminal in April.

Thirty-four-year-old Rajat has been employed at the airport for the last three years. Police said the accused sold a few phones through e-commerce websites and some to his friends.

Police said that an FIR was registered in April based on the complaint by a logistics company. Employees at the cargo terminal were questioned and the phones were put on surveillance.

"We received information that the phones have been traced, after which Rajat was arrested. He has confessed to the crime and said that he is left with only four phones," said a senior officer.

Police suspect that more people in the airport may be involved in the theft.
26/11/15 Times of India

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Draft Civil Aviation Policy to Hit Ground Handling Agencies

Kochi: The new draft national civil aviation policy 2015 published by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation bodes ill for the ground handling agencies at airports across the country.

As per the new draft policy, the airport operator will ensure that there will be at least three ground handling agencies (GHA) including Air India’s subsidiary/JV at an airport to ensure fair competition.

There will be no upper limit on the number of GHAs at an airport.

Besides, the draft policy allows domestic airlines and charter operators to carry out self-handling themselves or through their own subsidiaries or to outsource the same to other airlines or to a GHA.

The ministry also will encourage rationalization of airport royalties and other additional charges levied on GHAs over and above a reasonable lease rental.
26/11/15 Dhinesh Kallungal/New Indian Express

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AAI recommends GAGAN receivers for all aircraft by 2017

Chennai: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has recommended to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to ensure that the airlines install GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) receivers on all aircraft flying in Indian airspace from April 1, 2017. GAGAN has been jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation and the AAI.

P. Laxminarayana, Director, Research and Training Unit for Navigational Electronics, Osmania University, said that GAGAN has been certified and will make airline operations more efficient and reduce costs.

“The system is already being used by the Railways, Forest Department and other departments,” he said speaking at the Disha annual seminar organised by the CNS Engineers of Indian Air Navigation Service Provider here on Wednesday.
26/11/15 The Hindu

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Questions raised over viability of Mysuru airport

Mysuru: While flight services to Mysuru continue to be in a state of suspended animation after Alliance Air — a subsidiary of Air India — discontinued the operations on termination of financial arrangement with the State government, questions have been raised on the viability of the city airport.

Social activist Maj.Gen (Retd.) Sudhir G. Vombatkere has questioned the wisdom of spending tax payers’ money in trying to revive the airport catering to a limited number of people.

He said there was little justification for the State government to insist on operating and perhaps also extending and upgrading the airport at enormous cost as it would become redundant when the doubled and electrified Bengaluru-Mysuru rail link can provide far better connectivity for passengers to Kempegowda Airport from Mysuru than Mandakalli can provide.

Mr. Vombatkere said dreams involving public money, must be backed by careful planning and understanding of economic realities, with public transparency. There are better ways to budget and spend public money for fuel-efficient, rapid and cheap transportation of large numbers of people between Mysore and Bengaluru, than to cater for expensive air transportation for limited numbers of people.
26/11/15 R. Krishna Kumar/The Hindu

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Air traffic resumes at Srinagar airport

Srinagar: In a relief for stranded passengers, air traffic to and from Srinagar International Airport resumed Thursday after remaining suspended for the last three days due to foggy conditions.

"Air traffic resumed this afternoon. Two flights from Delhi have landed while one flight and a state aircraft carrying Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has also taken off from here," Director, Airport Authority of India, Srinagar, R K Shinde told PTI.

He said a SpiceJet flight was the first to land at the airport followed by Indigo and it was the first flight as well to take off from here in the last four days.

The Chief Minister also left in the state aircraft along with some of his cabinet ministers for Jammu, he said.

He said normal operations are expected with the improvement in the weather.

Some flights were delayed in the morning due to bad weather but no flight has been cancelled so far, Shinde said.
26/11/15 Zee News

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Peak-hour queues for security check rile air passengers

Ahmedabad: The increasing number of air travellers at Ahmedabad airport has not seen a proportionate upgradation in facilities. Inconvenienced passengers have voiced their concerns about the long queues and amount of time they spend at security check in after receiving their boarding pass. According to data released by Airport Authority of India, more than 50 lakh passengers used Ahmedabad airport to travel.

This is an increase of 10 per cent in 2014 compared to the previous year. Keeping aside the queues passengers have to encounter while boarding the aircraft and while entering the airport gate, at times they have had to spend about 15 minutes for security checks at domestic terminal of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International airport. The reason may be few security personnel and fewer X-ray machines to scan hand baggage. The gradual rise in traffic at city airport coupled with taxi and parking issues inside the airport have only added to their woes. Big Boss season 6 fame and model of Kingfisher calendar fame Karishma Kotak recently tweeted, "Ahmedabad airport seems like a train station at#Organised chaos! Make your passengers wait 20mins for security."
26/11/15 Alok Brahmbhatt/Ahmedabad Mirror

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AAI begins formalities to extend Raipur runway by 965 m

Raipur: The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is vying for the ‘International Airport' tag, has commenced the process of taking up the runway extension project at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur.

The current runway length is 2286 meters and would be extended by another 965 meters, Swami Vivekananda Airport Director Santosh Dhoke told The Pioneer.

Detailed estimate for taking up the extension work is under preparation for tender action, he said, adding, the entire tendering process would take place during the next two to three months and it would take another one or two months to award the work for execution of the project.

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh is set to gain immensely from Centre’s recent proposed formulation of Regional Connectivity Scheme (“RCS ”) to promote regional air connectivity in Indian airports by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and AAI.

Notably, the Chhattisgarh Government had been trying hard to get air connectivity for all its key cities, besides getting international flights operated from Raipur at the earliest.
26/11/15  Sumedha Chaudhury/Daily Pioneer

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Mehbooba demands installation of advanced system at airport

Srinagar: Ruling Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti today expressed dismay over disruption of air traffic at Srinagar airport due to poor visibility and demanded immediate installation of advanced Instrumentation Landing System (ILS) to ensure uninterrupted flight operations even during minimum visibility.

Flight operation at the airport has been suspended here for the last two days due to the fog, with hundreds of passengers, including tourists stranded here.
"Despite having been declared an international airport almost a decade back, the technical facilities at Srinagar aerodrome continue to be outdated impeding the air traffic to and from Kashmir, especially during the winters.

"The technical facilities including ILS needs to be upgraded immediately at the aerodrome to avoid any inconvenience to the passengers," Mehbooba, also a Member of Parliament from south Kashmir's Anantnag, said here.
25/11/15 PTI/Business Standard

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Now, airplanes will land, take off in low visibility at Amritsar

Amritsar: Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport in Amritsar is abuzz with activities as the authorities are busy in the installation of the advanced technical apparatus — instrument landing system (ILS) CAT II B — near the runway. ILS CAT II B will catapult the Amritsar airport to the elite club of world class airports in India. It will enable aircraft to land and take off in a low visibility of 50 metre. Presently, the runway at the Amritsar airport is equipped with CAT-II ILS system enabling aircraft landing and take-off in the visibility upto 350 metre.
The instrument landing system is a ground-based system that provides guidance to an aircraft in approaching and landing on a runway by a combination of radio signals and high-intensity lighting arrays. Runway lights, glide path and other relevant logistics are being installed at war footing along the tarmac in the airport.
Besides, the proposed consolidation of the 12,000 feet long runway at the airport is expected to take place at cost of over Rs 103 crore next year. The existing runway, which can cater to the largest aircraft available with the airlines operating in India, has started showing signs of aging, besides developing cracks at a few places over the years. The last re-carpeting of the runway was carried out in 2001-03.
25/11/15  Neeraj Bagga/Tribune

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International flights nowhere in sight

Chandigarh: The wait of the city for being connected to international destinations such as Dubai and Bangkok seems to be getting endless. In spite of over two months since the international airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there are no signs of the promised international connectivity.
Though the Punjab Government, reportedly on assurances given by the Government of India, had announced that the city would get its first international flight to Dubai on October 19, it now seems that the international connectivity for Chandigarh is not going to happen for at least another month. As a result, the airport continues to function like a domestic airport, with 16 flights operating in a day.
Though no official date has yet been announced for the flights to take off, at least one airline — Indigo — is expected to start its operations to Dubai by the end of December and thus try and attract the holiday crowd. Officials in the Punjab Civil Aviation Department told Chandigarh Tribune that another airline would be able to start its international flight only in early 2016 as it had a shortage of aircraft and new aircraft were to be added to its fleet only in early 2016.
25/11/15 Ruchika M Khanna/Tribune India

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It's Up, Up and Away for CIAL Next Year

Kochi:  2016 will be a crucial year for Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which has many firsts to its credit,  including being the pioneer in resorting to the PPP model in building an airport and becoming the first solar-powered airport in the world.

The airport is gearing up for a big leap in infrastructure next year by opening the second international terminal and introducing a second instrument landing system -  a first in the state - which will allow the aircraft to take off and touch down from both directions of the same runway at the airport.


Putting aside the flaws of the past, especially in connection with the ever-increasing smuggling cases through the airport, the state-of-the-art airport is on the path of steady growth. Last financial year, CIAL registered a record footfall of 64.5 lakh passengers, making it the first busiest terminal in the state and fourth busiest international terminal in the country.

Now, the airport is emerging as the third largest airport in the country in terms of international passenger handling when the statistics of the footfall of passengers in the first quarter of the fiscal have been announced.
Taking note of the huge leap in the volume of international traffic in recent years, CIAL has been constructing an additional international terminal at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore. The civil work of the new facility has almost been completed.

The mechanical and interior works are being launched now with the awarding of tenders to major companies and the terminal is expected to be thrown open for traffic by May 25 next year, said CIAL authorities.
26/11/15 Dhinesh Kallungal/New Indian Express

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Meghalaya offers land for Airport expansion

Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Secretary, PBO Warjri has offered a fresh plot of land measuring 32 acres to the Defence authorities for the expansion of Umroi Airport.
In the High Court yesterday he stated that the State Government has identified another plot of land measuring 32 acres. However, this land has to be inspected first.

Warjri gave this information before a full bench of the High Court consisting Chief Justice Uma Nath Singh, Justice SR Sen and Justice T Nandakumar Singh.

According to Warjri, the new plot of land is such that it will be acceptable to the Defence authority.

The Defence authority is ready to hand over 32 acres in Umroi in exchange of similar plot of land from the State Government for the expansion of the Umroi project.

The Bench further stated that the Court may be constrained to initiate proceeding against anyone who interferes and tries to impede the progress of the project. During the last hearing, the Bench expressed disappointment on the State bureaucracy in handling the project.
25/11/5 Assam Tribune

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Abandoned bags put Mumbai airport on alert

Mumbai: A day before 26/11’s 7th anniversary, Mumbai airport was rattled by the presence of an abandoned bag near the departure gate no 1 of the domestic terminal. Authorities cordoned off the gate and called in the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS). The squad found only clothes in the bag and declared it a hoax.
Officials say that extra care and time was taken to handle the situation due to the high alert being followed at the airport after a threat call last Friday. After yesterday’s incident extra security personnel from various agencies have been deployed at the terminal. Meanwhile, passengers had to stand in long queues, as only departure gate 2 was made operational for 30 minutes. Although at 4.10, the BDDS had declared the abandoned bag to be safe after finding some clothes in it, another 30 minutes were taken to normalise the situation. “For safety and security reasons, we resumed passenger movement only after we received a clean chit from the BDDS. The passengers were not allowed to enter from gate 1 but the situation was handled within half an hour of the BDDS confirmation,” said an airport official.
26/11/15 Neha LM Tripathi/Mid Day

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CIAL Postpones Bidding

Kochi: The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on Wednesday postponed the bidding for the appointment of the third ground handling agency at the airport. According to the spokesperson of the airport, the bidding for the appointment of the third ground handling agency has been postponed following a formal request from the side of agencies who had qualified for taking part in the bidding.

When pointed out about the displeasure of ground handling agencies in appointing one more agency in the airport, the CIAL authorities said that, as per the aviation policy, there is no policy restrictions for appointing another ground handling agency in the airport.
26/11/15 New Indian Express

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CBI raid at Thiruvananthapuram airport; misappropriation of Rs 14 cr found

Thiruvananthapuram: The CBI conducted a raid at Airport Authority of India office at Thiruvananthapuram and is learnt to have detected misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 14 crore.

The raid which was held on Tuesday was kept as a top secret and he airport officials were not ready to divulge any details of the raid. The raid which began in the wee hours of Tuesday ended in the midnight and the CBI officials is learnt to have confiscated several records from the office.

The CBI sources said that it was closely monitoring activities of the Thiruvananthapuram airport and the raid was part of the evasion of payment of royalty to the Airport Authority of India by the agency which is handling the ground handling at the Thiruvananthapuram airport. The agencies are required to pay a certain percentage of their monthly gross turn over (GTO) as royalty charges to AAI.
25/11/15 G Rajiv/Times of India

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Absence of adequate cops at airports encourages touts

New Delhi: A Delhi court had convicted an auto-rickshaw driver for touting and alluring a passenger outside the domestic airport here last year.

However, Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma let off Jitender Singh by imposing a fine of Rs.2,500 on him as he expressed remorse on his act and in view of his poor economic status.

The Domestic Airport police had lodged a case and arrested the driver on a complaint by the investigating officer in the matter under Section 4 of the Delhi Prevention of Touting and Malpractices against Tourists Ordinance Act, 2010.

They had charged him with soliciting the passenger in the parking lot outside Terminal 1-B of the Domestic Airport by touching his luggage to provide him taxi and hotel accommodation at lower than the market rates and discounts on shopping.

The court also dismissed arguments by counsel for the accused that the complainant in the case could not be the investigating officer.
26/11/15 Nirnimesh Kumar/The Hindu

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AERA extends existing airport charges of MIAL for another three months

Tariff regulator AERA has extended the existing airport charges for the GVK-AAI run Mumbai Airport by another three months till February next year.

The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) said in an order last week that rates approved in its order of January, 2013, are to continue till the end of February next year or till the time that tariffs for the second five-year control period (2014-2019) are determined.

The User Development Fee paid by passengers flying out of the Chhtrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) currently stands at Rs 274 for domestic departures and Rs 574 for the international ones.
"Aeronautical tariff(s) approved by the Authority vide order dated January 15, 2013, shall continue up to February 28, 2016, or until the final determination of the tariffs for the second control period (2014-2019), whichever is earlier," AERA said in its November 20, 2015 order.
24/11/15 PTI/Economic Times

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Submit near-miss reports to us, says AAI to ATC

Mumbai: Officials from the safety department of Airport Authority of India (AAI)’s west region are concerned about the discontinuation of submission of near-miss incident reports to them.
According to a senior official of this department, the last time an incident of near-miss was reported to them was in 2013 but since then no information has been provided to the department. The department is planning to raise this question in the next meeting of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). According to the rules of DGCA, that were designed in 2005, every Air Traffic Control (ATC) center has to give reports about every incident that took place on the runway or in air. An official of safety department said, “Near-miss or any incident that occurs on the runway is directly connected with the safety, and being a safety department, reports of such incidents must be submitted to us.”
According to the sources from AAI, in April 2013, an Air India flight landed at the Mumbai Airport, without taking permission from ATC, as there was some miscommunication between the departments. During the time of the incident, the head of the AAI safety department was in Chennai, so by ATC primary report was directly sent to DGCA, but since then, the department has not received any reports.
25/11/15  Ashita Dadheech/AsianAge

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Govt explores tying up with Changi airport to manage airports in India

Mumbai: India is seeking Singapore's expertise in planning and operations of airports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the government is exploring collaboration with Singapore's Changi airport to operate two airports in India.

He did not name the airports. However separately the Airport Authority of India signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore Co-operation Enterprise to co-operate in planning and development of Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports. The MOU covers aspects including design, planning, traffic and commercial development, service quality and operations and management.

The scope of MOU can be extended to include more airports. The MOU was signed today as a part of Prime Minister's two day visit to Singapore.
In August, government has scrapped the privatisation of four major airports - those at Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Ahmedabad. While the airports at Chennai and Kolkata will continue to remain under the complete control of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), fresh bids for the Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports will be invited from private players. These bids, however, would only be for operation and maintenance contracts, government officials had then said.
24/11/15 Business Standard

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Ahmedabad airport figures in India – Singapore pacts

Singapore: India and Singapore today elevated their ties to the ‘strategic partnership’ level and signed bilateral agreements for enhanced defence cooperation and in areas like cyber security, shipping and civil aviation after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.

Modi also met Singapore President Tony Tan Keng on the second day of his visit today and was accorded a ceremonial welcome here at Istana, the official residence and office of the President.

The ten pacts signed by the two sides included a joint declaration by the two Prime Ministers on a strategic partnership.

“India and Singapore elevate their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership to deepen and broaden engagement in existing areas of cooperation and catalyse new ones ranging from political, defence and security cooperation to economic, cultural and people-to-people contact. The strategic partnership is also a framework to contribute to greater regional stability and growth,” the joint declaration said.
24/11/15 Barun Jha/DeshGujarat

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Airport expansion: Talks on land pricing fail to take off

Coimbatore: The talks between the district collectorate and residents of G K Nagar failed on Tuesday, as the latter refused to accept the price fixed by officials to acquire their land. While officials claimed they are offering almost 50% more than the guideline value, residents say the price offered is still just a third of the prevailing land rates in the area.

In order to expand the airport runway, the government needs to acquire 461.90 acres of land from residents in the neighbouring areas and 134.32 acres from defence authorities.

The district revenue officer (DRO), in charge of land acquisition, conducted a meeting with residents of G K Nagar, College Nagar and Kalapatti to negotiate the price for their land. "We are conducting private negotiations with residents, so we can offer a price that is acceptable for all residents," S Gunashekharan, the DRO in charge of the project said.
25/11/15 Times of India

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Mumbai airport named as 'CAPA Asia Pacific Airport' of the Year

Mumbai Airport was named CAPA Asia Pacific Airport of the Year. This award is given to the airport that has been the biggest standout strategically, established itself as a leader and done the most to advance the progress of the aviation industry.

Mumbai Airport CEO Rajeev Jain accepted the award from CAPA Executive Director Peter Harbison.

Mumbai was selected for the innovative development of T2, which has enabled Mumbai to emerge as one of the leading airports in Asia.
CAPA also noted that airlines have benefited from the airport's very committed focus on improving airside efficiency. Over the last five years Mumbai Airport has managed to increase runway capacity from just over 30 movements per hour, to 45 movements per hour, peaking at just over 51.
24/11/15 ANI/Daily News & Analysis

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Opinion divided on airport expansion

Tiruchy: The proposed acquisition of land for the expansion of the airport in the city has triggered differing opinion, with farmers raising their objection to the proposal and the members of a city-based federation expressing their support.

Representatives of National-South Indian Rivers Inter-linking Farmers Association and the office-bearers of the Air, Rail and Road Travellers Federation submitted separate petitions to District Collector K.S. Palanisamy expressing their views in this regard.

M. Sekaran, president of the Federation, said the Airport Authority of India had accorded its green signal for acquisition of land to an extent of 510.30 acres of which about 164.68 acres fell in the jurisdiction of the Union Ministry of Defence. He said the runway expansion was most important for the operation of wide-bodied aircraft. He said the expansion would facilitate operation of larger number of aircraft and bring down the air freights.
25/11/15 The Hindu

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Wildlife intrusion threat: DGCA puts 4 Gujarat airports under surveillance

Ahmedabad: Following major security breach at Nagpur airport in September, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered surveillance of 20 airports in the country after they were found prone to 'wildlife intrusion and bird-hits'. The four major airports of the state including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot are on the list.

This move by the aviation regulator comes after a herd of pigs were found scuttled on the runway as President Pranab Mukherjee's Boeing-737 aircraft was taxiing towards the terminal building after landing in Nagpur.

The surveillance order is to check the problem of wildlife intrusion and bird strikes as part of a safety programme by DGCA.
As part of the State Safety Programme, preventing wildlife (bird/animal) strikes to aircraft was identified by DGCA as one of the most important safety priorities.
While Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad faces threat from birds and monkeys, Rajkot airport has dog menace to handle.
24/11/15 Piyush Mishra/Times of India

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Mumbai Airport Biggest And Most Strategic In Asia: CAPA

Aviation consultant Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has recognised the new Mumbai Airport as its Asia Pacific Airport of the Year for being the biggest and most strategic airport in Asia. The aviation advisory has also considered this airport as the leader, which has done the most to advance the progress of the aviation industry in this region.

This airport was selected for the award for its innovative development of Terminal- 2 (T2), which has enabled Mumbai to emerge as one of the leading airports in Asia.

CAPA’s aviation awards for excellence are intended to reward airlines and airports that are not only successful but have also provided industry leadership in an always changing environment. The award was accepted by Mumbai Airport CEO Rajeev Jain from CAPA executive director Peter Harbison on Tuesday (24 November).

“The construction of T2 was an incredibly complex infrastructure project which required a massive new terminal to be constructed on a very constrained land bank on the site of an existing busy and fast growing airport," said Harbison.
24/11/15 CH Unnikrishnan/Businessworld

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Upgrade airport immediately, members of Andhra Pradesh Air Travellers' Association say

Visakhapatnam: The need for development of Visakhapatnam airport has become vital following the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh, said members of the Andhra Pradesh Air Travellers' Association (APATA).

The Visakhapatnam Air Travellers' Association was transformed into APATA here on Tuesday and the associations of all the five existing airports of Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Vijayawada and Kadapa will now work in coordination with the APATA.

The new members of the association include Visakha West MLA Gana Babu as well as the city airport advisory board members Veera Mohan and K Kumar Raja.

Speaking to media persons, association president Y Siva Sagara Rao said they wanted to maintain a uniform system and policy to create more facilities for air travellers in the state. Working president of the association Cheruvu Ramakotaiah said if the present airport was extended to another 250 acres, then it would be enough to enable more flights to land here. "If the present runway was extended by another 250 metres, then the bigger international flights can land here," he said.
25/11/15 Times of India

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NGO claims AC bus service to airport is overcharged

Pune: Is the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) charging higher than permissible fares for AC bus services to Lohegaon airport? Citing a state government notification on fares, Parisar, an NGO working for sustainable transport, has said that the current fares are higher than the legally allowed maximum amount. PMPML, however, has justified the fares.

PMPML started operating airconditioned bus services from Kothrud and Hinjewadi IT Park to the airport through a private operator from September1. Currently , the fare for the Kothrud-airport service is Rs 120 and that for the Hinjewadi-airport service is Rs 180.

A government notification issued by the home department in December 2005 had stipulated fares for ordinary , limited stop, luxury class and AC bus services in municipal corporation, council and cantonment board limits. The notification was issued to the state transport authority and all regional transport authorities. For AC bus services, it allowed a surcharge of 150% on the maximum fare for ordinary bus services.
25/11/15 Manish Umbrajkar/Times of India

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Airport cabbies for driving out online taxis

Kochi: The standoff between conventional taxi service providers and online taxi operators does not appear to be ending as conventional taxi drivers have complained of their online service counterparts poaching on their territory.

Eldho Yohannan, board member of Taxi Cooperative Operators’ Society, Cochin International Airport, said the online taxis were poaching on their territory.

Earlier, there was an understanding that the online taxi providers would only drop air passengers and not pick them up from the airport.

However, they had now started picking up passengers from Nedumbassery too, he said.

However, the local drivers were not physically intervening or causing any trouble to the online taxi drivers.
25/11/15 The Hindu

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Fog will again ground flights at Amausi

Lucknow: Tough days are ahead for flyers from the city as thick fog is likely to disrupt air services over the next two months. And the situation may worsen since the Amausi airport authorities have missed two deadlines for installation of CAT-III B navigation system that facilitates aircraft landing during low visibility.

Fog hovers over the city for about two months -- December 15 to February 15. During this period, several flights, mainly those arriving and departing early in the morning and late evening, either get cancelled or long delayed.

While New Delhi IGI airport has CAT-II B navigation system that facilitates aircraft landing even when visibility is 50 meters, the Lucknow airport, regarded as the secondary airport to Delhi, has only CAT-II system which navigates an aircraft in 350 meters visibility.
AAI sources said the Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (ASMGCS) is yet to be installed at Amausi to make for CAT-III B. Airport director Surest Chanda Hota said AAI is trying to install the system at the earliest. "I am not sure when that would happen," he said.
25/11/15 Times of India

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Flight disruptions a ‘norm’ at Srinagar Airport, courtesy outdated ILS

Srinagar: The Srinagar “International” Airport lacks facilities to enable landing and take-off of flights in low-visibility conditions, thus leading to frequent cancellations, officials said.

The foggy weather conditions have led to frequent disruption of flights at the Srinagar Airport.

On Tuesday, sources said, only two flights could land at the airport, but couldn’t take off later while the scene was no better on Monday.

According to sources, the Indian Air Force—which controls the Srinagar “International” Airport—has fixed the visibility of 1.2 km for flights to operate at the aerodrome.

“An outdated Instrumentation Landing System has been installed at the Airport while airports elsewhere have highly sophisticated landing facilities which facilitate landing even at zero-visibility,” said a senior official.

“The problem of cancellation of flights during winters could be fixed easily if category-III- B Instrumentation Landing System or any other category ILS which could facilitate landing of flights even when the visibility is 200 to 300 metres, is installed at the Srinagar Airport,” he said.
25/11/15 Greater Kashmir

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Smuggling in airport has a pattern

Chennai: Smuggling has been on the rise at the airport here with more than three incidents reported within seven days. The latest is the seizure of $ 8,000 (Rs 5 lakh) from a Madurai passenger scheduled to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur today.

During the routine check of passengers of a Malaysian airplane, CISF officials frisked a 40-year-old passenger from Madurai.

They found $ 8,000 American dollars kept hidden inside the knee cap he was wearing.

Customs officials were informed about the money and the man was taken for interrogation.

On Tuesday, security officials at Chennai airport seized 8 kg of gold. During screening of inbound passengers' luggage, 5.5 kg of gold was found in one bag and they found 2.5 kg of gold in another bag.

On 20 November, 70 lakh worth euro currency was seized from a Royapuram passenger bound for Singapore.
25/11/15 News Today

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CBI raids AAI’s Thiruvananthapuram office

A CBI team raided the office of the Airport Authority of India here on Tuesday, a source said on Wednesday.

The raid was kept a closely-guarded secret and the details came to light only on Wednesday.

The Thiruvananthapuram unit of the CBI has been closely monitoring the situation for the past six months after allegations of royalty evasion that the ground handling agencies pay to the Airport Authority of India had cropped up.

A person in the know of things told IANS that the day-long raid ended after the CBI officials took away with them documents related to the ground handling charges.
25/11/15 IANS/Economy Lead

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Gold worth Rs 2cr seized at city airport

Chennai: Smuggling of gold through the city is clearly on the rise. Officials on Monday night made two more seizures of gold worth a combined 2 crore at city airport.

A customs officer said Ravi Bharathan, 34, of Vannarpet arrived in the city from Hong Kong on around midnight on Sunday.

"We had specific intelligence of a smuggling attempt," he said. When officers checked Bhara- than's baggage, they found 25 gold biscuits worth 62.5 lakh. The officers arrested him. Airport officials earlier found an abandoned bag and alerted police. The bomb squad examined the bag with sensors before opening it.
25/11/15 Times of India

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Gold seized at airport

Kochi: Officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday nabbed a Thalassery native while attempting to smuggle in around three kilograms of gold soon after his arrival at the Cochin International Airport. Sources said a team of DRI sleuths, acting on a tip-off, detained Madhu Laj, 22, who landed here by a Jet Airways flight from Abu Dhabi in the evening.

The DRI personnel intercepted him even as the accused was leaving the airport after completing the clearance formalities.
25/11/15 The Hindu

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No extra airport charges for fliers till February next year

Mumbai: The passengers flying out from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) will be spared from paying extra airport charges for the next three months as Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has deferred the decision to increase the charges till February next year.

The CSIA is considered as one of the busiest airports in the subcontinent, with over 36.63 million passengers moving around every year. The airport also sees about 694,261 tonnes of cargo in a year.

"Aeronautical tariff(s) approved by the authority vide order no. 32/2012-13 dated 15.01.2013 shall continue up to 28.02.2016 or until the final determination of the tariffs for the second control period (i.e, 2014-2019), whichever is earlier." AERA said in its order. "The revenue collected by the Airport Operator (MIAL) during the period shall be adjusted from Aggregate Revenue Requirement for the Second Control Period starting w.e.f, 01.04.2014," it said.
The user development fee (UDF), which is to be paid by passengers flying out of the airport, currently stands at Rs274 for domestic departures and Rs574 for international ones.
24/11/15 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis

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AAI, states to develop four airports in partnership

New Delhi: In a first, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has identified several airports it plans to develop through joint ventures with state governments.
A special purpose vehicle (SPV) will be formed to develop the airports at Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh), Devgarh (Rajasthan), Jharsuguda (Odisha) and Shirdi (Maharashtra), with the respective state governments being equity partners.
"Airports can be developed through the SPV route rather than a stand-alone property of AAI, so that states also become a partner. We have identified a few places such as Kushinagar, Devgarh, Jharsuguda where we are exploring the possibility of an SPV. For Shirdi also, the draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) is pending with the state government," AAI chairman R K Srivastava told Business Standard.
This is the first time AAI will enter into strategic partnerships with states to develop airports through SPVs. At present, states only provide land required for building or expansion of the airports, along with road and power connectivity to AAI. However, at a few as the newly-built Chandigarh International Airport, the Punjab government's Greater Mohali Area Development Authority and the Haryana Urban Development Authority are equity partners.
24/11/15 Somesh Jha/Business Standard

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AAI, states to develop four airports in partnership

New Delhi: In a first, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has identified several airports it plans to develop through joint ventures with state governments.
A special purpose vehicle (SPV) will be formed to develop the airports at Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh), Devgarh (Rajasthan), Jharsuguda (Odisha) and Shirdi (Maharashtra), with the respective state governments being equity partners.
"Airports can be developed through the SPV route rather than a stand-alone property of AAI, so that states also become a partner. We have identified a few places such as Kushinagar, Devgarh, Jharsuguda where we are exploring the possibility of an SPV. For Shirdi also, the draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) is pending with the state government," AAI chairman R K Srivastava told Business Standard.
This is the first time AAI will enter into strategic partnerships with states to develop airports through SPVs. At present, states only provide land required for building or expansion of the airports, along with road and power connectivity to AAI. However, at a few as the newly-built Chandigarh International Airport, the Punjab government's Greater Mohali Area Development Authority and the Haryana Urban Development Authority are equity partners.
24/11/15 Somesh Jha/Business Standard

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Farmers want land acquisition for Trichy airport stopped

Trichy: At a time when steps are being initiated for the acquisition of 345.62 acres of land for the expansion of the Trichy airport, a group of farmers from the district handed over a petition to collector KS Palanisamy claiming that, if developed, the land would flood some parts of Trichy. Simultaneously, another group representing the Road, Airport and Railway Association submitted a petition to expedite the land acquisition.

On Monday, M. Sekaran, president, Air, Rail and Road Travellers Federation, who is also a member of the airport advisory committee, submitted the petition during the grievance meeting. It said the land acquisition had been pending for the past four years and it was high time steps were taken towards this for the development of the city and its surrounding districts. At a recent meeting held at the airport, it was learnt that the district administration had sent the land acquisition proposal to the government on 24 December 2014 for administrative sanction.

Sekaran said the runway expansion was essential to operate bigger aircraft to meet the steep rise in the number of passengers using the airport.
24/11/15 Times of India

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GVK, Hindustan upbeat on Modi's infrastructure push

GV Sanjay Reddy, vice chairman of GVK Power & Infrastructure , has big ambitions for the company's airport business. He wants to be one of the largest players in the global airport sector, growing GVK's airport unit to be a 200 million-passenger-per-year business within five years. The company is involved in two airport projects in Indonesia, but the jewels in its crown are definitely in India, where GVK operates the airports in two of the biggest cities in the country: Mumbai and Bangalore. "Bangalore is the fastest growing airport in India, Mumbai is also growing at a very good pace," Reddy told CNBC. "The Civil Aviation Industry of India said the current passenger traffic in India is about 160, 170 million passengers, and that's expected to grow to about 500 million passengers in the next 10 to 12 years. So there's a huge potential upside for the business."
India is suffering from an infrastructure deficit. The World Bank estimates that the country will need to spend up to USD 1.7 trillion by the end of the decade to fix its crumbling infrastructure, and improve its roads, rail, ports and power utilities.
24/11/15 CNBC/moneycontrol.com

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Airport terminal may not be ready for Krishna Pushkaram

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu advised the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to complete the construction of new terminal building by August 2016 to meet the rush of passengers during Krishna Pushkaram to be held next year. He made this suggestion after laying foundation stone for the terminal at Gannavaram airport last month.

But the AAI seems to be missing the deadline set by Mr. Naidu as works are likely to begin in December second week after necessary clearances come from the headquarters in New Delhi on the design of terminal building, said sources.

Contract has already been awarded for the Rs.137 crore project and design of the building was submitted to senior officials in New Delhi for approval.

“Once we get clearance from the headquarters, we will commence works from second week of December,” said a senior official. The new facility is coming up in 9,700 square metres land. “It is difficult to complete the work by August 2016 to meet the rush during Krishna Pushkaram due to various technical reasons,” an official said adding that the construction would be completed by December 2016.
24/11/15 M. Srinivas/The Hindu

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